Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Sons of sardar

Actor Vicky Kaushal shares a moment with a young fan at Baisakhi celebrations in Vile Parle on Friday. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

Bye bye, Dishkiyaoon

That all was not well between the partners running Dishkiyaoon, BKC, was known when the matter reached the Bombay High Court in 2017. At the time, investor Saloni Rupani had filed a petition citing discord with owner Kabir Luthria. But looks like the matter has finally been resolved. "We've reached a settlement and taken control of the brand. The BKC outpost has been shuttered, and we'll be moving it to another location, with two more outlets in the pipeline," co-owner Gaurav Dabrai told this diarist. See you on the other side.

Shoutout to all genders

In 2017, Harish Sadani, founder of Men Against Violence and Abuse (MAVA), started Samabhav, a travelling film festival to showcase gender-themed movies in the country. After travelling to eight cities and four Maharashtra districts, Sadani has released a docu capturing its journey in collaboration with the Swedish Consulate in Mumbai. The video is available on YouTube. "The film is essentially to inspire gender rights activists and other stakeholders to examine the role of films to stir conversations on topics that are critical to the society," says Sadani. According to him, what sets Samabhav apart from other LGBTQ festivals is that it covers issues of all genders, breaking the gender binary.

A monograph on Kallat

Monographs and retrospectives are generally reserved for older artists, but Jitish Kallat defies conventions in art practice and in theory. A monograph on Kallat, a hardcover that is 368 pages long with 130 colour illustrations, covers all his works, including painting, photography, sculptural installation and video. Edited by art curator Natasha Ginwala, the book will be launched in the presence of filmmaker Anand Gandhi and cultural theorist Ranjit Hoskote on April 23 at the Visitor Centre in CSMVS. Ginwala says, "This monograph creates new interpretations and explorations of Jitish Kallat's practice, moving from the cosmopolis to the cosmos. [It] invites writers who have different expertise to narrate from subject perspectives as diverse as poetics, science and sociology. Bombay is a key protagonist in his early works, and the 'city as studio' emerges as a leitmotif."

Swinger Sarfraz recovering in London

Lion-hearted former Pakistan fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz is not roaring. Never the last to add spice to any controversy afflicting his country's cricket, Sarfraz is recovering from a heart ailment in London, according to Qamar Ahmed, the long-serving Pakistani journalist. Get-well messages were forthcoming on social media from Pakistan and even Northamptonshire, a county for which Sarfraz bowled his heart out from 1970 to 1982. In his playing days, Sarfraz mastered the art of reverse swing and it is hoped that he can swing into full action in life soon. While we'd like him to stay away from the loose talk he often indulges in (match fixing is his favourite topic), what will be preferred is some pure cricket output on how his countrymen will fare in the forthcoming World Cup. They made it to the final of the last World Cup held in England in 1999 and there is no reason why they won't find swinging conditions to their liking again. Meanwhile, take a chill pill, Sarfraz.

Tantri finally on the throne?

Who will sit on the Iron Throne? Before that question gets answered, there's another throne struggle that has finally come to an end. Tantri's. After over three decades of plotting to kill Raja Hooja - sometimes with magicians, sometimes with bombs and once there was even a hot-air balloon - the second-in-command at Huji is finally ready to sit on the throne, in the upcoming issue of Tinkle Comics. In a move to revamp some of its content, Tinkle has finally decided to give Tantri his heart's desire, after continuous feedback from readers. Hooja is declared dead and Tantri gets the crown. But does that mean the end of the series? Nope. Now that he is king, will Tantri have to fight to keep the throne? Will there be attempts on his life and will he get Hooja's luck? The next issue may just give us a tiny glimpse of what happens once the throne finds its ruler.

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