22052024-LSTC-01.qxd 5/22/2024 12:50 AM Page 1 c m y b RESUL POOKUTTY ON BOARD Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty comes on board for Anupam Kher’s directorial Tanvi The Great. On Instagram, Kher wrote, “Happy, privileged and honoured to introduce the Oscar & BAFTA winning #SoundDesigner of my directorial film #TanviTheGreat — Mr Resul Pookutty.” TRIBUNE Blame game Life Hollywood actor Scarlett Johansson has accused OpenAI of ripping off her voice for the new ChatGPT AI named ‘Sky’, even though she had declined the company’s offer. CHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 22 MAY 2024 ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ Meet the Mahis Rajkummar, Janhvi perform Ganga aarti in Varanasi ahead of Mr & Mrs Mahi release The Broken News Season 2 Bollywood stars Rajkummar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor were seen performing the Ganga aarti in Varanasi, ahead of the release of their film Mr & Mrs Mahi. They were also seen praying at the Dashashwasmedh Ghat. Janhvi will be kickstarting the promotions of the film and will be visiting the national capital on Tuesday. The romantic sports drama has been directed by Sharan Sharma and will be hitting the cinema halls on May 31. — IANS The Test Case Director Vinay Waikul, who is basking in the glory of The Broken News 2, says the series proved to be prophetic about recent Maharashtra politics and electoral bond issue This is news Nonika Singh H IS name may not ring an instant bell. But director Vinay Waikul’s recent series The Broken News Season 2 has been creating a buzz and falls in that rare category where second innings is being hailed even better than the first one. The Zee5 series’ realistic and sharp depiction of newsrooms has been winning critics and audiences alike. Waikul reveals, “We did research rather extensively, met a whole lot of ground reporters, editors, producers of television news programmes et al.” Above all, they resisted the temptation of caricaturising any character. Waikul observes, “Obviously there were inspirations from real life journalists, but not one in particular. The intention was not to make fun of anyone person.” An adaptation of BBC show Press, the series rings true to Indian ethos. Since Press had only one season, they had even greater freedom second time over. Though the series is quite balanced, were they sticking their neck out while talking of ticklish issues like electoral bonds? He says, “Well, we shot the series much before electoral bonds became a hot topic.” Prophetic? He nods, “That is what we keep telling THRILLING RIDE Since Vinay Waikul has also directed Aranyak, a thriller set in a sleepy town in Himachal Pradesh, we wonder why thrillers are invariably the go-to genre for web series. He observes, “On OTT, the control of watching is in viewers’ hands. For greater engagement of the audience, hook is stronger in thrillers.” our writer Sambit Mishra. Even if you watch the first season, what happened in the series got played out in Maharashtra politics later.” Waikul is not exactly a fan of the franchise model, especially when second seasons are made out of compulsion. The Broken News, however, is likely to roll over for yet another outing as, “It’s a very fascinating world and closest to my heart.” Repetition, however, is almost an anathema for him. And if variety is the spice of his filmography, in his long career as assistant director, he has never worked with the same director twice. He explains, “For once you work with a director you understand him. The novelty and excitement… you figure it out.” Can he decode Raj Kumar Hirani, whom he assisted in 3 Idiots for us? “Path-breaking, honest, hardworking whom success has not corrupted,” is how he glowingly describes Hirani. But, his ideals are Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan and veteran cinematographer Vinod Pradhan. With Raveena Tandon (Aranyak) and Sonali Bendre (The Broken News) making their digital debuts with Waikul, we try to figure out his Aranyak fascination for the actresses of the 90s. He reasons, “They are great actresses who belong to the kind of schooling where discipline is the key. Despite being senior and experienced, they have no hang-ups or starry tantrums.” As for having Jaideep Ahlawat on board, he quips, “ What more can one ask for. He is such a fabulous actor, so instinctive, he takes the material miles ahead and adds more layers.” All praise for his cast, he admires his wife, writer Mrunmayee Lagoo equally. Only, he does not believe in the axiom, “A couple who works together stays together.” They do share thoughts, give feedbacks and he rates her Scoop as her best. She ranks his The Test Case about a female combat officer, which he codirected with Nagesh Kukunoor, highly. Since late actress Reema Lagoo was his mother-in-law and now wife is a noted writer, does he feel like an insider or outsider in the film industry? He says, “An outsider for I didn’t know anyone back then. I don’t endorse the insider-outsider binary. All people in this industry care about is how serious, honest and committed you are. Only talent matters.” With big players joining the OTT space, does he think it is still a level playing field? He observes, “Big ones are doing series as stop gap. So, I am not unduly worried.” Indeed, riding on waves of applause, he has little reason to fret or fume. Or, to find out how success is measured on OTT! “My job is to make honest and entertaining content. If I focus on other things like numbers and views, I will be compromising on what falls under my purview.” And