Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Here's looking at you, kid

A family holiday seems to be on the cards for Taimur, after he was spotted at the International Airport on Wednesday perched safely on daddy Saif Ali Khan's shoulders with mommy Kareena Kapoor Khan behind them. Pic/Sneha Kharabe

It's all in the mind

It's something others don't get to see, but for people suffering from mental health issues, the experience can be so agonising that it eats you up from inside. Yet, there are many who continue to stigmatise people who have such problems, without understanding the whole gamut of their battle. Now, comedian Azeem Banatwalla (in pic), spurred by his wife Sana Khan, has taken an important step in ensuring that society plays its part for people suffering from mental health disorders. Together, they have started a podcast called Senti-mental, in which they talk about the issue in a completely normal manner, without any hyperbole. The first episode featured fellow comedian Neville Shah as a guest, and Bantawalla revealed to this diarist that the plan is to rope in actors and more comedians so that people finally view this issue with a new light.

Look who's stepped onto Instagram

After stepping up their Facebook presence, the Asiatic Society of Mumbai is now live on Instagram on the handle @asiasocietyic. Freyan Bhathena, proprietor of Word It Well, the agency that is handling social media for the Asiatic Society, says, "The records within Asiatic's walls are filled with wondrous stories of Mumbai and her resilience and history.

Our endeavour will be to showcase the treasures of the Asiatic Society to the city and to invite ordinary Mumbaikars and history buffs to events at the Durbar Hall on the premises."

Dancing king

Will Smith was in the country not too long ago, and while here, he made a video as part of a series called Will Smith's Bucket List, launched recently. In it, the actor reveals how he's always had a dream of dancing in a Bollywood sequence. He also revealed how, in order to fulfil that wish, he got the producers of the upcoming Student of the Year 2 to allow him to make an appearance in a song for the movie. That makes it another tick on the Hollywood actor's bucket list, and let's wait and watch the moves he makes in the film.

Why Bollywood wants your vote

It's almost that time of the year when India decides who it wants in power for the next five years. But the simple truth is that without voters, there would be no elections. That's why a bunch of Bollywood personalities and comedians recently came together to urge people to vote responsibly. Each had an individual message. Kalki Kochelin (in pic), for instance, read out a tweet that said, "Bina soche har kisiko note mat do, aur bina soche har kisiko vote mat do." Vikramaditya Motwane, meanwhile, asked people to get to the source of their information. And comedian Varun Grover had some sagely advice, too, asking people to abstain from alcohol on the night before, so that they can get up in time to exercise their franchise.

Pooja Dhingra has a sweet memory

This diarist once remembers bumping into Gautam Gambhir in the men's washroom of a five-star in Delhi. It had been a slightly awkward experience, and not because we were the only two people in the loo. The problem, you see, is that your diarist had sought to play it cool, and treat Gambhir as just another person, while he seemed like he was expecting at least a, "Hi." But, Pooja Dhingra revealed on social media that she had had a similarly serendipitous episode in a washroom in Paris, with none other than Beyoncé Knowles. Her comment came as a reply to a thread where a user had asked others to share details about the most surreal encounters they have had with famous people. UK-based electronic music producer Nitin Sawhney, for instance, spoke about his experience of interviewing Nelson Mandela. But knowing Dhingra, we are willing to bet that she didn't give Beyoncé the same silent treatment that we had given Gambhir.

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