24082024-LSTL-01.qxd 8/23/2024 8:26 PM Page 1 c m y b SUNNY WELCOMES FAUJI VARUN Actor Sunny Deol has introduced Varun Dhawan as Fauji of the muchawaited film Border 2. Taking to Instagram, Sunny dropped an introduction video of Varun on Friday. TRIBUNE Playing host Life Shah Rukh Khan, along with Karan Johar, is set to host the 24th edition of the IIFA Awards 2024, set to take place from September 27 to 29 at Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 24 AUGUST 2024 Abhishek Banerjee, who has once again impressed with Stree 2 and Vedaa, doesn’t mind if it’s commercial or parallel cinema as long as the role interests him Sheetal Next on travel list: A CTOR Abhishek Banerjee had for long wished that his name inched up the ladder in the closing credits. Now that it ends up as the second lead in most of his projects, the actors says he has not yet been able to celebrate his success with friends! Talking about achievements, Abhishek is the first actor in the past seven years to bag two releases on a same day in theatres. To which he humbly says, “These were the dreams that I actually came with when I first set foot in Mumbai. They are coming true!” Then there’s the film Stolen, Abhishek’s first international project, which got recognised at the Venice Film Festival 2023, BFI London, and recently at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM). The Paatal Lok actor simply acknowledges that he is happy to work on so many different projects, and it doesn’t matter if it’s commercial or parallel cinema as long as the role interests him. He adds, “But one thing is for sure, I am waiting for the makers to see me as the lead character in a movie or series. Also, I am interested in hearing some romantic comedy scripts.” One wonders after the success of two horror comedies, Munjya and Stree 2, which he has been a part of, whether the audience will be really interested in seeing him in romantic comedies! Viewers are actually flocking to cinema halls for horror comedies, while romantic comedies haven’t had many takers recently. “So I would take romantic comedy as a challenge then,” he says. Abhishek enjoys the importance that his character holds in making Maddock Supernatural Universe, as he is part of all three supernatural horror flicks — Stree, Bhediya and Stree 2, and also has a cameo appearance in Munjya. “I feel like a superhero indeed. I am the anchor who can jump from one realm to another. It’s like I am the 2 am friend of everybody in the multiverse of superheroes, and the one who also has a connection with supervillains,” he quips. As for the film Vedaa, where he plays a villain, Jitendar Pratap Singh, opposite actor John Abraham, he says, “I think every artiste, no matter the kind of cinema he does, would always want to be part of a good masala entertainer. I am trained theatre artiste, did parallel cinema and also stories that touch the side of realism. But back in the mind, I also had the desire to be part a masala film with a hero, heroine and a villain. Vedaa was that and so much more, for it helped me become a villain who did not have the standard six-pack abs and chiseled face, but a single pasli.” He continues, “I think great villains were not the ones with a great body, but because of their thought process. Heath Ledger was not very bulky.” Speaking of gundas, Abhishek is reminded how every colony in Delhi has one. He recalls how theirs had one named Laadi bhai, “But when I finally saw him, he was a five-foot guy, shorter than me and I was in school.” Abhishek also hails Delhi as a city that makes one capable of dealing with anything. “If you have lived in Delhi, you can Italy. Best city for partying: Goa. Place that brings peace: Himachal Pradesh. Something you recommend for binge-watch Presumed Innocent. Your most under-rated, but great work Ajji, available on Prime Video. STREE 2 ‘I feel like a superhero’ VEDAA live anywhere in the world. The capital teaches you how to be a fighter for life. I think the street-smartness that comes with living in Delhi is unmatchable. You have the confidence of walking out of the worst of situations. It also helped me in understanding my country better,” he shares. On the recent rape and murder of a doctor in West Bengal, Abhishek says it is a sorry state of affairs across the world. Having played a sex offender in the film Apur- va last year, he says, “It’s beyond imagination that we have become so advanced yet fail to grow as a society when it comes to respecting and safeguarding the other gender. I think it has to start from the basic upbringing of the male child and also education in schools; how to respect female bodies, differentiate between porn and reality and the value of consent. Most importantly, it is about telling that the male gender is not superior.” Against his LOVE FORTHE ROOTS principles Actor Manoj Bajpayee talks about the system of lobbying for awards Bagging four National Awards is not an easy feat to achieve, but Manoj Bajpayee managed to bag his 4th National Award recently for his performance in the streaming movie Gulmohar. The actor said in times when members of the film fraternity lobby heavily for the awards, he believes in the power of hard work and leaves the rest to destiny, rather than push for awards from his end. Manoj said that the concept of lobbying for awards was against his principles. Reacting to his National Award win, the actor said, “I always feel so ecstatic and great. It’s a huge thing for me in the times when everyone lobbies for every award here.” The actor, who has completed three decades in cinema, is also a recipient of a Padma Shri. — IANS Yamini Verma Having worked in a few Punjabi music videos, such as Sohni Mutiyaar, actress Malvi Malhotra is set to make her debut with the Punjabi movie Haye Bibiye Kithe Fas Gaye, a horror-comedy directed by Simranjit Singh Hundal. “It will not scare the viewers, rather it is comic, packed with a beautiful message for the audience at the climax, which will compel them to introspect what they do in life,” she says. The character she would be playing is a girl born and brought up in the UK, but very connected to her roots in Punjab. “My character is grounded and is clear in her mind, she aspires to be with a guy who is good at heart and she doesn’t run after money,” she adds. Malvi loves to dance to the beats of Punjabi songs, and enjoys listening to Punjabi songs in her vanity van. She looks up to Diljit Dosanjh as an actor and admires the way he conducts himself. “I Malvi Malhotra, who is set for a debut with the Punjabi movie Haye Bibiye Kithe Fas Gaye, believes there is no substitute for hard work c m y b am in awe of his humility, his attitude and how he has come so far, now performing at Coachella and around the world,” she says. Cinema as a profession requires immense persistence because one has to face a lot of rejections, so one needs to always remain motivated. “Whoever aspires to be an actor needs to know that everyone’s journey is different. Some people get a break early but for some, it takes years,” she shares. Malvi believes that as beginners, people should not run after money but rather hone their craft. “If someone is hardworking, they would definitely get an opportunity though it could take some time. If cinema is your love, you should never give up, irrespective of rejections because someday your tenacity will pay off and your dream will come true,” she believes. Malvi is grateful that the day her debut movie is being released, the same day she is going to start shooting for her second movie Duma Dum Mast Kalandar, which will also be shot in Punjab!