22092026-LSTL-01.qxd 9/21/2026 8:13 PM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE MEET GENTLEMAN SPYMASTER Bhumi turns for Nazranaa Collection Samskriti 2.0 brings India’s extraordinary temples, texts and intellectual traditions to NYFW collection, Samskriti 2.0 drew from India’s architecture, spirituality, festivals, literature, mathematics and poetry, translating centuries-old ideas into contemporary couture. “For us, Samskriti was a defining moment in our design language,” Shashank Gupta, cofounder and designer of Nazranaa, said. “With Samskriti 2.0, we continue using fashion to bring India’s extraordinary temples, texts and intellectual traditions to a global audience. We want each garment to spark curiosity about the story behind it.” Pednekar wore a handembroidered velvet lehenga and blouse inspired by the Ramakrishna Temple at Belur Math. “Closing the show for Nazranaa’s Samskriti 2.0 felt incredibly special because of the way they took stories, symbols and traditions that are so deeply rooted in India and translated them into beautiful, modern couture. The craftsmanship of Belur Math-inspired look was extraordinary, and wearing something with so much thought and meaning behind every detail made the moment feel extremely powerful,” said Pednekar. — PTI “I could kiss Annie for the rest of my life,” Dakota Johnson jokes about her Verity co-star Anne Hathaway ahead of the film’s October 2 release. LUDHIANA | TUESDAY | 22 SEPTEMBER 2026 Varun Kaushik C showstopper India’s rich architecture, spirituality, festivals and culture served as inspirations for a collection of contemporary couture showcased at the New York Fashion Week by a leading South Asian bridalwear brand founded by an Indian-American sibling designer duo. Nazranaa, the South Asian fashion and bridalwear brand founded by sibling designer duo Shivangi Gupta Singh and Shashank Gupta, unveiled its Spring-Summer 2027 collection Samskriti 2.0 here during the New York Fashion Week. Bollywood actor Bhumi Pednekar was the evening’s showstopper, bringing the collection’s celebration of Indian heritage and craftsmanship to a dramatic finale. Last year, the sibling designer duo had unveiled its SpringSummer 2026 collection Samskriti at the New York Fashion Week through Nazranaa. Building on last year’s Kiss & tell Life Dharma Productions has announced a feature film on Rameshwar Nath Kao, the founder and first chief of India’s external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). The film, based on Nitin Gokhale’s book Gentleman Spymaster, is scheduled to release in cinemas worldwide on August 11, 2028. hef Sanjeev Kapoor was christened India’s first celebrity chef at a time when the term itself had yet to arrive in the country. It was still stuck at customs, presumably waiting for someone to figure out how to plate it. On a sun-drenched Monday afternoon on the CGC campus in Landran, he sits with the unhurried assurance of a man who has long since made peace with his own reflection. There is not a jittery bone in his body, no desperate reaching for the next clever thing to say. He talks about authenticity, his Chandigarh-themed sneakers and the strange, enduring ways in which food carries a civilisation’s memory. About the Woman who has long been the custodian of the kitchen, passing down stories masquerading as recipes. Here as the guest of honour of Kahin Gum Na Ho Jayein – Season 9, an initiative that aims to celebrate India’s forgotten culinary heritage and the knowledge carried through its kitchens, Kapoor turns his attention to the recipes and traditions at risk of slipping quietly into obscurity. The initiative travels across 23 locations in India, with this season extending to the USA, Canada and New Zealand, before bringing regional winners together for a grand finale in New Delhi. Its premise is simple enough, and perhaps all the more urgent for it: culture survives when someone remembers to cook it. “In India – probably more than anywhere else – the real celebrity chefs are the homemakers… It’s just that some people, like myself, get more fame,” he ‘Homemakers are the real celebrities’ proclaims in his trademark cadence, equal parts conviction and kindness. “Which is unfair.” He speaks of the need to celebrate and reward the women who cook and care for their families without expecting applause. “ Agar ghar wale hi, apne ghar mein apni maa, behen, patni ko celebrity samajhna shuru kar dein (If the family itself begins to consider its mother, sister and wife a celebrity), that’s it,” he says. You don’t need the world to confer the title. You need the people at home to recognise what has been in front of them all along. “Sirf itna hi keh dein, ‘Kitna achha bana hai’(All they need to say is, ‘This is so delicious’). Duniya ko kehne ki koi zaroorat nahi hai (There is no need for the world to say it).” IN THE PURSUIT OF AUTHENTIC In a world increasingly obsessed with food being ‘authentic’, but where recipes travel across borders, generations and cultures, how does one distinguish between preserving a culinary heritage and allowing it to evolve? For Kapoor, the answer is rooted in his own understanding of what authenticity means. “To me, authentic is what I do. So, I’ve only done everything authentic. It’s Sanjeev Kapoor authentic,” he says. “There’s a lot that people have to learn… to see what authenticity is.” There is something almost mischievous about the certainty. In an industry forever reinventing its packaging, Kapoor seems content to leave the label intact. A DISH CALLED CHANDIGARH Then, with the conversation running on borrowed time, he offers Chandigarh a three-word description. “If Chandigarh were a dish, what would be three words you’d use to describe it?” “Come here soon,” he says. City Beautiful becomes the invitation. A chef