Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Let's hear it again, dude
Ranveer Singh matches steps with the host at the launch of a high-street fashion label at Vakola on Thursday. Pic/Shadab Khan

Naseeruddin Shah at a book release in the city. Pic/Bipin Kokate

In the name of the father
When Motley Theatre staged the play, Father, last year, the stupendous success it achieved was scarcely believable. And that's despite the stellar crew that includes Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Shah. Rarely had we seen the sort of sold-out shows night after night, with the tickets booked weeks in advance, that the production managed. Written originally in French, Father is a family drama that revolves around how mental dysfunction affects both the sufferer and care-giver. So, now that we hear that the play is all set to hit a city stage again this September, our advice would be not to dilly dally with buying tickets unless you want to miss out.

Yeh consent consent hai kya?
Mumbai-based multi-media digital project Agents of Ishq is known for its bold, tongue-in-cheek content that is skewed towards feminist principles. This Sunday, at an event, they are giving a sneak peek into a video they have made that tackles consent, violence and female desire in relationships. The video has been directed by the founder of the organisation that "gives sex a good name", Paromita Vohra, and promises an ultimate desi experience that we're sure most of us will relate to.

Sheena Sippy, Tina Tahiliani Parikh and Malini Akerkar. Pic/Bipin Kokate

Deco fashion
As a couple that built one of the city's most iconic restaurants, the Akerkars are known to be great hosts. So when Malini Akerkar launches a limited edition jewellery line of Art Deco-style pieces, the most stylish heels are bound to walk in. The Thursday launch party at Ensemble Kemps Corner (hosted hosted by Tina Tahiliani Parikh) saw the presence of Rahul Bose, Sheena Sippy, Gayatri Rangachari Shah, Zeba Kohli, Kahini Arte Merchant, Deveika Bhojwani, Sangita Kathiwada and other society darlings. The lucky folks also got to talk over hors d'oeuvres presented by Malini's chef husband Rahul.

Usha Soman with her son, Milind

When Mumbaikars create milestones
Think of a race, and you think of people competing to cover a distance in the shortest time. But what if you had an 11-km route that you could loop around as many times and with as many breaks as you wanted in 12 hours? That's how Mumbai Ultra will unfold this Independence Day, where over 500 runners will run from 5 am to 5 pm on a stretch between Shivaji Park and Worli, spreading the message of wellness over illness.

Dr PS Ramani

If that sounds like a lot of time, consider this: 80-year-old spinal surgeon Dr PS Ramani, who has a disc removal procedure named after him, will be running for all 12 hours. Other participants include model and fitness enthusiast Milind Soman's septuagenarian mother, Usha, while Savio Desouza, the first Indian to win an international marathon, is the race director. That should be enough inspiration for Mumbaikars to ditch the bed and make the most of the national holiday!

Debut talent
One of India's most respected prizes in the field of literature, the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize, was announced yesterday. As the name suggests, the award is given to a debut work. Each entry had to be published in India. The prize was instituted in memory of Jeet Thayil's (in pic) wife in 2008.

This year's shortlist includes Ants Among Elephants by Sujata Gidla, We That Are Young by Preti Taneja, How to Travel Light by Shreevatsa Nevatia, Temporary People by Deepak Unnikrishnan and The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch by Sanam Maher. The winner will be announced in November and will receive a cash prize of R2 lakh and a trophy. This year's shortlist, curated by Thayil and eminent writer-translator Arshia Sattar, will be picked by judges Githa Hariharan, Raghu Karnad and Sampurna Chattarji. The news of the lone non-Indian entrant in the list, from Pakistan, has been welcomed by publications across the border. Here's to more such cross-border revelry.

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