18042026-LSTL-01.qxd 4/17/2026 10:45 PM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE HEXED TO HIT THEATRES The first edition of Indian National Cinema Awards 2026 witnesses huge star presence A rocking start The inaugural edition of the Indian National Cine Academy (INCA) Awards took place in Mumbai last night, turning into a truly star-studded affair. The prestigious ceremony was attended by Rekha, Kamal Haasan, Karan Johar, Imtiaz Ali, Dinesh Vijan, Bobby Deol, and Ramesh Sippy, who attended with his wife. Rana Daggubati hosted the evening. Celebrities including Dulquer Salmaan, Parvathy Thiruvothu, Kalyani Priyadarshan, Shruti Haasan and Rishab Shetty, who was accompanied by his wife, also graced the occasion. Actors Ishita Raj, Munawar Faruqui, Sharad Kelkar, Ravi Dubey, Sargun Mehta, and Mukesh Chhabra , Brinda Prasad Adusumilli (wife of Vishnu Vardhan Adusumilli), Manish Goswami with wife were also in attendance, adding to the glamour of the night. Established with the vision of encouraging collaboration among film industries across India’s multiple languages, INCA seeks to bring together artistes, technicians, producers and industry institutions under a unified academy-led framework that recognises outstanding achievements in cinema. The initiative is supported by the Producers Guild of India as the Chief Patron. (Clockwise from top left) Shruti Haasan, Kamal Haasan, Rekha, Sunny Leone, Shabana Azmi, Dulquer Salmaan, Munawar Faruqui Divya Dutta & Dia Mirza WHAT’S eat HOT laugh AN EVENING WITH BANIYA HE iconic Forest Hill Resort has reinvented itself, and launched its all-new Club House, marking a key milestone in the resort’s transformation into a luxury eco-tourism destination in the wilderness. The menu offers a refined multi-cuisine programme spanning Indian, Continental, PanAsian, and Oriental dishes. N April 18, Ludhiana will host a lively evening of laughter as Gaurav Gupta, popularly known as Being Baniya, takes the stage at Guru Nanak Dev Bhawan. With his witty observations and relatable humour, Gupta who has already won hearts with his Amazon Prime special Market Down Hai and over 50 million YouTube views promises a rib-tickling performance. The show, in Hindi, runs for about 1 hour 15 minutes and is open to audiences aged 16 and above, with tickets starting at Rs 799. ludhiana chandigarh FOOD & WILDERNESS T Monologue Life Hailee Steinfeld and Rashida Jones will star in Disney’s animated movie Hexed, the company revealed during its CinemaCon presentation to theatre owners on Thursday. Hexed is a film that “follows a teenage oddball and her Type A mom. It will be released in theatres on November 25. O c m y b The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences shared a memorable clip from Shah Rukh Khan’s film Om Shanti Om. The Academy posted a scene featuring Khan’s widely loved monologue from the film. LUDHIANA | SATURDAY | 18 APRIL 2026 Emotional journey Aishwarya Raj Bhakuni is playing the role of Aradhya in Prateek Sharma and Parth Shah’s Studio LSD’s new show Tum Dena Sath Mera, featuring Sriti Jha and Shabir Ahluwalia in lead roles. “With such a strong storyline and a loved pairing, I think viewers will truly connect with it,” says Aishwarya. “I’m expecting a very warm and emotional response from the audience. The show beautifully captures family emotions, sisterhood, and relationships, which are very relatable.” She shared that while the cast and crew are having fun shooting for the show, offcamera too they have a blast. She said, “Off-screen, we have a lot of fun on set. There’s a very positive and loving environment.” ‘I feel blessed’ Subhash K Jha Celebrity chef Vikas Khanna, who has been named in the popular TIME magazine’s 2026 list of the 100 most influential people, says he is trying understand the process that put him there in that list. Vikas, you’ve again made India proud. How do you feel? It is still to sink in. I am trying understand the process that put me there in that list. It is such an honour! The elimination of possible names in the list…There are so many powerful people who must have voted in my favour, who must have said, ‘He has done something worth celebrating.’ On the other hand, there must have been so many who must have said, ‘What has he achieved. What is there to celebrate in a chef whipping up dishes?’ I have been facing these naysayers all my life. How does it feel when people still say there is no great art involved in cooking? AISHWARYA RAJ BHAKUNI I say, everything that a man or woman creates, whether it is a flower planted in a pot or a housewife in the kitchen preparing food for her family, is a work of art. When I decided to be a cook I was ridiculed, heckled, bullied back home. My mother believed in me. Today, I tried to explain to her what it meant to be in that list, how many people must have been shortlisted and eliminated. She must be so proud of you, we all are… She doesn’t really understand what it means. But she knows her son has achieved something which makes him happy. She can hear the happiness in my voice. I can hear it too… Can you? I feel blessed. The congratulatory messages are pouring in from all quarters. Everyone, from the Obamas to my close friends, have congratulated me. But you know what makes me sad? Tell me. Not a single word of congratulations from any of the chefs. I don’t understand this. My success in taking our food abroad is something I share with all my chef brothers. Maine jo bhi kiya woh sirf mere liye nahin hai. I suppose we Indians suffer from an inbuilt sense of the crab mentality? I want to tell you I am happy that I got a chance to represent our country on a global platform. I don’t see my success as my own. It is the success of my team. We started our restaurant Bungalow in March 2024. Today, we planted one flower for each day since then.