The Tashkent Files
U/A: Mystery
Director: Vivek Angnihotri
Cast: Shweta Basu Prasad, Mithun Chakroborty
Ratings: 

Guess who's watched Steven Spielberg's The Post (2017), based on the New York Times' Pentagon Papers revelation, given that an envelope filled with a certain case-file (in this film) mysteriously lands up on a newspaper reporter's desk, piquing curiosity, and leading finally to an exposé as front-page news the following day. There is also a gravelly voice of the unknown "source", guiding the journalist in this film, all through the case. The anonymous caller refers to the reporter as his Deep Asset. He seems more like Deep Throat himself.

And so the other mother of political-journalistic dramas, Alan Pakula's All The President's Men (1976), on the Watergate scandal, has also been dutifully checked. If anything, the brief for Naseeruddin Shah, who plays a wily minister, spouting one-liners on the murky art of politics, may well have been Kevin Spacey from House Of Cards.

That said, The Tashkent Files, beyond all else, is essentially modelled on Sidney Lumet's courtroom drama 12 Angry Men (1957), which was brazenly, blatantly lifted by Basu Chatterjee's Ek Ruka Hua Faisla (1986) - without any context whatsoever, given that jury trials had already been abolished in Indian courts by late '60s, early '70s.

To be fair, this film provides some background to why a grand-jury/committee has been appointed by the government - with that young newspaper reporter herself on board! Never mind. Actor Shweta Basu Prasad plays this lead role, and she does a fine job, by the way. So does everyone else - Mithun Chakroborty, Pankaj Tripathi, Prakash Belawadi, Pallavi Joshi, Mandira Bedi - in what's a rather fine line-up for any film.

The aim is to probe supposedly strange circumstances under which Lal Bahadur Shastri, India's second Prime Minister, died in his hotel/chalet in Uzbekistan (then USSR), after sealing a deal with Pakistan, post 1965 war. Was Shastri poisoned? Or did he die of cardiac arrest, as officially recorded? The group in the room delves into this mystery, presumably 53 years after the event!

Frankly, call it propaganda if you will, we must welcome this genre, regardless of the quality of recent output, that have mainly targeted folk from Congress - right from a tiny portion of Sacred Games (Rajiv Gandhi), to films like Indu Sarkar (Indira Gandhi), The Accidental Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh, Sonia, plus Rahul Gandhi) - putting faces to actual names, without fear, even if on account of (currying) favour.

Sure, this goes down well with the current dispensation, otherwise trigger-happy with censorship of all kinds, films foremost. The fact is that, barring notable exceptions, Indian, or at least Hindi cinema, has been bereft of robust political commentary, and an iron curtain has been lifted from an unexpected quarter.

God knows deaths of Shastri, or for that matter, Subhash Chandra Bose (also widely referred to in this pic) aren't the only local mysteries. There have been many question marks over possibly political motives behind several prominent deaths, some of them more recent: Haren Pandya, Lalit Narayan Mishra, Justice Loya, Gauri Lankesh … This is apart from a staggering number of politicians who keep dying in either car or copter crashes (Munde, Pilot, Scindia, etc).

The meat of the material (book-quotes, interviews) on Shastri's demise, before the writer-director (Vivek Agnihotri) - most of them apparently accessible to public - is however scant enough to be reproduced (as is, with a voice-over) in a 15-min video. Rather than sit through over a two-and-half-hour long feature, that in its effort to spin a thriller, instead of grabbing you by the eye-balls, throws up such garbled, gunny-bag gyanpatti, so much bak-bak, you constantly feel like stepping out of the hall of darkness, for a smoke break (no; don't wanna know what the filmmakers were smoking).

And so practically everyone sitting in this 12 Angry Men style committee is essentially a terrorist: "intellectual terrorist," (historian), "social terrorist" (NGO activist), "judicial terrorist" (retired judge), "TRP terrorist" (print journalist!), "racial terrorist" (someone who judges people for their religion, which incidentally is not a race anyway)…

If you must know more: There is call-back to 26/11 attacks, parliament attacks, CWG, 2G (scams)… So-called secular folk will apparently come with a fauj (army) to go after everyone in this country. "Bloody, heartless, capitalists," savages will kill us with fries and cola. And socialism is the ultimate evil, anyway.

This, coming from a filmmaker, who I'm told popularised the term "urban naxal" on Twitter, referring to the relatively affluent, who care for the completely marginalised - arguing that this is all done with the intent of destroying the 'nation'! Not going to judge him personally. He's allowed his hate/opinion, or general lack of empathy. Certainly not falling into that Twitter trap.

But this is the sort of know-all, grand con-spiracy theory picture - regurgitating catch-phrases like "presstitutes", "Lutyens Delhi," "fake news" - that emanates from a world-view wholly derived from spending far too much time on social media.

The gist of this juvenilia (that 15-min vid) is at best, currently Juhu-Versova's version of JFK then, ideally forwarded on your uncle's Whatsapp group. No, nobody's reopening any files for this, or getting rattled up to relook at laws (as was the case with the Oliver Stone masterpiece). A whole lot might just get bored, though. I'm just waiting for this genre to grow. Baby steps, I guess.

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After the death of three police personnel due to COVID-19, the Mumbai police are telling constables aged above 55 years and those having existing ailments to immediately proceed on leave. The option for the paid leave was made available on Monday and will last till the lockdown.

Accordingly, the police top brass has directed police stations and traffic divisions to give leave to such constables. If a constable still wishes to come to work, he will be allowed to.

Traffic cops are most vulnerable as their work involves highest people-to-people contact

The three deaths in the Mumbai police workforce occurred within 48 hours. Wanting to save the rest of their colleagues who might be especially vulnerable, senior officers have given clear instructions.

"We have given orders to police stations and traffic divisions to give leave to constables aged beyond 55 years. Those having serious health issues have also been advised to take rest," said Param Bir Singh, commissioner of Mumbai police.

A policeman checks a car at Bhendi Bazar. Pic/Ashish Raje

"On Sunday, we asked for information from the headquarters about constables aged between 50 to 52, 52 to 55 and 55 to 58 years and any ailments they might have," said a senior police officer on condition of anonymity.

Health experts have observed that people aged above 50 and having health issues such as diabetes, asthma and heart conditions are more susceptible to the Coronavirus. "Since the beginning of the lockdown, we had asked our senior inspectors and traffic division in-charges to assign desk duties to constables aged above 50 years, with minimal contact with outsiders," said another officer. "Yet we lost three personnel. Hence, we are enforcing the policy further to avoid more fatalities," added the officer.

Deputy Commissioner of Police and spokesperson for Mumbai police, Pranaya Ashok said, "The message is loud and clear — cops aged above 50 should not be posted in hotspots or in containment zones. In fact, they should serve for tasks that involve minimum social contact. Now we are going a step forward by giving constables aged above 55 years the option to go on leave."

"Enforcing law and order is our priority but saving the lives of our men is also our duty. Therefore, we have given such constables the option to stay home April 27 onwards till the end of the lockdown. Traffic cops have the most contact with people, making them the most vulnerable," said a senior officer from the traffic police.

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The Maharashtra Jail Administration has allowed prisoners to talk to their families over landlines. as family visits to jails have been disallowed due to the lockdown. 

There are a around 36,000 prisoners across jails in Maharashtra, out of which 8,500 prisoners have been convicted. The total capacity of these jails is 24,000 so most jails in the state are overpopulated. In an attempt to create social distancing within the prisons, 4,611 accused who were serving jail sentences for non-serious crimes, were released on bail. However, the state administration continues to keep those involved in serious crimes behind bars.

According to a jail official, allowing inmates to communicate over phone was allowed so that they could be in touch with their families. The officer said, "We have details of all the accused and on the basis of those, we call their houses and allow them to speak to their families." Otherwise the accused could meet their families once a month.

The phone call facility between the accused and their family members are being allowed in every jail in the state. Around 25 accused are able to talk to their families every day. Every accused gets to make a phone call once a month.

IG Prisons, Deepak Pandey told mid-day, "The jailer first confirms that the person on the other side of the phone is a member of the family of the accused, only then the call is allowed. A duration of 5 minutes is given for each conversation between the inmate and their family."

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It felt totally like a eureka moment to me at the grounds of Jaipur Literature Festival, 2012, soon as my eyes turned and I saw on stage, Oprah Winfrey, seated for a conversation, with Barkha Dutt.

Up until then, one had, of course, followed Dutt's work as an indefatigable newscaster, best known for lending a human touch to her dispatches/reports. Quite literally so sometimes — as she'd tenderly pat her interviewees on the shoulder, gently goading them to reveal issues they faced, before a camera. Audiences were hopefully moved, witnessing the plight of the socially distant other!

Many may have had issues with this style of emotional/exploitative news-casting, as if it was a Bollywood film. But the fact is the penny dropped only when I saw Dutt with Winfrey. It's totally my bad that I had misinterpreted her form of communication as journalism alone. Firstly, given the subject, no, not gonna fall into the tiring Twitter-troll trap that, for years, has been demonising Dutt and the lot as 'biased'/'paid' media. As if there can be any other!

Which loser works in a profession without ever being paid for it? And does the fact that you can't possibly publish all that's fit to print not indicate bias anyway? One only hopes this doesn't veer towards prejudices. And that whatever calls a news-outlet takes, don't involve sneaky, private deals, or peddling blatant lies in public.

Making motivations known only helps consumers make a choice. Mahatma Gandhi, like Bal Thackeray, ran one-sided newspapers. Neither is accused of bad journalism. Do the same arguments apply to news television?

Though all that there is to it are debates and arguments, anyway? It's odd what the medium grew into, given satellite television in India itself owes its origin to a news event—the 1991 Gulf War, that led to an enterprising South Bombay hotel (then Taj President) placing a satellite dish on the terrace, for its guests to access news on CNN!

The first TV channel delivering 24-hours news, of course, came up only at the fag-end of last millennium. For a medium with a history as short as the story of a boy, who's grown up on steroids, neglected by parents, with a much brighter younger sibling (Internet), and having just about attained legal age for marital sex, it's impossible to tell where it stands currently, let alone where it's headed into the future.

Here are a few facts still. That in less than a decade since the launch of the first Indian round-the-clock news station, there were 300 in competition, for unique eye-balls, often across the nation. All these viewers should ideally have been interested in exactly the same visual-item on screen, while the importance of news per se, is determined by the proximity of the event to the consumer!

How does one compete then? In 2002, when the medium was too nascent, all its three main channels were accused of partisanship in reporting the Gujarat riots — ostensibly aimed at their respective viewerships. Wherein Zee and Aaj Tak were called out for mentioning the religion of victims in the Godhra carnage, but conveniently concealing so while covering the riots that followed. Likewise Star/NDTV was accused of overplaying the possible complicity of the state/police; fanning negativity against both.

But this is still within purview of news. By mid 2000s, when the scene had totally exploded with too many channels to keep count, the country, it was assumed, could only be united by cricket and Bollywood. That's what you saw a whole lot of on Hindi channels. And that you don't anymore. Also, religion (bhakti) and superstition (UFO landings/sightings) reigned supreme.

The creative crescendo of this movement away from news though occurred in July, 2006, with the fall of a five-year-old Prince, into a 55-feet pit, in a village called Aldeharhi, 150 kms off Delhi. For 50 hours that it took for the boy come out of the well, several channels had broadcast his rescue (or the lack of it) for over 24 hours! Since general entertainment had possibly failed, this was television news acknowledging its competition was reality TV. No knock.

The turning point for this genre was of course the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks—live-television for three days straight, involving cameras stationed mainly outside hotels Taj and Oberoi-Trident, but with obviously no fresh footage to upload. What do you do then? Open live commentary, package it as debate, express shock, rally around pent-up emotions. 26/11, a reporter's story, turned TV news into an anchor's medium, with Arnab Goswami at Times Now as its patron saint.

Pretty much all stations feel/sound the same since. Leader dictates competition. Goswami, a pop-culture phenomenon inspiring skits and memes, runs his own channel, heating up a studio, introducing nightly villains, firing at folk on multiple windows, picking up cues primarily from social media—feeding off the mob and feeding right back into it. But come what may, delivering weekly ratings at the box-office of television.

It's been 12 years. Obviously he's not just a journalist. Now he has a rep to protect, and expectations of core-audiences to meet. He defined the era he belongs to, and people are used to seeing him a certain way. Read again. Sounds like Shah Rukh Khan to me.

Mayank Shekhar attempts to make sense of mass culture. He tweets @mayankw14 Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper

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The police remand of the 101 accused arrested in the barbaric killing of two priests and their cab driver in Palghar district last month, was extended for another 14 days on Thursday in connection with the attack on police officers on April 16.

They were produced before the Dahanu Magistrate court in the afternoon as their police remand expired on Thursday. Magistrate O B Kulkarni sent all the accused to additional police remand of 14 days. They have been charged with attempt to murder for attacking the cops while they were headed to the lynching site.

