NOVEMBER 17, 2023
Attention is a heady elixir in Mumbai, and rather addictive at that. With the world blowing kisses at Virat Kohli for breaking and making new cricket records at the Wankhede Stadium and football’s invincible goliath himself, David Beckham on a walkabout of the very same stadium with none other than the revered lord of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, with Kohli as an assist, it’s been a very celebratory November so far. And with India playing Australia in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 on November 19th in Ahmedabad, the attention on cricket is only going to escalate, particularly if India wins the cup.
MUMBAI: India’s colossus of cricket, Virat Kohli became the first batter in ODI history to score 50 centuries, breaking the record for most hundreds in ODIs during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar’s landmark record for most ODI centuries when he hit his 50th ODI hundred in the semifinal game against New Zealand on November 15th at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India. Kohli made his ODI debut in 2008 and has played 279 innings in 291 matches to score 13,794 runs at an average of 58.69 and a strike rate of 93.62 to date. He has scored 50 centuries and 71 half-centuries in the 279 innings to date. After the 2011 World Cup win, Kohli had carried his idol, Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders on the Wankhede grounds, and after hitting his milestone, he saluted towards the stands in the direction of his wife Anushka Sharma, and then to Tendulkar. “It’s the stuff of dreams, Anushka was sitting right there, Sachin was there in the stands. It’s very difficult for me to explain this, but if I could paint a perfect picture, I would want this to be the picture. My life partner, the person I love the most, she’s sitting there. My hero, he’s sitting there. And I was able to get there in front of all of them and all these fans in Wankhede as well, such a historic venue. It was amazing,” said Kohli of his historic moment and India’s win.
Virat Kohli at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India on November 15th, 2023.
Of course there was another sporting goliath, David Beckham, watching the semi-final game and Kohli’s record innings from the stands. Beckham was on his first visit to India as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, and caught up with the revered god of cricket and ICC Global Ambassador, Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai, ahead of India’s semi-final match against New Zealand. People went wild seeing Beckham, Tendulkar and Kohli together, and the three legends of sport were met with thunderous applause and excitement by the fans at Wankhede, especially when Kohli played assist for Beckham’s legendary kick. India plays Australia at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19th and it remains to be seen what records the boys in blue will make and break on the day.
David Beckham with Sachin Tendulkar, Akash Ambani, Kiara Advani, Siddharth Malhotra at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India
MUMBAI: The first edition of Himalayan Knot, a project exploring the textiles, weaves and crafts of the Himalayan region, namely Ladakh, orchestrated and nurtured by Royal Enfield’s (Eicher Motors Ltd) social mission, was held on November 17th at a Mukesh Mills in Mumbai. The Timeless Spirit of The Himalayas, a conversation between designer Prabal Gurung and sustainable activist and journalist, Bandana Tewari, both of Nepalese descent and heritage, spoke of their combined familiarity with the Himalayan region, and the pressing need for its rightful cultural identity on the global landscape. After all, conversations like these that stem from personal experiences, are the first drivers that action change, be it cultural, ethnic, political or climactic. The Himalayan region traverses India, Nepal, China, Pakistan and Bhutan, and is often othered and smothered by talks of the highest mountain peak in the world, Mount Everest, and not its indigenous people, their culture, their histories and the adverse effects of global warming on all aspects of their life. Tewari also moderated a panel on Empowering Communities Through Craft and Culture and Shaping Contemporary Fashion With Heritage Textiles during the course of the evening. Talking about the plurality in the singularity of our roots and our heritage is the only way forward in a world consumed with selective recognition. The Himalayan kitchen experience was crafted by culinary virtuoso, Chef Prateek Sadhu’s new restaurant NAAR (fire in Kashmiri) in Solan, and led by Chef Kamlesh Negi and a 10-member team, alongside Ladakhi home chefs in Mumbai. The Baqarkhaani, Yak Cheese Askaloo and Gucchi Pulao were incredibly flavourful and delicious. The affable Chef Negi lives in Dehradun, but he belongs to the Paudi Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, and his culinary talent for regional dishes is beyond compare. I am yet to eat something made by him that’s not wildly amazing and memorable.
©Prabal Gurung at Mukesh Mills, Mumbai, India | Photographed by Rubina A Khan
Strategically positioned on the banks of the Arabian Sea, Mukesh Mills, a favoured spot for film shootings, came alive for the night from its dilapidated, withered, barren and abandoned state of existence. Prior to this Jumma night, I had only ever seen Mukesh Mills playing shape-shifting characters in Amitabh Bachchan’s films, namely the Jumma Chumma track from Hum (1991), Khuda Gawah (1992), Agneepath (1990), all directed by the late Mukul Anand. I reckon Bachchan’s Tiger in Hum led to the spawning of many tigers in the film industry since, but Bachchan’s Tiger is an indomitably original and beloved character. I was deliciously excited to be at Mukesh Mills, a place I had wanted to visit for a long time, imagining Bachchan’s 90s era and the films he shot at the abandoned and obsolete mill. I shall go back to Mukesh Mills soon to see the jetty and the docks in all their geographical and historical glory under the warmth of the winter sun.
Mukesh Mills in Colaba, Mumbai, India
An excerpt from ©Amitabh Bachchan’s blog, marked Day 75 reads thus:
“My dear friend and producer of the film, Romesh Sharma and I had been battling for a number for a sequence for a while. On a private visit to Brussels, Belgium I walked past a music store and heard the notes of a song which remained with me. A few months later driving up to Abhishek’s school in Switzerland I heard some attractive notes of another song on the radio and it all came together. ‘Mukhra’ Belgium, ‘antara’ Switzerland and we had the song. Soon after it was recorded, there was Holi at Prateeksha and in the madness of the revelry of the festival, we played the song out to the hundreds of guests at an open house. Billu, as I fondly call Romesh, and I knew we had a winner. We sat on the design, we sat on the location, we sat on the choreography and picked Mukesh Mills. Set up a section of the dilapidated factory into a workers entertainment centre and shot the song. I have never witnessed such enthusiasm and energy in all, during the shooting of this catchy number. We had our moments though. A few months before that shooting I had been on a concert tour – Jumma Chumma in London. Wembley Stadium. 65,000 people. A first for any Indian concert. There was just Sridevi and myself and Kalyanji Anandji with Viju and his orchestra. But I wanted more artists. Two young first timers had suddenly erupted on the film firmament and had perhaps just one film to their credit. Aamir Khan and Salman Khan. It was their first stage show ever. I invited them to join us. Along with Anupam and Neelam we had the concert of our time. A film was made of it and it is available on dvd and video. The popularity of the song and the concert visual was now known to all. We had performed it on stage with exquisite Broadway dancers from New York. They had looked stunning. Would the impression of the song in the minds of the audience get disturbed with what they were now about to see on screen? It was a challenge. One that dance director Chinni Prakash came out in flying colors with. The lovely Kimi Katkar, so gorgeous in her red dress and the only lady on set in the song, incredible. In every shot, the crew, the light men, the spot boys the producer, director, the crowds, all screaming and shouting, egging us on to give our best. What an atmosphere.”
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©Rubina A Khan 2023