02102026-LSTL-01.qxd 10/1/2026 8:04 PM Page 1 c m y b JAIDEEP TALKS ABOUT DRISHYAM Talking about joining Drishyam The Conclusion, Jaideep Ahlawat shares, “When you enter a successful franchise, I think your first responsibility is to understand the world you are entering. Every franchise develops its own rhythm, its own relationship with the audience, and Drishyam has a very specific tone.” TRIBUNE Life Nonika Singh T Alia to present Earthshot award Alia Bhatt will present one of the five awards at The Earthshot Prize 2026 Awards Night in Mumbai. The ceremony will bring together guests from the film, music, sport and entertainment industries, as well as people and organisations involved in environmental initiatives. About 5,000 guests are expected to attend the event. Alia will join Oscar-winning actor Rami Malek, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and British actress Simone Ashley, who are also among the presenters and special guests. The event will be hosted by Karan Johar. Speaking about her involvement, Alia said, “The Earthshot Prize is really about hope… but hope that comes with ideas, action and people who are finding new ways forward. That’s what makes it so inspiring to be a part of.” — ANI OGETHER they rue how the ecosystem of independent cinema in India is all but nonexistent. Yet, the talented trio behind the Busan-bound Hindi-Nepalese film Khoriya intend to stick behind their vision and individual voices. In a no-holds barred exclusive conversation with us, director Vishwendra Singh, actress-turned-producer Niharika Singh and internationally acclaimed filmmaker Ashim Ahluwalia do not mince words… The idea to make Khoriya, which literally takes off from the word khor, meaning cage, came when Vishwendra decided to make a documentary on the omnipresent yet invisible Nepalese migrants in India. But since Nepalese do not have a high degree of trust in what they call ‘mainland Indians’ people from Delhi and Mumbai, Vishwendra turned towards fiction to tell their story. Niharika, who acted in Ashim’s festival favourite Miss Lovely, came on board as a producer for she had seen independent makers struggle up close and personal. She wanted to help young directors but to begin with it had to be someone they already knew. And who better than Vishwendra, who had been in their team for long! All three had worked together in the popular Netflix web series Mainstream cinema might be acquiring woke sensibility but its engine remains masala and is not authentic. ASHIM AHLUWALIA Trailer launch Yami Gautam poses for photographers during the trailer launch of her upcoming film Nayyi Navelly in Mumbai. This Balaji Mohan directorial releases in cinemas on October 16. LUDHIANA | FRIDAY | 2 OCTOBER 2026 ‘Nepalese in India are like Mexicans in America’ Meet Ashim Ahluwalia, Niharika Singh and Vishwendra Singh, the talented trio behind the Busan-bound Hindi-Nepalese film Khoriya, which shines a light on the omnipresent yet often invisible lives of Nepalese migrants in India Class too. When you have known each other for many years at a professional level, Vishwendra admits that the line between personal and professional life often gets blurred. As executive producer, Ashim’s job was to align the film creatively with global sensibilities, make it more accessible to audiences, and ensure that what Vishwendra wanted to say came across effectively. Whether the film is about migrants looking for a home or a city that refuses to let certain sections feel at home, Vishwendra admits, “It’s a bit of both.” At another level the film mirrors the battle between aspiration and survival which in a way is a story of all of us. Yet, Vishwendra feels, “Everything depends on where you fall in the social hierarchy and these specific migrants are often lost for they don’t have power/control over their lives.” Ashim asserts, “We are all migrants, yet not very tolerant of them. Nepalese in India are like Mexicans in America.” Being a Punjabi, would Ashim ever care to tell the story of Punjabis’ quest to migrate to greener pastures? Honestly, he is more keen on individual Punjabi stories. At one point, he had even contemplated making one on the life of Bindy Johal, an IndoCanadian gangster from Vancouver. He asserts, “Mainstream Hindi cinema is running out of ideas and pilfering from art-house Indie cinema. Since audiences are no longer buying a 55-year-old superstar playing a college student, they copy, paste from indie films but it’s all wall papering and not authentic.” Though his Class won rave reviews, he is equally harsh while rating OTT platforms. He professes, “In web series, the director is no more than a manager, merely carrying forth someone else’s vision. Trying to do your own thing in An actor is more like a puppet, acting more of a narcissistic exercise while producing is both challenging and rewarding. NIHARIKA SINGH such an ecosystem can be very tiring and becomes a battle.” Precisely why, he would not direct another season of Class and stick to indie films. An international co-production is in the pipeline about which he can’t divulge much. With Khoriya all set to be screened at Windows on Asian Cinema Section at the prestigious Busan International Film Festival, he observes, “Festival tag elevates a director’s status and ensures there is less struggle while making the second film. Besides, it WHAT’S HOT ‘Technology cannot fix a mindset’ AI, technology, progress, but what about women’s safety? Celebrities question watch chandigarh A WALK THROUGH HISTORY A NTIQUE collector Opinder Kaur Sekhon is organising a special exhibition, A Walk Through History Display of Antiques & Heirlooms