Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

The lovers, The thinker & The visionary
Actors Rhea Chakraborty and Varun Mitra enact a scene in the presence of director Pushpdeep Bhardwaj and veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt at Kaliedoscope, Sophia College's annual cultural fest. Pic/Atul Kamble

Mom, dad are glad
Enjoying the news of the Supreme Court decriminalising consensual homosexual sex, parents belonging to Sweekar, a support group for moms and dads of queer folk, met on Sunday to celebrate and plan the road ahead. Fifteen parents of LGBTQ children came together for a quarterly meeting, but this time the mood was very upbeat. "This was unthinkable a few years ago. There were very few parents who were out," said Sridhar Rangayan who facilitated the founding of Sweekar. "The parents derive courage from each other and feel empowered. It is now important to take the strength of this huge victory ahead with activities that reach out to more parents. We have to talk in educational and other Institutions to create awareness and support for queer community," said parent Chitra Palekar.

Pic Courtesy/instagram.com/elton john, Ben Gibson

Take a bow, Sir Elton John
Talk about tipping the hat with a bang! Known for his devil-may-care outfits (remember feathered head-dresses, the puffy all-white attire and a pink Ms Peggy-inspired costume?), Sir Elton John embarked on his farewell tour titled, The Farewell Yellow Brick Road on September 8 in the US. His outfits for the tour, with an itinerary that includes travelling across North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, South America and Australasia, have been designed by the luxe giant Gucci. But the news hasn't come as a surprise, since Sir John shares a close friendship with Gucci's Alessandro Michele. The sartorial brief was simple: to make the iconic musician - with a career of over 300 shows and 50 years in show business - to look like one of the world's most notoriously eclectic performers.

Apart from designing an electrifying wardrobe of tailcoats featuring decorative embroidery and sequin borders, there are also rainbow-coloured pastel T-shirts, oversized sunglasses in bright colours, decorated with crystals, sparking jewellery (brooches and pearl necklaces), and an extensive wardrobe of shoes.

The fashionable Indian traveller
Think of all the photos your friends post on social media of their holidays, especially if the place was abroad. Do any of them try intentionally to come off as a slob while posing before, say, the Big Ben or Eiffel Tower? They don't. Instead, they are dressed to the T, wearing the best of what their wardrobe has to offer. So, the fact is that we Indians consider fashion to be an integral part of our holiday plans. Or, make that 76 per cent Indians. . An ecommerce platform for vacations revealed this nugget, and added in its survey that 51 per cent of those surveyed equated good dressing with confidence.

Time travel and Kama Sutra
Actor-stand-up comedian Vir Das' sister Trisha Das has written a new book. The documentary filmmaker, who has directed over 40 films, will be launching Kama's Last Sutra, a historical romance set in medieval India, on September 15. "It is the story of an archaeologist, Tara Singh, who travels back in time to early medieval India and not only has a life-changing adventure but also changes the course of history. I love time-travel historical romances, particularly the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, and wanted to write an equally yummy one within the Indian context. The novel is set in 1022 CE in Bundelkhand, when the Khajuraho temples were being built by the Chandela dynasty. It features a sassy protagonist, plenty of period detail, a bunch of interesting characters - from one very sexy king to queens and concubines, slaves and courtiers - and a funny, action-filled adventure," shares the author.

London calling
Talk about mixing work with fun. Actor Shriya Pilgaonkar is busy shooting Beecham House, a period drama by Gurinder Chadha, in London. While there, the young actor set out to take in the sights of the capital city with co-star Lesley Nicole. A highlight of their trip was a visit to Highclere Castle, the filming location of Downton Abbey, which Nicole stars in!

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates