MUMBAI MIRROR (June 28, 2019)

After almost a year of deftly playing hide and seek on the topic of their relationship status, Malaika Arora and Arjun Kapoor presumably agreed that the latter’s 34th birthday (June 26) would be a good occasion to offer up some clarity.

Two days before D-Day, the birthday boy and his ladylove were spotted at the airport together for the first time, as they jetted off for a vacation. Mirror has learnt that the couple is currently in Manhattan and will stay put for a week before returning to the Bay.

On Wednesday, the actor kicked off his birthday sharing messages from family and his inner circle of friends, while Malaika was more, and quite uncharacteristically at that, forthcoming in her post, which has also served as an official acknowledgement of their relationship. Sharing an image in which they are seen holding hands, Malaika wrote, “Happy birthday my crazy, insanely funny and amazing Arjun Kapoor... love and happiness always.”

Do we now wait for Malaika’s birthday for another important announcement? It’s on October 23, by the way.

Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; September 28, 2018)

Former beauty queen and actress Tanushree Dutta came to India on a holiday, but it turned into a nightmarish stay. Memories of an incident that occurred in 2008, and one that has left her devastated, came back to haunt her. A few days ago, while talking to a channel, she mentioned that India is miles away from its #MeToo campaign because here, no one here supports the victim. She alleged that she was harassed while filming a song for Horn Ok Pleasss by Nana Patekar. She also accused choreographer Ganesh Acharya for introducing lewd dance moves at the actor’s behest.

Slamming Nana Patekar and his supporters, the actress says, “From the moment I landed in India (she has been living in the US for the last two years), I fielded speculations about why I was away from the industry and whether I was kicked out for my unprofessional behaviour 10 years ago. This web of lies has been spun over the last decade. I had to set the record straight, though it has shaken up my parents, who were in the car with me when it was vandalised on the set. The memories have come rolling back to them. I could have quietly come here and left, but I didn’t want this narrative to become a gospel truth. I am now settled in the US and I have a life there. My job prospects get affected because of the results the internet throws up. A web of lies woven by these people has come back to hound me, right when I was at the brink of getting my dream job in Manhattan. Enough is enough!”

When asked why she had been quiet for so long, she says, “It’s not like I am speaking up only today. I spoke about it back then, and I also spoke about it several times in the last ten years. There are footages in media archives that will corroborate my version, but no one believed me then, no one stood up for me then and no one is doing that even today. However, my narrative hasn’t changed at all, because it is the truth. I was harassed by Nana Patekar and the goons who he summoned on the set. They labelled me unprofessional to hide their misdoings. I had to set the record straight. My spiritual leanings helped me heal from this episode.”

She asserts that the #MeToo campaign may never lift its head in India. “People got away by harassing me and by showing medieval behaviour in the public eye in a big city, and none of it made a difference to anyone. I was never a damsel in distress, but agar aisa harassment ho sakta hai kisi ke saath, toh #MeToo kaise hoga? India, as a country and society, has learnt to wear fancy brands, but the soul is still misogynistic and hypocritical. It’s easy to pick up words from the West and hashtag them, but do you have the integrity to speak up when there is a need?”

Ganesh Acharya, while talking to BT, has denied each one of Tanushree’s claims, including the one about Nana asking for lewd dance moves to be included in the song. “Who cares for what they say? There are witnesses to the incident that I am talking about and I don’t need to bluff. It’s too uncomfortable for people to admit there is a problem within the society. If a case of harassment is not being addressed, then what is the hope for any other movement?” she argues.

When asked if she ever tried approaching the Women’s Commission or any other body for help, Tanushree says, “I didn’t approach anyone, because even a basic FIR that I filed didn’t get its due response. Before I could reach the cops, they had filed a counter FIR. Eventually, my entourage members were harassed periodically for many years, before my parents decided to drop the case completely. We were waiting for the law to take its course. My parents have also been in and out of the police station. While my folks were going through all that, Nana and Ganesh continued to work, which was appalling. Do you think that could have helped me sustain in the industry? It doesn’t matter what I did or didn’t do. The fact is that, they harassed me and no one is talking about it, even now.”

Tanushree believes that the incident destroyed her career at a time when she had 40 acting offers, none of which she accepted. “I was brought up by educated people and the mob attack threw me completely off. My perpetrators and even those who stayed mum about it, will pay for their sins eventually,” she says. “The reason I never got back to work is because I feared that if someone attacked me again and I complained, I would be labelled as the one who has a problem.”

MUMBAI MIRROR (July 17, 2018)

Priyanka Chopra, along with Isn't It Romantic co-stars Liam Hemsworth, Rebel Wilson and Andy Devine, marked the wrap-up of their Valentine’s Day 2019 release with elaborate song-and-dance on 40th Street and Park Avenue in Manhattan.

The film revolves around Rebel’s disillusioned protagonist who mysteriously finds herself at the centre of a love triangle. With PeeCee and her comedienne-costar’s bright outfits offset by the more understated colour palette of their male counterparts’ outfits, it seemed romantic, indeed.

How the Hollywood veteran made Anupam Kher’s 63rd birthday unforgettable
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 10, 2018)

When Anupam Kher was invited to meet his Silver Linings Playbook co-star Robert De Niro at his Lower Manhattan residence at 5 pm on March 7, he didn’t think the meeting would last for longer than 30 minutes. The 63-year-old actor was turning a year older on the day and had planned to take the cast and crew of a series he’s filming in New York to an Indian restaurant for his birthday dinner. When Kher had touched base with the Hollywood veteran, De Niro’s office informed him that he was doing voiceovers for Martin Scorsese’s 2019 film, The Irishman, and would work out a meeting date soon. On his birthday, Kher was warmly welcomed into De Niro’s home.

