Such is wife

Zenobia Boman Irani Shahid and Mira KapurIs Bollywood going soft Once famous for its alleged extra marital affairs this weekend at the IIFA New York it appeared that the stars were well and truly in love ndash with their wives Not only did Shahid Kapur dedicate the Best Actor award which hed won for Udta Punjab to wife Mira Rajput but the ever gallant and multitalented Boman Irani posted a picture of his wife Zenobia on social media accompanied with the words Talking about awardsheres mine my lifetime achievement Obviously this time in NYC love was in the airCitizen JainWe have known Aadar Jain since he was only a gleam in his parents eyes And we have watched him grow into the dapper young man he has become today on the verge of debuting in the upcoming film Qaidi Band produced by Aditya Chopra which has already given him a legion of young fansAadar JainBut even though he was born into the first family of Indian films and his relatives include most of Bollywood today Aadar was always a quintessential SoBo boy who grew up away from the film industry went to school at Cathedral and hung out with nonfilmy friendsDiscovered by a production houses casting director Shanoo Sharma who signed him up before anyone else today he is being mentored by one of the industrys most powerful men like Ranveer Singh Earlier this month we werent able to make it to his media launch where he was introduced by his cousin Ranbir Kapoor but as we watched its replay we couldnt help thinking that though the young man was sharing the stage with a far more experienced star hed managed to hold his own in what must have been a nervewracking experienceAnd yesterday when we watched the trailer of his upcoming movie which had opened to good reports we were pleasantly surprised to see that the banner had cast him against type as an unshaven and gritty undertrial a far cry from the stereotypical chocolate boylove story debut afforded to new actors And Jain appears to have risen to the occasion getting his teeth into his character with flair Giving every impression that hes here to stay Enter Citizen JainOf hellos and goodbyesSomeone told me at one of the various farewell gatherings over the past few days that leaving is actually a form of arrival It really feels like that a sloughing off of one skin for another a movement from one epoch into another the end of an era the beginning of another says artist Sharmistha Ray who is on the verge of moving back to New York after over a decade in MumbaiAnupa Mehta Sharmistha Ray Shireen Gandhy and Vasudha RuiaBombay like New York before it inspired an ardor says the artist whos had two successful highprofile solo exhibitions within the past year in Mumbai and Kochi Both cities have nurtured me seen me through periods of intense awakenings of the spirit of personal and professional growthRay plans to live and work out of Manhattan My painting studio is at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts in the Garment District she says It also houses many artists she admires like Shahzia Sikander and Toyin Ojih Odutola so shell be in good company As for future plans they include a few exhibitions in the pipeline in 2018For now shes caught up in a profusion of farewells thrown in her honour by the likes of gallerists Anupa Mehta and Geetu Hinduja All good things must come to an end or find a new beginning she says wistfully Going back to New York after more than a decade in India mostly spent in Bombay feels like an arrival to a new shore Its the old New York but its a new me ready to step into a new skinReason to celebrateIt was a veritable gathering of the tribe this Sunday evening at the Royal Opera House for Galleries 20th anniversary From Dolly Thakore Sangita Kathiwada Meera Devidayal Nancy Adajania Baiju Parthan Sunil Gawde Chennaibased Ranvir and Nandi Shah to Tara Lal and Mortimer Chatterjee they were all there the citys culturati to celebrate the unthinkable an independent and progressive arts magazine that has not only survived two decades and 40 issues but appears to be flourishing as wellLubna Salim Bina Sarkar Ellias Gulzar and Salim ArifEditorpublisher Bina Sarkar Ellias who along husband art photographer Rafique Ellias was the force behind this was commended for it by many including Gulzar and actor Nandita Das throughout the evening And the celebration ended with the Ellias daughter Yuki perform The Elephant in the Room which received a standing ovationLondons art beatOur friend the artist and interior designer Kahini Arte Merchant is currently in London feasting on the citys vibrant art scene From Anish Kapoors disturbing Unborn at The 249th Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition to Brian Shields Archipelago at the National Portrait Gallery Merchant has been soaking it all in including Londons abundance of egalitarian street and public artKahini Arte Merchant with Kalpana ShahOn my agenda to see is The Encounter drawings from Leonardo to Rembrandt currently on at the National Portrait Gallery though I will typically spend more time in Room 3 savouring my favourite works from the Tudor and Elizabethan period she said adding Not to forget the vibrant public art thoughtfully and cleverly displayed at museums and galleries which attracts ordinary everyday citizens unlike the small closed club of collectors and art snobs in IndiaibBroadway boundMonsoon Wedding doesnt have any defined plans as yet says actor funny man and perennial Bandra boy Javed Jaffrey about the Mira Nair directed musical based on her movie of the same name in which he essays the role played by Naseeruddin ShahJaved JaffreyJaffrey who returns to India at the end of the month after a successful run of the play at Californias Berkeley Repertory says bringing the musical to India is not on the cards as yet Broadway is the next target he said when we spoke this week