05 May,2022 07:24 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Atul Kamble
A man catches forty winks inside a mosquito net on the iron pillars near the Wadala RTO on Wednesday.
Filmmaker Shlok Sharma is heading to New York. His next film, Two Sisters And A Husband, has been selected to make its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June. The film will compete in the International Narrative Competition, revealed Sharma. Featuring Avani Rai, Manya Grover and Dinker Sharma, the film tells of a radical love triangle between three individuals. The filmmaker is naturally thrilled with the news and informed us, "My films are always born of something interesting that I observe around me, and I try to capture it on the screen." If you observe carefully, he added, you can find stories everywhere. Incidentally, the filmmaker revealed that the story was something that was inspired by individuals he had come across in his childhood. It left me confused and sometimes curious, he admitted to this diarist. "I remember when I was very small, and had seen a similar family. They never explained since we were outsiders to them. But I always felt curious about it." For now, that observation has served him well.
Fans of writer Saadat Hasan Manto should check out Aleph Book Company's new anthology, The Collected Stories of Saadat Hassan Manto. Written by author Nasreen Rehman, the book captures the life of the irascible writer in Bombay and Pune during pre-Independence. "Manto has referred to himself as, âBombay in motion' (chalta phirta Bombay). He writes of Bombay with an intimacy," Rehman told us. The book is a collection of stories from the city where Manto spent the happiest moments of his life, she revealed. "With the rise of lynching, rape and calls for social and economic boycotts fuelled by religious politics - Manto's work is a clarion call across time," Rehman concluded.
Heading to Bengaluru or Pondicherry to catch a break from work stress is not always practical, Claire Parekh told this diarist. Always fascinated by the mystical and spiritual, Parekh has now teamed up with Café Zoe founder, Tarini Mohindar, to launch a series of healing and wellness experiences on May 21 at G5A. "If you can start to harmonise your body and mind, the world around you changes and becomes the version of reality in which wonderful things can happen," she explained. Tarini Mohindar added that the idea was to curate these sessions so people can make the choice according to their needs. "For those of us living in Mumbai, where life is fast paced and hectic, people are feeling the need to breathe and ground themselves," Mohindar remarked.
Bandra's promenade has a new destination for bibliophiles. Carter Blue's Mehboob Khan has just opened up another café in the location; this time to entice readers. The Library Café has an assortment of interesting books and food for incoming visitors. "Youngsters are often unnecessarily busy on their phones. The concept of reading books is on the wane," Mehboob Khan admitted to this diarist. This observation led him to come up with the idea of a café that offers access to an interesting collection of reads. From the latest bestsellers to popular novels, the café will host a diverse collection. "To be trapped in a cell-phone for the entire day is such a loss. I hope youngsters are drawn to the food, and turn to the books here," he quipped.
What do therapists do when they encounter problematic social systems such as class, caste, patriarchy, capitalism, ableism, homophobia and transphobia that affect one's mental health, but cannot be changed in a day? To open up this conversation, Guftagu, a Vashi-based mental health service, is hosting a workshop - Beyond the woke: What does it invoke? - next week. Founder Sadaf Vidha, a therapist and researcher, shared that it is open to mental health professionals of any experience. "Therapists are finally understanding the role of systemic oppression in mental health. However, therapists are feeling helpless since these huge systems won't change in a day. I hope we can move to in-depth work with people, which looks at how systems affect us, shape our self concepts and relationships, and how we can work with this impact," Vidha added.
