12072024-LSTC-01.qxd 7/11/2024 8:22 PM Page 1 c m y b VICKY, AMMY’S DAY IN JAIPUR Actors Vicky Kaushal and Ammy Virk spent some time in Jaipur while promoting their upcoming film Bad Newz. Vicky took to Instagram, where he shared pictures and clips from his visit to the Pink City along with co-star Ammy. TRIBUNE On board Actress Kubbra Sait, known for her roles in Sacred Games and Jawaani Jaaneman, has boarded the cast of veteran filmmaker David Dhawan’s upcoming film. LUDHIANA | FRIDAY | 12 JULY 2024 IK SEE MANTO ADAKAAR Nonika Singh O NE moment, celebrated theatre person Kewal Dhaliwal offers us a slice of history like his recently held production (July 2 in Amritsar) Asghar Wajahat’s Jis Lahore Nahi Vekhya O Jamyai Nai... as a cautionary tale. If at times poetry’s deep metaphors mirror in his actors’ bodies, right now he is toying with a play by Amarjit Grewal on artificial intelligence. A voracious reader, before him lie at least 20 scripts, including one by Harish Jain on Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s trials, which will be staged in the near future. Clearly, no subject is out of Kewal’s radius. Every now and then, he visualises a parallel in the world’s best playwrights’ universal truths and Punjab di mitti. Soon, he will be staging an adaptation of Irish playwright Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, relating it to farmers’ issues. Earlier, in Ibsen’s play Enemy of the People he instantly sensed politics around water problem, a concern that plagues Punjab’s depleting and toxic water level. When he came across The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Bertolt Brecht, he felt as if the play had been written with Punjab in mind and made the story of small-time goons turning into political heavyweights ring true for Punjab. His latest play on Rani Jindan (staged in May this year), the youngest wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and mother of Maharaja Duleep Singh, he observes, required no tailoring. For the tale of the indomitable woman, who stood up against the British, shall be forever relevant in context of Punjab and Punjabiyat. Of course, he had to be inventive, chose the narrative style and conceived it with just five actors. In his play Sheesh on Guru Teg Bahadur, since you can’t depict Sikh gurus in flesh and blood, he reflected him via a chorus. Apart from the peerless sacrifice of the great guru, the contemporariness of oneness, as well as diversity, was driven through the portrayal of Aurangzeb’s daughter Zebunissa too. Dedicated to theatre for nearly five decades, if he has imbibed the passion and commitment of theatre thespian and his guru, the late Gursharan Singh, he has married the same with his training in India’s best theatre school, the prestigious National School of Drama. Unlike many other pass-outs who are smitten by the glamour of Bollywood, Kewal preferred to return to his Renowned theatre person Kewal Dhaliwal, whose latest production Jis Lahore Nai Vekhya O Jamyai Nai drew crowds, believes in the constant flow of work. For him, it is all about ek muthi khuli, doosri tayar PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR The THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE world is his HEER WARIS SHAH STAGE ❝ Partition is a subject close to my heart as my family suffered during the cataclysmic event. My recent production Asghar Wajahat’s Jis Lahore Nahi Vekhya O Jamyai Nai… not only talks about the pain and anguish of those displaced, but also has a contemporary ring since religion continues to be weaponised. BHATH KHEREYA DA REHNA MAIN RO NA LAWA IK VAAR roots, the nooks and crannies of Amritsar he grew up in and transformed it into a thriving hub of theatre. Former president of Punjab Sangeet Natak Akademi, prolific writer-director, be it as the organiser of theatre festivals, he has just finished a 10-day festival bridging the divide between two neighbouring nations…. there are no half-measures in his life. Much-lauded Shi- romani Natakaar is not a sum of parts, but a complete whole in every mantle he wears. Today, as he is a subject of many PhD students, his productions are known as much for their visual language as the subtexts woven in. Interestingly, when he writes, the director in him is not only alive and kicking but keenly aware of how it will be staged. Precisely the rea- son why he enjoys directing eminent writer Swarajbir’s plays for, “he