Malavika’s Mumbaistan: Chilling In Goa

Good to see that Master Blaster and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar is letting his hair down and enjoying his retirement, ever since he hung up his boots a few years

Good to see that Master Blaster and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar is letting his hair down and enjoying his retirement, ever since he hung up his boots a few years ago. The icon, who is said to have a discerning palate (he is often spotted at fine dining restaurants in India and abroad, in the company of wife Anjali or BFF Sanjay Narang, with whom he had turned co-restaurateur a few years ago) and a penchant for high-end travel, was seen last week in Switzerland and later in Bengaluru. And this weekend, all eyes turned to the dance floor, when dressed in suitably casual attire, Tendulkar is said to have ‘rocked up’ at a beach in South Goa during a high-profile event which featured EDM, overlooking the Goan sunset. Undoubtedly, guests were thrilled to be in the company of the cricketing icon and Tendulkar is said to have gladly obliged his fans for photographs and even posed with the attractive DJ duo Electrovertz.

Sachin Tendulkar with DJ duo Electrovertz.

A Soho House In SoBo Now?

Alia Bhatt (Aalok Soni/HT File )

Members of Mumbai’s newest elite, private-members-only establishment, Soho House, were surprised to receive an email in their inboxes this week from the international group’s founder Nick Jones. The mail announced the club’s inaugural list of ‘27 Under 27’, an eclectic grouping of its young global members. “I’m very proud to introduce our first annual ‘27 Under 27’ list, a celebration of our most inspiring, entrepreneurial and creative young Soho House members around the world, from London to Los Angeles, Singapore to São Paulo,” informed the mailer. Interestingly, making the cut were only two Indian members – Alia Bhatt and Anto Philip. Bhatt, who needs no introduction, makes the list for her contribution to the film world as well as her work for Coexist, a foundation dedicated to the preservation of animals and nature. Philip on the other hand, an entrepreneur, has set up a community for India’s youth. While Asia’s first Soho house took a while to open, the industry is already abuzz with news that the group has begun looking for another location in south Mumbai. “There are talks of creating something in Colaba, next to the Radio Club, but it’s too early to talk about it,” informs a source. Asia’s first Soho House opens in Mumbai and now there could be a second one in the same city? Obviously, research has shown that there’s a lucrative market to service in Mumbai!

Smooth Segues

Rahul Gandhi and Milind Deora

He is one of the country’s leading politicians, the son of a veteran Congressman and his wife happens to be a film producer and the daughter of a noted film clan in her own right, and so, no surprises that last week saw Congressman and former union minister of IT, Milind Deora, do justice to both worlds. The blues guitarist, who now helms a digital series on Mumbai when he is not politicking or performing at the city’s hot spots, was seen receiving his leader Rahul Gandhi at Mumbai’s private terminal in Kalina, on the latter’s high-profile visit to the city last week. Just a few minutes earlier, he had been spotted chatting up Salman Khan at the same venue. The two men might be close friends of his (Khan has even campaigned for him in his constituency), but they could not be more unlike each other. “No, they didn’t meet each other. They were in the same terminal building though. Salman has flown in from somewhere and Rahul hadn’t landed yet,” said Deora, about his two high-profile meet and greets and his smooth segue between them, perhaps, inspired by the cool chord segues of his favourite blues guitarist BB King?

Of Tainted Industrialists And The Moon
This high-profile politician, who is said to be equally at home in UP’s heartland as at the most glam soirees in Mumbai and Delhi, might have been dropped by many of his famous friends for his acerbic comments. But that has not stopped the motor-mouth and sound bite specialist from making inflammatory public allegations. This week saw the loquacious gent, widely believed to be North India’s answer to Subramanian Swamy, hold forth on Twitter about a high-profile industrialist, someone currently being investigated by authorities over allegations of financial impropriety. “We were flying first class some time ago,” he narrated to the camera, “When an attractive young lady came and sat beside me and struck up a conversation. After a while, when it became evident she was not going to leave, she revealed that she’d been sent by X,” he said, mentioning the beleaguered industrialist by name. “That’s when I took her with me and went to confront him.” The industrialist is reported to have asked the politico, “Don’t you like shikar?” (‘Kyun? Aapko shikar ki shaukh nahin pasand hai?’)
“I do,” responded the politico, “but through my own efforts, not through your pimping.” That’s not all. He then trained his guns on one of the country’s leading bankers who is also facing the long arm of the law currently, for alleged financial impropriety with the same industrialist.

No surprises that in this case he waxed eloquent with...a poem about the moon!