CHENNAI, New deLHi, mumbAi, beNGALuru, kOLkAtA, AHmedAbAd, HyderAbAd, cHANdiGArH*, puNe* VOL. 17 NO.

233

SATURDAY, September 30 2023
THE LOKESH
KANAGARAJ WAY
Lokesh Kanagaraj is ready
with his fifth film, ‘Leo’,
starring Vijay, releasing on 19
October. The director of ‘Mas-
ter’, ‘Kaithi’ and ‘Vikram’, owes
as much to R.K. Selvamani and
Aabavanan as Martin Scorsese
and Quentin Tarantino
SEE PAGE 11
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CHENNAI, New DeLHI, mumbAI, beNGALuRu, kOLkATA, AHmeDAbAD, HyDeRAbAD, cHANDIGARH*, puNe* VOL. 17 NO. 233 Rs. 15.00 18 pAGeS

SATURDAY, SepTembeR 30 2023
OLYMPIC GLORY
ON CELLULOID
A festival of films and
acclaimed images, organised
by the Film Heritage Founda-
tion and the Olympic
Museum in Switzerland, will
allow sports fans in Delhi and
Mumbai to revisit unforget-
table Olympics moments
SEE PAGE 12

E-TAILERS READY FOR FESTIVE SHOWDOWN | PAGE 16

THE CUP OF DREAMS THe ODI cRIckeT wORLD cup ON HOme SOIL IS AN exceLLeNT OppORTuNITy
fOR INDIA TO wIN THe TOuRNAmeNT fOR THe THIRD TIme. LOuNGe ANALySeS
THe cHANceS Of THe TeAm AND ITS mAIN RIVALS
02 Saturday, 30 September 2023
Chennai FIRST

PLAN THE WEEK

NEW ON SCREENS
Vishal Bhardwaj tackles Agatha Christie, a captivating genre-hopping thriller, and other titles to watch this weekend
AHEAD

NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU

Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) is a THE MASTERS OF WARLI ART
seamstress who lives a solitary

O
life at her childhood home on jas Art, which specialises
the outskirts of a town that in showcasing tradi-
seemingly doesn’t welcome her tional art in a new light,
any more due to a past event. is hosting an exhibition on Warli
Her life takes a dramatic turn art. Titled Drawing Life, the
one night when an intruder show has been curated by artist-
tries to break into her house. educator Nikhil Purohit with the
The intruder is not human; it’s aim of focusing on how both
ROCKY AUR RANI KII PREM KAHAANI an extraterrestrial, humanoid indigenous and contemporary
Rocky (Ranveer Singh), an amiable Delhi Punjabi himbo and lad- alien—the first of many she influences coexist within the art
doo-business scion, and Rani (Alia Bhatt), a sharp Bengali journal- must encounter as the movie form. For centuries, the Warli
ist, hit it off and simultaneously move into each other’s houses to progresses towards a cliffhang- community has expressed itself
see if they can live with each other’s families. It’s rather touching ing climax. (Disney+ Hotstar) through ritualistic wall paint-
to see Karan Johar still trying to make the kind of all-shrieking, ings, made with materials like
morals-improving, life-is-antakshari Bollywood film that every- cow dung and rice paste. In the
one else has given up on. (Amazon Prime) 1970s, though, artist Jivya Soma
Mashe made the transition from
walls to canvas. The exhibition
presents 20 works by masters
like Balu Jivya Mashe—Jivya
Soma’s son—Mayur and Tushar
Vayeda. At Ojas Art@1AQ, Meh-
GANDEEVADHARI ARJUNA rauli, Delhi, till 15 October, 11am-
Union environment minister Aditya Rajbahadur (Nassar), who is 7pm (closed on Mondays)
in London for a UN climate change conference, escapes a bid on
his life. Special agent Arjun (Varun Tej) is hired to protect him—
the minister is threatening to expose tycoon Ranveer Rai, who
dumps biohazard waste from Western countries in India. Despite
a topical issue and some slick action, the Praveen Sattaru film gets
derailed by the frenzy of things woven into the plot, including a
kidnapping, a murder and a love track. (Netflix)

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

Hadley (Haley Lu Richardson) and Oliver (Ben Hardy) are seated
next to each other on a flight from New York to London—she has NEGOTIATING THE BODY
missed an earlier flight. Hadley is headed to her father’s wedding,

