24082026-LSTC-01.qxd 8/23/2026 11:13 PM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE Jeet’s 30! Life Sunny Deol marked Jeet’s 30th anniversary, recalling Karan’s love, anger and sacrifice while thanking fans for their enduring affection for the 1996 film! LUDHIANA | MONDAY | 24 AUGUST 2026 The three-time National Award-winning filmmaker talks about family films, childhood nostalgia & Jackie Shroff Manish Saini & power of simple stories After three National Awards, what does success mean to you today — awards, box office or audience love? The film released in theatres when children’s vacations were coming to an end. Are you okay with the release timing? Making her long-awaited return to the action genre with her upcoming film Gandhari, actor Taapsee Pannu hopes to finally satisfy her fans who have been eager to see her take on more actionoriented roles following the success of Baby and Naam Shabana. Pannu, who plays Bani in Gandhari, said “People have been after me to do action but I’ve been avoiding it because it takes a lot of physical effort for me to do action. First of all, I don’t enjoy hitting people physically. Even though my image says otherwise. I generally don’t like hitting people,” said Pannu on the sidelines of the ongoing Jagran Film Festival in New Delhi. The 39-year-old actor also noted that the films she typically works in do not always have the budgets for high tech action. “My films generally don’t have the budget to have face replacement or the easy greenscreen action. I have to do everything myself. So it can become physically very taxing,” she said. Gandhari, directed by Devashish Makhija and written and produced by Kanika Dhillon, releases on September 3, on Netflix. — PTI The actor hopes her latest action outing satisfies fans who have long awaited her return to the genre What do you hope children and families take away from The Great Grand Superhero? receive that kind of support, and when an actor is so free, easy-going and generous, it makes everything much better. How was your experience working with veteran actor Jackie Shroff? Jackie sir is incredibly punctual. He would always arrive exactly on time. Honestly, I hadn’t expected that. Many times, I would tell him, “Sir, we need to reach at this time,” and the most remarkable thing was that he would travel for almost one-and-a-half to two hours. His farmhouse is near Talegaon, and he would travel from there to the shooting location. Very often, he would even drive himself. Despite that, he would always reach exactly on time. He What draws you to telling stories to young audiences? would tell me, “Just give me the exact time, and I’ll be there at that time.” When you Do you feel OTT could help the film reach wider family audience? Everyone has different perceptions about OTT platforms. In many places, there is a perception that OTT is meant for very personal viewing, that you watch it on your phone and stream content from wherever you are. But there is another perspective as well. The reason TV sizes Veteran Bollywood actress Saira Banu revisits childhood, cinema and Dilip Kumar ‘Smitten with him since 12’ Veteran Bollywood actress Saira Banu marked her birthday by taking fans on an emotional journey through childhood memories, lavish family celebrations and her enduring love for late screen legend Dilip Kumar. In a nostalgic Instagram post, Banu recalled birthdays spent with her mother, celebrated actress Naseem Banu, whom she fondly referred to as “Pari Chehra Naseem Banuji”, her grandmother Shamshad Waheed Khan and elder brother Sultan. “I had been hopelessly Bobby breaks the villain mould The actor says he is seeking diverse roles to move beyond his antagonist image Actor Bobby Deol on Saturday said he has been flooded with villainous roles but has been making a conscious effort to break away from the image by taking on diverse projects. Speaking on the sidelines of the Jagran Film Festival, New Delhi, Bobby said it is quite natural that when an actor becomes successful in any character, they get stereotyped afterwards. “If an actor becomes successful in a particular kind of role, they keep getting similar roles. That’s what happens in the industry. And I try really hard to break out of that. I’ve just done a film called Bandar, which was very different.” Bobby’s other projects of the year were Alpha and Jana Nayagan. His next project is the Prime Video series Teen Kauwe. — PTI What attracts me most about children’s stories is the innocence they have. That kind of emotion is very rare these days. We have all become very smart. We have smartphones in our hands, and we are making very sophisticated films. We are taking up complex subjects, but simple stories with innocence are slowly disappearing somewhere along the way. I feel that these kinds of genres should continue to be explored. A book of 10 short stories titled