Celebrity horseplay

Derby weekend kicks off today and the glitterati are all heading to the races for what is considered to be the ultimate extr-avaganza on the Indian racing calendar.

The buzz this year is that the Indian Derby is setting a new record high in prize money with more than Rs 1 crore in store for the winner. (Apparently the recession hasn't been able to upset the racetracks yet.)

Vijay Mallya has also promised to up the glamour quotient assuring a display that's both bold and beautiful.

Would the well-heeled be willing to sweat it out you may wonder? It seems they won't have too.

In true OTT tradition Mr Mallya has arranged for a specially designed, 9,000 square foot air-conditioned "hangar" (unabashedly pimping the airline lingo).

The master in wax

In the run up to the IPL our little firecracker master blaster Sachin Tendulkar is getting his very own wax statue replica courtesy Madame Tussauds, which will be unveiled amid an appropriate amount of pomp and ceremony (since he's the first Indian sports personality to be featured at the attraction) on Monday afternoon at the Taj Land's End.

And for the arty folk (or those who like free wine) it's Shahnaz Mahimtura's preview of sculptures by Manish Waghdare at Jehangir Art Gallery later that evening.

Next Tuesday (April 14) the Big B Amitabh Bachchan is planning to launch Anil Dharker's book called Icons at the Trident rooftop, featuring the men and women who've shaped today's India (unfortunately few of them managed this feat in high heels).