Mumbai Diary: Tuesday Dossier

Take the shirt off my back
Actor John Abraham does away with his shirt on the sets of a dance reality show in Malad on Monday. Pic/Sameer Markande

Deal with this
Be it bold colours and prints, or the candid anecdotes from her daily life, designer Masaba Gupta Mantena definitely lives by the mantra, 'be bada'' or go home'. And her forthcoming social media campaign will reinforce her strong stance against societal stereotypes women can live without.

Called the Can't Deal series, the campaign will be a video montage of women dressed in a specially-designed T-shirt (artwork in pic), declaring things they can't care to deal with. "It's conversational clothing meant for the youth who speak their mind. This is the language they speak in," says Gupta. #Yougogirl

An ode by desi Beliebers
Despite the panned performance, Canadian musician Justin Bieber's maiden visit to India last year was one of the highlights of the country's music calendar. His strong Indian fanbase though can't seem to get enough of the crooner. One such fan group, Indian Beliebers Community, had prepared a 566ft-long scroll to gift to the artiste, which they sadly couldn't present. The scroll has now been exhibited at Stratford Perth Museum as a part of the Steps To Stardom exhibit on the artiste. The group has now applied for a Guinness World Record for the longest handmade greeting scroll by a fanbase for an artiste. Good luck!

Sunsets in Bandra
Late last year, this paper reported the closure of restaurateur Zorawar Kalra's ambitious project, MasalaBar at Carter Road. And we hear that it will be replaced by a new outlet of Riyaaz Amlani's Social this weekend. The interiors will offer a mix of kitsch and sparkling neon signage, pastel shades of baby pink and variants of green, and cane-like chairs for a sea-side theme. Time to plan that next sunset date.

Daniela Ciancio. Pic Courtesy/facebook.com/avidlearning

Fashion, films and costumes
Among all discussions on filmmaking, costumes is one facet which could do with more dialogue. Fashion enthusiasts in the city can now look forward to Cine Couture: Costuming For The Camera, where award-winning Italian costume designer Daniela Ciancio and Bollywood couturier Neeta Lulla will be among the panelists.

Neeta Lulla

Ciancio, who will be making her maiden visit to the sub-continent, is known for her collaborations with foreign cinema, television productions as well as for theatre and opera. She has also been the costume supervisor for Mission Impossible 3. The discussion will be the concluding event for the first edition of Fare Cinema - The International Week Of Italian Cinema, which the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-Operation has launched to promote Italian film production abroad.

Mozez Singh

Gentlemen, how about menstruating for a day?
Initiated by a German NGO in 2014, May 28 is celebrated as Menstrual Hygiene Day to raise awareness about hygiene management among women and girls worldwide. The day holds special significance for India as the social stigma coupled by the lack of awareness and resources continues to be a huge impediment for crores of women. Back in March, a Madhya Pradesh university was in the news for allegedly strip-searching 40 women after finding a sanitary napkin in a hostel corridor. As such horror stories continue to unfurl, filmmaker Mozez Singh (Zubaan, 2015) aims to question these practices with his short film, First Period. Set to release Menstrual Hygiene Day, the film is keen to probe, 'What if the tables were flipped? What if we were to see everything from the perspective of boys where everything is perfect and where women don't exist?'. Through the film, Singh hopes to put an end to women being made to feel guilty and anxious for something that is normal.

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