Unclaimed by senior journalist Vandana Shukla was launched on Saturday at the Press Club in Chandigarh amidst an august gathering of writers, academics, family and friends. Unclaimed takes the reader to the stories that we overhear and sometimes, to our horror, see them reflected in our family albums. The stories begin with a snapshot of moving life frame and then open into peculiar “angularities” of a person’s reality. They scratch the visible surface in their quest for shades of truth; often complex and disturbingly humane. In her keynote address, Prof Emeritus, former Chairperson Department of Political Science, Panjab University, Pam Rajput, said, “At its heart, Unclaimed is a powerful literary exploration of how patriarchy shapes, controls and often violates women’s lives across different classes, generations and corners of Indian society.” In conversation with Shukla, Suparna, Saraswati Puri, author Adi Shankara, Advaita and You smitten with him from the age of twelve,” she wrote, recalling her hope of one day meeting him or even sharing a film with him. According to Banu’s recollection, Dilip Kumar did not reciprocate her youthful romantic notions at the time. — ANI A filmmaker is a social communicator. Through films, they communicate with society, and people listen to what they have to say. They remember it too. People often recall that, “This was said in that film,” or, “That film conveyed this message.” The films I have made, such as Gandhi & Co. and The Great Grand Superhero, received a U certificate, meaning they are unrestricted and suitable for all audiences. A parent can put the film on an OTT platform and go about their work while the child watches it independently. They don’t need to worry because it is a U-certified film. The Great Grand Superhero is streaming on ZEE5. — TNS Vibe check Amazon MGM Studios has unveiled the teaser for Kunal Kemmu’s action-comedy VIBE, starring Kemmu and Sparsh Shrivastava as unlikely heroes tasked with saving the nation. With high-speed chases, explosive action and ribtickling humour unfolding in quick succession, the teaser promises a rollercoaster ride packed with plenty of surprises. Featuring Preity G Zinta in a commanding role, the film releases in cinemas on September 18. WHAT’S HOT eat MONSOON FLAVOURS Y AZU PAN Asian Experience in Sector 26, Chandigarh, is embracing the season with a specially curated Monsoon Edition. The limited-time menu brings together seasonal Pan Asian dishes and handcrafted cocktails inspired by the mood and flavours of the rains. peer muchalla returns to action with Gandhari Success is a very interesting thing. If you achieve one thing, you naturally become eager for the next. Box office definitely attracts you. Awards also support and encourage you. Both of these things motivate you. But true success, in my opinion, is the appreciation of the audience. I felt that some of the things we had planned, such as interacting with audiences and visiting schools, could not really happen as intended. But this film is not only nostalgic; it is also a family film. It belongs, in a way, to people in their late 30s, 40s and mid-40s as well, allowing them to revisit their childhood memories. It reminds them of Raj Comics, Diamond Comics and their own home-grown superheroes. This is also a film for the audience that grew up watching Shaktimaan. play LUXE WELLNESS T HE Luxe Sports Club in Peer Muchalla, adjoining Sector 20, offers a complete fitness and training experience with an all-season swimming pool, steam bath and ice bath facilities. The club has NISapproved coaches and provides professional training for swimmers and fitness enthusiasts. The 25m x 15m pool is open from 6am to 11pm, making it convenient for members with different schedules. Unclaimed explores gender, power & truth said, “The collection is bold yet emotive. The subject of each of the ten short stories provokes thinking. Unclaimed compels you to sit-up and wonder, what is normal and why.” ludhiana Taapsee Pannu have become so large and why huge televisions have entered the market is that people want to sit at home and watch together. If you look at the setting of most homes today, you’ll see a large television in the living room with a sofa placed in front of it. I think that setup is meant for the whole family. chandigarh M ANISH SAINI is a three-time National Award-winning filmmaker, known for films such as Dhh, Gandhi & Co. and Giddh: The Scavenger. With a strong focus on children and family-centric storytelling, his latest film, The Great Grand Superhero, stars Jackie Shroff. love BHAJAN JAMMING J OIN Sahill Sharma for an evening of soulful bhajans, uplifting music and community singing on Sunday, August 30, at 6 pm at The Art of Living’s Temple of Knowledge, Baddowal. Come sing along, connect and experience the joy of devotion through music. VANDANA SHUKLA c m y b