Sonali's Society

Playdate Penalties

Never judge a book by its cover or, in this case, a family by its public persona. Tales keep trickling in about an A-list couple who appear to co-parent their beautiful bachchas with such ease, but in fact it seems the mum is a truly hard taskmaster. We’re told she has turned away her in-laws for being a little late to a playdate, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Less daughter-in-law, more drill sergeant, is the standing joke. I’m not one to meddle in other people’s parenting choices, but I do feel bad for the senior squad. Punctuality becomes a bit trickier when you’ve seen a few birthdays — perhaps it’s time to consider a kinder penalty.

Out and proud

Racism, homophobia, war — hate is alive, and in 2026, it’s still breathing down our necks. Looking for happy content, we often binge-watch makeup nerd Aditya Madiraju. Of Indian origin, he lives in the United States, and he is brilliant with a brush. From bronzer to brow pencil, his tips travel the gamut of the makeup spectrum, and he’s bright to boot. He also happens to have three million followers, and that’s on Instagram alone.

Aditya Madiraju

“Makeup loves me and I love makeup. We’re in a very committed relationship,” Madiraju jokes. While that may be true, it’s his real relationship that has inspired this rant. The digital content creator has been married to choreographer Amit Shah for eight years, and together they raise one darling daughter. Both are out and proud, but it’s not like they’re constantly pushing the gay card when it comes to their content. So, a few days ago, Aditya posted a makeup tutorial with his husband playing model. The online hate came fast and furious. Not one to stay quiet, Madiraju shot back, “You thought I was doing full glam and I’m straight?”

More power to his persistence, but it brings us to the part that has us peeved. The last time Aditya’s audience realised he was gay, the social media star lost 20,000 followers. Why? “People live in a bubble. What you gonna do?” asks Madiraju’s main man, Amit. Aditya snaps back: “Take a bubble bath.” Hate may follow but hold on to that sparkle — it shines a light on attitudes overdue for change.

Powered by mischief

Timed perfectly for the season, a total throwback gem is splashing across social media — supposedly from Holi last year. The clip stars Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh, and begins with Tendulkar armed with a water gun, tiptoeing down a resort corridor like a man on a mission. Target? A blissfully sleeping Singh. What follows is a full-scale colour-and-water ambush. No mercy. No warning. Just vibes.

Yuvraj Singh and Sachin Tendulkar

Now we know, from Yuvraj himself, that this was no one-off prank. “Sachin was the biggest prankster in the team,” Yuvi laughs, remembering a particularly spicy episode at a Japanese restaurant. “I’d never eaten Japanese food before. Sachin casually goes, ‘Yeh wasabi badi tasty hai.’ So I took a massive bite.” Rookie mistake. “For two whole minutes I couldn’t breathe. It felt like a train was thundering through my head and steam was blasting out of my nose!”

Naturally, revenge was inevitable. “We were in New Zealand,” Yuvraj recalls, “sitting around a Jacuzzi, eating. I told Sachin there was a really tasty ham dish on the other side. He loves ham, so he got up to check it out.” Cue the plot twist. “The moment he stepped near the Jacuzzi, I shoved him in — fully clothed! He tried to drag me in with him, but I sprinted off. That was fun.”

Only last night, Yuvraj was suited up at a wedding function for Sachin’s son Arjun Tendulkar — all poise and polished charm. But those sherwanis are just a cover for shenanigans that will never end. Because, for these teammates, growing older has never meant growing up — and that’s just the way we like it.

A hat-trick of hits

While we were glued to the cricket, a hat-trick of birthdays hit all the right notes earlier this week. Blowing out the candles together at One8 Commune in Juhu on Monday were musicians Salim Merchant, Shankar Mahadevan and Gino Banks. With three industry heavyweights sharing one stage (or, in this case, cutting one cake), the guest list came as no surprise — from Sonu Nigam and Shaan to Sunidhi Chauhan and Sulaiman Merchant, Mumbai’s melody maestros showed up in droves. Standup comedian Zakir Khan was there too, as were Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi.

Gino Banks, Sulaiman Merchant (back row), Taufiq Qureshi, Shankar Mahadevan and Salim Merchant

The night’s poignant story, however, focuses on the man who was missing. To mark the late Ustad Zakir Hussain’s March 9 birth anniversary, another cake was cut in his memory, with brother Taufiq Qureshi doing the honours. “Did anyone sing?” we asked our insider. “Everyone did!” came his reply — one we should have expected. And it isn’t the first time this trio has hosted a shared celebration. At least three other such shindigs come to mind: one at Shankar’s Vashi residence, another at his home in Karjat, and the third at Salim’s Mumbai abode. Not an exhaustive list but a perfect snapshot of the musical trio’s enduring bond.

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