19122025-LSTC-01.qxd 12/18/2025 8:08 PM Page 1 c m y b MEET THE NEW BAFTA HOST Actor and director Alan Cumming is set to host the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) 2026. The Traitors presenter will preside over the British awards ceremony, which takes place on February 22, 2026 Cumming is being welcomed back into the BAFTA fold after hosting the organisation’s TV awards last year. TRIBUNE Life Niddhi mobbed Actor Nidhhi Agerwal was left visibly shaken after being mobbed by an unruly crowd in Hyderabad. The incident took place during the launch of the song Sahana Sahana from her upcoming film The Raja Saab. CHANDIGARH | FRIDAY | 19 DECEMBER 2025 CHAT UP LOVE, ROMANCE & HEARTBREAK The trailer for Tu Meri Mai Tera Mai Tera Tu Meri, starring Kartik Aaryan and Ananya Panday, was unveiled on Thursday. It opens with Kartik’s monologue about living in the moment without dwelling on the past. The trailer introduces the lead characters and traces their romance, and gradually shifts into a deeper, more realistic exploration of commitment and heartbreak. The film also stars Jackie Shroff and Neena Gupta and releases on December 25. CHU TO RECEIVE GARLAND AWARD The Wicked fame director Jon M. Chu will receive the inaugural Judy Garland Award at the Lumiere Awards 2026. This newly established honour celebrates individuals whose artistry, imagination, and cultural influence embody the highest ideals in entertainment. The award was created to commemorate Judy Garland’s legacy as an actress, singer, and performer. Chu’s acclaimed body of work, including Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights, Wicked and Wicked: For Good, has helped him to cement his place among the successful filmmakers of this generation. SREELEELA SLAMS DEEPFAKES Actress Sreeleela has strongly spoken out against deepfake content and misuse of Artificial Intelligence. “I put my hands together and request every social media user not to support AI-generated nonsense. There is a difference between using and abusing technology. Advancements in technology are meant to simplify life, not complicate it, in my opinion,” she wrote. WATCH OSCARS FOR FREE The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has signed a multi-year deal that will give YouTube the exclusive global rights to the Oscars, beginning in 2029 with the 101st ceremony and running through 2033. Architects of the agreement said they hope the move to YouTube will help make the Oscars more accessible to “the Academy’s growing global audience”. Madhuri Dixit’s darkest turn yet B HOOLI si surat, aankhon mein masti but this time, the familiar smile hides something far more unsettling. Ever since the trailer of Mrs. Deshpande dropped, which triggered intense chatter for presenting Madhuri Dixit in one of the boldest and darkest roles of her career. The six-episode psychological thriller marks a dramatic departure from her iconic on-screen image. Madhuri steps into a raw, deglam and chilling avatar, playing a serial killer whose seemingly ordinary life is a façade built on carefully buried secrets. To sharpen the premise, the synopsis reveals that a series of new murders begin to mirror the pattern of an older, infamous case. As panic spreads, investigators trace every lead back to Mrs. Deshpande suggesting that the “copycat killer” may actually be the original one hiding in plain sight. With this gripping cat-and-mouse setup and Madhuri’s unnerving transformation, Mrs. Deshpande is poised to become one of JioHotstar’s most talked-about year-end releases. Set to play a serial killer in Mrs. Deshpande, actor Madhuri Dixit says she is aware of her responsibility as an artiste and has deliberately chosen to prioritise emotional depth over graphic depictions of violence and gore. “The responsibility is always there. But we are actors, we play different kind of roles and we cannot be responsible for everything. As a director, he (Nagesh Kukunoor) was very clear that it’s not the violence that we’re talking about, it’s not the killings, it’s the emotion.” “It’s the story, it’s her character, it’s the revelations and what’s happened with her, those are the important part of the story. So, when people watch the series, they’ll realise that it’s not about just that (violence). We were never going for shock value,” she said. Kukunoor echoes her sentiments and said that the series crafts a thrilling narrative that has unexpected twists. “It was a very, very conscious choice to make sure that we kept the drama and the twists and the relationships working as opposed to the gore and the violence to take centre stage,” the director said. When approached for the role of a serial killer, Dixit admits she was initially taken aback but quickly recognised that the story delves far beyond the surface. “For a second, I was like, me, serial killer? But it’s not about just being a serial killer, it’s about her story, it’s about who she is, the layers Mrs. Deshpande has; she’s seemingly just an ordinary housewife but there’s so much more to her than that. It’s not just about the killing but it’s more of the emotion, and that’s what I liked about the character,” she said. The show marks her maiden collaboration with Kukunoor, the filmmaker behind Dor, Khanak, and City of Dreams. Dixit said she had admired his storytelling for a long. Speaking about sharing the screen with Madhuri The 58-year-old actor Dixit, Priyanshu Chatterjee reflected on his said even her children experience working alongside her, “It was wonderful to were surprised by this work alongside Madhuri Dixit. Her charm, daring turn in her career, professionalism and mindfulness just makes one while her husband was wonder that maybe she is a newcomer-eager-to-do her best! Then she can crack you up with the funniest curious to see how she stories to lighten the mood and recharge would approach the role. everyone’s batteries. So she was the most “He wanted to get into the surprising co-actor to work with considering nitty-gritty of it, and was like, we all go in thinking of the legend more power if you can play Madhuri Dixit who we have loved all something like this,” she said. our lives and still do.” Adapted from the French thriller La Mante, the series premieres on JioHotstar today. The smile is familiar, but the secrets are deadly. In Mrs. Deshpande, she transforms into a woman suspected to be a serial killer NEWCOMER ENERGY Exhausting or epic? Dhurandhar has split critics, united audiences, shattered box-office ceilings and ignited political debate NonikaSingh A celebrated critic calls it exhausting. An equally famous author dubs it epic. Few films capture the imagination of viewers likeDhurandhar has. Anyone who has a social media account has an opinion on the film… the film has critics divided and audiences united who can’t stop raving and ranting too. Thumbs up is not restricted to memes, reels and bytes. Audiences are flocking to cinema halls… till we go to print Aditya Dhar directorial has amassed over Rs 600 crore worldwide and gaining strength week after week, breaking records and glass ceilings too. The espionage thriller has emerged among top five in the US market. The buzz is equally mindboggling. Each scene is being dissected, each actor coming in for fulsome praise and for once what may have missed the critics’ discerning eyes has not gone unnoticed by cinegoers. Each day a new interpretation floods the Internet. From its swell music to its on point casting and who can miss the dialogues with noticeable stamp favouring the current dispensation. Controversy can’t be far behind anything that praises the Modi sarkar. Not only politicians and critics but superstars like Hrithik Roshan have questioned Dhu- The smash hit called Dhurandhar REWIND & RAMBLE randhar’s politics. As feared by the family of late Major Mohit Sharma the film is apparently not based on the martyr’s life. But it sure takes cues from a host of real events and more than one real person, many from across the border. From IC-814 hijack to 26/ 11 terror attacks, undeniably the most powerful scene of the film bringing out the best of its lead Ranveer Singh too, the script weaves in several factual occurrences. Whether Pakistan is shown in bad light or not, its antiheroes have become more powerful than the c m y b hero. Though Ranveer leads the film with a stellar act, it’s Akshaye Khanna as Rehman Baloch who has emerged as the scene stealer. The boisterous Arabic song to which he grooves with swag has become a rage. Dhurandhar fan club is strong and growing, including names like Telugu superstar Allu Arjun. Television channels are debating pros and cons of the star-packed marathon and selfanointed trade pundits are busy writing the epitaph of a major production house with a spyverse of its own. However, all can seek comfort in the reassuring fact that Bollywood is alive and kicking. Reach of cinema finds yet another boost, both in ways good and bad. Seriously, what makes Dhurandhar stand out? Decoding a film’s success is as difficult as understanding the Morse code. This is not the first film on espionage agents, this isn’t the first that bares Pak-sponsored terrorism, only shows it from the land which feeds it. Nor is it the first one which rides high on adrenaline. One of the reasons which makes Dhurandhar tick is how it’s both a gritty look at some real events as well as an escape from reality. In a year in which Sholay is celebrating its golden jubilee, Dhurandhar is yet another assertion of the power of cinema. Of course, its ability to spawn rumours can range from credible to ludicrous, one suggesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written its script. Never mind the rumour-mongers, Dhurandhar is very much a stalwart of Dhar’s making, so direct all credit (or discredit) in his line of direction. The Wrecking Crew at work! Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa have come together for an action-comedy film, The Wrecking Crew. The film is directed by Angel Manel Soto and written by Jonathan Tropper. In this action comedy, two estranged half-brothers, Jonny (Jason Momoa) and James (Dave Bautista) are forced to reunite after their father’s mysterious death. As they set out to uncover the truth, buried secrets resurface, and loyalties are tested, unveiling a conspiracy that can tear their family apart. Together, they are ready to WRECK anything that gets in their way. The film is set to release on Prime Video on January 28, 2026. — ANI