06092024-LSTL-01.qxd 9/5/2024 8:02 PM Page 1 c m y b ALIA TEASES JIGRA POSTER Alia Bhatt, who is gearing up for the release of her next film Jigra, also starring Vedang Raina, has shared a new poster of her upcoming project on Instagram. In it, she can be seen standing on the roof of a damaged car with weapons in both hands. She also carries a bag on her back. Mona L OG sirf bolna jaante hain, kisne kitna saha hai yeh nahi jaante… the famous Haryanvi singer and dancer Sapna Choudhary’s life is a story of struggle and survival. Sixteen years of her performing on stage is due to be turned into a biopic and that makes her happy. “Growing up, I was a fierce, fiery girl. Whenever somebody would check me I would always tell them, ‘ek din mere par movie banegi’ . That day is here,” shares an elated Sapna on Wednesday, as the teaser of the upcoming biopic was revealed. The film is titled Madam Sapna and the singer-dancer adds, “My father was ill and as a child I saw my family struggling financially. I had to do something.” Pursuing her interest in dance, while always performing in a salwar suit even now, she took to the stage. She found it disheartening that the very people who enjoyed her show for three hours went home and abused her. Things turned around when in 2016 she was addressed as Madam Sapna on stage for the very first time. “It was like as if all my struggles were vindicated. It was this honour that I was looking for. Madam Sapna is just the prefect title for my story.” Not too early for a biopic, one asks, “Yes abhi bahut life hai, bahut drama baki hai. But the last 15-16 years have been quite a rollercoaster. Each month has been a new challenge for me,” says Sapna. The Haryanvi girl, who popularised numbers like Teri Aakhya Ka Yo Kajal and Solid Body Re, takes pride in her success, especially coming from the society she was born and raised in. “When I started one couldn’t even dress as one liked to. Wearing sleeveless kurtas or even leaving hair open would invite criticism. To make a career in dance then was unthinkable.” Sapna’s name has been dragged into controversies, one even leading her to attempted suicide. “Life’s been a struggle, every single day. But I have so gotten used to twists and turns that if one day it becomes all smooth, I probably wouldn’t like it!” She loves the challenges thrown on her. “In fact, TRIBUNE Filmy kid Actress Sharvari said she was a very ‘filmy kid’, who would often imagine herself wearing a chiffon saree and dancing to songs from Hindi films! LUDHIANA | FRIDAY | 6 SEPTEMBER 2024 Ek Here’s how these stars celebrated Teacher’s Day... Sapna sach hua! For Haryanvi performer Sapna Choudhary, it has been a rollercoaster ride. With a biopic titled Madam Sapna on her life in the making, she says it is the perfect title for a film on her I invite challenges, as I am capable of facing anything.” Taking Haryanvi folk music to global level, if Sapna is proud of what she has attained, her husband Veer Sahu, an artiste himself, is even happier “Whenever a girl from a lower-middle class family strides ahead, people call her names. But how can they forget that Sapna brought global fame to a regional language like Haryanvi and its Ragni.” Actively involved in the project, Sahu shares, “People say vo nachti hai, if I say anything they think I am just supporting her because she is my wife. Yes, as her husband it’s my dharam to support her. But wait for her biopic’s title song to release…that will silence all her critics.” About the highs of recent times, Sapna talks passionately about Cannes and motherhood. Her Cannes outing on the invite of Air France was her first trip abroad. “I was so scared that I would get lost. I don’t know French and my English is no good. It was only my make-up artist and I, who got clearance from visa authorities. But I had a fabulous time.” Sapna finds motherhood fun, but admits that she’s not a hands-on mother. “Motherhood bahut pyara hai. I have just been blessed with a son, and given him to my mother and motherin-law to raise! I believe I would be bringing up my children’s children in future,” she laughs. Back to the biopic. Veer Sahu says, “That a big production house is making a film on a girl who rose up from a small place is a huge achievement in itself.” However, the duo remains tight-lipped on the director and actor playing her. “Each thing will be unveiled at the right time,” avers Sapna. The film is going to be presented by Mahesh Bhatt and produced by Vinay Bhardwaj. Its aims at a 2025 release. ❝ Sapna Choudhary is a phenomenon that represents the voice of the common people. Her story is one of resilience, strength and defying the odds. This film is not just about her rise to fame, but a celebration of her spirit. — MAHESH BHATT ❝ We are thrilled to bring Sapna Choudhary’s story to the big screen. It is a tale that needs to be told — one