Mumbai Diary: Wednesday dossier

Raveena Tandon

Put to the blush

Raveena Tandon gets a touch-up as she readies to take to the set of a dance reality show in Malad on Tuesday. Pic /Datta Kumbhar

KJo and Shweta pen the future

The world is perhaps not neatly divided into two halves, but it is easy to differentiate between those who hate Karan Johar and those who unapologetically love his mushy films. Even so, naysayers would be prejudiced to say he is not funny. So much, that Bandra restaurant Hakkasan has roped in the filmmaker for a second time as part of a collaboration for their anniversary celebrations. This year, as the Asian diner turns eight, KJo will be working with the team to curate a list of witty one-liners that will be ensconced within a hybrid treat - macartune, a cross between the macaron and fortune cookie. The sayings will be themed around glamour, ambition, love and celebration and while this exercise drew a lot of gasps last year, what's new this time, is the person joining Johar - Shweta Bachchan Nanda. Considering they are published authors, both are likely to breathe their wit, which comes alive more significantly when they're together (haven't we all shared a laugh or two seeing them on his chat show?) into these nibbles. And it is fair to say, we're waiting to see what the
future holds.

Art Deco takes off at T2

The recently concluded exhibition of art and culture from the home state at Mumbai's T2 international airport came in for much praise from passengers. Jaya He GVK New Museum Maharashtra Carnival was a two-month showcase of the treasures across our rich and diverse regions within the state. In a pleasant departure, we learnt that one of the displays of panels included the Victorian Gothic and Art Deco ensembles of the city that was presented by Art Deco Mumbai. With these buildings already on the global heritage map for their UNESCO World Heritage Site tag, this makes for a welcome inclusion at one of the most visited and busiest spaces in the city. Let's hope now that public buildings and hotels take a cue from this and open up their lobbies and visitors' spaces to highlight these 19th and early-20th century marvels.

The united colours of India

Before we point a finger at people from other countries for being racist, Indians should take a long, hard look in the mirror. People from different regions here don't hesitate in pointing a finger at their own countrymen from other parts of the nation. So, a recent social media thread came as a pleasant surprise. Users dispelled stereotypical notions about their communities with posts like, "I am a Sindhi who is not a miser," and "I am a Kashmiri who is not a terrorist." There was also one that is particularly pertinent given the political zeitgeist at present. It read, "I am an indian atheist with a Muslim name, but I am not a Pakistani."

A new role for Tharoor Junior

From his fiction debut, Swimmer Among the Stars: Stories, which was an interview with the last speaker of a language, to his eclectic articles on Netflix's nationalism problem, how easy it is to love Iceland, and thoughts on teaching creative writing, Kanishk Tharoor has proven his writing prowess on more than one occasion. The New York-based author-journalist and Congress Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor's son is embarking on a new path. Tharoor Junior is now senior editor of Foreign Affairs, an American magazine on international relations. "It's an exciting time to help shape the conversation about America's role in the world. Looking forward to being involved," he said.

Get a whiff of sheer khurma

Those of you who have watched his award-winning short film Sisak (2017) would agree that director Faraz Arif Ansari knows how to keep the audience transfixed with every scene. And when it's enacted by the stellar cast of Shabana Azmi, Divya Dutta and Swara Bhasker, it's bound to be next level. We also know this because of the kind of work he is putting into his upcoming movie Sheer Qorma, which revolves around women dealing with the societal pressures that come with belonging to the LGBTQI community. A reading and workshop with Azmi was conducted yesterday; a practice more heard of in theatre. But it wasn't just all work. The camaraderie Ansari shares with Dutta came through in this picture, which he shared thanking her "for believing in me when no one else did."

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