24042024-LSTC-01.qxd 4/23/2024 11:57 PM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE His muse Life Bollywood director-producer Karan Johar, who last directed Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, recently explored his photography skills by capturing his muse, Ananya Panday. CHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 24 APRIL 2024 ‘Reaping the rewards’ Nonika Singh I Of propaganda & patriotism Lara Dutta’s candid take on Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond Former Miss Universe and Bollywood actress Lara Dutta, who has consistently captivated audiences with her versatile performances, right from a stellar debut in Andaaz to her recent venture Bell Bottom, is now all set to redefine the narrative with her upcoming web series Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond. In this eagerly awaited series, Lara Dutta portrays the role of a power broker delving into the intricacies of modern warfare and geopolitical dynamics. Directed by Santosh Singh, the series promises to unravel untold stories behind a major operation, shedding light on the amalgamation of traditional and contemporary warfare tactics. Lara Dutta talked about her deep-rooted connection to the subject matter. Hailing from a military background, with her father and sister serving in the Air Force, Lara emphasised her innate sense of patriotism and duty towards the nation. She remarked, “First comes your country and then your family, or whatever will always be in the number two position.” She also shared insights into her personal connection to the storyline, rooted deeply in her family’s military background. “For me, choosing this story was a special thing because when the Balakot air strike happened, we got more insider information than the civilians,” she said. Addressing the scepticism surrounding patriotic narratives, Dutta highlighted the need to recognise and appreciate stories from India’s own soil. She remarked, “People will always say that this is propaganda. But we don’t say that when we watch other Hollywood films. So, why do we always apply this to our country’s things?” Embracing the opportunity to showcase the nation’s untold tales, Lara expressed gratitude to the producers for bringing these narratives to the forefront. Scheduled for release on April 25, Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond is poised to captivate audiences with its gripping narrative and stellar performances. The series also stars Ashutosh Rana and Ashish Vidyarthi. Apart from her role in Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond, Lara Dutta has an exciting line-up of projects in the pipeline, including Welcome To The Jungle, Suryast and Ramayana. — ANI MTIAZ ALI’ s Amar Singh Chamkila is shining, and basking in the glory is not just the man at the helm and its lead actor, but also many in the supporting cast. Anjum Batra, our Punjabi man from Abohar, who plays Kesar Singh Tikki in the film, has no hesitation in admitting that Imtiaz and Diljit Dosanjh’s stardom is rubbing on to him. “I am reaping the reward of their fandom,” he says. Humility aside, Anjum sure is winning plaudits for his part of close associate of Chamkila and the biggest compliment has come from Tikki’s family, which for him is like a badge of honour. Interestingly, though hailing from Punjab, he was not clued into the life of Tikki. “The referral points were Imtiaz sir’s sterling writing.” The more he delved, the more he realised how it was not a one-note character, but one of many shades who loved Chamikla as much as he cursed him. On Imtiaz, the director, he says, “I just surrendered to him. He is a down-to-earth director who not only knows what he wants from his actors, but is indulgent to a point of spoiling you forever. On the sets, there is no distinction between a lead and a minor actor.” Of all the lessons he has learnt from the gifted director, this ‘ability to treat everyone equally’ stands above all. As for the celebrated coactor Diljit, he divulges a secret. “Before the director calls out action, he is always busy chanting Wahe Guru and Om Namah Shivay. It is so humbling to watch such a big star connecting with divinity.” ATRANGI CO-STARS He is equally enamoured by Time for an update Academy changes rules for 2025 Oscars’ ceremony Hollywood’s most prestigious film awards, the Oscars, are undergoing significant changes as the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has introduced updated rules and campaign protocols for its 97th edition, slated for March 2 next year. In a bid to bolster traditional movie theatres, the Academy has revised the eligibility criteria for films. From now on, films must screen for at least one week in select metropolitan areas, including Los Angeles County, New York City, the Bay Area, Chicago, Atlanta, and a new addition — Dallas-Fort Worth. Additionally, films must meet expanded theatrical standards in multiple US markets and international territories. An interesting development is the convergence between the animated feature and international feature categories. Animated feature films submitted by foreign countries can now be considered for both categories, provided they meet eligibility requirements. Composers are set to benefit from the changes as well. The best original score category will now feature a shortlist of 20 titles instead of 15, and up to three composers KEY POINTS ■ Films must screen for at least one week in select metropolitan areas ■ Convergence between the animated feature and international feature categories ■ Deadlines for key submission announced ■ Writers must provide a final shooting script ■ Best original score category will now feature a shortlist of 20 titles instead of 15 can now receive individual statuettes for their contributions to a score. Writers aiming for Oscars’ recognition must now provide a final shooting script, a move that may impact films with extensive improvisation. Special awards presented during the Governors Awards ceremony are also undergoing modifications. The Irving G Thalberg Memorial Award will no longer be in the form of a bust but an Oscar statuette, while the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award has been redefined to honour humanitarian efforts promoting human welfare and addressing inequities. Furthermore, two awards presented at the Scientific and Technical Awards have been renamed to honour technological contributions more effectively. Key submission deadlines have been announced, emphasising the importance of timely submissions for various categories, including animated short films, documentary features, and international feature films. The Academy has also updated campaign promotional regulations, outlining guidelines for promoting Oscars-eligible motion pictures and performances to its members. These changes reflect the Academy’s commitment to adapting to the evolving landscape of the film industry while maintaining the integrity and prestige of the Oscars. As Hollywood gears up for the 97th Oscars, anticipation is high for a ceremony that promises to celebrate excellence and innovation in filmmaking. — ANI Punjabi actor Anjum Batra, who has made a mark with Chamkila, says for essaying the role he totally surrendered to the ever-so-talented director Imtiaz Ali ❝ frolic. He says, “They are as atrangi as the show is. And when the set itself is a playground, vibe does get translated on to the screen too.” LIFE AS IT COMES Anjum does not believe in making any plans, but lets the Almighty decide the flow. Today as the series, Maamla Legal Hai, has been renewed for the second season, he is keeping his fingers crossed and hopes he will get to reprise his part. Playing a turbaned Sikh, also in some episodes of Troll control! Tiffany Haddish uses an undisclosed X account to troll her trolls Actress Tiffany Haddish talked about how she felt the need to give her army of critics a taste of their own medicine. Haddish, who revealed last month she had been sober for more than two months after being charged with driving under the influence in November 2023, when she allegedly fell asleep at the wheel in Los Angeles, shared the details during an appearance at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books at the University of Southern California. She talked about the motivation behind her bogus X account: “The Internet came out and people got the freedom to talk about whatever they wanted to talk about. And now I wish I was back to being illiterate again. So, people talk about me. I don’t know why all are talking about me so damn much, but that’s okay. I like to talk about you too. I made me a fake page and now I’m talking about stuff – how about that? You talk about what goes around comes around, don’t worry.” Haddish added she had restricted her secret account to X. She said: “I don’t know about fake Instagram, but I definitely got fake Twitter… I mean a fake X.” Additionally, she said that her forthcoming memoir I Curse You With Joy, slated for release on May 7, is full of ‘mistakes’ she had made in her life and career. —IANS c m y b Anne Hathaway recalls the time when she had to fake excitement about kissing 10 boys Actress Anne Hathaway recently talked about the beginning of her career and recalled an audition where she had to fake excitement about kissing 10 boys, describing it as ‘gross’. In an interview, Hathaway, shared that back in the 2000s it was ‘normal’ to ask actors to ‘make out’ with potential co-stars during chemistry tests. “Which is actually the worst way to do it,” she said. “I was told, ‘We have 10guys coming today and you’re cast. Aren’t you excited to make out with all of them?’ And I thought, ‘Is there something wrong with me?’ because I wasn’t excited. I thought it sounded gross. And I was so young and terribly aware of how easy it was to lose everything by being labeled ‘difficult’, so I just pretended I was excited and got on with it. It wasn’t a power play, no one was trying to be awful or hurt me. It was just a very different time, and now we know better.” — IANS I was not really aware of who Kesar Singh Tikki was, so it took me a while to get into the skin of the character. I had the liberty of playing him the way I wanted to, as there are not many videos of him. Today, the commendation of his family is like a badge of honour for me. — ANJUM BATRA the lead and co-star of Maamla Legal Hai, Ravi Kishan. But, yes, when he signed the series, he was a tad nervous before meeting this legend, ‘a man with 700 films behind him, a shining political career and more’. But a few minutes into a conversation with the Bhojpuri superstar, ‘a jovial, dil phaink person and spontaneous actor’ put him at absolute ease. Even otherwise, the makers, including the director Rahul Pandey of Maamla Legal Hai, ensured making of the series was as much fun and ‘Gross audition’ Crime Patrol and Kabir Khan’s ’83, comes naturally to this Bhangra expert. Soon, we will see him once again don the turban in the Netflix film Wild Wild Punjab, which is to be directed by Luv Ranjan. To aspiring actors, this alumnus of the Department of Indian Theatre, Panjab University, Chandigarh, has only oneword advice — patience. WORTH ITS WHILE Coming from a farming background, he knows, ‘no seed bears fruit overnight’. For him too it has been a long wait since he made his foray into the entertainment industry way back in 2008 with Dev D. But all the wait has certainly been worth its while. Watch out for the actor who learnt the ropes in Chandigarh and to which he returns each year almost like a ritual, reliving the days when they would perform impromptu at Student’s Centre. Today, insecurity does not plague him as his confidence comes from starting at ground zero from where you can only go up and up! Aamir Khan launches Papa Kehte Hain 2.0 from RajKummar Rao’s film Srikanth Sweet tune, once more Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan on Monday evening launched a new rendition of his iconic song Papa Kehte Hain from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, which was his debut film as a lead actor. Titled Papa Kehte Hain 2.0, the track is from the film Srikanth, which features RajKummar Rao. Singer Udit Narayan, the voice behind Papa Kehte Hain, was also present at the event. In Srikanth, RajKummar plays Srikanth Bolla, an Indian entrepreneur who founded Bollant Industries, employing unskilled and dif- ferently-abled individuals. Born visually impaired in 1992 near Hyderabad, his life story is inspiring. Rao spoke about the challenges of depicting a visually impaired person, “Born in a very poor family, Bolla achieved so much in life; he established a million-dollar company. I have never played such a role, so it was very challenging for me.” Talking about his preparation, he added, “The preparation was very important for this role. We used to go to blind schools for hours. We used to spend time with visu- ally impaired people. So to observe how they see the world was important. I spent a lot of time with Srikanth. Because we are putting his life on the screen. So, to understand things from his perspective, how he made decisions and more was important as well.” Produced by T-Series and Chalk N Cheese Films Production LLP the movie has , been directed by Tushar Hiranandani, and written by Jagdeep Sidhu and Sumit Purohit. Srikanth is slated for a theatrical release on May 10. — ANI
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