that will inspire millions. As a producer, my goal is to ensure that her journey is portrayed with authenticity, capturing both the hardships and the victories that shaped her life. — VINAY BHARDWAJ c m y b SHEFALI SHAH JACKIE SHROFF A day to remember All of us must have heard that ‘children are the promise of our present and the architects of our future’, but it takes a teacher to help them reach a better place. In the words of late Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, first vicepresident and the second president of India, ‘true teachers are those who help us think for ourselves’. On his birth anniversary as entire India celebrates Teacher’s Day, celebrities also took the opportunity to wish their fans and followers, and also people or institute they attribute their success to. can be seen meeting and giving autographs to students. In one of the images, Tara can be seen sitting on a desk and posing for the cameras. She wrote a heart-warming note in the caption, “Back to school! In my opinion, the most beautiful acres on Pali Hill... How fortunate we were to grow and learn among trees, flowers, endless cottages, open skies and the sweetest cats and dogs (my truest friends then, other than my twin @piasutaria and my sister @missmehtaaa who’ve had my back since day one).” Jungle gym On Teacher’s Day, actress Shefali Shah shared that the ‘jungle gym’ taught her that to climb one has to fall. She took to Instagram, where she is seen posing next to a jungle gym TARA SUTARIA Rare pictures Actor Jackie Shroff posted a video story to wish ‘Happy Teacher’s Day’ to all his fans. He shared rare pictures of himself with his mother. Another one with Subhash Ghai, whom he credits for guidance during his early years in film industry. Others included his mother and family members. Mother and daughter Actress Kajol shared that the two biggest teachers in her life were her mother Tanuja and daughter Nysa. Kajol took to Instagram, where she shared a throwback picture from her toddler days. In the monochrome picture, a baby Kajol is seen sitting on her mother’s shoulders and smiling at the camera. “To the two bigggest teachers of my life … my mom who gave me all the lessons and the child me who learnt them in her own way… stumbling and falling and misunderstanding and experiencing ... I can see u both so much clearer now .. #happyteachersday #firstteacher #motherknowsbest,” she wrote in the caption. — TNS Back to school Actress Tara Sutaria, on Wednesday, dropped pictures from a visit to her school. She took to Instagram and shared pictures, where she and wrote, “I don’t have a picture of my teachers, but this jungle gym did teach me a lot. It taught me that to climb you have to fall and when you fall you brush your knees, put a band-aid and try climbing again.” She continued, “It also taught me that when you are trying to climb on the jungle gym you will get messy, you will get dirty but if you didn’t how would you know if it was good or bad? And a jungle gym changes forms in the playground, in school, in life... It’s not easy but all the trouble is going to be worth the picture you’ll have etched on time. #HappyTeachersDay.” KAJOL His objections! The Game of Thrones author George RR Martin opened up about the issues he has with the changes made in the fantasy drama House of the Dragons. Martin shared his views in his blog, mentioning that the co-creator and showrunner Ryan Condal has made significant changes in his novel Fire & Blood’s adaptation, which he is not happy about, as he feels that the alteration in seasons two, three and four can cause serious problems. Although his post was deleted within hours. HBO also replied to it by issuing a statement. “In the show, Aegon and Helaena have two young children (the George RR Martin criticises House of the Dragonchanges six-year-old twins Jaehaerys and Jaehaera). In the book, they have three — there’s an even younger brother, twoyear-old Maelor. In a sprawling show with many characters for viewers to remember, having one less child seems like a rather routine adaptive choice. But, Martin notes, this is resulting in a ‘butterfly effect’ of consequences.” There are certain changes in season two like the ‘Blood and Cheese’ scene, two persons who were hired to murder Jaehaerys in front of his mother. But in the book the sequence was presented in a different way. Martin elaborated about the same, saying, “I still believe the scene in the book is stronger. The readers have the right of that. The two killers are crueler in the book. I thought the actors who played the killers on the show were excellent... but the characters are crueler, harder, and more frightening in Fire & Blood ... I would also suggest that Helaena shows more courage, more strength in the book, by offering her own own life to save her son.” Martin is a co-creator of House of the Dragons. — ANI