The Hat Trick Man

Hersquos the other Amitabh who PM Modi has coopted to successfully carry his message to the masses and for our money Secretary Department of Industrial Policy amp Promotion and Chairman of the DelhiMumbai Industrial Corridor Development Corporation in the Ministry of Commerce amp Industry Amitabh Kantrsquos Diwali greeting card with the silhouette of his brainchild the Make in India lion strung up with festive lights against a backdrop of vermillion stands out as a clutter buster amongst all the other missives this festive seasonAmitabh KantIncidentally Kant is now considered something of a lsquohattrickrsquo man having earlier come up with such gems as lsquoGodrsquos Own Countryrsquo when he served as Secretary Tourism in the State and lsquoIncredible Indiarsquo when he was heading Tourism at the CentreAmitabh Kantrsquos Diwali greeting cardTaking a break from DiwaliWhen the going gets tough the tough get going Not that Diwali in Mumbai is considered a lsquotoughrsquo festival considering all you have to do is wear clothes that weigh a ton buy gifts for every one yoursquove ever set eyes on including your friendly neighbourhood bootlegger stop wolf down truckloads of sweets and listen to all manner of loud explosions go off at all manner of hours mdash but a few sensible people have availed of the long weekend and the festive cheer to get away for some RampR while the rest of the city goes pop bang ouchRahul AkerkarKey amongst these are the Akerkars Rahul and Malini who have taken off to kick off celebrations for the latterrsquos big birthday with a week of diving off the coast of Bali And if that isnrsquot one of the nicest ways to rekindle the festive spirit Cyrus Broacha along with artist wife Ayesha their two kids and Kunal Vijayakar have hotfooted it off to Sri LankaCyrus Broacha and Kunal VijaykarImagine opting out of all that traditional dressing up eating sweets and listening to loud explosions in Mumbai SheeshAnother award for DhanakCongratulations are due to director Nagesh Kukunoor and producer Elahe Hiptoola whose latest offering Dhanak a simple tale about abiding sibling love in rural Rajasthan has been declared the Best Feature at the Kinder Film Festival in BrusselsNagesh Kukunoor and Elahe HiptoolaThe film like most of Kukunoorrsquos earlier offerings has been no stranger to awards and recognition and had premiered at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Grand Prix of the Generation Kplus International Jury for the best featurelength filmWhen we congratulated her on her latest triumph an ecstatic Hiptoola who as producer for the Kukunoor oeuvre has been a contributor to much of his success said ldquoDhanak an essentially rural Indian story at heart is appealing to such a wide cultural baseI was at Berlin Canada and Mumbai with the audience and it was sublime to see them connect with the film Itrsquos so gratifying to see that a good simple story can still engage people More power to storytellers like Nageshrdquo And then the vivacious Hyderabadi couldnrsquot help adding ldquoAs we say in Hyderabad Chalne DordquoThe plight of a womanOur Oolong tea favouring Sobo hostess friend was besides herself when we met her in her lsquoboudoirrsquo with what looked like last yearrsquos winter line of some very expensive designers strewn all over her floorldquoOofrdquo she sighed ldquoItrsquos just so frustratingrdquo she said ldquoBas we will do the rest laterrdquo she said glaring at her hapless maidWhat on earth is going on we asked pointing to the heaps of expensive clothes on the floorldquoI have nothing nothing to wearrdquo said the OTFSH in such a pathetic little girlrsquos voice that we almost fell for itThis does not look like lsquonothingrsquo we said holding up a lambs wool stole studded with zirconldquoOh stop itrdquo said the OTFSH ldquoI have nothing APPROPRIATE to wear to Tina Brownrsquos Women in the World New Delhi Summit next weekrdquoHuh we saidldquoYou know how those women dress for seminars like theserdquo said the OTFSH ldquoAll in hand block printed and knit and wool from Anokhi and Fab India So how on earth can I show up wearing THIS to a programme called lsquoFanning the Firersquo featuring Shabana Azmi Nandita Das and Deepa MehtardquoAs lsquoThisrsquo happened to be a 2lakh double pallav sari with a Swarovski studded blouse which our friend had bought from her favourite designerrsquos last collection we said nothingldquoAs for lsquoWill the Violence Never Endrsquo mediated by Barkha Dutt if I show up wearing any of these clothes I will never be invited back to meet Rohingya refugees or victims of domestic violence or Hollywood film starsrdquoldquoSo what are you going to dordquo we asked the OTFSH as she contemplated the debris of many years of reckless retail therapyldquoWhat else can I dordquo she sobbed ldquoI will have to buy myself a whole new wardrobe asaprdquo she said adding ldquoItrsquos so tough being a woman in the world these daysrdquoHotel chain on the blockRumours have been rife for some time now that this sizable International hospitality chain is on the market And now word comes in that this group that owns many of the worldrsquos most luxurious hotel brands including one that recently had a starstudded launch in Mumbai is in advance talks with a prospective buyer from ChinaOur wellplaced source informs us ldquoYes talks are now at an escalated stage but it is being called a lsquostrategic reviewrsquo Out of the three potential buyers from the far East the chain has set its sights on one and it looks like it will go throughrdquo One thing is for sure that this deal which is being structured by a top New York headquartered financial services firm is sure going to create a stir in the hotel world You heard it here first