15042025-LSTC-01.qxd 4/15/2025 12:07 AM Page 1 c m y b Bollywood superstar Salman Khan received a death threat again on Sunday after an unknown person threatened the actor with death by barging into his house or by blowing up his car with a bomb, said the Mumbai Police. The police have registered the case against the unknown person. TRIBUNE Honoured Mariah Carey talked about her Rock Hall nomination and said that it is a great honour. “That’s a huge honour. I don’t know if I’m going to win it, so I don’t want to get too excited about it,” she said. CHANDIGARH | TUESDAY | 15 APRIL 2025 Prayers at the Golden Temple, tributes to the martyrs at Jallianwala Bagh — Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan and Ananya Panday are in Amritsar to promote their film Kesari 2 Neha Saini J ALLIANWALA Bagh massacre is not just a part of our history but a symbol of how pain and trauma can be felt across the generations. The starkest example of colonial violence and oppression, the massacre and its aftermath serves as a central subject of Kesari 2, a film helmed by Karan Johar’s Dharma productions and Akshay Kumar’s Cape of Good Hope. The star cast of the film, including Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan and Ananya Panday, was in Amritsar on a promotional tour. Akshay, who plays the character based on Sir C Sankaran Nair, distinguished lawyer and nationalist, said that this film is personal. “My grandfather lived in Katra Ahluwalia. He was among those to witness the aftermath of Jallianwala Note of discontent Brazilian DJ Alok rocks Coachella, many artistes stay away ‘Sir jhukaya, sukun paya’ Amid the ongoing promotions for Kesari 2, Akshay Kumar, R Madhavan, and Ananya Panday on Monday offered prayers at the Golden Temple. Sharing a picture from the sacred visit, Akshay took to Instagram and wrote, “Sir jhukaya, sukun paya (Head bowed, found peace).” The image shows Akshay, Madhavan and Ananya expressing gratitude with folded hands. Ananya, too, shared a picture with her Kesari 2 co-stars from the Golden Temple and captioned it, “Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh #KesariChapter2.” Bagh massacre. I grew up listening to the stories of martyrs from my father. So, bringing out the story of a man, who was no ordinary critic of the British and brought down the empire through law, was really like life coming full circle,” said Akshay, who looked sombre as he talked about his film. Kesari 2 retells the story of Sir C Sankaran Nair, a civil rights advocate from the time of Indian freedom movement, through the lens of the book, The Case That Shook The Empire, written by his greatgrandson Raghu Palat. “The film presents a story that was forgotten in history. Not many people know about the case that Nair fought against the British, in an attempt to uncover the larger conspiracy behind the Jallianwala Bagh mas- ALOK PTI Where it all started… REUTERS DEATH THREAT FOR SALMAN AKSHAY KUMAR, ANANYA PANDAY & R MADHAVAN ❝ PHOTO: VISHAL KUMAR Jallianwala Bagh is shaheedan, mureedan di dharti (a land of martyrs, disciples of nationalism) GURDAS MAAN GURPREET GHUGGI, B PRAAK & GURDAS MAAN sacre,” said Akshay. Reacting to the recent statements made by Caroline O Dawyer, the great granddaughter of General O Dawyer, calling ‘people gathered at Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919 as looters’ in a 2019 documentary, Akshay said, “There will be a day when the British would say ‘Sorry ’ themselves about what happened here in 1919.” ‘I FEEL GUILTY THAT I DID NOT KNOW SIR NAIR’ R Madhavan, the brilliant actor and master of his craft, will be playing a lawyer who challenges Akshay’ s character in the film, which is also a high voltage court room drama. Madhavan shared how he was a reluctant member of the cast initially.” When Akshay got me on board, I had no clue who C Sankaran Nair was and what his case against the British was. The film was a learning experience in that way.” His most interesting aspect of working in Kesari 2, he said, was, “I am from South India and play a North Indian character and Akshay, a North Indi- an, plays a South Indian character. I think this is beauty if our film industry.” ‘JALLIANWALA BAGH PERSONAL FOR PUNJABIS’ Accompanying the Kesari 2 team were music legend Gurdas Maan and Gurpreet Ghuggi, who Akshay credited with bringing Kesari 2 alive. Sharing his views on taking up the forgotten narratives of martyrs and history of Punjab, Ghuggi said, “Barring a few names, history has not been kind to martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh massacre. We need to retell their stories, keep the eternal flame at Jallianwala Bagh alive forever and connect young generation through cinematic storytelling.” He along with Akshay also launched another song from the film, Kithe Gya Tu Saiyan, a poignant prayer for help and hope lost when the Jallianwala Bagh became a graveyard of innocent lives. Gurdas Maan, who was the guest of honour, called Jallianwala Bagh ‘shaheedan, mureedan di dharti” (a land of martyrs, disciples of nationalism). Singer B Praak performed Mitti, the super-hit number from Kesari as he shared why it’s is important to share these stories of unsung heroes with younger generation. Meghna Gulzar to direct Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran in new film Kareena Kapoor Khan and Prithviraj Sukumaran have boarded the new film by Talvar and Raazi director Meghna Gulzar. Titled Daayra, the film taps into the pulse of the people as it confronts the topical and diabolical realities unfolding in society today. This crime-drama thriller explores the ageold paradox of crime, punishment, and justice, according to a press release by the makers. “As I celebrate 25 incredible years in Hindi cinema, I’m thrilled to announce my next film, Daayra, with the incredible Meghna Gulzar in the director’s chair. I’ve long admired her Project Daayra work, from Talvar to Raazi, and to be directed by her is a dream come true. The opportunity to collaborate with the talented Prithviraj is also a highlight, and I’m drawn to the film’s bold, thought-provoking narra- tive,” Kareena said in a statement. Daayra, she said, promises to be a cinematic experience that would be challenging and inspiring. Sukumaran, who last directed and starred in c m y b Malayalam superhit L2: Empuran, said, “When the script was narrated to me, I knew I had to do this. I was thoroughly absorbed by my character and what he brings to the table as the story progress. It is layered and it will definitely connect with the masses.” The film is co-written by Gulzar, Sima Agarwal and Yash Keswani. Gulzar said the film is a story that will compel one to “reflect on the society we live in and its institutions that pilot us”. “With co-writers Sima and Yash, unravelling the greys within the black and white, was both challenging and exciting,” the director said. — PTI Brazilian DJ Alok brought a beaming blend of electronic dance beats to the stage at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival despite the growing fears of international artistes about the future of performing in America. “For me as a Brazilian, it’s always been hard to get a visa. So, for us, it didn’t change much,” Alok said in an interview backstage at Coachella, held in Southern California. “But, of course, for Europe and others, they changed the rules, right?” he added. Alok heard about other Coachella performances being cancelled in 2025 due to visa issues and feels fortunate that he made it to the festival when other international artistes could not. “For us, we were very lucky. The team were all here from LA, so that was amazing,” he said. In the first week of April, British singer FKA Twiggs, who was scheduled to perform at Coachella, cancelled her performance. She said that she was bowing out due to “visa issues” on the social media platform Instagram. She also cancelled her entire North American tour. In March, British punk rock band member of UK Subs, Alvin Gibbs, shared on the social media platform Facebook that they were allegedly denied entry into the US while traveling to their performance at LA Punk Invasion 2025. —Reuters POST MALONE & SHABOOZEY