Neha takes flight Actor Neha Dhupia strikes a pose at an ongoing fashion week in Bandra Kurla Complex on Thursday. Pic/Shadab Khan
Next-gen music Four years ago, when actor Shazahn Padamsee met DJ Ankit Kocher, love and a musical partnership bloomed. Now, the duo Spanck &mdash; an acronym of their initials &mdash; are ready with their first EP.
<img title="Sharon Prabhakar " src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2019/feb/sharon-prabhakar.jpg" alt="Sharon Prabhakar " /> Sharon Prabhakar 
Called Cold Comfort, it is being released on Israeli music producer Guy J's label on February 4. "The first time we hung around was in a studio. Over time, we got jamming and after years of work felt it was time to go pro," Kocher said.
<img title="Shazahn Padamsee and Ankit Kocher" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2019/feb/Shazahn-Padamsee.jpg" alt="Shazahn Padamsee and Ankit Kocher" /> Shazahn Padamsee and Ankit Kocher
"My mother is the one who has taught me singing, and has helped me stick to routine of riyaz," shared Padamsee, speaking of her mother and singer Sharon Prabhakar, who told us, "It's almost like a surreal moment. Shaz and I have spent a lot of time studying and exploring different genres. I love the sound that she and Anky have created."
Same-sex marriage: yay or nay After the historic win for gay rights in September last year, when Supreme Court struck down an archaic law that criminalised consensual sex between adults, the fight for same-sex marriage is next on the agenda.
<img title="Sapna Bhavnani and Kabir Chowdhry walk the ramp" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2019/feb/Sapna-Bhavnani-fashion.jpg" alt="Sapna Bhavnani and Kabir Chowdhry walk the ramp" /> Sapna Bhavnani and Kabir Chowdhry walk the ramp
While arguments for and against gay marriage rights are a talking point in public debate, designer Anaam took it to the world of fashion last evening. And the timing could be not be more perfect. With Queer Azadi Mumbai Pride 2019 scheduled on Saturday, the designer whose manifesto reads as "genderless, ageless, sustainable, ethical fashion", decided to indulge the idea and showcased a parade of unisex, deconstructed versions of saree and blouse, skirts and tunics. The motley cast included a mix of models as well as of openly gay couples, while hairstylist Sapna Bhavnani closed the show with partner and filmmaker Kabir Chowdhry. And for a good reason.
<img title="Models showcase Anaam's unisex creations. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2019/feb/showcase-Anaam.jpg" alt="Models showcase Anaam's unisex creations. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar" /> Models showcase Anaam's unisex creations. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar
Bending the rules comes naturally to Bhavnani. "Why should the idea of cross dressing whether in terms of clothing or mindset, be limited to the gay world?" she wondered. She has also launched an Instagram series, #mygirlfriend with Chowdhry, where the two interchange gender roles to imagine an equal world that's free of politics and judgments.
Art in finance For all those who yawn or get befuddled at the prospect of financial news, artist Orijit Sen &mdash; known for his artwork on the tragic incident involving young Asifa &mdash; has made things a tad explanatory and interesting. He recently made 10 artworks in response to 10 essays on global capital. Each essay, written by eminent economists or political theorists, talks about the different aspects of global capital shaping our world in today's age of neo-liberal capitalism.
<img title="Orijit Sen " src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2019/feb/Orijit-Sen.jpg" alt="Orijit Sen " /> Orijit Sen 
"It's an attempt to explore a complex subject in economics and politics and make it accessible to the lay person. I had to evolve a visual and metaphorical style and show the conflict in the current global economics. There's one on finance, fossil fuels, and climate change that talks about how they are linked," Sen says explaining how at one level, a financial company wants to work towards minimising climatic change, but you also have oil companies that don't care as they drill for oil and promote coal usage, causing global warming.
First for many If you have grown up in the '90s, you are likely to be familiar with the blink-and-miss on-screen debuts of Karan Johar (DDLJ) and Shahid Kapur (Taal). But did you know that Nimrat Kaur made her debut not in a television commercial, as many would remember her from, but in the music video of Kumar Sanu's Tera Mera Pyaar, which became the idea of a dream date for every young girl.
<img title="Nimrat Kaur" src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2019/feb/Nimrat-Kaur.jpg" alt="Nimrat Kaur" /> Nimrat Kaur
Kaur recently shared a clip from the video, saying "My first ever outing on camera. What a crazy blast from the past!" Following this, filmmaker Apurv Asrani, also retweeted the clip, and captioned it, "The first song I ever directed. Lucked out to have the lovely Nimrat Kaur debut in it." That's a lot of firsts for a song!
Archer flies in Did you know that 14 different publishers rejected the manuscript for Jeffrey Archer's best-selling book, Not a Penny More Not a Penny Less, when he had published it aged 35? Well, the students of Oberoi International School in Goregaon are now privy to this fact, having got it from the horse's mouth. For, Archer visited the institution yesterday as part of his tour to promote his book, Heads You Win.
<img src="https://images.mid-day.com/images/2019/feb/Jeffrey-Archer.jpg" alt="" />
The 78-year-old gave a speech to the students before throwing the floor open for questions. And he singled out author RK Narayan for effusive praise while speaking, saying, "I started reading RK Narayan ...and I had finished every single thing he wrote, two weeks later. Why? He has that magic combination of a storyteller and a writer. Any of you who have missed him, now is your chance, because nothing is more exciting than discovering a great author." Now that's a nice compliment.
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