19042025-LSTL-01.qxd 4/18/2025 7:42 PM Page 1 c m y b MEET ATHIYA, KL AND EVAARAH Cricketer KL Rahul and Athiya Shetty, who recently became parents to a baby girl, treated fans to her first glimpse on the occasion of the cricketer’s birthday. Taking to Instagram on Friday, the couple shared an adorable picture of themselves with their newborn and also revealed her name—Evaarah. TRIBUNE Director’s hat Life Actor Anupam Kher is set for his second directorial, titled Tanvi The Great. Taking to Instagram, Anupam shared a photo in which he was seen wearing a director’s shirt while posing for the photograph. LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 19 APRIL 2025 Babil Khan, who is seen in Logout, feels the OTT series is more about our inherent and constant need for external validation PTI Nonika Singh W ISE beyond years yet carrying the trademark exuberance of youth, legendary actor Irrfan Khan’s son Babil Khan could teach a thing or two to mature adults. Of course, the 26year- old is in no preaching mode. His latest Zee5 film Logout, which started streaming this Friday, deals with the problem of digital addiction. Interestingly, Babil is not addicted to anything except love, both ‘giving and receiving’. Most of the credit for digital detox, of course, goes to his parents for ensuring that he was in constant touch with all things organic and natural, ‘my friends had gaming consoles while I had lego.’ In fact, he was given a phone only when he was 16, which too at one point he deliberated upon dumping in the Andaman sea for, “I value freedom over anything else and often my phone does seem to be an intrusion.” As for Logout, the gifted would not like to spell out the message. Rather, he says, “Messaging limits the film. I would like viewers to form their opinions and draw their own interpretations.” Besides, he adds, “Social media is not the problem or even a threat, rather, how we use it is.” LOGIN for wise talk I value freedom over anything else and often my phone does seem to be an intrusion...Trust yourself more than your phone and always remember your mother’s number. ers, became more important to me. When you fall into a trap, even you don’t realise you are manipulating yourself. Soon after Baba’s (Irrfan Khan) death, I mistook the outpouring of collective grief and read their love as expectations from me. The truth is Baba’s real legacy is not to follow in his footsteps, but to be your own person.” Miss you, dad Logout, he feels, is more about our inherent and constant need for external validation. Since there is a thin line between self-love and external validation, he agrees that often one crosses it. Why, he is candid enough to admit that he too forgot the distinction. “My image, based on the opinions of oth- Years have not lessened the pain of losing him. He says, “Time per se is not a healer. You have to learn to live with your pain and then it evolves. It can transform you into a better person and the reverse can happen too.” Since one of the actors in Logout is the talented Rasika Dugal, also his father’s costar of the much-acclaimed Qissa, did he feel his pres- ence more around her? He says, “I feel his presence all the time. It has nothing to with his co-stars. Being with such great actors only makes me marvel at their skill sets, their enviable balance between craft and art.” From a sterling debut in Qala to making an impactful presence in The Railway Men to now headlining a film, does he feel the pressure of being the lead actor? “Pressure will always be there. It can hone your craft and ruin you too, depends entirely upon how you take it.” Comic line Of course, more meaty parts are in the pipeline. But for Logout, yes, it is, “Just me and my computer and a third person who is a part of the reveal.” Since Amit Golani, director of Logout, has previously produced comedies like Mamla Legal Hai, humour is part of the narrative. He nods his head but also goes into self-reflection mode, “I don’t know whether I have pulled it off. I think humour is most difficult aspect of acting.” Saying a punch-line for 18 takes and not losing the sting, he states, “Requires huge effort and precision.” On whether he is happy with the way his journey is panning out, the philosopher in him surfaces. He says, “Happiness is not a metric with which I measure my life. Happiness is not a constant, the moment we presume so, we put pressure on ourselves and create a lot of anxiety in our lives.” Spoken like a true wise man and to paraphrase George Bernard Shaw, clearly wisdom is not wasted on him. Look out for the same manifest (transform) in his acting. Though so far we have seen him only in OTT offerings, he is ready to take a chance with a theatrical outing. For someone who follows his gut rather than his intelligence, instinct drives him and his choices. Whether he has truly logged into Bollywood, well, as he puts it, “I have logged into myself, the moment you log out of your desires and dreams, yet be aware of them somewhere, things begin to fall in place.” So watch him log-in, in Logout. All glamour at Kesari 2screening PHOTOS: PTI Solid ground AKSHAY KUMAR WITH WIFE TWINKLE KHANNA R MADHAVAN IBRAHIM ALI KHAN As Kesari Chapter 2 showcased the ‘untold story of Jallianwala Bagh tragedy’ in theatres, the lead actor Akshay Kumar urged his fans to not miss the initial 10 minutes of the film. He requested the audience to arrive early in theatres. At a special screening of the film in Mumbai on Thursday, the actor said, “To all the people who will be coming to watch the film, I request that you not miss the beginning of it. The first 10 minutes of this film is the most important thing. I am sure that it will reach everyone through your camera. The people who have decided to watch this film will know that they should not be late. They should come at the right time. And the 10 minutes of this film start from there.” The special screening of the film was attended by numerous stars of Bollywood, including Kajol, Saqib Saleem, Tiger Shroff, Vicky Kaushal, Anjali Anand, Manish Malhotra, Ibrahim Ali Khan, Dino Morea, Maheep Kapoor, Bhavna Panday, and Urmila Mantodkar. Akshay Kumar has played the legendary advocate C Sankaran Nair in the film. It has been directed by Karan Singh Tyagi and produced by Karan Johar. Ananya Panday and R Madhavan are also a part of Kesari Chapter 2. — ANI URMILA MANTODKAR TIGER SHROFF c m y b Emraan Hashmi says Srinagar premiere of Ground Zero a ‘symbolic moment’ ANANYA PANDAY VICKY KAUSHAL Actor Emraan Hashmi, whose film Ground Zerois set to make history by becoming the first film to have its red carpet premiere in Srinagar in 38 years, says it’s an ‘important and symbolic moment’. Hashmi reached the city of Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the premiere. “We were shooting for about 30 days for our film Ground Zero. I feel happy to come back to Srinagar. It feels very nice. The weather is good here, it is better than Mumbai,” Hashmi said. “It is a very important and symbolic moment for the people here, for this region. The people here are very good and talented, but they need a medium, that avenue in films and television to explore their creativity in any stream.” Directed by Tejas Deoskar, Ground Zero is produced by Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment. The action thriller chronicles the story of BSF officer Narendra Nath Dhar Dubey, who led the operation to track the mastermind behind the 2001 terrorist attacks on the Parliament and Akshardham Temple. Hashmi shared a post on his X handle on Friday morning, as he reached the city along with the director, Deoskar. “#Groundzero touchdown landmark day: first red carpet movie screening after 38 years in #Srinagar, this is a special movie screening to honour BSF soldiers and their officers,” read the caption. The film is releasing on April 25. — PTI