Sonali's Society

Timeless beautyTherersquos a depth to Bhumi Pednekar that goes far beyond her work as an actor Not surprisingly then her chosen icon is a stunner but also a serious woman of substance ldquoShabana Azmi didnrsquot just act in films she shifted the grammar of what a heroine could be She chose courage over comfort substance over trends and became iconic She made intelligence aspirational and activism elegant Every time she looks into the camera you see history rebellion empathy and craft all at once And even today she is on her A game She reminds me that longevity comes from integrity mdash just the kind of beauty that never fades Her grace and uncompromising individuality have me so deeply inspiredrdquo says Bhumi We couldnrsquot have said it betterGlamour on a platterMalaika Arora and Shilpa ShettyMalaika Arora sashayed into its signature green doors and put Sweeney on the map this week The cityrsquos newest allday dining address in Khar has been making headlines ever since drawing the stylish and the curious in equal measure Much like her Bandra bistro Scarlett House Malla teams up with restauranteur Dhaval Udeshi for this venture as well Full disclosure we havenrsquot had a chance to experience Sweeney firsthand yet so stay tuned for a deeper dive next weekMeanwhile we did drop by Shilpa Shettyrsquos Amma Kai some afternoons ago mdash and it wasnrsquot quite what we expected The service was average at best though the food fared better The highlight of the meal was dessert decadent churros fresh from the frier dying to be dipped in chocolate And the real surprise came with the bill this Bandra restaurant that was once bougie Bastian wonrsquot break the bankNow as you firm up your weekend plans another suburban spot merits mention This one shines for its cuisine not its starstudded clientele Kuuraku is our new favourite Japanese jewel where every bite mdash from sushi to ramen mdash is meticulously crafted and utterly satisfyingThank God SoBo still has The Table and Americano mdash because Bandra it seems is the real baeCapital Craft Takes Mumbai StageHaseena Jethmalani and Vikram GoyalLast night Mumbai gave a warm welcome to Vikram Goyal whose brilliant brass artefacts have long been the pride of the capitalTucked away at Trafford House in Fort Goyalrsquos new Viya outpost is his first in our city Wandering through rooms full of showstopping side tables candelabras and captivating consoles one is struck by each piece mdash art masquerading as an item of utilityItrsquos no wonder then that connoisseurs like Czaee Shah and sister Gauri Pohoomul led the guest listAlso in attendance were Tina Tahiliani and her gorgeous daughter Aria Parikh Haseena Jethmalani designers Surily Goel and Nachiket Barve with his lovely wife Surabhi Laila and Ricky Lamba Nikhil Chaturvedi and Good Earthrsquos Beenu Bawa mdash applauding the competition instead of sizing it upGates shut on IndiaBill GatesTherersquos something to be said about the posthumous power of contamination On Tuesday at a tense town hall meeting with Gates Foundation staff members Bill Gates addressed the elephant in the room mdash his ties to Jeffrey Epstein thrust back into view by damaging documents released earlier this monthMake what you will of the Microsoft cofounderrsquos apology our take is entirely different and it hits closer to homeGates quietly backed out of two highprofile appearances in India in recent weeks mdash one at the AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi and the other at Mumbai Climate Week While both events were designed to spotlight innovation philanthropy and planetary rescue it was instead an old radioactive name that nabbed headlines Epstein Clearly the optics were impossibleSo here we are in 2026 watching global figures recalibrate appearances not because of current actions but because of historical associations that refuse to stay buried Climate change canrsquot get a clean headline Artificial intelligence canrsquot hold centre stage The ghost of Epstein still walks into the room first mdash and everyone else adjusts their schedule accordingly