leaves ample room for a director to explore.” Those who keep lamenting how onerous it is to survive on theatre alone, his mantra is simple — think what you can give to theatre and not the other way around. Any wonder with Kewal there is no hiatus. For others might abide by ‘the land must lie fallow’ dictum, Kewal believes in ek muthi khuli, doosri tayar, forever in the state of preparedness… Balle balle Punjab might be a misnomer for naysayers, he believes it’s this indefatigable spirit that saves Punjab and is the raison de etre behind his irrepressible positive energy, which shows no signs of ebbing. Love for bindis Sheetal ❝ NOT INTERESTED “I AM IN BOLLYWOOD. I FIND IT BORING SO NEVER EXPLORED IT.” — MAYA NEELAKANTAN Child prodigy She first expressed her desire to learn the guitar at the age of six after watching a music video of Metallica’s For Whom the Bell Tolls. Interestingly, it also happens to be the first song she ever learnt on guitar. “I just really loved how everybody was having so much fun. c m y b As many of his shagirds like Kapil Sharma touch dizzying heights of success, Kewal Dhaliwal has no ‘I wish’ moments of vacillation. He takes pride in Kapil’s achievements, as well as of many in Punjabi film industry like Amrinder Gill, who too have learnt the ropes of performing arts under his chattarchaya. Recently, Kewal too was seen in the Punjabi film Shayar. Incidentally, long time ago he rubbed shoulders with the now CM of Punjab Bhagwant Mann in Punjabi comedy Koko de Bache. Pollywood, however, is an occasional dalliance and not an affaire d’amour. am a fast reader and enjoy documentaries, especially those based on animals.” All of 11, Chennai girl Maya Neelakantan, took the stage of America’s Got Talent by stormwith her guitar rendition Eleven-year old guitarist from Chennai, Maya Neelakantan has taken the world by storm after her debut stage performance at America’s Got Talent. Maya’s rendition of Papa Roach’s Last Resort, which showcased her equal love for thrash metal and Carnatic music, was praised for its West meets East fusion. Maya shared, “I already chose the song Last Resort a couple of weeks ahead of my performance and practiced it for a week while in the US for the audition round.” While Maya’s father introduced her to thrash metal much later, Carnatic music reached her ears through her grandmother when she was two years old. Maya had earlier performed just once in her grandmother’s ashram, where she played Carnatic music in front of 30-50 people for an hour-and-half. She was 10. Pride in Kapil’s achievements East meets West Manali memories Maya celebrated her tenth birthday in Manali and the trip is forever etched in her mind. For, one she got a call from America’s Got Talent while she was enjoying a family vacation in the lap of Himalayas, and, secondly, she had fun trying adventure sports like para-gliding and river-rafting. The way the band members acted and went crazy. I wished to play like these guys. The video made a big impact on me,” she added. Other than music, Maya enjoys playing Playstation with her younger brother. “Also, I Mesmerised by her traditional avatar in AGT performance and those head-bangs, one wonders whether it was an attire for the occasion or her lifestyle indeed. “I always wear a bindi and love accessorising myself with bangles, jhumkas and necklaces. Pairing these with traditional attire is my way of representing the fusion of thrash metal and Carnatic music,” she explains. If thrash metal leaves Maya pumped up, the other awakens the spirituality and divinity in her soul. “I think these are two opposite ends of a spectrum and as I am trying to combine them together to make a genre of my own.” Heart’s wish Maya had an opportunity to witness Carnatic musician Nithyasree Mahadevan perform live, but wasn’t that lucky when it came to her thrash metal favourites. She hopes to perform with them live someday. “Although I have met and jammed with all of my favourite musicians from different bands, I am sure it would be a memorable and surreal moment when I get to perform with them live on stage.” Maya, who is enrolled in online schooling, as she shuttles between Chennai and Sydney, Australia, counts Adam Jones (Tool), Gary Holt (Exodus/Slayer), Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson (Testament), and her guru ‘Guitar’ Prasanna as her inspirations.
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