Lawyers headed by advocate Parmanand Ojha appeared before the court on behalf of deceased Chikne Maharaj, 70, Sushil Giri, 35, and driver Nilesh Tilghate, 30.

The police had on April 17 apprehended 110 people and arrested 101 of them, and sent them in police remand in connection with the murder of the three men. The nine other accused are juvenile and currently at Bhiwandi juvenile home. "Since the 14-day police remand ended on Thursday, I requested the court not to grant them bail instead send them into judicial custody," said Ojha.

Police search for others involved in the lynching at Gadchinchale village. File pic

The CID officials requested that the accused be sent to police remand for the murder attempt on cops and obstructing the work of police officials. None of the advocates appeared on behalf of the accused.

Advocate Ojha alleged that the trio became victims of a huge conspiracy against them. "There was no rumour before the incident and the priests and the driver were well aware of the internal routes to Gujarat from Mumbai. But their vehicle was turned back at a check post bordering with Dadra and Nagar Haveli," he said.

But crucial eye-witness Sonudaji Borsa told mid-day that a rumour of a child lifting gang was doing the rounds of the village. "Two nights before the incident, people gathered at our forest check post and forced me to step out saying a child lifting gang was active in the area. People often used to shout 'chor ayaa, chor ayaa' unnecessarily to trigger panic among villagers who would gather in large numbers," Borsa said.

Not the first mob attack

Sources said incidents of villagers creating unrest to raise their voice against government officials are very common here. "In December 1998, a mob in Gadchinchale village attacked forest officials and a State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) team acting against timber smugglers. Two men were caught but they screamed for help and a large number of villagers surrounded the forest officials and SRPF personnel," said an officer from Palghar police. The mob assaulted the officials and snatched the rifle of SRPF constable Vikram Valvi.

One of the priests killed in the April 16 incident. File pic

"Regional forest officer Digambar Manohar Dahibhavkar had registered an FIR against the mob at Kasa police station on December 22, 1998. Four people including Lohu Kanoja, Sonu Pilena, Tulja Pilena and Madu Kanoja were named in the FIR," said the officer. After the case was registered, all the villagers abandoned their homes just like they have done now. "The police later managed to arrest five absconders," said the officer. They also recovered the snatched rifle. "The four accused named in the FIR were arrested on August 9, 2012. Several accused are still at large," said the officer, adding that there have many such incidents that reveal the aggressive nature of Gadchinchale residents who have no fear of the law.

"The villagers clearly say 'yaha mehnat karke khana milta hai aur jail me bina mehnat ka' (here, we have to work for food, but in jail it's for free)," said the officer.

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Mumbai Police shared a heartbreaking and inspiring video of one of the officers who was tested positive for coronavirus,  going away for his treatment, with a promise of winning the battle against the pandemic and joining back on duty soon.

The 15-seconds video was enough to make Twitter users emotional and they heaped praises for the cop for being courageous despite testing positive for the virus. The police department said in the caption while sharing the video, "Our 29 year old frontline warrior, who tested positive for Coronavirus, just summarised what we’ve been meaning to tell you all along."

The video shows the officer bidding adieu to his colleagues and getting into an ambulance that was waiting to take him to the hospital.

Our 29 year old frontline warrior, who tested positive for Coronavirus, just summarised what we’ve been meaning to tell you all along - à¤Â•à¤¾à¤¹à¥Â€ à¤ÂŸà¥Â‡à¤Â‚शन à¤Â˜à¥Â‡à¤ÂŠ नà¤Â•à¥Â‹ रà¥Â‡, मितà¥Âà¤°à¤¾! #AamhiDutyVarAahot #MumbaiPoliceOnDuty #MumbaiFirst#TakingOnCorona pic.twitter.com/tNJWg7Ljsv

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) April 29, 2020

The post shared on Twitter garnered more than 346,400 views and over 18,200 likes and was retweeted more than 3,600 times. The users commenting on the video said that they are praying for the officer’s speedy recovery.

That's the spirit ..salute to such a brave officer ...best wishes for his recovery

— Harish Raja (@hraja2016) April 29, 2020

I Salute and pray for the speedy recovery of all the Warriors who have been detected positive.
Tujhi kalji ghe Mitra.

— Akshay Raut (@akkir) April 29, 2020

His attitude says a lot about the young cop there... god bless â­Â
Yes tension gheu naka ... He will be back soonðŸ‘ÂÂŒ#PositiveVibes

— Neha (@IamNRGe) April 29, 2020

Get well soon sir love you all because of you we are safe and happy in mumbai..

— Aasif shaikh (@Asifshaikhseo) April 29, 2020

Salute ! Salute ! Salute

— Bharati Chaudhari (@bumekar) April 29, 2020

What do you think about the post?

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A fire broke out at near Ganesh talkies in Lalbaug on Saturday evening.

Fire fighters rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire using three fire jets. So far no casualties have been reported and the cause of fire is yet to be ascertained

The fire was confined to electric wiring, electric installation, wooden furniture, steel furniture, Ganesh idol making fibre frames, raw material, oil, washing machine, clothes, chairs, Ganesh idols, wooden base, scrap material, mattress, cement sheet and tarpuline sheet etc. 

The family of a retired BMC employee has alleged that a BMC-run hospital in Mulund, MT Agarwal Hospital, neglected him which led to his death. The incident occurred on Friday morning when the family of 62-year-old Rajaram Bhoir rushed him to the hospital and the medical staff there didn't attend to him for the first three hours. The family claimed that despite them telling the hospital staff about the condition of Bhoir, and highlighting that he is an ex-employee of the BMC, they didn't pay any attention to him. Bhoir started feeling breathless on Thursday evening and after spending a restless night at home, his family decided to take him to the hospital. They moved him to the ICU and waited for a doctor to attend to him for almost two hours, but nobody showed up.

"At around 8 am, some doctors came to the ICU and asked us to shift him to another hospital. The doctors checked him and pronounced him dead," revealed the grieving son. When contacted, Dr Pradeep Angre, the dean of the hospital, responded, "I have ordered an enquiry."

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The prisons department of Maharashtra has released more than 5,000 inmates from various prisons of the state till Saturday, an official said. To prevent the spread of coronavirus infection in overcrowded jails, the prisons department is releasing those inmates who are serving sentences of less than seven years on bail, he said. At least 11,000 prisoners were expected to be released to decongest prisons, and so far 5,105 have been released on bail, the official added.

582 prisoners have been released from Arthur Road prison in Mumbai, 443 from Thane Central Jail, 498 from Taloja Central Jail in Navi Mumbai, 388 from Yerawada prison in Pune, 214 from Amaravati prison, 216 from Nagpur prison, 187 from Solapur district prison, 177 from Aurangabad Central Prison and 134 from Nashik Central Prison, he said.

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Eminent industrialist Ratan Tata, on Sunday took to Instagram to call out a fake news article and a quote which was attributed to him. Taking to the gram, the 82-year-old business veteran shared a picture of a news clipping that read, "Ratan Tata's message: 2020 is the year of survival, don’t worry about profit and loss."

A screengrab of Ratan Tata's Instagram story

While sharing a story on Instagram, Ratan Tata wrote, "The following article has not been written or said by me. He also shared a picture of the article with 'Fake News' written on the newspaper cutting. Urging people to always verify news sources, Ratan Tata said, "I will endeavour to call out fake news whenever I can."

Talking about the fake article which has a quote attributed to him, Ratan Tata stated, "My picture alongside a quote does not guarantee me having said it, a problem that many people face." The business magnate also called out the fake news and shared it with his 8.5 million followers on Twitter.

I’m afraid this too, has not been said by me. I will endeavour to call out fake news whenever I can, but would encourage you to always verify news sources. My picture alongside a quote does not guarantee me having said it, a problem that many people face. pic.twitter.com/pk0S75FxPA

— Ratan N. Tata (@RNTata2000) May 3, 2020

Since being shared online, Ratan Tata's tweet has garnered over one lakh likes and about 25,000 re-tweets and counting. This isn't the first time that the senior statesman has taken on fake news circulating under his name. Earlier, Mr. Tata had shared another fake article attributed to him and which spoke about the impact of coronavirus on the economy.

In the spirit of solidarity pic.twitter.com/1Svx5JZ0Vb

— Ratan N. Tata (@RNTata2000) April 5, 2020

While sharing that the article was fake, the industrialist stated that if he has to say something, he would say it on his official social media channels. Debunking the false article, Mr. Tata urged people to stay safe and take care of themselves amid the coronavirus crisis.

Nearly a month ago, Ratan Tata shared a beautiful picture of India's COVID-19 warriors. While sharing the picture with his followers, Mr. Tata urged people across the country to unite in the battle against the global pandemic.

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Two middle-aged men were sitting at a bench in Shivaji Park, six feet apart.

"Do you have any underlying conditions?" asked the first one.

The second one thought for a while before answering. "I'm generally fit. I work out daily and I eat paleo. But I have blood pressure. Is that an underlying condition?"

"I have blood pressure too!" said the first. "Hot damn. Blood pressure is an underlying condition." The two moved apart from each other another foot.

I'd have told them to be grateful they had any blood pressure at all. Only dead people have no blood pressure. In 2005, at age 53, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, or hypertension, as many are as they age and their blood vessels get less flexible. Since then, I have been on one cocktail of blood pressure pills or another.

A quick Hypertension 101 here for those who don't have a clue. The heart moves blood through your body by a pumping action that consists of a squeeze and a relax. Each squeeze pushes up the pressure (called the systole) that the blood exerts within the blood vessels, while each relax lowers it (called the diastole). It's like squeezing a tennis ball: think of the maximum pressure you exert as the systole, and the pressure when you release the squeeze as the diastole.

Blood pressure is always represented as two numbers — like 149/83 — indicating the systole and the diastole, and representing the number of millimetres the level of mercury rises to in a machine called a sphygmomanometer. I was told that anything under 120/80 was healthy and optimal.

Being naturally subversive and resistant to authority, I wanted to know who had decided that 120 and 80 were 'normal'. In 2017, the new normal had been declared to be 130/80, down from 140/90. Pharmaceutical companies know that each time the definition of normal blood pressure is lowered, they get millions of new customers, people who had been 'healthy' till then but were instantly redefined as having 'blood pressure' under the new normal — and will require their medication. The 2017 change apparently brought in over 50 million new customers into the blood pressure pills market. It's a billion-dollar industry.

The 2020 normal is 120/80.

Nine of the 11 co-authors of the 2003 blood pressure guidelines had ties to pharmaceutical companies in the form of shares, consulting fees or research funding. One member declared ties to 21 pharmaceuticals. Newer panels are required to disclose conflicts of interest with drug manufacturers who would gain from lowered definitions of normal BP. It seems they stay on the panels nonetheless, having honestly declared their corporate allegiances.

So now you're at a clinic, getting your blood pressure taken. The doctor or nurse may chat with you meanwhile, asking about your family and the next vacation.

There are two reasons why this reading will always be wrong. It is now known that the very sight of a man in a white coat or a nurse walking purposefully towards you creates an immediate spike in your blood pressure. It's called white coat hypertension and is a classic example of the measurer changing the measurement by his very presence.

Other things change the reading too.

Putting the cuff over clothing, rather than a bare arm can add 10-40 mm of mercury (Hg) to a measurement.

Needing to pee can add 10-15 mm Hg.

Having a conversation: an additional 10-15 mm Hg
Dangle your feet or leave your back unsupported — another 5-10 mm Hg.
Even the short walk to the curtained room where they measure your vital statistics will boost your pressure.

There's more — if you'd come at noon, your pressure would have been higher. It starts dropping from late afternoon — unless you go to a rock concert in the evening.
Why am I telling you all this? Because it's very easy for your pressure to show as higher than normal, especially in a medical setting. This makes it easy for the doctor to look grim and shake his head and start you off on some hypertension pill or the other for the rest of your life.

I used to be on Pfizer's Norvasc. In 2003 alone, that drug notched up sales of over $5 billion and was the world's best-selling blood pressure drug. Someone even suggested that children over three should be started on preventive BP medication.

The next time you have your BP read, insist that it be done the right way —
1 Sit still and relax for five minutes.
2 Do not speak to anyone.
3 Calm your mind, don't think of office or home problems.
4 Take two readings, a minute apart.
5 Make sure the nurse records the second reading.
6 Send me a letter of thanks.

Here, viewed from there. C Y Gopinath, in Bangkok, throws unique light and shadows on Mumbai, the city that raised him. You can reach him at cygopi@gmail.com
Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

The views expressed in this column are the individual's and don't represent those of the paper

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The Shiv Sneh Co-operative Housing Society in Pratiksha Nagar, Sion, has been dealt another blow as the much-needed building repair work has come to a halt twice in past few months. The repairs initially came to a halt last September, when the Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank (PMC) found itself in trouble. The society had R85 lakh in its Sion branch, which they haven't received yet. In March, when the society once again started the repair work using funds from their other bank account, it had to be stopped due to the lockdown over the COVID-19 spread as Pratiksha Nagar is in the red zone. Now with the work pending, the residents are worried about their fate this monsoon.

