Mrs Funny Bones and pals

Akshay Kumar, Dimple Kapadia, Aamir Khan and Twinkle Khanna

So here's what we learnt at Twinkle's star-studded book launch last evening. Karan Johar observes Karva Chauth. He went to the same boarding school as Twinkle. When he was particularly miserable there, his best friend Twinkle encouraged him to run away by rolling down a hill. "They caught me of course," said KJO, who obviously has forgiven the debuting author enough to have agreed to moderate at her book launch. "But of course I was made to stand in front of the assembly as a guinea pig."

Akshay Kumar, Dimple Kapadia, Aamir Khan and Twinkle Khanna. Pic/Nimesh Dave

These and other gems made up the natter at last evening's well attended book launch which featured the likes of Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Dimple Kapadia on stage and Jaya Bachchan, Abu and Sandeep, Shreyasi Jain Goenka, Sussanne Roshan in the audience.

When asked what Akshay had over other men, Twinkle, who might or might not suffer from a slight condition of Tourrettes syndrome, said "a few inches". When KJO asked what she'd do if she woke up one day as Ranbir Kapoor she said, "I'd say nothing as the Kat's got his tongue." Between these hilarious bon mots from Mrs Funny Bones the likes of Aamir Khan (one of her closest friends it turns out) Mr Funny Bones and Dimple got in a word edgeways.

As Aamir revealed, he had been nervous when Twinkle had informed him of her impending career as a columnist. "I told her not every one who loves cricket can bat," he said sheepishly.
Well, this girl can't only bat but she's just hit a sixer.

One, two, three, Kabaddi
With the Pro Kabaddi league creating a fair amount of hoo-ha and the second season's finals coming up over the weekend in Mumbai, we called on two of our heavyweight friends who have pioneered the Kabaddi revolution in India.

Abhishek Bachchan, Anand Mahindra and Ronnie Screwvala

Who are the favorites to make it to the finals? We asked entrepreneur and Mumbai team owner Ronnie Screwvala, "Jaipur (last year's champs owned by Abhishek Bachchan) have struggled with a poor start and then did some great catching up but now their Do or Die match is on Wednesday (today) where one of them has to win to qualify for the fourth team in the semi finals." And how has your own Mumbai representing team fared? "U Mumba has a strong team and in our yesterday's match we put out our new players and rested all our main players and yet won the match and so shows our bench strength", he said optimistically. But has the sport (previously seen as the poor man's cricket) matured already and what should we expect from the finals? We put to our other friend, Mahindra top boss and co-promoter of the league, Anand Mahindra, "The first thing to look forward to in this year's finale is the stadium atmosphere. Last year, spectators came to the stadium not knowing what to expect. This year the stadium is sold out and will be filled with passionate, energetic and vocal followers of this new avatar of an ancient sport. And clearly, this year's finalists will be far more competent and strategic in their play having honed their skills in this evolved form of Kabaddi." And word on the street is that the sports property which has been backed by star power has been hitting the top TV ratings and not before long will give IPL a run for its money. Ronnie who has been one to always have an eye on the long term game adds, "The key in Kabaddi is - it's such a fast paced game that even with a great team you could have a good day or bad day on the mat and so in forty minutes a lot can and does happen and so this Friday and Sunday promises to be riveting". Nice!

The Gentleman's Club
"It's ten years to my label and I am opening my first men's wear store in November this year in the courtyard of my Delhi haveli flagship store," said the beatific Manish Malhotra, who we last spied at a health spa in Delhi. "So I decided to do my first men's wear show.

Ranbir Kapoor and Manish Malhotra

It's a complete range from shirts to blazers to suits to bandhgalas to Sherwani. The Gentlemen's Club is a young contemporary collection which looks at Indian fabrics, colors, texture craft embroideries in a language of today and Ranbir, the young superstar, is an actor who does all his roles with a fresh new approach and in a language and voice and style of today," said the designer, whose offsite show will take place at Mehboob Studio for the first time on August 26, closing the opening day of Lakmé Fashion Week. "I designed his biggest hit 'Yeh Jawani Hai Diwani' for both him and Deepika," said Malhotra.

Navroze Mubarak
With Parsi New Year celebrated yesterday we recall with fondness a conversation we had sometime ago with one of our Bawa friends which epitomizes not only their generosity but also their endearing slightly eccentric ways. It was a dinner thrown in honour of a common friend, a visiting international bestselling author. Our wealthy Bawa friend called up to ask what he should take along as a gift. He likes red wine, we'd said, maybe a nice bottle of a special red.

"I have just brought down some Château Laffite Rothschild from Paris," said the Parsi bon vivant. "It's a very good vintage - I can gift it to him", he responded. Splendid, we thought as we hung up the phone. A few hours before the scheduled dinner our Bawa friend called us back, sounding slighting frantic, "Carry 1 or 2?" he asked. The latter we responded impressed by his largesse. "Arrey dikra but how will I carry 2 crates," was his response. We still laugh when we recall the incident but that for us sums up the Parsis and their generous eccentricity for us.
Navroze Mubarak!

Film industry Divas
The more we get reacquainted with the film industry the more we marvel at its varied facets, rituals and rites and subcultures. And one of these is the phenomenon of the bonding between its female denizens. Who will be there for you regardless of the box office or the latest signing amount.

Lali Dhawan (left) and Sheilu Lehr

And if support systems are a currency then Lali Dhawan, wife of one of the industry's most successful filmmakers and mother to a director and one of the industry's biggest stars, certainly is a millionaire. Be it other star moms, heroines, or matriarchs, Lali has a support system and friend circle that is as large as it is deep.

And key amongst them is Sheilu Lehr; her pal from college who informs us that today she will be at the Four Seasons where her luxe expiation DIVAlicious ('a one-stop exhibition for the upcoming festive season') is being held. The exhibition, which popped up in Dubai, is showcased in a special lounge area in the Conservatory and Gallery, and features La Folie and, according to Lehr, all manner of delights.

And knowing how deep the support system runs, we can bet it's going to be a whole lot of star moms, and film wives too.