Hosting Sania, praising Tanu

We caught director Farah Khan at the supermarket yesterday Im hosting a small dinner this evening for Sania Mirza who is a dear friend said the spunky director and mother of triplets whose Happy New Year placed her as one of the first women filmmakers in Bollywoods coveted onehundredcrore clubWe were calling to enquire about her generous praise of Tanu Weds Manu Returns which shed termed outstanding in a tweet on Tuesday night There were around 15 or so of us directors at the special preview in Santacruz said KhanFarah Khan dancing with Sania Mirza on the set of a TV show File picRaju Hirani Vikas Bahl Balki Gauri Shinde Anuraag Basu she said naming Bollywoods most celebrated moviemakers and we were all whistling and cheering madly Kangana was brilliant Does it inspire you to make a smaller film next time we enquiredNo Because thats not my genre said the director on her way home to prepare for her dinner for the worlds number one womens doubles tennis star Anand Rai understands that world completelyI make another kind of movie but that doesnt mean I dont appreciate a good film from another genre said the feisty director just back from Dubai and on the eve of her monthlong family holiday in EuropeThe Gujarati ChroniclerSalil Tripathi Mints intrepid columnist whose latest book The Colonel Who Would Not Repent garnered favourable reviews appears to be on a roll He has been signed on by Aleph David Davidars awardwinning publishing house to pen a book on his own community the Gujaratis which thanks to you know who appear to have taken pole position in India if not the worldSalil Tripathi andDavid DavidarThere is indeed a lot more interest in Gujarat and Gujaratis because of the outcome of the elections last year said the Londonbased Tripathi when we lobbed him the question of timing But Gujaratis have always been an extremely important part of Indian culture and society said the writer known for his liberal progressive viewsIt begins with Mohandas Gandhi who was a Gujarati as was Mohammed Ali Jinnah the Tata family as are all great Parsis including freedom fighters like Pherozeshah Mehta and Dadabhai Naoroji are Gujaratis I cant leave out the Ambanis nor the Shahs and Mehtas who dominate the diamond trade a list of Indian film music would seem incomplete without Jaikishan of ShankarJaikishan or Kalyanji Anandji the original allrounder in postindependence cricket was Vinoo Mankad both Bhupen Khakhar and Ghulam Shaikh are Gujaratis voices of Indian conscience Ela Bhatt and Teesta Setalvad are Gujaratishellip recounted TripathiWhen we asked David Davidar about the book he said I have long wanted to commission magisterial biographies of the major communities in our country Two other books by top writers are in the works and I am hopeful that within the next 23 years we will have great books about the Bengalis the Tamils the Punjabis the Malayalis Now all that remains to be seen is how the Parsi community responds to being clubbed with GujaratisThe curious case of Anu Malik and the neon green tshirtSo Mumbai Indians successfully resurrected their IPL season on Tuesday by beating the Chennai Super Kings for a place in the finals at Eden GardensAnu Malik in the tee PicBCCIAnd while there was no shortage of star power off the field with Sachin Tendulkar Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan cheering on from the stands what is curious is how social media decided to focus on another special spectator Bollywood music producer and Mumbai Indians selfappointed lucky mascot Anu Malik in his trademark pista green tee which hes been superstitiously wearing since 2008 to ensure his teams victoryChange isnt the only constant thing in the world Anu Maliks green Tshirt is Anu Malik should get written on his T Shirt Wearing Same Pista Color T shirt since 2008 were just some of the tweets posted And for the sake of the other spectators in the box we hope he has a cupboard full of those slimy neon green teesThe War of the RosesTime was known when Cocteau and Fellini Truffaut and Scorsese were associated with the Cannes film festival But now the French Riveras iconic movie fest appears to be nothing more than a red carpet photo op for various stars peddling cosmetic brandsSonam Kapoor Eva Longoria and Andie MacdowellWhats worse is that in India the focus seems to have shifted completely to who wore which designer gown and looked better in it And now word comes in that Sonam Kapoors Elie Saab tribute to Sesame Street appears to have found a fan in Hollywood glamazon Eva Longoria why are we not surprisedEva loved the outfit and the styling so much that she was overheard complimenting the actress and her sister Rhea Kapoor about it said her spokesperson We told you its the Age of Kalyug and everyones wearing their Jimmy Choos to the ballTaking NYC by stormAfter a successful run of 28 rousing performances Nirbhaya the play by Yael Farber on the Delhi rape case that convulsed the world downed its shutters at New Yorks Lynn Redgrave Theatre this week And it appears to have been a cathartic experience for its cast and crew which includes Poorna JagannathanThe people behind the Nirbhaya playLast show in New York this evening Cannot put it in sequence as my heart is full and my mind is expanded said another of the shows actresses the Mumbaibased model Priyanka Bose I am suspended in the generosity that this place and its people have shown said Bose in an emotional farewell New York we leave you with our name