Mumbai Diary: Monday Dossier

Pic/Bipin Kokate

Junior salaam

Oblivious that son Taimur is waving Happy Diwali to the world, actors Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor pose for the photographers at Karisma Kapoor's puja at her Khar residence on Sunday. Pic/Bipin Kokate

How to take a break this Diwali

Fans of actor Sanjay Kapoor looking forward to his comeback were in for a false alarm when they spotted a promising trailer of the actor in what looked like an original movie by a streaming platform.

With the likes of Lillete Dubey, Supriya Pilgaonkar and Radhika Madan also in the almost two-minute long video, and a catchy background score provided by Mumbai-based act Fuzzculture, it seems promising till you reach the end, where it states, "Kuch stories stream nahin ki jaati, jee jaati hai. So take a break from us and spend time with the fam. We'll see you later."

Arsh Shamra of Fuzzculture told this diarist, "The idea behind it was to ask people to spend time with family during this festive season. The music has a Bollywood vibe, which is different from the dance-y riffs and rock anthems I usually work with," he said. And does he heed the advice? Well, Sharma flew down to Delhi to spend Diwali with his family this weekend.

Tara's got a star project in SoBo

Last year, when Tara Deshpande put up a tweet sharing the news that she had found a space for a culinary studio in SoBo, well-wishers flocked to congratulate the actor-turned-chef. But since then, delays kept pushing the opening behind.

"It's been a long road," Deshpande told this diarist. The good news is that Culinary Studio, the venture, will be opening on November 15, and to mark the occasion, Deshpande has roped in chef Avinash Martin who has trained under Michelin star-chefs and has three restaurants in Goa, including the lauded Cavatina. Martin will be conducting a demo and pop-up as part of the inaugural celebration.

Deshpande shared, "This culinary studio has taken a while to put together. It's a small and eccentric space as most South Mumbai spaces are. My hope is it becomes a welcome hub for fellow foodies, where we can build a community of people who support and help each other in India's growing foodscape."

This is a real breadwinner

We're chuffed but not surprised that India figures in the CNN Travel's recent reports about the 50 best breads in the world. After all, our desi fare is right up there with the top tastes in the culinary universe.

The travel report revealed the breads were chosen "for their unique ingredients, iconic status and sheer, homey pleasure of ea­t­ing them." Listing them in al­phabetical order, this diarist sp­otted that India's parathas had ma­de it to the list. The copy alongside a picture of parathas read, 'Flatbreads go wonderfully flaky in this whole-wheat Indian treat, which can be eaten plain or studded with savory fillings'. Other mentions included roti gambang from Indonesia.

Why is Arjun angry?

Taking a leaf out of the character he played in Made in Heaven, actor Arjun Mathur decided to speak up for a cause close to every Mumbaikar's heart - the felling of trees.

Mathur took videos of the people chopping trees near his residence, and captioned it, "To all the co-operative ho­using society members that agree to the felling of trees so they can't damage your cars... take your families to your cars, make them wrap their mouths around exhaust pipes and turn on the engine."

Clearly, the outrage at the hacking inside Aarey refuses to die down.

Diwali dhamaka with city diplomats

It's not just the markets and homes in the city that are decked up for Diwali this season. The consulates of Mumbai decided to join the celebrations and adorned their offices with traditional Diwali decor - lamps, diyas, rangoli and flowers.

While the US Consulate put out a fun video where their diplomats are seen moulding diyas from scratch, complete with a face-off between a girls' team of four and a team of boys (the girls won), the German Consulate made a video of employees hanging lamps in their office.

The Israel Consulate General, too, put out a stop-motion video of an arrangement of diyas made by their staff that reads, "Happy Diwali".

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