Mumbai Diary: Sunday Dossier

Tiger ka beta tiger
Actor Saif Ali Khan poses next to the photograph of a tiger, a nickname given to his father, cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, at a photography exhibition held in Kemps Corner on Friday. Pic/Ashish Raje

Jury member Tisca Chopra (centre) with the winners

Setting the tone
Smartly projecting the crucial need for women's empowerment, a short film titled Don't Shrug It Off won the first prize in the Women's Safety and Empowerment contest organised by the US Consulate General in Mumbai. The team behind the powerful film, which touches on the subconscious and subtle gender discrimination in our everyday lives, includes former students of Bandra's St Andrew's College. Merwyn D'souza, a member of the winning team, tells our diarist, "We wanted to make a film on a subject that strikes a chord with many. Sexism is something that is deeply entrenched. Victims do have a tendency of not taking it too seriously. But we feel the problem must be dealt with sternly." We couldn't agree more.

When Ciara met Tanvi, the dancer
If you think dreams come true on Instagram, you are right. Dancer Tanvi Karekar got a special birthday gift last month when international pop star Ciara liked a video Tanvi posted of herself doing Bharatnatyam on the former's song Level Up. And it didn't end there. Next day, she reposted the video on her own account. "It was shocking, because I had posted the dance video two months ago.

The fact that she watched the video was a big thing. It made me realise how small this world becomes when you are online. You are just one post away from interacting with people you idolise," says Karekar, who now has 125k followers, and is known for her wholesome dance videos. The Mumbai girl's tip to aspiring social media influencers is simple: "Do what you love, and be passionate about it. But the most important tip though, is to use trending topics, because that helps you grow faster." Take note.

Kersi Meher-Homi

No kidding, it ended 3-2
While cricket lovers wonder which way the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy will turn after Australia's encouraging start to the Perth Test post their defeat in Adelaide, we heard a nice yarn about how a kid predicted the series scoreline for India's 1977-78 battle in Australia.

Sydney-based Parsi cricket historian and occasional mid-day contributor, Kersi Meher-Homji was in the stands when India lost both openers, Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan with no run on the 1977-78 Melbourne Test scoreboard. This was the third Test of the series after India lost the first two in Brisbane and Perth.

When the scoreboard progressed to 3 for 2, an Aussie kid turned to Kersi and said, "Look, the Indian score has moved from 0 runs for 2 wickets to 3 runs for 2 wickets... who knows, the series result could also change from 0-2 to 3-2." Kersi was amused. He was more amused when the series ended in Adelaide 3-2 in favour of Australia.

Manoranjan Byapari

Another feather in its cap
Westland Publications has upped its ante. After releasing two imprints this year, Context and Westland Sport, it has now launched its third - Eka. The imprint, sources told this diarist, will curate original writing across genres from nine Indian languages and will also be translating them into multiple languages, including English. While Manoranjan Byapari's novel There's Gunpowder in the Air (translated from the Bengali into English by Arunava Sinha) is among the first set of nine books that have been released under the new imprint, next year will see close to 100 titles. From poetry by progressive writers like Kaifi Azmi and Jan Nisar Akhtar to works by Kannada writer Vivek Shanbhag, and Telugu feminist writer Volga, and Indian language translations of Jeffery Archer's Kane and Abel, we see an interesting collection for bibliophiles.

More than a love story
Independent film producer Joy B Ganguly needs to pinch himself to believe that his recent outing, Nagarkirtan, has won four National Awards this year. Turns out, it's a first for a Bengali film. Written by writer-director Kaushik Ganguly - known for his works that explore sexuality - the plot revolves around a transwoman's romance with a flute player. "I think what worked was the treatment of a burning issue. We used a simple yet engaging narrative," he says. The film will release in January.

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