Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Pic/Anurag Ahire

Needle in a haystack

Actress or average Jane, no girl can find what she needs in her bag. Sara Ali Khan rummages after a pilates class in Khar West on Friday. Pic/Anurag Ahire

Mind over matter for Masaba's 31st

Thirty has been a busy year for designer Masaba Gupta. And not just in her capacity as a fashion designer, for she's forayed into a special collection of watches, her very own jewellery collection, and even a new-gen make-up selection, besides collaborating to change the image of the Banarasi saree and of course, her GoT (Game of Thrones) collection as the iconic series came to an end.

And so, as she turns 31, Gupta, who's been shooting relentlessly for the past month and a half - sometimes for days at a stretch - for a series on a streaming platform, has decided to spend her birthday today at home, relaxing and taking time off to rejuvenate. "Turning 31 means to have peace of mind. Frankly, I haven't been able to spend any time with myself. So, I'll go to work, but plan to spend time with mom (Neena Gupta), before I resume shooting," she told this diarist. Her quiet birthday won't be without some indulgence at least, as her friend and city-based chef Pooja Dhingra has already started sending her goodies for D-Day.

Malad to get a bouncy new address

if you liked the time you spent in a kids' bounce house while growing up, but have had to give up after turning into an adult, here's good news for you. The city is getting its first adult indoor trampoline park at Infiniti Mall in Malad, with an Australian firm launching a 42,000-sq ft, 38-feet high flagship store next month.

Its USPs include 18 trampoline parks with activities such as a junior jumper for toddlers, and free jump and X park for kids and adults. It will also offer other trampoline activities like big bag and super tramp. Anyone between the age of three and 60 can visit the venue, which will also house a café and party hall.

Stirring a storm

The bevy of international chefs visiting the city as part of one- or two-day pop-ups and/or ticketed dinners in collaboration with Mumbai restaurants is slowly drying the fun out of the idea. And so, it's gradually taking a lot more than, "We have a chef coming in from the US," to make us sit up and listen. But when this diarist learnt that one of Asia's top bartenders, Suraj Gurung, the head mixologist at Stockton in Hong Kong, is coming to Mumbai under the auspices of Lower-Parel-based craft bar, Thirsty City, she had to pay attention.

Because unlike a run-off-the-mill tie-up, this one will entail Gurung travelling with the bar's team to the Northeast for a foraging trip. When they return, Gurung will design the cocktail menu around the ingredients that he discovers in that corner of India. "I'm excited to be doing my first guest shift in Mumbai and helping them celebrate their first anniversary in style. This will be my first time in India, and I'm looking forward to discovering the bar scene there," Gurung told us.

An award-worthy balancing act

Theatre personality Divya Palat's Balancing Act productions, co-owned by actor-husband Aditya Hitkari, was awarded the most promising and innovative digital content company of the year at the recent Global Leaders Awards held in Azerbaijan (Europe). "It means a lot to us. We started off as a theatre company in 2002 and have seen many innovations since then, including stepping into management and marketing, as well as creating content," Palat told this diarist, before adding that they started making content on streaming platforms for brands as early as 2009.

"The evolution has been organic. We first introduced interactive theatre as well, as that gave the audience a voice and they could be a part of the play as well. That was how I could to me transfer the joy I got out of theatre to them," she added.

Gone too soon

This one was a soft entry, and an even softer exit. Andie MacDowell - who starred in acclaimed Hollywood movies like Groundhog Day and a Funeral, and Sex, Lies and Videotape - was in Mumbai for a day this week, to lend her support to the city-based Film Heritage Foundation, that works towards conserving and restoring movies.

She endorsed the foundation's initiative of training a resource of film archivists in India and neighbouring countries through a workshop to be held in Hyderabad in December. Here's hoping we get to see more of her the next time she's in Mumbai.

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