Mumbai Diary: Wednesday Dossier

As excitement heats up over the launch of Amishs muchawaited next book Raavan Enemy of Aryavarta the author unveiled the cover of the title at a Juhu bookstore earlier this week Amish engaged in a conversation with director Zoya Akhtar at the event The book is the third in the Ram Chandra series and the author revealed that he has followed a complex structure to link the stories of the three main characters mdash Ram Sita and Raavan Akhtar on her part said When you have a strong personality as Ram you end up having a strong persona opposing him as well adding that the book asks a key question was Raavan historyrsquos greatest villainFlex your missalWhen you think of the best places for food in the country Kolkata and Delhi usually come to mind before Mumbai Thats because the perception of food in this city is usually restricted to vada pav missal and pani puri But a thread that a food aggregator started on social media challenged this limited notion yesterday The firm asked people to post photos of the dishes that epitomise the cuisine of their region Of course some Mumbaikars did contribute with the usual But others brought to light some culinary items that go beyond what we consider Mumbai staples These included kothambir vadi ice bhel golas by the seaside bharleli bhindi thalipeeth and a version of the regular vada pav called masala vada pav in pic So pick from this list to showcase Mumbairsquos culinary diversity the next time someone tells you that itrsquos restricted to just a few itemsSPBalasubrahmanyamWishing a legend on his birthdayThe first time that this diarist had heard SP Balasubrahmanyams voice is when Maine Pyar Kiya launched with its seminal soundtrack all the way back in 1989 Our young ears had never before heard the sort of deep nasal tone that defines the legendary singers timbre And songs like Mere Rang Mein Rangne Waali and Dil Deewana remain etched in our mind as our first brush with quality Bollywood music after Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak Balu as he is also called has made even more of a mark in the south than he has in the Hindi film industryShaanBut he is considered a legend in both regions which is why mdash on his 73rd birthday celebrated yesterday mdash contemporary singers Shaan and Shreya Ghoshal were among the ones to wish him with messages like May you keep shining sir Herersquos hoping he lives a long and musical lifeHeres whats wood about this filmIts World Environment Day today and that makes it the perfect occasion to tell you about a new film that a car manufacturer has released which sends out an important message The short begins with a narrator saying Someone fills the air with smoke while someone works hard to clean it up Hes referring of course to human beings as the creators of toxic smoke and to trees as the hard workers that alleviate the damage But the best part about the film The animation has been entirely created using old newspapers discarded cardboard boxes and waste paper We likeStarry turnChances are that you have heard of Gaggan Anand but not of Srijith Gopinath the only other Indian chef to hold the honour of having two Michelin stars apart from Anand Gopinath won back the two stars yesterday for his Californiabased restaurant Campton Place The chef first won this accolade in 2016 before one was retracted and he won it back again It makes him the only Indian chef in the western hemisphere to be given the honour Our heartiest congratulations to this unsung hero of Indian foodArm TwistingDirector Tanuja Chandra has a tight grip on actor Konkona Sen Sharmarsquos hand as the latter gives writer Gazal Dhaliwal a mock pleading look during the screening of a movie on the LGBTQI community at Andheri on Tuesday PicSatej ShindeCatch 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