Mumbai Diary: Friday Dossier

Awesome twosomeSidharth Malhotra and Parineeti Chopra strike a pose after exiting a cinema hall in Andheri West where they were promoting their upcoming film PicSameer MarkandeStay tuned for a final decisionWill it reopen or wont it This diarist recently heard tittletattle that the curtains had finally been drawn on The Quarter a popular SoBo venue for live gigs The place has been shut for renovations for a few months now and coowner Ashu Pathak had told us earlier that something exciting was coming up So when we heard the rumour that its shutting down we called him again for a confirmation Pathak though remained tightlippedWe are still in conversation with the owners of Royal Opera House where the venue is housed Call me in two weeks for the exact news he told this diarist Thats exactly what we will do hoping against hope that the city doesnt lose yet another quality venue for music So stay tuned to these pages to find out if the gap that The Quarter managed to fill after Blue Frog and AntiSocial shut down will be opened wide againA mad record for BadshahIf there was any doubt that Badshah is one of the most popular hiphop artistes in the country right now that has now been laid to rest after the musicians latest single mdash Paagal mdash created a world record It became the song that has been viewed the maximum number of times within 24 hours of its release crossing over 75 million views after it was launched on Wednesday Badshah thus beats global giants like Korean pop darlings BTS and Taylor SwiftThe track is an outandout pop banger the video for which was shot in Los Angeles and features Rose Romero a Playboy model The musician said Paagal was made with the focused intent of taking music from India across borders and making our presence felt And my fans just went all out on this one to help me achieve my dream Were going big with this oneShining a spotlightYou dont get to see them because they stay behind the scenes But even as we idolise the actors who appear on our screens rarely do we spare a thought for all the people who are part of a films crew without whom movies would never be made They include editors camera persons directors of photography etcAnd Paper Plane Pictures a Mumbaibased production house has now started an initiative called Namelessfaces through which it tells the stories of these very people putting the spotlight on them for a change Line producer Indu Razdan was the first person to be featured We are looking forward to hearing more stories about these unsung heroes who create the cinematic magic we finally get to viewTackling population with a rapIn yet another attempt to tackle Indias overpopulation problem albeit in a groovy way the producers of the show Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon and Population Foundation of India have released a rap song that promotes the use of condoms on the occasion of World Population Day The track which talks about the need for safe sexual practices dual protection and male responsibility in family planning mirrors the issues the show deals withA scene from the show Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti HoonWhile there is enough knowledge about contraception the adoption of methods especially by men is restricted because of prevailing myths Through this song we are telling young people that condoms provide double protection mdash they prevent unwanted pregnancies and protect one from sexually transmitted infections Poonam Muttreja executive director of Population Foundation of India told this diaristA lipsmacking competitionIf there is one thing that Indian food stands for it is diversity Forget about the different regions our cuisine changes from locality to locality And a recent competition that video app TikTok launched along with a food channel celebrates the variety that Indian dishes have to offerUsers are being asked to send in videos of food typical to where they come from and this led to contributions ranging from a samosa sandwich in Vadodara to a handi chicken recipe from Bihar As for Mumbai it was no surprise that pav bhaji and pani puri got featured in the listCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates