Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Craving shuttereye
Looks like producing a movie, launching two newbies and tackling the recent switch from singer Atif Aslam may have gotten a bit too much for Salman Khan (centre), when he showed up for the trailer launch of the upcoming release, starring Pranutan Bahl (left) and Zaheer Iqbal (right), in Juhu on Friday. Pic/Sameer Markande

Permanent chef-mates
After two to three years of working as consultant, we hear, pastry chef Heena Punwani will be working in a full-time position with Hunger Inc Hospitality's lauded eateries in the city: O Pedro and The Bombay Canteen. Speaking about her new role, Punwani gushed to this diarist, "I'm really excited to be a part of the team full time. I've seen firsthand how much heart goes into everything they do, along with research and care goes behind each little thing and the beautiful culture that they have built around their teams. I'm proud to be a part of it every day."

Classic humour
This Thursday, the Royal Opera House played host to a collaboration between star sarodists Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash, and Grammy awardee Sharon Isbin. Ayaan's sense of humour left the audience in splits. "Please welcome my older brother. He's my only brother," he said as Amaan took the stage, and later proceeded to introduce their instruments, which is very unusual in a concert setting. "We use our finger-nails, so our nail filer is our best friend," he joked. While we can't stop gushing about our experience, we hope to witness this light-hearted vibe at more classical music concerts.

Art talk in Goa
Souza-Raza Dialogues is what the theme for the conversations to be held this weekend at the Museum of Goa is, and if that's given you the nudge to head to the sunshine state, we aren't surprised. The venue is all set to host sessions on the two great artists curated by poet and researcher Sabitha Satchi. The line-up of speakers is an intriguing one, and includes noted poet and novelist Jeet Thayil (in picture), writer-critic Damodar Mauzo, designer Wendell Rodricks, artist Orijit Sen among others.

Clearing the air
Known to speak her mind, comedian Mallika Dua got herself into a bit of soup when she posted a video on social media wherein she asked if the lives of those who die of hunger or unemployment are less important than those of the soldiers killed in Kashmir. Having been trolled, Dua has put up another post explaining her comment. She claims her video was in response to people's casual attacks on social media influencers posting regular stuff in the aftermath of Pulwama. "The fact that we weren't 'performing our sadness', meant that we were being insensitive to slain martyrs. I found this insinuation extremely hypocritical and I reacted by que­stioning our general apathy towards deaths that happen due to [systemic] failure all year round, which don't qualify for your demand of performative mourning," she writes.Admitting that perhaps the comparison was misplaced or ill-timed, she added, "It is ridiculous and saddening that at a time when we have serious demons to fight as a nation, we choose to cope by becoming keyboard warriors who display patriotism by war mongering..."

Alia, the floral bridesmaid
When it's your BFF's D-day, it's vital to cater to her every need, while looking your best for all the photo ops. So, when Alia Bhatt flew to Delhi to attend her childhood friend Devika Advani's wedding celebrations, she opted for a floral lehenga by Hyderabad-based designer Anushree Reddy. And besides being the efficient bridesmaid - made clear by Advani's stories where Bhatt can be seen helping her out - she also set bridesmaid goals with her outfit.

Anushree Reddy

The pink (leaning more towards blush) lehenga-choli had the same floral pattern in red, with hints of yellow, while the frilly choli added a youthful touch to the outfit. Bhatt kept the accessories to a minimum. "As a bridesmaid, you need to strike the right balance with colour and embellishment in your outfit. The classic vintage floral prints in the lehenga with a twist on modern silhouettes are perfect for a summer bridesmaid's outfit. It's fun, stylish and doesn't steal the bride's thunder," Reddy told this diarist.

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