We are informed that the popular American electronic DJ, and music producer Thomas Wesley Pentz, better known by his stage name Diplo, is in India at the moment.
Shah Rukh Khan and DJ Diplo
We are informed that the popular American electronic DJ, and music producer Thomas Wesley Pentz, better known by his stage name Diplo, is in India at the moment. The DJ, who has become one of the most sought after music producers in the world, after successful collaborations projects with the likes of Madonna, Shakira and Beyonce, is set to perform at Mumbai's racecourse this evening (under his alias Major Lazer) followed by concerts in Delhi and Bangalore.
But a source calls to inform us that yesterday Diplo didn't spend the day preparing for his gig: he along with his entourage flew to Goa to meet none other than the King of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan, who has been shooting in Goa with Alia Bhatt for an upcoming movie .
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Shah Rukh Khan and DJ Diplo. Pic/AFP
A collaboration between Diplo an SRK in the offing now?
Watch this space.
Singh's new venture
When entertainment mogul Shailendra Singh says, "The walls of Bollywood are thick and high," you better believe it. After all, Singh was once ranked as the 12th Most Powerful Man in Bollywood, thanks to his Percept Pictures producing over 65 films.
Shailendra Singh, Sajid Khan and Shruti Iyer
Singh's observation on the impregnable and clannish fortress known as India's film industry resonated with us, who have long known that it's one big family, and to break in to it, outsiders need extraordinary skills.
Which is why the success of some one like Shah Rukh Khan is so inspiring. The other two stars in the Holy triumvirate that rules Bollywood currently, after all, came from solid film families. SRK literally had no one when he first arrived in Mumbai.
"I want to use my 25 years of experience in the industry to launch a mirror to Bollywood. A parallel Indian cinema universe where I can help young people to climb those walls," said Singh, who has just launched a banner that targets Bollywood Next. "This is just the beginning," he promised.
"Bollywood is currently completely star driven. But there are millions out there who need a mentor, and they need the right platforms."
The first offering of the banner, says Singh, is a digital series called, 'No Sex Please', which includes 10 short films which he has written and directed himself.
Not business as usual
Sir Andrew Likierman, the dean of London Business School is currently in Mumbai. And we are informed that Rana Kapoor, chairman and MD of Yes Bank, has organised an exclusive interaction over cocktails for a select group with the well-respected dean this evening. Likierman, an Oxford graduate, was named as one of the 1,000 most influential people in London in 2015 by The Evening Standard and he is also the founder of the Executive MBA programme at LBS, which continues to rank as one of the foremost business schools in the world. The dean will be joined by Susie Balch, Associate Dean, Advancement and Phoebe Reith, Development Manager, India, of the London Business School as part of his delegation, and the evening will be co-hosted by former sheriff of Mumbai and principal HR College, Indu Shahani. The programme will be part of Yes Institute, a modern think tank set up by Yes Bank, which Kapoor has given considerable personal attention to, in order to expand his bank's efforts into other fields, namely education and culture. "Given LBD's leadership as one of the foremost B-schools in the world, I am certain that the interaction will be insightful," said Kapoor.
Andrew Likierman and Rana Kapoor
Overheard
And how far will an officer go to secure a post retirement job?
— Posted by former finance minister P Chidambaram on Twitter commenting on the JNU mess in Delhi.
The Bard in Him
At the risk of losing all our friends, we have to say, that some of Arnab Goswami's recent rants on TV have begun to resemble Shakespearean soliloquies; and each evening, riveted along with the rest of the nation, our mouths hanging open, we watch as Goswami channels his inner Bard in cadence metre and style.
Pranay Gupte and Arnab Goswami
Being somewhat retiring of nature, we have a particular fascination for those who can whip themselves into lather at the drop of a hat, and Goswami leads the pack by a long shot. His recent stand against the JNU students militates against our own views considerably, but in the line of 'I may not agree with what you say but support your right to say it,' we have to admit that Goswami is bloody good at saying whatever he does. Especially when one is aware that in fact away from a TV camera, he is a soft-spoken considerate man. We are not the only ones intrigued by the paradox of Goswami's Jekyll and Hyde personas. Yesterday Dubai-based author and columnist Pranay Gupte eloquently expressed more or less our views on Arnab. "Regardless of the shouting and screaming on his evening prime-time TV show, it cannot be denied that Arnab Goswami does his homework thoroughly," posted Gupte on a social networking site. "By no means am I endorsing Arnab's form of "journalism." It's his style, and the way that he raises the temperature of his show - these things are hugely fetching," said Gupte, adding, "His friends, such as Rahul Singh, tell me that off screen Arnab is actually an affable and quietish person. 'The Nation Wants To Know.'" said Gupte.
Not making in India?
Good to come across a dissenting view amidst the whole Make In India triumphalism that Mumbai is witnessing. "All these MOUs being announced every day for hundreds of thousands of crores," said a biz man, adding, "is mostly hogwash! The politicians announce it for some brownie points with the PM and the media - the biz men play along adding the zeros to their promised 'investments' with gay abandon - and both know that the projects might never fructify". "Meanwhile people's expectations for jobs and prosperity get dangerously inflated," says the straight-talker.
Indeed.
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