18092025-LSTC-01.qxd 9/18/2025 12:43 AM Page 1 c m y b THE MORNING SHOW RENEWED There’s great news for the fans of Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoonstarrer The Morning Show. The makers have renewed the show for the fifth season at Apple TV+, a day before the premiere of Season 4. The drama series follows the major players at a morning news show and the network that airs it. TRIBUNE India tour Life Post Malone is set to perform his first-ever solo headline show in Guwahati, Assam. Tickets for Malone’s performance in Guwahati will be available beginning September 20 at 12 pm on BookMyShow. CHANDIGARH | THURSDAY | 18 SEPTEMBER 2025 PHOTO: VICKY CHAT UP ‘BIHAR NEEDS US NOW’ As devastating floods continue to wreak havoc across Bihar, displacing thousands of families and submerging villages, actor Manoj Bajpayee has stepped forward to amplify relief efforts. Taking to Instagram and X, the actor urged people to extend urgent help for those affected by the calamity. Sharing details of the Aahwahan Foundation’s on-ground efforts, he wrote that the NGO has already distributed over 50,000 relief kits and set up 53 relief centres in the worst-hit districts. “Bihar needs us now. I urge everyone to come forward and support,” he wrote, tagging the foundation’s official links for donations and assistance. Ganga Mai and her betiyaan come calling to Chandigarh to launch their show HOW ELLI AVRRAM STAYS FIT Elli AvrRam is a fitness enthusiast and advocates the importance of living a balanced, mindful life. Sharing her routine, Elli says, “I start my day with a 30-minute meditation session. If I miss it, the entire day feels quite different compared to when I do it. Earlier, I did Pilates, but at a certain stage maybe age-related or just a natural progression I realised the importance of lifting heavy weights.” LOVE & HEARTBREAK The finale of The Summer I Turned Pretty has been lighting up social media with a mix of love, frustration, and heartbreak. Fans are raving over the emotional weight of Belly’s decisions — her move to Paris, the ending of the love triangle, and the divergence from the books’ epilogue have stirred strong reactions. Social media responses over the Amazon Prime show are intense, divided, but deeply invested with pictures, videos and memes talking about Belly and Conrad as if they are part of life! Creative collaboration VAISHNAVI PRAJAPATI, SHRISHTI JAIN, AMANDEEP SIDHU AND SHUBHANGI LATKAR Mona Z EE TV continues its tradition of bringing emotionally resonant and socially impactful stories to the screen with its latest offering, Ganga Maiya Ki Betiyaan. Set against the spiritual and cultural backdrop of Varanasi, one of the oldest and holiest cities in the world, the show explores the powerful journey of women who rise above abandonment, social rejection and stigma. At the heart of this story is Ganga Mai, a woman who is left by her husband and ostracised by society because she did not give birth to a son but three daughters. But instead of succumbing to her circumstances, she finds strength and dignity in raising her daughters to challenge injustice and reclaim honour. The title, Ganga Maiya Ki NEVER SAY DIE Betiyaan, itself speaks about the feminine strength, passed from mother to daughters. “The show doesn’t just tell a story — it holds up a mirror to society, asking difficult questions about gender roles,” says Amandeep Sandhu, who plays role of middle daughter Saneha. A middle child herself, between an elder sister and a younger brother, this Delhi girl says, “Character of Saneha is pretty similar to real me, someone who would take charge in situation of conflict!” The show is being shot in Punjab and Varanasi. Veteran actress Shubhangi Latkar, who plays a key role, shared her experience of shooting in Varanasi, “Varanasi and the Ganga are not just shoot locations but significant part of the show as much as any character.” She further added Ganga Maiya Ki Betiyaan focuses on ground realities and gives a voice to countless women, who are cast aside yet never stop fighting. The daughters of Ganga rise above rejection, claiming space in a world that tried to silence them. Their journey becomes a universal message: No woman is weak — every Indian woman carries the strength of Ganga within her. “While this is harsh reality that even today women face torture if they do not give birth to a son, but at the same time I am proud to say that nobody matches the strength of an Indian woman.” Zee shows are televised across globe, and through the show, Shubhangi is doing her bit to bring the change. “I am an actor and it’s through entertainment that we can raise awareness, what we are doing through this show.” Amandeep adds, “Boys have their own strengths as do girls. I don’t want to be treated as a boy but just want girls to get respect and treatment they command and deserve.” Ganga Maiya Ki Betiyan streams on September 22. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and acclaimed music composer Anu Malik reflected on their long-standing creative association while speaking about their upcoming film, Tu Meri Poori Kahani. Bhatt said, “Hum inki talash mein nikalte hai..koi aesi bhookh mil jaaye, koi aesin pyaas mil jaaaye..those who carry both thirst and passion, even amidst challenges,” praising the dedication and sincerity of Malik and director Das. “Log kehte hai mai inko deta hu kuch mai kuch nahi deta (People say I give to them, but I give nothing.” — ANI Sydney film fest to open with Tannishtha Chatterjee’s Full Plate Nonika Singh Each time an Indian does us proud on the global stage, we go gaga over it and rightly so. Recent case in point is Anuparna Roy’s historic win at the Venice Film Festival. But before we bask in the reflected glory, allow me to throw a spanner in the works. Before we sing Songs of Forgotten Trees, let me remind you of our collective cinematic amnesia. Today, we are in of awe of the film that is being distributed by Celluloid Dreams, a French sales outfit. But tomorrow, when the film releases in Indian theatres, how many of us would care to watch it? Wish I could say your guess is as good as mine. But I have tangible figures on hand, which tell me that only a few will spare time and money for an acclaimed film like this one. Right now… Jugnuma: The Fable, Best Film of the 38th Leeds International Film Festival in the UK, is struggling for viewers in theatres. In cities like Chandigarh, the film, which opened to glowing reviews, hardly got any shows, just two cinema halls, one show each. Pan-India figures are equally disheartening. The box office collection on day one was a meager Rs 0.05 crore. Prior to the film’s India release, award-winning director Raam Reddy might have effusively remarked how ‘commercial vs independent cinema’ narrative is outdated. But numbers tell a different story. Alas, each time not REWIND & RAMBLE Where are the cinegoers? much different when it comes to feted films. Last year, we were over the moon when Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light picked up the second highest honour at the Cannes International Film Festival, a festival so exalted in stature that even making it to the competition section is deemed a victory. As a rule, there is a huge gap between festival buzz and release in Indian theatres. The time lag is often attributed to disconnect between viewers and the film…. for a year after there is hardly any recall val- ue. But All We… came into theatres few months after the Grand Prix win. Yet with limited screenings, the film only earned Rs 80 lakh in India. Ever since the OTT boom embraced Indian viewers in a bear hug, we have been proclaiming that the tastes of cinegoers have undergone a paradigm shift. Now, they only yearn for quality content. Yet, each time an Indian film, which has won laurels world over, releases, the Indian audiences do a missing act. No wonder festival favourites like Stolen and c m y b Kennedy miss their date with cinema halls. What explains the viewers’ near tepid response to cinema which is clearly of world almost gold standard? Many would argue that viewers read festival tag as slow and boring. Often I am in disagreement with friends and family over the stars I give to such films. Now, I add a caveat — may be this is not your cup of tea and hate myself for saying so. Critics and average cinegoers are rarely on the same page. Critical appreciation hardly ever translates into box office success. Indeed, when Manoj Bajpayee, who plays the lead in Jugnuma, professes that box office obsession is a monster and box office glory isn’t everything, you nod along with his sagacious contention. There is merit in his value of artistic merit thesis. But when a feted maker from Punjab shares where is the money to make his next film… you can again nod, only dismally this time. More than a decade after Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox made Rs 100 crore worldwide, struggle of indie makers has not whittled. Payal’s All We… might have been hailed as a game-changer and its producer Zico Maitra may have enthusiastically told us ‘future is female.’ But future of indie cinema remains a shifting goalpost…even as some determined makers hang on to their vision and autonomy of choice, unmindful of box-office pressure. Sydney is poised for a revival of its Indian Film Festival this October, as the event returns after a hiatus to bring three days of rich cinematic storytelling from October 9 to 11. Organised by Mitu Bhowmick Lange AM, the brain behind the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne, this year’s Sydney edition will open with Full Plate, written and directed by actor-filmmaker Tannishtha Chatterjee and produced by Ashutosh Goswami and Anup Chitnis. Full Plate features Kirti Kulhari in the lead role, with Sharib Hashmi, Monica Dogra and Indraneil Sengupta in key roles. The film is about a Muslim homemaker in Mumbai whose husband’s accident forces her to earn a living, leading to her husband’s insecurity and her transformation. Tannishtha says, “In the middle of one of the hardest chapters of my life, it meant everything to know that stories still matter. When Mitu asked me to open the festival with Full Plate, I felt both humbled and grateful.”