27062024-LSTC-01.qxd 6/26/2024 8:38 PM Page 1 c m y b SONU PRAYS AT KEDARNATH Singer Sonu Nigam visited the Lord Kedarnath temple on Wednesday morning. He arrived at Shri Kedarnath Dham by helicopter. Nigam received a grand welcome. Firoze of Farzi and Karnail Singh of Chandu Champion — is Bhuvan Arora getting trapped in ‘friend’s zone’? This Delhi boy, who is making a splash in the entertainment industry, does not think so TRIBUNE Date change Life Varun Dhawan’s upcoming action film Baby John will now be released on Christmas. The film, directed by Kalees, was earlier scheduled to release on May 31. LUDHIANA | THURSDAY | 27 JUNE 2024 Afriendin need Nonika Singh S heran di quam Punjabi… make that artistic too. As we keep discovering, rediscovering Punjabi actors yet another Punjabi, Bhuvan Arora, delights us with his portrayal of an endearing Sikh character in Chandu Champion. Delhi boy Bhuvan may not have any roots in Punjab, but as they say ‘you can never take out Punjab from a Punjabi’. Essaying Karnail Singh in Kabir Khan’s sports biopic was ‘fun’ for it was the first time he was getting to play ‘little bit of what I know’, and the barrier of language was least of his concerns. Interestingly, his character was not conceived as a Sikh. Rather it was his beard, which he had grown for Sepoy Vikram Singh’s part in the upcoming Tamil film Amaran, that firmed up Kabir’s decision to cast him as a Sikh. Bhuvan whose breakout performance in Farzi made most of us wake up to his immense talent does not agree that he is getting trapped in ‘friend’s zone’. He says, “I believe you have to be typecast before you break the mould. Firoze of Farzi and Karnail Singh of Chandu Champion, heroes’ ‘friends in need…’ are as different as No good actor should rise above the script. COMIC TIMING To aspiring actors, Bhuvan’s advice is simple — ‘body is your tool’. By that he does not mean getting six or eight pack muscles. “Back in time I too was obsessed with going to the gym. The only thing building my body landed me was an underwear brand commercial,” he smiles. Clearly, his impeccable comic timing is not just reserved for the screen. Bhuvan Arora as Karnail Singh in Chandu Champion chalk and cheese.” While working with celebrity directors Raj and DK in Farzi and now Kabir Khan of Chandu Champion has been ‘touch wood’ experiences, but these ‘masters of their craft’ too, he shares, ‘are markedly different in their directorial approaches’. While The Family Man and Farzi director-duo allows actors to thrive on ‘surprise me’ moments, Kabir sir expects them to confine all improvisations to workshops and rehearsals, and not for the final take. Since both prestige productions also had these two superstars Shahid Kapur and Kartik Aaryan on board, does the bromance we saw on screen translate on the sets too. First things first, he does not see them as stars, only as coactors for, ‘that is how the FTII trained me’. WORD OF PRAISE Talking of his hallowed alma mater, which is having its big moment in glory what with Payal Kapadia’s historic Cannes win, he agrees that FTII graduates are taken more seriously, may be with a touch of respect too. “But at the end of the day the hustle is the same.” So what is it about the Film and Training Institute of India that it consistently continues to churn out some brilliant actors? He laughs, “Hamari chakki ka aata hi alag hai.” Seriously, he opines, “Apart from providing us a window into world cinema, the cultural exposure is tremendous. Even if one were to not attend classes, one would emerge a better version of oneself. Frankly, we eat, breathe and talk cinema. People in FTII are not humans but walking-talking energies and lot of energy exchange happens.” But he doesn’t proclaim that FTII is the only way to imbibe acting as many like Manoj Bajpayee are not from any institute, yet phenomenal actors. NO FIXED FORMULA As for Bhuvan’s process of acting, well it’s not linear for sure. He says, “There are multiple ways to get into your part, past experiences, an animal or music; anything can be a trigger. There is no one fixed/ reductive formula.” In an industry where ‘everybody has an opinion on acting’ and unwanted advice comes aplenty, his key to happiness is the golden Punjabi state of satiation, saanu ki. He may not have grown in Punjab, but is as Punjabi as it gets. Everybody’s favourite Diljit Dosanjh is certainly his too as the song Lover tops his playlist. Though he is adept in speaking Punjabi and would love to work in Pollywood, he would not care to limit himself to any region or language. Like a true blue Punjabi, world is his playing field. Punjabiyan di shaan wakhri… with more than one series Dupahiya, Tatkaal, Fissadi and action war biopic Amaran lined up, he is set to shine some more and soar higher. With Shahid Kapoor (L) in Farzi PHOTOS: VICKY Word of praise Shah Rukh Khan is a connoisseur of art, says Kamal Haasan Kamal Haasan, who shared the screen space with Shah Rukh Khan in Hey Ram, has paid a heartfelt tribute to the superstar, calling him a connoisseur of art. “I don’t see a superstar in Shah Rukh Khan and he doesn’t see a super director in me. We are friends. He made that film for free. This cannot be done by a superstar but by a fan only. He is a connoisseur of art and a good actor. I am ever thankful to him. We don’t see all that...” — IANS It’s not just about dressing up as a clown, the act involves a whole lot of skills, opines Martin D’souza, team leader of Flubber & Friends Clowning with Flubber & Friends Magic tricks, backflips, jokes and dance — the renowned clown group Flubber & Friends took over the stage and set it on fire by showcasing their impeccable talent at CP67 Mall, Mohali, recently. Led by Martin D’souza, aka Flubber the Clown, members of the group, including Roro, Chocolate, Pozzo and Big Zy, interacted with the guests and displayed their acrobatics skills and humorous skits. Martin, who has done a course of ‘Clownology’ from the US, said, “There are a whole lot of skills involved in clowning. It’s not just about dressing up as a clown.” Martin’s endeavour has been to make the figure lovable and respectable. He has performed in many countries, including the US, Canada and China, but prefers the Indian audience simply because they have never c m y b encountered a clown like Flubber and hence don’t ‘take it for granted’, unlike the international crowd. But isn’t there an element of fear associated with clowns. Martin does not agree. He blames the origin of the fear on Americans who ‘exaggerate everything’ and ‘spread negativity everywhere’. – Yashita Mishra