19122024-LSTC-01.qxd 12/19/2024 12:12 AM Page 1 c m y b TRIBUNE DOCUSERIES ON ROSHANS Awarded Life Netflix docu-series The Roshans, featuring Hrithik Roshan, Rakesh Roshan and Rajesh Roshan, will be released on January 17. Hrithik took to Instagram to share the news along with a new poster. Art Hollywood star Tom Cruise has been feted with the US Navy’s highest civilian honour for his ‘outstanding contributions’ to the military with his work on screen. CHANDIGARH | THURSDAY | 19 DECEMBER 2024 WHAT IS KALAMKARI? ■ Kalamkari is one of India’s most intricate and ancient art forms, dating back over 3,000 years. It originates from the regions of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and derives its name from the Persian words kalam (pen) and kari (workmanship), symbolizing the traditional hand-painting or blockprinting techniques used. ■ The creation of a Kalamkari fabric can take several weeks, involving up to 23 meticulous steps like bleaching, handsketching, dyeing and washing. in their craft KNOW CHIKANKARI ■ Chikankari is a delicate handembroidery technique that has its roots in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, and dates back to over 400 years. The craft flourished during the Mughal era, and legend attributes its introduction to Noor Jahan, the wife of emperor Jahangir, who was a great patron of the arts. ■ The embroidery involves over 36 types of stitches, including bakhiya (shadow work), phanda (knot work) and jaali (net patterns), each requiring exceptional skill and precision. Shreya Mehra and Archana Jaju, designers based in different corners of the country, are trying to keep traditional crafts and techniques alive by incorporating them in contemporary clothes Creations by Shreya Mehra Designs by Archana Jaju Mona A MRITSAR girl Shreya Mehra struggled to find a nice handmade Phulkari in the streets of her city, only to end up with dupattas in machine work in limited designs. A journalist by training, born and raised in the family of tech professionals, Shreya found her calling during Covid. As her job lost its charm being locked up home, she thought of getting back to pursue traditional Phulkari. “Duringresearch, I found that Phulkari was never a commercial art but a generationally inherited skill for personal use,” says Shreya. Punjab being on the Silk Route, silk thread was used on khaddar traditionally. Post Partition, as families in Punjab struggled to be financially viable, Phulkari took commercial hue and lost much of its charm. Shreya went on to research through village clusters, looking for pre-Partition designs, and was bowled over by the tremendous variety and skill. “It’s very difficult to lay hands on a good hand-embroidered piece of Phulkari.” Having seen Ikkat and Kantha on contemporary clothing, Shreya wondered how no one thought of Phulkari. Thus, she got on a mission to bring it back into vogue. While visiting village clusters, she struggled to find artisans who would do Phulkari on a kaftan or a jacket. With the help of her designer friends, she started training them. “To keep a dying art alive, one has to use it on clothes that are worn daily. Everyday-wear sure has higher demand than dupattas,” reasons Shreya, who founded the label Aab in 2021. Her collections have hand- embroidered Phulkari on shirts, kaftans, co-ord sets and short jackets. Her approach is minimal—a dash of motifs on collars or cuffs or at the hemlines, which lifts up a simple piece. Three years on, she has a team of 30 and the available collections can be ordered online through her label site, Aab. While it’s largely women-wear, for men and children, one can order customised outfits. “We have got a very warm response from Tier-1 cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad. Markets with generational wealth are our customer base.” They did a three-day pop-up in New York pre-Diwali and got a positive response, but Punjab is yet to warm up to the idea. “Punjab loves to spend its money on Gucci and Prada, and yet to dole out money to new brands,” she says. Aab, her label’s name, stands for water. “In Persian and Punjabi, aab is water. Our brand is deeply imbued in spirituality and Indian mythology, thus water. By engaging the essence of heirloom crafts, we are rekindling the relationship between people and their cultural legacies,” says Shreya. So far, five collections by her are out—Nila, Prayag, Som, Matsya and Trikon. Nila celebrates fluid and flowy blue outfits, Prayag, a sangam of rivers, is a confluence of the heritage crafts of Ikkat and Phulkari. Som is a collection of Phulkari motifs inspired by the phases of the moon. Matsya has marine life motifs on contemporary silhouettes, while Trikon offers geometrical motifs and anti-fit styles. With a starting price of Rs 3,500, a champion for sustainability, these collections are available round the year. Aab takes inspiration from all five distinctive and beautiful types of Phulkari designs—Baghs, Darshan, Dewars, Sain- chis, Thirmas and Chopes— offering designs that can be worn anywhere,” says Shreya. Preserving heritage: Archana Jaju “The younger generation is now looking for pieces that are versatile, yet carry the charm of heritage,” says designer Archana Jaju, who loves to balance tradition and modernity in her designs. Having been passionate about designing since her childhood, her dreams got wings when she got married into a family that boasted of being one of the first weavers of Chanderi handloom in India. Hyderabad-based Jaju works with handloom and craft-clusters ranging from Kalamkari from the south to Bandhani from Kutch to Parsi gara from hinterland Bengal. “Traditional handlooms getting a modern twist signifies the adaptability of our her- itage to current lifestyles,” she avers. In her latest collections, she has extensively worked with Kalamkari and Chikankari. Kalamkari reflects intricate hand-painted designs steeped in cultural narratives, while Chikankari brings a delicate elegance with its timeless embroidery. “It’s not just about creating garments, it’s about preserving our heritage and empowering the community behind it,” she believes. Sustainability might be a recent Western concept, but our traditional techniques are inherently sustainable. They rely on natural fibres, dyes and handwork, which minimise the environmental footprint. “Supporting these practices aligns perfectly with the modern ethos of mindful consumption and sustainability,” she points out. In search of justice Laapataa Ladiesout of Oscars’ race “Artistes must stand firm for their rights,” said actor Kuljinder Sidhu at the trailer release of his upcoming film Gurmukh—The Eyewitness at a tricity mall. The movie, directed by eminent filmmaker Pali Bhupinder Singh, explores the relentless fight of a humble yet resolute man who becomes an unwilling witness to a heinous crime. Risking his life, he standing tall in the face of intimidation. At the trailer launch, Kuljinder talked about Ranjit Bawa’s concert getting cancelled at Himachal Pradesh amidst protests, “It is Ranjit Bawa’s right to perform in Himachal, and he should put up a fight.” Bawa has been facing the heat for hurting religious sentiments with his song Mera Ki Kasoor. “I went through all kinds of struggles in my first film Sadda Haq only. I was under pressure from many sides not to release the film, but I fought till the Supreme Court gave a nod for its release. Every artiste must fight for what’s their due,” he said. Written by Aks Mehraj and Pali Bhupinder Singh, Gurmukh—The Eyewitness also stars Aakanksha Sareen, Gurleen Chopra, Sardar Sohi, Yaad Grewal and Malkeet Rauni. The film will release exclusively on the KableOne OTT platform on January 24, 2025. — TNS Laapataa Ladies, India’s official entry in the Best International Feature category at the 97th Academy Awards, is out of the Oscars’ race but Sandhya Suri’s Hindi film Santosh, representing the UK, has advanced to the next round. Directed by Kiran Rao, Laapataa Ladies (Lost Ladies in English) failed to make it to the shortlist of 15 films that will be vying for a spot in the final five, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced on Wednesday. The final nominations will be announced on January 17. However, Santosh, a Hindi language crime drama from British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri and featuring actors Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar, has found a spot in the final 15 as the official entry from the UK. Santosh, which premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section, is set in Uttar Pradesh and revolves around a newly widowed housewife (Goswami) as she inherits her late husband’s job as a police constable and becomes embroiled in the investigation of a Dalit girl’s murder. Meanwhile, the list also includes France’s Emilia Perez, I’m Still Here (Brazil), Universal Language (Canada), Waves (Czech Republic), Kuljinder Sidhu’s film Gurmukh—The Eyewitness is about the fight of a common man against the system KULJINDER WITH WIFE NIDHI SIDHU c m y b ‘THIS IS NOT THE END, Hindi film Santosh HANSAL MEHTA BUT A STEP FORWARD’ from UK moves to SLAMS FFI the next round Renowned filmmaker Hansal In a statement, Aamir Khan ■ Productions said, “Laapataa Ladies (Lost Ladies) did not make it to the Academy Awards shortlist this year, and we are of course disappointed, but we are immensely grateful for the incredible support and belief we’ve received throughout this journey. …We congratulate the teams of all the top 15 shortlisted films and wish them the very best in the next stages of the awards. For us, this is not the end but a step forward.” LAAPATAA LADIES The Girl with the Needle (Denmark), and The Seed of the Sacred Fig from Germany. The other contenders are Touch (Iceland), Kneecap (Ireland), Vermiglio (Italy), Flow (Latvia), Armand (Norway), From Ground Zero (Palestine), Dahomey (Senegal) and How to Make Millions before Grandma Dies (Thailand). Besides Santosh, “Anuja” is another film with Mehta voiced his criticism of the Film Federation of India (FFI) after Laapataa Ladies failed to make it to the Oscars’ shortlist. Mehta took to X (formerly Twitter) and questioned India’s film ‘selection’ process. “Film Federation of India does it again! Their strike rate and selection of films year after year is impeccable,” he wrote. an Indian connection that has made it to the next stage of the Oscars. It is one of the 15 films to be selected in the Live Action Short category. The New Delhi-set short film follows a gifted nine-year-old Anuja, who must make a choice between education and factory work alongside her sister. It stars Sajda Pathan and Ananya Shanbhag. — Agencies