he has no intention of deviating from his core expertise, envisioning anew and reimagining the world around us! Dialogue writer Rohit K Sharma, whose film Santosh was appreciated at Cannes, underlines the importance of the script and its handling Sheetal “Santosh was meant for festivals likes Cannes,” says dialogue writer Rohit K Sharma, who has been in touch with the film’s director Sandhya Suri and the cast, Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar, ever since it was screened at Cannes on Monday. “People applauded Sandhya, who made her debut at Cannes with Santosh, which was showcased in the Un Certain Regard category. It’s a proud moment for us,” he says. Rohit, who has been credited for many other Hollywood and Bollywood projects as a script supervisor, shares, “When I Trust the written word assumed the role of dialogue supervisor for Santosh, I gave an honest feedback that even if the script was in English, the dialogues should be in the language of the region. And when I asked if they had someone to write dialogues, they told me to give it a try.” Rohit, who wrote and directed the Punjabi short film Qalandar, premiered at MAMI, Mumbai and New York Indi- SANTOSH @FESTIVAL DE CANNES CHANDIGARH CONNECT Rohit spent five years in Chandigarh, as he studied at Government School, Sector 11, and later passed out from the Department of Indian Theatre, Panjab University. He says, “I have been a part of plays and was appreciated for my work. It encouraged me to choose this career. I was a student of theatre thespian Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry. She was one person who deeply inspired me. In Mumbai, I first started as assistant director and worked in My Name Is Khan.” an Film Festival, says script supervisor is more of a western concept that is slowly picking up in Mumbai. “Basically, it’s about avoiding the loopholes when a script is put to action, which is generally not shot in the linear manner. So, our job is to avoid factual errors, and make sure the sets, props, aesthetics and situation adhere to the script and the character’s arc,” he explains. Keen observation Rohit has written a song and additional dialogues for The White Tiger. He supervised scripts for successful films like The Song of Scorpions, Titli and TV series Tread- Shahana Goswami,Sandhya Suri and Sunita Rajwar at Cannes. PHOTO: REUTERS c m y b A still from Santosh stone, says his inclination towards films was because of the environment at his home. Rohit’s father is a film buff, while his brother, Mohit Sharma, is an actor. Born in Jammu and having lived in various places like Chandigarh and Ghaziabad, thanks to his father’s government job, Rohit feels it has been really helpful in writing scripts. “I didn’t have to try hard to write dialogues that reek of misogyny, religious biases and class divide. It’s all that you observe around you. But, yes, for the dialect part you have to keep your ears and eyes open.” Talking about Santosh, Rohit feels it’s shot in a very authentic manner. “It was shot with raw background noise and all, just like the sound design of The Lunchbox. Even the titular character does not have many dialogues. Its treatment is very global.” Up next For Rohit, the most challenging project has been Dibakar Banerjee’s Titlee, which also went to Cannes in 2014 under the same category, Un Certain Regard. Now, Rohit is awaiting the release of Manoj Bajpayeestarrer Despatch for which he supervised the script. He is also working on a script with Mirzapur creator and writer Puneet Krishna. Girls are going places Richa Chadha, Ali Fazal’s debut production Girls Will Be Girls to be screened at Cannes Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal’s debut production Girls Will Be Girls will be screened at the ongoing 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. After its premiere at the SXSW Film Festival and making waves at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year by winning the Audience Award in the World Dramatic Entry category and the Special Jury Award for Lead Actress Preeti Panigrahi, Girls Will Be Girls is now scheduled to be screened at Cannes on May 22 and 23 at the Alexandre III theatre and on May 24 at the Raimu Hall. Richa shared, “We are thrilled to see Girls Will Be Girls reach the Cannes Film Festival. This project is very close to our hearts, and the recognition it has received so far has been overwhelming.” Ali sounded equally excited, “From the very beginning, we knew Girls Will Be Girls was a special project. The response at Sundance was beyond our expectations, and now premiering at Cannes is a dream come true. Suchi Talati has crafted a beautiful, poignant story that deserves this platform. We are proud to be part of a film that not only entertains, but also sparks important conversations. This is just the beginning, and we are excited for what’s to come,” he said. — ANI
The Tribune, now published from Chandigarh, started publication on February 2, 1881, in Lahore (now in Pakistan). It was started by Sardar Dyal Singh Majithia, a public-spirited philanthropist, and is run by a trust comprising four eminent persons as trustees.
The Tribune, the largest selling daily in North India, publishes news and views without any bias or prejudice of any kind. Restraint and moderation, rather than agitational language and partisanship, are the hallmarks of the paper. It is an independent newspaper in the real sense of the term.
The English edition apart, the 133-year-old Tribune has two sister publications, Punjabi Tribune (in Punjabi) and Dainik Tribune (in Hindi).