18082025-LSTL-01.qxd 8/17/2025 7:52 PM Page 1 c m y b ■ SERENDIPITY (2001): A chance meeting in snowy New York sets fate in motion through a five-dollar bill and a rare book. Stars John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale. Life homes to escape their lives, discovering unexpected romance. Featuring Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz. proposal in Ireland leads to surprising adventures and a new love. Starring Amy Adams and Matthew Goode. LUDHIANA | MONDAY | 18 AUGUST 2025 WHAT’S When life surprises... T HE joy of chance encounters, the charm of unexpected fortune — serendipity dances to its own tune. Life, in its quiet wisdom, often alters our course through moments we never saw coming. This Serendipity Day, we honour the gentle magic of life’s ‘fortunate accidents’ — the unplanned turns that lead us exactly where we’re meant to be... CHANCE CAREER ■ LEAP YEAR (2010): A woman’s Leap Day Nora Fatehi surprised her fans by visiting multiple dance workshops in Mumbai, where they were learning choreography on Oh Mama! Tetema. She expressed her dream of opening a dance academy. EIRENE CRANEY, JOHN NEILSON, DIWAN MANNA, ADRIAN WESTON & MARK LOCKETT IN A PUB IN WALES Mona ■ THE HOLIDAY (2006): Two women swap Dance on Raised by a single father, 16-year-old Gagan had a mission that set her apart from most of her peers. Determined to ease the double burden her dad carried — as both provider and homemaker — she was intent on making her own money. A dancer through her childhood, Gagan would often Celebrating the joy of happy accidents, lucky turns, and unexpected connections this SERENDIPITY DAY impress her friends with her moves. One day, a friend preparing for a dance competition asked for her help. Gagan gladly agreed. In return, she received Rs 50. “For a 16-year-old me, it was a moment of pure serendipity — to realise I could use my talent to earn. Where else could I have worked at that age?” she reflects, years later. What began as a happy accident soon blossomed into a fulfilling journey. From belly dancing to Zumba and a range of other dance and fitness forms, Gagan has continued to learn, teach, and grow. KINDRED SPIRITS For artist Diwan Manna, a cultural exchange trip to UK in the early 1990s led to a lifelong friendship with fellow photographer Mark Lockett and his partner Eirene Craney. As part of the program, Diwan was to be hosted in the principal’s house of the each participating school. However, at one particular school, the principal, Janet Warwick, was unable to host him due to a personal emergency for a week. Stepping in was another staff member, Eirene Craney, who warmly received Diwan and showed him around Wales on the way to her home — where her partner, Mark, greeted them. A farmer and a THE BEGINNING ■ The word serendipity is credited to be coined in the mid-1700s by politician, writer, historian and antiquarian Horace Walpole, inspired by a Persian fairy tale called The Three Princes of Serendip. In the old tale, the princes experience a series of improbable lucky events while wandering the world. Walpole used the term humorously to describe these unlikely “happy accidents.” ■ “Chance favours the prepared mind,” said microbiologist Louis Pasteur. There have not ‘serendipitous’ moments in films or fiction but also in science. Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in 1928 when he noticed mould-killing bacteria in his petri dishes. Percy Spencer chanced on the microwave oven after found that radar waves melted a candy bar in his pocket. GAGAN Love & war Aryan Khan’s OTT debut teases chaos The much-awaited first look of Aryan Khan, son of Shah Rukh Khan, debut directorial series The Ba***ds of Bollywood is finally out. After a huge announcement by Netflix on Saturday regarding the teaser of The Ba***ds of Bollywood, Aryan Khan has unveiled the first look of his series, offering fans a glimpse of love and war, which is centred around the film industry. The first-look teaser opens up with the signature violin tune from Shah Rukh’s Mohabbatein, accompanied by his memorable dialogue from it — Ek Ladki Thi Deewani Si.. We then see visuals of fights, broken noses, and some glitz and glamour. — ANI passionate photographer, Mark quickly bonded with Diwan over their shared love for photography. “Over the years, we worked together, visited each other, and no trip to England ever felt complete without meeting the duo and our likeminded group of friends Elizabeth, Adrian, Neil — and Janet too,” Diwan recalls. “Sadly, Mark passed away due to an ailment during the COVID pandemic. But I Eirene and other friends still meet like before during my visits to Wales. It’s amazing to think that a small accident of circumstance — Janet not being able to host me — led me to some of my dearest friends. A lovely stroke of serendipity, I