Madam Razzle Dazzle

Meeting painter-photographer Maxie Cooper (the daughter of movie mogul Keki Modi, Sohrab Modi’s brother, whose cinemas included New Empire, Excelsior and Strand) at a wedding, I complimented her on the beautiful bead bag she carried. It was studded with the Russian seamstress Pepe Chorosch’s trademark handiwork, whose classy embroidered creations adorned clutch purses and sequinned sarees of 1950s celebrities. 

Remembering my description of famous Dongersee Road denizens in Walkeshwar—Madam Chorosch’s neighbours included Pupul Jayakar and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan—Cooper shared priceless photos of Chorosch with Hollywood veterans. Seen here is one of an evening hosted by her parents at their Carmichael Road home, for Art Linkletter, the showman from series like Kids Say the Darndest Things.