Malavika’s Mumbaistan: All stars in Singapore
If there is such a thing as celebrity testosterone, the All Stars football team — a Bandra conglomeration of dishy guys — is certainly it. With a team that includes Ranbir Kapoor as captain along with Abhishek Bachchan, Arjun Kapoor and Dino Morea, it is certainly a hot ticket in town.
If there is such a thing as celebrity testosterone, the All Stars football team — a Bandra conglomeration of dishy guys — is certainly it. With a team that includes Ranbir Kapoor as captain along with Abhishek Bachchan, Arjun Kapoor and Dino Morea, it is certainly a hot ticket in town. But in case anyone thought that it’s just a bunch of sweaty men having fun, think again. Philanthropy is the backbone of this initiative and this weekend saw the team playing a charity match in Singapore for their first out-of-India tournament, travelling as a professional unit complete with managers, coaches and other support staff as afforded to international football clubs. Magic Bus, a Mumbai-based initiative that empowers street children, is one of the beneficiaries of the proceeds we are informed. This picture of the aforementioned players along with teammates, photographer Rohan Shrestha and the Jain brothers Aadar and Armaan, was shot in Singapore at the start of the tournament. The confidence displayed was not misplaced and we are happy to report the boys in white won (and celebrated the victory with a group huddle and multiple victory laps around the stadium). Nice!
WHILE MY SAROD GENTLY WEEPS
Ayaan Ali Bangash, the sarod-playing younger son of Indian classical legend Amjad Ali Khan and brother of Amaan Ali Bangash, wasn’t a happy traveller recently at Pune airport en route to Kolkata for a performance. The musician was travelling with his sarod, his instrument of mass seduction, and while embarking, spotted it being mishandled by airline staff even though it was marked as fragile. He quickly pulled out his phone, took a photo and shared his grievance on social media. “Very sad to see my sarod in this state after making it clear to Jet Airways that it’s a fragile item and they still place it upside down #instrumentbleeds #heartbleeds,” he tweeted. The post has since been removed, but given that his father had also undergone such anguish when eight years ago, his own prized 25-year-old sarod had been broken by Air India, one would think that by now, the industry would have learnt its lesson: Don’t mess with the sarod.
TRUE LIES
The city grapevine buzzes with the impending announcement of the marriage of two eligible young people, both scions of prominent business clans and from Ivy League backgrounds. And while there has been no official announcement yet, social media has already begun reverberating with the news. And last week was witness to a flurry of excitement when a WhatsApp message was sent out to a select few in city circles from an extended family member announcing impending nuptials.
So will the news of the coming together of two major Mumbai-based business families in happy matrimony be confirmed soon? And will 2018 be known as the year of the ultimate big fat city wedding(s)?
We shall know soon.
MS: HANGING OUT ON SUNDAY
This Sunday, SoBo-based makeup artist TJ Shah was at a soon-to-be launched salon called Fleur de Lis in Worli, bent over an attractive friend of his, a corporate lawyer who bore more than a passing resemblance to Priyanka Chopra. He was imparting some of the choicest secrets of his trade to a handful of avid women. Shah, who has the manner and complexion of a cherub, is one among the city’s successful tribe of makeup professionals, jetting off to European and local hotspots for weddings and shoots. His clientele clamours for not just his adept hand that can beautify, but also his laugh-a-minute patter as he works. Sunday was no different. “The lower lash is always the step daughter,” he said while explaining mascara techniques, holding in his hand what looked like a torture device, but which he clarified was an ‘eyelash curler’. There were more such allusions like ‘3-D lips’ and ‘a blood rushing there blush effect’, amongst others. Fleur de Lis, the brainchild of a Parsi mother and daughter duo, until now, successfully working in the family business, acquired its name because of the association with royalty, luxury and being pampered according to its promoters. It would offer a high-end salon with old-world charm, along with makeup service by Shah. “Remember eyebrows are sisters, not twins,” he said, as he picked up a brush he called a ‘spoolie’ to create what must have easily been the world’s most perfect brow.