10012025-LSTL-01.qxd 1/9/2025 8:04 PM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE PAYAL KAPADIA NOMINATED Life The Directors Guild of America has nominated All We Imagine As Light filmmaker Payal Kapadia in the firsttime director category for the upcoming 2025 awards. The news comes days after Kapadia lost out on the best director motion picture Golden Globe to Brady Corbet of The Brutalist fame. Action goes South! Mona N OT long after Allu Arjun, Prabhas and Ram Charan became a national rage, we will see directors from South Indian cinema taking over mega-mainstream projects— 2025 sees a host of Bollywood stars, including Salman Khan, Sunny Deol, Shahid Kapoor and Tiger Shroff, do films with big names from the regional industries. With actors, directors and technicians coming together, ditching the boundaries, we are evolving as a one big pan-Indian market! Here’s a lowdown on fresh director-actor pairings and the projects they are working on. Upcoming films Sikander, Jaat, Deva and Baaghi 4 have one thing in common — the best from B-town have joined hands with the best from South-Indian industry and how! Global premiere Abhay Deol-starrer Bun Tikki, a coming-of-age drama, had its global premiere at the prestigious 36th Palm Springs International Film Festival in California. LUDHIANA | FRIDAY | 10 JANUARY 2025 ‘IMMENSELY PROUD’ SALMAN SPECIAL: Sikandar The first Eid of 2025 will obviously see Salman Khan on screen again. ‘Suna hai ke bahut log mere peeche pade hain, bus mere mudne ki der hai’… opens the teaser of the upcoming film Sikandar, which is being helmed by the ‘golden messenger’ of Tamil cinema AR Murugadoss. He’s no stranger to Bollywood, having given the very successful Ghajini, a remake of his Tamil hit by the same name. Action remains Sikandar’s forte as well, the teaser offering a full on display of arms, followed by roaring action. The film, which sees Salman in a dual role, has been written by Rajat Arora, Hussain Dalal and Abbas Dalal, and backed by Sajid Nadiadwala. The cinematography is by National Award-winning Tirru, who debuted in Kannada cinema and has since worked in multiple languages, including Hindi. Call it the meeting of best minds… Sikandar hits the silver screen on March 30 on Eid-ul-Fitr. Global star Priyanka Chopra is extremely happy that she has come on board as an executive producer for the Oscar-shortlisted film Anuja. The film is based on a nineyear-old character, who works in a back-alley garment factory with her elder sister Palak. The narrative follows the young protagonist as she faces a decision that will impact both her future and her family. Priyanka joins Oscar-shortlisted Anuja as an executive producer SALMAN KHAN AND (INSET) AR MURUGADOSS ACTION, DANCE & MORE: Deva MIX AND MATCH: Jaat Dance meets action as pulsating beats take fore in Deva’s teaser. The film has Shahid Kapoor in the titular role, and is directed by Rosshan Andrrews, who works largely in Malayalam cinema. Once again, the film has solid Bollywood backing with Roy Kapur Films and Zee Studios joining hands. As deft in comedy as crime, Rosshan Andrrews marks his Bollywood debut with this gritting thriller, which is scheduled for a theatrical release on January 31. How about a Telugu cinema frontrunner directing a film titled Jaat? Well, that’s 2025 for you and the age of pan-Indian cinema. This Hindi action thriller has our very own Punjabi puttar Sunny Deol in the lead role along with Haryanvi chora Randeep Hooda. The film will be directed by Gopichand Malineni. The cinematography is by Rishi Punjabi, while Telugu editor Navin Nooli of Pushpa 2-fame is also a part of the team. The film is likely to be released in April. SUNNY DEOL AND (INSET) GOPICHAND MALINENI On being associated with the film, Priyanka, in a statement, said, “This beautiful film shines a spotlight on a subject that affects millions of children around the world, who are faced with the impossible decision between a future they cannot yet see and the immediate realities of their present. Anuja is a poignant piece that makes us reflect deeply on the power of choices and how they shape the course of our lives. I am immensely proud to be associated with such a phenomenal and impactful project.” Oscar winner Guneet Monga Kapoor has also boarded Anuja as a producer. —ANI VISUAL APPEAL: Baaghi 4 If you haven’t caught the drift so far, these are all action thrillers, one even grittier than the other! The teaser of Baaghi 4 isn’t for the softhearted, as chilling visuals and blood-splattered scenes that announce the arrival of Kannada director A Harsha, replacing Ahmed Khan (who helmed Baaghi 2 and Baaghi 3) on the director’s seat. Tiger Shroff, Sanjay Dutt, Sonam Bajwa and Harnaaz Sandhu join this action thriller, which is due for release in September. While we have seen South Indian film directors, including Priyadarshan, Mani Ratnam, Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Prabhudeva, making a mark in Bollywood, more and more directors and technicians are now joining hands. Atlee, who started with Tamil cinema and then gave the blockbuster Jawan, gives high hopes that these panIndian collaborations will rock the BO. Celebs pay tributes to Nandy TIGER SHROFF AND (INSET) A HARSHA SHAHID KAPOOR AND (INSET) ROSSHAN ANDRREWS GRIPPING NARRATIVE Punjabi OTT platform KableOne screened its latest original film, Gurmukh: The Eye Witness, at a mall in Mohali on Thursday. The movie will be available in nine languages starting January 24. Gurmukh: The Eye Witness is a riveting thriller that delves into themes of justice, morality and the power of an individual's testimony. The film promises to captivate audiences with its gripping narrative, powerful performances, and a storyline that keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. Directed by Pali Bhupinder Singh, it features an ensemble cast led by Kuljinder Singh Sidhu and Sara Gurpal Simranjit Singh Manchanda, CEO of KableOne, said, “Gurmukh: The Eye Witness is a testament to the impactful and meaningful stories we aim to bring to our audience. We are incredibly proud of this project and can't wait for viewers to experience it.” — TNS A STILL FROM ANUJA Gurmukh: The Eye Witness, starring Sara Gurpal, premieres c m y b A string of Bollywood personalities, including names such as Kareena Kapoor Khan, Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Hansal Mehta, have mourned the death of journalist-turned-director Pritish Nandy, who died aged 73 on January 8. Kareena, who starred in the 2004 film Chameli, produced by Pritish and daughter Rangita’s Pritish Nandy Communications, took to Instagram and shared pictures from the sets to pay a tribute to her producer. In one of the photographs, Kareena can be seen having a conversation with Pritish in-between shots. Chameli director Sudhir Mishra took to X and wrote, “Pritish Nandy changed my life. Only he could do Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi. He taught me so much. I am so sorry Pritish da. I couldn’t come up with an idea for the sequel.” Filmmaker Hansal Mehta penned a note on X, which read, “Sad, sad news. My most personal work has lost one of its greatest patrons. You lived well Mr Nandy. Will miss you terribly. Deepest condolences to the entire family.” Sharing a monochrome picture of Pritish, actor Anil Kapoor wrote, “Shocked and heartbroken by the loss of my dear friend Pritish Nandy. A fearless editor, a brave soul and a man of his word, he embodied integrity like no other.” Actor Sanjay Dutt, who featured in Pritish Nandy-produced Kaante, a 2002 thriller, and 2005’s Shabd wrote on X, “A true creative genius and a kind soul, you will be missed sir.” It was on January 8 evening when veteran actor Anupam Kher confirmed the news of Nandy’s death due to cardiac arrest. Anupam wrote on X, “Deeply saddened and shocked to know about the demise of one of my dearest and closest friends #PritishNandy!...”— IANS