14012026-LSTC-01.qxd 1/14/2026 12:21 AM Page 1 c m y b KHOSLAS ARE BACK Anupam Kher has sent fans on a nostalgic trip with his social media post, reigniting the anticipation for the sequel of his 2006 cult classic Khosla Ka Ghosla. CHAT UP TOXIC LANDS IN LEGAL TROUBLE Yash starrer Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups has found itself in the middle of a legal controversy, days after the makers unveiled the film’s first teaser. Social activist Dinesh Kallahalli has filed a formal complaint with the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), objecting to the “obscene, sexually explicit and morally offensive scenes” in the teaser. TRIBUNE Life The teaser for Lee Cronin’s The Mummy has been unveiled, bringing back one of the most classic tales with an “audacious and twisted retelling.” On Monday, the makers dropped the first teaser of the film and offered glimpses from the narrative, showing a situation around the discovery of a completely wrapped mysterious body, wrapped, and photographers clicking pictures. NEW SONG FROM BORDER 2 OUT A new song Jaate Hue Lamhon from Border 2 was unveiled on Monday. Jaate Hue Lamhon, a timeless classic by Anu Malik and Javed Akhtar, has been reimagined by Mithoon. The song was launched at a grand event hosted at United Services Club, Mumbai. The evening was made special with the surprise entry of Suniel Shetty alongside Border 2 cast Ahan Shetty and Anyaa Singh, followed by a spirited band performance by the Naval Officers and live performances by the song’s singers, Roop Kumar Rathod and Vishal Mishra. CHANDIGARH | WEDNESDAY | 14 JANUARY 2026 Melody meets magic Gurnaaz THE MUMMY RETURNS Spotted! Bollywood actress Urmila Matondkar recently attended the screening of the film Safia/Safdar in Mumbai. The Baba Azmi directorial stars Naseeruddin Shah , Aditi Subedi and Kanwaljit Singh W hen Lutt Le Gaya plays in Dhurandhar, it doesn’t feel like just another film song, it lands as a moment. Sung by Simran Choudhary, the track from the recently released film has won hearts and how! What makes its success even more remarkable is the fact that the song was conceptualised, created and finalised barely 10 days before the film’s release. For Simran, the experience of working on Lutt Le Gaya was intense, instinctive and unforgettable. “Shashwat, as we all know, is a true genius. He’s a musical prodigy,” she says of composer Shashwat Sachdev. “Working with him on the song felt nothing short of magical. I still remember how he’d called me at 1:30 am, and from 2 am to 9 am we were sitting together and building the entire song from scratch; brainstorming the composition, shaping the melody, writing the lyrics, arranging everything within just six hours.” The experience of creating Lutt Le Gaya, she says, she’ll carry for life. “Because Shashwat truly understands music, respects artistes and he’s always welcoming of ideas. That’s something I really love about working with him.” Interestingly, the song that finally made it to the screen wasn’t what she initially set out to create. “The brief I was first given was completely different,” Simran reveals. “But the song I ended up creating actually fits another situation, which is much better.” Her approach, however, remained clear. “I wanted it to be a full-on party track with easy-going, instantly understandable lyrics that blend naturally with the music.” At the same time, certain lines had to hit home. “Those key lines, ‘Haye sajan, meri akhaan tarasdi’ and ‘ Haye imaan, menu lutt le gaya’ , needed to land with impact. When you watch the film, the moment these lines come in and the way they hit… it all makes perfect sense.” That balance between instinct and structure has long defined Simran’s musical journey. Classically trained in Hindustani music and raised in Chandigarh, she believes her roots are her greatest strength. “Classical music forms the foundation for any kind of music you want to learn,” she says. “With that base, I’ve always been fascinated by folk, culture and heritage. Naturally, my music started becoming a reflection of the things I love.” This sensibility is most evident in her EP Folkin’ Rani, where she brings folk textures into a contemporary pop framework without losing their emotional core. The EP celebrates nostalgia and cultural memory, themes that recur in her independent work. Her collaboration with composer Amit Trivedi on Sunn Husna Di Pariye further reinforces that identity. “Amit sir is such a free soul,” she says. “He gives you a canvas and says, ‘ Paint whatever picture you like.’ That kind of trust gives an artiste the space to be honest.” Growing up listening to folk and Sufi music in Punjab made fusion feel organic rather than deliberate. “Blending folk with contemporary music feels instinctive to me. It’s just what comes naturally because it’s what I know best.” That rootedness, she feels, has helped her navigate a demanding industry. “My Guruji always told me that jo ped apni jadon se juda rehta hai, usko koi bhi aandhi ya toofan kabhi nahi hila sakta,” she says. “When your foundation and grammar are solid, no matter how many trends come and go, you can always adapt.” As audiences continue to hum Lutt Le Gaya long after leaving the theatre, Simran hopes her music does what it always has… feel familiar, honest and deeply personal. “I want people to feel that it’s their own,” she says. “That someone from among them is telling their stories.” Singer Simran Choudhary talks about how she and composer Shashwat Sachdev created the popular Dhurandhar song, Lutt Le Gaya, in about six hours ‘Manik damade it easy for me’ For many Hindi film lovers, Sharmila Tagore will forever be the woman in Kashmir Ki Kali, Aradhana and Amar Prem — graceful, romantic, and effortlessly luminous. However, long before the actress became a mainstream star, Tagore’s journey into cinema started in Bengali cinema, under the watchful eye of one of India’s greatest filmmakers, Satyajit Ray. Tagore was just 14 when Ray cast her in Apur Sansar (1959), the final film in his acclaimed Apu trilogy. At that age, she had no formal “exposure” to films, no understanding of the mechanics of acting, and little sense of the cinematic legacy she was stepping into. Looking back now, the actress recalls that the experience felt less intimidating than one might imagine, thanks largely to Ray’s gentle approach. In an interview, the veteran actor recalled her very first shot on set, a moment she says she still remembers clearly. “Oh my God, that’s going to take a long time. But it was wonderful. And I still remember it. My first shot was entering the house and looking How Satyajit Ray guided a 14-year-old Sharmila Tagore into cinema SUNIEL SHETTY TO HOST BHARAT KE SUPER FOUNDERS Get ready to see actor Suniel Shetty as the host of Bharat Ke Super Founders. The show brings together an ‘illustrious panel of business tycoons to back India’s next wave of entrepreneurs who are building with clarity, discipline, and long-term vision,” according to a statement. The show will be out on January 16 on Amazon MX Player. c m y b around. And of course, one doesn’t forget one’s first shot...” She credits the first Indian Oscar-winning director, whom she affectionately refers to as Manik da, for creating an environment where even a newcomer felt at ease. According to her, he never made actors feel that a scene was “difficult.” “It was all kind of new for me to discover. It was lovely, it was very stress-free. And that is the beauty of Manik da. Because he never made his actors feel that the scene was difficult. It was my first day, I was very new, and I had no exposure to films. He just made it all very easy for me,” she said. Over the years, Tagore and Ray went on to collaborate on five films to form one of Indian cinema’s most celebrated actor-director partnerships. Beyond Apur Sansar, their work together included Devi, Nayak, Aranyer Din Ratri, and Seemabaddha. That legacy was revisited recently in Delhi, where Ray’s Aranyer Din Ratri (Days and Nights in the Forest, 1970) was screened in a restored 4K version. — TNS ‘Genre is a limiting factor’ While their work has always blurred the line between folk tradition and contemporary sound, members of one of India’s finest fusion bands, The Tapi Project, stress that their process of making music is dictated by the urge to be as transparent to the music as possible and to let the final sound emerge organically. The Surat-based band showcased their music at Punjab Kala Bhawan on the invitation of Thinkers Collective. The group comprises Yogendra Saniawala (instruments, lyrics), Swati Minaxi (lead vocalist), Gaurav Kapadia (drums), and Biju Nambiar. “Tapi’s music are reflections of our surroundings and manifested reality, and they act as a mirror for anyone who wants to look into them and find themselves,” says Swati. — TNS