It’s the best-kept secret in Mumbai – how the big boys go to the movies. Not for them the public oxygen and the quotidian crush of multiplexes, of course
Anil Ambani and Kareena Kapoor Khan
It’s the best-kept secret in Mumbai – how the big boys go to the movies. Not for them the public oxygen and the quotidian crush of multiplexes, of course. When the big boys really want to put their feet up, they do so by inviting a bunch of their ‘movie buddies’ over to enjoy the week’s newest release in the comfort of their private theatres at home.
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The ball was set rolling by Anil and Tina Ambani when they’d thrown open the doors of Sea Wind to the likes of Kavita and Vinod Khanna, Devaunshi and Anoop Mehta, Rima and Manoj Jain as their regular guests, with Jaya Bachchan and Karisma or Kareena Kapoor often adding to the glamour.
Tina Ambani; (Right) Jaya Bachchan
The ante was considerably upped when Nita and Mukesh moved to Antilia, which featured the Lear Jet of movie theatres. Here the likes of Anupama and Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Sushma and Anand Jain, Bijal and Hital Meswani, Vita and Jalaj Dani were seen with the added sparkle of a Kiran Rao, Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Ranbir Kapoor occasionally.
On the other hand, Neerja and Kumarmangalam Birla’s movie group sees many of the reclusive billionaire’s inner circle attend and is a more private affair. Other big boys like the Ruias and Anand Mahindra also have regular theatre evenings, and of course, further north where the film industry resides, home theatres are only par for the course. Cinema Paradiso or just laid-back amchi Mumbai home-style living, you decide.
Cultural renaissance?
Our Oolong tea-serving SoBo hostess friend was beside herself. “A weekend of glorious cultural excess...” she croaked, “The Premiere of Feroz Khan's magnifique Mughal-e-Azam, the restoration and re-opening of the Royal Opera House, a plethora of fantastic films at the fabulously invigorated MAMI, a dazzling performance of Lillette Dubey’s Gauhar with Denzil Smith and Zila Khan... the famously sallow complexion of our friend was almost glowing with excitement and we could tell it had not been injected in to her as was usually the case.” “Boy, zara chai ke liye pani lana — also thora cheese or crackers,” she trilled happily.
At the MAMI festival
“So, is Mumbai slowly regaining its mantle as the cultural capital of India?” she turned to us, allowing the full force of her searing cultural curiosity to have its effect on us. And then her cellphone rang and its ringtone played out loud and clear: ‘Baby Doll’ by Kanika Kapoor. There was nothing to be done after that. The spell had been broken, the moment had passed, Mumbai’s cultural aspirations were put on hold.
A nude by any other name
“Since you are such a fan of Ara’s Nudes, I wanted to share an image of a beautiful, rare Ara coming up in our next,” said one of the country’s leading auctioneers Mallika Advani, about an imminent auction to be held at Pundole next month, as part of The Fine Art Sale, at its new saleroom at Ballard Estate. Advani was referring to an earlier conversation during which we had spoken of the late artist’s vibrant depictions of vital women with admiration.
Mallika Advani (Right) One of Ara’s Nudes
“This almost life-size work shows the artist’s mastery over the female anatomy. Here, he shows the beautifully proportioned back of a lady, who stands in a gentle tribhanga or s-shaped posture, reminiscent of classical Indian dance,” said Advani, adding, “We sold a front-facing nude in our first auction of the Estate of Dr Jamshed J Bhabha in 2011. Hopefully, this work will generate as strong a response as the last one.” For the sake of the self-effacing, hugely talented blithe spirit who never got his due — we hope so too.
Prateik’s sixer
Smita Patil was easily one of the industry’s most talented artistes and no surprise that her son Prateik Babbar has inherited not only his late mother’s good looks but also her acting genes. Six, the play in which he plays a gay character for the first time, has won the young actor much praise.
Smita Patil and Prateik Babbar
Understandably, Babbar is hoping that Six participates in the 12th Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META), a platform for acknowledging the best in Indian theatre. “I feel it deserves a chance to be sent to the META to compete with other official entries,” he says.
Apparently, to do so its producers will have to record the entire play and send it to META for their selection. And even then, getting its due is not guaranteed. “Over 50,000 videos participate out of which only 10 get selected,” says his spokesperson.
The bombast and the boor
After the Samurai-like felling of Cyrus Mistry on Monday, the dismantling of his five-member think tank known as the Group Executive Council (GEC), was a foregone conclusion. And if there’s some cheering to be heard around Bombay House, it followed news that two of the least appealing of these foot soldiers, had been summarily shown the door.
“The first is a boor, the other a Bengali bombast, and both precociously full of hubris from their first day at Bombay House,” says an avid Bombay House watcher. “The boor ended up bruising many in the markets with a brusqueness that appalled Dalal Street,” he said.
And the Bengali bombast? “What comes to mind is his aggressive self-promotion as well as the collection of Bengali masterpieces lining the walls of his sumptuous South Mumbai apartment,” says the avid Bombay House watcher. “He would introduce himself as the MBA brought in to produce Powerpoints for the chairman,” he sneered, “Well, presumably he will now return to the Powerpoints.” Ouch.
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