from October 2 to 4 at House No. 38, Sector 2. The exhibition will showcase a fascinating collection of traditional and antique items, including Jaisalmer bullock cart, sandookhs, hammams and more. play panchkula GET DEVOTIONAL M ANOJ MUNTASHIR is bringing his devotional theatrical show Krishna: Radha Se Ranbhumi Tak to the Indradhanush Auditorium in on October 3 and 4. Watch Krishna’s enchanting unfold on stage in 2 hours and 15 minutes’ show is in Hindi. Age Limit: 12 years and above. love amritsar HERITAGE TALK C HALO Amritsar, a women volunteers’ initiative dedicated to restoring the environmental and cultural heritage of Amritsar will host a town hall. The event will be held at GNDU on October 9 from 2.30 pm onwards. Women’s safety continues to be a concern even in 2026. Questions on the safety and dignity of women and girls keep cropping up, from the alleged sexual assault of a five-year-old in Delhi to the disturbing Jamui incident involving a schoolgirl. At the same time, women are constantly under pressure about their bodies and looks and celebrities like Katrina Kaif are also exposed to body-shaming comments. In 2026, why are women still expected to fight for basic safety, dignity and respect? Are we becoming technologically smarter while our mentality towards women continues to deteriorate? We ask celebrities what they think about this growing contradiction and here’s what they have to say: (Clockwise from left) Aalisha Panwar, Gulfam Khan Hussain, Aishwarya Raj Bhakuni, Neha Harsora & Adrija Roy ensures audiences for the film, almost equivalent to a mainstream movie, if it does a good festival circuit.” For someone who pinpoints glaring flaws in the current ecosphere of entertainment, he is strangely optimistic. “From a time when you could barely finish a sentence while pitching your idea to when you can actually finish an indie film, whatever may be the odds in terms of finance and distribution, things have improved.” If his contribution in keeping indie scene alive can’t be undermined, Niharika is determined to follow the same path. While facing the camera early on, she realised producers are not interested in cinema, ‘only in numbers and box-office figures.’ Hence this winner of Miss India Earth beauty pageant would only act if she is the producer on the project. In Khoriya, essentially revolving around two Nepali brothers, she does wish the heroine’s part was longer. She winces, “I aspire for that in every film but I guess there is a male gaze which can’t completely get into woman’s skin. Hope Vishy’s (Vishwendra) next has bigger room for women characters.” And, she is there to ensure next happens not only for him but all those who believe in what Charlotte Brontë said, “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.” These specific migrants are often lost for they don’t have power/control over their lives. VISHWENDRA SINGH CHAT UP JIM CARREY WEDS MIN AH Jim Carrey has married his longtime girlfriend, Min Ah in a private ceremony. According to sources, the marriage comes seven months after the couple were photographed together at France’s Cesar Awards, where Carrey publicly thanked Min Ah and called her his “sublime companion.” Lack of empathy: Adrija Roy I think that’s the contradiction we’re living with. We’ve progressed so much in terms of technology, but basic empathy seems to be missing. A woman shouldn’t have to think twice before stepping out, and she certainly shouldn’t have to feel ashamed of her body. We need to ask ourselves what kind of progress we’re actually making. JACK O’CONNELL AS JAMES BOND? Need for change: Aalisha Panwar You hear about a girl being unsafe on the street, you see another woman being judged for her body, and you wonder, when does this actually change? We cannot normalise these things. Cruel reality: Gulfam Khan Hussain What era are we living in? Where are people going with their behaviour, attitude? We are definitely deteriorating mentally. We speak about progress, landing on the moon and reaching summits, but the ground reality is cruel. Women are still objectified, girls are still intimidated, children are raped and people are body shamed. In my opinion, women don’t ‘need’ to be stronger, they are stronger in many ways. What is needed is for us to teach the rest of the society how to behave. This is not our culture, we come from a beautiful land of virtue, high moral values, good ethics and discipline. c m y b Without fear: Aishwarya Raj Bhakuni What worries me most is what we are teaching the next generation. A five-yearold should be thinking about toys, not safety. And a grown woman should be able to exist without being judged. That’s the minimum we should be asking for. Technology vs mindset: Neha Harsora We have become advanced technologically, but technology cannot fix the mindset. That has to come from us. Until we learn to respect women, their choices, their boundaries and their safety, we cannot really call ourselves a progressive society. Danny Boyle has confirmed that the third instalment of the 28 Years Later franchise is in development, revealing that the upcoming film will feature Cillian Murphy. Speaking at the Zurich Film Festival, Boyle also shared his thoughts on the search for the next James Bond actor, backing his Ink star Jack O’Connell for the iconic role. FAN MOMENT FOR LILLY SINGH! Actor-comedian and YouTuber Lilly Singh recently had a fan moment at Shreya Ghoshal’s The Unstoppable concert in Los Angeles, where she met the singer backstage. Sharing pictures and videos from the evening, Lilly called it a special moment for her younger self, who grew up watching Hindi films and listening to the music.