25052026-LSTC-01.qxd 5/24/2026 11:33 PM Page 1 c m y b SONIA’S ODE TO RADHA@CANNES Actor Soniya Bansal made a debut at the Cannes Film Festival, turning heads in a pink outfit inspired by Goddess Radha and designed by Dolly J. Representing her film The Last Breath, Soniya called the moment “a dream coming true.” Norway-set drama about political polarisation wins Palme d’Or TRIBUNE Life CHANDIGARH | MONDAY | 25 MAY 2026 Romanian director Cristian Mungiu won the Palme d’Or for Fjord, marking his second Palme d’’Or win C RISTIAN MUNGIU’S Norway-set drama about political polarisation, Fjord, has won the Palme d’Or, handing the Cannes Film Festival’s top honour for the second time to Mungiu, the Romanian director of 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days. At a 79th Cannes Film Festival that saw few films cause a stir, Fjord found wide admiration for its engrossing tale of what Mungiu called “left-wing fundamentalism.” “Today the society is split. It’s divided. It’s radicalised,” Eva stuns Eva Longoria makes a striking red carpet appearance at the 79th Cannes Film Festival closing ceremony. The Desperate Housewives star is a familiar face at Cannes. Director Andrey Zvyagintsev, Grand Prix award winner for the film Minotaur Fjordshines at Cannes closing night said Mungiu. “This film is a pledge against any type of fundamentalism. It’s a pledge for these things we quote very Emmanuel Macchia & Valentin Campagne, cowinners of the Best Actor award for Coward often, like trauma and inclusion and empathy. These are lovely words but we need to apply them more often.” Mungiu becomes just the 10th filmmaker to win the Palme d’Or twice. His 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, a Romanian abortion drama, won the award in 2007. The win for Fjord extends one of the movies’ most extraordinary streaks. Neon, the specialty label, has now taken seven Palme d’Or winners in a row. Directors Javier Ambrossi & Javier Calvo, cowinners of the Best Director award for the film La Bola Negra Virginie Efira & Tao Okamoto, Best Actress co-winners for Soudain Bhagnani-David fight Minotaur : Grand Prix The Grand Prix, or second prize, went to Minotaur, Andrey Zvyagintsev’s domestic thriller set against Russia’s war with Ukraine. Loosely based on Claude Chabrol’s 1969 film The Unfaithful Wife, Minotaur is about a Russian businessman suspicious of his wife’s indiscretions. At the same time, he’s tasked with conscripting 150 of his workers for Vladimir Putin’s war machine. “The only person who can stop this butchery is you, Mr President of the Russian Federation,” Zvyagintsev said. “Put an end to this slaughter. The whole world is waiting for this.” By wide consensus, it wasn’t a banner festival. Hollywood largely sat out this year’s editioan. Many of the selections struggled to bowl over critics. The global buzz that Cannes typically generates was fitful at best. — AP AISHWARYA SIGNS OFF IN STYLE Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan attended the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival in a striking all-white structured suit by Chinese designer Cheney Chan. The ensemble featured a white blouse, tailored trousers with lace detailing, and a dramatic feather boa. Aishwarya, a global ambassador for L’Oréal Paris since 2003, completed the look with soft waves and pink-toned makeup. Earlier at Cannes, she wore a sculptural blue Amit Aggarwal gown and later changed into a floral pink Sophie Couture ensemble for the “Lights On Women’s Worth” event. She was accompanied by daughter Aaradhya Bachchan. Ram Charan apologises after calling Jasprit Bumrah a footballer Ram Charan has apologised to Indian cricketer Jasprit Bumrah after mistakenly referring to him as a footballer during an event of Peddi in Bhopal. The actor’s back-to-back slip-ups at the event have quickly gone viral on social media, triggering widespread reactions. During an interactive session, Ram Charan was asked to describe some of India’s leading cricket stars in a few words. The actor reportedly described Sachin Tendulkar’s journey as a “long, legendary run”, called MS Dhoni “calm and cool”, referred to Rohit Sharma as “everybody’s man”, and used the word “Fire” for Virat Kohli. gets ugly Subhash K Jha DAVID DHAWAN’S GRAND FINAL