09092025-LSTL-01.qxd 9/8/2025 7:54 PM Page 1 c m y b SONAM JOINS BORDER 2 CAST Sonam Bajwa has joined the cast of Border 2. The makers on Monday announced that Sonam will be paired opposite Diljit Dosanjh in the upcoming film. Directed by Anurag Singh, Border 2 also stars Sunny Deol and Varun Dhawan in pivotal roles. The film is scheduled for release on January 22, 2026. TRIBUNE Honoured Life Singer-songwriter Mariah Carey received the Video Vanguard Award from Ariana Grande at the MTV Video Music Awards. “As a vocalist, there’s only one queen and that’s Mariah,” said Grande. LUDHIANA | TUESDAY | 9 SEPTEMBER 2025 The Bad Man turns good! Mona A FTER Amritsar girl Aneet Padda wowed the cinegoers with Saiyaara, another girl from Ambala is set to shine on the silver screen. Meet Divita Juneja, who plays the titular role in Heer Express. Directed by Umesh Shukla (Oh My God and 102 Not Out), the film is written and produced by Sanjay Grover, and has an impressive ensemble cast — Ashutosh Rana, Sanjay Mishra and Gulshan Grover and newcomer Prit Kamani. During the promotional tour which kicked off in Chandigarh on Monday, debutante Divita’s wind beneath the wings was the Bad man of Bollywood, Gulshan Grover. Proud of his son, Sanjay Grover, who has written and produced the film, the ‘Punjabi’ in Gulshan was visible as he sat down for an interview at The Tribune. He was concerned about the flood situation in Punjab, but refused to talk about the seva he did for the flood victims. He said, “Who are we to ‘donate’? Seva is an inherent part of our culture, and I am not in favour of ‘publicising’ it.” Coming back to Heer Express, the story revolves around a girl who moves from Punjab to London to pursue her dreams. Grover, with the exuberance of a child, narrates the chain of events. How Divita was picked up by Sidharth Malhotra from the audience at an awards function to perform on stage with him, and how director Umesh Shukla, in that brief stage appearance, found his Heer in her. “Shukla called Sanjay that in Divita he saw the promise to carry the women-centric film and here we are!” he said. The journey onwards wasn’t that smooth though. Everything that could go wrong went wrong. Starting with the ‘look’ test to riding a horse that led to many falls; but Divita’s calm and composure won the team’s faith. “Sanjay treats Divita like his sister, and is very protective. She made a great rapport with Ashutosh and Sanjay (Mishra) too,” shared Gulshan. A trained dancer and singer, for Divita playing this role was ‘an intensive acting masterclass’. “When a director like Umesh Shukla puts faith on you, you too become confident. Acting with Grover sir and the rest of the cast, including Meghna (Malik) ma’am, I feel I’ve grown up on this set!” Gulshan plays Heer’s mama. Even as he shone the spotlight on Divita, we couldn’t resist but ask him about the most challenging role in his Gulshan Grover not only plays Heer’s loving mama in Heer Express, but also mentors newbie Divita Juneja off-screen, and adheres to the Punjabi trait of seva Salman Khan’s 100+ film career across Hindi, English, Punjabi and regional cinema. “Each role comes with its own set of challenges. I recently shot for Aryan Khan’s The Ba***ds of Bollywood, and to lean on to this young, very promising man’s sensibility was a challenge in itself.” Full of admiration for his friend Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan, he is equally proud of his son Sanjay, whom he would like to see on screen someday. “Sanjay felt India wasn’t making family dramas any more. Heer Express is our step in that direction!” The films hits cinemas on September 12. Bigg LARATION D EC Bollywood actor Salman Khan expressed his solidarity and concern for the people in North India as torrential monsoon rains and severe floods have impacted several regions of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Uttarakhand. In the latest episode of Bigg Boss 19, Salman informed contestants about the ongoing flood situation. He highlighted the severe situation and the large number of people who have lost their livelihoods. “Do you know what’s happening in Uttarakhand, in Himachal, and now in Punjab? Flood after flood, landslide after landslide—there is chaos everywhere. The condition of our farmers, the ones who grow food for us, has become devastating. They are left without grains to eat, without homes to live in,” Salman said, addressing the plight of the farmers. Salman also urged everyone to step forward and extend help to those affected. He emphasised how the people of Punjab have always been at the forefront of serving others, and said it is now time for all to stand with them and extend support. Jolie good Furthermore, the actor also acknowledged contributions from Punjabi artistes and assured that support efforts are underway from his side as well. “This community is known for its generosity, for its langar (community kitchen), for social service, for selflessness. For hundreds of years, they have been feeding people, regardless of who came to their langar. Now, when calamity has struck them, it is our duty to stand with them and do something for them. Many Punjabi singers have already contributed significantly, and we too are trying to extend help in whatever way we can from here,” he added. — ANI BARACK OBAMA wins third Emmy SHOW Angelina Jolie on Sunday attended the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2025 for a special screening of her latest film Couture. Jolie opted for a formal yet stylish look for the red carpet. She attended the film’s premiere donning a double-breasted coat dress with tights and black heels. The actor not only posed for shutterbugs but also spoke with media persons about the film Couture, which tells the story of an American filmmaker immersed in the Parisian fashion world, whose life takes an unexpected turn when she is confronted with a grave medical diagnosis. 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And I loved that an Internat festival, giving for India, first d at the Marking a when she discovered she had cancer, (0:22) the r showcase st glimpse into e the first-eve audiences a fir andhi becam G she was trying to figure out how to still owcased the icon. hind to be sh young man be live. And she pushes herself through Indian series . FF that. And I think that’s what everyone at TI needs to do, what we need to do for each other,” Jolie said in a video posted on TIFF’s Instagram handle. Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman shared a Couture also makes history as selfie with actor Tom Felton, popularly known for his the first fictional film to be role as Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter film series. shot inside Chanel’s iconic Felton is making his Indian entertainment debut with Paris showroom and Hansal Mehta’s series Gandhi. The series features music atelier. composed by Rahman. The musician posted a selfie on —ANI Angelina Jolie attends Toronto International Film Festival for Couture premiere T TIFF DHI SHINES A GAN Rahman drops selfie with Tom Felton Instagram, calling Felton “a major part” of the Gandhi series. c m y b Former US President Barack Obama became a three-time Emmy winner after securing a win at the 76th Creative Arts Emmy Awards held on September 7. Obama earned the award for his narration in Netflix’s Our Oceans. It is a five-part documentary series that explores the wonders of Earth’s oceans. It was presented by Obama, and the series was released on November 20, 2024. As the former US President was not present in Los Angeles to receive the award, presenter Jordan Klepper accepted it on his behalf.In the Outstanding Narrator category, Obama competed against Sir David Attenborough (Planet Earth: Asia), Idris Elba (Erased: WW2’s Heroes Of Color), Tom Hanks (The Americas), and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Octopus!). The project, which allowed viewers to experience the “gateways to the unknown,” featured the former President’s narration across five episodes, each dedicated to one of the world’s oceans. Obama broke down the Pacific Ocean’s humpback whales and their migration process. — ANI