The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Thespo acquires bragging rights
It may have been years since Ali Fazal walked out of the doors of Thespo, bagged a role for a play at Prithvi and plunged into acting for the big screen. But once a Thespian, always a Thespian. The social media pages of the city-based youth theatre festival recently featured an interesting creative, showing Fazal in a then and now style.
The pages also cheekily used the hashtag #ThespoIsBoasting. And why not? After all, the alumnus has done them proud with his meaty roles, the most recent one being the lead in the British biographical drama, Victoria & Abdul. Cast opposite the legendary Judy Dench who portrays Queen Victoria, Fazal plays the role of Abdul Karim, her Indian help.
Social media 101 with Anuvab
When Amazon Prime contacted Anuvab Pal for a show that would be India's answer to Seinfeld, the stand-up comedian, playwright and screenwriter told them, "We are not that talented." But Pal did manage to pull off a show that was similar to the iconic American sitcom in its essence. Called Going Viral Pvt Ltd, the eight-episode comic series launches on the digital platform today.
"It's about a kind of company that doesn't exist today, but is not far from becoming a reality — it promises to make you a viral star," Pal told this diarist. The show will feature a range of characters — a politician who wants to become an internet sensation, a boyfriend who wants his girlfriend to trend when she returns from a holiday, among others.
"Sophie Choudry plays the digital Bollywood guru who the CEOâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088of the company, played by Kunaal Roy Kapur, aspires to be like. Radhika Vaz, on the other hand, is a feminist-activist wanting to nail down a troll," says Pal, who has written and directed the show. These sound like ingredients of a hilarious series, we say.
The divine touch for all
While everyone's busy celebrating the divinity of Lord Ganesha, the visually impaired are bereft of the experience of witnessing the festivities.
To rectify this, 121 Experiences has come up with the idea of creating an idol with materials used for teaching visually impaired people how to communicate, aiming to give them a feel of what a Ganesha idol looks like.
The idol is housed in Growel's 101 Mall in Kandivali, with a corresponding awareness programme that encourages people to donate their eyes after death.
Ahimsa in the desert
The annual Burning Man Festival held in the desert of Nevada in the US is an arts festival that manages to make it to the headlines every year. Known for uninhibited revellers, and art installations, the festival is also a sustainable event. An installation that caught our eye at this year's edition is Ahimsa Hamsa by Cat Dunleavy and Joe Taylor.
Pic courtesy/ Burningman.org
The artwork combines the concept of non-violence (with the palm as a symbol) and the symbol of Hamsa that is used to ward off the evil eye. Another work that caught our eye was a processional truck with an idol of Ganesha atop it.
Unholier than thou
Well-timed with the shenanigans of godmen, a rather pertinent (and funny) video came our way recently. In it, a physically disabled man tries his luck at leading a normal life, but gets shunned by society. So he assumes the role of 'Baba Wheelchair' since he realises that people expect both holy men and the disabled to abstain from the same worldly pleasures.
Except that babas can get away with it behind the veneer of divinity. The lead actor, Nipun Malhotra, says, "We are trying to break stereotypes around people with disabilities, such as they are unemployable, can't drink alcohol, can't get married, etc. And ironically, these babas who are surrounded by controversies have the same issues associated with them. So we thought, 'Why not combine the two?'" And we think, why not, indeed?
Pic/Satej Shinde
What's the surprise, Saif?
Actor Saif Ali Khan looks flabbergasted by something, as Bhushan Kumar and Raja Krishna Menon (left) share a laugh at the trailer launch of an upcoming movie at a Juhu multiplex yesterday.
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