Kashinath Rokade, secretary of the society said, "We have been told that pre-monsoon work can be started, but are awaiting for the lockdown to be called off after May 17, and the contractor has assured us he will get the waterproofing done within two to three weeks, with some interior work. The painting of exterior building can be done post monsoon."

The 166 (flat and commercial shop) owners attached to the four wings (A,B,C,D) of the building were all set to abide by the structural consultants audit report and promptly floated bids calling in for tenders, which took almost four to five months of hard work starting February 2019. Finally they zeroed in on the contractor, M/s Viswakarma Civil Constructions, Kalwa, Thane and selected them to carry out repairs, civil work including waterproofing and painting work for a total consideration of approximately R52 lakh, as per their tender, explained society chairman Mahesh Adate.

Rokade showing the state of the repairs in October 2019

Repairs were on
Adate added, "The building was to undergo repairs for the first time since it was handed over to the society by MHADA in 2008 and since then office bearers were collecting repair funds under monthly maintenance of approximately R1,800 from members. A huge corpus of nearly R85 lakh, in the form of Fixed Deposits and other savings, were in the society's name with the PMC, Sion branch."

The society had even issued work order to M/s Viswakarma paying an advance of R5 lakh, as against the contract signed. Since August 15, the scaffoldings were put across the building structures, and work of removing old plaster was in process. As per the contract the entire work was to be completed within four months time period.

Adate added, "Most of the occupants in the building (nearly 80 percent) are working class people which include senior citizens, who have been residing her for over a decade."

According to Adate, MHADA had issued a lottery for this MIG (Middle Income Group) way back in 2005 for a consideration of R10 lakh - R11 lakh including stamp duty and registration, where each flat is around 450 sq feet carpet and commercial outlets allotted admeasuring 150-160 sq feet (Carpet). In 2008, MHADA handed over the building to the society and since then the society has been collecting funds for repairs.

PMC scam shocking
Adate said, "We were taken by surprise, when we learnt about the abrupt directives from RBI putting restrictions on PMC bank. We had to arrange for funds, as the contractor had already sent a letter seeking clearance of additional fund for carrying out the work, and we were left in the lurch."

When asked why the society does not have any other bank account, besides the one with PMC bank and Maharashtra Co-operative Bank, the society office bearers said, "We have always been told that under the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act, housing societies should mandatorily have accounts only with co-operative banks, hence we abided by the rules. Also our society accountant had no problem banking with PMC, everything was going on smoothly, till last week."

When informed that society accounts can be opened in nationalised banks too, they said, "We are ready to open a new account with a nationalised bank, provided PMC transfers all our society funds there."

When asked how they will finish the remaining payment, Adate added, "We will have to start taking contributions from members. Also we have not got any response to the legal notice issued to PMC Bank on behalf of our society. We may contemplate taking the matter to the consumer court against PMC Bank."

He said that nearly 25 societies in Pratiksha Nagar have deposited money with PMC bank and the whole figure may be in crores of rupees.

Expert speak
Senior property lawyer Vinod Sampat said, "The Reserve Bank of India has been forced to take drastic action against PMC bank, this will result in a financial cut to be taken by each of the societies who had deposited their funds. As far as legal action by the affected cooperative society against PMC bank goes, I am afraid that the provisions of the banking regulation act will supersede it and the financial losses, being caused to it (the society)."

"The need of the day is that harsh laws be framed, whereby doing a wrongful act is made as a deterrent to persons who fail to perform their duty with criminal intent. Punishment should be awarded by courts in a short span of time in such financial frauds, so that a strong message is sent out. The law should not remain a paper tiger," he added.

Rs 85 lakh
What the society's account in PMC Bank holds

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has been readying quarantine centres and acquiring hospitals for COVID-19 patients, but it seems it hasn't quite decided whom to let in. The 32-year-old wife of a COVID-19 positive patient from Dharavi has been running from pillar to post to get him to a hospital. The 35-year-old who requires dialysis, tested positive on May 1 but BMC officials allegedly advised her to quarantine him at home, as he is asymptomatic.

When she pointed out that they stay in a 180 sq ft house with senior citizen parents, they allegedly did not pay much heed. While the BMC maintains that asymptomatic patients are not hospitalised, the patient has become a potential threat not just to his family but to the whole SRA building with 91 flats, where they stay.

Neighbours and relatives of a COVID-19 positive person admitted to Sion Hospital being stamped. Pic/Suresh Karkera

"I repeatedly called the COVID-19 Helpline. They asked my husband's age and his other illnesses. But when they came to know he is asymptomatic, they told me to quarantine him at home. I told them we live in a 180 sq feet home with senior citizen parents, but they didn't pay attention," said the wife of the patient.

The patient needs to get dialysis done every three days from last year. "I don't know why they are doing this. Last week a patient was found in our building, and he also required dialysis. They took him to a hospital, but are refusing to take me. I am worried about my father and mother, who are senior citizens. In a house like this, how can we maintain physical distance?" the patient said.

"Home quarantine is not possible for him. The authorities should look into this matter and provide assistance. The family is also financially weak. The father of the patient, a former Indian Navy personnel, runs the house. Now they have approached the Mumbai police for help," said a family friend of the patient.

"Asymptomatic COVID-19 positive patients are not required to be admitted in a hospital. I don't have the details of this patient, but I will ask officials to inquire and we can also arrange for dialysis for him at JJ Hospital," said Assistant Municipal Commissioner G/North Ward Kiran Dighavkar. A BMC official said if the patient's conditions worsens, he will be admitted.

180
The area (in sq feet) of the house the man stays in with his wife and aged parents

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With the ongoing Coronavirus outbreak prompting governments to impose lockdowns in different parts of the world, officials have been coming up with creative ways to spread awareness and make people stay at home. From cops dressed as Yamraj, the god of death, to some cops wearing helmets with spikes that resemble that of the virus, the internet has seen it all.

Now, a lawyer dressed as the omen of death, ‘Grim Reaper’ has taken it upon himself to make sure people of Florida maintain social distance. Daniel Uhlfelder has been dressing up as the Grim Reaper and taking strolls of the Florida beach, that has been opened to public to ensure people maintain the advised distance from each other, that has also make netizens sit up and take notice of him.

Wearing a black ragged robe, a mask and carrying a long-handled scythe, Uhlfelder has posted photos of himself advising people not only to maintain social distance but also stay at home till the situation improves.

Stay home Florida pic.twitter.com/MV4fyAXvwu

— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) May 1, 2020

Busy day pic.twitter.com/uBmjaHmp2r

— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) May 1, 2020

Uhlfelder also announced on his Twitter account that he will be touring the beaches of Florida from May 1 to spread awareness about importance of social distancing, wearing the garb of the Grim Reaper. He has also sharing his experiences, especially his frequent run-ins with the police, while on tour.

Someone called the cops on my Grim Reaper tour pic.twitter.com/wTP1pPymm2

— Daniel Uhlfelder (@DWUhlfelderLaw) May 4, 2020

His pictures donning the scary garb has garnered more than 13,000 likes on Twitter. The Twitterati has been showering him with praises and support in the comments.

pic.twitter.com/YFkuhCqVZI

— Adrian Steel🕵🏻ðŸÂŒ (@montana_steel) May 3, 2020

My family and I fully support you while we continue staying at home.

— Kenneth Sikora (@KennethSikora) May 1, 2020

pic.twitter.com/5gzfQDYJEP

— Laura Apollo (@lauraapollo) May 1, 2020

What do you think about the posts?

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The Centre and state governments' relief plan for migrants involving transportation home seems to have failed to convince migrants who are continuing to set out with their kids and meagre belongings for their hometowns in the scorching heat. Daily wagers are facing all kinds of hardships ranging from lack of food and footwear, to carrying heavy loads over hundreds of kilometres.

Between Bhiwandi and Vasai was where mid-day met these workers, some of who are taking the assistance of Google Maps for shortest routes, on Tuesday morning.

Migrants spend all night walking and the sweltering days under the shade of trees lining the highways on their way to their hometowns. Pics/Hanif Patel

A group of migrants, who used to work at a brick kiln in Vasai, began their journey in the wee hours of Monday, claiming that they were not approached by any government authority for transport back home, nor are they allowed to get tested for COVID-19.

"All the doctors are scared to touch us. They think we might be COVID-19 positive. Also, we were told that we will have to pay for the train journey to Prayagraj. How can we pay the government if we don't have a single penny in our pocket?" said Rajkumar, who worked in a brick kiln in Gorai pada, Vasai with his family members.

The distance between Mumbai and Prayagraj is 1,387 kilometres.

No work here
"We all were patiently waiting for the lockdown to end on May 3, but it was extended again. People have been saying that Coronavirus cases are increasing rapidly in Mumbai and Vasai-Virar area. I am worried about the well-being of my family. What will we do if we continue to stay in Vasai? There is no work," said Rajkumar, who has been walking on foot with his family members including women and toddlers who are barefoot.

They only have a few packets of biscuits and a water jar and are depending completely on help from Good Samaritans en route.

"We will starve here, and we will starve in our village too. Better that we die in our village," said Rajkumar.

Kids ask for food
"Children ask for food. Also, they can't walk for long distances. We have to carry them and our belongings," said Ashok, who has been leading his family and other migrant workers using Google Maps for the shortest possible route to Prayagraj.

And if the network becomes poor, Ashok said, "I will ask local people to suggest the best route."

A 10-year-old boy from a different family walking to Prayagraj was seen carrying a pressure cooker on his head. Lalman, the boy's relative, said, "The government has not done anything for us. Doctors pe helicopter se phool barasaye jaa rahe hain, aur hum logon ko khana bhi naseeb me nahin hai."

Another family, which was working as construction labourers in Vasai, told mid-day that they had been living in makeshift tents in an open field. "The rainy season is about to come. How and where will we take shelter during monsoon? Our tents will be inundated. So, it is wise to reach our village in Jalna district before the rainy season starts," said Gajanand.

Migrant worker Ramlal twisted his foot while walking. "It has been paining a lot but there is no other option than to walk home. We labourers mean nothing to the government. Otherwise, we too would have been showered with flower petals from a helicopter. We are paying for being poor," said Ramlal, who walks for a few metres and then stops to rest his foot.

1,387
Distance in km between Vasai and Prayagraj in UP

1,387km
Distance between Vasai and Prayagraj

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk and singer-girlfriend Grimes have become parents to a baby boy. Musk announced the birth of the child on his Twitter account on Monday. And on Tuesday, he broke the internet by posting the pictures of his son on Twitter, abiding to his followers’ requests.  

Musk has been dating the Canadian singer, whose real name is Claire Boucher since 2018 and the couple announced the pregnancy on January 8 this year on Instagram. As this is Grimes’ first child, Musk, who heads Tesla and SpaceX, already has five sons and has been divorced thrice—twice from the same woman.

After a follower asked him for picture of the child, he posted a picture on Twitter where he is holding the newborn in his arms

pic.twitter.com/lm30U60OtO

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 5, 2020

When a fan asked him to send another photo of the child, he obliged and sent an edited picture saying, "Never too young for some ink haha."

pic.twitter.com/chk0Scuixp

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 5, 2020

When he was asked about the name he has in mind for his sixth child, Musk gave a cryptic response.

X Æ A-12 Musk

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 5, 2020

Explaining the name, Grimes, tweeted that the 'X' stands for "the unknown variable," 'AE' is the musician's 'elven spelling of Ai (love &/or artificial intelligence),' 'A-12' is, as gathered, a reference to the Lockheed A-12, or, in Grimes' words, the 'precursor to [the] SR-17 (our favourite aircraft). No weapons, no defences, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent."

•X, the unknown variable ⚔️
•Æ, my elven spelling of Ai (love &/or Artificial intelligence)
•A-12 = precursor to SR-17 (our favorite aircraft). No weapons, no defenses, just speed. Great in battle, but non-violent 🤍
+
(A=Archangel, my favorite song)
(⚔️🐁 metal rat)

— ꧁ ༒ Gℜiꪔ⃕es ༒꧂ 🍓🐉🎀 小仙女 (@Grimezsz) May 6, 2020

After announcing the pregnancy in January, Grimes had posted a photo of her flaunting her baby bump in which she called herself a ‘Chubby fairy’ in the caption.

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After requests by MMR municipal corporations and councils to the BMC to provide accommodation in Mumbai to those travelling there every day for essential services fell on deaf ears, employees' unions have demanded that all frontline warriors be treated equally.

Advocate Prakash Devdas, Convener of All Municipal Unions Coordination Committee said, "BMC has to give equal treatment to all frontline warriors. Some of the security guards are staying in a godown with just one toilet for 20 people. BMC asked sweepers to stay in schools without adequate facilities. Workers need accommodation with facilities."

