Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Auto play
Huma Qureshi feels some sibling love from her brother, Saqib Saleem, at a Holi party in Goregaon on Friday. Pic/Nimesh Dave

From the top cop
If you grew up in the mid '90s, you'd recall a particular case that garnered pan-Indian intrigue, shocking the nation not just for its brutality, but also because of the high-profile nature of the main accused. In a decade when satellite TV was in its early days, and when the Internet and social media couldn't play moral judge, the tandoor murder in Delhi created unimaginable buzz.

Naina Sahni's murder and the discovery of her burnt body in a tandoor of a popular Delhi restaurant, and the accused, her husband, Sushil Sharma who was a former Youth Congress leader, was as sensational a case as they come. Top cop Maxwell Pereira headed the investigation team to crack the case that led to the death penalty for Sharma that was later commuted to a life sentence in 2013 by the Delhi High Court.

Now, a book, titled Tandoor Murder (Westland), is ready to unravel the dramatic turn of events as recalled by Pereira. In his words, "The manuscript was held back by me till the culmination of the trial and all appeals in the interest of not jeopardising the process in any manner." A definite page-turner, this one is bound to be.

A roaring event for Tiger
If there's one Indian cricketer who was the embodiment of grace on the playing field, and off it, it was the inimitable Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. Affectionately called "Tiger", such was his charm that even Sharmila Tagore - arguably the most beautiful actress of her time - was besotted enough to tie the knot with him.

Bishan Singh Bedi and Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi

Now, The Bishan Singh Bedi Cricket Coaching Trust - of which Pataudi was a co-founder and chairman - is organising a special event on its 25th anniversary to commemorate his memory. The programme will be held in a Delhi five-star on March 7, and anchor Gaurav Kapoor will host it. And the guest list, we are told, will include the leading lights of the cricket and film worlds, including Aamir Khan and Virat Kohli.

Masaba the blogger
We have always loved fashion designer Masaba Gupta's candid posts on social media. And for those who wish to find out more about her, Gupta has now started blogging. "It's not a typical blog. It's more of an interactive diary where I share everything that matters to me.

I don't have the time or the expertise to be a blogger, but I find social media limiting, so thought it would be nice to maintain an online diary of all the things I am asked about. My followers can expect lots of beauty, food and well-being and fashion tips. I want it to cover the topics young girls are constantly stressing about. I want to keep it real," the designer told this diarist.

Look east
Manish Arora seems to be a man following a look-east policy these days. He recently showcased his collection at the Paris Fashion Week, where many of his clothes had his signature heart-shaped motif.

Arora also played around with traditionally "low" fabrics such as washed denim, with all the outfits topped with knotted scarves made from the hand-woven jacquards by craftsmen at Arora's Delhi studio. But the feature that caught our eye the most was his liberal use of Tuzki, which is one of China's most famous emoticons. We have also learnt that Arora is opening five new stand-alone stores in the far-eastern country later this year.

In memory of Jennifer and Shashi
For 22 years, February 28 at Prithvi Theatre had been about remembering the late Jennifer Kendal, who set up and nurtured Mumbai's mecca for theatre with beloved husband Shashi Kapoor. With the legendary actor's passing in December last year, the 34th memorial concert this week was held in remembrance of both Kendal and Kapoor.

Randhir Kapoor, Dolly Thakore, Neetu Singh and Kiran Juneja at the event

The evening included a performance by Zakir Hussain, with Louiz Banks as a special guest. Members of the Kapoor family were joined by eminent actors including Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Rajit Kapur and Makarand Deshpande, who call Prithvi their second home.

Musicians performing songs from Shashi Kapoor's films

Other guests in attendance were Dia Mirza, Lara Dutta, Mahesh Bhupati, Nandita Das, Shyam Benegal and Kalki Kochelin. With a screening of scenes from the couple's films together and musicians recreating songs from Kapoor's movies, we hear that it was an evening filled with nostalgia.

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates