Mumbai Diary: Saturday Dossier

Being somebody else

We won't blame you if you just missed spotting Bobby Deol in this picture. The actor was seen shooting for a short film in Chembur on Friday. Pic/Ashish Raje

Addressing a burning question

At the recently concluded META awards, a play had to be withdrawn after it was accused of plagiarism, This has stirred a heated debate in the theatre community, and artistes in Mumbai have now come together to take the first step towards addressing the issue.

A two-day event called Whose Play is it Anyway? will be held at Harkat Studios on April 27 and 28, where noted members from the community including Kunal Kapoor, Mahesh Dattani, Jehan Maneckshaw and Faezeh Jalali, well-known tabla player Aneesh Pradhan and IP lawyer Xerxes Ranina will participate in an array of panel discussions, each focussing on a specific subject from creator rights to how organisations can boost ethical practices.

Restaurateurs turn actors

A fun video doing the rounds on the social media feeds of the F&B movers and shakers of the city is one featuring chef Alexis Gielbaum and Nick Harrison, co-founders of the Worli-based restaurant Slink & Bardot. The context is the French cuisine restaurant's tie-up with a scotch brand for a food pairing pop-up next week, but what's taken us by surprise are the acting chops of the duo, where Gielbaum is tricked into whipping up spaghetti carbonara for Harrison after a long day at work. The conversation then veers off into the highly contested territory of the Italian vs French take on the classic dish, where the latter add crème fraîche to the sauce, while Italians consider it sacrilegious. We know what we are ordering when we are there next!

Alyque Padamsee

Another tribute for Alyque

A few weeks after the passing of adman and theatre personality Alyque Padamsee, his daughter Raell organised a musical evening as homage to him at NCPA's Tata Theatre. This evening, another event called The Best of Alyque will take place at the same venue. "Unlike last time where we had people speak at the memorial, this time we'll present excerpts from his plays.

Shiamak Davar in performance

For instance, Gerson Da Cunha will enact a scene from The Taming of the Shrew, which dad directed in 1954, while A Streetcar Named Desire will be enacted by Sabira Merchant," Raell told this diarist, while adding that ace choreographer Shiamak Davar will also be performing three songs along with his dancers. "We'll also be screening some clips of dad. All performers are so fantastic and I'm looking forward to this bonding," she said.

Let there be light at CSMVS

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS) is one the most iconic cultural hotspots in the city. Now, its glory will be further heightened as news comes in that from April 24 onwards, the façade of the museum will be lit up at night. Not just that, but the tall dome of the building will be illuminated, too, making it visible from an angle of 360 degrees from a distance of 20 km. The people behind this initiative - including director general of CSMVS Sabyasachi Mukherjee and gallerist Priyasri Patodia who chairs the Environment Committee of the Rotary Club of Bombay - had been working on making it a reality for almost a year now. We can't wait to see how majestic the building will now look.

Priyanka Chaturvedi with RTI activist Shailesh Gandhi at the event

Remember what you said!

It is intriguing to see former Congress national spokesperson Priyanka Chaturvedi join hands with BJP ally Shiv Sena. The move took this diarist back to October last year, while reporting on an event that took place at a Bandra-Kurla hotel. It was a Young Thinkers' Conference with a full-on political discussion. The session focused on whether the youth should get into politics, and if so, how they should do that. There was Alka Lamba from the Aam Aadmi Party and Charu Pragya from the BJP. At that time, Chaturvedi took a swipe at the BJP telling her audience that, it was important that the youth question the BJP narrative with, "What is the outcome of the 'Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao' movement? Do women feel safer now? The Ujjwala Yojana may be excellent but [what happens] when you increase the price of an LPG connection by Rs 300?" Like they say, in politics, there are no permanent friends or enemies!

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