12 May,2026 08:43 AM IST | Mumbai | Team mid-day
Pic/Ashish Raje
A visitor clicks a selfie with cutouts of Bollywood stars at an ongoing photo exhibition at the National Gallery of Modern Art, Fort.
The times they are a-changin' at Kochi's big art showpiece. After a few tumultuous months and the parting of ways with founding curator and artist Bose Krishnamachari, the Kochi Biennale is now turning over a new leaf. French-Algerian artist, educator, and curator of HfbK-Hamburg, Kader Attia (below) has been announced as the curator for the upcoming seventh edition of the Kochi Biennale. The announcement was made by the Biennale president, Jitish Kallat, at the ongoing Venice Biennale. Attia becomes the first international curator to take over the premier event on the Kochi art calendar. The curator will set the framework for the 2027-28 edition, with Kochi at the centrepoint of the dialogues.
Ranjana Aanjjan in the film. PIC COURTESY/RANJANA AANJJAN
A little birdie flying in from the French Riviera tells us the Cannes Film Festival 2026 is going to be a memorable first for city-based theatre actor Ranjana Aanjjan. After 15 years in Mumbai's theatre circuit, the actor's first feature film Chand Tara, directed by Mohammad Ali Baig, is all set for a trailer launch at the coveted The Marché du Film at Cannes. "My first reaction was, âWho? Me?' I've worked in ad films before, but I never saw myself as a protagonist. To be honest, I've been typecast as the typical housemaid character for too long. I always believed lead roles were for actors who âlooked' the part," she revealed to us.
Mohammad Ali Baig and Lucky Ali
What's more, the film, which also features veteran actor Mohan Agashe, with Anupam Kher's voiceover and playback by the OG of indie music Lucky Ali, and Vasundhara Das, came together thanks to some theatre magic, Aanjjan believes. "How else do you put together a film in less than a month? We all knew our lines like the back of our hands," she chuckled. As theatremaker Gopal Dutt proclaims in his popular eponymous satirical musical, "Aur karo theatre!"
A sketch from the session. PIC COURTESY/@zainab tambawalla
Want to marvel at Airoli's vast mangroves? There might be a waiting period. Last weekend, Urban Sketchers, a group of artists who had booked a visit to the Coastal & Marine Biodiversity Centre, had a brush with what sketcher Zainab Tambawalla (below) calls âBabuguri'. "Despite prior permissions, we were denied entry because a high-ranking official had planned a last-minute visit," revealed Tambawalla, who watched the clock tick past an hour as she waited with 40 artists and naturalist Pournima Bhosale. "When we asked to talk to him, an accompanying official dismissed us. For all the delay, the dignitary took a 10-minute walk inside the mangroves," shared Tambawalla. While the officials can surely do better, we're currently admiring the artworks the group managed to bring out nonetheless.
Tiramisu (right) Afshaa Rajqotwala (in red) and Pooja Dhingra. PICS COURTESY/POMODORO; PARDON OUR FRENCH
To celebrate a year in Bandra, chef Afshaa Rajqotwala of Pomodoro is heading to South Mumbai for a special 48-hour collaboration with Pooja Dhingra's Pardon Our French on May 15 and 16. More than a meeting of Italian and French finesse, the pop-up marks a coming together of two women chefs shaping Mumbai's food culture. "Two spaces, both built with intention, and loved by the city. South Mumbai, we are bringing the warmth of our kitchen straight to yours," said Rajqotwala. With the weekend inching closer, we'd start building an appetite right about now.