believe.” MOUNTAIN MAGIC For theatre director and filmmaker Zubin A Mehta, a bike trip with his friend Rajesh Khera to Spiti in 2021 turned out to be heartening experience. “On our trip, we stopped at Sangla for the night where we met a young boy Sahil, who invited us to his grandmother’s house, tucked deep in the mountains. We laughed and had absolutely no plan to go,” shared Zubin. The next morning, something pulled them towards the trail. They took this mesmerising trek with Sahil through thinning air and rising altitude. Zubin started feeling altitude sickness. As they made it to the place, the house was locked. Zubin laid back on a wooden plank, closing his eyes. “I woke up to a very kind, wrinkly face bent over concerned, Dadi had returned. She made me this most refreshing cup of tea I have ever had,” shared Zubin. “We sat together, taking of mountains and bears. Being part of that old woman’s life, who lived all alone with her cattle, even so briefly, is my serendipitous encounter that I hold close to heart,” avers Zubin. HOT Dharamsala SERENDIPITY ON SILVER SCREEN TRIBUNE eat PIZZA PARADISE N ESTLED near the Tushita Meditation Centre in Dharamkot, two kilometres from McLeodganj, Morgan’s Place has carved out a special place in the hearts of food lovers. Known for its authentic thin-crust pizzas and delightful desserts, the restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor seating, making it a perfect spot to enjoy a meal while soaking in breathtaking views of the valley. The serene environment adds to the charm, providing a relaxing escape for visitors. While the menu features a wide range of Italian delicacies, the pizzas here come highly recommended. With friendly staff and a warm, inviting ambiance, Morgan’s Place has become a must-visit café for travellers and locals alike. Chandigarh Jaideep Ahlawat took over the Internet with an impromptu Bhangra performance at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2025. His surprise dance moves to the song Jaadu from Jewel Thief truly shocked fans, proving he’s not just an actor, but also an accomplished dancer. He was joined by Malaika Arora and casting director Mukesh Chhabra in this gig. play BOLD RETURN A FTER the slew of controversy during the trailer launch of The Bengal Files in Kolkata, the director Vivek Agnihotri has unveiled the much-awaited trailer of the film on his social handle. Two-time National Award winner Vivek Agnihotri is returning to the big screens after The Kashmir Files, which starred Anupam Kher in the lead role. With another bold representation of the unforgettable past of India, Vivek Agnihotri has unveiled the trailer of Bengal Files, which narrates the tale of the alleged Hindu Genocide in West Bengal during the Direct Action Day in 1946. The film explores the communal violence in undivided Bengal during the 1940s, including events like the 1946 Direct Action Day and the Noakhali riots of 1946, a Hindu genocide. The trailer opens with a monologue stating the situation of Bengal before the partition. The trailer features strong performances of Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi and Darshan Kumaar. ZUBIN MEHTA (R) WITH RAJESH KHERA AT THEIR MOUNTAIN HOST You win some, you lose some Gal Gadot explains why Snow White flopped Wonder Woman actress Gal Gadot shared her perspective on why Disney’s live-action Snow White remake underperformed at the box office. During a recent appearance on the Israeli TV program The A Talks, Gadot said Snow White’s poor box c m y b office performance was partially because of “pressure” in Hollywood to “speak against Israel” amid the ongoing conflict with Palestine. Gal Gadot was born in Israel. “You know, this happens a lot in various industries, including Hollywood. There’s pressure on celebrities to speak against Israel. And, you know, it happened,” said Gal Gadot. She continued, “I can always explain and try to give context about what’s happening here. And I always do that. But in the end, people make their own decisions. And I was disappointed that the movie was incredibly affected by all of that and that it didn’t do well at the box office. But that’s how it goes. You win some, you lose some,” she said. — ANI Panchkula JAIDEEP AHLAWAT ONCE MORE love KRISHNA CHRONICLES T HE ‘Dancing Dentist’ Dr Varun Khanna and his team of 15 disciples from Anuvikriti Studio of Bharatanatyam presented Krishna Vallabh, a Bharatanatyam concert of different pieces at Harihar Mandir. It was in different Indian languages ranging from Brij bhasha, Sanskrit and Telugu portraying different stages of Krishna’s life. The musicians who gave brilliant score to this production included National Award winning vocalist Sudha Raghuraman, flautist G Raghuraman, mridangam artiste MV Chandrashekhar, veena artiste Shyamala Bhaskar and nattuvangam artiste Varun Rajasekharan.