Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Pic/Atul Kamble

Stair away

The stairs of Sion skywalk double up as a waiting room for parents of children studying at Our Lady of Good Counsel High School and Church, which is located at a busy juncture in the area

Raising the bar

What happens when all the people you were closest to - your father, mother and wife - are six feet under, and you end up behind bars because your late wife's brother has slapped a case of abetment to suicide against you? You'll find the answer out if you watch Judicial Custody, a film directed by Jairoop Jeevan. The film has won the Best Drama prize at the recently concluded Paris Cinema Awards. Not just that, protagonist Saurabh Saraswat (in pic) is also in the shortlist for the global Best Actor award at Auber International Film Festival, also based in France. "There are 12 nominations in total and the results will be declared in April, with the winner getting a cash prize," Mumbai-based Saraswat told this diarist. Here's hoping that he comes out on top.

Fruits of peace

As the war in Ukraine creates misery every day, people across the world have been standing for humanity. Sous chef Jitender Singh, who works at Delhi's The Ashok Hotel, recently carved out a watermelon to put across his own call for peace. Speaking about his artwork that's captioned ‘War settles nothing', Singh told this diarist, "It's my effort to create [even] the smallest ripples for harmony." He further added that he chose a watermelon as his medium because of the conspicuous contrast the fruit offers. "There's dark green and bright red, and the white in between balances the colours," said Singh, whose work can be found on @chefjiten_india.

Shilpa elbows into Khar

We all sighed in sorrow when Khar's cosy drink house, Elbow Room, shuttered. Something fancier is set to take its place end of March. Shilpa Shetty extends her restaurateur wings to launch Binge by Bastian that will serve American, Mexican and Latin American cuisine.

The kitchen will be helmed by chef Victor Murguia of Sancho's fame, and the decor is courtesy Minal Chopra, who we hear has lent it a bohemian vibe with wooden outdoor seating amid a cacti grove. "With Bastian, we were able to discover a need and market for fun dining, which the city was missing. We've drawn from this philosophy and designed Binge as an extension," spokesperson Kunal Jani told this diarist. We hear their desserts are Instagrammable and cocktails are heady. We'll know when we get there, and will keep you posted.

Crafty at Jaipur

In a bid to preserve local crafts, fashion designer Anavila Mishra will participate in a panel discussion with Union minister Smriti Irani and Himanshu Wardhan, managing director, Etsy India, at Jaipur Literature Festival. The talk, due on March 13, will explore how artisans and craft industries are responding to modern developments. "The fest is a breeding ground for such relevant conversations; it's important as we are at a crossroads, where crafts are on the verge of languishing because of a lack of interest," Mishra said.

There's a good moon on the rise in Bandra

Chand, an installation work by Lekha Washington, is being prepared for suspension at Bandstand. Pic courtesy/Instagram

Who hasn't romanticised the moon as a metaphor? From classic Bollywood hits to Coleridge's waning moon in Kubla Khan, it thrives as an evergreen imagery. Artist and product designer Lekha Washington feels the moon has a universal appeal, and so, her upcoming project - she calls it her nemesis - reimagines the satellite in 780 kg of steel.

"I have been working on Chand, my installation piece that will be revealed at Bandstand soon, for the last four years. It has taken immense hard work and detailing, as every crater has been named and the steel moon will stay suspended 70 feet above ground level. I have used reflective paint and being a light-art piece, it looks awesome at night. Currently, it's covered in a velvet cloth," Washington said. She further thanked the Mumbai Maritime Board, BMC and RPG Art Foundation for supporting her idea. The artist noted that art has for long been the property of those who can walk into galleries, and she wanted to break that stream of thought by exploring the public arts space.