04012026-LSTL-01.qxd 1/3/2026 8:16 PM Page 1 c m y b IT’S INTENSE, UNPREDICTABLE Filmmaker, choreographer, and producer Farah Khan has expressed excitement over the upcoming reality show, The 50, calling it a game-changer for Indian reality television. Khan said, “Reality shows in India have followed a certain pattern for years, and finally The 50 is coming in to shake that up.” TRIBUNE New entry Life Colour that soothes the mind Deepa Shahi and Rajan Shahi’s Anupamaa has been one of the top-rated shows of the industry not just for its engaging storyline but also for the star cast. The newest addition to the cast is Bhavna Ajwani. LUDHIANA | SUNDAY | 4 JANUARY 2026 CHAT UP Cloud Dancer, the Pantone Colour of the Year 2026, is less about standing out and more about stepping back. Here’s how to incorporate it into your wardrobe and décor BORDER 2 TEAM UNVEILS SONG The makers of Border 2 have released the highly awaited track Ghar Kab Aaoge at Longewala-Tanot in Jaisalmer on Friday. The song launch event, attended by lead cast members Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty, Sonu Nigam, Bhushan Kumar, and others, unfolded in the presence of BSF jawans and the Army, making it a moment of national pride and collective emotion. BAND BAAJA BAARAAT TO RE-RELEASE How to wear Cloud Dancer? Mona C LOUD DANCER doesn’t announce itself like a trend. It drifts in — pale, quiet, almost reluctant to be seen. And yet, this barely-there shade has been named the Pantone Colour of the Year 2026, signalling a global mood shift towards restraint, reflection and softness after years of visual excess. Pantone’s Colour of the Year is an annual shade chosen to reflect the global moods, trends and cultural sentiments. For 2026, Cloud Dancer takes the spotlight — a soft, pale hue symbolising calm, emotional pause and intentional restraint in a world craving quiet amidst chaos. Chosen in a time marked by fatigue — emotional, aesthetic and cultural — Cloud Dancer represents pause rather than proclamation. It is less about standing out and more about stepping back. But in a country like India, where colour is rarely neutral and beauty is rooted in abundance, this calm raises questions as much as it offers comfort. Fashion entrepreneur and designer Aprajita Toor, known for her eponymous brand, Aprajita Toor, shares, “It feels less like a command and more like a pause — a breath held between chaos and clarity.” Aprajita has never designed by trend charts, and her response to Cloud Dancer is characteristically measured. “I don’t follow colours. I interrogate them. I’ve watched colours rise, peak and vanish faster than a seasonal discount rack.” Aprajita Toor For her, trends are loud invitations. Design, on the other hand, is a long conversation. Indian fashion, she points out, has never been about subtraction. It thrives on accumulation — of stories, rituals, textures, memory. So, when Cloud Dancer arrives asking for calm, it feels unfamiliar. Not unwelcome, but foreign. “For a culture that understands abundance as beauty, this shade demands discernment, and that’s where the opportunity lies.” Cloud Dancer is undeniably elegant. But elegance, Aprajita warns, can often hide safety. “I do not love it but sure respect it. And respect, in design, lasts longer than love.” The shade doesn’t reward laziness. It cannot be worn blindly, especially in Indian contexts. “Don’t wear Cloud Dancer head to toe. That’s not styling — that’s surrender. Cloud Dancer needs friction to feel alive. Pair it with darker anchors — oxblood, charred brown, antique gold, inky black. Let it soften without erasing. Place it beside hand embroidery, aged metals and lived-in textures. Avoid chrome minimalism. India doesn’t do blankness well — and shouldn’t try to,” says Aprajita. Colours don’t just dress us; they condition us. Cloud Dancer speaks to a collective post-everything exhaustion — post-excess, post-performance, post-noise. It’s the aesthetic equivalent of choosing less and meaning it. “In interiors, it asks for space. In branding, it signals restraint. In lifestyle, it whispers — edit your life,” says Aprajita. She also warns about its right use. “If overused, Cloud Dancer risks becoming emotional anaesthesia. Too much neutrality flattens feeling. Design, like life, needs tension.” Band/uninspired? Don’t think so… Kartik Kapila, founder of Chandigarhbased interior design and architecture studio Purpose DesignLife, offers a fresh perspective on Pantone’s Colour of the Year, Cloud Dancer. Countering criticism that labels the shade as bland or uninspired, Kapila sees it as a thoughtful response to today’s overstimulated world shaped by social media, materialism and constant visual noise. According to him, modern spaces are weighed down by excessive mental and visual clutter. Cloud Dancer acts as a pause — restoring balance, introducing serenity and creating a calming foundation. Rather than overpowering a space, it works as a blank canvas, allowing individuality and character to be