Almost 60-70 per cent of the cases in MMR include people who travel to Mumbai for work, or their contacts. While the BMC has made arrangements for the stay of health and water supply staff, it has not yet agreed to MMR's appeals for accommodation for around 55,000 others.

The Municipal Union General Secretary Ramakant Bane pointed out that the workers spend more than four hours travelling to work every day. "Many workers, especially labourers stay in small houses outside the city have been requesting the civic body for accommodation, but the corporation is turning a blind eye. However, there are a few employees who need to go back home every day," Bane said.

Of the one lakh employees reporting to work since the BMC issued 100 per cent attendance directive, around 50-55,000 live outside city limits. Then, there are those who work in private sectors like hospitals, laboratories, banks, etc. MMR, which includes Thane, Thane Rural, Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, Ulhasnagar, Bhiwandi-Nizampur, Mira-Bhayandar, Palghar and Vasai-Virar, collectively has 1,596 patients — 16 per cent of that in Mumbai.

Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation Commissioner Chandrakant Dange told mid-day, "Out of 190 confirmed patients, almost 100 either work in Mumbai or are their close contacts. As of now, Mira-Bhayandar city has 71 active patients and only 21 of them don't have a link to Mumbai. Maximum patients are related to health professionals, and there are private hospital staff too."

Dange said they expressed their concerns in a letter to the private hospitals where 36 residents work, but didn't get any response. He said the situation is worsening and he will send a letter to the BMC as well.

"It takes nearly three hours to reach office. We have to wait for the bus, which then makes rounds to pick up other employees. But, at least we eat homemade food and go back to our children at night," said one of the BMC employees.

SJ Kunte, deputed for COVID-19 work in rest of MMR, pointed out that no is forced to stay in Mumbai. "There isn't any travel ban on residents in MMR who go to Mumbai for essential services. But it is important to control the virus transmission by restricting travel and if the BMC can arrange the duties of essential staff in a way that they can stay back home for 10-15 days and work in the city on other days it will help to reduce the number of COVID-19 patients in other corporations," said.

"We have provided accommodation in some of hotels for staff related to essential services, like doctors, nurses, etc. But there is a limitation and it is hard to provide the facility to all the employees," said a senior BMC official.

No. of COVID-19 patients (as on May 5)

Mumbai: 9,945
Thane Rural: 82
Thane: 466
Navi Mumbai: 415
Kalyan-Dombivli: 227
Ulhasnagar: 12
Bhiwandi-Nizampur: 20
Mira-Bhayandar: 182
Palghar: 31
Vasai-Virar: 161

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How do business leaders approach tricky situations? How do they find opportunities in adversities? In today's Lit Live session, its founder Anil Dharker will be in conversation with Apurva Purohit, President, Jagran Group, to not only touch upon such topics from the eyes of a leader but also chat about her recent bestseller and titles that inspire her in what promises to be an engaging Instagram live talk. Purohit, fresh off the success of her latest book, Lady, You're The Boss! (Westland), which is the second installment in The Adventures of a Woman At Work series, will continue the conversation she began five years ago with Lady, You're Not a Man! Being an avid reader and inspirational speaker, she will also talk about books like Lifespan, The Body, The Balance Within, Factfulness and John Le Carre's works of fiction.

Apart from books, Purohit hopes to deep-dive into her vast pool of experience and knowledge as a leader. She will decode and discuss her success mantras in areas like communication skills and decision-making; here she hopes to throw light on key factors like making tough choices in difficult times and the balance required to manage all stakeholders. With the pandemic on everyone's minds and work from home a reality, viewers can look forward to hearing her thoughts on how the lockdown has been a learning curve, and the lessons we can all take from work-life integration from this challenging period. Log on to @LitliveMumbai on Instagram to catch the live session at 5 pm today.

Anil Dharker

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The Western Railway has worked intensively on the 2020 pre-monsoon works for Mumbai suburban railway while maintaining proper protocol of COVID-19.

A glimpse of some activities

Tree Trimming: Trimming of tree branches alongside the tracks is being done which are infringing with overhead wires in order to avoid tripping in monsoon. Till now total 158 trees have been trimmed.

Insulator Cleaning: Cleaning of insulators is a major precaution against flashing of the insulator during man soon showering. The fitting of the bridges were also checked where clearance are critical. This will help to avoid tripping in monsoon. Till now total 1,395 insulators have been cleaned.

Insulator cleaning on the left and checking of bridge fittings on the right

Bird Nest Removal: This is the season of bird breeding. The bird used to make nests in OHE structures. These nests are identified during foot patrolling and live line inspections and such identified bird nests are then removed from structures. Till now total 454 bird nests have been removed.

Bird gel: The non-toxic bird deterrent gel is also applied on overhead structures and cantilevers to prevent birds from landing on overhead structures thus avoiding the nests. During locked down bird gel at total 969 points have been applied.

Bird deterrent gel and applying gel below FOB

Cross over checking: Most of the suburban section is having unregulated overhead wires and due to temperature variation, the overhead wire of cross overs may get disturbed. To overcome this problem, all cross overs were checked hot line by tower wagon and 22 of them adjusted in power blocks.

During the lock down period despite availability of only 10-15% of the regular field staff it has been ensured that important works for monsoon preparation are going on as per target in suburban section of CCG-VR section

Sufficient number of point machines have been readied by signal workshop and kept as spare for replacement in case of monsoon flooding. Vulnerable signal boxes have been raised in flood prone areas. Staff have been continuously imparted training for monsoon drills.

Earth-resistance of Telecom installations of Churchgate-Virar Section are being checked and maintained at the desired level.

Routers, Switches, LAN Extenders, wire connections of UTS & PRS are being checked, cleaned & where there is wiring issue same is being replaced. Earth resistance of these equipment are also checked.

Testing & cleaning of Train Indicators for Suburban as well as Mail/Express trains, Public Address System is also being done.

Various equipment installed in Telecom OFC rooms of Churchgate-Virar section are also being cleaned. Checking & cleaning of different cards of these equipment are also in progress.

Power Plants for various Telecom equipment are also being maintained. Process of taking measurement of battery voltage, Charger voltage, AC supply voltage cleaning the connection terminals, cleaning battery-charger etc are in progress.

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The fact that food delivery has been classified as an essential service seems to have escaped some Mumbai Police personnel. Restaurateur Saransh Goila found this out the hard way after three separate instances of a cop entering the Andheri West outlet of his franchise, Goila's Butter Chicken, and beating up the workers there even though they were within their rights to keep the eatery functional.

The latest instance took place at 9 pm on Wednesday, when — according to Goila — an officer hit his workers with a lathi on their legs and shoulders, telling them to shut shop around 9 pm. "I had reached out to the DN Nagar police around 10 days ago [after the first two incidents] and was told that the situation wouldn't arise again since we are allowed to operate our business. So, it's unfortunate that it's been repeated. The incident occurred at 9 pm. That's not an ungodly hour, and as an essential service, we are anyway allowed to function beyond the curfew [of 7 pm]. The fact that they entered the store and beat up my guys has scared them," Goila said.

He added that he'd prefer it if the police made their stand clear. "They should just tell us straight up if they don't want us to operate and we will leave quietly," he said, voicing a thought that National Restaurants Association of India president Anurag Katriar echoed in a tweet after Wednesday's incident.

It read, "Dear @MumbaiPolice — We request u to kindly clarify if the home delivery is permitted or not? If yes, a sincere request to sensitise ur on-ground forces better & if not, do let us know. We will comply as law-abiding citizens. We have utmost respect for u. Thank u [sic]!"

In response, Senior Inspector Parmeshwar Gamne of DN Nagar Police Station said: "There are several restaurants around Golia's Butter Chicken restaurant. Not just their delivery boys, but even customers who come by to pick their orders, don't maintain social distancing rules. The crowding certainly calls for strictest action, considering the threat it poses for spread of the Coronavirus. Similarly on Wednesday, we had to take action and shut the restaurants after they refused to abide to the precautions. Social distancing cannot be compromised on."

With inputs from Shirish Vaktania

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Migrant labourers in the city might soon get some respite as the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) has now come up with a plan for migrant transport movement, in addition to trains.

The country's second-biggest fleet of 17,000 buses is yet to confirm the development as the plans are under process. Details, however, reveal that about 10,000 buses will be used for the process, with the costs borne by the state government. While Maharashtra Minister of Relief and Rehabilitation Vijay Wadettiwar made a public statement on this seeking expediting the plans, the MSRTC will soon make a formal announcement.

MSRTC had earlier sent about 90 buses to bring back students stranded in Kota, Rajasthan. As per the plans available, the state transport ministry said that they were in the process of building a separate portal for booking of such migrants who were willing to travel back to their home states.

An official said bus depot managers and divisional officers will stay in touch with tehsildars or appointed state administration officials. Buses will be provided for groups of 20-25 people. He added that the buses will only be for those who register themselves with the local district collectors, expressing a desire to go back to their home district or state.

Limited passengers on every bus

"The buses will be following all norms of social distancing which means only a limited number of passengers would be occupied in every bus," an official said. He added that no passengers will be allowed to de-board the bus mid-way as they will be point-to-point buses and in case of long-distance travel, the buses will be given adequate halts for food and drinks and in case of a bus break-down, replacement buses will be provided on priority.

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As some parties filed nominations for the May 21 Legislative Council polls on Friday, a citizen from Nagpur who wants to contest has alleged that the state government and the Governor gave false information about Coronavirus to the Election Commission of India (ECI) that scheduled biennial elections to prevent a constitutional crisis in the state.

Sunil Gayaprasad Mishra has demanded that the elections be postponed as the Coronavirus pandemic has grown exponentially in the state.

Mishra wrote to the ECI, Raj Bhavan, the state chief secretary (CS) and political parties that demanded polls to facilitate Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's election to the upper house. Unless elected to either house of the Assembly by May 27, Thackeray will cease to be the head of the state government. Thackeray petitioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 30 and polls were swiftly announced the next day. The ECI justified the decision citing the need to save Thackeray's chief ministership. Mishra has questioned the 'overnight' developments.

'The episode was fixed'

Mishra, an RTI activist and ex-chairman of Nagpur University's Board of Studies of Mass Communication, questioned how will people living in red zones travel to Mumbai to file nomination and reach out to the 288 MLAs who have to vote for the councillors. "I sent the email on May 6 but haven't got a reply yet. How could the CS voluntarily provide information to the ECI? And the information is factually incorrect. See how exponentially the pandemic has grown in Maharashtra. Mumbai alone has over 10,000 cases. And yet the CS told ECI on April 30 that the state would be able to conduct the polls. Why did the governor write to the ECI? Did his predecessor recommend such a thing? Where was the Chief Election Officer who reports to the ECI? It seemed the entire episode was fixed to benefit all parties," Mishra said.

'Will move court'

BJP's Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil submits his nomination at the Legislature on Friday 

"Participating in polls is my constitutional right. But the lockdown does not allow me to be part of the process as the nomination ends on May 11. I couldn't even prepare documents like the election affidavit. So, your notification on May 1 breaches my rights and hence I request you to stall the elections," Mishra wrote to ECI. In another letter, Mishra urged CS Ajoy Mehta to inform ECI of the facts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Maharashtra where almost every district has positive cases. Mid-day has copies of the letters.

Mishra said his actions are not influenced by any political party.

"I'm not a political worker, but a concerned citizen who wants to expose political fixing. Some influential people have already reached Mumbai, travelling all the way from far-flung places like Nagpur, Nanded, Solapur and Sangli. It seems that the ECI, the governor and ruling and opposition parties want nothing to do with the ordinary citizens," he said, adding that he is also exploring the option of moving the Bombay High Court.

BJP fields four, MVA jittery

The Bharatiya Janata Party fielded four candidates for the May 21 legislative council polls. Denying nomination to veteran aspirants like Eknath Khadse, it chose former Nagpur Mayor Praveen Datke, Nanded's Dr Ajit Gopchhade, and two turncoats — former MP Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil and Gopichand Padalkar. A former NCP leader, Mohite Patil joined BJP before Lok Sabha polls and Padalkar was BJP's Assembly candidate in Baramati against Ajit Pawar. The BJP has made it clear that it would not settle for anything less than four seats if the polls were to be unopposed as wanted by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The 288 MLAs are the electoral college for the elections and BJP claims to have the support of 115 MLAs which could help it win 4 seats. The Shiv Sena has two candidates — Thackeray and deputy chairman of the upper house Neelam Gorhe.

The NCP wants to field two candidates but the third Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partner Congress is also adamant on contesting two seats despite having fewer MLAs at its disposal. If the Congress remains steadfast, authorities would have to conduct voting on May 21. The MVA, which has 170 MLAs (votes), was expected to decide on the nominations on Friday evening.

The nominations created a furore in the BJP.

