Again, in Spain

Word comes in that Ranbir Kapoor is allegedly off to Spain for a bachelor party preceding the wedding of a close friend. The last time the actor's presence in the sunny country had made news was when pictures of him with Katrina Kaif on a beach had gone viral.

Katrina Kaif and Ranbir Kapoor

As is reported the two are said to have ended their relationship recently to the great consternation of their fans, who were hoping that they would reunite after spending time with each other on an upcoming outdoor shoot. Alas, that appears to be a distant possibility now, as the shoot is said to be postponed.

So as we were saying, Ranbir Kapoor is supposed to be flying to Spain for a bachelor's party. And yes, he's a bachelor and will be going alone. That's what bachelors do.

Delhi's thousand crore deal
For all its big ticket recent real estate deals, such as Cyrus Poonawalla's acquisition of Lincoln House for Rs 750 crores and the Kumar Mangalam Birla acquisition of the Jatia House for Rs 450 (the sale of which was first reported on this page), Mumbai is still way behind in the big buck stakes when compared to Delhi, and particularly Lutyen's Delhi! Consider the latest news: a three acre plot in Lutyen's is going for the asking price of Rs 700-1,000cr.

Kumar Mangalam Birla

Yes you read it right. The plot belongs to a gentleman well known in the arms trade industry, who is being forced to sell it by his institutional creditors, and the potential buyer is a reclusive tycoon with very deep pockets. And the word on the block is that he will get it for less than the asking amount.

Jatia House that Birla bought

"Most likely the deal will be closed around R700 crores," said our Oolong tea favouring Sobo Hostess friend. How did she know all this we asked the OTFSH - for once impressed by the depth of her trivia. "Because it was offered to me," she replied off-handedly. And then dismissing us with a slight shake of her hand she said "Boy, zara hot water jaldi lao please."

Just desserts this time
It's been back to back parties for Tanya and Arvind Dubash, what with the bash thrown at their Worli home to celebrate the latter's birthday along with that of friend Kajal Anand.

Arvind and Tanya Dubash

This weekend saw them host more or less the same group on a yacht belonging to Tanya's dad Adi Godrej. And no, no staged raids by regulatory authorities on the contents of their table this time were reported.

Karan Johar, said to be the mastermind behind the last prank must have wanted to leave the Dubashes in peace this time to enjoy their just desserts.

Of dreadlocks and strange presences
If there's any indication of how old and established the Olive phenomena is, the fact that it was creator AD Singh's dreadlocks that had set the ball rolling, is evidence enough.

Rishi Sethia, Queenie Singh, Rohi, Chetan Jaikishen, Uraaz Bahl and Shaana Levy Bahl

"I went to meet the landlord to get the lease approved wearing dreadlocks and blue beads," narrated Singh in a long and anecdotal speech at Olive's 15th anniversary brunch held in Bandra, at the place where it had all begun.

Encouraged by the wild cheering and heartfelt applause, the now elegantly clad, well heeled restaurateur icon, sporting an expensive short hair cut, was spurred to share more such nuggets about his successful journey, including one about famous guests who'd fallen in to the Olive's famous fishpond, and another about the 'presence' that the space had come with which would occasionally upset cocktails and push staff until it was appeased ' by a candlelight ritual...'

All this along with copious quantities of food and alcohol was lapped up by a jam-packed crowd of Olive's fans and friends.

Another One...
Another one bites the dust. Even as the news of the Adhuna-Farhan breakup is still being digested, word comes in of another long and stable marriage in Bollywood which is similarly unraveling. Same vintage.

Adhuna Bhabani, Farhan Akhtar and Sussanne Khan

More or less same pedigree. And regarded with just as much affection. This one's said to have reached this situation, as the attractive wife, also in the industry, appears to have 'had enough' and is keen to walk out and pursue her own life and career.

"Divorce is not anathema or considered the end of the world by many smart young wives in the industry," said an industry insider, commenting on the news of this latest impending breakup. "Many of them see no reason why they should continue any more - when there's a world waiting outside, full of possibilities and opportunities," she said, adding, "Call it the Sussanne Roshan factor."