<h2>Kaan khol ke sun lo</h2>
<p>When the heavyweights of the pitch become the kings of the console, you don&rsquo;t just play &mdash; you listen. On Sunday, at the launch of the Indian Super Gaming League, football club franchise owners Ranbir Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan proved that whether it&rsquo;s offline or online, they&rsquo;re always ready to up their game.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Partners in dine</h2>
<p><img src="http://admin.mid-day.com/images/2026/mar/Dhaval-Udeshi_e.jpg" alt="Dhaval Udeshi and Malaika Arora" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Dhaval Udeshi and Malaika Arora</em></strong></p>
<p>We&rsquo;ve been busy over the weekend, keeping our promises! So, Saturday saw us slipping into a cosy spot at Sweeney &mdash; the swish new restobar in Khar &mdash; on its first official night open. Put it down to star power, or our city&rsquo;s endless appetite for all things new, but there wasn&rsquo;t a single vacant seat indoors. Any angst we may have felt on that score was soon drowned in Picante and pastry &mdash; a flaky filo filled with feta, drizzled in truffle honey. Tom Kha Gai and Tomato Tortellini followed, but the star of the show was a subtly spiced lotus root and pomelo salad. Despite an array of tongue-tingling Thai and European dishes though, the real story here wasn&rsquo;t on the plate. Chatting with co-founder restaurateur Dhaval Udeshi, we discover what Sweeney is really serving is partnership. This is Dhaval&rsquo;s third collaboration with the magnetic Malaika Arora, following two outposts of Scarlett House (the Bandra bistro was followed by a sublime sequel in Juhu). Unlike some celebrity tie-ups, this association goes far beyond face value. Even on the day we dropped by, Dhaval tells us Malla had already made a visit before heading to a shoot. &ldquo;She is extremely hands-on. From the selection of the paint to choosing the plates, Malaika has a clear vision and she works towards it,&rdquo; we&rsquo;re told. And the proof, as they say, is in the pudding.&nbsp;</p>
<h2>Fashion forward</h2>
<p><img src="http://admin.mid-day.com/images/2026/mar/Akshata-Murty_e.jpg" alt="Akshata Murty" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Akshata Murty</em></strong></p>
<p>With a design degree and a Stanford MBA to her name, Akshata Murty pairs business brains with fashion flair. There&rsquo;s an &lsquo;it factor&rsquo; about her that has us intrigued, and not just because hubby Rishi Sunak once occupied 10 Downing Street. Last month, this comely couple were in Mumbai. Much like the French President, the former UK Prime Minister and his missus made it to Marine Drive for a run. Unlike Emmanuel Macron though, they did so without a virtual viral outbreak. Calories burnt, some consumption was called for, leading Akshata to discover the buzzy Boojee Caf&eacute; (one of our favourites). Delhi was part of this tour too &mdash; with the India Art Fair, an awards show, and a summit on the couple&rsquo;s combined agenda. Back in the UK shortly after, Akshata soldiered on as a champion for both India and fashion. She cheered for Sanjay Garg at his London Fashion Week debut, later saying, &ldquo;What an honour to see some of India&rsquo;s finest craft traditions showcased on the global stage. Indian textiles have travelled the world for centuries. To see them celebrated here in London was a special moment for me.&rdquo; And that, perhaps, is the measure of Ms Murty. As comfortable on Marine Drive as she is at London Fashion Week &mdash; moving seamlessly between continents, causes and couture.</p>
<h2>Of glory and a gate</h2>
<p><img src="http://admin.mid-day.com/images/2026/mar/Glory-gate_e.jpg" alt="Shastri&rsquo;s mum Lakshmi (far left) and dad Dr Shastri (behind her) at Wankhede, along with Shashi Kapoor (one seat away) in 1986" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Shastri&rsquo;s mum Lakshmi (far left) and dad Dr Shastri (behind her) at Wankhede, along with Shashi Kapoor (one seat away) in 1986</em></strong></p>
<p>Our in-house cricket nut digs up the most delightful memorabilia &mdash; an image in this case &mdash; and this jewel is certainly well-timed. On Friday, the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) announced that a stand at the Wankhede Stadium will be named in honour of Ravi Shastri. Other honourees include Diana Edulji, Dilip Sardesai, and Eknath Solkar, but this tale is about the cricketer-turned-commentator alone. Our expert opines that Ravi is the quintessential performer at the Churchgate ground, having first led Podar College to an inter-collegiate title there in 1978. The list of Shastri&rsquo;s achievements at Wankhede is impressive, but the chief one will always be his six sixes in one over against Baroda in 1985. Circling back to the picture that inspired this piece. Upon our enquiry, Shastri suggests this image was taken while his parents watched the 1986 India vs Australia Test at Wankhede, in which he scored a century. Look closely and you will find it also features the late Shashi Kapoor. The actor, incidentally, studied at Don Bosco school, Matunga &mdash; making both icons fellow alumni. Some pictures are worth a thousand words, but this one captures more than memory &mdash; it&rsquo;s a snapshot of history, talent, and serendipity in perfect harmony.</p>
<h2>You go, girl!</h2>
<p><img src="http://admin.mid-day.com/images/2026/mar/Alia-ia_e.jpg" alt="Alia Bhatt" width="1280" height="720" /><br /><strong><em>Alia Bhatt</em></strong></p>
<p>A fleeting red-carpet moment at the BAFTAs last week sent the online outrage machine into overdrive &mdash; with Alia Bhatt squarely in its sights. When asked to name a movie with a memorable twist, Alia picked Gone Girl, but not before a significant sigh. It took little else to trigger comments ranging from &ldquo;She&rsquo;s trying too hard&rdquo; to &ldquo;Getting secondhand embarrassment right now,&rdquo; and those are just examples we can print. Five days later, the actor was in Milan, decked out in a black leather trench‑style coat for a front row appearance at the Gucci show. The ensemble reflected the vicious Gothic vibe that the brand was going for, but all Alia got was vicious: with some folks saying she looked like she was auditioning for the Krrish franchise &mdash; as Krrish. Sure, haters gonna hate, but let&rsquo;s put this in perspective: within a single week, Alia made her debut as a BAFTA presenter, front-rowed Milan Fashion Week alongside at least two Hiltons and one Beckham, and still found time to be a hands-on mum to a three-year-old. While the keyboard warriors rage, Alia is quietly rewriting the rules &mdash; and if that&rsquo;s &ldquo;trying too hard,&rdquo; well, bring it on.</p>

And the proof, as they say, is in the pudding

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