layered over time, making it deeply relevant to contemporary design thinking. Can Cloud Dancer survive India? Indian fashion doesn’t chase calm. It commands presence. “So, if Cloud Dancer is to survive here, it must coexist with maximalism, not mute it. It must become a canvas, not a commandment,” says Aprajita. WILL SMITH SUED 2025 MOCHA MOUSSE: Capturing a global mood of connection, comfort, and harmony soft energy and gentle optimism, balancing vitality with comfort Will Smith has been sued by a former violinist from his 2025 music tour, who has alleged wrongful termination, retaliation and sexual harassment, claims that the actor’s legal team has strongly denied. Brian King Joseph, in a lawsuit filed in California state court, accuses the actor of “predatory behavior” and “deliberately grooming and priming” him for “sexual exploitation,” though he doesn’t cite a specific incident in which Smith was involved. 2024: PEACH FUZZ: Warmth, tenderness and emotional nourishment in a world seeking connection 2023: VIVA MAGENTA: A bold, fearless red celebrating strength, individuality, and human resilience. 2022: VERY PERI: A digital-age blue-violet symbolising transformation, creativity, and optimism during global change 2021: ULTIMATE GRAY & ILLUMINATING: Resilience and hope — a balance of strength and optimism during global uncertainty Angelina Jolie visits Rafah Meet Rebecca from Yash’s Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups the pan-India realm. The first-look poster reveals a gilded mess with a trigger finger; Rebecca appears fragile and beautifully unraveled, yet she wears authority like second skin. Known for her poise and luminous screen presence, Tara is set to shatter her ‘pretty girl’ archetype, trading her polished image for the gritty, volatile world of Toxic. Talking about Tara as Rebecca, Geetu Mohandas says, “I’ve always felt an instinctive love to protect Tara. Perhaps because she is a guarded soul or perhaps it’s the armour she’s comfortable with. And perhaps it doesn’t need to be defined. I realised early on that the best way to reach her was ISHAAN KHATTER HEADS TO US Ishaan Khatter kicked off the New Year on an exciting note. He flew to the US on January 2 to take part in Oscar promotions for his film, Homebound. The film has been officially shortlisted for the Academy Awards, with nominations set to be announced on January 22. PANTONE THROUGH THE YEARS… After unveiling the striking first looks of Kiara Advani as the beautiful and melancholy Nadia, Huma Qureshi as the mysterious and glamorous Elizabeth, and Nayanthara as the lethal and formidable Ganga, Yash’s Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups continues to unfurl the many layers of its dark, immersive universe. It does so with the reveal of Tara Sutaria as the desirable, enigmatic and fragile Rebecca! With every character introduction, the film has amplified its scale and ambition, positioning Toxic as a pan-India cinematic event that thrives on high octane action, explosive drama and layered storyline. For Tara Sutaria, the film marks her first brush with Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma-starrer rom-com Band Baaja Baaraat is set to re-release in theatres from January 16. Band Baaja Baaraat, released in 2010, was the debut film of Ranveer. It marked the beginning of a new era, as Bollywood was flooded with star kids and actors who ruled the screens for decades. Hollywood actress and former special envoy to the United Nations Refugee Agency Angelina Jolie visited the Rafah Crossing on Friday as part of a humanitarian trip to Egypt, her representatives said, amid Israel’s decision to suspend the operations of several aid groups working in the Gaza Strip, according to reports. Jolie’s visit comes at a not by pushing, not by demanding more, but by allowing her the space to simply be. That choice shaped our equation which turned out calm, deeply professional, and perfectly aligned. She observed more than she spoke. She listened more than she revealed. And I often wondered if I should guide her more closely. But in her silence, something powerful was brewing. When she finally stepped into her performance, what emerged was nothing short of breathtaking which is born from an inner understanding she carried all along. She surprised me completely, and in the most beautiful way. I have no doubt she will surprise everyone else too.” c m y b time when Israel has announced it will halt the activities of dozens of aid organisations that have not renewed their registration. The new requirements include the submission of personal details of staff members working in Gaza, a move that has raised serious safety concerns among humanitarian agencies. “I spoke to humanitarian agencies who are working hard to do their best to overcome the restrictions and challenges of delivering necessary aid into Gaza. I walked through a large warehouse that was full of items that were denied entry, most of them medical, Jolie said in a statement. —ANI