28092024-LSTL-01.qxd 9/27/2024 7:50 PM Page 1 c m y b SPECIAL SCREENING AT SC The makers of biographical film 12th Fail, starring Vikrant Massey, recently hosted a special screening at the Supreme Court of India. The screening served as a unique opportunity to engage with an audience that aligned with the film’s powerful message. TRIBUNE Life She’s back! Actress Yami Gautam, who has been embracing the joys of motherhood, is back to work and recently attended a special event. She has Dhoom Dhaam in the pipeline. LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 28 SEPTEMBER 2024 With a fascination for period films — be it Jubilee, Class of 83 or Berlin — writer-director Atul Sabharwal says he likes the ‘drama which history brings’ REAL, REEL & THE IN-BETWEEN Nonika Singh L IKE his slow-burn film Berlin, writer-director Atul Sabharwal takes a while to warm up. The opening monosyllabic answer, in response to his reaction on rave reviews that Berlin has got, is a simple ‘thrilled.’ But soon enough profound assertions on his fascination for period cinema, for fiction as history and more, ensue. First things first, he doesn’t think Indian audience only roots for fast-paced thrillers. He cites Sriram Raghavan’s Andhadhun and Badlapur, which, incidentally, he himself saw thrice in theatres, and Sanjay Ghosh’s sleeper hit Kahani, as sterling examples of such films working with audiences even in theatres. Indeed, Berlin is a brand new kahani and treads new ground. Among its many novelties is the deaf and mute character as the lead protagonist of a spy. As a dialogue in the film goes… ‘Can any agency in the world recruit a deaf and mute person as a spy’… we wonder if Atul has ever come across one? He laughs, “Let alone deaf and mute, I doubt if I ever met any spy or even if I have I would not know. This is imagination at its best, the result of being a voracious reader of spy fiction and as Ishwak Singh’s Ashok says… ‘Common A still from Berlin PUNJABI BONHOMIE ❝ If Hindi is ue, r-tong my mothe my Punjabi is er-tongue. h grandmot What happens when ‘mil baithe teen Punjabi yaar’… in this case Atul Sabharwal, Ishwak Singh and Aparshakti Khurana? Well, Atul lets us into the Punjabi bonhomie thus, “We gorged on pinnies made by Apar’s mother and even otherwise. Till today bond over food.” Since his Class of 83 too had Bobby Deol in the lead role, has he signed some kind of loyalty bond with Punjabi actors? He shakes his head in the negative. But, yes, for his mega and ambitious project on Punjab, which has a Sikh hero, he will certainly be looking towards Punjab’s treasure trove of talent. sense’. ” Interestingly, now Berlin has been published as a short story The Decipherer. What is it with him and his fascination for period dramas? Be it Jubilee, which he wrote, and Class of 83, which he directed, and now Berlin? He admits, “I like the drama which history brings.” More so he loves these cusp points, “Transition from colonial rule to freedom struggle, from socialist ideology to advent of liberalisation.” One momentous moment in history he would like to revisit is the insurgency of Punjab’s 1984 and has just finished writing a show. But, he is not sure where and when it will leap on to the screen. This Punjabi born and brought up in Agra is not unduly perturbed about the volatility of subject, fraught with the danger of stirring a hornet’s nest. He says, “If one wants wounds to heal, they have to be raked again. Closure can’t come about without talking about unsavoury and bitter situations, and events.” Besides, he quips, “One can’t be concerned about log kya kahenge or if they will be offended. If that logic is applied, then we shall only be writing feel-good sugar syrupy stories and never dig into truths buried in the past.” Among the many points Berlin makes is how truth often gets eclipsed by what is documented and written about. So how can cinema help in recording the truth? Atul, who recently bought a book called Fiction as History, shares, “If we choose to, cinema can be a reflection of its times as well as times gone by. A decades from now if we were to look back, Sai Paranjpye’s Katha and Govind Nihalani’s Ardhsatya would serve as reckoners of Mumbai’s chawl life of 1980s and police force, respectively. When we were making Class of 83, our referral points of that era were Nihalani’s Vijeta and Shyam Bengal’s Kalyug.” Stepping back in time cinematically, however, is easier said than done. To those who felt ‘production design was the real hero in Berlin’, he reminds, “It’s always a collaborative effort, not just one creative working in isolation.” Actors, certainly are the face of cinema and director the captain of the ship, however, one department that always goes unnoticed according to him is ‘post-production team of editor, sound designer, colourist and more’. He adds, “In Berlin, particularly, they had a tough task at hand. It’s not easy to create silence. Yet, forget credit, often they don’t even get enough time to put things together. For their job is invariably under pressure of deliveries and not creative fulfillment.” As for Atul’s creativity, well, the good news for all you Jubilee fans is that he is busy writing the second season. And the intent to ‘write a good story’ will always be uppermost in his scheme of things. Well, from the writer of clutter-breaking Jubilee and Berlin we expect nothing less! Experience the magical world