25082026-LSTL-01.qxd 8/24/2026 8:41 PM Page 1 c m y b SUCH A BLESSING! Vin Diesel has opened up about his enduring bond with his late Fast and Furious costar Paul Walker’s daughter, Meadow Walker, calling her “such a blessing” in his family’s life and saying, “I would die for her.” Vin said, “She’s the first one to ever call me on Father’s Day.” WHAT’S HOT eat chandigarh CELEBRATION TIME T HIS Raksha Bandhan, honour the timeless bond between siblings with an unforgettable celebration at The Oberoi Sukhvilas. At Kaanan, guests can savour Amritsari Chole, Dal Kaanan, Dahi Ke Kebab, Paratdar Paneer Tikka and Khatta Meetha Murgh Musallam. For families looking to enjoy a diverse dining experience, Anant Mahal offers artisanal pizzas, handcrafted pastas, Mezze platter and signature kebab platters designed for sharing. play chandigarh PIANO CONCERT A LLIANCE Française de Chandigarh will present an exclusive piano recital by distinguished German concert pianist and professor Andreas König on August 29 at 7 pm at Punjab Kala Bhawan, Sector 16B, Chandigarh. The carefully curated programme will feature compositions by Claude Debussy and Frédéric Chopin, before culminating in Maurice Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin— a remarkable work that stands as a milestone in the transition towards musical modernity. TRIBUNE New role Life Mona Trust Nav Bajwa to push beyond conventional Punjabi narratives. From science fiction in Raduaa to the romantic thriller Ishqaa and ensemble comedy Kitty Party, Bajwa has consistently experimented with genres while wearing multiple hats as actor, writer, director and producer. With Advocate Chauhan, he takes another unconventional route, stepping into the title role of a visually impaired lawyer in a courtroom drama that blends legal battles with a deeply human story. Joining him in this high-stakes drama is Himanshi Khurana, alongside Gurpreet Ghuggi and others. Written by Bajwa, the series draws inspiration from the true story of a remarkable woman lawyer, Aanchal Bhateja, whose journey prompted him to create the courtroom drama. The duo, both nursing injuries — Khurana with a fractured collarbone and Nav with an injured foot — showed no signs of slowing down. She arrived in a cast, while Nav sported Crocs, more out of necessity than fashion, but neither let the pain come in the way of talking about a project close to their hearts. Directed by Varinder Ramgarhia, at the centre of the narrative is a battle of wills, with characters determined to prove themselves in a demanding professional world. The world through Chauhan’s lens Playing a visually impaired lawyer came with its own set of challenges for Bajwa. His character has an optic Nav Bajwa & Himanshi Khurana’s web series Advocate Chauhan promises a gripping courtroom drama with a deeply human angle nerve condition, requiring the actor to find a way to physically inhabit a world he could not simply observe through his eyes. The team experimented with several specialised lenses before settling on ones that blurred his vision by around 60-70 per cent. Not able to see but to follow voices added another dimension to the act. “When you love something and you have got so passionate about it, you don’t feel that it is difficult,” he says. The actor also enjoyed the rare opportunity to concentrate solely on his performance. “In this one, the thing which I love is that I was not directing it. I was just acting,” he says. Himanshi plays a young lawyer who is confident yet vulnerable — moody and bubbly, shy and self-assured — but above all, determined to establish herself. “She really wants to prove herself,” Himanshi says of her character, who takes on the challenge of fighting against an established lawyer. The model-actor-singer, called the ‘Aishwarya Rai of Punjab’ has been vocal about navigating the emotional and SPREAD THE WORD LUDHIANA | TUESDAY | 25 AUGUST 2026 Lawof compassion! ‘I fear nobody’: Himanshi Khurana love Akshay Kumar has begun filming for Samuk, a sci-fi survival-thriller that marks a new genre foray for the Bollywood superstar. The maker brings together an international technical team for the project. personal demands that come with being an artiste, and finding strength on the other side. The actor has spoken openly about personal struggles, mental health and the pressures of being in an industry where one is constantly expected to look and perform a certain way. Looking back, she does not gloss over the difficulty. “It was tough,” she says. The High Standard hitmaker lost about 20kg weight and she levels it to mental game “Our health, whether physical or emotions, starts with the mind. I took it slow and steady. It took me about three years to look how I do today.” She also points to the emotional demands placed on artistes. An actor has to summon tears, anger or joy on cue and then somehow step out of those emotions once the scene is over. “An artiste plays with his mind so much,” she says, describing the constant process of switching between emotions and characters. For women, she believes, there is another layer