Is he, isn't he?

Shashi Tharoor

He may be a best-selling author, a Twitter badshah, and one of the most articulate politicians in the country, but if there's one thing that Congress leader and MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor is celebrated for, it is his abiding optimism concerning love.

According to insiders, the three-times married Tharoor has not given up on the concept of true love and has been spotted often in the company of a dignified lady hailing from a royal clan in Rajasthan; and what's more, sources say that the MP might even go ahead and tie the knot with her soon.

"Good grief no... totally concentrating on my constituency," said Tharoor when we lobbed him the question when he was in Thiruvananthapuram yesterday. "In fact, I am hardly in Delhi these days; so the gossip is even less well founded than usual..." However, according to sources, love is definitely in the air for Tharoor, and he has been spotted with the lady on occasions... Is he dating, we enquired.

"I have no time for dating, alas," he said. "But I realise where the confusion has come from. My son Ishaan (Washington Post) is tying the knot in the USA in October with an Indian-American who works at CNN. Her family is from Gujarat not Rajasthan. And the Delhi reception is at my home on Christmas Day." So even if the MP is seeing someone, no wedding bells until next year at least...

Don't cry for her
That Devita Saraf is partial to media exposure is well known. From putting her face in her company's product advertising to posing on the front page of national newspapers is only par for the course for this ambitious lady, who appears to believe there's no promotion like self-promotion.

Devita Saraf

However, according to sources, this extreme narcissism has resulted in some idiosyncrasies that are giving rise to considerable sniggering in biz circles. Apparently, so pleased with one of her recent pictures of herself shot in her lingerie was the lady, that she is said to have sent them to the editor of a fashion glossy with the words, "This is worthy of your magazine," or some such thing.

Recently, Saraf was part of the conclave of young entrepreneurs that met the PM, and her fellow attendees are still talking about her attention-grabbing acts at the summit. "Which is why, ever since then, within our circles she's called Evita not Devita Saraf now," they say... Oh dear!

Going Thai in Bandra
Sri Lankan import and actor Jacqueline Fernandez has had a busy week. She took time out from movie promotions to walk as the muse for Manish Malhotra's closing show at the recently concluded fashion week over the weekend.

Jacqueline Fernandez

And her latest film, A Gentleman, alongside Siddharth Malhotra is set to release this week. But the actor has another passion project (which we wrote about many months ago), which is still to unfold, and Monday night saw her attend the first food tasting of her upcoming restaurant, Pali Thai in Bandra.

For the restaurant she has teamed up with her BFF Mishali Sanghani, co-founder of Pali Village Cafe and Pali Bhavan. And the few lucky ones invited for the first tasting included Suresh Joshi (gym owner), Kshtij Kankaria (stylist) and Ashiesh Shah.

And though the menu has been kept under tight wraps, we know that the food was served on traditional banana leaves. There will be a lot of curries, and the soon-to-be-opened restaurant in the locality is said to be inspired by the colour pink!

No reply
More from the bunkers of the newly concluded Fashion Week. Apparently, apart from the usual hustling for passes and front-row seats, the biggest bugbear for the designers has been the penchant of a few showbiz types who, having received and worn their show outfits and jewellery for the shows (a common practice where the designers get some high-profile people to show off their collection at the high-profile event), are not taking calls regarding their return now.

"The clothes and jewels are sent with the specific understanding that they are returnable," says one harried lady from a designer's team. "However, this particular wannabe actress and socialite's phone is continuously busy or switched off ever since the show ended. And the merchandise is worth at least a few lakhs!" What's most interesting is that the said lady flaunts her proximity to a rich industrialist, who is rumoured to fund her extravagances. All that glitters is not gold?

Tanuj Garg, Vidya Balan and Siddharth Roy Kapur

Small plates and big appetites
It was a bit of a food fest this Saturday, when photographer, producer and owner of a celeb management outfit, Atul Kasbekar, threw open the doors of his apartment for an evening of rare spirits and small plates prepared by chefs from Rahul Akerkar's team. Seen enjoying the fare were members from the cast of Kasbekar's forthcoming production, Tumhari Sulu, starring Vidya Balan.

Neha Dhupia and Manav Kaul

As reported, Balan essays the role of a vivacious RJ, and the presence of real-life RJ Malishka, who'd hit the headlines recently with her feisty stand against civic authorities, was not a surprise. The reel-life RJ plays the role of Albeli Anjali; actor Manav Kaul, who plays Balan's husband, and the statuesque Neha Dhupia, who plays her boss, were all present along with Balan's husband, producer Siddharth Roy Kapur, and Tanuj Garg, who fronts the production banner along with Kasbekar. "Everyone was going gaga about the small plates floating around of risotto, tuna, gnocchi, etc," says Garg about the occasion. The downside: "People did not realise how many small plates they ate!"