Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Lunch mein kya hai?

Kareena Kapoor Khan indulges in dabbas full of chakli and makhana along with Geeta Kapoor on set. Pic/Satej Shinde

An unlikely arena

A recent event in Delhi, organised by the All India Gaming Foundation, saw star boxer MC Mary Kom and Mumbai-based educationist Fatima Agarkar in attendance. What surprised us was that the event was held for the release of a report on the benefits of digital gaming, and its emergence as a tool for education and entertainment.

Mary Kom (left) and Fatima Agarkar at the event, which took place in Delhi

"While the conventional thinking is to categorise all forms of digital gaming as harmful, careful research and analysis indicates that there are many positives that accrue from digital sports gaming," Kom said, making us wonder if it was out of courtesy for being invited to the event that a sportsperson of her stature, who also runs a boxing academy in Imphal, chose these words. But then she concluded with, "It is needless to mention that all gamers need to be cautioned against the overuse of online games at the expense of other physical activities," setting the record straight.

Perry on the cake

This is a big one. One of the biggest names in global pop music, Katy Perry, will be making her Mumbai debut at a festival in November. Perry has recently been mired in allegations of sexual misconduct.

But that doesn't seem to bother her fans in the city at all, since there is all-round jubilation regarding her gig. This, incidentally, is the second time that the singer will be in the country, after she got married to British comedian Russel Brand in 2010 in Rajasthan.

Czech mate for Varun

Designer Varun Bahl, who is known for his exquisite and intricate designs on fabric, is all set to launch his newest collection at his Kala Ghoda store today. The range plays with luxury fabrics like velvet, silk-raw, Chinese silk, georgette and brocade in an eclectic mix of ivory, gold, pale pink, coral, mint green, traditional reds, mustard and tones of yellow.

"I love nature, and my travels to Europe have always been about exploring architecture and paintings. I came across Czech Art Nouveau painter and artist Alphonse Mucha's masterpieces recently, which led me to start developing this collection. The new line symbolises the divine aspects of nature and their connection to our myths, legends and histories," he told this diarist. We wish him luck for the big day.

It comes and it goes

The F&B industry is like a fickle-minded shapeshifter, changing almost always without a warning. It gets difficult to keep track of who-opened-what and when-that-space-shut-down because honestly, it's happening all the time. In a recent development, Oi, a Khar-based Latin-American space that was doing pretty well will be shutting down, but a short chat with partner Pawan Shahri helped clear the air.

"We realised that this was a niche cuisine so it's perhaps better to do it in a smaller format," he told this diarist, without revealing too much about the restaurant's future, but left us with good news, too. For London Taxi, a Lower Parel-based gastropub that's teeming with youngsters on weekends will be now replacing the erstwhile casual dining space, giving partygoers of the suburbs another space to rage.

Things are getting very film-y

Films are coming back. From photographers in the country to internationally acclaimed filmmakers, everyone is returning to the medium to shoot their subjects.

A still from the film

The Chinese underworld film, Ash Is Purest White, which was shot on 35 mm, being a recent example. So, it is safe to say, that #filmisnotdead. In that same spirit, Harkat Studios is now hosting a screening where a film projector will be used to show a 16 mm film shot by Karan Talwar as part of 16 mm Film Festival, Mumbai.

What is interesting is that the film has made use of old footage found at Chor Bazaar and that the screening, too, will unfold in a unique format with vocalist Sofia Thenmozhi Ashraf, and musician Suprateek Chatterjee performing live while the reel rolls!

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