“They had a meal secretly planned for me. After David O Russell, the director of Silver Linings Playbook, had been snuck into the house, the lights dimmed and Mr De Niro was called into the kitchen. I had no idea what was happening till they brought out the cake. I fought to hold back my tears,” Kher told Mirror from freezing New York, adding that apart from De Niro’s wife Grace Hightower, their daughter Helen was also present at the intimate celebration.

While Russell gifted the birthday boy the book Altman by Kathryn Reed Altman and Giulia D’Agnolo, his idol presented him with two books, New York New York by Richard Berenholtz and Pete Souza’s Obama: An Intimate Portrait. Describing the evening as “the ultimate Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai moment”, referring to the TV show he hosted, Kher said, “For the son of a forest department clerk from Shimla, every achievement comes with a multitude of emotions. The De Niros planned my birthday like I was family. For an actor, affection mostly comes from where you expect it. I never expected that this legend would sing the birthday song for me.”

Since drama school, Kher had regarded Mr De Niro as the ‘God of Acting’ and when he got the opportunity to work with him, he presented him with an idol of Lord Ganesh. “In 2011, I asked him to autograph the manuscript of my yet-unreleased book, The Best Thing About You Is You, and Mr De Niro surprised me by asking for the original manuscript for his private collection,” reminisced the actor, who did not dare ask De Niro for his contact number, writing to his office instead on his next trip to New York. “They appreciated my formal approach and invited me to his 70th birthday party which had just 20 guests. That’s when I learnt how warm and affectionate he was. Since then we’ve been writing to each other and last year, while I was promoting my last Hollywood release The Big Sick, he called me over for a Father’s Day dinner his children were hosting. “Now, I have his number too,” Kher said.

Manish D Mishra (DNA; September 2, 2017)

In a short span of time, actor Ayushmann Khurrana has emerged to be a make-you-sit-up-and-take-note kinda dresser, both on and off the red carpet. The Chandigarh dude rarely has a dull style moment and has successfully carved out his unique brand of style. Given the multi-faceted individual that he is, straddling the worlds of cinema, music, theatres and writing — Khurrana’s style is rather off-kilter and a pastiche of ideas and influences. One look at his pap shots pouring into our mailboxes, and one can vouch that the Vicky Donor hottie takes his style rather seriously and isn’t scared of venturing out of his comfort zone.

From his penchant for statement pleats and drapes to his inclination towards asymmetrical silhouettes — he isn’t your average suited B-Town actor trying to hide beneath a black tuxedo. If one sits down to carefully analyse all his looks, then one can easily deduce that he’s struck that elusive balance between sportified masculinity and dandified athleisure. From rocking souvenir bomber jackets with sneakers to teaming his draped kurtas with brogues — he’s easily one of the most promising dressers, who enjoys indulging in fashion and isn’t coy about it. In an interface with After Hrs, he talks about his grooming regime, shopping sprees, favourite brands and following some of the coolest style mavens on Instagram...

Do you brainstorm with your stylist Isha Bhansali?
I think, it’s a mix of both — you take a stylist, who has a mix of your sensibility and then you work with it. The best part about having a stylist is that she wants to change a bit of you at the same time, otherwise, it’ll become a routine. Isha really pushes the envelope and she experiments with me a lot so it should be in my comfort zone.

How do you interpret your style?
I guess, I wear different clothes for different occasions — I have sported track-pants for my concerts, of late, which was good fun. A pair of track-pants teamed with white keds and sweatshirts — I sported that look recently, and it’s been one of my favourite looks. These days, I’ve stopped wearing white shoes, gravitated towards brogues and leather shoes.

Do you shop on your travels?
It’s need-based. If I have to have a new pair of black shoes, then I’ll buy them. I fancy certain brands when I go abroad like I love Topman Designs — it’s quite on point. So I tend to buy clothes, which are different or off-centre. I think Topman is one such brands, which should not come to India.

Indian designers you follow...
I follow designer Ujjawal Dubey of label Antar Agni, who started with Shantanu and Nikhil, and has carried forward his unique aesthetic and reinterpreted it in his own way. Also, the fact that he does it in linen which suits the weather. After Ujjawal, a lot of designers tried aping that style, but I love how he’s made this brand for himself. In fact, I walked the ramp for him two seasons ago.

Your take on the airport look craze...
In fact, mostly, I take it easy with my airport looks. I may repeat my jacket and normally my stylist may or may not give me a look for airport. It’s incidental. When I’m going home to Chandigarh then I’m in my T-shirt and jeans. I don’t think much about the airport look. If you’re trying too hard for it, it’s a turnoff.

Watch or shoe?
I think both, it has to be a combination of both. It has to go with the entire outfit. Earlier, I would wear a lot of sporty, colourful watches and now, I’m done with that. Now, I’m moving towards a classic style watch. I have a decent collection of watches — metallic, leather and sporty. Essentially, I’m a shoe guy and love sneakers.

Which city according to you is the fashion capital of the world?
New York, for sure. To be specific, Manhattan 10 years ago, I was surprised to see that people were ready to walk the ramp. I got a complex and actually started looking at my clothes. It happens to you in Manhattan. That was the first exposure to dressing up well. I was there for seven days and from then on I started dressing up well and my style evolution started from there. Before that, I was quite basic.

Do you take style risks?
I think if your body is proportionate, asymmetric silhouettes look good on you. I think my body is on the leaner side so it works. The asymmetric pieces also work for people, who’re slightly bloated. It covers everything. It’s good for everyone.