14012025-LSTC-01.qxd 1/14/2025 12:42 AM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE WHY SONU DIRECTED FATEH Sonu Sood has shared the reason for choosing to direct Fateh. The actor, at the red carpet screening of his debut directorial Fateh in New Delhi, said, “As an actor you do not have much say due to your limits, including the production budget and script. When I became the director, I had no such limitations.” WHAT’S Wrap up Actress Mouni Roy, who was recently seen in Vedaa in a special appearance, has wrapped up the shooting of her upcoming project Salakaar. CHANDIGARH | TUESDAY | 14 JANUARY 2025 HOT Kicking up a storm amritsar Vijayeta Kumar, whose documentary Kicking Ballswas adjudged Best Documentary Short at the New York International Film Festival, says she is happy to be the change she wants to see PHOTO COURTESY: GRAIN BY ELGIN, AMRITSAR Nonika Singh eat TRYST WITH UMAMI J APANESE cuisine is making big inroads into the culinary capital of Punjab—Amritsar—with some modern Asian cuisine restaurants and hotels ordering exclusive Japanese food for the foodies. There is an elevated culinary treat at Shiso, which offers exclusive Omakase experience, a popular live dine-in Japanese concept, with rice wines and rice beer. At Grain by Elgin, a new addition to the menu is Black pearl dimsums, made with wild mushrooms and poppy seeds; black rice salad; Nori Spaghetti, made with popular Japanese ingredient Nori or black seaweed; Uramaki or the inside-out sushi, a traditionally popular dish in Japanese cuisine. For a bit of drama, we have Black Bun burgers, a Japanese twist to an essential fast food, using charcoal dough or squid ink. Le Meridien Amritsar’s Asian Bistro offers fusion tempura or complex sushi rolls, seafood buffet that is customised to suit your palate. play RAGA & SAXOPHONE P chandigarh RACHEEN Kala Kendra’s 303rd Monthly Baithak at ML Koser Auditorium, Mohali, presented Priyank Krishna, a prominent saxophone player from Allahabad. Priyank, who learnt classical music at a young age from his father, Pt Ram Krishna, likes to combine the melody of gayaki with the intricacies of tantrakari, while keeping the effectiveness of the western instrument. He also plays the Indian bamboo flute with élan. Priyank began his recital with Raga Bageshri set to Vilambit ek taal. He later presented compositions in Vilambit and Drut laya, respectively. He concluded the recital with a dadra set to Raga Mishra Bhairavi. He was accompanied by tabla exponent Avirbhav Verma. A laugh FUN MESSAGE horror-comedy, Punjabi film Akkad Bakkad Bambbe Bo Assi Nabbe Poore So explores superstitions widespread in society. Vaham and scams in plenty of ways, including ‘forward this message to 10 contacts to get good news’ to getting duped by fake babas, have been commonplace occurrences. At the film’s trailer launch, director Royal Singh shared, “When exploring vaham one had to be careful of not hurting the religious sentiments, so we have walked the road cautiously here.” Starring Gurpreet Ghuggi, Vikram Chouhan, Prabh Grewal, Gurpreet Bhangu and Gurpreet Toti, among others, it offers a message wrapped in a fun dose of entertainment. “As an artiste, it’s our duty to entertain, and if we can elevate society along with it, we must strive for that,” said Vikram Chouhan. Akkad Bakkad Bambbe Bo Assi Nabbe Poore So releases in cinemas on January 17. — TNS C AN young girls break the shackles of child marriage, that too by playing football? Heartening answers to this puzzling query can be found in Vijayeta Kumar’s documentary Kicking Balls. Literally busting patriarchy, if the tongue-in-cheek title came to her organically, the story was probably providence, waiting to happen. A visit to her hometown, Ajmer in Rajasthan, and she was piqued by the sight of village girls playing the game, so far considered a male domain. The girls were as intrigued—why would someone be interested in what they were doing. As Vijayeta puts it, “Feminism, as we the women of privilege see and practice, might be a western construct but here is everyday feminism. For these girls, it’s an everyday struggle.” WORTHY PLATFORM PATIENCE PAYS Getting them to face the camera came with its own set of challenges for unlike urban bred, who live in the world of Insta reels and reality shows, these girls had never experienced anything like this before. And this is where Vijayeta’s all-woman crew, especially her cinematographer Priyanka Singh’s presence, made all the difference in creating a comfort level of trust. Incidentally, Vijayeta’s decision to have an all-women team didn’t quite start like a mission. During the making of her earlier film, Sunny Side Upar, when she asked friends in the industry for references of cinematographers, she realised not a single female name figured in that list. She recalls, “I thought in my ❝ AT THE END OF THE DAY, EVEN DOCUMENTARY IS A FILM AND ALL ABOUT TELLING A STORY. VIJAYETA KUMAR mind, but I know so many women directors of photography.” Presto, nari shakti of various hues and skills gelled together. Initially, she had to put up with a snide remark, ‘oh, kitty party chal rahi hai’ , here and there. However, soon producers realised it was the calmest set where everyone worked so