29092024-LSTL-01.qxd 9/29/2024 12:05 AM Page 1 c m y b MERYL THE MATRIARCH Meryl Streep is set to lead a new television adaptation of Jonathan Franzen’s critically acclaimed novel The Corrections. The Oscar and Emmy-winning actress will portray the matriarch of a Mid-western family in a project that marks a second attempt to bring the story to the small screen. TRIBUNE New innings Ranbir Kapoor, who celebrated his 42nd birthday on Saturday, has ventured into the space of fashion and lifestyle. He has launched his lifestyle brand ARKS. LUDHIANA | SUNDAY | 29 SEPTEMBER 2024 For Chef Kunal Kapoor, cooking is a way of expressing love, sharing stories and creating memories KUNAL UNCUT Use your phone, Internet and social media to share your authentic voice with the people. Don’t copy anyone. Be yourself and build your own brand as people love individuality. CULINARY TIPS Thinking about acquiring Kunal’s enviable charm and culinary success? Save this checklist CHANGE, SHIFT & ADAPT: Food is always evolving— new recipes and flavours are being discovered constantly. Stay alert, be aware, and adapt to trends. INGREDIENTS MATTER: Focus on quality ingredients. Understanding and using the best ones is key to making a lasting impression with your dish. TAKING PRIDE IN OUR HERITAGE: Know and embrace your roots. Master regional food before claiming expertise in international cuisines. EXPERIMENTATION IS THE KEY: My bestselling dishes came from many failed experiments. So, try, try, try again and embrace failures and mistakes. They teach you what not to do in cooking! Anandita Gupta C HEF KUNAL KAPOOR became a household name as a judge on the popular television show MasterChef India. Since then, his popularity has only been soaring. He was invited to judge the semi-final of MasterChef America with legendry Chef Gordon Ramsay. Kapoor’s engaging YouTube channel, frequent appearances at culinary events (where, he’s always up for a selfie with his fans) and authoring several cookbooks have further solidified his celebrity status. Having worked with leading hotel chains like the Taj Group of Hotels and the Leela Group, Kunal has spearheaded various restaurant ventures. He has won numerous awards, including the prestigious Indian Television Academy Award for Best Jury. Kunal, who has an Instagram following of over three million, trains underprivileged youth in cooking and helps them raise funds for their cooking startups. “Food for me— is a way of expressing love, sharing stories and creating memories. Every dish is a piece of my heart, and I hope it brings joy to those who taste it,” Kunal flashes his heartwarming smile. However, despite all his culinary acclaim, charm and celebrity status, Kunal remains a simple and humble Delhi-boy at heart. The beginning Born in a simple, loving Punjabi joint family of bankers in Delhi (with small rooms but a big kitchen and bigger hearts), Kapoor grew up amidst wafting aromas of delicious Punjabi food. Kunal’s grandfather would make him sit on an upturned empty canister of ghee (placed on the kitchen counter) as the men in the house cooked lavish meals on weekends. Little Kunal would be given a huge karcchi (ladle) to keep stirring the gravy or sent to the neighborhood tandoor (traditional oven) with a thal (huge plate) of dough to get tandoori rotis made. “Whenever my dad cooked any gravy in the kitchen, he would describe each masala used. This instilled a deep passion and respect for Indian cuisine in my mind,” remembers Kunal. Though his family was extremely supportive, outsiders teased him when he decided to take up cooking professionally. ‘Halwai banega kya?’ was the mocking rant he faced. “Cooking as a profession for men was not so fashionable back then. But my passion for food was stronger than anything and I decided to pursue my culinary course,” quips Kunal, an avid reader and a huge fan of Kitchen Confidential. A non-ending Interview Kunal’s passion for food has always been enviable. In fact, he was so dedicated to perfecting his craft, that he stayed awake an entire night before his first food presentation in the year 2000. “It was a three-day interview at a hotel, which involved presenting food on the final day. Since my dishes required raising a perfect dough, I woke up and stayed in that hotel’s kitchen an entire night to make that dough,” laughs Kunal, who was also bullied into helping the hotel’s staff at a wedding buffet and serving them tea the next morning! “I cracked the inter- LUST FOR LIFE view and got my first job but fainted the moment I entered my home,” he chuckles. Breaking the shyness barrier Today a celebrated chef, Kunal was once a very shy, quiet and underconfident boy. While food was a lavish affair at home, Kunal’s timidness and low self-confidence made him a favourite target of bullying at school. He was very creative, but hated being in the forefront. “Talking to people made me jittery. In fact, I took up cooking professionally, thinking that I would comfortably remain backstage, while my cooking would do all the talking for me!” he recollects. However, in 2000, when he took up his first job as a chef in a five-star hotel, Kunal realised he could not hide behind his cooking. The culinary And