Downtown: The Delhi-Mumbai Gazette

THE clouds have begun lifting from the horizon for Mohammed Azharuddin even if theclouds of match-fixing continue to hover above. And though the former Indian skipper stillhopes to stage a comeback in cricket, the writing seems quite clear on the wall—thathis innings as a cricketer are over. The man will now emerge as an event manager."Since the courts are seized of the matter, I cannot say anything about my future.Surely, I’ll try to be back in the whites soon," said Azhar while formallylaunching the Azhar Sangeeta Management Services in Hyderabad last week. Azhar, who wentinto hiding soon after the scam broke out, appeared far from inaccessible as he pleadedwith the media to keep cricket at bay. "I have now teamed up with my wife SangeetaBijlani and am engaged in doing some good charity work through this event management andentertainment company. I seek all your cooperation," he said. Help is what the manneeds badly from the media which is why he has adopted the right cause, is maintaining theright stance, and speaking the right words—"Magic Johnson has been my rolemodel. When I learnt that he had aids, I wanted to do something for other suchpatients." But it was for the quake victims that the founder-chairman of the companybegan his innings. The launch event was a fashion show featuring top designers likeWendell Rodericks, Manish Malhotra and Krishna Mehta, held in the newly renovated TajKrishna. Azhar made it sound as though he was behind the show but the organisers allegeotherwise. "Azhar distributed so many passes that at the end of the day the showdidn’t make any money either. It was a loss," says a source. Well, to gains,next time!

Guess what eight brilliant actors from the UK have been doing this month? Making foolsof themselves. Which, we agree, is quite a huge and gallant enterprise but not huge andgallant enough to employ four men and four women to perform various odd jobs and converseonstage for over 70 eternal minutes. I Am Dandy did make a case out of vaguenessas practised, exchanged and celebrated in many an air-kissed circle here and in the West.But beyond that the talented octet achieved little. There were expressions of unbridledgaiety and mirth but they arose from a particular island in the audience. Which made uswonder whether they were privy to some subliminal humour or whether the rest of us wereimmensely thick. However, when we mingled with the rest at the British Council performancewe found out, to our great relief, that we were not alone. Sometimes even good actorsfail!

TRUE artists find their art anywhere, even if it’s amidst a concrete and steeljungle. Four internationally-reputed artists were in Mumbai, doing precisely that fromFebruary 12 to March 12. British sculptor John Gibbons, French artist Vincent Barre, andIndian greats Subodh Gupta and Jehangir Jani had been living together and working togetherat the Jindal Iron and Steel Company—as part of Steelworks, the first internationalartists’ residency initiated by the Jindal Art Foundation. The idea is the brainchildof Sangita Jindal, chairperson of the foundation. "Instead of working out of a smallstudio, these artists were working where steel is manufactured, used as much steel as theywanted to and took the help of our factory workers to create monumental art." Gibbonshas made three sculptures, one of them a 60-ft tall lingam which Jindal plans to instal atNariman Point. Barre asked the factory workers to interpret his paper origami in steel andgot a steel sculpture that moves with the wind. Gupta worked in stainless steel; and Janicreated a 40-ft structure in mild steel. A steal for steel?

The devastation in Gujarat deeply moved this Japanese jazz musician, understandably nostranger to earthquakes. The Japanese Embassy, Japan Foundation and Friends of Musicbrought in Terumasa Hino for a charity concert benefiting craftsmen. Large numbers ofblack-suited Japanese turned up in the gardens of the embassy but there were only afistful of Indians, including the Indian Ocean musicians who were to have a lively jamsession with them the next day. The warm, rich tones of Hino’s trumpet and SeijaTada’s delightful sax rang into the night barring an indifferent recital of a newcomposition with ‘Indian strains’. There was a special treat for the encore: asthe group played Louis Armstrong’s Someday, you’ll be sorry, Hinolaunched into a storm of tap-dancing with a verve and vigour that belied every one of his58 years.

The Expression as Empowerment Symposium on March 8 and 9 at the Max Mueller Bhavan inBombay was unlike the usual workshops held around International Women’s Day. On March8, speakers like Anju Dodiya and Nalini Malani, Aruna Raje and Tanuja Chandra leddiscussions over four sessions on identity and tradition, narratives and gender. On March9, cine buffs were treated to films by women or about women: among them, ReenaMohan’s Kamlabai, Madhusree Dutta’s Scribbles on Akka, Sabeena Gadihoke’sThree Women and a Camera. It was one treat to savour.

Payal Kapadia

Shaji N. Karun, leading light of parallel cinema, is set to make his first film in Hindi.Teaming up for the cast is Bollywood’s Jaya Bachchan with Malayali superstarMohanlal. Based on T. Padmanabhan’s story Kadal (The Sea), the film’sabout a Malayali family—mother, father and daughter—settled in the Northwho’ve left their roots behind, have not seen the sea. "The film’s aboutthe clash of cultures," says Shaji. More, it’s about a mother-daughter clash.The film unfolds over five days, where the mother’s shown dead in the last two days."It’s after the mother’s death that the daughter realises how good shewas," says Shaji. The veteran’s been scouting for locations around Rajasthan,Benares and Patiala. Now what he needs is a new face to cast as the daughter.

At a time when the good old shrink has become old and not so good, Sunita Menon’salleged ability to see auras around people falls in line with new-age fads. Hers is acoloured view of people—grey around a sick person, blue around a spiritual one andyellow around an organised soul. It was the colour red, however, that she saw when Outlooktried to ask some questions. Our scepticism apart, Manish Malhotra says it was her advicethat made him leave accounting and take on a creative line of work. Singer Raageshwari metMenon over a year ago after she suffered Bell’s Palsy. Menon’s was a comfortingpresence, she says. Or was it her aura?

After weights, it’s now glasses of milk that Karnam Malleswari has decided tolift. In clean and jerk motion and before blinding arc lights and whirring cameras. Thelone medallist for India in the recently-concluded Olympics has now become the face forVijaya butter, ghee and what not. Malleswari was in Hyderabad’s Annapoorna studioslast week donning the greasepaint for an ad film to promote milk products produced by theAP Dairy Development Cooperative Federation or the APDCF. Of course, she was no maid tothe manner born. "I felt so uneasy when the shooting began, but now I am better. Ihave got used to all these glaring lights now. I tried my best to be natural. I imaginedmyself on the stage doing my regular practice which helped me a lot." You can say mooto that.