30112024-LSTL-01.qxd 11/29/2024 8:36 PM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE ED SHEERAN ONCE MORE Life Global popstar Ed Sheeran is returning to India in 2025 for his highly awaited ‘+ - = * x Tour’. After his sold-out Mumbai concert in March 2024, the singer is all set for his biggest-ever tour of India where he will perform in six cities, including Delhi. Mona P RASAR BHARATI’s ambitious Waves OTT is on air! With one lakh downloads on Day 1, Waves, which was launched on November 20 at the International Film Festival of India, Goa (IFFI), holds a treasure trove with iconic Doordarshan shows like Fauji, Buniyaad, Hum Log, Flop Show, along with new releases in 13 languages. At the helm of things is Navneet Sehgal, chairman, Prasar Bharati, who was in Chandigarh on Friday. “As part of our commitment towards healthy family entertainment and providing a window for India’s rich and vast cultural landscape, we are bringinga one-stop information hub to the millions of Indian homes. Waves is one of the only OTT networks that is your window to not only the world of clean family entertainment, but also shopping, games and news. It is a bonanza for all age-groups from diverse backgrounds,” he says. Dear hubby! Actress Neha Dhupia has expressed gratitude for her actor husband Angad Bedi and said he has made it possible for her to pursue her passions without worrying about things back home. LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 30 NOVEMBER 2024 Back to Buniyaad... ❝ PHOTO: PRADEEP TEWARI Waves is one of the only OTT networks that is your window to not only the world of clean family entertainment, but also shopping, games and news. It is a one-stop bonanza for all age-groups from diverse backgrounds. Navneet Sehgal Navneet Sehgal, chairman, Prasar Bharati, who is in Chandigarh to give a push to Waves, says the OTT platform aims to bring families closer, just like old times through clean and healthy entertainment With over 20 years of media experience, Sehgal is on a mission to put his knowledge and experience to make the national broadcaster competitive and efficient. Motivating the staff at Doordarshan office in Sector 37, he is a on a trip across regional centres in the country to take stock of the ground reality. Sehgal, who did his CA from Chandigarh, is happy to be back in the city. He is upbeat about the new con- tent making it to Waves. All the archival shows, films and programmes on classical arts will get a platform now along with new content. “We got a great response at IFFI. Big names from the entertainment industry, from Prakash Jha to Akshay Kumar, big production houses, like Ekta Kapoor’s to Jackky Bhagnani’s, have shown interest and are going to be ropedin for Waves,” he beams. As the National Broadcaster, Prasar Bharati is committed to providing clean entertainment. With the onset of OTT, there has been a divide in the family with different members choosing their own time and room to watch films or shows. Sehgal adds, “People are turning individualistic and preferring to consume entertainment in their own time and space. On the other hand, there hasn’t been clean content either. We On the honour board Vikrant Massey bags Personality of the Year award at IFFI The 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) ended with a grand closing ceremony held at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium in Goa on November 28. The nine-day event showcased over 200 films from 75 countries, making it a global celebration of cinema. The ceremony was attended by a jury comprising Ashutosh Gowariker as the Chairperson, along with Anthony Chen, Elizabeth Karlsen, Fran Borgia and Jill Bilcock, who selected the winners across various categories. Here are the key award winners. ON A WINNING NOTE... GOLDEN PEACOCK (Best Film): Toxic (Lithuanian language) BEST ACTRESS: Vesta Matuliyte and Iva Rupeikaite (Toxic) BEST ACTOR: Clement Faveau (Holy Cow) BEST DIRECTOR: Bogdan Muresanu (The New Year That Never Came) SPECIAL JURY AWARD: Louise Courvoisier (Holy Cow) SPECIAL MENTION (Best Actor Male): Adam Besa (Who Do I Belong To) BEST WEB SERIES: Lampan (Marathi language) BEST DEBUT FOR FEATURE FILM DIRECTOR: Sarah Friedland (Familiar Touch) ■ Personality of the Year: Actor Vikrant Massey, best known for his role in 12th Fail. ■ Best Debut Director of Indian Feature Film: Navjyot Bandivadekar for his Marathi film Gharat Ganpati. ■ ICFT-UNESCO