23112024-LSTL-01.qxd 11/22/2024 8:03 PM Page 1 c m y b PACKING A PUNCH Lionsgate Play will release the dystopian action thriller Boy Kills World on November 29. Starring Bill Skarsgård in a transformative role, alongside Jessica Rothe, Famke Janssen and the fight master Yayan Ruhian, this highoctane film sure packs a punch. TRIBUNE Milestone Life Ajay Devgn on Friday completed 33 years of being an actor. His debut film Phool Aur Kaante marked the milestone. LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 23 NOVEMBER 2024 With his motto to entertain, educate and elevate, master storyteller Vidhu Vinod Chopra mesmerised the audience on day three of IFFI at Panaji Mona A NAGARJUNA (IN BLACK) Celebrating heroes The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting launched the much-awaited second season of the celebrated animated series Krish, Trish, and Baltiboy: Bharat Hain Hum at the IFFI. The groundbreaking animated series, which celebrates India’s lesser-known freedom-fighters, made history with its Season 1 debut across multiple platforms. Season 2 of the series will be available in 12 Indian languages, including Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Bengali, Assamese and Odia, and seven international languages — French, German, Spanish, Russian, Korean, Chinese and Arabic, making it accessible to a global audiences in 150 countries. Season 2, also available on Waves, the newly launched Prasar Bharti’s OTT platform, continues the mission to highlight unsung heroes from all across the country, including Taji Dele and Ponge Dele from Arunachal Pradesh, Wazir Ram Singh Pathania from Himachal Pradesh, and Birsa Munda from Jharkhand, among others. These stories are meant to inspire pride in India’s history while celebrating the diversity and resilience of the country’s freedom fighters. “I have grown up watching a lot of mythology, and stories of Shri Ram, Lakshman, Bharat and Arjun, but stories of freedom fighters who sacrificed their lives for our country are equally important. With the new show Bharat Hai Hum, our children and the next generation will get to know about our heroes,” said Nagarjuna. record-breaking 1,676 submissions from 101 countries, presence of stars, filmmakers and cinephiles from around the world, but one person who rocked on the third day of the 55th edition of IFFI at Goa was Vidhu Vinod Chopra! As he came on stage, amongst whistling and cheers, during the master-class ‘Living Movies: Filmmaking and the Creative Life’, attendees little knew that they would be sending him off with flying kisses along with the same thunderous applause! ‘Strive for excellence and rewards will follow’ was this Punjabi man’s mantra for his super successful film 3 Idiots and this is the message he gave to an auditorium full of aspiring filmmakers at Kala Academy, Panaji, on Friday. Joining him on stage was Shantanu Moitra, with whom he has collaborated for films like Parineeta, Lage Raho Munnabhai and 3 Idiots. His father wanted him to be a doctor, but he always wanted to become a filmmaker. Vinod’s first hope came in form of a relative who promised that he would speak to Goldie (Vijay Anand), whom Vinod wanted to assist. Each day after school he would run to the letter-box but was disappointed, as a letter never came. Not the one to lose heart, Vinod joined the Film and Television Institute of India in Pune to study direction. His first student short film, Murder at Monkey Hill, won him the National Film Award. This was followed by his first short documentary, An Encounter with Faces, which got nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film in 1979. After his first feature Sazaye Maut, when he made Khamosh, everyone loved the film but nobody was ready to buy it. Turning a distributor, he released it at Regal Cinema, Bombay, for two weeks and as they say, the rest is history. After Parinda, 1942: A Love Story, Kareeb and Mission Kashmir, he later turned a producer and gave successful films like Munna Bhai MBBS, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, 3 Idiots, PK and Sanju. Called the sharpest brain of the film Class apart Kashmir se South tak poori industry apni hai. Whosoever makes good films, the victory is of Indian cinema. — VIDHU VINOD CHOPRA industry in India, does one need to have business acumen to be a filmmaker? Vinod’s answer is no. “All you need to do is to be honest and stay on your path,” he said. Notably, his film Zero Se Restart had its premiere at IFFI. During the session, he shared