Pretty in pants

Pretty in pants
Pretty in pants

Alia Bhatt steps out for a film promotion at NSCI club in Worli

The God of Criticism Approves of Her

SHE spawned an entire generation of Booker Prize-aspiring writers. But none could match up to Arundhati Roy, whose dexterity with language is unparalleled, and whose God of Small Things remains a benchmark for Indian writing in English. Now fans and literati wait with bated breath for her first novel in 20 years, due early next year. It turns out that Ms Roy already has found a fan, and he ain’t no regular guy. John Berger, the legendary English critic has access to her manuscript and is perusing it. And he thinks it’s the most exquisite piece of literature he has ever read. Coming from a man whose tome Ways of Seeing became the bible for criticism worldwide, we are seething with jealousy, awe and love in very quick rotation.

A royal gathering

SUNDAY evening saw the launch of a new contemporary show by German artist Alke Reeh at the beautiful Jaipur Gyan Museum in the presence of the likes of Princess Diya Kumari. Curated by Dr Arshiya Lokhandwala, Talking Between Objects juxtaposes Reeh’s work with the collection of the naturalist, collector and gemologist, late Gyan Chand Dhaddha, whose sons, Suresh and Arun Dhaddha, have set up the museum in his memory. This magnificent museum houses a collection of 3000 objects that include antique jewellery, silver utensils, rare textiles, large collection of Hookah’s mouth pieces, miniature paintings, manuscripts, watches and eye glasses are among some of the things collected by him. Designed by French- born New York based architect Paul Mathieu, the museum, housed within a circular sphere, allows viewers to engage with the myriad objects in a contemplative mode. We can’t wait to catch that flight to Jaipur.

Breaking a leg

WE are delighted to inform you that Quasar Thakore Padamsee, the man spearheading a festival that promotes youth theatre and director of the long-running Khatijabai of the Karmali Terrace, received the Shankar Nag Rangkarmi Award in Bangalore on Sunday. The award is given each year to a theatre worker under 40, who has served the art form with distinction and impact. Theatre practitioners Abhishek Majumdar from Bangalore and Mohit Takalkar from Pune received it in the last two years. And Q, as he is fondly called in the world of drama, received his award from the hands of theatre veterans MS Sathyu and Arundhati Nag. A standing ovation, we insist.

In a whirl of her own

SO this happened at a concert, ostensibly to promote Sufi music and it’s left us dizzy with glee. So Rekha Bhardwaj finds herself at a performance – accompanied by a dervish. The concert ends, the audience claps, and Ms Bhardwaj ends up thanking everyone from her costume designer to her jewellery maker and what have you. She however forgets the dervish — who diligently twirled gracefully for almost an hour. Shocked at his omission from the list of gratitude, the audience found its inner Marx and called Ms Bhardwaj on it. Thankfully, she was quick to realise her gaffe and give him a thumbs up.

Tailpiece

THESE two leading actresses once notoriously shared the same lover, but they managed to keep a semblance of civility. Until the footloose and fancy-free heartthrob decided to go solo that is. It now turns out that while the actor is keeping a ‘safe’ distance from both of them, the divas have fallen out so badly with one another that they work out their social calendar in a way that if one attends a bash, the other stays at home. That must take a lot of coordination, but hey, we dig the effort.