Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

The beauties hug it out
Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters hugs Miss Diva Miss Universe 2018 Nehal Chudasama at a Juhu five-star on Saturday. Pic/Atul Kamble

Malcolm Marshall and Mark Nicholas

The county that Malcolm Marshall loved
As the fourth Pataudi Trophy India v England Test match at Southampton grips cricket lovers, some of them, the ones who are suckers for the history of the game, are reminded of the late West Indies fast bowler Malcolm Marshall.

The pace ace from Barbados succumbed to cancer in 1999 and apart from reaching great heights with the West Indies team of the 1980s, Marshall also took great pride in representing Hampshire at Southampton from 1979 to 1993.

Nicknamed Macko, he became a hero of the county who were also served by fellow West Indians Andy Roberts and Gordon Greenidge. In a way, Marshall's bond with Hampshire kicked off long before he made his debut for them on May 3, 1979 when the hosts took on Glamorgan at Southampton.

As a kid in Barbados, Marshall listened to West Indies v England commentary delivered by celebrated broadcaster John Arlott and the voice coming through the airwaves inspired him to dream about becoming the next Sir Garry Sobers for the West Indies. Arlott incidentally hailed from Hampshire and lived to see Marshall represent his county with distinction. Marshall could also do a classic Arlott voice imitation.

Cricket fans Southampton are happy to watch some of the finest cricketers as well as listen to the most knowledgeable of commentators present at the Test match, but they still miss their Arlott and Marshall.

Eat smart
The last time we were at Cuffe Parade's Mediterranean restaurant Bayroute, tucking into the smooth hummus, we found out that head chef Ajay Thakur was on a strict diet. He wouldn't even treat himself to a bite of the succulent lamb kebabs he has rustling up. "It's extremely difficult because as a chef, you are compelled to taste the food. It might not derail your diet plan, but it does impact it. So, the only way out is to be in control and eat moderately, or tweak your diet to include the items that you might be forced to eat at work and cut down on the rest," he says. It's all about smart food choices, he adds. We agree.

Playing it right
While he might be a musician, actor Ayushmann Khurrana isn't one to take his skills for granted. The actor recently flew to the US to take piano lessons for his role as a visually challenged musician in his upcoming film, Andhadhun. "It hasn't been easy playing this role. I know music, I can play the guitar, but learning piano from scratch took some time," he said. Expectedly, director Sriram Raghavan is impressed. "Ayushmann trained rigorously and that worked in our favour as we didn't have to hire a body double for the finger shots on the piano, or even use any kind of VFX. In fact, he plays some fantastic pieces in the film," he said.

And we all move on...
Break-ups can be hard. And, a sure shot way of getting over one, is to find someone new. Even if it's just a rebound. Still, we figure that sometimes you need to give yourself breathing space between two relationships. Which is why, last week, while going through a dating app to fix our Friday plans, we were kind of stunned to see this young filmmaker looking for a new better half. The man had after all, only one sunrise ago, announced the end of a much-publicised relationship with his celebrity wife. And, the topic he chose to discuss? Freedom.

Looking forward to the future
It's hard to talk about depression, or about wanting to end your life. But, comedian Danish Sait bravely told social media last week that he has been suffering with depression for three months. "I felt like a clown masking my sorrows every time I went up on stage or met people for pictures," he said in his post. He also went on to say that the entertainment business was very stressful, and he would "post on social, just to remain relevant", and that "almost wanted to end my life looking at what a mess it was". It was his sister actor Kubrra Sait, who convinced him to see a therapist and he thanked her for that, saying that now, he was back on his feet. It was good to see him baring his soul as his confession must have given many more the courage to go on. We wish him well.

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