the winners are... At the 24th edition of the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA), the Tamil action comedy Jailer, featuring Rajinikanth, and the Telugu period action drama Dasara starring Nani, both stood out by winning the Best Picture award. In the acting categories, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was honoured with the award for Performance in a Leading Role (Female) for her captivating portrayal in Ponniyin Selvan: II, while Mrunal Thakur received the same recognition for her performance in Hi Nanna. Celebrating the achievements of South Indian cinema and highlighting the excellence of the Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada film industries, IIFA Utsavam 2024 has announced its popular category winner list. Malayalam film 2018: Everyone is a Hero, featuring Tovino Thomas, and Kannada film Kaatera, starring Darshan, also triumphed at the IIFA by winning the Best Picture award. Jailer, Dasara win Best Picture; Aishwarya Rai takes home Leading Actress Award at IIFA In the Direction category, the prestigious prize was awarded to four talented filmmakers: Mani Ratnam for Ponniyin Selvan: II, Anil Ravipudi for Bhagavanth Kesari, Jeo Baby for Kaathal - The Core, and Tharun Kishore Sudhir for Kaatera. The Performance in a Leading Role (Female) award was given to Anaswara Rajan for her role in Neru, and Rukmini Vasanth for her performance in Sapta Sagaradaache Ello Side A. In the male category, the award was given to four remarkable actors — Vikram for his powerful portrayal in Ponniyin Selvan: II, Nani for Dasara, Tovino Thomas for 2018: Everyone Is A Hero, and Rakshit Shetty for Sapta Sagaradaache Ello - Side A. The Music Direction award was awarded to several talented composers, recognising their outstanding contributions to Indian cinema. AR Rahman was honored for his mesmerising score in Ponniyin Selvan: II, while Hesham Abdul Wahab received accolades for Hi Nanna. —IANS c m y b industry in India was opening up. “Chefs had to be the center-piece of any restaurant, going out there and presenting their dishes to customers, talking about their food and representing their restaurants at national and international platforms. I realised I could not remain in my cocoon any longer.” So, Kunal resolved to break his shyness barrier. He ventured into television shows head-on and battled his social anxiety every single day. “It was stepping into limelight while cooking on television, that helped me to grow comfortable in my own skin,” smiles the unassuming chef. Eventually, the boy who could not talk to a group of schoolmates, became a super confident and immensely popular chef; talking to millions about his food and the stories behind it! Jump, a black comedy, explores the complexities of the suicidal mind September is observed as the Suicide Prevention Month and to mark it, Elsewhere staged Jump, a black comedy, at Tagore Theatre on Friday. The play was an attempt to understand the intricacies and complexities of the suicidal mind. Written and directed by Maneesh Verma, and produced by Collective Madness Studios, the play was an unusual love story that signified the power of a true and simple human connection. The play was set in Mumbai. On a gloomy night, atop a Mumbai high-rise, a professionally successful woman stood on the verge of suicide. Just in time, a taxi driver intervened. This serendipitous encounter ignited a humorous, poignant, and profoundly transformative conversation. Jump, a two-actor play performed in Hindi and English, featured Dilnaz Irani and Sanjay Sonu. — TNS Celebs from Punjabi film industry celebrate Guru Randhawa’s debut movie Shahkot Guru Randhawa took the centre stage on Thursday night as the pre-launch event for his debut Punjabi film Shahkot saw celebs from the Punjabi entertainment industry come together at Mohali. Flanked by veterans Raj Babbar and Seema Kaushal, the team Shahkot was greeted by Punjabi industry bigwigs – actor-singer Babbu Maan, directors Sameep Kang, Simerjit Singh and Amarpreet Chhabra, writer Naresh Kathooria, singer Singaa, Amar Noorie with her sons It’s party time Sarang Sikander and Alaap Sikander. Actors Anita Devgan, Hobby Dhaliwal, Rana Jung Bahadur, Prince Kanwaljit Singh, Jag Singh, Darshan Aulakh and Karamjit Anmol among many others also graced the party. The event saw Satinder Satti turn the emcee for the night, joined by Rajiv Thakur, who was a prominent face from the The Great Indian Kapil Show. The industry folks were joined by their fans and supporters. Raj Babbar shared how he got immense love from Punjab. The Marwari producer Anirudh Mohta soaked in the Punjabi spirit, talked about this Punjabi-Marwari collaboration, “This is one union that Punjabis would also benefit from!” Amongst the movers and shakers, there was Sumeet Singh, CEO Saga Studios. Actor Kartar Cheema looked dashing as he did his social round. On being complicated, he humbly stated, “Gotta keep fit to keep working.” With Punjabis on the house, there were food and drinks, singing and dancing! The Morni Banke hit-maker Guru Randhawa, who has won much love in Bollywood, talked about his new love — actng. Shahkot, directed by Rajiv Dhingra, releases on October 4. — TNS