Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Pic/Atul Kamble

Full stretch by the sea

A young woman practices Hanumanasana at the viewing gallery in Girgaon Chowpatty.

Farah Khan's sassy caricature

Farah Khan holds up the caricature created by (right) Prasad Bhat

Artist Prasad Bhat (@prasadbhatart), best known for his humorous caricatures, created a portrait for film director, choreographer and writer Farah Khan Kunder. It was gifted to her at a recent event in a Worli restaurant. "Farah is famous for her unpredictable moods and sassy dialogues. I wanted that to reflect in the caricature," Bhat shared with this diarist. In the portrait, the director is seen disappointed by the food she had just tasted at that time, and asks, ‘Biryani hai yeh ya khichdi?' On receiving the gift, she maintained her reputation. "Oh, God. Look at this," she said, before accepting it whole-heartedly. "This was the exact reaction that I was hoping for," laughed Bhat. The 39-year-old artist's caricatures are growing popular among celebrities. In 2022, he created a wedding portrait as a gift for Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor. "I have also created caricatures of Shah Rukh Khan and Ranveer Singh," he beamed.

Mom with pride

Padma Iyer with son Harish Iyer. PIC COURTESY/Instagram

For Pride Month, Mumbai Storytellers Society is bringing heart-warming stories from the LGBTQiA+ community to Maharashtra Mitra Mandal Library on Sunday. Among the speakers is Padma Iyer, mother of queer activist, author and gay child, Harish Iyer. "It has been a difficult journey, but one that must be spoken about to ensure other children's lives are saved," Iyer shared with us. Her session, she added, will recount her experience as a mother to a homosexual child, the decisions she took, or didn't take, to both protect and accept her child. "I will talk about how I reacted when Harish was abused by his uncle as a child, and later, when he came out to me. I shushed him because these things are not supposed to be talked about, but joined him in his will to spread awareness when I began to see its impact," she shared. Other speakers at Queer Kahaniyan include Harish, Mona Seervai and Delshad Master.

The Jap-Euro mix

The nostalgic drink makes part of the book

Bandra-based cocktail bar and restaurant Gigi's latest love letter to cocktails is a new book that is equal parts history and innovation, shaken and stirred together. "The book blends Japanese and European influences in 14 drinks. Naruto's Dream, for instance, features Haku Japanese craft vodka, espresso, and coffee liqueur, garnished with rice paper printed with Naruto's image. It exemplifies the vision behind the book," shared co-founder (left) Pawan Shahri.

Put on a show

Projectionists Simran Ankolkar, Namrata Sanghani and Karan Talwar

Andheri's Harkat Studios is all set to take its 16mm expanded cinema performance for a Europe tour. Titled Laal Aasman, Hara Gulab, Neeli Dharti, the show is an amalgamation of sound, visual juxtapositions, and photochemical experiments. It is jointly projected by artistes Karan Suri Talwar Simran Ankolkar and Namrata Sanghan. "We are currently busy rehearsing every day, as this will be the first time we will perform at a new stage, with new equipment. All of us are excited to learn that our self-funded, independent project will now be taken to an international platform," he shared. The trio will perform in Paris, Rennes, Rotterdam, Berlin and Barcelona.

The umbrella is your canvas

Painted umbrellas at the workshop

Come monsoon, and National Award-winner and calligrapher (right) Achyut Palav's famous umbrella-painting workshop makes a splash. This year, the artist celebrated 15 years in calligraphy education. "In 2006, I lost my art studio to floods. But it was my responsibility as an artist to learn my lesson and move on - because, honestly, no one can stop rain. Instead, I found inspiration in the weather and used the shield against it, an umbrella, as my canvas," he recalled. Over a year, his painted umbrellas became a hit. "So, I decided to teach people how they can paint one themselves!" he told this diarist. Since 2007, his workshops have been integral with the monsoon as hundreds across Maharashtra learn to paint on the umbrellas under his guidance. "Once you paint on them, they are not just umbrellas anymore; they become paintings that reflect your personality and emotions," he signed off.