who has made a career out of feeding people, still choosing, in the end, to ask them to come closer. And perhaps that is what Kapoor means when he says India was always ready for a woman celebrity chef: the women participants from Panchkula and Sirsa insisting on reviving forgotten recipes for their children because they are healthier; the Patiala participant, as proudly dolled up as her display, presenting her heritage with unmistakable pride; and the young CGC student insisting on a traditional, tomato-free thali, because her culinary roots, and her longing, belong to the Punjab of before 1947. The women in these kitchens have been carrying the recipes, the memory and the culture all along. Chef Sanjeev Kapoor on authenticity, the women who keep culture alive through food and how ultimate recognition begins right at the family dinner table PHOTOS: RAVI KUMAR REUTERS chandigarh HOT eat PAN ASIAN PLATTER ISTOCK WHAT’S P AN-Asian food at reasonable prices, with a good variety of sushi, dimsums and ramen — the Honey Lotus Steam comes highly recommended. Head to Marhaba Cafe, Sector 16, Chandigarh, to dig in. chandigarh play Ed Sheeran broke down in tears during his concert at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Saturday, saying he felt abandoned by friends, family and people he had known for years amid the controversy surrounding Macklemore’s removal from his Loop Tour. Reflecting on what he described as ‘a weird week’, Sheeran told the audience that people had urged him to cancel the tour and that several people close to W ATCH Metamorphos by Utsav Kala Manch at Tagore Theatre sector 18 Chandigarh. The play is part of four-day Tricity Theatre Festival. On Septemebr 22, 6:30 pm. H AIR 1 COMEDY ARSHIT Mahawar, who quit his corporate job without telling his parents to pursue stand-up full time, brings his sharp wit and relatable observations — including his playful take on the LinkedIn algorithm — for an evening full of laughter. Catch it at The Laugh Club, Chandigarh, on September 27, 6:00 pm onwards. him had backed away. Sheeran said the continued ticket sales for his Philadelphia show gave him a different perspective. “In the back of my mind, I saw the ticket sales for this gig, and I did’t see cancellations; I saw people buying tickets for this gig,” he said, adding, “I look at the end of the week and I see 50,000 people who haven’t abandoned me,” he said, adding, “People will say what they want, but I am doing this for you. I love you. I love this. Sheeran described the concert as the best show of his life, while calling the preceding week one of the worst he had experienced. — ANI …says friends and family ‘abandoned’ him amid Macklemore controversy METAMORPHOS laugh chandigarh Ed Sheeran breaks down on stage Sharvari calls Royal Opera House the perfect start toYeh Prem Mol Liya promotions Sharvari celebrated the music launch of her upcoming film Yeh Prem Mol Liya with a special evening at Mumbai’s iconic Royal Opera House, a venue she describes as deeply connected to the experience of generations watching stories, songs and films come alive. Sharing a glimpse from the music launch on Instagram, Sharvari reflected on the significance of the venue and the occasion. “Royal Opera House, where generations came together with their families to watch stories, songs and films come alive. What a beautiful place to begin promotions for a Sooraj Barjatya film — Yeh Prem Mol Liya!” she wrote. The occasion was all the more special for Sharvari as Yeh Prem Mol PREM’S BACK… Liya marks her first collaboration with Sooraj Barjatya and Ayushmann Khurrana. With the film rooted in emotion, family and music, the historic venue made for a fitting setting to unveil its music a moment Sharvari described as one she would “hold close to her heart.” Yeh Prem Mol Liya, directed by Sooraj Barjatya and starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Sharvari, is slated to release on November 27, 2026. AYUSHMANN KHURRANA & SHARVARI c m y b Love & longing in Aarzu Singer duo KhoslaRaghu talk about their latest album that brings together different shades of love Blending emotive melodies with modern production, the duo KhoslaRaghu from Mumbai has been carving a distinct space for themselves with music that feels intimate, relatable and deeply rooted in real emotions. Thy have dropped two songs — Bewajah and Mile Jo Sukoon — that are part of the album Aarzu that drops in October. Aarzu explores different shades of love, tell us how the album came about? We didn’t really sit down and decide that we had to cover these emotions one by one. The songs naturally started coming together around different experiences and feelings. When we looked at them as a collection, we realised there was a common thread running through all of them. Love isn’t just one emotion, we wanted the album to reflect that. What made Bewajah and Mile Jo Sukoon the right starting point for introducing listeners to Aarzu? We felt both songs show two very different sides of what Aarzu is about. Bewajah has that excitement and restlessness of falling for someone, while Mile Jo Sukoon has a much more settled and emotional feeling to it. We wanted to give people a sense of the range of the album without giving too much away. There are still three songs left, and they take the story in different directions. KhoslaRaghu has built its audience independently, without traditional label machinery. What have you learnt about finding and retaining an audience? You can’t really force people to connect with a song. You can put it out, but what happens after that is in the hands of the listener. A lot of our growth has happened through people sharing our music with their friends and coming back to our older songs. That kind of connection takes time, but it means a lot to us.