28032026-LSTL-01.qxd 3/27/2026 8:02 PM Page 1 c m y b TRAILER OF MAA KA SUM OUT The trailer of Mona Singh and Mihir Ahuja-starrer Maa Ka Sum has been unveiled. It introduces Agastya, a 19-year-old math prodigy and his single mother, Vinita. Mona A T a time when film music often leans into melody and instant hooks, composer duo Rohan Utpat and Vinayak Salvi have struck a different chord with Subedaar. Their track Lalla — raw, edgy and unapologetically intense — has not only become a success but also a defining sonic identity for the film. The two, who have also composed the background score for Subedaar, talk about their creative partnership with director Suresh Triveni. “We know Suresh Triveni from many years — we’ve been working with him on different ads and campaigns,” Rohan shares. “When he started writing the film, he decided that we would do the music. That was really kind of him… he put so much trust in us.” That trust translated into a collaborative process that began even before the film took shape visually. “Before the shoot started, we had already created the Subedaar theme,” Vinayak recalls. “It had this haunting sound, big TRIBUNE Brand new Life Shibani Dandekar Akhtar has launched ISSHO, a new sustainable lab-grown diamond jewellery brand, in collaboration with designer Leshna Shah of Irasva in Mumbai. LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 28 MARCH 2026 Crafting grit & groove …how Rohan–Vinayak found the sound of Subedaar drums — something alarming, because the character is that way.” If the background score builds the film’s emotional landscape, Lalla serves as its pulse — a song that feels less like a conventional composition and more like a warning. “He wanted a song that describes the emotion of the main character,” Rohan explains. “There’s a lot of tension in the film, and the song should come across as a warning — ‘don’t mess with me.’” That brief shaped every creative decision. “It’s not a very melodious song,” he says can- didly. “We tried to keep it as talkative… very easy on the hummable part. One melody comes in only when it’s required.” The result is a track rooted in texture and attitude rather than tune. Drawing from regional language and cadence, the duo infused the song with an earthy authenticity. “The best part is the language used in the song its colloquial and the word Lalla itself is very catchy.” The song’s impact, however, has gone far beyond its cinematic context. “We are very glad that people are receiving PTI it the way we thought,” Vinayak says. While Lalla thrives on intensity, the background score of Subedaar reflects the duo’s willingness to experiment with sound itself. “Doing the background score is very interesting because you get to play with a lot of soundscapes,” Vinayak explains. “It’s not very melody-oriented, but more about creating the vibe of the scene.” In fact, the composers went beyond traditional instrumentation. “If there’s a drilling sound in a scene, we’ve used that as a music piece,” he reveals. I tried to bring layers to my characters, and that’s something people loved:Divya Dutta W ITH a career that has spanned three decades and many critically-lauded performances, Divya Dutta says she is ‘very stubborn’ about her choices and loves breaking moulds the industry tries to put her in, something that has kept her growing as an actor. Dutta, who has impressed with performances in movies such as VeerZaara, Delhi-6, Badlapur, Manto, Special 26 and Heroine, believes that staying relevant means constantly venturing into unchartered space. “I’m very stubborn and one should be if you want to be a very happy actress. See, it’s your choices — what do you want in life? I want to grow as an actress. I want to keep growing. It’s been 30 years and I think I’ll be here all my life. And I cannot be here until I keep rediscovering myself. Until I feel, ‘Oh, something new. ’ “And that can only happen if you convey Swiftrules at Choices she makes this message to whosoever it may concern that you do not want to do what they want you to do. You want to do what you want to do. So for that, there are a lot of no’s, which isn’t easy. And yes, you require loads of patience for it. It’s not easy to say no. But I think lots of no’s make a great yes,” Dutta said in an interview. The National Film Award-winning actor said it wasn’t easy to navigate an industry that never quite knew what to do with her but she is glad that she stayed the course and carved out a space for herself. CHAT UP iHeartRadio Music Awards Taylor Swift clearly dominated the iHeartRadio Music Awards 2026 with seven wins. On Thursday night, she picked up the most trophies at the latest edition of iHeartRadio Music Awards. Swift was on hand with her fiancé, Travis Kelce, to first accept the award for best pop album of the year with The Life of a Showgirl, as presented by Raye. Swift said, “I think that this album feels very happy and confident and free because that’s the way that I get to feel every single day of my life, because of my fiancé who’s here tonight. So, thanks for all the vibes. I really just wanted to say thank you also to iHeart and thank you to anyone who cared about The Fate of Ophelia, because you made that into the biggest hit of my career, which is crazy at this point. And thank you.” She later bagged awards for Artist of the Year and Best Lyrics, among several others, bringing her overall tally to 41 iHeartRadio Music Award wins. “We live in this world where there’s so much immediate feedback, constantly, like you get feedback for everything you share with the world,” Swift said. The show, hosted by Ludacris, began with performances by Lainey Wilson and Alex Warren, who won the Breakthrough Artist of the Year award. —ANI “I’ve always been lauded and loved by people for the choices I’ve made... It’s the industry, which I don’t know, strangely, is stuck with ‘where do I put her in the image?’ But I’m like don’t do it. If the audience isn’t putting me in an image, so why are you doing that? So I love breaking those shackles. “What happened throughout in my career, be it Delhi 6, Veer Zara, Stanley Ka Dabba and Badlapur, I tried to bring layers to my characters, and that’s something people really loved,” she added. The actor now stars in Chiraiya, which is currently streaming on JioHotstar. In the show, Dutta plays Kamlesh, a contented traditional daughter-in-law whose world is upended when her younger sister-in-law reveals she has been subjected to marital rape. —PTI VIRAT KOHLI GETS NEW TATTOO MILEY CYRUS GIVES INSPIRING SPEECH Miley Cyrus as she was honoured as an innovator at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards. Miley delivered a powerful speech, reflecting on her career. In her speech, she talked about how “fake” persona helped her build confidence. “Hannah Montana inspired me so much in my own career,” the singer said while accepting the Innovator Award. “I fell in love with the idea that you can create a persona that gives you the confidence and the courage to perform authentically and that sometimes the fake you can actually reveal the real you,” she added. ANI DECODING LOVE Virat Kohli’s love for tattoos is well known. The star batter, who already sports several tattoos, recently got inked again, just a few days before the start of IPL 2026. As per Aliens Tattoo, the artwork features motifs such as the lotus and peony, which are commonly linked to resilience and growth. The personal meaning of each element was intentionally kept private. A SONG & AN ICE-CREAM Pop star and actress Selena Gomez has unveiled a new ice-cream product that subtly reflects her personal and creative journey with husband and music producer Benny Blanco. The 33-yearold says I Said I Love Blue First icecream bars are inspired by her 2025 album I Said I Love You First. The name of the dessert is a direct nod to Bluest Flame, one of the standout tracks from the album, which recently marked its first anniversary. Tia Bajpai explores loyalty and intensity in new album With Love Mafia, her multilingual album spanning five languages and eleven emotional chapters, Tia Bajpai steps into a space that feels both intimate and expansive. More than just music, the project reflects on love as loyalty, intensity, and identity - something that cannot be consumed quickly or forgotten easily. Love Mafia positions love almost like an identity rather than just an emotion. What drew you to this idea? The starting point was simple: love today often feels convenient - quick, disposable, and surface-level. I wanted to explore the opposite. Love Mafia looks at love as something that demands loyalty, intensity, and emotional courage. The word “mafia” isn’t literal; it’s a metaphor for an unbreakable bond, almost like a chosen family. For me, it was about reclaiming the idea that love is not casual. It’s something you commit to, stand by, and sometimes even fight for. You’ve sung in five languages for this album. Was that a creative choice or a conceptual necessity? It began as a creative thought, but very quickly it became central to the concept. If the idea is that love connects c m y b people across boundaries, then the music also had to reflect that. Each language brought a different emotional texture to the album. I had to approach every track differently, not just in terms of pronunciation, but in how the emotion is held and expressed. The album has 11 tracks, each exploring a different shade of love. Was there one that felt most personal to you? Each track carries a different energy, so it is difficult to choose one. But there are songs that stay with you longer because of what they make you confront. For instance, a track like Loca captures the chaotic, almost uncontrollable side of love. It is not pretty, but it is real. On the other hand, Mehka Mehka is softer, nostalgic, almost like a memory you don’t want to let go of. What I enjoyed was that the album does not try to define love in one way. It allows it to be contradictory, layered, and sometimes even uncomfortable. How did your collaboration with Prince Romal shape the sound of Love Mafia? The collaboration brought a global soundscape to the album. There was a strong emphasis on detail, on how each element contributes to the overall emotion. GLIMPSE OF RAMA On Ram Navami, the makers of Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Ramayana shared an important announcement that left fans extremely excited. Producer Namit Malhotra took to Instagram and revealed that the next promotional asset of Ramayana will be released on Hanuman Jayanti on April 2. The next glimpse has been titled Rama.