13022025-LSTL-01.qxd 2/12/2025 8:06 PM Page 1 c m y b COMING UP FOR ALI Actor Ali Fazal is gearing up for the release of his Hollywood film Rule Breakers, which stars Phoebe Waller Bridge in the lead role. His look from the film has been unveiled. In the movie, he will be seen essaying the role of a techie named Samir Sinha. TRIBUNE No music Life Actress-singer Selena Gomez will find it ‘very hard’ to return to making music after the success of Emilia Perez. She intends to ‘focus’ on film and TV projects in the coming months. LUDHIANA | THURSDAY | 13 FEBRUARY 2025 Ballad of the heart Punjabi True-blue Mandy Takhar talks about her upcoming talk show Spotlight With Mandy Singer-composer Vivek Hariharan quit a career in a management to pursue music. As he makes a mark with songs like Roohdaari from Fateh, he looks towards the future with much hope Vinya Singh Punjabi actress Mandy Takhar was in Chandigarh for the launch of her upcoming talk show, Spotlight with Mandy, on Wednesday. She also talked about how to strike the right balance between her personal and professional life. The show premieres on Zee Punjabi on February 16. Donning traditional attire, Takhar spoke in soft Punjabi-British accent about her journey in the Indian cinema industry. With her roots in England, now 37, Takhar began her career with Ekam—Son of Soil, bringing her into limelight in the Punjabi heartland. Along the way, she has learned and grown with the ever-changing Indian cinema, while making Punjab her new home. An expert in English, Punjabi, Hindi and, surprisingly, Tamil, Takhar resonates most with her mother tongue, Punjabi. She shared, “It’s good to be on the other side, as usually I’m the one being interviewed. It’s nice to be in the hot seat and ask the questions, driving the conversation and getting to know the guests better.” Inspired by her favourites like The Kapil Sharma Show, Takhar is looking forward to bringing the journey of familiar Punjabi personalities, such as Simar Kaur, Kartar Cheema, Hardeep Grewal, Himanshi Khurrana, Aveera Singh Masson, Jasmin Bajwa, Kanwar Grewal, and many more, during the first season of the talk show. She added, “Putting them in the spotlight, learning about everything they have faced, good or bad, is an eye opener.” PHOTO: VICKY The first song that I ever composed was Roohdari and as I played it for my friends, it reached Sonu Sood, who was working on Fateh. He liked it, we had a meeting and on day four of Roohdaari being composed, it went into shoot. Mona P URSUING one’s passion can lead to miraculous results and singer-composer Vivek Hariharan is a living example of that. The man who crooned Challa in Uri: The Surgical Strike; Current Laga Re in Cirkus; Dum Dum in Phillauri and Ghere in An Action Hero, recently turned composer with Sonu Sood-starrer Fateh. It was an experience that has left him excited and ecstatic. To record the song Nindiya, he went to Belgium to get the real opera feel. But before that, let’s know Vivek, the man who ditched a career at a management consulting firm to pursue his passion in music. Growing up with multiple influences at home—father from Chennai, mother Bengali and native place at Tamil Nadu-Kerala border, Vivek grew up in Mumbai, learning Bharatnaytam from the age of seven. With a keen interest in music, he pursued different art forms while making a career in the management field. It was in 2014 that he took a leap of faith and bid goodbye to his lucrative profession to pursue art. “I was doing very well in the professional space, but the love for music tugged at my heartstrings and it needed undivided attention,” shares Vivek, who started with ad jingles, graduating to playback singing soon enough. VIVEK HARIHARAN ON HIS FAVOURITES’ LIST SINGER: Arijit Singh, he is one of the most honest singers. COMPOSER: AR Rahman, there is nobody like him. He’s been a huge influence on a generation of musicians. CONCERT: Adele in August 2024 in Munich, Germany. She was incredible that night. With the sheer power of her voice, she can transport one to the surreal world. STEP BY STEP Challa …Main Lad Jaana gave him the big break and as much as he is grateful for Challa and Dum Dum, he is equally thankful to each ad jingle that kept him motivated to pursue music full-time. As he set up his studio to make his kind of music, he came up with the song Roohdaari, a romantic ballad sung by Jubin Nautiyal, blending pop, Indian classical and qawwali influences. The song was just a scratch when it found its taker! Vivek spills the beans. “The first song that I ever composed was Roohdari and as I played it for my friends, it reached Sonu Sood, who was working on Fateh. He liked it, we had a meeting and on day four of Roohdaari being composed, it went into shoot.” Writer, director and lead actor of Fateh, Sonu Sood, wanted another song with an opera feel and thus was born Nindiya, which Vivek likes to call a death lullaby. He says, “Nindiya is a blend of opera, the first-of-its-kind in Bolly- In Chandigarh, sitar exponent Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan says art takes time and effort A journey, a sadhana Indian classical sitar maestro Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan, who represents the seventh generation of the Etawah Gharana, isn’t weighed down by the burden of his legacy. His focus has been on his own musical course from the very beginning. Padma Shri recipient Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan enthralled the audience with his spellbinding performance at Bhargava Auditorium, PGI, Chandigarh, in an event organised by SPIC MACAY on Tuesda. He says, “My father Ustad Aziz Khan, much against my grandfather Ustad Wahid Khan’s wishes, became a Bollywood music director. So my grandfather insisted that at least I follow the Hindustani classical path.” It was a journey that he has followed like sadhana! Getting his first sitar at the age of four from his father, it has stayed Ustad Parvez’s steady companion ever since. His musical tastes, however, are very open. He loves listening to ghazals, qawwalis, classical music and also Bollywood PHOTO: RAVI KUMAR wood, and orchestral hip-hop, topped with a lullaby melody rooted in the emotional context of death.” Nindiya is played during a high-octane action sequence in which Sonu Sood takes down the antagonist’s gunmen. Vivek went all the way to Belgium to record the song in a remote chapel near Antwerp to achieve the authentic room dynamics and natural reverb that the chapel provided. The opera segments for this song were recorded in Belgium with Tineke, a skilled opera singer. The arrangement was orchestrated by Kris, an opera vocal arranger who frequently collaborates with Hans Zimmer. The production also features Yevheniia, a talented Ukrainian violinist whose Western classical expertise enriches the song’s layered composition. “Complementing the grandeur of the opera is the delicate Indian vocals lent by Hamsika Iyer, known for her hits like Chammak Challo and Chanda Re,” shares Vivek. CHANDIGARH CALLING When not composing or recording, Vivek gives live performances, which have given him a chance to meet and greet music lovers, something that he immensely enjoys. In fact, he is looking forward to a chance to play in Chandigarh. “People not just have a taste in music, but love to enjoy life and their high energy is infectious. I am hoping to perform there soon.” Singing, composing has given Vivek wings to put his dreams into melody and he is loving every minute of it! ‘Remember your culture’ Bollywood action star Vidyut Jamwal attends Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj songs. He insists, “It’s not like good music is not being created these days, just that its percentage is very less. Now even abuses are being served in the name of music, yet there remains a dedicated few pursuing and making good music.”All for youngsters and their talent, he insists on the value of hard work. “Everything that is of any value takes its due time, and youngsters must be ready to put in that much time and effort,” he highlights. — Mona Actor Vidyut Jamwal was extremely happy to arrive in Prayagraj to witness the spiritual grandeur of Maha Kumbh Mela. Vidyut highlighted the beauty of India’s culture and traditions. “My mother had a dream of taking a holy dip in Maha Kumbh... so I am here. It is a divine place. We are actors, we play several roles, but in c m y b the end we all are Sanatani. All the youths should shoulder their responsibilities towards their family, society. The time has come, that we should bring back yoga to our culture. Moving towards Western culture is not bad, but we should not forget our culture,” he said. — ANI