Dinner for Sridevi

Manish Malhotra (right) designed costumes for Sridevi's latest, as well as Jhanvi's debut

"We go back 27 years! She was a huge star and the fact that she worked with me, a newcomer, for a song sequence, was a big thing. It was through her that I met Karan Johar and the late Yash Chopraji," said designer Manish Malhotra, when we caught up with him a few hours before he was to host actress Sridevi and a small group of her friends and family at his home last evening.

The dinner was to celebrate not only her birthday, which was on Sunday, but also the success of Mom, her recent film, which appears to be one of the few to have bucked the dismal box office trend in the industry. "Not only did I design her costumes in Mom, but I am also doing them for her daughter Jhanvi's debut film," said Malhotra excitedly.

"In fact, I'm doing Sridevi's next too," he said, adding, "Few remember that it was her short haircut suggested by me in Gumraah that set the trend for actresses sporting a distinct look in their films." As for the dinner, Malhotra, who will be presenting the finale at fashion week, said, "It's a small intimate party with Jhanvi, Boney, and a few others. But since both Sridevi and I love white flowers, I am adorning the house with them."

Tagore, the fashion muse?
"The photograph was taken at the Lordship Park, when I spent a year in London in 2012-13," says SoBo-based photographer Parhad Goghavala about this arresting shot carried on his website, accompanied by a line from Rabindranath Tagore: 'Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.'

At the Lordship Park in London

"I would connect with various very passionate, creative people like stylists, make-up artists, and models, in order to create some great fashion images. Lordship Park is a large Victorian house in North London, spread over four distinctly-styled floors, used for photo shoots and films. The venue itself served as inspiration for us to put together the final shot you see."

The photo taken by Parhad Goghavala

He says. A student of Mumbai's Cathedral and John Connon School and London's Brunel University, Goghavala strengthened his appreciation for colour, form and aesthetics at Saint Martin's. A few years ago, he had his third fine art show 'Arresting Developments' at the Gallery 7.

"Currently, I am in the process of presenting this labour of love, a vast fashion portfolio shot over the last decade to high-end publications, the best fashion designers, and teaming up with other highly talented creatives to produce some of the best images in the industry," he says.

As for the arresting juxtaposition of the Tagore quote with his image: "I felt that the words coincided with the image; the model seemed like a bird waiting for the light, already in the bright light, standing outside an open cage, with an empty chair waiting to be filled!" he says.

Unkindest cut?
Has the rehabilitation of fallen idol, McKinsey's high-profile Rajat Gupta, the poster boy for NRI success in America, been successful? Not really, according to Anita Raghavan, author of The Billionaire's Apprentice, the story of Gupta's fall from grace after he was indicted in the American courts for insider trading as former global head of consulting giant McKinsey & Company, and had to spend two years in incarceration.

Rajat Gupta. Pic/AFP

In a long profile this week on the NYT's website, titled 'For Rajat Gupta, Returning Is a Hard Road' (the print version had an even more damning header 'A Pariah's Hard Road Back'), Raghavan reveals how, though Gupta's old friends amongst India's corporate elite like Analjit Singh and Warren E Buffett's right hand at Berkshire Hathaway, Ajit Jain, have attempted to welcome the prodigal back in to their circles, America Inc has not been so forgiving. "He has struggled to reconnect with many former associates and clients in the United States," observed Raghavan.

"The system in America had a stake in Rajat Gupta," Raghavan quotes Suhel Seth on the subject. "There was a greater investment of respect and trust in the man, so they were the ones who felt a sense of deep betrayal." By contrast, he noted, "The people who welcomed him with open arms in India had benefited more from him than he from them." But even forgiving Indian generosity is not universal. Raghavan's piece on the Indian demi-god with feet of clay appeared on the one day that would have mattered the most to the self-confessed patriot - August 15. The unkindest cut of all?

Sanjana Kapoor with her niece Shaira

The Kapoors on a getaway
This week, the entire Shashi Kapoor clan went off to Mafia Island, Tanzania, to celebrate culture activist and theatre actress, the Delhi-based Sanjana Kapoor's 50th birthday. Gathered amongst others, were her brothers, Prithvi head and ad filmmaker Kunal Kapoor, and photographer Karan Kapoor, with their families.

Zahan Kapoor. Pics/Karan Kapoor

And given that he is never without his camera, the latter took many pictures as the family bonded on the happy occasion. This picture of Zahan Kapoor, Kunal's son, shot by Karan, who lives in London, makes for a great portrait. Will Zahan, who is assisting his dad on a commercial in Budapest, follow his famous cousins Ranbir and Karishma and Kareena into Bollywood? Watch this space.

Breaking new ground
Everywhere we look, the young 'uns are taking over, establishing themselves on prestigious platforms, and to be honest, nothing makes us happier to see this generational shift. This week, we learnt that 28-year-old Zara Umrigar, daughter of designer and erstwhile model Sabita Dhanrajgir and businessman Neville Umrigar, has been invited to show her collection at the prestigious Paris Fashion Week in September. We had written about Umrigar's wide strides in her chosen field a while ago, but nothing prepared us for her outing at fashion's mecca. How did it come about?

Zara Umrigar

"A few months ago, I was invited to present on stage with some of the most exciting new talent at one of the most prestigious fashion events of the year, Paris Fashion Week. After reviewing 8,000 designers, they found my work online and invited me to be a part of the show," she says, "I will be presenting my Spring/Summer '18 collection that celebrates the beauty of our planet, while shedding light on the ways in which it is dying and what we can do to help save it." She adds, "It is definitely a huge honour, and will hopefully be a stepping stone in my efforts to enter new markets and take my brand worldwide."