02052024-LSTL-01.qxd 5/1/2024 9:57 PM Page 1 c m y b CARLA TO PLAY VIVIEN LEIGH Carla Gugino has been roped in to play Hollywood legend Vivien Leigh in the in the forthcoming biopic The Florist. Two-time Oscar winner Leigh is known for playing Scarlett O'Hara in 1939's Hollywood classic Gone With the Wind. Gugino is known for her work in Gerald’s Game, the Spy Kids films and The Unborn. TRIBUNE Word wise Huma Qureshi has shared a video on Instagram where she is seen stepping into a bookstore. There, she spots her maiden novel Zeba: An Accidental Superhero. LUDHIANA | THURSDAY | 2 MAY 2024 Hail the fighting spirit! It’s a world where OTT is ruling, and Gaurav is happy the space has generated a lot of healthy competition. “OTT has provided a gamut of options for good actors, who earlier used to waste away due to lack of opportunities. Now, they can showcase their talent and be applauded across the globe. Also, content is king and OTT has challenged the big screen in this regard. The audience monitors everything, has an array of choices and, therefore, relevant stories don’t go missing. This competition that OTT provides to the film industry augurs well for the future times. The narrative of filmmaking has surely changed,” he opines. Vikrant Parmar F OR director Gaurav Rana, whose debut Hindi movie Mai Ladega saw a theatrical release and a good one at that, there are two types of people in the film industry — ones who want to be seen on screen and ones who want to show on screen. He claims to be steadfast in the latter category! Gaurav is known for Punjabi projects like Seeto Marjani, Channa Ve, Chithi and Rihaa. But first up, Mai Ladega. “It is a movie that is based on a beautiful relation between a mother and a son. The core around which the whole plot is based is that sometimes in life we forget the greater purpose and get stuck with the situation at hand. That leads to our downfall. The film highlights that whenever life puts you down, one should stand up and fight back,” says Gaurav, Chandigarh lad who is currently based in Mumbai. The plot having been picked from real life, the film has been shot in Hardwar, Nainital and Mumbai. “It is about how sports, boxing in this case, teaches you a lot in life — how to overcome hurdles and forge a Filmmaker Gaurav Rana, who had to pick fresh faces due to budget constraints, is happy that his film Mai Ladega is generating a positive buzz Up next will of iron. Another factor that it underlines is the importance of mental wellbeing. Often ignored in our part of the world, mental health is something that needs care. A young lad in this movie faces an abusive father, but stands firm besides his mother. Their emotional bond is amplified through a song, Mai Meri, sung beautifully by Sonu Nigam,” he adds. The cast, including Akash Pratap Singh, Gandharv Dewan, Jyoti Gauba, Ashwath Bhatt and Vallari Viraj, is fairly new, barring Bhatt, who has essayed a few noteworthy roles in Bollywood. “We decided to pick fresh faces as being newcomers in the industry, we did not have much backing. There were budget constraints as well, but we got good actors who fit into our space,” he says. Fruitful journey Gaurav, whose childhood interests lay in reading and storytelling, completed a course in animation from Chandigarh before moving RIP McCardie More than three decades before Aamir Khan’s train stunt in Ghulam (1998), this actor did a daredevil challenge on screen! Balraj Sahni also involved Meena Kumari in his risky ruse in Pinjre ke Panchhi (1966), which — in another strange resemblance with Aamir’s film — was shot at Khandala. The scene had her walking on the rail tracks in a bid to commit suicide, even as he ran after her and managed to pull her aside from the rushing train at the last minute. The filmmaker only wanted shots of Sahni running after her and pulling her away; those were to be juxtapositioned later. Sahni, however, knew that a train would pass the spot soon, and if they moved fast, the whole scene could be filmed there only. He asked the director, who, in turn, asked the actress, and she agreed. With all arrangements in place, he started chasing Meena Kumari amid shrill whistles from the approaching train’s driver, who ‘must have been horrified to see us right in the middle of the track’. The train must have been only a few yards away when Sahni dragged Meena Kumari away, he recalled in his autobiography Meri Filmi Atamkatha. The shot came out perfect, but Sahni, who was above 50 then, only later realised how he had imperilled both of them. Going to her hotel room to apologise, he found her sitting with her head in her hands. He acknowledged his recklessness but also questioned why she went along. “You were so very keen on taking that shot at one go! How could I then stop you?” was Meena Kumari’s disarming response with a rare smile. This aim of realism marked the film career of Balraj Sahni, born on May 1 in Rawalpindi in 1913. — IANS When actor Balraj Sahni raced against a real train for a film scene First look of Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis unveiled The wait is finally over as the first look image of Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis has been revealed. The project follows the rebuilding of a metropolis after it has fallen into decline, with two competing visions — one from the idealist architect Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver), the other Line of Duty star Brian McCardie passes away at 59 Actor Brian McCardie, best known for his role as crime boss Tommy Hunter in Line of Duty, is no more. He was 59. McCardie died ‘suddenly at home’ on Sunday, his sister Sarah announced on X. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Brian James McCardie (59), beloved son, brother, uncle and dear friend to so many. Brian passed away suddenly at home on April 28. A wonderful and passionate actor on stage and screen, Brian loved his work,” she wrote. Born on January 22, 1965, and raised near Glasgow, McCardie appeared on the BBC soap opera EastEnders in one of his earlier roles. The Scottish actor went on to play gang lord turned police informant, Tommy Hunter, on the first two seasons of the BBC drama Line of Duty (2012-14) and more recently showed up on other British series such as Time, Crime, The Tower and Domina, as also the miniseries Rebellion. Other screen credits for McCardie included films Rob Roy, Filth and The Damned United, where he played legendary Scottish footballer Dave Mackay. — ANI to Mumbai. As a director, he anchored as many as 200 episodes of Hindi show Crime Patrol from 2010 to 2015. “I have a keen interest in visual effects too and was part of Hollywood film Clash of the Titans. In Bollywood, I have been part of the visual effects’ team of films like Raavan, Housefull and more,” he beams. As for his upcoming projects, there is a Punjabi web series and another Hindi film in the pipeline. “Youngsters don’t train enough, but want immediate fame in today’s world. Any budding filmmaker should first focus on short films and hone their craft, before jumping into the deeper end. Give yourself time to train,” is his advice to aspiring filmmakers. Makes a whole lot of sense! Daredevil act Supermodel Bella Hadid steps back from the modelling world ‘I am feeling better’ Supermodel Bella Hadid has shared that she is taking a step back from her glamorous career and starting anew in Texas with her ‘partner’ Adan Banuelo. “After 10 years of modelling, I realised I was putting so much energy and effort into something that, in the longer run, wasn’t necessarily giving back to me,” Hadid said. She shared that her life in Texas was different from how it was before, as she had found a strong group of friends that she hung out with and she had the ‘best time’ever. She never felt like she needed to do ‘too much’ when it came to getting herself ready for a night out with them. “For the first time now, I’m not putting on a fake face. If I don’t feel good, I won’t go. If I don’t feel good, I take time for myself… And I’ve never had the opportunity to do that or say that before,” she said. “Now when anybody sees me in pictures and they say, I look happy, I genuinely am. I am feeling better; my bad days now were my old good days,” the 27-year-old supermodel added. In the past year, Hadid had quietly been working on her mental and physical health. She had even spoken about her battle with Lyme disease on social media and had shared that she was ‘finally healthy’. — IANS Clear in her stance Alaya F would do Khoon Bhari Maang remake if not made in a ‘gimmicky way’ Actress Alaya F has shown interest in starring in a period drama and spoken about what would it take for her to feature in a remake of Kabir Bedi and Rekha-starrer Khoon Bhari Maang. About the 1988 film, Alaya said, “If people think it’s right then sure, and if they don’t do it in a gimmicky way. I feel like when these gimmicky things happen, then I am not for it. If I am genuinely correct for the part and they feel like I am able to add value to the project, then, yeah, sure.” Ever since her debut in 2020 with Jawaani Jaaneman, Alaya has featured in several genres of films, including psychological thriller, supernatural thriller and an action thriller. However, she is keen to do a period drama. “I really want to do a period film, where I can wear all that royal attire and feel all of that. That’s something I want to do,” said Alaya, who is the daughter of actress Pooja Bedi. She added, “I also think that it will be something new for me to sort of put my feet into and actually in my acting class I have trained for that.” — IANS c m y b from corrupt Mayor Frank Cicero, played by Giancarlo Esposito — colliding. The first official image from Megalopolis reveals Driver eyeing a rebuilding of the city of new Rome, while Nathalie Emmanuel, as Julia Cicero, the socialite daughter of Mayor Cicero, looks on. Megalopolis is structured as a Roman epic fable set in an imagined modern America. Francis Ford Coppola reportedly first conceived the idea for this sci-fi movie way back in 1983. He started the project, and put his own money, but was forced to leave it before much development. After almost four decades, Coppola launched it once again with his own money. The ensemble cast for Megalopolis includes Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Jason Schwartzman and Talia Shire. Coppola directed, wrote and produced the film, with Fred Roos, Barry Hirsch and Michael Bederman producing it. — ANI Manoj looks fierce in Bhaiyya Ji poster Makers of the upcoming film Bhaiyya Ji, starring Manoj Bajpayee, have unveiled a new poster. Taking to Instagram, Bajpayee treated fans with a new poster of his intense avatar. Sharing the posters, he wrote, “Pratishodh ka nivedan lekar aa rahe hain Bhaiyya Ji, 24th May se aapke nazdeeki cinemagharon mein.#BhaiyyaJi #MB100.” Recently, the makers unveiled the first song Baagh Ka Kareja. It is sung and composed by Manoj Tiwari, with lyrics penned by Dr Sagar and music by Aditya Dev. On Bajpayee’s birthday, the makers treated fans with a glimpse of the song. Recently, the makers unveiled the official teaser of the film. It begins with a group of men trying to kill someone. But, they fail miserably. Later, when the final attempt to kill the person has been taken, he wakes up scaring the men away. Bhaiyya Ji is Manoj’s 100th film, which is produced by Vinod Bhanushali, Kamlesh Bhanushali, Samiksha Oswal, and Shael Oswal, among others. — ANI Difference of opinion Actor Daniel Radcliffe feels ‘really sad’ due to Harry Potter author JK Rowling’s constant anti-transgender comments and her support for others with transphobic views. “It makes me really sad, ultimately, because I do look at the person that I met, the times that we met, and the books that she wrote and the world that she created, and all of that is to me so deeply empathic,” Radcliffe, who played the title role in eight Potter films, said of Rowling and her controversial comments. He added, “Obviously Harry Potter would not have happened without her, so nothing in my life would have probably happened the way it is without that person. But that doesn’t mean that you owe the things Daniel Radcliffe feels ‘sad’ about JK Rowling’s anti-transgender comments you truly believe in to someone else for your entire life.” Radcliffe had also replied to Rowling’s recent post on social media that he and his co-actors Emma Watson and Rupert Grint can ‘save their apologies and that she wouldn’t forgive them. Radcliffe said, “I will continue to support the rights of all LGBTQ people, and have no further comment than that.” — IANS
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