The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
PIC/ATUL KAMBLE
Time to relfect
A large puddle near the Municipal Corporation Building reflects a striking image after a spell of rain
Epic coincidences
Satyajit Padhye with the Ravana puppet in Leicester. PIC COURTESY/SATYAJIT PADHYE
You’ll never guess who’s turning heads in the United Kingdom. After his performance at the European Marathi Sammelan in Leicester last weekend, ventriloquist Satyajit Padhye bumped into a larger-than-life 10-headed Ravana puppet walking the streets. “I believe it was part of a parade by another group outside our venue, the Athena hall. They also had a Hanuman puppet alongside. It reminded me of the Ravana puppets I had crafted with my father for actor Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao’s Paani Foundation last year. I showed the puppeteers pictures of our version. They were in awe. Ours were larger, to be fair,” an enthusiastic Padhye told us from the UK. The performance also marked another sweet coincidence for the artiste. “My grandfather started his journey in ventriloquism in 1920, inspired by an English World War 1 veteran who had performed live in Mumbai. His puppet, Ardhavatrao, was imported from England. At the event here, my daughter Neeva performed alongside Ardhavatrao. It’s a full circle moment in that sense,” Padhye revealed.
Voices unheard
Rahul Sonpimple in a behind-the-scenes moment. PIC COURTESY/The Ambedkarian Chronicle
Podcasts might document everything under the sun, but it does not mean every story is heard. Founder of the Ambedkarian Chronicle, Dr Rahul Sonpimple’s new Ambedkarian Chronicle podcast next week will attempt to change this narrative. “The movement was founded to provide an autonomous platform for marginalised voices online. The podcast continues that objective,” shared Sonpimple. With the Ambedkarite movement having historic ties with the city, Mumbai does feature in their opening segment, he shared.
Slow down, Bandra
A view of the new space. PIC COURTESY/PAASHH
Marathon runner Vaishali Karad knows that adage about life not being a sprint too well. Paashh, Karad’s new sustainable restaurant with a focus on organically sourced produce and slow living, now stands as a testament in Bandra’s Pali Hill. “As a marathon runner who knows the value of breath and pause, I felt there was a need to create sanctuaries of stillness amidst the city’s rush. Bandra, with its vibrant energy and creative spirit, seemed the perfect place to introduce the concept,” she told this diarist.
Hot off the press
A still from Bad Press (2023). PIC COURTESY/BAD PRESS DOCUMENTARY ON YOUTUBE
This weekend, Kala Ghoda’s new art gallery, Fulcrum, will play its part in advocating for press freedom. A three-day screening series will bring to the fore much-discussed docu-films like Bad Press, A Thousand Cuts, and While We Watched alongside Sushmit Ghosh and Rintu Thomas’s critically acclaimed Writing With Fire. “This is just the beginning of a range of events we wish to host in our compact space. Under our new segment, Fulcrum Tilt, we will host two screening series every year. The gallery takes its name from an eponymous magazine my father founded in the 1970s. It seemed apt to begin with an ode to that journalistic spirit,” founder Ayesha Aggarwal shared with this diarist.
Not all superheroes wear capes
Neeraj Chopra signs the artwork at an event in 2021
Cosplayer Medha Srivastava was in for a super surprise at a special premiere of the much-awaited Superman (2025) on Wednesday. Dressed in classic Clark Kent attire with her friends, Srivastava headed to a Lower Parel cinema to catch the David Corenswet-starrer before its India premiere today. With no offence to Corenswet’s Superman debut, it was another superhero who stole the show for Srivastava.
Medha Srivastava (extreme right) at the premiere. PICS COURTESY/MEDHA SRIVASTAVA
“A fellow attendee at the premiere showed me a dated [2021] photograph of Neeraj Chopra signing a print of one of my artworks days after his iconic 2020 Olympic gold. Someone had printed my illustration featuring Indian Olympic heroes, and handed it to him at a felicitation event in Delhi. I couldn’t believe I was finding out only now, four whole years later!” she told us. Kudos to Chopra for being a good sport. As for her two cents before you go watch the new DC film today, “The actors did better than most of us were expecting, but their characters failed them. They felt one-dimensional throughout the movie,” Srivastava revealed to us.
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