Actor

SHARVARI WAGH

Definitely the hottest in tinsel town right now, Wagh is making her big budget feature film debut in the much-awaited Bunty Aur Babli 2, releasing this month. Interestingly, she has been an assistant director for blockbusters like Bajirao Mastani before turning actor with the critically-acclaimed Kabir Khan miniseries, The Forgotten Army – Azaadi Ke Liye, opposite Sunny Kaushal, in which her performance was lauded by the audience. Here’s looking forward to her making a splash on screen — with Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan, and Siddhant Chaturvedi for company — and hoping for many more successes.

Photographer

JANVI BHARDWAJ

Bhardwaj’s black-and-white works are equal parts hypnotic and intimate. There’s an oppressive sense of proximity to the subjects that elevates the abstraction of the piece from something that can be interpretative, to something that becomes a visceral experience. The abstraction takes immediate meaning, not allowing distance or apathy. Her works, laden with personal experiences, stir up individual memories for the audience, creating universal meaning for her pieces.

Artist

RAVI AMAR ZUPA

Feisty, exciting, and deliciously political, Ravi Amar Zupa’s art deserves to be celebrated — and hung on every wall. From traditional poster art peppered with religious and political iconographies, Zupa’s pieces are powerful conversation starters, and trust me, it will make for an interesting conversation. Fantastic line work, bold colours, and unabashedly powerful imagery, the artist’s works can be purchased as prints, available as merch, and even as commissioned body artworks.

Eat

SETTE MARA, MUMBAI

Mumbai’s latest Middle Eastern offering, Sette Mara, at the St. Regis is the new favourite in the city. To start off with some tipple, a special Negroni menu is definitely a solid introduction. There’s a plethora of hummus to choose from — one with avocado, another with corn kernels — with a basket of fresh baked pita (that you won’t stop nibbling on). From the grill, try the Joojeh Kebab — chicken thighs marinated with cumin and Iranian saffron. They have a selection of Khachapuris, the traditional Georgian bread, to choose from, and the Zhoug and Truffle Oil Khachapuri is worth writing home about. We are in love with their entire dessert menu, with the homemade ice creams topping the list. The pistachio ice cream is rich and creamy, with a hint of saltiness to cut through the fat and make it a decadent yet light affair, while the Goat Cheese and Ras Al Hanout can be a frothy and subtle finish to a fantastic meal. — Samreen Tungekar.

Shop

BOMBAY CLOSET CLEANSE

Thrift and pre-loved are the fashion buzzwords of the year, and let’s hope that the trend continues into the future too. A huge step towards sustainability, thrift heads in the country have a well-stocked destination for their haul of cool and vintage. Bombay Closet Cleanse is a really neat thrift and pre-loved apparel and accessory on-ground and online store with the most covetable — and on trend — pieces for any millennial’s wardrobe. From hoodies to tees, sneakers to shades and bags, they’ve got it all, if you want to embrace a healthier fashion lifestyle.

Binge

There’s an interesting mixed bag to binge watch this month. Superstore, the hilariously topical workplace ensemble comedy’s latest season is out on Netflix, and the show has ripened every season, getting increasingly sharp with its writing, mirroring the socio-political conversations of the US, while finding a fine balance between funny and preachy. The humour, and a lot of the show’s observations are caustic, but not hurtful. Led by a fabulous America Ferrera and Ben Feldman, it’s a successful cast of oddballs, who deliver what they promise.

The Melissa McCarthy-starring, The Starling, is a fine dissection of grief and emotional exhaustion, which stands out for its relevance after two years of a pandemic. The Netflix film is a heart-wrenching story of a couple dealing with the death of their daughter, and making their own personal journeys towards healing and acceptance. Although not exactly the most subtle of films, The Starling is high on drama, but has its heart in the right place.

Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez decide to come together to create a dark-comedy-true-crime-slowburner-old-schoolpulp-new-age-drama series called Only Murders In The Building about three true crime podcast lovers coming together to solve a, well, murder in their building. Of course, there are tons of secrets, lots of gradual unfolding, cerebral humour, and a sterling Tina Fey cameo. It is nutty, very kooky, but also warm and adorable — everything you would expect out of a Martin-Short collab. Also, Gomez, the latest in songstressesturning-into-actresses, does deliver a commendable debut. Catch this one on Hotstar.

Saving the heavyweight for the last, if you loved The Affair, and want to delve into another visceral and voyeuristically intense drama about a disintegrating marriage, Scenes From A Marriage, is made from you. Quite literally, as it is made by the same guy, Hagai Levi, the creator of The Affair. Also, this is an official remake of Ingmar Bergman’s Swedish miniseries by the same name, which was later condensed into a film, winning accolades around the world. Oh, and the remake stars Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac. Too many good reasons to not skip it? Absolutely. Scenes From A Marriage streams on HBO/Hotstar.