12102026-LSTL-01.qxd 10/11/2026 8:24 PM Page 1 c m y b MAHA DEVI ADISHAKTI FIRST LOOK The first look of the upcoming animated film Maha Devi Adishakti comes at the start of Navratri. Directed by Milind Nandanwar, the film is set to release in cinemas in February 2027. TRIBUNE Life W ITH a career spanning over four decades in Hindi and Marathi cinema, Ajinkya Deo has had a standout 2026, with four major releases across theatre and streaming. In Prahaar: The Ujjwal Nikam Story, releasing on October 16, he plays the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) who backs Nikam’s appointment to the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case. He was recently seen in 120 Bahadur and Brown, and is also part of the much-anticipated Ramayana, slated for release around Diwali. What drew you to a film built around Ujjwal Nikam’s courtroom journey? On road to recovery Nushrratt shares first social media update after Bali accident, says ‘Picture abhi baaki hai...’ Birthday wishes Prahaar tells the untold story of Ujjwal Nikam, and that alone made it worth doing. Courtroom and true-crime dramas work better when the story is real, and the stakes are real, and Prahaar offers both. In addition, I think the story has greater importance now, as audiences are craving stories that reveal what happens behind the headlines, and what it takes to get justice done. The interesting part about my character is the officer who first saw Nikam arguing cases in the lower courts and was deeply impressed. He strongly proposed Nikam’s name to the State for the bomb blasts case. By the time of Kasab, Nikam was the lawyer everyone trusted. So it is a pivotal part, and I’m honoured to have been given it. Amitabh Bachchan celebrated his 84th birthday on Sunday, with fans and fellow celebrities showering the Bollywood megastar with heartfelt wishes. His fans also offered prayers in Prayagraj. LUDHIANA | MONDAY | 12 OCTOBER 2026 Substance over screen time He is the link between the investigation and the courtroom. He pushes for Nikam to take on the bomb blasts case, and he’s central to putting things together so that, in the end, Kasab was hanged. The scenes that weighed on me most were the Looking ahead, what kind of stories or filmmakers do you want to work with next, and what do you hope audiences take away from Prahaar? ones in the war room, because you’re recreating a night that many people still carry with them, and you feel a responsibility to get it right. My scenes with Rajkummar were another high point. He is fantastic as Ujjwal Nikam, and his intensity made it easy to find the depth in those moments. There was a good rhythm between us during the scenes. Audiences have seen you in 120 Bahadur and Brown, and now a 26/11 drama. Is there a thread in the roles you choose? I’m picky, but not overly so. I am always inclined towards the roles that make a difference to the film and give the audience a perspective. There has to be meat in it, something people remember when they walk out, even if the role is less screen time. In my previous Actress Nushrratt Bharuccha shared her first social media update with fans after suffering a spinal fracture in an accident in Bali earlier this month. The actress, who was brought back to Mumbai for further treatment, shared an Instagram Story featuring an empty reclining wheelchair placed near a large window, with the sun setting outside. Along with the picture, she shared a short message about how the accident had changed her view of life. “Been chasing sunsets forever, And just like that…my view changed. But, Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost,” she wrote. The post marks her first personal update since news of her injury came out. Nushrratt had travelled to Bali for work, but the trip later turned into a work-cum-holiday. During her stay, she met with an accident and suffered a spinal fracture. — ANI chandigarh WHAT’S PASTA MEETS POD T chandigarh HE pairing of bold flavours with a sense of theatre, serving pasta edamame tossed with greens and drinks that perfectly complement the bold flavours. A good pick for anyone who eats with their eyes first. Flint, Sector 7, Chandigarh play BEYOND BHAJAN T chandigarh AGORE Theatre hosts Antara, a bhajan jamming experience curated by Kashi with Anshu, bringing together 800 people for two hours of devotional music. Tagore Theatre, Chandigarh, on October 25. read CODING EQUITY A DVOCATE Arti Kaur’s Coding Equity examines AI-driven discrimination against minorities and proposes an AI Non-Discrimination Act to safeguard constitutional rights and promote equity. I’m looking forward to more roles with substance. I want to work with filmmakers who take their stories seriously and give a character room to matter, whatever the size of the part. I think my seniority and experience fit a lot of slots that are open right now. I can’t say more yet, but there will be plenty to talk about soon. From Prahaar, I hope audiences take away the reality behind what happened and what Mr Ujjwal Nikam did, and that they come out of the theatre having felt it. Kriti’s Navratri