professionally. Yet another woman who came on board for Kicking Balls was Oscar- winning producer Guneet Monga, which meant many doors did open. OTT boom may not have done much for Indie makers but Vijayeta reasons, “Every film does find its audience as well as a platform.” As Kicking Balls is currently streaming on Prasar Bharti’s OTT app Waves, she reminds us how back in time Doordarshan, along with the National Film Development Corporation, helped the cause of Indie movement of cinema. On Waves, she herself has discovered many shows of yore like Jaspal Bhatti’s Flop Show. “The incredibly accessible Waves can reach out to more and more viewers, especially in rural hinterland which is where Kicking Balls ought to be seen,” she says. even if the story at hand is waiting to be told, the trick lies in how you make people watch and listen. Her documentary, however, has found resonance among viewers at a clutch of film festivals like Mumbai International Film Festival, International Film Festival of South Asia Toronto, Indian Film Festival of WINDS OF CHANGE Indeed, the struggle for Indie makers doesn’t end after the film is made. For WITH GUNEET MONGA Extending a helping hand Eva donates $50,000 Actress Eva Longoria is extending a helping hand to the victims of the Los Angeles wildfires. Recently, the actress, 49, shared an emotional video message on Instagram amid the ongoing wildfires. In her video, Longoria said she was donating $50,000 to the organisation ‘This Is About Humanity’ to support frontline workers and families who have been impacted by the fires. Melbourne, Chicago South Asian Film Festival and more. Besides, many have come up with feelers as to how they help. The money thus collected has been given to the NGO which runs this unusual programme. With satisfaction, Vijayeta notes how the inspirational endeavour has not fallen through but given young girls agency. While one girl has become a FIFAcertified coach, many are studying in bigger cities and also bid adieu to toxic marriages. Screening of her film at various festivals has also made her realise that child marriage is not a problem of North Indian states or India alone for that matter. During a screening at Stanford, she was shocked to know that in some states of USA the legal age of marriage is as low as 13. Of course, in India laws say one thing and society follows a different track. But Vijayeta feels, “We as a society can only make a miniscule difference. Ultimately, it’s government policies and proactive approach that can truly bring about a paradigm shift.” Till then, of course, she is happy to be the change she wants to see. Celebrities donate generously to families and workers impacted by the Los Angeles fires rebuilding efforts. In addition to direct financial donations, Live Nation is planning to hold a FireAid benefit concert at Inglewood, CA’s Intuit Dome on January 30. The Grammy Awards, which will be held in Los Angeles on February 2, will likely include major elements focusing on raising money for relief. On January 12, rapper Snoop Dogg Beyonce gives $2.5 million Grammy-winner Beyoncé is helping those affected by the Los Angeles fires through her BeyGOOD charity foundation. The charity foundation is donating $2.5 million to help families rebuild after they’ve suffered losses. In addition to helping those who lost their homes and possessions, BeyGOOD will also assist churches and community centres. Meanwhile, the Walt Disney Company pledged $15 million, while Paramount and Fox Corp donated $1 million with contributions to the American Red Cross and the Los Angeles Fire Department. Warner Music and Blavatnik Foundation announced an initial $1 million commitment to the Los Angeles area fire relief and EVA LONGORIA stepped forward to support those affected. Snoop Dogg’s Clothing store has announced that it would offer free clothing to help rebuild lives of those affected. Pay raise for firefighters Amid the ongoing wildfires in California, reality TV star Kim Kardashian expressed her gratitude to firefighters who have risked their lives to save people from the deadly disaster. She even demanded a pay raise for them. On Sunday, Kim took to Instagram and penned a note claiming incarcerated firefighters have been paid USD 1 per hour BEYONCE c m y b MEGHAN MARKLE since 1984, telling her millions of fans that pay for them has, “Never been raised with inflation. It’s never been raised when fires got worse and many died. A recent agreement to raise it to five dollars an hour was reportedly ‘shot down last minute’.” Kardashian then asked California Governor Gavin Newsom to raise the pay for incarcerated firefighters so it’s ‘a rate that honours a human being risking their life to save our lives and homes’. Meghan postpones release Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, has postponed the release of her Netflix show With Love, Meghan. The series was set to premiere on Netflix KIM KARDASHIAN on January 15. Now it will be released on March 4. In a statement released by the streamer, Markle said, “I am thankful to my partners at Netflix for sup- porting me in delaying the launch, as we focus on the needs of those impacted by the wildfires in my home state of California.” — Agencies