Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

Is Edinburgh ready for Aditi?
Our cricketers aren't the only ones who seem to be creating a stir in the UK. Our very own desi queen of laughs, Aditi Mittal, is all set to take Edinburgh by storm, when she makes her debut appearance at a festival in August. Mittal's shows are laugh riots; and this diarist can vouch for it.

The multi-talented performer has been on most Hindi and English networks, slaying every topic in her inimitable style. With tickets already on sale, it will be interesting to see how she manages to inspire a few chuckles in the land of the stiff upper lip.

The cartoonist who gave it back
The New York Times had a foot-in-the-mouth moment recently when President Trump decided to withdraw from the Paris climate accord. Only two years ago, the daily had lampooned India's stance on the deal, which was about far finer nuances than this outright pulling out.

As a response, Satish Acharya, who began his journey as a cartoonist with this paper, created this toon last week, which has since gone viral. "I'd come across this cartoon when it was first published, and then again when it reappeared recently.

The NYT has a history of depicting India in bad light, and as an Indian, I find it offensive," Acharya told this diarist. "I decided it was payback time." And what a way to do it!

Bonding time
Even celebrities want some time off, and sometimes a few drinks and conversations is all they need. Ajit Agarkar brought together friends and family last evening to celebrate his recent appointment as the chairman of selection committee of the Mumbai Cricket Association.

As well-known surgeon Dr Muffazal Lakdawala, fellow cricketer Ashish Nehra and wife Fatima Agarkar accompanied him at the outing, the bunch looked happy and couldn't stop grinning.

Jaayenge hum toh Amreeca
The stars and stripes are calling Mumbai students. What is it like to be going to the USA to study in the era of Donald Trump? The US Consulate General in Mumbai is going to hold a Student Visa Day tomorrow, where they open doors to students applying for visas for higher studies in the US.

The consulate will host a round-table discussion, where Deputy Principal Officer Jennifer Larson, former Mohun Bagan midfielder Kean Lewis, TV presenter Leeza Mangaldas, and current students and parents will share firsthand experiences of studying in the country. With so much tumult and trepidation, it's going to be a rather interesting Thursday.

Shekhar's little surprise for KJo
Going through an old picture album brings with it tonnes of nostalgia, but when it's a filmmaker digging into his treasure of archives, it's got to turn out something special.

Shekhar Kapur, who is busy with research for a feature film about Bruce Lee's early days that he will co-write and direct, stumbled upon this gem recently, and took to Twitter to share it.

"Hi @karanjohar ... Look what I found! A Pic of ur Dad with James Coburn and Bruce." Johar was expectedly thrilled and replied, "Dying to show it Mom!" Now, that's a sweet trip down memory lane.

Pic/Sameer Markande

Head turner
Something caught Sonakshi Sinha's attention as she accompanied Salman Khan to the set of a dance reality show in Goregaon yesterday.