28112025-LSCB-01.qxd 11/27/2025 7:43 PM Page 1 c m y b DUBEY ON RAMAYANA JOURNEY Actor Ravie Dubey expressed deep excitement and a sense of ‘surrender’ about portraying Lakshman in Nitesh Tiwari’s epic Ramayana. With a star-studded cast and massive scale, the film is hailed as a cultural milestone. Backed by major studios, Ramayana releases in two parts on Diwali 2026 and 2027. CHAT UP STRANGER THINGS 5 CAUSES HAVOC As fans rushed to stream the highly awaited premiere of Stranger Things Season 5, streaming platform Netflix has reportedly experienced widespread outages. Many users in the US have been unable to access the service, with some disruptions also affecting viewers in India. Millions of fans who had waited three years for the final chapter took to social media to express their frustration as the streaming service glitched. HEMA SHARES EMOTIONAL POST Actor-politician Hema Malini has shared her first emotional post following the death of her husband and legendary actor Dharmendra. The actress took to X and wrote, “Dharam ji. He was many things to me. Loving husband, adoring father of our two girls, Esha & Ahaana, friend, philosopher, guide, poet, my ‘go-to’ person in all times of need, in fact, he was everything to me… My personal loss is indescribable, and the vacuum created is something that will last through the rest of my life.” RAAT AKELI HAI RETURNS The makers of actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui-starrer crime thriller Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders have announced the release date for the film. The crime thriller is set to premiere globally on Netflix on December 19, just days after its world premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. The film also stars Chitrangada Singh, Rajat Kapoor, Deepti Naval, Ila Arun, Revathy, Akhilendra Mishra, Priyanka Setia, Sanjay Kapoor, and Radhika Apte in key roles alongside Siddiqui. TRIBUNE Love era… Life Taylor Swift talks about her relationship with Travis Kelce, calls him ‘greatest surprise of my life’ in a new teaser for The End of an Era, a six-part documentary series premiering on Disney+ on December 12. LUDHIANA | FRIDAY | 28 NOVEMBER 2025 ‘It’s a spiritual awakening’ Dhanush and Kriti Sanon are gearing up for the release of their film, Tere Ishk Mein. The cast of the upcoming film arrived in Varanasi to promote their film and spoke about their bond with the ancient city, sharing anecdotes, memories, and heartfelt sentiments. Dhanush described Varanasi as a transformative force in his life. “Varanasi is not just a city to me. It’s a spiritual awakening. I’ve connected with every street, every ghat, every temple. Because of him, there was an awakening inside me and I surrendered myself to Mahadev,” he said, adding that he never misses an opportunity to revisit the city. Filmmaker Aanand L Rai said Varanasi had shaped his personal philosophy. “This city teaches you not to be afraid,” he shared. “Parents teach you how to live, but Varanasi teaches you to stand for what is right,” Rai said. Rai added that for him, Varanasi remains the film’s silent contributor—its energy guiding the story and its people. “Whatever emerges from this city, stories, characters, emotions, comes with truth and fearlessness,” he said. The ace director spoke about choosing people who connect emotionally with a story rather than those who join a project as a mere assignment. “When I start making a film, it’s important that people come Dhanush, Kriti Sanon, Aanand L Rai share emotional connect with Varanasi during trailer launch of Tere Ishk Mein This city teaches you not to be afraid. Parents teach you how to live, but Varanasi teaches you to stand for what is right. Whatever emerges from this city, stories, characters, emotions, comes with truth and fearlessness. — Aanand L Rai together because it’s someone’s dream. Bhushan liked this story a lot, and that’s how things fell into place,” he said. Kriti also recalled her first trip to Varanasi, a memory intertwined with creative beginnings. “I came here for an ad shoot directed by Anand sir. That ad was never released, but the memory stayed. I met him in Varanasi and it has always felt comforting to be here,” she said, adding that she regretted not shooting her portions of the film in the city. “I told sir that before the film releases, I must come here and take blessings. I’m glad we made it.” Speaking about the film’s music, she credited AR Rahman for capturing the essence of every moment. “There are many beautiful tracks, but Tere Ishk Mein is the soul of the film. We would listen to it on set whenever we needed to feel an emotion without dialogue. If you listen to it on full volume while travelling, it hits your heart in a different way.” Kriti plays Mukti, a young woman who falls for the fierce, volatile, rule-breaking Shankar (Dhanush). But cir- cumstances pull them apart before their love can take shape. Unable to cope with the heartbreak, Dhanush’s character becomes vengeful and pledges to burn ‘entire Delhi’ to ashes for his broken heart. It will hit the theatres on November 28. — ANI ‘Work is incomplete without emotions: Pankaj Kapur on AI Veteran actor Pankaj Kapur made an appearance at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa as he walked the red carpet for the special screening of his acclaimed 1990 film Ek Doctor Ki Maut. The film, celebrated as one of the most powerful critiques of systemic failure in Indian society, returned to the big screen through a newly restored print showcased at the festival. During his interaction with media on the sidelines of the festival, Kapur reflected on the rising use of Artificial Intelligence in filmmaking. The actor, known for his thoughtful perspectives, shared that while technology continues to evolve, it can never replace what he described as the essence of cinema, ie “human feeling.” Highlighting the irreplaceable value of “emotions” and “humanity,” Kapur expressed caution about fully depending on technological innovation. “I don’t have much knowledge about this. But I think that no matter what technique comes into the world, as far as emotions are concerned, until they are not there, the work will not be complete. Technology may reach any level, but it cannot go beyond humanity. It cannot go beyond human emotions,” he said. Speaking about watching Ek Doctor Ki Maut in its restored version, the veteran actor shared his appreciation for the restoration effort. Noting the ‘new colouring’ and ‘new sound’ that breathed life into the classic, he praised the NFDC team for their meticulous work. “I felt very good that the picture has been restored. It has a new colouring, a new sound, a new mixing. The NFDC people have done a very good job in restoring it. So, I am grateful for that and I am very very happy about it,” he added. — ANI Lillete Dubey, a familiar figure in Tricity's theatre scene, recently brought her play Autobiography to Chandigarh Nonika Singh Karan Aujla announces 6-city India tour Fresh off making history as the first-ever Punjabi artiste to headline Rolling Loud, Karan Aujla has officially announced the India leg of his P-Pop Culture World Tour set to be hosted next year by Team Innovation. Spanning major cities across India, the tour will cover Bengaluru, Indore, Pune, Mumbai, alongside New Delhi and Chandigarh where the singer will deliver his debut stadium performances. The announcement follows the record-breaking success of his It Was All A Dream India Tour held in 2024, which captivated more than 2,00,000 fans across seven cities. The Indian edition will cover six major cities between February and March 2026, with additional shows and locations anticipated in a second phase. Karan states, “India has some of the most powerful and passionate fans in the world.” The hall was packed… city’s cognoscenti, including renowned theatre personalities, were present. And so were a whole lot of youngsters. Lillete Dubey’s date with City Beautiful never fails to draw audiences. Is it her charming continuous presence on silver screen in movies like Monsoon Wedding, Kal Ho Na Ho and more recently Songs of Paradise, which attracts Chandigarh’s elite or the fact that her plays are in ‘elitist’ queen’s language English…..who can profess to know the answer? But each time she comes calling as she did last Friday at the invitation of the Durga Das Foundation with her masterful play Autobiography, once again the city could not resist her Prime Time act. Prime Time Theatre Company is by the way the name of her theatre group. If the ageless actor has been wedded to stage for over four decades, with Chandigarh she has a karmic connection. For the past 26 years, Strawberry Fields School, Chandigarh has been consistently hosting Lillete’s plays. Last week, it showcased Autobiography, English translation of noted Marathi playwright Mahesh Eklunchwar’s Atmakatha. A peek into a writer’s life, Autobiography operated at many levels and brought to fore the complexity of human relationships. Like Akira Kurosawa’s Roshomon, it too dwelt upon how there is no absolute truth, rather each person’s reality is coloured by their own vantage point A date with Dubey REWIND & RAMBLE and experiences. With talented actors like Suchitra Pillai, Denzil Smith, Sarah Hashmi and Lillete essaying stellar parts, the directorial by theatre veteran herself, spoke about the elusive and evasive truth of relationships. Often it exists in the moment, often it impacts a lifetime. But the fact is: it is transient in nature and love is not written in stone but is ever evolving, ever in flux. Interestingly, in a rather somber, reflective play, audiences also found credible reasons c m y b to laugh at the dark humoured wisecracks. Some were audacious enough to walk out at regular intervals unmindful of the creaking which followed as they exited. But for the handful of these naysayers, who had no idea there are etiquette of watching a live performance, those who stayed back were clearly, some even deeply, invested. And few like these two young girls even remembered soulful one-liners. The beauty of Lillete’s performances in Chandigarh is that after the curtain call, after the actors take a bow before enthused audiences, the actors do not turn into ‘touch me not’ stars. The cast most of whom are known faces of cinema and stage is invariably available. Lillete never tires of posing with strangers offering viewers not just a transformative experience by way of her thoughtful plays, but also a moment to carry home. Actors like Denzil Smith of Delhi Crime fame too mingled with those who cared to stay back. To a young aspirant, who sought advice, he proffered pearls of wisdom. ‘Follow your heart’, was the obvious one but more importantly he added, ‘there is nothing in life like going with the flow, you need to create your path.’ Creative processes, however, are never linear. Fact follows fiction or truth is stranger than fantasy…the line blurs far too often. Autobiography presented more than one poser. But then, good storytelling is quintessentially all about tossing questions rather than answering them all. Which aspect of the performance would nibble whose mind once again depends entirely on individual perception. For me personally, watching Sarah Hashmi, niece of late theatre activist Safdar Hashmi, was a discovery and yet another reminder that legacy can’t be contained. Lillete is always a revelation. Few actors can pack emotion in a language which is not their mother-tongue.