Ram Jethmalani's Oxford educated lawyer son, Mahesh (Tony) Jethmalani, has always been swashbuckling, given his film star good looks, and legendary gift of the gab
Ram Jethmalani's Oxford educated lawyer son, Mahesh (Tony) Jethmalani, has always been swashbuckling, given his film star good looks, and legendary gift of the gab. No surprises then, that on the occasion of his reaching his 60th year next month, there will be a series of celebrations for the gregarious legal eagle, who appears to have cracked that perfect equation: leading a glamorous after hour existence after slogging away at the office all day.
Tony Jethmalani, Ram Jethmalani and Tony Curtis. Pic/AFP
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We'd met Tony the year he'd come down from Oxford, which dates all of us horribly. The story of how he got there in the first place, is befitting of a man who'd once confessed, that his idol was the wealthy, polo playing, politically engaged protagonist Dax in Harold Robbins' racy best-seller, The Adventurers.
Apparently, when Ram Jethmalani was on the verge of imminent arrest for his political activism during the Emergency, he whisked his son Mahesh out of his Mumbai college in the nick of time, so that his education would not be interrupted. By the time he returned, things had changed and his father was not only once again one of the richest, most successful lawyers of his time, but now a political force in his own right, and Mahesh followed effectively in his footsteps.
Along the way he fell in love with and married Hassena, who has proven to be an able companion to him in every way. And as the city gears up to celebrate its most social lawyer's big day, we are reminded of a story of how Mahesh acquired the moniker Tony: apparently his sister, the late lawyer Rani Jethmalani had thought her baby brother bore a striking resemblance to her then Hollywood heartthrob Tony Curtis, and began calling him Tony. Sweet!
How to look like Jacqueline Fernandez
Our Oolong tea serving hostess friend was swigging from a tall glass, something the colour of rotting cabbage. "Yuck," she said as she placed the glass down, her face wrinkling to its post Botox limits. "Spinach, leek and sprout juice." Are you ill? We enquired, knowing the OTSHF's distaste for anything besides vodka and tomato juice in a tall glass at that hour.
Jacqueline Fernandez
"You should have it too. It will make you look like Jacqueline Fernandez," she said dismissively. This green juice, we asked. Yes, along with banana smoothies, and soya cappuccinos, and quinoa, and broccoli, and alfalfa sprouts… don't you know it's the latest trend — every day there's a new health food eatery opening in Mumbai.
Like? Like Yoga House and Nutcracker and the Ministry of Salads and Sequel. And how does Jacqueline Fernandez come into all of this we asked. The OTSHF shot me her most withering of stares. "Don't you know Jacqueline Fernandez can be found eating breakfast every day at Sequel?" In that case a pint of green juice for me too, pronto please, we said.
Gentleman's club no more?
Things appear to be going from bad to worse in one of the city's premier business associations, with the handing over of the reins to its new committee heads. Not only are there reports of considerable heartburn amongst the outgoing office bearers, but also they're said to be pretty vocal about the various alleged slights and oversights aimed at them.
"It's always been something of a gentleman's club, with members not only connected professionally, but from the same schools and colleges. So to have this amount of bad blood and politicking is unprecedented," says an insider, adding, "And most are blaming the outgoing office bearers for bringing things to a head by running it as a personal fiefdom last year." Oh dear.
Life after Taj
Sunday night was witness to the glamorous launch of Hyderabad's V Junction, a new multi-cuisine restaurant and bar set up by Veer Vijay Singh, the hotel industry veteran with four decades in the sector, half of which he spent at the Taj.
Veer Vijay, Savita Singh, Pinky and Sanjay Reddy
Veeru, as his friends affectionately call him, left his position last year as COO of the Taj's Vivanta hotel, to set up the Trance Hotels group along with his sons. Though we were unable to attend, we spoke to his son Vishaweer, who tells us that the venture is a 140 seater, 8,000 sq ft restaurant which serves three main cuisines — Eurasian, Indian and Oriental — and that they have roped in three well reputed chefs who will oversee the restaurant.
Given that the Singhs have made Hyderabad their home for the past two decades, the launch celebrations were well attended by the social circuit there, and saw the Reddy family in full attendance including GVK Subbirami and Indra Reddy, and Pinky and Sanjay Reddy. For Singh, there are more plans shaping up. "Trance Hotels shall be opening its first resort in Moindabad, Hyderabad in August spread out over 25 acres, he says.
Froggy gets the blues
Of course, we'd known about the imminent closure and relocation of Blue Frog for a while now, given that there is a family connection to the cavernous platform for musical talent at Mathuradas Mills.
Manu Chao, Mahesh Mathai and Biddu. Pic/AFP
But we also had known that in this case, it was only so long, not goodbye. "Blue Frog will relocate to two venues in North and South Mumbai," says Mahesh Mathai, who along with wife Srila Chatterjee, were amongst its founding members. "All through July, there will be a Frogfest, a kind of celebration and send-off," he says.
So hasta la vista dear Frog, where we have enjoyed some iconic music moments listening to the likes of Manu Chao, lone Trojan Biddu and the Eagles' Joe Walsh. Thank you for the music.
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