Ismail Merchant has said yes at last. The renowned
filmmaker, also cookbook writer, has finally allowed a restaurant to use his recipes. O
blessed Pondicherry! Nope, not that little place in southern India, but a new eatery in
New York City thus named. Says Merchant (seen here at Pondicherry with Hollywood
actress-singer Bette Midler and owner Chakor Doshi): "Not everyone can create a
recipe." And the Oscar for Best Dish goes to ...
Sorry State
He may have written frothy songs like Eena meena deeka,
but Majrooh Sultanpuri is not to be taken lightly. Last week, the
lyricist-poet refused to accept an Urdu Academy award from Maharashtra CM Manohar Joshi.
The reason, says the angry old man, is that Joshi insulted him at a function two years ago
by refusing to welcome him. "They're not willing to accept it as a mistake,"
stormed the peeved poet. When last heard, minister Pramod Navalkar was planning to
apologise on behalf of the state and present the award to Majroohsaab at his house. Red
faces in the saffron brigade ... the colours they are a-changing.
This Man's Son
No
more "accompanying" daddy or being labelled "his father's son". Come
Christmas, Mumbai's music aficionados will get a whiff of Generationext at Santoor
Viraasat, a unique jugalbandi between 25-year-old Rahul Sharma and
his proud parent. For the son of maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, it's his debut as an
independent performer (so far he's provided backing at his father's concerts abroad).
"Rahul's sense of innovation could make him a good composer," Sharma senior
gloats gleefully, "but this is the acid test." A test that the budding Pandit
seems confident he'll pass. Says the young man whose taste in music extends to Pink Floyd
and the Beatles: "In the past 50 years, the santoor has evolved from being a Kashmiri
folk instrument to an international sound. I want to popularise it with our
generation." So we've had Ravi Shankar with the Beatles. What next? Rahul Sharma and
the Spice Girls?
Straws in the Wind
She's modelled for chocolates and ice creams, but she's as svelte
as a woman can be. She's better known as Svetlana in the decidedly non-cerebral serial Swabhimaan,
but she's really a woman of substance. And now Kitu Gidwani has bagged
the Best Actress Award for her role in the film Dance of the Wind at the
prestigious Festival of Three Continents in Nantes, France. It's a rare honour, it's also
her first international award. For those of you with an interest in details, Dance of
the Wind -- NRI director Rajan Khosa's debut feature -- is about a gifted singer
whose life comes to a standstill when her mother dies. Says Gidwani with disarming
candour: "The award was so totally unexpected, that I didn't even wait for the
results and went off to London. It is absolutely overwhelming. I think I am on the right
path." That she is. After Dance ..., her next film, Earth, is with
critically acclaimed director Deepa Mehta. Looks like there's fame in the wind.
Ismail Merchant has said yes at last. The renowned
filmmaker, also cookbook writer, has finally allowed a restaurant to use his recipes. O
blessed Pondicherry! Nope, not that little place in southern India, but a new eatery in
New York City thus named. Says Merchant (seen here at Pondicherry with Hollywood
actress-singer Bette Midler and owner Chakor Doshi): "Not everyone can create a
recipe." And the Oscar for Best Dish goes to ... 
He may have written frothy songs like Eena meena deeka,
but Majrooh Sultanpuri is not to be taken lightly. Last week, the
lyricist-poet refused to accept an Urdu Academy award from Maharashtra CM Manohar Joshi.
The reason, says the angry old man, is that Joshi insulted him at a function two years ago
by refusing to welcome him. "They're not willing to accept it as a mistake,"
stormed the peeved poet. When last heard, minister Pramod Navalkar was planning to
apologise on behalf of the state and present the award to Majroohsaab at his house. Red
faces in the saffron brigade ... the colours they are a-changing. 
No
more "accompanying" daddy or being labelled "his father's son". Come
Christmas, Mumbai's music aficionados will get a whiff of Generationext at Santoor
Viraasat, a unique jugalbandi between 25-year-old Rahul Sharma and
his proud parent. For the son of maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma, it's his debut as an
independent performer (so far he's provided backing at his father's concerts abroad).
"Rahul's sense of innovation could make him a good composer," Sharma senior
gloats gleefully, "but this is the acid test." A test that the budding Pandit
seems confident he'll pass. Says the young man whose taste in music extends to Pink Floyd
and the Beatles: "In the past 50 years, the santoor has evolved from being a Kashmiri
folk instrument to an international sound. I want to popularise it with our
generation." So we've had Ravi Shankar with the Beatles. What next? Rahul Sharma and
the Spice Girls? 
She's modelled for chocolates and ice creams, but she's as svelte
as a woman can be. She's better known as Svetlana in the decidedly non-cerebral serial Swabhimaan,
but she's really a woman of substance. And now Kitu Gidwani has bagged
the Best Actress Award for her role in the film Dance of the Wind at the
prestigious Festival of Three Continents in Nantes, France. It's a rare honour, it's also
her first international award. For those of you with an interest in details, Dance of
the Wind -- NRI director Rajan Khosa's debut feature -- is about a gifted singer
whose life comes to a standstill when her mother dies. Says Gidwani with disarming
candour: "The award was so totally unexpected, that I didn't even wait for the
results and went off to London. It is absolutely overwhelming. I think I am on the right
path." That she is. After Dance ..., her next film, Earth, is with
critically acclaimed director Deepa Mehta. Looks like there's fame in the wind. 