how he was once challenged by Naseeruddin Shah to ‘make Jackie act’. A passionate man, Vinod took up the challenge and made sure Jackie Shroff, so far called ‘the wooden actor’, won the award for Best Actor in Parinda. When RD Burman made the first song for 1942 A Love Story, he had the courage to call it bahut hi kharab, till Kuch Na Kaho came about. Even after decades in the industry, life is still not a bed of roses for him. Many told him that it was his film 12th Fail that deserved a chance at the Oscars, but Vinod doesn’t take awards that seriously. At his film company, Vinod Chopra Films, the mantra is to — entertain, educate and elevate. The session was a riveting lesson in how to approach films, or any other career for that matter, and life. Despite the stature that he enjoys, Vinod has an exuberance, almost a child-like innocence. Thanking his family, daughter Zuni, and wife Anupama Chopra, highlighted the need to trust one’s instinct. A successful director, he is an equally successful producer, who never enters the movie sets when he is producing. He also referred to his former wife, and editor of his films Renu Saluja, and many others, who helped him create the masterpieces he has. It is not without reason that some of his old films would see a re-release in cinemas next year! PRICELESS MEMORIES Celebrities recall the special moments when they earned their first paycheck F OR every actor or performer, the journey towards success is marked by memorable milestones. One of the most cherished moments is often their first earning — whether it’s through a TV show, a theatre gig or even a simple entrepreneurial venture. These first steps are not only financial, but also deeply personal. From heartfelt gifts to cherished purchases, here’s how some well-known faces recall spending their first paychecks and the emotional connections that made them unforgettable. I gifted to my mother.” Bhawana Aneja Romiit Raaj THEATRE LOVE Delnaaz Irani “I’ve always loved theatre and my first earnings came from working backstage with Alec Padamsee’s group. In 1989, I earned Rs 200 per show and learnt the basics of theatre — lighting, stage setup, costumes and more. In 1990, I did my first play with Dinyar Contractor and earned Rs 400 per show. With two shows every weekend, I was making Rs 800 a week, which was my first professional earning.” DEAR MOM Romiit Raaj “My first earnings from Shakalaka Boom Boom on Star Plus went towards buying a ring for my mother. She was so happy, but she also said, ‘You should have bought something for yourself.’ That’s how my mother was — she always put others first.” PHONE CALL Anupama Solanki “My first earning came from my debut Star Plus TV show Yeh Hai Mohabbatein, in 2017. I was new to Mumbai and luckily landed that role quickly. I played Shweta in the show, and with my first paycheck I bought my first Vivo phone. It was such a memorable time for me.” Delnaaz Irani BIKER BOY Rohit Choudhary DANCE TEACHER Bhawana Aneja “My first earning experience was at 17 or 18 when I started teaching dance at a school. I later opened a small dance school in my flat, teaching Bollywood dance to kids. My first paycheck was Rs 5,000 and it all happened thanks to a friend who encouraged me to join a school as a dance instructor. People in the 90s were crazy about Bollywood dance, and that helped me begin my career.” HUGE MOMENT Rinku Ghosh “I earned Rs 30,000 for two days of work in an advertisement for Kelvinator refrigerators by Lintas when I was 17. It was a huge amount for someone my age! I gave the entire sum to my mother, who always offered a portion to God first. I continued this tradition until she passed away, and I still do it to this day.” COUNTING HER BLESSINGS Ekta Tiwari “It wasn’t about earning, but blessings when I received Rs 200 from my school principal in Class10. I helped my teachers with exam sheets and activity classes during summer. I spent the money buying gifts for my parents — a photoframe and a pen for my father, and a jewellery set for my mother. Their pride in me and their upbringing made it all so special, and I still have the jewelry set “When I was in college, I borrowed Rs 40,000 from my sister to buy fireworks at wholesale rates. I sold them for around Rs 78,000, paid back the money and used the profit to buy my first bike — an RX100. I still have that bike today, and I remember being so excited that I couldn’t sleep the night before taking it to college.” Ekta Tiwari Rohit Choudhary Rinku Ghosh Anupama Solanki c m y b