scorecardresearch
Add as a preferred source on Google
Sunday, March 15, 2026
HomeOpinionMumbai Memo

Mumbai Memo

Mumbai’s elite host Cocktails Pe Charcha before BMC polls. Netas & their wives are invited

Breaking the ice with voters is easier when the bar is well stocked.

Rakhi Sawant is the real Marathi Manoos—though Thackerays will disagree

Beneath the rough edges, rawness and daring, there are priceless kernels of truth that Rakhi Sawant's followers relate to and applaud.

Hema Malini showed us how to grieve with dignity

Hema Malini’s quiet, unbent presence with her own family and close friends made the most poignant statement amid the noise surrounding the passing of a man who belonged to everyone.

Desi weddings are now fake, vapid, meaningless extravaganzas. Billionaires pop out of nowhere

Once you sign up for a celebrity-driven destination ‘event’, you are held hostage for three days that test your sanity and stamina, unless you are Ranveer Singh, who always looks like he is having the best time.

The day Dharmendra ‘died’

Incredible how rapidly the rumour of Dharmendra's death spread, and how many responsible people believed it—from Rajnath Singh to Yogi Adityanath. Who are we in comparison?

SRK is more Johnny Depp than Depp

SRK's impromptu party looked refreshingly ‘normal’ and as cool as the Birthday Boy himself. King of Kool could be another tag for the man who once declared himself 'the last of the stars'.

Lobbying for invites to hugs from Rekha—Diwali parties are Bollywood’s power games

There are big-ticket gifting specialists these days who curate the most creative presents—for a big, fat fee. It’s a lucrative side hustle for socialites.

Priyanka Chopra, Aishwarya Rai handholding the billion-dollar desi makeover of global luxury

Pity none of the well-behaved guests attempted India’s favourite 'Nagin dance' when Italian brand Bvlgari 'saap' slithered through The Art House in Mumbai.

Bads of Bollywood can’t get more brazenly nepo. The joke’s on us

After watching the most discussed series on Netflix, I was planning to write an asterisk-heavy column. As a tribute to the asterisks in its...

Mumbai measures everything in Bollywood box office terms. Even Ganesh Utsav

The ‘Saiyaara Effect’ has shaken up Bollywood, unable to decode or deconstruct its massive success. Take a look at the staggering numbers: Rs 576 crore on a Rs 40-60 crore budget.

On Camera

Gulf conflict pushes Dubai diamond traders to eye Surat for rough stone auctions. But there are hurdles

Industry leaders say India’s complicated customs process and GST levies are deterrents for traders to come to Surat for auctions.

Supreme Leader Mojtaba, the man Iran must keep alive & the secret force ‘tasked with it’—all about NOPO

The Nirouyeh Vijeh Pasdaran Velayat, or NOPO, was the only force Ali Khamenei trusted.It was founded in 1991 and is more feared than the Revolutionary Guards.

Peaceful power transfers followed uprisings in India’s neighbourhood. It’s a sign of mature democracies

Rating democracies is a tricky business. I am only using the simple metric of who in the Indian subcontinent has had the most peaceful, stable, normal political transitions and continuity.