CHAPTER Filmmaker Karan Johar has announced that veteran director David Dhawan is set to retire after his upcoming summer release Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai, marking the end of a long and influential career in Bollywood comedy cinema. Johar, calling Dhawan an “institution,” shared an emotional tribute, praising his role in shaping mainstream entertainment. Dhawan’s final film stars son Varun Dhawan and features a comic love triangle with music and remixed tracks like Chunari Chunari. Producer Vashu Bhagnani has also raised ethical concerns over alleged reuse of song visuals, though he has not opposed the film’s release. Would David Dhawan be able to finally release his Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai on 5 June? The chances of the beleaguered rom-com making it on time seem dim, what with producer Vashu Bhagnani claiming that the songs and the theme of Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai are allegedly appropriated from his 1999 production Biwi No.1.Bhagnani seems to claim Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai is an unauthorised remake of Biwi No 1. At an explosive virtual press conference recently Bhagnani said, “We suffered a loss of around Rs 27 crores in Coolie No 1 (2020). I was just a namesake producer. It was David ji who 100 per cent handled the production and expenses. I paid David ji big money to make that film; almost Rs 70 crores, which was not even his worth. It was the time of COVID and David ji told me, ‘Aapka jo bhi nuksaan hua hai, we’ll take care of in future. Let’s start Biwi No 1. … Accordingly, we worked on Biwi No 1 for six months…. Three months later, I learned that Ramesh Taurani and David Dhawan had joined hands to make a film. I felt a little bad, but then I realised that I can’t stop them. One year later, I saw Chunari Chunari was a part of that film.” While David Dhawan preferred not to comment on the issue a source close to the developments says Vashu Bhagnani is known for his legal disputes. “He dragged producer Prerna Arora to court. He made many serious allegations against filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar after Bade Miyan Chote Miyan. Both were finally cleared of charges after agonising months and years of stressful struggle. Let’s see where this fight goes.” c m y b ‘Genuine human error’ Akshay enters alien zone with Samuk Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar is teaming up with producer Vipul Amrutlal Shah for his next film, titled Samuk. Described as India’s biggest alien action spectacle, the film is co-produced by Aashin A Shah and is set to release in theatres in 2027. Kumar said he is excited to try the new genre. “Yes, I’ve signed this film. I found the script and subject of Samuk fascinating. Alien thriller is a totally new genre for me and also for our films. I am very excited about it,” he said. The makers are aiming to push Indian commercial cinema into an unexplored genre space by combining grounded action storytelling with practical effects and high-end visual world-building. “We always try to challenge ourselves with different genres, and Samuk is something Indian cinema hasn’t attempted before. Our aim is to create a world-class alien thriller for audiences,” Shah added. It will be directed by Kanishk Varma. “Samuk was born from my love for the SPG world and survival thrillers like Alien and Predator, “said Varma. The film also brings together a major international technical team from Hollywood franchise filmmaking. Acclaimed creature FX designer Alec Gillis has joined the project to design and create the film’s alien creature. The film’s action will be overseen by British stunt coordinator Luke Tumber. — PTI However, when asked about Jasprit Bumrah, Ram Charan said, “Jasprit Bumrah ji, I am your biggest fan. I love football ap football ko itne aage bada rahe ho. Love you.” The actor acknowledged the error and posted an apology. “Uff... I’m genuinely so forgetful with names sometimes. Apologies to @Jaspritbumrah93 Ji for the mix-up — it was a genuine human error in the middle of all the excitement and the crowd. I truly respect you and I am a huge fan of your game. You make every Indian feel proud when you consistently put batsmen on back foot. — ANI