Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Daddy's little gai
Nestled in Saif Ali Khan's lap, son Taimur is distracted by a bovine dressed in finery on Thursday, outside their home in Bandra. Pic/Shadab Khan

Bolly help for indie musician
We have been noticing in the recent past that the worlds of Bollywood and indie music have started to collide. Gully Boy, for instance, one of the most hotly anticipated films of next year, is based on the life of hip-hop mainstay DIVINE. Then there were the boys from a rap crew called Dopeadelicz who made music for Rajnikanth-starrer Kaala. But rarely have we come across a situation where a famous Bollywood actor has played the lead role in a music video made by an indie artiste.

Prateek Kuhad and Jim Sarbh

Yet, that's exactly what's happened with Prateek Kuhad and Jim Sarbh. The mellifluous singer-songwriter has just dropped the video for a song of his called cold/mess. In it, Sarbh and Zoya Hussain of Mukkabaaz fame play the roles of a couple who can neither live with each other nor live apart. Moments of mushy love turn into scenes of intense fights and the ending is left open for interpretation. It's directed by Dar Gai and what we love about it is the realistic manner in which an everyday relationship is depicted. We will keep our eyes open to see if other Bollywood actors follow in the same footsteps as Sarbh and Hussain.

Meet a phantom with schoolchildren
Theatre directors Amey Mehta and Shivani Vakil Savant have put up a massive production of The Phantom of the Opera with the students of Cathedral & John Connon School. It features 120 actors on stage and 80 more kids backstage. Mehta, who also choreographed the production, says, "Three months ago, the school got in touch. We were a bit sceptical because the themes in The Phantom of the Opera are quite adult and the singing has to be powerful.

We decided that only if the kids were close to hitting the notes would we do it." To their surprise, they found some powerful singers during the auditions. No ordinary school production, it features elaborate costumes, and props like a chandelier coming down and a moving boat. "I felt that we should give children an exposure to the kind of musicals that were produced about 20 years ago," says middle-school headmistress Damayanti Bhattacharya. Incidentally, theatre person Anahita Uberoi, who is also an alumni member of the school, was in the audience for yesterday's show.

Getting booked
The number of crimes that take place in India every day is unimaginable. Rape, murder, kidnapping, fraud, violence - you name it and we have it. And all of it makes for ripe fodder for not just movies, but TV shows as well. One example is Crime Patrol, which completed 15 years in 2018 and is the longest-running show on Indian television. The series is an anthology of real-life crimes that have taken place not just in the metro cities, but in the rural hinterland too.

It's narrated by Annup Sonii, and now we hear that he has written a book based on his experiences. Co-authored by Oswald Pereira, Crime Patrol includes stories about a policeman lusting after a young woman; a woman who is unaware that her father is a rapist; a pregnant woman finding her anger spiralling out of control; and a bunch of rich businessmen who get brutally killed after putting all their wealth in together.

Having a ball
Mumbai kid Jennika Jason is all set to head to the Australian Open this January, as an official ball girl. The 12-year-old is a tennis player and currently a student at Carmel of St Joseph School in Malad. She learned of the announcement while scrolling through Facebook.

"As soon as the post popped up, I knew I had to give this a shot. So I went through the MSLTA selection rounds, and the final one was in Delhi last month. I'm so excited to be sharing the court with the pros," Jennika told this diarist. We can only wish her the best from here.

Mama Mia! A Bandra kitchen reopens
Here's good news if you were lamenting the closure of Mia Cucina in Bandra. The Italian eatery is all set to reopen in the suburb. It was earlier located in Pali Naka, and the new place is going to be bigger we hear. Chef Nehal Karkera will head the kitchen, and the dishes on the menu include insalata gorgonzola, pizza quattro formaggio, zucchini ripiene and pollo alla griglia.

The sunlit interiors, meanwhile, include the image of a plane in motion. Speaking about the relaunch, chef and owner Sanjay Kotian said, "I'm very happy to bring Mia Cucina back to Bandra. We had a loyal base here, and are now bigger, allowing us to give the customers a better casual dining experience."

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