Khadse said the state party had recommended him, Pankaja Munde and Chandrashekhar Bawankule but they were ignored. "Instead, a man like Padalkar who had boycotted PM Modi's rallies is given the ticket. Mohite Patil spent many years in the NCP and now he is our candidate," Khadse said.

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With 1,089 confirmed infections on Friday, the total cases of the COVID-19 has increased to 19,063 in Maharashtra, including 12,142 in Mumbai alone. Meanwhile, the total number of cases in Dharavi has crossed 800 and five patients who had died earlier were on Friday confirmed to have the virus.

Civic officials of G North ward said that 25 new infections were reported from Dharavi, including five cases in Matunga Labour Camp. So far 26 people have died of COVID-19 in Dharavi.

One Dadar resident was also among the 25 deaths reported in the city on Friday. Dadar also reported the highest daily spike in cases with 21 infections, including 15 from Kirtikar Market. In Mahim a 93-year-old woman is among the 11 new cases reported on Friday.

The BMC said of the 748 new infections, around 200 patients had tested positive between May 4 and May 6 but their names were added to the list on Friday. The civic officials said several teams are carrying out door-to-door survey for influenza-like symptoms to ensure early identification and treatment of suspected COVID-19 cases.

State health department officials said that across state, 37 new COVID-19 deaths have been recorded, including 10 in Pune and one each in Jalgaon and Amravati. Twenty-seven of them were suffering from other ailments and 17 of them were senior citizens. The total death toll due to COVID-19 in Maharashtra is 731.

Meanwhile, the clinical trial to use plasma therapy to treat COVID-19 patients with serious symptoms is yet to begin as no patient at Nair Hospital fits the criteria set by the Indian Council of Medical Research. Civic officials said majority of the critical patients are admitted at KEM Hospital, so an application was filed last week to include the hospital for the trial. KEM Hospital Dean Dr Hemant Deshmukh said they are expecting the approval from the ICMR in a day or two.

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Maharashtra Cyber has registered 363 offences of rumour mongering, spreading misinformation, hatred and fake news on social media during the COVID-19 lockdown, an official said on Saturday. The state police's cyber wing has been monitoring online activities to prevent the spread of misinformation about the COVID-19 pandemic. As many as 196 persons were arrested for sharing or uploading objectionable posts, videos and photographs on social media, the official said.

In Sangli district, a case was registered against some people for uploading a Tik-Tok video about a particular community being responsible for the pandemic and also using abusive language against prominent social reformers, he said. At least 14 offences were registered by the cyber wing in the district since the lockdown was enforced, he added.

Similarly, in Parli town of Beed district, some persons were booked for a social media post linking the spread of COVID-19 to a particular community, he said, adding that the district had recorded highest number of cyber offences during the lockdown. Of the 363 offences registered so far, at least 155 cases were related to WhatsApp forwards, while 140 were for objectionable Facebook posts, the official said.

The cyber wing had deleted at least 101 objectionable posts from social media platforms during the lockdown, he added.

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714 police officials have tested positive for COVID-19 in Maharashtra, including 648 active cases, as per information provided by the State Police. "So far, 61 officers have recovered after treatment; while five police officers succumbed to the lethal virus," it added. There have been 194 incidents of assault on police personnel during the lockdown period, and 689 accused have been arrested for that.

The total number of positive coronavirus cases across the country is 59,662, including 39,834 active cases of the virus.

Till now, 17,846 patients have either been cured or discharged while 1,981 deaths have been recorded in the country, as per data provided by the Ministry of Health.

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Dear Diana,
I have been married for two years. My husband is proving to be a good-for-nothing. He joined a gym recently, but barely went for a week. He is a couch potato and does not help me with household chores. As a result, he is gaining weight and suffering from diabetes. He also switches jobs every few months due to which we are always low on funds. In the first year of marriage, he was okay, but now he has become a pain. He cribs about everything. I work as a teacher and give tuitions to supplement the income. I don’t think anyone can change him. He is simply atrocious and always finds faults in others. His family, who is based in Goa, have also given up on him. I feel like leaving him, but then at times he is loving and caring making me wonder if I am doing the right thing. I am confused and do not know what to do? Should I give him an ultimatum?
— Mohini

Illustration/Uday Mohite

Dear Mohini,
You are living with a man who has scant respect for you. If he cared for you, he would not behave in such an atrocious manner. This man certainly needs to be shaken up. He seems to be living in his own world and feels that he can get away with everything. You need to give him an ultimatum. If he does not change — or at least show signs of changing, there is no point sticking around. He may be sweet and caring, but that is only for a while. He has made life a living hell for you. You need to walk out on him. For a while, go stay with a friend or your folks. Hopefully, common sense will prevail and he will shape up. If he does not, you are happier and better without him.

Wedding always brings a smile on your face and why not? After all, it also gives you a chance to shop till you drop. But have you ever realised that long hours of makeup, excessive consumption of oily food and sweets and lack of sleep can result in dull, parched skin that is easily acne prone and pigmented? So, this wedding season, be a little smart, say experts. Sangeeta Velaskar, Vice President and Head, Medical Services and R&D, Kaya Limited gives you some easy tips to put your beauty anxieties to rest:

1. Besides opting for a skin detox or a facial, it is crucial to take care of your skin as we embark on the winter season. Therefore, limit the use of makeup products as much as possible and opt for a clean, minimalistic look

2. Incorporate the basic regime of cleansing, toning and moisturizing

3. Once or twice a week, use a gentle exfoliator and massage your face in a slow, circular motion to ensure good blood circulation and remove dead skin cells

4. Moisturize your skin at all times and even when you go out, do not forget to apply sunscreen

5. If possible, incorporate a night time regimen that includes Vitamin C to renew face cells and restore skin elasticity

7. Use products that have ingredients such as marine extracts, tea tree oil and mulberry extracts. They are a rich source of proteins and a powerhouse of nutrients that reverse the effects of ageing

8. A good facial is of course, the perfect way to detox, restore and rejuvenate your skin whether you're tired, run-down, stressed or in need of a quick fix

9. It is rightly said, that you are what you eat so consume lots of fruits, nuts and sprouts in your diet. Drink enough water to keep the body hydrated and include fruits and vegetables that have high water content such as watermelons, cucumbers, strawberries and peaches. If possible, drink at least one glass of vegetable juice to increase the fiber intake

Also, Blatrix Marion, Eau Thermale Avène Sensitive Skin Expert, lists some easy detox tips to give a fresh start to your skin:

1. While cleansing should be a daily habit, you should prefer certain products when undertaking a skin detox: choose a soap-less and gentle formula.

2. Your skin needs a deep, exfoliating clean, but be very careful to be gentle! Choose a 3-in-1 mask-scrub is a clarifying clay that turns into a scrub to deeply cleanse and exfoliate the skin leaving the complexion fresh and matte.

3. Once a week indulge in a home spa ritual. Choose a quiet evening and get into the mood with nice soothing music and a cup of nettle tea. Do easy home masks with thermal spring water. It guarantees continuous and prolonged contact of water with skin, thus enabling skin to enjoy the water's soothing and anti-irritating properties more rapidly and recover instant comfort and well being.

4. Use cotton wool pads soaked with thermal spring water placed gently over the eyes to prevent dryness from allergies or use of contact lenses

5. Use SPF based products to protect your skin from external aggressions

6. Always remember that ‘Less is More'. Your skin needing a detox means you should be using as less products as possible for some time. Also prefer products with gentle and minimum number of ingredients

Every girl dreams of her very own moment in the spotlight, where all eyes stay on her. With the party season around the corner the pressure to look nothing but the best, is real but this season worry no more. Lakmé beauty expert Donald Simrock and TIGI Educator Audrey D'Souza share some of the simplest yet best kept party beauty secrets that will make sure, this December you are the life of the party.

1. Let your eyes do the talking:

Preparation: Start by moisturizing and nourishing your skin

Eye: Dab a subtle shade of eyeshadow from the Illuminate Royal Persia palette, and then use the Kohl to smudge the corner of the eye to give a smokey effect.

Pout that lip: Use a nice nude matte on the lip

Hair: Cleanse your hair with a volumizing shampoo and conditioner for that extra dose of moisture and protein to the hair. Add a dollop of smoothening serum for that silky-smooth finish on semi dry hair. Using a curler, take even horizontal sections of hair and wrap these sections around the tong. Once the hair is hot, remove the curler and leave it for a bit to cool. Continue this process over until you have completed the entire head then the curls lightly to get those perfect soft curls. Finish off by adding a hairspray to keep them in place.

2. The girl next door look:

Preparation: Moisturize your skin.

Eye: A winged eye is always in style.

Get Cheeky: A hint of colour from a blush never goes wrong.

Pout that lip: Use the same lip and cheek tint for this as well.

Hair: Shampoo and condition your hair with a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, and towel dry. Use a brush to smooth strands. Gather your hair right below the crown of your head, smoothing the front and sides as you brush your hair back. Apply smoothening serum to reduce frizz and add texture. Still holding your hair with your right hand, apply a quarter-size amount of hair gel onto your fingertips, and then spread it all over your hair, starting a half of an inch back from your hairline to give it that wanted sheen. Spritz on some hairspray, which will provide an extra hold. Secure your ponytail with a bungee. After your ponytail is secure, take a section of hair from underneath it and wrap it around the bungee with bobby pins, for a chic, pulled-together look.

5. Play it simple:

Preparation: Give your skin an effortless glow by finding yourself the perfect shade.

Eye: Try the shimmer bronze from the shine line collection and get the metallic effect on the lids, don't forget the flutter secrets mascara to up the glam quotient.

Pout that lip: Try a gorgeous bold shade.

Hair: Spray some volumizing hair mousse on damp hair from root to end. This will help pump up the volume. Blast dry using a wide paddle brush. Curl your hair with a curling iron, working one-inch section. Make sure you leave about one or two inches of the ends untouched for a more natural feel. Tie your hair into buns and let them stay so for about 30 mins. Open them up and spot spray with hair spray to keep those waves in place

Alexandre Vauthier Spring Summer 2018

Bella Hadid seen sporting the shades at public dos 

Actor Jennifer Aniston at an event in 1998 

Rihanna. Pics/Getty Images

Kangana Ranaut

Ginni Negi, 30 HR professional
"I am very sure they will not suit the shape of my face. I don't prefer tiny sunglasses nor do I like oversized ones. I actually find them funny. For me, the size and fit have to be just right."

Shreya Goenka, 29 brand and product consultant
"They don't serve a purpose, so why wear them? For me, sunglasses are first, a funct­ional thing, and then comes their glam quotient. If the des­ign does not protect the eyes, I will not wear them on a regu­lar basis. The tiny ones do look cool, but so do regular ones.

Pratiksha Phale, 21 student
"I will first see if they suit my face, and if they do, I will go for them. I think the '90s shades look cool. I don't mind experimenting, although usually, I don't go with very edgy frames."

Sakshi Shetty, 22 event manager
"I have seen a lot of bloggers wear these. But I wouldn't as I don't experiment much and prefer classics such as aviators. [The tinies] look cool, but Bella Hadid can pull off anything. Also, the slim frames don't protect your eyes."

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The latest and most trending change in the ever-evolving world of fashion is the introduction of pastels -- subtle yet elegant, minimal yet stylish. Celebrity designer Sonaakshi Raaj and young ethnic designers Saumya and Bhavini Modi list the reasons why pastels are trending this season and what makes them ideal for ethnic wear.

1. The colours around you define your mood and personality. Pastel shades are happy colours, and can easily be styled with other colours and prints. You can style a pastel pink with a dark purple or pastel blue with a minimal floral print.

2. Pastels are a classic spring staple and timeless enough for you to wear them year after year. Today's generation believes that less is more and pastels make for the most opulent choice. With summer on its way, pastels are the ideal shade to beat the heat. They feel breezy and are easy to style.

3. It is good for bridal wear as well. Pastels are perfect for navigating between seasons as they are safe and elegant. Colours like pistachio and vanilla cream are soothing and interesting to design and style.

4. Pastels can be designed in a variety of cuts and silhouettes. Whether it's anarkalis and lehengas or crop tops and dhoti pants, pastels fit into any silhouette. All in all pastels are a trending phenomenon that is here to stay.

Retired track star Usain Bolt showed he's still a few steps ahead when he posted an AFP picture of him outstripping his rivals at the Beijing Olympics with the cheeky caption: "social distancing". Bolt's post, featuring a picture by AFP photographer Nicolas Asfouri of the 2008 Olympics 100m final, blew up on social media, drawing more than half a million likes and 90,000 retweets.

It showed the Jamaican crossing the finish line at the Bird's Nest stadium in a then-world record time of 9.69sec, glancing round from lane four as his despairing competitors trail two paces behind. "Savage", commented one Twitter user, while New York Times journalist Christopher Clarey posted another picture of Bolt out in front on his own, captioned "self isolation".

