Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

I see you
Actor Shraddha Kapoor gives co-star Rajkummar Rao a jadoo ki jhappi during the promotions of their forthcoming film at a Juhu five-star on Tuesday. Pic/Satej Shinde

Paradise on roll
Mumbai's foodies are still in mourning at the loss of another culinary landmark - Paradise - ever since this newspaper broke the news last Sunday. While old-time patrons and regulars took to social media to voice their grief, others reminisced of their favourite dishes from its menu. The chicken roll was the top pick for many, including foodie Kunal Vijayakar who went on to call it the best in India.

The roll clearly seems to have created such an impact across the city's F&B community that SodaBottleOpenerWala even has a version on their menu named after the Colaba favourite. "The old-school flavours of Bombay are slowly fading away with the shutting down of these iconic places. This roll is an effort to not just keep these flavours alive but to also to put the spotlight on their legacy," says Mohit Balachandran, country head of the chain.

Sussanne Khan and Sonali Bendre Behl. Pic/Shadab Khan

Salute to the ladies who read
In a little over a year, actor Sonali Bendre Behl's social media-based book club achieved a great following. We love the fact that not only did Behl cover Indian and international English writers but also Hindi, Marathi and Gujarati authors. Now, we hear that while Behl continues treatment for cancer in the US, her besties have come together to do a special Friendship Day session for her digital book club. Dia Mirza, Neelam Kothari, Sussanne Khan and Gayatri Oberoi will be in conversation, discussing books, friendship and their friend during a session. A recent post where Behl, sans her hair, is seen smiling with Khan and Oberoi in made it clear that her friends have been her pillars of strength during this phase. In fact, we hear that Khan and Oberoi made a special trip to NYC just to celebrate Friendship Day with their best pal.

Great shot, Bops
If you're a fan of shuttler PV Sindhu, her loss to nemesis Carolina Marin last Sunday would have been heartbreaking. In typical style, most sections of the media took the negative route to announce the news.

In a remarkable show of support for her consistent performances, tennis player Rohan Bopanna called for a more positive line. He wrote: 'While covering news, keep in mind the sentiment of a sportsman who themselves are far from ecstatic to lose in the finals. If anything it already is more frustrating to lose (than) to be further discredited.' Now, that's a killer ace.

An artsy look back
It's not often that one gets to view the works of 28 Indian art legends in one go. And Nicholai Sachdev of Kala Ghoda's Gallery 7 will allow you to do just that for The Monsoon Show (opens tomorrow), which will feature 88 works by artists such as FN Souza (in pic), SH Raza and MF Husain. "These works highlight the transition phases of iconic artists such as Ram Kumar, from his sketches in the 1960s to the Benaras range in 1997," reveals Sachdev.

The star is gone
This year is turning out to be a dark one for the F&B industry. After Anthony Bourdain, food writer Jonathan Gold passed away last month. Monday morning brought with it the news of the passing of multiple Michelin star French chef Joël Robuchon. A wizard who was oft regarded as the chef of the century was popular for his velvety potato puree or mashed potatoes. Celeb chef Gordon Ramsay was among the first to tweet: "We've Lost The God Father of Michelin the most decorated chef in the world, he kept all of us on our toes! Even when we were sleeping! Merci chef, God bless you'll be missed," Ramsay said. So long, chef.

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