of pressure — being expected to multitask while simultaneously taking care of their appearance, careers and personal lives. She is proud of the distance she has covered. “I’m so proud of the person I am today.” After navigating difficult phases her childhood trauma and health, Himanshi says she has emerged with a sense of confidence and fearlessness that she did not always possess. “I fear nobody right now. I’m very happy of who I am today,” she says. Asked where she finds strength when life becomes difficult, her answer is equally direct: prayer. “Why should I ask people when I can ask God?” she says. Tales from the set Away from the courtroom, the camaraderie between the actors appears to have been one of the lighter aspects of the shoot. Bajwa describes Himanshi as someone who brings a spark to the set, while she recalls distributing candies to the cast and crew, much to the amusement — and occasional frustration — of those watching their diets. For Bajwa, the series has also opened up the possibility of another chapter. Encouraged by the response to the trailer, he hopes viewers will connect with the story strongly enough for a second season or another instalment, and Bajwa hints at theatrical release. As for Bajwa’s next experiment, he offers little more than a tantalising hint: “Apocalypse.” For now, however, the spotlight remains on Advocate Chauhan — a story that gives Bajwa another opportunity to push Punjabi storytelling into a different space. Advocate Chauhan releases on Chaupal on August 27. B mohali OOKS, stories and the joy of reading have taken centre stage in Mohali as Kitab Lovers’ popular Load The Box Book Fair has begun at Mohali Walk, Sector 62. The 9-day book fair, being held from August 22 to August 30, is open daily from 11am to 10 pm, offering book lovers an opportunity to discover and take home a wide range of books at affordable prices. Kaziah Liz Mejo crowned Miss Universe India 2026 Nineteenyear-old law student Kaziah Liz Mejo from Kerala was crowned Miss Universe India 2026 at a grand finale held at Zee Studios in Jaipur on August 23. Mejo emerged as the winner from a field of 52 national finalists, succeeding Miss Universe India 2025 Manika Vishwakarma, who passed on the crown during the finale. Tamil Nadu’s Vaishnavi Gannesh was named first runner-up and was also crowned Miss International India 2026. Anushri Satavlekar of Gujarat finished second runner-up, while Maharashtra’s Tejaswini Shrivastava and Uttarakhand’s Anubha Vashisth were named third and fourth runners-up, respectively. The judging panel included Bollywood actor and India’s first Miss Universe, Sushmita Sen; actress and former Miss Universe India, Urvashi Rautela, Miss Universe India 2024 Rhea Singha, and environmentalist and film producer Pragya Kapoor. Former Miss India Universe and Miss Universe Runner-up, Celina Jaitly was also a part of the selection process. The contestants were evaluated on confidence, eloquence and stage presence during the competition. Following her national title, Mejo will begin preparations for the global Miss Universe competition. Mejo is set to represent the country at the 75th Miss Universe pageant, scheduled to take place in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in November 2026. —ANI KAZIAH LIZ MEJO Director and actor Tannishtha Chatterjee’s directorial Full Plate brought the 17th edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2026 to a close on August 23, bringing the curtains down on the festival with a story that explored food, identity, patriarchy and a woman’s search for individuality. The film, starring Kirti Kulhari in the lead, was screened as the festival’s Closing Night film. Lead actor of the film, Sharib Hashmi, was present in person to present the film to Australian audiences. Full Plate follows a homemaker with an innate gift for cooking, whose relationship with food becomes a way of asserting her identity in a world that constantly expects her to conform. At its heart, the film looks at the everyday negotiations women make within family and society while finding their own voice and sense of self. — TNS CHAT UP TWIN GIRLS FOR ANUSHKA, ADITYA Bollywood actors Anushka Ranjan and Aditya Seal welcomed twin baby girls, announcing their arrival on social media late on August 23. The couple revealed the names of their new borns — Vira Ranjan Seal and Mahi Ranjan Seal. BREAKING A LEG, LITERALLY Kartik Aaryan has shared his first social media update after undergoing knee surgery following an injury on the sets of filmmaker Kabir Khan’s upcoming film. Along with the post, Kartik used a reference to his director Kabir Khan and wrote, “Kabir sir said — Break a leg.” REMEMBERING AUDREY URVASHI RAUTELA, CELINA JAITLY & RHEA SINGHA c m y b IFFM 2026 ends with Full Plate Audrey Hepburn’s son Sean Hepburn Ferrer has opened up about the legendary actress’ journey to becoming a global icon, saying she never expected stardom and never fully realised how special she was. In a conversation with People, Ferrer has co-authored her biography ‘Intimate Audrey’ with Wendy Holden.