Bolt's chest-thumping celebration in Beijing added to a legend that grew further when he won the 200m in another world-record time. He retired in 2017 with eight Olympic gold medals and the current 100m mark of 9.58sec, set in 2009. Bolt, 33, has been encouraging Jamaicans to self-isolate during the coronavirus pandemic, posting videos of himself exercising at home and juggling footballs with a friend.

He also helped promote a major fundraiser, Telethon Jamaica. After retiring from athletics, Bolt, a Manchester United fan, attempted to launch a career in football, and had a trial with Australia's Central Coast Mariners before contract talks failed.

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Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and NFL quarterback legends Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are planning a charity golf match for May, the US media reported. The event would be held without spectators in Florida, airing live on TV with the proceeds going to help battle the COVID-19 pandemic, American broadcaster ESPN reported on Wednesday. Turner Sports said one possible date is Memorial Day weekend May 23-25.

Manning, now retired, told a Denver radio station on Wednesday that there had been talks about such an event anyway. "And now, to have a chance to have a major fundraising event for COVID-19 relief, almost like a telethon if you will... if that can take place, I'm all in for that." The Action Network reported that it is likely Woods and Manning will compete against Mickelson and Brady.

Florida's Republican Governor Ron DeSantis recently expressed support for the event featuring golf superstars and football icons. "I'd like to see Woods and Mickelson do the golf, or whatever, because that's social distance," DeSantis said last week. "You wouldn't have a gallery there. You wouldn't have crowds. But to put that on TV, I think people have been starved for content."

The PGA Tour said it hasn't officially endorsed the event but is evaluating health and safety concerns. One location said to be considered is Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida, located just north of Woods' home in Jupiter. The PGA Tour has suspended play since the first round of The Players Championship on March 12. The Tour's revised schedule released last Thursday would begin with a tournament June 11-14 in Fort Worth, Texas.

In addition to the Fort Worth event, the other June tournaments currently slated to be held without fans are the RBC Heritage and the Travelers Championship.

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American reality TV star Khloe Kardashian, who has daughter True, two, with basketball player ex-partner Tristan Thompson wants to have more kids. But she is unsure if she wants Tristan to be her sperm donor.

Speaking in a preview of the E! reality show, Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Khloe said: "I've been taking hormone injections for about five days and the injection process has been fine. Dr Huang was saying the bonus of doing embryos is you get to see what are your stronger embryos, which are healthy, you get to already know all that by mixing them with sperm. Which I do have a sperm donor."
But Khloe is worried about the future and said there is a possibility of her changing her mind and wants to have a baby with her new partner rather than go for Tristan.

Tristan and True Thompson

"You never know like if in three years I get married to someone and I'm like, 'You know what? I don't want that.' It's weird, because Tristan and I, we're not together. I don't know which way to go," she added.

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Hockey India gave fans a sneak-peek into what the country's hockey stars are doing during lockdown. With the sporting calendar coming to a standstill due to the coronavirus pandemic, many top sportspersons have taken to social media to engage with their fans.

HI conducted a special Twitter Q&A, #AskTeamIndia, and went live on the social media platform with four players -- women's captain Rani Rampal, men's captain Manpreet Singh, goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh and defender Harmanpreet Singh.

"Twitter has always been a great service to engage with our fans, we are happy to have their support in #AskTeamIndia initiative which is fun, meaningful and also in some way I hope we are motivating fans to stay positive and active during these difficult times," said Sreejesh.

Sreejesh revealed during the interaction that he is a fan of the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League because of his fondness for former Indian cricket captain M.S. Dhoni.

The women's hockey team also competed in a fitness challenge and as part of that they tweeted fitness videos to raise funds to help those whose lives have been adversely impacted by the pandemic. Hockey India tweeted pictures that showed how players are spending time indoors.

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American singer Ciara, who is expecting her second child with National Football League (NFL) star hubby Russell Wilson, has some advice for pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic. Several hospitals and healthcare facilities in many countries have decided to ban partners from accompanying pregnant women for their doctor's appointments or entering the delivery room.

In a recent interview with Good Morning America, Ciara spoke about how pregnant women should make optimum use of technology to involve their partners during the maternity period.

Ciara revealed how she had to FaceTime Russell so that he could experience the ultrasound with her. "It was the first time we ever had that kind of experience and it was really a moment that marked the time we are living in... we made the best of it, but it was definitely surreal. I took tons and tons of videos, tons and tons of photos during the ultrasound and made the best of that. Also, what we do in our house is we sing to the belly," Ciara said.

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American TV star and model Olivia Culpo celebrated a unique prom night during self-isolation with her National Football League (NFL) star boyfriend Christian McCaffrey, 23.

The couple partied with Olivia's sister Sophia and Christian's mother Lisa besides other family members. "Tonight is prom night with our quarantine crew," the Sports Illustrated model Olivia wrote on social media alongside pictures and a video of their celebration. "Lisa made all the boys do a "promposal" and now's she torturing all of us with chores," added Olivia, 27.

The outdoor party in a cocktail lounge area could also be a celebration of Christian's four-year $64 million (R484 crore) contract extension signed with NFL side Carolina Panthers in April.

The group ate, drank and also played with a unique bubble machine, blowing bubbles for everyone around.

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Nihari Gosht. Pics/Sameer Markande

A wooden horse at the entrance of Basanti reminds us of Hema Malini's beloved companion, Dhanno, from the runaway hit Sholay. However, Twinkle Keswani of Silver Beach Entertainment and Hospitality says the theme has "nothing to do with the film. The name reflects the restaurant's inherent Indian roots."

Bhindi Naintara

The interiors, designed by Minnie Bhatt, are a burst of bright colours and yet, strangely soothing. A minimalist look, restrained use of wall decorations, generous space between tables, and French windows create an illusion of space.

Awadhi delights
A few Punjabi staples aside, the menu has a distinct bent towards Awadhi cuisine. Chef de Cuisine Salim Qureshi of the famed Qureshi gharana brings family recipes and secret ingredients to Basanti. Head chef Rohan D'Souza says, "Chef Qureshi would carry a bag of ingredients that he would guard fiercely. We coaxed him to share his secrets."

Sumit Kokate is the man responsible for Basanti's extensive paan menu

The starter, Galawat ke Kebab, (Rs 365), is where chef Qureshi shows off his Lucknowi roots. The lamb is cooked to perfection such that the medallions melt in our mouth, while the spices tantalise our taste buds. The Nihari Gosht (Rs 390), from the Subz aur Salan section of the menu, consists of generous portions of lamb that fall right off the bone. The gravy of yoghurt, cooked with ginger, saffron and other spices, makes the dish pungent and calming, all at once. We savour a few vegetarian dishes, too - Bhindi Naintara (Rs 270) and Paneer Do Pyaza (Rs 290) are comfort picks. The Dal Ek Khaas (Rs 250), which is slow-cooked for hours, with dollops of butter added at intervals, is a hit at the table.

Paan's labyrinth
Finally, it is time to savour the paan menu, which is peppered with curious names: Ice Paan, Fire Paan, Vanilla Paan, Pineapple Paan and Butterscotch Paan. The man behind the counter, Sumeet Kokate, previously worked at Tara Paan, a famous paan hangout in Nashik.

He proudly reveals that he was trained by 'guru' Tarasingh Shinde, who has supposedly created over 100 varieties of paan. Having learnt the ropes from the best, Kokate went on to experiment some more, while also borrowing from his guru. The result is a range of delicious betel-leaf treats. We start with the Blackcurrant Coffee (R85), where the leaf is dipped in a layer of melted chocolate. At first, we taste the sweet chocolate, but when we bite through the leaf, we experience a burst of flavours - fruity black currant and an after-taste of bitter coffee. The Fire Paan (R145) is all drama - cloves that hold the leaf together are set alight. You are to put the flaming paan right into your mouth to douse the flame. The fiery clove coats the palate, followed by kattha, gulkand, mukhwas, and other paan staples. The Ice Paan, on the other hand, is filled with crushed ice.

The Pineapple Paan (Rs 85) comes with a coating of the fruit and sugar paste. Inside, we taste sweetened coconut flakes, cardamom powder, gulkand, and mukhwas.

The establishment may have put out their disclaimers about Sholay, yet Amitabh Bachchan's gimmicky hit tune, Khaike Paan Banaraswala, comes to mind as we exit Basanti.

Opens: Tonight (7 pm)
Time: 12 pm to 3.30 pm, 7 pm to 1 am (from August 24)
At: 7/11, Meera Apartments, Juhu Versova Link Road, Seven Bungalows, Andheri West.
Call: 7045637722

Chef Saransh Goila and TV personality Mini Mathur at Silver Beach Cafe, Juhu. Pics/Pradeep Dhivar

The glass walls overlooking a quiet street at Silver Beach Café are misty. Chef Saransh Goila is early and orders a plate of Eggs Benedict, Beetroot Cous Cous Salad and a glass each of orange and carrot juice, choices that TV host Mini Mathur is happy with when she walks in. "The last time we met we were both drunk," Mathur says animatedly. Both TV stars are currently hosting digital food shows. Goila has married his two loves — fitness and food — for his Facebook show Run to Eat (Singapore). Mathur has been cooking with Bollywood stars for her show The Mini Truck. One is a trained chef and the other a home cook, but when they speak, their love for rich traditional food takes over.

Sabhnani: How did an erstwhile vegetarian chef move to selling butter chicken?
Goila: In Delhi, my vegetarian family was tired of eating sweet paneer. So I smoked the gravy for them. That's how I came up with it. My friends in Mumbai loved it. We are actually Goels, my great-grandfather changed it to 'Goila'. When I was opening Goila Butter Chicken, my dad got calls asking him, 'Can't he just call it Saransh's Butter Chicken?' Once I graduated, I realised you cannot be a chef who is vegetarian.
Mathur: Mera butter chicken khaake dekho, hum bhi Dilliwalle hai! I am a Kayasth married to a Hyderabadi. Both the families are very proud of traditional recipes. I hate bastardised versions of food — if someone gave me Szechuan dosa, I'd spit on them! Every Diwali, I pickle six kilos of aloo or chana for achaar. I will make some for you and you can give me butter chicken instead.

Sabhnani: Your new shows are shot internationally, though…
Mathur: My next show, Mini Me, is about a bad**s mum travelling with her seven-year-old. We went to 15 cities across six countries in Europe in 25 days. It was originally shot for digital viewing, but a channel picked it up.
Goila: Run to Eat (Singapore) was originally supposed to be shot in India, but I didn't get support from the state tourism boards.

Sabhnani: You must have collected many stories while shooting.
Goila: Once, on an uphill trek in Himachal, we saw a tree full of apples. As soon as I plucked one, I slipped. I quickly grabbed a branch or I would have rolled down the hill. Things you do for apples and shots!
Mathur: Sunny Leone is such a cool woman. When she shot for my show, she said things like, 'Now let's grind.' I had to control my crew.

Sabhnani: Was the shift to digital platforms a natural progression?
Mathur: Digital is the future. The problem is figuring out how to monetise it.
Goila: Every time I enter a house party, there is a group of people watching something on their phones. My mom wants a Chromecast!
Mathur: People are waking up to the fact that watching TV at an appointed time is not necessary.

Eggs Benedict, Beetroot Cous Cous Salad and juices arrive
Goila: My plate looks beautiful! They have made an effort.
Mathur: Do you always shoot your food before you eat? The whole thing of 'let's tuck in yaar' is not happening any more.

Sabhnani: The impact of social media is huge...
Goila: People explore social media, and not colleges, for learning, which is fine. But one out of 100 people succeeds that way.
Mathur: I mostly find positivity on Instagram and YouTube. Twitter is a different universe.
Goila: Sometimes you have to choose to ignore it [trolls]. It's also driven by brands and PR.
Mathur: Today, you can backslap a star online and say, 'Hey, I don't like your moustache!'

Sabhnani: Do looks matter?
Goila: I am not the best-looking chef in the country. I generally believe in fitness (I used weigh 93kg). You can't judge a chef by his belly, though.
Mathur: If you are good-looking, it can't harm you.

Sabhnani: Dilliwallah's take on Mumbai's food?
Mathur: I love Maharashtra's coastal cuisine. Mumbai should give up on chaat; vada pav is your thing. The Mughlai scene is better in the north.
Goila: The international cuisine spread is better in Mumbai.
Mathur: Eat food at the place where it comes from. Don't go asking for vada pavs in Delhi.

The floods have receded and the sun is shining brightly overhead. Sweat beads trickle down our brow as our taxi manoeuvres past bikers, trucks and pedestrians who seem to give two hoots about the incessant honking. Our journey ends outside Sitaram Building, where, in the past, many of us have stumbled in and out of Zaffran in the wee hours, looking to feed our hungry selves after a night of partying.

