Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Swara Bhaskar and Kubbra Sait

Girls just wanna have fun
Actors Swara Bhaskar and Kubbra Sait crack up at an event ahead of Woman's Day at Todi Mills, in Lower Parel on Thursday. Pic/Bipin Kokate

A weekend gig that's one for the Brooks
It's been close to 35 years since virtuoso saxophonist George Brooks first set foot in India. But the musical education that the American received in this country, under vocalist Pandit Pran Nath, gradually shifted his focus from jazz to Indian classical.

To put things in context, Brooks is a legend who has collaborated with iconic musicians like Etta James, Ray Manzarek of The Doors fame, and John McLaughlin. And after his tryst with Indian classical music, he joined hands with the who's who of the genre, including tabla maestro Zakir Hussain and ghatam guru Vikku Vinayakram.

That list of collaborators is now set to grow. Brooks will once again play a concert this weekend in his beloved country, with a star-studded line-up on the bill for a gig in the city. They include flautist Rakesh Chaurasia and vocalist Rashid Khan (below). Catch the trio making magic together on stage.

Sweet move
Rohan Joshi, who is a self-confessed foodie, revealed to city chef and wellness writer Neysa Mendes that chocolate ice cream is one of his biggest weakness. This conversation seems to have turned into something else, for we learnt that the comedian is going to take on a chef's role, all thanks to Mendes.

"Very excited that @mojorojo and I are making chocolate 'ice cream'," Mendes posted recently on social media. She was referring to the live show she hosts on a social media page called Good Slice, on which Joshi will wear a new hat - that of a chef.

Publishing industry turns to a new chapter
Yesterday, digital book publishing house, Juggernaut Books, announced that its sales and distribution would now be handled by the country's second-largest publishing house, HarperCollins India (HCI). Chiki Sarkar, founder of Juggernaut, and Anand Padmanabhan, CEO of HCI, have previously worked together at Penguin Randomhouse.

Ananth Padmanabhan and Chiki Sarkar

"We've been focusing on quality and growth and this collaboration is one more step. Personally, I'm looking forward to working with Chiki again," Padmanabhan said. Juggernaut had a good run last year with the author Benyamin winning the inaugural JCB Prize for Literature. This move should only give
the publishing house a wider reach.

Name changer in SoBo
The Palace Lounge at the Taj Mahal Palace in Colaba which, since 2007, had been open to residents only, is now the Wine and Malt Lounge. With the rechristening, the lounge, which since inception has offered a curated wine and whiskey list 7 pm onwards, also opened its doors to outsiders.

Interestingly, the use of the latest wine preservation equipment has enabled them to offer single-estate and rare wines by the glass. From grand burgundies to classified Bordeaux to Cabernets from Rutherford, what would you like to sip with a side of canapés and cheese boards? The choice is all yours.

A historic turn for Madhuri
There are those who sign up for heritage walks across Mumbai, learning about the city's forgotten history and hidden past. And recently, we learnt that they come from all walks of life (no pun intended), including Tinseltown. For, Madhuri Dixit Nene and her husband, Dr Sriram Nene, were part of a group that went for a guided walk around SoBo.

Madhuri Dixit Nene and Dr Sriram Nene strike a pose at the Mumbai Police Headquarters

They visited the Mumbai Police Headquarters and other colonial structures like the General Post Office, and listened to lost stories about the area. Both were sporting caps, though the reason might have been that they didn't want people to recognise them easily. Either way, it's nice to see Madhuri showing genuine interest in Mumbai's heritage. And to think that at one point, we thought we had lost her to the US, when she shifted base after marriage.

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