18032025-LSTC-01.qxd 3/18/2025 12:17 AM Page 1 c m y b IT’S A WRAP Taapsee Pannu and producer Kanika Dhillon announced the wrap-up of the shooting of the revenge drama Gandhari. It is directed by Devashish Makhija, known for films such as Bhonsle, Joram and Ajji. The release date of the film has not been revealed yet. TRIBUNE Happy vibe Reese Witherspoon, on Instagram, shared about her recent night out with her kids that made her feel good about her parenting journey. CHANDIGARH | TUESDAY | 18 MARCH 2025 Honey Trehan, who is making a biopic on poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi, says his film will be a gift from ‘one Shiv fan to all Shiv fans’ Nonika Singh “I Serenading Shiv LOVE everything about Punjab,” says noted filmmaker Honey Trehan. For someone who has grown up on the literary might of Kartar Singh Dugal, Sardar Panchhi, Shiv Kumar Batalvi and iconic singers like Gurdas Maan and Amar Singh Chamkila, Trehan swears by the rich content Punjab has to offer to the world. Quintessential storyteller, who thrills to telling stories with refreshing takes on life and history, he quips, “The cherry on the cake is when the story is from Punjab.” Take his latest film project on Kargil war veteran Major (retd) DP Singh, who learnt to transcend disability and became India’s first blade-runner. As the project is part of I SHIV KUMAR BATALV the Cinevesture International Film Festival market, film on Batalvi, still at the he shares what makes a writing stage, will bring out good biopic and why certain many ‘real sachaai’ of the global subjects like DP man whose poetry has Singh’s need to be pitched enthralled generations, the at international festivals story on Major DP Singh is like CIFF. He also lets us no less inspirational. into his film on the Bard of Director of Punjab 95 and Punjab, legendary poet Raat Akeli Hai, Trehan proShiv Kumar Batalvi. If his fesses, “With every new sto- A STIL FROM RAAT AKELI HAI ❝ A BIOPIC IS NOT JUST FOUR OR SIX HIGHPOINTS OF A PERSON’S LIFE. WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO ME IS THE CHARACTER ARC, THE JOURNEY WHICH MADE HIM WHO HE WAS. HONEY TREHAN ry, every filmmaker is a first time maker for that particular story. There isn’t a person, howsoever, acclaimed who isn’t nervous before he starts a new project. We all go on the sets of a new film as if we know nothing and the dilemma starts from simple things like where to DILJIT DOSANJH IN PUNJAB 95 put the camera.” If the story of Jaswant Singh Khalra (Punjab 95), had been on his mind since school days, for the film on DP Singh he spoke to the brave soldier for nearly 14 hours for four days at a stretch, cocooned in hotel in Chandigarh, not even step- c m y b ping out for a minute. He observes, “A biopic is not just four or six highpoints of a person’s life. What is important to me is the character arc, the journey which made him who he is.” For Batalvi’s biopic, well, he has been in touch with his family ever since he took the rights of the song Ikk Kudi for Udta Punjab from Meharban Batalvi, Batalvi’s son. Today, he shares how the family has been super supportive. But when the family comes on board, isn’t there a danger of undue interference and the film turning out to be more of a hagiography? Trehan begs to differ and shares, “Aruna auntie (Batalvi’s wife) is such a mature person with profound thoughts. All the family wants is there should be no exploitation or manipulation of his name. Today’s generation should know what all he wrote.” Incidentally, Trehan can’t recall when it was that, he fell in love with Batalvi’s poetic genius. Today, as he is etching him out, we wonder if he has an actor in mind. He says, “As I am writing the film, I only have Shiv’s image in mind.” Could it be Diljit Dosanjh again, his actor of Punjab 95, he won’t commit either way. As the release date of Punjab 95 is postponed time and again, he says, “It’s not a propaganda film, hence it troubles the system.” What irks him is how the CBFC, “a puppet and government’s backdoor entry into cinema” is demanding unnecessary cuts and extraneous pressure is being put on the producers to toe the line. Trehan is racing to complete the sequel to the Netflix film Raat Akeli Hai. One on Batalvi too will be out soon, if not too soon. “I have put it out in the universe.” Yet another promise he makes is how it will be a gift from “one Shiv fan to all Shiv fans.”