The restaurant was the brainchild of two friends, Chetan Sethi and Munib Birya, who met at Sophia College during their hotel management course in 1996. At 23, they pooled in finances to open a Mughlai restaurant at Crawford Market in 2003. "It was not even considered close to the hip neighbourhoods like Colaba," laughs Sethi, who mans the kitchen.

Mutton Pepper Kulcha

On the plus side, rent was low and the duo realised that there would be no dearth of clients, with shoppers, traders and office-goers thronging the area every day. "There were only Irani and Udupi restaurants in the neighbourhood back then," reminisces 38-year-old Sethi , confessing that they were initially met with resistance. "Even friends weren't ready to come to Crawford Market. Then, people started ordering in. We always believed that people will go anywhere for good food," Birya says, finishing the thought.

Fourteen years later, they are ready to launch version 2.0 of Zaffran, paving the way for Ustaadi, which will serve global fare, in addition to Indian cuisine. Spread across 7,000 sq ft with separate smoking and non-smoking sections, it also houses a kids' play area, with toys, a jungle gym and cartoon films on offer. At the table, the little ones will be served in colourful, kid-friendly plates, and a special Chhote Ustaad menu is also in the pipeline.

Kacha Keri Margarita

"We transitioned without shutting the restaurant. Zaffran has been a flag-bearer of wholesome Mughlai and North Indian cuisine; now, we are ready to offer more," explains Birya, who handles the front office and operations.

Old gives way to new
Climbing up two flights of wooden stairs, we walk into the familiar underground den-like space, with walls that mute the noise of the market outside and create a cosy cocoon. Warm yellow light from rustic bronze chandeliers sets the mood, highlighting select walls that have a story to tell. "While we believe in the mastery of art, we are celebrating 'ustaadi' across fields like photography, music and fashion. One section celebrates the mastery of writing with books adorning the walls," says Birya.

Balinese Spiced Banana Leaf Basa

Warning: the menu is vast, divided into five sections -- All-Day Breakfast and Pizza, Indian, Asian, Cosmopolitan, and Desserts. We begin our meal with Pulled Raan Bao (R375), Butter Chicken Bao (R325) and Balinese Spiced Banana Leaf Basa (R395). The Pulled Raan Bao is spicy, cushioned between a sweet bao that takes the sting out of the chilli. The Butter Chicken version is milder and flavourful.

We unwrap the basa to find it swimming in a coconut curry spiced with Balinese yellow chilli. The steamed fish is creamy, and melts in the mouth. Skilfully executed, the dish is simple, authentic flavours. We also recommend a new entrant in the Indian section, the South Indian-style Mutton Pepper Kulcha (R165), which comes oozing with butter and is garnished with rocket leaves that give it a crunchy finish. We wash this down with a Kacha Keri Margarita (R175).

Belgian Chocolate Roll

For the main course, there is Indonesian Nasi Goreng (R395), which comes with prawn skewers in a green sauce, prawn chips and an egg. Made using jasmine rice, it's a well-balanced dish with the flavours and textures of garlic, ginger, chillies and soy. We savour the slightly fiery aftertaste it leaves on our lips.

The Saffron Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto (R375) is creamy, and the al dente Arborio rice, earthy fungi and sharp saffron make it a delightful combination. We end the meal with a Belgian Chocolate Roll (R195), a gooey chocolate cake that comes covered in a nutty caramel-cracker coating. It immediately brings to mind Cooper's Fudge from Lonavala.

Munib Birya and Chetan Sethi 

Although flaunting a new menu, Ustaadi retains Zaffran's thought of offering filling, value-for-money fusion and authentic dishes. "No small plate ever fed a customer," laughs Sethi, confessing that they are looking at taking the brand overseas.

Mistaken identities

Pics/ Suresh Karkera, Tanvi Phondekar

It has been an eventful ride, the duo agrees. Hailing from a five-star hotel background where they had duties chalked out, their biggest challenge was venturing out on their own. But they learned on the job, and managed to create a cult following among young diners. Before signing off, they share an anecdote. "Sometimes, guests would walk in, and on noticing there was a wait, they walked up to us, claiming to know 'Munib' or 'Chetan' personally, and demanding to meet them. They didn't realise they were speaking to exactly Munib and Chetan."

Thali Sweet accompanied by kadio bodio

For Bandra resident Sophia Netto, the month of September meant eight days of festivities, courtesy the iconic Bandra Fair that the suburb hosts annually. Held in four lanes that dot Bandra's Mount Mary Basilica neighbourhood, it celebrates the birthday month of Mother Mary. "You could spend an entire day at the fair. There would be pageants like September King and Queen, games and cane product stalls that everyone would throng to, and all-night long jam sessions by Catholic bands at Mount Carmel's September Garden with an entry fee of `1. We would binge on potato chops, candy floss and kadio bodio, a deep-fried sweet stick of refined flour dipped in sugar. Even black chana would be heaped at stalls," recollects 54-year-old Netto, who offers black chana and kadio bodio as complimentary treats at BKC's SodaBottleOpenerWala as part of the outlet's ongoing festival, Bandra Feast, which recreates the fair experience.

East Indian Pork Sorpotel

In collaboration with chef de cuisine Danesh Vakshoor, Netto has created a special menu comprising East Indian and Goan delicacies. The menu features Mutton Potato Chops (Rs 195), where fried-till-golden breadcrumb crusted mashed potato shell is stuffed with minced meat, and Vegetarian or Chicken Lonvas (Rs 295), cooked with the famous East Indian bottle masala and thick coconut milk. It also stars East Indian Pork Sorpotel (Rs 295) and East Indian Vindaloo (Rs 295) where the pork is marinated overnight and slow-cooked. "Most homes in Bandra would be open to guests till midnight, who would arrive from different parts of the city and beyond to seek blessings at the basilica. I remember my mother making kilos of sorpotel and vindaloo. I've used her traditional recipes for the menu," she adds. End the meal with Thali Sweet (Rs 175), a festival speciality made with coconut semolina and eggs.

Sophia Netto

The restaurant has also been dressed up with ribbons and balloons that are a throwback to the helium balloons, which were a common sight at the fair. The line-up also includes a retro jam session with in-house DJ Farhan and saxophonist Amar Sukhi on Thursday night, and breakfast housie on Sunday. The idea, says Netto, is to revive the fair's charm. "Unfortunately, it has now turned into an extension of the Hill Road hawking zone," she rues.

"At the Singapore Grand Prix, Rannvijay Singha met F1 legends Fernando Alonso and Mika Hakkinen and committed to Johnnie Walker's JOIN THE PACT initiative, which is a global campaign that encourages people to NEVER DRINK AND DRIVE."

2017 marks the 10th year of the campaign and the aim is to collect 5 million commitments from consumers to Join the Pact by end of 2018. For every commitment collected 1km of safe rides home is given back by Johnnie Walker.

Mika Hakkinen and the McLaren Honda and Sahara Force India drivers are Johnnie Walker's Global Responsible Drinking Ambassadors. Mika has visited over 40 countries to spread the #JoinThePact message.

Fernando Alonso, 37, who announced that he will retire from Formula One at the end of the season, could get married to Italian supermodel Linda Morselli, 29, soon.

According to reports in Socialite program, one of the reasons that could have made Alonso take the decision to leave F1 is that he wants to lead a happy married life and start a family with his girlfriend of two years.

Linda Morselli. Pic/Getty Images

While announcing his retirement, Alonso, had said in a statement: "After 17 wonderful years in this amazing sport, it's time for me to make a change and move on. I'm having one of the happiest times ever in my life but I need to go on exploring new adventures."

Recently, Morselli posted this picture on social media kissing Alonso and captioned it: "Love you." If Alonso gets married, it will be his second wedding. He was married to singer Raquel del Rosario till 2011.

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The Mysore Race Club Trophy for maiden three-year-old horses is slated as the feature event of Saturday's race card which features eight races. There are seven runners in the fray, two of them--Grand Accord & Sagittarius--making their debut.

While a victory by one of the two first-timers cannot be ruled out, the fact remains that at least two of the experienced lot, namely Admo and Masquerade, have it in them to stake a serious claim for the winner's prize.

My vote goes to the Nosher Cama-trained Admo (PS Chouhan up) because he has had the benefit of a decent run on this track when finishing a noteworthy runner up to the good type Batteleur three weeks ago.

First race at 2 pm.
Selections:

Adam's Treasure Plate - Div II (For 4y&o, class V; 1200m)
Divine Spark 1, Arc Of Passion 2, Rising Concert 3.

Enaksi Plate (Class III; 1000m)
Wild Fire 1, Lincoln 2, Free Speech 3.

Eloise Plate (Class III; 1800m)
Daffodil 1, Unforgettable You 2, Comic Timing 3.

Mysore Race Club Trophy (For 3y, maidens; 1400m)
Admo 1, Masquerade 2, Grand Accord 3.

Yogender Singh Trophy - Div II (For 4y&o, class IV; 1400m)
Godsent 1, Frosted 2, Arabian Storm 3.

Adam's Treasure Plate - Div I (For 4y&o, class V; 1200m)
Headlines 1, Lilac Time 2, Royal Mews 3.

Alexandress Plate (For 3y, maidens; 1000m)
Excellent Gold 1, Hopeilicious 2, Kotor 3.

Yogender Singh Trophy - Div I (For 4y&o, class IV; 1400m)
Dibaba 1, Ame 2, Star Comrade 3.

Recommendations
Best bet: Excellent Gold (7-2)
Upset: Name Of The Game (6-3)

Today's pools
Super jackpot pool: 3,4,5,6,7,8
Jackpot pool: 4,5,6,7,8
Treble pool: I - 5,6,7; II - 6,7,8
Tanala pool: All races.

Amanda D'Souza

Riding on Amanda D'Souza's brace, St Joseph's (Bandra) beat St John The Evangelist (Marol) 2-0 in the MSSA-organised Ahmed Sailor inter-school U-16 girls hockey tournament at Kandivli on Saturday.

In the very first minute, St Joseph's Rachel Michael beat her opponents with her dribbling skills, but the ball missed the target. However, Amanda put her stick in the way of the ball and the ball deflected towards the goal post. Amanda was in the thick of the action again in the 13th minute of the rain-marred game when she netted her second goal.

Sonali Bendre is one of the Cancer survivors in Bollywood, akin to Manisha Koirala and Lisa Ray. These women have some very inspiring journeys and are likely to become role models in the future. And now, speaking about her journey to SpotboyE, Bendre spilled the beans on almost everything, right from her treatment to her husband Goldie Behl's unshakable support to how she feels today. It could leave you teary-eyed.

The first question was about her current health and she said, "I'm doing well right now. I'm feeling good. Also, I would say it hasn't been much of a shift for me because the last 2 years have been sort of a quarantine for me anyway. So it's not too much of a change at this point, but I would have a lot of visitors coming and going then. That's the part that I miss the most." She also said how she has been missing her parents due to the lockdown and can't meet them.

"Above all, I'm missing my parents right now in this because I can't really meet them. But other than that, we have lots to be thankful for. I always count my blessings," stated Bendre. When she posted her bald picture on Instagram, it was welcomed by one and all, and the actress earned the respect from everyone for the same. She even spoke about her decision to do it and how it made her feel.

She said, "Frankly, how long are you going to hide? Just get on with life, man. I felt I was getting distracted trying to hide my falling hair, so just putting it out there fully bald was more to help myself than anything else. It was quite liberating, actually." And do you know Goldie Behl didn't want the actress to grow her hair back? This reveal was also made by Bendre.

She stated, "He used to say I need to own it and that I look fabulous without my hair as well. Today, he tells me that 'you should not grow your hair back, the short hair suits you very much'. My husband has been an amazing support." As we stated above, Bendre has been an inspiring figure and we all need to respect her for the way she has handled her life and been such a sport and a spirited lady!

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Ajay Devgn has produced and directed a music video, Thahar Ja, which speaks about weathering the storm. The star, who also features in the video, shot it himself at his Juhu home. It also marks the debut of son Yug as assistant director. The song has been rendered by Mehul Vyas.

It's a four-minute-long video and it not only captures the actor and his montages but also all the medical practitioners and unsung warriors that are fighting day and night to conquer the Coronavirus crisis. This is indeed a soothing way to spread hope and positivity.

Have a look right here:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

We will weather this storm together. Stay safe, Stay Happy. Apno ke liye #ThaharJa #IndiaFightsCorona @narendramodi @uddhavthackeray @cmomaharashtra @praveensinghpardeshi @my_bmc @meenaiyerofficial

A post shared by Ajay Devgn (@ajaydevgn) onApr 25, 2020 at 12:31am PDT

During this lockdown, all the Bollywood celebrities have asked all of us to stay safe and inside our homes. They have also been saluting and applauding the efforts being put by the doctors and nurses to eradicate the virus. Some uploaded a video, many of them tweeted to thank them, and Devgn goes a step ahead and dedicates a song that's all about keeping patience and positivity.

