Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

An Indo-Pak production

Airport staffers leave duty with a smile as they spot tennis player Sania Mirza with son Izhaan on their way out on Monday. Pic/Sneha Kharabe

Pete Souza at his presentation

Worth a thousand words

"I've never seen so many photographers in one hall!" Prashant Godbole, veteran Mumbai-based photographer from the world of advertising told this diarist as he recounted his experience of being at the recently concluded PEP Photo Summit in Hyderabad.

Attended by over 1,500 participants, it was Pete Souza, the official photographer for Presidents Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, who gave the keynote talk. Having met him briefly at the event, Godbole told us about how despite photographing individuals, their genres are vastly different.

What's brewing?

The latest episode of Game of Thrones has sent fans into a tizzy - not with its plot but over a Starbucks cup that was spotted in front of Daenerys Targaryen during a scene. The current season of the show has received backlash with fans commenting that it is too dark. Thus, naturally, people took a dig at the cinematographer again. "The fact that there was a Starbucks cup in tonight's GoT that no producers or editors noticed throughout multiple cuts merely one week after the DP yelled that the show's not too dark to see is truly 'chef's kiss'," a user tweeted. Some even declared their sympathy for the person responsible, while some were busy speculating the coffee flavour the protagonist was sipping on. Well, the editors are going to need some caffeine to edit the gaffe out for its DVD release.

A songbook to cherish

Music plays a key role in theatre, but when it comes to productions made for children and young audiences, it becomes all the more important with simple tunes and rhymes becoming a conduit to convey emotions and messages. On its 10th anniversary, city-based Gillo Theatre Repertory chose to celebrate this very facet at a private event held recently, where musicians played several songs from productions staged by the company in the past decade. But what warmed the hearts of the attendees was the release of the Gillo Song Book, a treasure trove of songs from all their plays, compiled by Jigna Khajuria and Janit Temkar and edited by art director Shaili Sathyu. This one's for keeps.

Taste of success

Home chef and owner of Bawa Bride, Perzen Patel serves authentic Parsi cuisine in the city out of her kitchen. Patel's culinary skills, for which she was also nominated at this year's The Guide Restaurant Awards presented by mid-day, have now earned her the World Zoroastrian Chamber of Commerce Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. She posted, "I am humbled and thankful that my small attempt at shining a light on Parsi food has been recognised."

Eid comes early for Ankola

Ramazan brings with it truck loads of food memories; be it tucking into a range of treats in crowded streets, or indulging in lavish iftar offerings in a friend's home, and of course, the promise of great biryani, kebab and pots of sweltering haleem. But who would've thought that this year, the harbinger of great grub is going to be ex-cricketer and actor Salil Ankola. Turns out, Ankola's fists are good not only for bowling, but have also the seasoned mastery of a khansama. "I started cooking in 1994 and haven't stopped since. My mother used to make amazing biryani, so I picked up the skill and often make it at home," the first-time restaurateur tells us, as he readies to lift the lid off his new venture, Salz Biryani, a delivery-only joint, which is expected to start services in another 15 days, with its first outlet in Goregaon, followed soon by another one in Andheri. "My wife, children and I are all foodies and I had been thinking about starting something since the '90s. Now, I finally have my own venture, and I am hoping to learn the tricks of the trade, so that I can maybe even open a full-fledged restaurant in the future," he told this diarist.

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