Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Sachin with Sara Tendulkar

Happy Birthday, Sara
For many of his worshippers, images of a teen-aged, diminutive Sachin are still fresh in their memory. But time flies, and on the 12th, the cricketing legend celebrated his daughter Sara's 19th birthday. Of course, humble as the family is, the birthday, we hear, was complete only after a visit to grandmom Annabel Mehta's NGO.

#HappyBirthdaySara did the rounds on Twitter as fans greeted the young lady. But funnily enough, the same hashtag was active just a month ago, celebrating Grey's Anatomy actor Sara Ramirez's birthday, too. It all echoes in the digital space, after all.

Flock to Goa this November
We all run to Goa, our friendly little neighbour next door, when we're looking for a quick break involving beers and beaches. However, if you seek to discover the other side of this state, head down in November (11 to 13) and be a part of the Bird Festival of Goa. Although a thumb-sized state, Goa is home to over 400 species of birds, including hornbills, painted storks and ruby-throated yellow bulbuls.

Over three days, you can go on guided nature trails at some of the state's prime birding spots - Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary, Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, Carambolim Lake, Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park. The itinerary also includes lectures and photography sessions. Online registration is open to 200 participants on a first come, first served basis.

High five, little guy?

Pic/Bipin Kokate

Actor Riteish Deshmukh attempts to befriend Zayed Khan's sons Zidaan and Aariz, outside a Goregaon studio yesterday, as their mum Malaika looks on.

Oh Baba!
It was going to be a matter of time before this idea was signed, sealed and delivered. Baba Ramdev's ‘definitive' autobiography will be penned along with senior journalist Uday Mahurkar. The book will look at the early years of Baba, his life in spirituality, passion for yoga, swadeshi and health, and the setting up of Patanjali - his fast-expanding retail empire - and of course, what we are most curious about - the controversies.

Baba Ramdev at a yoga event in the city earlier this year. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Here's what the Baba had to say about the upcoming autobiography: "A lot has been written about me by other people in the media. Now with my autobiography I will share with you the story of my life in my own words." Candid tell-all or sanitised eulogy, we'll rest our verdict until we get our hands on a copy.

Sreesanth, the macho man
Ever since he ceased to be on the field, former cricketer S Sreesanth has pretty much dabbled into everything. He joined the BJP, but failed to get elected.

Sreesanth in a new avatar. Pic courtesy/Sreesanth's Twitter handle

Earlier this year, he made his film debut with a Malayalam movie, and with some good dose of dance in it - Sreesanth's next best skill - he seems to have found his feet.

Sreesanth has also been doing some heavy-duty gymming. He recently tweeted a picture of his chiselled abs, which got RTed by former teammate Virender Sehwag. Of course, Sreesanth quickly thanked Paji.

A first for Atul
We are so often disappointed by big-budget movies, that shoestrings fill us with hope. Azad, a short film directed by Rahul Chittela, is also actor Atul Kulkarni's first brush with the format.

Atul Kulkarni

"The movie deals with freedom of speech, and its inconveniences. It's all the more important today, because you are not supposed to speak of the issue. I play a journalist, who speaks his mind. There's a parallel storyline that depicts his estranged relationship with his son," Kulkarni told us.

To be screened at the upcoming MAMI film festival, it is one of the seven shorts in the feature film Shor Se Shuruaat. Talking about shoestring, this one's a zero-budget movie - every cast and crew member waived off their fee.