Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Kangana Ranaut

Zipped

Considering a journalist accused Kangana Ranaut of slandering him for prejudice even before he had finished his sentence, we think the signboard on the wall is worth a million bucks when you are in Queen's company. The actress posed for photographers in Bandra on Friday to promote her upcoming film. Pic/Ashish Raje

A whiff of Awadh in Andheri

If you've been craving for authentic Awadhi-inspired biryani, a new culinary idea might bring much-needed cheer. Chef Mujeeb Ur Rehman - who has his roots in the royal kitchens of Awadh - has been ro­­­ped in to whip up the good stuff courtesy the cloud kitchen concept.

He is expected to whip up authentic fare including Lucknowi gosht, ch­icken biryani and prawn pan biryani. "The purana gharanas of Lucknow and Awadh have given us something to cherish and preserve for posterity. My aim is to take this legacy to more people and that is what the cloud kitchen format allows me to do," he tells us. Chalo, biryani ho jaye?

Making a meal of cricket

The whole point of watching the World Cup is not just to follow your favourite team, but also treat it as an occasion to get together with your friends, and grab a bite and drinks to make the whole thing a bit of a party. But it's not the best idea to grab messy stuff like curries while watching the games since they take up too much of your attention. So, what's the most popular thing to order while watching cricket?

A food delivery app has the answer, after it revealed the results of a survey it conducted on people's ordering habits while the World Cup is on. And guess what? Mumbaikars gorged on ice cream during the tournament, especially, we are guessing, to quell the disappointment after India lost to New Zealand in the semi-final. Pizza was another popular option. And on the day of the big India vs Pakistan match, cheesy burgers sold like hot cakes. People in places like Chennai and Delhi also feasted on pizzas and rolls, while unsurprisingly, curries and dal didn't feature in any city.

Meet pet mum Sudha

Yesterday, publishers HarperCollins India announced the acquisition of a new three-book series by English and Kannada author Sudha Murty. And like all her other books, that delve into a piece close to the author's life, this one's personal, too.

"The big Children's Book announcement and one which is very close to my heart - as you can imagine: This is my first book with HarperCollins. It is also my first book for youngsters, particularly those kids who love animals. It is about my dog Gopi who is the joy of my life. The Gopi Diaries is a series of three books. The first tells the story of Gopi coming home," Murty said. The chairperson of Infosys Foundation has previously published several English language titles with Penguin.

Look who's now a party planner

DJ Suketu is not an unknown name in the Bollywood music fraternity, being one of the earliest DJs who made a name on the circuit. Taking his DJ-ing skills to the next level, he has now launched a new initiative, called Your Night Out, where he helps clients host parties - corporate, birthday, anniversary or even a wedding.

"I started this to help elevate the entertainment experience for clients and their guests. Over the past few years, I have seen a rinse and repeat cycle in entertainment [with a few exceptions] and a lack of innovative ideas on how to enhance the overall experience," he told this diarist. On the music front, he has been working on revamping and rem­­i­x­ing old Bollywood numbers as well as originals, which should release by the end of the year. We'll keep you tuned in.

Not the kind of pillow talk you want

A Mumbai-based clothing brand and an interior apparel design store are at loggerheads on social media, over similar designs of their respective cushions. After pictures of the two products were placed next to each other, complete with the dates on which they were both put up for sale, went up on social media recently, dietsabya, the page that calls out such alleged cases of copying (and has also been facing flak for it), further fuelled the fire by uploading a story on Instagram, pitting the two against each other.

So much so that one of the brands even sent details of when the design was given to the vendor, which dietsabya promptly uploaded. Here's hoping the issue gets resolved soon.

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