Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Sohail Khan

Hold on

Actor-filmmaker Sohail Khan is engrossed in an animated conversation at a Bandra restaurant on Thursday. Pic/Bipin Kokate

A new chapter for Kshama Prabhu

Five years ago, the concept of bidding for your drinks took us by a happy surprise. After a glowing stint at The Tasting Room, chef Kshama Prabhu dished out an easy, comfort menu to go with the drinks at Bar Stock Exchange as executive chef. Owned by Mihir Desai, its first outlet came up in Saki Naka, Andheri East.

Five years down the line, with 17 outlets across India, Prabhu, who climbed the ladder to corporate chef, has decided it was time to take a break. When we speak to her on her first day off, she says, "I woke up at 10 am today, and have the entire day to myself. My eight-year-old son, Akshay, has already demanded that I make his tiffin, and it's going to be chole naan tomorrow. So, I will have to prep!" While it is too early to talk about what next, a solo trip to Hampi is on her mind. "I may not do a mainstream profile, and pick up consulting projects or collaborations for the time being. Who knows, I may explore relocating to another city. For now, I am taking it one day at a time."

What's brewing?

White Owl, the five-year-old brewery, taught Mumbai how to appreciate craft beer with its Spark and Diablo. Two years ago, they ventured into bottling and canning, and coming up next month, the brewery will introduce a strong beer to its taste profile.

"Our flavourful German Hefeweizen, expected to ferment to 7.8% ABV is called Spike and will be much unlike the typical strong beer options available that solve more for high alcohol content and not as much for taste," founder Javed Murad told this diarist.

The memoir of the year

That we live in a surveillance society is a fact that eerily raises its ugly head each time we hear of someone being booked for a Facebook share or retweet. But the true scale of it was realised in 2013, when Edward Snowden, a former CIA agent and National Security Agency contractor, quit his job and revealed the numerous global surveillance programmes that US government had secretly been employing.

Things obviously weren't easy for the whistleblower who had to seek ayslum in Russia. In news just out, Snowden is ready with his memoir, Permanent Record (Macmillan), where he tells his story for the very first time. Scheduled for release in September, this is one memoir that is sure to fly off the shelves as soon as it hits stores.

From Washington, for Mumbai

While the city's music connoisseurs have been treated to the tunes of several international heavyweights over the years, this bit of news is special, more so, if you follow contemporary jazz. For, virtuoso jazz saxophonist from the US, Kamasi Washington will be in India for a two-city tour.

He will be joined by his nine-piece band that includes noted musicians Ronald Bruner on drums, Miles Mosley on bass and Ryan Porter on trombone among others. Washington's LP, The Epic, which was released in 2015, has won several awards, including the inaugural American Music Prize and the Gilles Peterson Worldwide album of the year.

As Girish Karnad would have liked it

After hundreds of shows across India and the world, as Broken Images gets staged in Bandra this Saturday, things will be different. For, of the theatrical trinity that gave shape to the play, two icons are no more. Written by Girish Karnad and directed by Alyque Padamsee, the plot revolves around the story of two sisters, portrayed by Shabana Azmi.

Shabana Azmi with (left) director Alyque Padamsee and playwright Girish Karnad

"We had two tribute shows in Delhi and Bangalore. This is the first time we will be staging the play in Mumbai after their passing," says producer Raell Padamsee (inset), adding that since the play had been running for 10 years, Karnad was keen that they reshoot the video, an integral part of the production.

Raell Padamsee

"It took time to materialise with a new set and costumes, and Shabana's shoot schedules. So, when it was finally done, we were excited to take it to Bangalore; Girish was planning to bring his friends to watch it, too. But he passed away just a week before," she laments. The show on Saturday will be followed by a brief session where Azmi will share anecdotes and memories from the play. "It was a theatrical family, and one just thought it would go on forever," shares Raell. "But I am sure, both of them are planning a production somewhere."

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