Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

The picture of a billboard that Atul Khatri tweeted

All eyes on the steering wheel
The wedding season is here and apart from the occasional baraat, there is another reminder of it on Mumbai's roads that's hard to miss. City-based comedian Atul Khatri had this to say about it: "Mumbaikars! Drive safely!

They are back…" Well, we are talking about the svelte models of an ethnic wear store in Mumbai, who go up on billboards all over the city, come this time of the year. With their saree-clad sculpted figures, they look at you with a captivating gaze, smiling ever so slightly - we have to agree with Khatri. Dear city drivers, all eyes on the road, please!

I'm playing their song

Pic/Sneha Karabe

Actor Aditya Roy Kapoor gives his singing and guitar playing skills a workout while jamming with kids at a hospital in Parel yesterday.

Weekend jhatkas
The kala chashmas were there. So were the haseenas and the macarenas. Over the weekend, when this diarist had dropped by a popular Parsi café-inspired resto-bar in BKC, a surprisingly entertaining session was in store.

We had warmed up to our bawa-themed cocktails and pillowy, cheese-packed pav; in the background, a predictable playlist, of retro tracks and picks from the early days of MTV and Channel V was in sync with the mood. Patrons around us liked what was on cue, grooving in their wooden chairs without a care.

Sensing the mood, the in-house DJ decided to up the ante. Soon, the lights were dimmed, the volume was turned up, and most occupants who until then had had enough of the sit-down-and-shake-it deal, left their tables, and began to dance in the aisles. There was hip-shaking, belly-swivelling, laced with plenty of jhatkas and matkas.

Songs ranged from Govinda's cult hits to Shammi Kapoor's nostalgic numbers, AR Rahman's heady tunes, and international Hip-Hop and Disco tracks. Nobody wanted to leave the makeshift dance floor. Kudos to the owners for allowing the impromptu discotheque to rock until closing hour.

Honouring courage
On July 1, when terrorists stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka, 20-year-old Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain made the ultimate sacrifice when he refused to desert his friends as he stared down the barrel of a gun.

Mahesh Bhatt at the award ceremony in Dhaka

In honour of his courage, the annual Faraaz Hossain Courage Award was instituted this year and the first award ceremony concluded recently in Dhaka. In attendance was filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, who met Hossain's grandfather Latifur Rahman.

This is not the first time Bhatt has offered words of comfort to the bereaved family. At the recent Mumbai event, where Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice 2016 was posthumously conferred upon Hossain, Bhatt went up on stage to speak to his mother.

Snoopy surprise from The Simpsons
Here's some news that might be music to the ears of Simpsons' fans.

Last month, the executive producer of the highly popular show is reported to have revealed that the animated sitcom is all set for its first ever hour-long episode which is a Great Gatsby-themed hip-hop musical and will feature the voices of Snoop Dogg (inset), RZA, Common, Taraji P Henson, and Keegan-Michael Key.

Titled The Great Phatsby, the episode pays tribute to F Scott Fitzgerald's 20s novel, revolving around the doomed friendship between Mr Burns and a mysterious Hip-Hop mogul named Jay G.

Aanchal and Lalit, you have won
The Rahuls of the '90s generation may have had women swooning over their name (thanks to the famous SRK dialogue).

But they're not likely to get enough swipes on Tinder; at least, that's what its recent list of most-swiped names has us believe. That a name even plays a role in the swipe pattern is something we can't fathom (we always thought it was profile photos and bios) but we'll go with the flow.

So, the dating app has listed most-swiped names around the world and the Indian toppers are Aanchal and Lalit. Sonal, Himani, Natasha and Isha are some of the other names from India on the list. Meanwhile, most-swiped in male user category are Joel, Junaid, Ryan, Sandip and Satya.