Mumbai Diary: Thursday Dossier

Smile it improves your face valueVarun Dhawan tries Shah Rukh Khans trademark pose The amiable star is thankfully nothing like the sour iconic cartoon character he sports on his teeMa Sheela loves her misoThe web series Wild Wild Country was a runaway hit when it released last year It documented the rise and fall of Rajneet Singh aka Osho the spiritual guru who set up a vast empire in the US before being embroiled in various cases related to financial irregularity But Osho wasnt the only central figure in the show Ma Anand Sheela his righthand woman was also a major part of the narrative Born Sheela Ambalal Patel she lived a checkered life that involved running the administrative affairs at Oshos vast ashram and later being convicted in a murder case in the US for which she spent 39 months in prisonMa Anand Sheela centre with Lakhan Jethani and an unidentified guestNow settled in Switzerland Sheela was recently in the city and was seen enjoying a meal at Mizu a panAsian diner in Worli with a couple of other people She had the veg giyoza veg bao and veg miso soup The others at her table ordered for nonvegetarian dishes but I dont know if she had any of them She was really quiet and kept to herself But I know that she liked the food because she broke into a smile at the end of her meal You could tell that there is something about her that is beyond what we can perceive Lakhan Jethani the eaterys coowner told this diaristCurtains for another bookstoreThere is a raging debate about whether physical books are on their way out since digital versions will take their place This also leads to obvious questions about the future of bookstores and libraries And for those who would rather prefer to curl up with a paperback instead of an ebook heres some unfortunate news The iconic Crossword store in Bandra is shutting down The place has been a haven for bibliophiles over the yearsIt has a wide range of titles and also offers other products such as toys and DVDs But business had been dipping over the past few years and the place has been a ghost of its former self in recent times And now the curtains will fall once and for all Wed love to see a new bookstore come up inits placeA class act for the LBGT communityHow many times can you think of gay or transgender people being portrayed in a positive or even neutral light in Hindi films Chances are few Instances like Kanta Bai the domestic help in Kal Ho Na Ho fainting in a supposedlyhumorous manner every time she saw Shah Rukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan hug are easier to remember Sure there are some movies that are exceptions such as My Brother Nikhil and Tamanna in which Paresh Rawal played a transgender characters roleBut otherwise its usually been a bleak picture when it comes to sensitivity about gender roles and sexual orientation in Hindi films Thats why its heartening to hear that hotel tycoon Keshav Suri and director Faraz Arif Ansari are joining hands this November to start TRANSaction a series of acting and empowerment workshops for the citys LGBTQ community The idea is to prepare them for a career on stage or in films and give them the confidence for it Heres hoping that more people take a leaf out of their bookKipling connectBorn in Mumbai Rudyard Kipling is one of the bestknown writers in the late 19th and early 20th century But not many will know the Britishers connection to Vermont in the US which novelist Kamila Shamsie pointed out on social mediarudyardkipling wrote thejunglebook at the home he built in Vermont and further that he named that home naulakha after the pavilion in LahoreFort she wrote posting pictures of the wall plate and the room where Mowgli was conceivedThis eatery bites the Big AppleThe hooha around citybased eatery The Bombay Canteen perhaps has a lot to do with its ties to a foreign land One must agree that having a chef trained in New York City at its helm and a partner with a restaurant in Lower Manhattan does add a certain allure But this is not to say that the food itself is not good and well it must beFor now after five years of extensive research into Indian cuisine and whipping up exciting riffs on traditional dishes this Lower Parel favourite is travelling to New York City Next week chefs Cardoz and Thomas Zacharias will host a special dinner at the prestigious James Beard House where they will showcase Indian cuisine before an American audienceCatch 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