Actor Sohum Shah unveils The Tumbbad Anthem Festive vibe Ayushmann Khurrana’s gift to his fan — a new track, Jachdi Singer-actor Ayushmann Khurrana has unveiled his latest electrifying number Jachdi, alongside Ishq Vishk Rebound actress Pashmina Roshan. The Vicky Donor-fame actor took to social media and shared the music video of his latest number, which is filled with the joy of festivities all around. He captioned the post, “#Jachdi is all yours to vibe to now! The song is filled with the beats of garba and a sweet touch of Punjabi music that delves into the magic of electrifying dance numbers. Ayushmann said, “Jachdi is a gift to all of you this festive season. Indian festivals have a different vibe altogether and I for one am a huge fan of all these celebrations — with this track, we want to charge you with energy to dive head-first into this festive season and get grooving to the tunes of Jachdi. This song is also one of a kind for me because it blends my favourite Punjabi tunes with garba music.” “A huge shoutout to Youngveer for the lyrics, Sharan Rawat for the production, and to Goldboy for composing this song that hits the notes right where it needs to! Hanif and Aslam’s dhol beats are known to all and their touch to this song will get your feet tapping. I can’t wait for everyone to celebrate, dance and make some amazing memories with Jachdi, just like we did,” he concluded. — IANS Regina Cassandra says Nawazuddin Siddiqui is a class actor Regina Cassandra will be seen sharing screen space with Nawazuddin Siddiqui, whom she described as a ‘class apart actor’, in the crime thriller Section 108. The actress revealed how the acclaimed actor helped her in improving her Hindi speaking skills. Regina, who has worked in films such as Mughiz, Conjuring Kannappan and Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga, among many others, said, “Nawazuddin Siddiqui is obviously like a class actor and I’ve had the privilege to work with him. A very humble human being, very down-to-earth, very centered.” She spoke about how she doesn’t speak Hindi as often and turned to Nawazuddin for help during the shoot of Section 108, directed by Rasikh Khan. “If I must say and, in fact, since I come from the South, I don’t speak Hindi as often as I would like to and I don’t practise it as often. Although I know the language, I can read and write,” she added. The actress recalled, “So, when we were doing our scenes one day, I looked at him and I said, ‘sir, can we please rehearse the scene a couple of times because my Hindi has to get better?’ So, he looked at me and he said, ‘Don’t wor- Fan club ry, my English is not that good, so we’ll have to practise these scenes more and more’.” She said that the two have some- c m y b thing to work on. “And that it’s really nice for an actor to be able to joke about themselves or be real for that matter. You don’t get to see that very often and I think that’s a really nice quality.” Ever since her debut in 2005 with Kanda Naal Mudhal, Regina has worked in a myriad genres in Telugu and Tamil films. It was in 2019, when the 33-yearold actress made her Hindi film debut with Sonam Kapoor-starrer Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. About working in various languages, she said, “The beauty of working in different languages, just the fact that you know, emotion has no particular language but just the fact that you have to learn to express it in a different way, I find that very beautiful.” Regina feels privileged to get the work that she has been getting. “If I must say, to have been able to work in every industry and I’m happy that as an actor, I’m versatile enough to be able to pull it off and I think I love all the industries.” The actress will be present at the 24th edition of International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA), where she will be performing on a nineminute medley. —IANS Actor Sohum Shah celebrated the ongoing success of the folk horror film Tumbbad by unveiling The Tumbbad Anthem track on Friday. This new addition enhances the film’s captivating atmosphere and has generated excitement among fans. Taking to Instagram, shared the music video of The Tumbbad Anthem. In the caption, he wrote, “Bajte Rehna Chahiye... Presenting to you The Tumbbad Anthem. The Tumbbad Anthem is out now! Book your tickets: Link in bio. Experience the magical world of #Tumbbad once again, running now in cinemas. An #ErosNow Release.” Tumbbad which first hit the screens in 2018, was re-released in the theatres on September 13. Directed by Rahi Anil Barve, with Anand Gandhi as the creative director and Adesh Prasad as the co-director, Tumbbad follows the story of his search for a hidden 20th century treasure in the village of Tumbbad, Maharashtra. Written by Mitesh Shah, Prasad, Barve and Gandhi, the film was produced by Sohum Shah, Aanand L. Rai, Mukesh Shah, and Amita Shah. The story follows Vinayak Rao’s descent into greed and obsession as he seeks out a mythical treasure guarded by the malevolent entity Hastar. Tumbbad was the first Indian film to premiere in the Critics’ Week section of the 75th Venice International Film Festival. The film also stars Jyoti Malshe and Anita Date-Kelkar. It was also screened at the 2018 Fantastic Fest, Sitges Film Festival, the Screamfest Horror Film Festival, the El Gouna Film Festival, the 23rd International Film Festival of Kerala, among others. — IANS