Gandhi Medal: Swedish filmmaker Levan Akin’s Crossing. This award is given to films that promote human rights. ■ Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award: Australian filmmaker Phillip Noyce for his outstanding contributions to cinema. — ANI Reward for cinematic excellence Renowned Australian director Phillip Noyce was honoured with the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in Cinema at the gala closing ceremony of the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. In his acceptance speech, the legendary filmmaker recalled his first experience of watching cinema in Mumbai in 1978. “What an experience it was! It felt as though I was watching films for the very first time. The Indian audience is unlike any other - fully immersed in the emotion of the film, as though they were part of it. There is nothing like the Indian audience,” said an elated Noyce. Remembering the legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray, Noyce said, “Growing up in Australia, we were all inspired by the work of Satyajit Ray. I have drawn from his approach in my own work, particularly when casting. Australian director Phillip Noyce bags Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award Like Ray, when I couldn’t find indigenous Australian actors for my films, I looked to cast real people who could simply be themselves.” He further expressed deep gratitude to Ray, “In the world of Australian cinema, we filmmakers owe a debt to Satyajit Ray that goes far beyond any award. His influence continues to guide and inspire us.” Noyce also shared his thoughts on the evolving nature of filmmaking. “We must once again turn to Satyajit Ray’s cinematic philosophy — less is more. As technology evolves, so must we. Let movies become smaller and ideas get bigger. That, I believe, is the future of cinema,” he asserted. Noyce’s filmography includes iconic films like Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, Salt, The Saint, The Bone Collector and more. Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award, an international honour instituted by IFFI, was previously bestowed upon luminaries such as Martin Scorsese, Bernardo Bertolucci and Dilip Kumar, Wong Kar-wai and Michael Douglas. Paying a tribute to vetarans, seven restored classics were screened at IFFI 2024 as well. These include silent film Kaliya Mardan, Awara, Saat Hindustani, Hum Dono, Harmonium, Devadasu and Seemabaddha. — ANI c m y b take our job seriously — to provide entertainment that will bring families back together to enjoy like the old times.” Not just shows and films, Waves also offers gaming and plethora of options to watch, listen, read, play and shop in a curated environment. Waves has opened its portal to student grad films, and film and media colleges like Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Annapurna, and Asian Academy of Film and Television (AAFT) have partnered with Prasar Bharati for Waves. So far offering content in 13 languages, including Punjabi, the platform hopes spread good vibes. Prabhu Shriram Lalla Aarti live from Ayodhya and the monthly Mann Ki Baat by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the upcoming US Premier League Cricket Tournament will all stream live on Waves! The platform has also launched a Cyber Security awareness campaign with daily video messages in partnership with CDAC, MeitY. This campaign is backed by programmes such as Cyber Crime ki Duniya (a fictionalised series) and Cyber Alert (by DD News features). As many as 45 channels of news, fantasy action super-hero film Monkey King: The Hero is Back, National Award-winning film Fouja, Vipul Shah’s thriller show Bhed Bharam, Kailash Kher’s music reality show Bharat Ka Amrit Kalash, women-centric shows, alongwith the sepeeches from our leaders through freedom struggle, will be part of Waves as well. Waves also carries a selection of popular animation programmes, including Doggy Adventure, Chota Bheem, Tenaliram, Akbar Birbal, and games such as Krishna Jump, Fruit Chef, Ram the Yodha and Cricket Premier League tournament. In an effort to connect with the youngsters, old shows are being digitally re-mastered. Simply to be downloaded on the phone, one can connect the services to the smart TV and it’s also free! “Please download Waves once. Everyone from any background to any age group is bound to find something interesting, engaging and enriching,” said Sehgal.