celebrations Actress Kriti Kharbanda marked the first day of Navratri by sharing a stunning photograph. Dressed in a vibrant orange outfit, with intricate mehendi adorning her hands, the actress embraced the festive spirit with elegance. Dedicated to Maa Shailputri, Day 1 of Navratri symbolises new beginnings, inner strength and vitality. Sharing the photograph on social media, Kriti captioned it, “Navratri ka pehla din embodying the sacred energy of new beginnings, inner strength, and vitality with Maa Shailputri.” Vidyut turns Street Fighter Actor Vidyut Jammwal believes Indian cinema has the ability to create action spectacles just like Hollywood as both industries work with the same pool of technicians with the key difference being the time and resources available to execute their vision. Jammwal, who is making his Hollywood debut with Street Fighter, the live-action adaptation of the popular video game of the same name, gave the example of SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali franchise. HOT eat Prahaar and Ramayana release close together, and they couldn’t be more different. What is it like to move between them? It’s wonderful to have two such different films come out back-to-back. Prahaar is a courtroom drama that will keep audiences riveted, and it shows them the reality behind what happened. Ramayana is an epic and a completely different canvas. One asks for restraint and realism, the other for scale and gravitas, and as an actor, that contrast is what keeps the work exciting. I’m proud to be part of both truly. Veteran actor Ajinkya Deo on playing a pivotal cop in Prahaar, the reality behind the 26/11 attacks, and moving between courtroom drama and the epic Ramayana Where does your character sit in that story, and was there a scene where you felt the weight of the material most? film, 120 Bahadur, I played the Brigadier, a strong figure who stood behind his soldiers and ran the war room front. Brown was a dark, negative character. The potency of a role matters more to me than its length. The actor says time, not talent, separates Indian and Hollywood action films Olivia welcomes second baby Model Olivia Culpo and her husband, NFL star Christian McCaffrey, have welcomed their second child, a baby boy named Roman Augustus McCaffrey. The couple shared the news in a joint Instagram post, revealing that their son was born on September 29. They also shared blackand-white pictures from the hospital, showing Culpo holding her newborn “We work with the same technicians as they do, and there is no difference. In my movies, I’ve worked with the best in the world and they are the same people who work over there. I think the difference is that what we shoot in 10 days, they shoot in four months. The liberty of time, the luxury of spending too much time to create something is what they have that we don’t normally use. “But now that’s what we are doing. If you see movies like Baahubali, they have taken a while to be made. And because they have taken a while, you can see the results.” Street Fighter will be released in theatres in India on October 16. — PTI with McCaffrey by her side. One of the pictures also featured the couple’s 14month-old daughter, Colette, as she looked at her younger brother. Another picture showed Culpo holding Roman in a garden, with Colette standing beside her. Sharing their son’s name, Culpo captioned the post, “Roman Augustus McCaffrey”. — ANI Nicolas Cage criticises Amazon, says he may not work with studio again Actor Nicolas Cage has criticised Amazon over its alleged use of artificial intelligence, saying he refused to sign a waiver allowing the technology to be used on his series Spider-Noir and may not work with the studio again. Cage made the remarks during a panel at New York Comic Con on Saturday, where he also hinted that he would feature in the upcoming fifth season of HBO’s crime anthology series True Detective, “Amazon is a very AIfriendly company, to the tune of c m y b ‘Not an AI-friendly actor’ USD 50 billion invested in OpenAI. I am not an AI-friendly actor, so it’s like, connect those dots! I’m not a member of their club. I didn’t sign the waiver to let him use AI on Spider Noir. I’m probably not going to be working with that studio again, but that’s okay,” Cage said. Spider-Noir, based on Marvel’s Spider-Man Noir comics, features Cage as Ben Reilly, a seasoned private investigator in 1930s New York who is forced to confront his past as the city’s only superhero following a personal tragedy. It was released in May on Amazon’s streaming service Prime Video. The live-action series was cancelled by the streamer after one season last month despite it receiving 11 Emmy nomina- tions, the highest number among the streamer’s programmes that year. Cage, however, said he was keen to explore more television projects and revealed that his next assignment could be the fifth season of True Detective. “My agent’s out there somewhere listening. That’s okay that I’m the first to announce that, right?” he quipped. True Detective, created by Nic Pizzolatto, is an anthology crime drama. — PTI