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Sonam Kapoor and Rhea Kapoor have been sharing some great throwback pictures amid quarantine. The duo has been missing the family and the functions due to this virus outbreak and lockdown session. Now, Sonam has shared a pretty picture with sister Rhea Kapoor which screams sisterly love.

The duo looked all decked up in the posts, seems like of their photoshoots together. Sonam Kapoor captioned, "sister sister." Let's take a look at the picture right away!

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Sister sister ❤ï¸Â

A post shared by Sonam K Ahuja (@sonamkapoor) onApr 27, 2020 at 7:01am PDT

Adorable, isn't it?

On the professional front, Sonam Kapoor's last outing The Zoya Factor failed at the box-office. This Abhishek Sharma directorial, also starring Dulquer Salmaan, could only manage lifetime collections of around Rs. 4.90 crores. Before this, she was seen playing a homosexual character in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga. Now, the actress is gearing up for Sujoy Ghosh's next production, which is the remake of the Korean film, Blind.

Speaking about Rhea Kapoor, the star kid turned producer with Aisha. She has produced Veere Di Wedding and Khoobsurat too, both starring sister Sonam. The Kapoor sisters own a fashion label called Rheason and the former has also turned producer and made the very successful Veere Di Wedding in 2018.

On the personal front, Rhea is said to be dating Karan Boolani, and their social media PDA will surely melt your heart.

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When author turned filmmaker Ram Kamal Mukherjee decided to make the big switch he knew that it wouldn't be a cakewalk.Now with his second Hindi film Season's Greetings he emerges as a confident story teller, who can intrigue audience with simple and thought provoking narrative. In an exclusive chat with Midday he talks about his films and beyond...

Probably you are amongst few film journalist from Bollywood who have successfully switched from print to movie making. Was is a pre planned transition?

It might sound like a 'cakewalk' but unfortunately it was not. I had to go through the grind. After my tenure as Editor in chief of a film magazine. I co-produced a finite series Bin Kuch Kahe for Zee TV with director Rajshree Ojha. It was a learning experience for me. During that time, I realized that I would like to make films. But never in my dream I had imagined that I will become a director. In fact it was Esha Deol who literally forced me to become a director with Cakewalk. She said, "It's your vision, and you are doing everything that a director does. I think you will be a good filmmaker!" Esha stood by me and my production house like the Rock of Gibraltar.

You have been a senior journalist, with almost 20 years experience. Did any of your industry friends help you? Or did you approach them?

No. I didn't approach anyone. I wanted to make a film on my own terms and condition. I knew that once I achieve in making a decent movie, industry will support and stand by me. Cakewalk broke all possible records. It became India's first short film to be premiered in a satellite television Cineplex with Colors, the first look was launched in London by Hema Malini, the music rights was acquired by Zee Music, the film was acquired by Viacom18, I was invited at the BBC studios in London for live chat show, it got selected at 21 film festivals and won at 17 film festivals. It also become India's first short film to be premiered at Inox Insignia one of the biggest theatre chains in India. The film was promoted in 6 major metro cities in India and Dubai. We treated it like a feature film, and I give credit to my team and my friends from media and film industry.

Your second film Season's Greetings seems to have created a much bigger news. With United Nation Free and Equal and legends like Amitabh Bachchan endorsing the film it seems to be one of the much awaited movie of this year on OTT?

I am thankful to Mr Bachchan for being so gracious, he spoke so beautifully about the film in his video message. My film is a tribute to the legendary filmmaker Riruparno Ghosh, and I am grateful that Lillette Dubey maam and Celina Jaitly Haag who agreed to be a part of this venture. It was Celina who connected me with the United Nations Free and Equal, and I had to organize special screening for them in Geneva. It took almost two months to bring them on board as our social cause partner. This wouldn't have been possible without our friend and well wisher Charles Radcliffe. Zee5 had initially decided to release it on March but now due to Corona pandemic we had to reschedule everything. But I am glad that we released on April 15, and the film has become the most watched short film on Zee5. The film got selected at seven prestigious international festivals including Cardiff International Film Festival. It won Best Director Jury award at Rajasthan International Film Festival this year. I am eagerly waiting to show the film to all. This film also marks the debut of young and talented actor Azhar Khan. The film deals with LGBTQIA issue in a very subtle manner. The film has been selected at the prestigious Kashish Film Festival 2020 in Mumbai, Asia's largest LGBTQIA Film Festival. I am glad the film is getting appreciated by all, my film celebrates love beyond gender.

Director Ram Kamal Mukherjee with lead cast Celina Jaitley and Lillette Dubey in Season's Greetings

How does it feel when your film gets thunderous applause from media and film fraternity?

I feel blessed. When veterans like Khalid Mohamad, Shoma Chatterji, Nandita Puri, Ananth Mahadevan, Taran Adarsh, Rajeev Masand and Suman Ghosh writes about your film, its a reassurance. But I would like to thank my team for making this possible. My producers Aritra Das and Shailendra Kumar, my associate producers Mohammad Jameel and my wife Sarbani Mukherjee. You might dream big, but you need a producer who will stand by your vision. And of course Celina Jaitly who worked like a team member all the way from Austria in the middle of lockdown crisis. She would manage her household responsibilities and maintain all her work commitment. She interacted with all leading media over Instagram and Skype, she gave telephonic and email interviews. She actively pushed the film on social media. Lillette Dubey maam though she is not on any social media platform, she would record her bytes for channels and send. Her daughter Ira Dubey would record her interview on phone and we would give those bytes to electronic and web media. Azhar Khan supported us from Pune, while Shree Ghatak in Kolkata went all out to spread the word. My singers Sayani Palit and Jaan Kumar Sanu did radio chats and facebook live performance of the song. It was very tough to promote a 47 minute film in the middle of lockdown. But we all need to keep reinventing ourselves.

In a span of two years you have managed to direct almost five films. That's a decent number...

After Season's Greetings, I wanted to make a short length Bengali film. That's when the idea of Rickshwala came to my mind. I am launching Avinash Dwivedi in as the protagonist in the film. It was a tough project for me. We had to do workshops and shoot in the bylanes of North Kolkata in summers. Avinash gave his blood and sweat for this film. Rickshawla already won Best Actor and Best Director at 13th Ayodhya International Film Festival this year. Then we made Broken Frame, which is based on my fiction Long Island Iced Tea. Yet again I was fortunate enough to work with extremely professional and talented actors like Rohit Bose Roy and Ritabhari Chakraborty. The film deals with martial issue and infidelity. After that, I made Shubho Bijoya with Gurmeet Choudhury and Debina Bonnerjee, which is a romantic film loosely based on O Henry's classic A Gift of Magi. Now I am working on my first full length feature film Binodini Dasi, a biopic on Bengal's famous theatre actress. My first attempt to make a period drama.

Ram Kamal Mukherjee and Esha Deol receiving Society Iconic Award for Cakewalk from Ramesh Sippy, Kiran Sippy and Krishika Lulla

Do you feel that any of your skills as a journalist comes handy when you are donning the hat of a director?

Yes it does! My writing skill helps me in fine tuning my screenplay and dialogues, my editing experience helps me in keeping the scenes precise and save the cost of extra shifts and shoots. My photoshoot experiences helps me in visualizing a character, their costume, hair and makeup. And my nose for news, helps me in creating content that people would like to see on screen. I guess we all use our past experience to enhance our future endeavors.

You have penned five books and directed five movies in a span of three years. You are extremely active on social media, you also conduct special classes for film students and talk shows with celebrities. How do you balance every act?

Huh! Now that you have spelled it, I am feeling breathless. But frankly speaking, I have learnt multitasking from Hemaji (Malini) She inspires me a lot. I think if we can focus on our work then we can distribute our time evenly. Now that we are locked down for almost 40 days, I will be finishing the draft of my Bengali film, work on the story board and first look. I am also working on two non fiction with leading publishers, so my research and drafting is on. I am also working on my Hindi feature film, which will hit the floor by 2021. I don't like to waste time. Even when I am not doing something, I am watching a film or a series. The hunger should never die. And now with lockdown and quarantine, we all have learnt how to multitask, because when you are pushed to the edge then you either learn to fly or you die.

Why do you call Season's Greetings a homage to director Rituparno Ghosh? And how is it different from any other tribute?

Well, this is a different kind of homage to any director. Mostly when we pay tribute, we tend to either make a biopic or remake classics. But I thought of giving him a tribute through multiple ways. Suchitra Bhattacharya was Ritu da's favorite author, veteran Tagore vocalist Suchitra Mitra acted in his film Dahan, so I decided to name Lillette ji's character Suchitra. Celina's character Romita was Rituparna Sengupta's name in Dahan, which was a popular novel written by Suchitra Bhattacharya. The house where they stay is called Utsab, which was yet another film by Ritu. The househelp is Chapala inspired from his film Aarekti Premer Galpo (he acted), where he played a transgender filmmaker and enacted life of theatre actor Chapal Bhadhuri. Transgender actor Shree Ghatak plays the role of Chapala in my film.

There is a sequence between Lillette and Celina where they talk about fragrance of a particular perfume, which is inspired from Aparna Sen and Debasree Roy's kitchen scene from Unishe April. Lavish display of food and characters talking over dinner table has been Rituparno's favourite narrative style, which is a part of preclimax sequence.

Tagore music and Maithili language is yet another aspect which Rituparno had often used in his films. Infact there is a portrait of Tagore used in the film from Balmiki Pratibha, which was prominently used as a metaphor in his film Ashukh. Then references like Banalata pishi is from Bariwali, Abhirupa is again Rituparno's character name from Chitrangada.

Rabindranath Tagore's song Gahana Kusum Kunj Majhe, was used in his film Abhohoman, which has been recreated in the film by singers Jaan Kumar Sanu and Sarbani Mukherjee.

In a scene we see Suchitra is reading Devdutt Patnaik's novel Shikhandi. That's again referring to Rituparno's film Chitrangada, a character from Mahabharata. In fact we have also shown the exterior of Rituparno's house Tasher Ghar in Kolkata which only very few people will relate. There are shots of Ardhanarishwar, that depicts the presence of bisexuality since vedic age.

The entire character graph of boy child Chapal undergoing sex change and becoming Chapala also talks about his films like Memories of March and Chitrangada. But none of it is underlined, everything is subtle. You need to be a Rituparno fan to appreciate or understand. The scene where Romita talks about unexpected rains and letters from her mother is a fleeting reference to his film Tithli.

And of course the climax that would jolt you as an audience, and will remind you of Rituparno in a much prominent way.

In fact the first day and first shot of the movie between Celina and Azhar was shot in Grand Hyatt Presidential suite. After the shot the manager came to meet me. He said, "It's irony that Rituparno had shot Sob Charitro Kalpanik scene with Bipasha Basu and Prosenjit in the same room!" We knew that Rituda is blessing us from the word 'action'!

This film marks return of Celina Jaitly after motherhood, why did you opt for her since she was away and settled in Dubai?

I wouldn't have taken effort if she would habe settled in Mars or Moon, but to not consider an artist for geographical reason in an archaic thought. I knew that she would be my perfect Romita, for three reasons, she never got an opportunity to play a role like this. She shared a very close bonding with her parents whom she lost recently, and she has been associated with LGBTQIA movement for last two decades. I remember Celina broke down before shoot. She went to severe depression and I guess this film was her fulcrum to spring out of the situation. Ritu da once mentioned, every artist comes with their own qualities, as a director you need to utilize that aspect and mould them into your narrative.

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In a bid to get a feel of the normal life, Sonakshi Sinha went to the parking lot of her Juhu home and sat in her favourite set of wheels for a while. The actor took to Insta, shared a selfie and wrote, "Sat in my parked car just to remember what it feels like (sic)." Sona did not forget her glares and designer bag to complete the going-out look.

 

 

 

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Quarantine day 34: sat in my (parked) car today just to remember what it feels like 🤪 #sundayselfie

A post shared by Sonakshi Sinha (@aslisona) onApr 26, 2020 at 2:51am PDT

The actress has been active on social media since the lockdown period, and she has shared a lot of messages with her fans through an important medium. Shotgun Junior never shies away from speaking her mind. She is hoping for the coronavirus crisis to end soon and says she would like to dive into the sea once all this is over.

On the professional front, Sonakshi Sinha was last seen in Dabangg 3, opposite Salman Khan. Saiee Manjrekar was also a part of this comedy film. Now, the actress will be next seen in Bhuj: The Pride of India.

"Bhuj: The Pride of India" stars Ajay Devgn, Sanjay Dutt, Sonakshi Sinha, Sharad Kelkar, Ammy Virk and Pranitha Subhash. The film is directed by Abhishek Dudhaiya.

In the film, Ajay will be seen playing Indian Air Force pilot Vijay Karnik, while Sonakshi will essay the character of Sunderben Jetha Madharparya, who is a social worker and a farmer women, who convinced 299 other women from Madhapur to help build a runway during the India-Pakistan war of 1971.

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