The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Sindhu bats for Make in India?
Saina Nehwal courted controversy last year when she was trolled for putting up a photo with a China-made phone. But no such nationalistic feathers were ruffled when PV Sindhu recently endorsed a new range of rackets. Why? Because they are of a Japanese, not Chinese, make and, more importantly, the rackets were manufactured in India. But the question remains. Are sportsmen who are championed for bringing glory to the country going to be vilified every time they are seen to be straying from a straight-jacketed definition of patriotism? We sure hope not.
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Pic/Sameer Markande
The media byte
Actor Kangana Ranaut adds her special touch to a selfie with an entertainment journalist at a song launch held at an Andheri bar over the weekend.
Unravelling the world of art, one quirky meme at a time
While memes may take a while before they are taken as seriously as art, they sure can comment on the art scene, as arts manager Abhinit Khanna, 29, has discovered. Khanna, who has previously worked with top names such as Jitish Kallat and Rajeev Sethi, has been posting hilarious yet pointed observations on the artist-gallerist-collector triad in the country.
Khanna uses old Bollywood posters, film stills and photographs along with a witty comment. Take for instance: Shammi Kapoor with a cigarette and a line that reads, "When your monthly bill for pot is higher than your art materials." Or, Amitabh Bachchan on a megaphone, with the reminder, "When you f**k up an open call but remember that no one really gives a shit."
There's even one featuring Hrithik Roshan with an irate expression, while Kareena Kapoor Khan flashes a charming smile with the caption: 'When it says co-curated by'. Khanna says that it started out with him making a meme for fun and forwarding it to a friend. "My friend suggested I make more like these.
These are hyperlocal, specific to India. They are meant to be fun, with some amount of self-reflection, to make the art world look less serious than it is," he says. To check out more of his #artworldmemes, go to Khanna's Instagram handle, @abhinitk.
The Soprano chef
Chef JC, who has designed the menu of Nara Thai, a soon-to-open restaurant in BKC, was all of four when she started learning the Opera. "I was born into a family of Chinese Opera performers and watched my aunts practise different styles while growing up.
So, I absorbed the music quite naturally," she tells this diarist. So when she's not rustling up delicious shrimp cakes, you'll find her exercising her vocals chords (she gave us a listen when we went over for lunch). "When you are cooking, it's hot and crazy in the kitchen. You're also working against time and in limited space, so to ease the pressure, I sometimes start singing." This normally eases the tension and puts a smile on everybody's face, she says. "It is so much fun, I tell you."
Khadi in NYC
After the news of fashion designer Masaba Gupta readying for a show at London Fashion Week, we have one more designer at another fashion week that's part of the Big 4. Designer Purvi Doshi will be showcasing her line, Co-Existence, at New York Fashion Week this Saturday.
The designer, who propagates sustainable fabrics and cruelty-free practices, will have khadi as the highlight of her collection. To promote the idea of peaceful coexistence, the colourful line will have pandas, flamingoes, giraffes, elephants and other animals and birds embroidered on the freedom fabric using khat, aari and mirror-work.
Short is beautiful
With regular screenings in the city and the web offering a buzzing space for short films, it's safe to say that the genre is here to stay. The short format has also been integral to the MAMIâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Mumbai Film Festival. This year is no different, and the call for submissions was recently made for the fest, which begins on October 12.
If you are 18 or older and have a compelling story to tell within 25 minutes, you can submit your creation on www.largeshortfilms.com. The films will be judged by Rajkummar Rao (in pic), Nitya Mehra and Srishti Behl Arya.
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