Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Hey! baby
Actors Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Khemu introduce their daughter to fans outside their Khar residence yesterday. Pic/Shadab Khan

Pic Courtesy/Jatin Das

A solo after seven years
Acclaimed for exploring dynamic human figures in his illustrious oeuvre spanning 60 years, Delhi-based artist Jatin Das is in Mumbai to present his new body of work titled, Figures In Motion. The exhibition opens to public tomorrow at Jehangir Art Gallery and runs till October 16. Like his daughter and actor-director Nandita Das sweetly reminded us on Twitter a few days ago, the eminent artist returns to Mumbai after a hiatus of seven years. And on this occasion, Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum has also organised an interactive session with the Padma Bhushan awardee, where he will discuss his journey from Mayurbhanj, Odisha, to JJ School of Art and finally back to Odisha to set up an art institute to bring tribal, folk and contemporary visual art under one roof. If you're keen to learn about the city's art scene of the '60s and hear the artist talk about his collection of 8,000 traditional hand fans or pankhas, mark next Monday on your calendar.

Lager than life
Desi meets Deutschland at Mahalaxmi race course from tomorrow. The Indo-German Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) with the German Consulate General, Mumbai, will host German Days in Mumbai, which will showcase a glimpse into the country. What is Germany without beer? Expect to spot a massive wooden cottage called the Beer Hut made from typically German, warm wood. The hut, which is placed at the members' enclosure of the Royal Western India Turf Club, will come alive in the evenings, especially as the grounds will transform into the famous Oktoberfest! The hut will serve beer, cuisine and play traditional music by Die Kirchdorfer, an original Oktoberfest Band flown in especially for this event.

When Jiya met Ruskin Bond
Vashi-based Jiya Gandhi has just returned from Mussourie, and the 12-year-old can't stop smiling. As part of an initiative by a chain bookstore and publishing house, Gandhi was one of the five children selected from across India to meet well-known author Ruskin Bond at his Landour home. "We expected Mr Bond to reside in a palatial mansion, but he is such a simple person," Gandhi told this diarist. "I wanted to become an architect when I grow up, but now I am leaning towards being a writer."

A theatrical chameleon
With Tom Alter passing away, Urdu theatre has lost one of its brightest lights. And one of the people who feels that loss more than many others is theatre veteran M Sayeed Alam. "I had written a play on Maulana Azad and very few people know that he was half-Arab. So I wanted an actor who knew Urdu but didn't look Indian, and Tom Alter saab fit perfectly. Then, when I cast him as Ghalib, he was a mirror image of the poet. That was his greatness - he could look the part that he was given. But it's a potential that was not fully realised, and now he's gone," Alam sighs.

Swara goes to America
The webseries, It's Not That Simple, grabbed quite a few headlines and eyeballs last year for its bold portrayal of urban relationships. Directed by Danish Aslam, the series, starring Swara Bhaskar, Vivan Bhatena, Karanveer Mehra and Akshay Oberoi was recently shortlisted in two categories at the Minnesota Webfest 2017 - Best Drama and Best Representation of Women. A story about a woman in a loveless marriage, it explores the prospect of looking for love through an affair and finding oneself in the midst. The movie won in the former category.