30082025-LSTL-01.qxd 8/29/2025 7:57 PM Page 1 c m y b LEFT-HANDED GIRL FOR OSCARS Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture has revealed that Left-Handed Girl, directed by Tsou Shih-ching, has been selected as the country’s submission for the Best International Feature category at the 98th Academy Awards. Written by Sean Baker and Tsou, the film is set against the backdrop of Taipei’s night markets. TRIBUNE Watch out Life GEORGE & AMAL CLOONEY Actress Kate Winslet’s directorial debut, Goodbye June, will be released in the US and the UK on December 12 before it begins streaming on Netflix on December 24. LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 30 AUGUST 2025 George Clooney’s Jay Kelly gets standing ovation GRETA GERWIG Clooney walks the red carpet with wife Amal, co-stars Adam Sandler, Greta Gerwig & others at Venice Film Festival George Clooney and Adam Sandler-starrer Jay Kelly received an 8.5-minute standing ovation after its screening at the ongoing Venice Film Festival 2025. Clooney walked the red carpet on the Lido with his co-star Adam Sandler, who made a rare appearance in a tux. In Jay Kelly, Clooney is an ageing movie star, and Sandler is his manager, who has sacrificed everything for his most precious client. As the crowd cheered during the ovation, Clooney leaned over and kissed his wife, Amal, seated behind him. He hugged Sandler and Baumbach throughout the applause. Earlier in the day, Clooney missed the film’s official press conference as he was recovering from a sinus infection. And on the red carpet, the star did try to socially distance from his cast, which included Laura Dern (as Jay Kelly’s publicist Liz), Billy Crudup (his childhood friend) and Riley Keough (his daughter). Jay Kelly will have a theatrical run in the US starting on November 14, before being released on Netflix on December 5. As for director Baumbach, the filmmaker has premiered a number of his films on the Lido, including 2022’s White Noise, 2019’s Oscar-nominated Marriage Story and 2015’s documentary De Palma about the filmmaking titan. Clooney, too, has returned to Venice several times over the decades with movies such as 1998’s Out of Sight, 2005’s Good Night and Good Luck and most recently with 2024’s Wolfs. Meanwhile, Jay Kelly is Sandler’s first Venice Film Festival premiere. — ANI Adam Sandler BILLY CRUDUP & NAOMI WATTS Playing by the rulebook Nonika Singh He might be playing a bad guy yet again, but Surya Sharma urf Rinku Paaji of Undekhi, currently in spotlight for his part in Jio Hotstar series Salakaar, does not think he has become a pro at playing an antagonist. Also, he does not believe that one size fits all dark characters. Etching out a Pakistani army officer, did not require any special approach, “for, everybody is a human being.” His understanding of the geopolitics has certainly amplified during the making of the series, a cross-border espionage drama. But as a rule, he does not like to go beyond the syllabus and follows what his director wants. “My job is to take the exam and if the result makes my director happy, my day is made,” he says. A critics’ darling otherwise, if some critics think that his Urdu diction in Salakaar is not up to the mark or that he plays Col Ashfaq a little over the top, he takes no offence. Rather he says, “Feedback is vital. I will work on my shortcomings.” But when a character makes you a rage such as his Rinku Paaji, is it difficult to shed the popular image? He smiles, “It takes time but comes with experience.” With time, also comes the dare to walk out of a successful franchise. The popularity of Rinku Paaji ensured that his reel persona didn’t die as LAURA DERN My job is to take the exam and if the result makes my director happy, my day is made,” says actor Surya Sharma planned, but his character Dharmesh in Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein has been done and dusted with. He shares, “The character was not shaping up the way as committed, so I only suggested to end it.” Clarity is what he looks at while signing a new project. Now that OTT too is falling prey to the star system, does he feel the pinch as an outsider in the industry? He counters, “No way, this outsider- insider card has been overplayed. I sincerely believe what is mine will come to me.” Precisely why, he does not believe in one-upmanship and counts Mouni Roy with whom he rubbed shoulders in Salakaar as a friend. Working with her was a delightful experience and they both wish each other well. He quips, “Jealousy, competitiveness are all destructive forces. If one were to get caught in rivalry business, one would never be able to succeed.” His idea of success also means making money so that he can fulfill the life he promised his family which now includes a five-month-old baby boy. “Fatherhood does change you and I am thoroughly enjoying this new phase in my life.” But being a father has not altered his work choices and there are no parts that he would say no to. Good, bad, ugly…an actor is meant to play them all. In near future, however, his fans will see him as a cop in Rohan c m y b Sippy’s Killing. He does not promise his fans anything, “Who am I to make grandiose declarations, all I want is their love.” To folks in Chandigarh where he spent a considerable part of his student life, he beseeches, “Love your city and keep it beautiful.” As for his home-state Himachal Pradesh, what can he add to the obvious, its dismal plight. “Maybe, I will have to fight elections to set things right…” Just kidding, he has no intention of walking in the shoes of actorpolitician Kangana Ranaut. “Acting is my world,” and where he belongs.