Malavika’s Mumbaistan: A Celebration Of Kaifi Azmi

“There was hardly a dry eye in the theatre when it was over,” said Shabana Azmi, about Raag Shayari, the evening of music and poetry to mark the 100th birth centenary

“There was hardly a dry eye in the theatre when it was over,” said Shabana Azmi, about Raag Shayari, the evening of music and poetry to mark the 100th birth centenary of her father, the late Urdu poet and lyricist, Kaifi Azmi, noted for bringing Urdu literature into the film industry. Conceived by her husband Javed Akhtar, and featuring such exceptional talent as Ustad Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, along with Akhtar and Azmi, and directed by Feroz Abbas Khan with production design by Anuradha Parikh, it is said to have been a once-in-a-lifetime standout experience for those who have seen it. With three shows of Raag Shayari presented at the NCPA this Sunday, one on Monday, on the poet’s actual birthday, as a fundraiser for Mijwan, the NGO founded by Azmi and a showing already in Kolkata yesterday, it is one more instance of Shabana’s commitment to championing the unique and rich legacy of her parents. “Raag Shayari developed a life of its own,” she said, when we spoke yesterday. “Once Javed conceived it and we got Ustad Zakir Hussain and Shankar on board, Kaifi’s spirit took over. I was clear from the start that the show needed the sensibility and sensitivity of production designer Anuradha Parikh and director Feroz Abbas Khan and their contribution on the surface is subtle, but it creates an impact at a subliminal level.” But of course, like all creative ventures, this one too had its moments of mayhem before the magic. “We did only two rehearsals. The first one was a total mess. There’s something about theatre that when the dress rehearsal is bad, the show goes really well. Everyone who watched the final shows said they appeared orchestrated so smoothly that they thought we had rehearsed for months,” said Shabana. These pictures were taken by photographer Pradeep Chandra, a long-time associate of Azmi and Akhtar, who had been invited to shoot an exclusive session during rehearsals. “I sat quietly in the dark, in the auditorium, and shot about 40 photographs,” he says, adding, “And when I met Jaya Bachchan the other day, she was all praise for the Raag Shayari too!”

Shabana Azmi (HT Photo)

Unlikely Friends?

Ash Lilani (left) with Sukhbir Singh. (HT Photo)

One is known as the prince of Bhangra and the other as one of India’s most successful start-up investors, and given their chosen domains you’d think never the twain would meet. But this week, Silicon Valley-based Ash Lilani, the founder of Saama Capital, which had pioneered investments in household names such as Sula, Paytm, Snapdeal and Genesis amongst others, and Sukhbir Singh, the Dubai-based Punjabi music sensation, happened to meet in Dubai, and what’s more, rekindle their old ties! Yes, the two had grown up together in Kenya and spent their teenage years as close friends. “His talent was so evident even then and you knew he was going to be a remarkable performer. No one can make people dance and set the dance floor on fire like he can. Still humble as ever,” shared Lilani, about his childhood friend, who apart from delivering back-to-back Bhangra hit tracks, is said to be the country’s most expensive act for big-fat Indian weddings (think a few big Cs per performance!) Who could have thought that the bandana-sporting musician would share a history with a suit from Silicon Valley!

The Bedi Merger And Acquisition

Kabir Bedi with wife Parveen Dusanj (Pramod Thakur/HT PHOTO)

It’s been a week of celebrations for Kabir Bedi and wife Parveen Dusanj Bedi with the couple marking its third wedding anniversary and Dusanj presenting her third annual report on the Bedi-Dussanj merger, on social media (“The third year of this successful union was full of adventure and many small journeys”), and ratcheting up with the actor’s birthday. We remember the Bedi-Dusanj merger and the jubilation and joy that had followed Bedi’s announcement at his birthday, that he’d also tied the knot with his long-time partner. Hosted on the rooftop of a suburban five star, guests had included stars Sushmita Sen and Salman Khan; industrialist and Bajaj scion Niraj Bajaj and businessman Bunty Bachchan. “We had two small and warm dinners at our home in Juhu, over two days, for a few friends, this time,” said Dussanj. “Mostly, the ones who’d been at Alibaug with us, three years ago during the wedding. And we invited a young musician, Harpreet, who played his guitar and his own soulful renditions of Bulleh Shah and Kabir poems.” But it’s back to work for both now, with Kabir flying off to Milan over the weekend and Dusanj back to overseeing her digital and film production projects. As she had reported in her post, “The future is clearly bright for this union!”

Ten Minute Challenge

Ash Chandler’s 10-minute challenge.

Trust musician and stand-up artist Ash Chandler to have the wittiest take on the current #10YearChallenge on social media. This week, he presented his own 10 minute challenge: pre-shave and post. “It made me realise how much The Now and the Present were crucial to me,” he explained, yesterday.” “I had a few days of stubble and I needed to get to the airport, and being American, those two things (stubble on a brown man and airports) don’t go together,” he said, adding, “So I decided to take photos before and after and posted that ‘Living in the Present Is a close Shave’.”

“You know the last few years have been many close shaves for moi,” added the artist, who, after a debilitating bike accident and a long recovery, is back in business again.