Roving Eye

Rusi’s association with night spots, however, is not new. He was first noticed for his work at RGs, the once-upon-a-time happening disco on Marine Drive. Using mirrors as his canvas, Rusi’s work is distinguished by his bold and bright colours. This time his paintings attracted a host of people. ELLE’s Nirja Shah, Behram Contractor, Uday Benegal and Anish Trivedi were all there.

Three Flights Up found itself drawing an equally large crowd for Games People Play. Starring Soni Razdan, Aly Khan and Vinay Jain, the Narang’s nightspot was so packed on Friday that some guests had to stand and watch the play while others were turned away at the door. People really seem to have taken toidea of class entertainment at bars. So much so that Games People Play is planning a performance at Razzberry Rhinoceros, in Juhu, very soon.

Play ball

Sport too was making party circuit headlines thanks to Procam Sports’ Anil and Vivek Singh. The duo put together a rugby promo and roped in celebrities like Sumeet Chopra, Marc Robinson, Mahesh Bhupati and Ashok Kurien to play ball. Some players, like Sumeet, may have been first-timers at the sport, but they really took to the game. After a toughly-contested match the tired troopers made a beeline for the Procam party, held on a Marine Drive terrace. The bash went on till the wee hours of the morning as everyone was in high spirits. Adding some glamour to the event was Anupama Verma and Sophiya Haque — both of who came with their other halves, namely Mahesh and Jules Fuller. Incidentally, both these former veejays will be making their onscreen debuts by the end of the year. Jackie Shroff’s Grahaan starring Anupama is finally going tobe released after a delay of over a year. And Sophiya will be seen in Sunhil Sippy’s nearly-completed film Snip.

Card party

Thanks to Thomas Cook, a lot of corporate types had reason to party on Tuesday night too. The travel company decided to announce the launch of their new credit card at a glittering bash. Thomas Cook CEO and MD Ash Kakkar made sure that the corporate czars had a night to remember by arranging for Satish Vyas and Anaida to sing that night. And among those tapping their feet to music were Dilip De and Mahindra & Mahindra’s Arun Nanda. And since no bash is complete without a dash of glamour, there were the usual toppings of glitz and glamour in the form of the modelling crowd. Most notable among them were Matti Saran, the stunning model who has now turned her hand to the textile business and theatre man Farid Currim.

Taking the cake

Speaking of glittering crowds, there is no denying that ad man Prahlad Kakkar is one of the city’s most dynamic people. Besidesbeing an Indian Express columnist, he also runs a diving school in Lakshwadeep and has now taken over the Tea Centre in Churchgate. Located in Resham Bhavan, the Chai ghar is done up in cheerful hues of yellow and green. Running for a couple of weeks now, the tea house has opted out of a gala opening. Prahlad has gone in for word-of-mouth promotions instead. Yes, he personally ensures that whoever wanders in, get a good sampling of the various teas available. And since Prahlad is quite the foodie, he has not neglected the food menu either. Wicked French fries, gourmet omelettes and thirst-quenching flavoured iced teas are also on offer.

Touch of Class

The high point of the week was Tarun Tahiliani’s fashion show, held at the Oberoi. And even though Tarun has stayed away from Mumbai for two years now, it is evident that he has lost none of his touch. The latest show, held on Saturday, was a really well-planned and well-put-together event. The stage was decorated with exquisite carpets, there wereenough seats for all and each model took the ramp alone, affording the audience a chance to really examine each outfit. The clean and simple choreography was done by Mehr Jesia-Rampal (by the way, she has dropped Jesia and is now called Mehr Rampal) and on the ramp were the country’s top catwalkers. Yes, from old-timers like Madhu Sapre, Noyonika Chatterjee, Achla Sachdev and Alison Kanuga to newer models like Helen Brodie, Sheetal Malhar, Tarun Raghavan and Syed Zulfi.

Tarun has also lost none of his touch when it comes to drawing together the city’s most elegant women: Anuradha Mahindra, Devika Bhojwani, Kavita Khanna and Minal Modi to name but a few, were all there.

But the real stars of the night were Tarun’s designs. His chikan in black and white was not only chic but very wearable even for those with fuller figures. The jackets and trousers were tailored to suit short and tall women. He also stuck to his trademark fluting, giving sari blouses a more sculptured and feminine touch. For those shoppingfor more, Tarun had a range of Swarovski-adorned corset-style blouses and brightly coloured jamavar coats. His choice of colours were just as diverse as his designs — ranging from the palest of blues to the brightest of reds and oranges. Even his use of fabrics was varied — from simple cotton to pashmina. Tarun’s millennium collection may have had no real theme to it, but that was the best part of it. He drew inspiration from the past all the while looking in to the future.

And finally…

In town this week for the opening of L’oreal shop at Crossroads was their Indian mascot Diana Hayden. Now settled in London, the former Miss World is taking acting lessons — probably to star in her beau Kaizad Gustad’s next film project. Till that materialises the two of them believe in living life to the fullest. They have been spotted all over town letting their hair down. Apparently the Bombay Boys director had a birthday on Saturday and the duo held a rocking party to celebrate the event. This is onecouple that seems to enjoy getting into each other’s hair.