Malavika’s Mumbaistan: Sharing His Burden

“I wrote it because I believe it is an equal responsibility of a woman, as a wife of a wealthy man, to safeguard the financial interests of her family and protect

“I wrote it because I believe it is an equal responsibility of a woman, as a wife of a wealthy man, to safeguard the financial interests of her family and protect them from any unexpected turn of events,” said jewellery designer Farah Khan Ali, when we spoke yesterday, about her recent post on social media urging women in her circle to become more aware and participate in their husband’s financial affairs. “Last month was a month of tragedies for a lot of my friends who lost their spouses in natural and unnatural calamities, leaving behind young women who were dependent on them, emotionally and financially,” her post had begun, going on to state, “I know many of you come from privileged backgrounds where you are ladies of leisure because you are married to a man who is financially stable and therefore you enjoy the perks of being his wife, but just imagine when something happens to your husband and you have young children to fend for.” “As a working woman, I went through a litigation at work seven years ago, and almost lost everything I had ever made, because I did ‘not know’ the rules of business,” said the designer wife of DJ Aqeel and mother of two, adding, “I believe that it is important to know about how a business works, whether it’s run by you or your husband and more so, when it is one that is a large one that supports many lives.” As for the litigation that had given Ali her wake up call, fortunately for her, all’s well that ends well. “It lasted for six months, but I got a ‘crash course’ in business that I value till today,” she says. And characteristically, she signs off with more words of wisdom. “After everyone has come and paid their respects to the ones who left this world, the actual problems begin to show, hence, I wrote the post…”

Farah Khan Ali with her mother Zarine Khan.

Tweet Talk
“I think proud fanatic people of any religion deserve their own dedicated food delivery app.....and social media apps......and preferably....their own internet.”
- Standup comedian Vir Das on the recent Zomato issue

Stratospheric Birthday

Zac Goldsmith with Anshuman Misra.

Investment banker Anshuman Misra, who divides his time between London and LA, is a man of many parts. The 40-something, close relative and devotee of the late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who was schooled in Switzerland, is a US-trained lawyer and counts among his close friends the likes of luxury billionaire Bernard Arnault and family, Mexican media baron Carlos Slim, one of the world’s richest men, and Britain’s influential Tory MP, Zac Goldsmith, is known for his stratospheric networking on both sides of the pond. But even by his standards, his birthday celebrations last week outdid all expectations. Not only was there a dinner hosted by Hollywood heavy hitter, Disney’s all-powerful Kevin Mayer, at LA’s exclusive new members-only club San Vincente Bungalows, which saw the likes of Peter Guber, producer of classics such as the Rain Man Batman and The Color Purple, in attendance (Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Dannon is said to have flown in all the way from NYC for the occasion), but as a special privilege for their much favoured guest, the Four Season’s LA, knowing Misra’s love for yoga, opened up its rooftop helipad for a special yoga session to bring in his special day.
You gotta admit it: ‘Yoga on the helipad’ beats ‘Yoga by the bay’, any day.

The Musician Author

Biddu Appaiah

He’s been something of a pioneer in the world of music, becoming one of the first Indian producers to make it internationally with his 1970s hit ‘Kung Fu Fighting’ and later, spearheading the Indian pop revolution with hit albums like the Nazia and Zohaib Hassan Disco Deewane in the 1980s. So, it comes as no surprise that Indian-born, singer-songwriter, composer and music producer Biddu Appaiah, now in his mid-70s, is well in the throes of his second creative burst, one that sees him delving in to the world of words, rather than notes. After penning his autobiography ‘Made In India’ for Harper Collins and a work of fiction ‘Curse of The Godman’, the handsome Coorgi, who lives between his homes in London Marbella and Goa, is all set to present his third book, this one a crime thriller, written in tandem with his English wife Sue, under the pen name Sue Raphael and titled ‘ The Holiday Let’. ‘It’s a crime thriller and as early reviews predict, it is unlike any other novel on the market, fusing its topical theme with all the hallmarks of intrigue and thrills that readers crave,” he said about his latest tome. Released last week, the novel is about a well-heeled London couple, Greg and Lily Hampton, whose lives take an unforeseen turn when they discover a torn and blood-stained woman’s t-shirt in their frequently-rented beach apartment in Andalucía, Spain. And with its back cover describing the plot as containing “more red herrings than a Norwegian ford”, and brisk sales anticipated on the net, Biddu, who had earlier spent five decades in the music world, appears to be one step closer to achieving his ambition to be a man of letters, in his senior years.