and he to a memorial service. They make an instant connection
but get separated after landing at Heathrow (she forgets to save his
number). Obviously, fate has to intervene. A simple film with two
likeable characters. (Netflix)
CLASS ACT
The series is loosely based on the life of
the late French businessman, TV host
and politician Bernard Tapie (played by
Laurent Lafitte), who served prison time
for match-fixing as the boss of the foot-
ball club Olympique Marseille (OM).
Son of a plumber, Tapie’s initial
attempts at starting various businesses
were unsuccessful till he hit upon the
idea of buying debt-ridden companies.
Known to take risks, he served briefly as
a minister under François Mitterrand. “I
do things without looking into the rear-
view mirror,” says Tapie, in the film.
(Netflix)
Compiled by Nipa Charagi, Uday Bhatia and Nitin Sreedhar.
T
he Vadehra Art Gallery is
presenting two solo shows,
by a Dutch artist, Juul
Kraijer, and Anita Dube. Both
artists focus on the body as site
and material, viewing it through
sociopolitical and philosophical
lenses, respectively. On Wings
by Kraijer features a suite of
photographs, collages, drawings
and a video work. In The Devil In
The Detail, Dube follows the
CHARLIE CHOPRA & THE MYSTERY OF SOLANG “corporeality of our individual
VALLEY and collective bodies, encapsu-
Vishal Bhardwaj’s six-episode series, an adaptation of Agatha lated in language, memory, his-
Christie’s The Sittaford Mystery, could easily have been a tory and mythology, by explor-
dysfunctional family drama instead of a murder mystery. There’s ing the body as material and
none of the breathless urgency of Sherlock or the Kenneth consequence, as possession and
Branagh Poirot films. The atmosphere is cosy, with characters agent,” states the exhibition
rolling joints, making tea, unwinding by the fireplace in old note. At Vadehra Art Gallery,
houses. Wamiqa Gabbi (Jubilee) stars as the fourth-wall-breaking D-53, Defence Colony, Delhi, till
sleuth out to prove her fiancé’s innocence. (SonyLIV) 27 October, 10am-6pm (Monday-
Saturday)
—Compiled by Avantika Bhuyan.

LOUNGE BUY TASTE THINK MOVE

ONLINE
Noise cancellation The miso migration: The importance A new way to manage
YOUR on a budget sweet and savoury of saying no muscle pains
FAVOURITE
WEEKEND READ
A O B R
t just ₹4,999, the Realme Buds ur taste buds have been intro- harti Singh’s new picture book, No ed light and infrared light therapy
Air 5 Pro are value-for-money duced to umami-rich miso in a Is A Good Word, encourages chil- are emerging as non-invasive
NOW THROUGH earbuds, with impressive active hearty soup, as a salad dressing dren to stand up for themselves, alternatives for pain management.
noise cancellation (ANC), multipoint teamed with sesame paste, or as a mari- make their own decisions, and not In the treatments, the body is exposed to
THE WEEK connectivity and call experience. If you nade for a grilled seabass at Japanese res- ignore their feelings. Illustrated by Urva- a lamp or a laser with a red light. This
are a fan of bass-forward sound signa- taurants all over India. But are we truly shi Dubey, it has been published by Daf- process ensures that our cells absorb the
ture, you will like the Buds Air 5 Pro. It’s ready to munch on a miso-fronted fodil Lane, a children’s book publisher rays and create more energy, writes Aditi
The best of Mintlounge.in from a solid addition to the sub- cookie or sip on a cocktail based in Mumbai. The pic- Sarawagi. Benefits include
₹5,000 price bracket. The that pays homage to it? ture book narrates the easing muscle pain,
the week gone by and what to TWS buds also come with Sure, say a host of pastry story of little Sia, who goes improved joint mobility
look forward to in the one ahead spatial audio (a 360-de- chefs and mixologists Raul on an unexpected journey and reduced soreness. A
gree audio effect) but this Dias spoke to from across of self-discovery. She real- study states that the ther-
is not a feature that blows the country. Its savoury ises that ignoring her feel- apy allows the body to heal
you away, writes Sahil Bhalla in his flavour contrasts well with sugar, the ings doesn’t feel good, and that she must itself by activating its natural physiologi-
review. Despite that, it’s probably one of inherent salty notes uplift bittersweet be kind to herself too just like she is kind cal responses. It’s considered safe, with
the most value-for-money earbuds right chocolate, and its umami taste can bring to others. The book takes us through few side effects, and doctors dismiss the
now, with ANC up to 50 decibels, sup- out the complexities of a blended Scotch, some meaningful scenarios and how myth that it causes skin cancer. Going by
port for LDAC, dual drivers and multi- lending it greater popularity in desserts kids can say “no” with confidence and the rising sales of at-home infrared
point connectivity. and cocktails. empathy, writes Shweta Sharan. lamps, it’s becoming popular.

lounge@livemint.com In Smart Living >> Innovation In Food >> Discover In Relationships >> Raising Parents In Health >> Wellness
@mint_lounge
@livemintlounge

ON THE COVER: PHOTOGRAPHS FROM GETTY IMAGES, AFP AND REUTERS; CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS: IN “THE BURDEN OF EXPECTATION”, 23 SEPTEMBER, THIS IS HOW THE SENTENCE SHOULD HAVE READ: SRINIVASARAJU IS NO MODI FAN AND WRITES WITH MUCH EMPATHY FOR GANDHI, BUT CALL IT TOUGH LOVE.
LIVEMINT.COM
Saturday, 30 September 2023
Chennai 03

Sunil Sethi, Chairman, FDCI

FASHION’S MOST WANTED Over the last 15 years, his magnetic presence coupled with a flair for high-wire deeds define
where the Indian fashion industry is today
Photograph by Manoj Verma

Prerna Gauba

U
nder the moody lights of a
dark room, a fashion haven
comes to life on the prized
runway. Flanked on each
side by attendees vying for
a peek of the new collections and cameras
ready to let their shutters roll at a single

I feel elated
click, one man stands out amidst the fash-
ion mavens- the effortlessly charismatic
Sunil Sethi, Chairman of the Fashion

that I was
Design Council of India (FDCI), impec-
cably dressed in the best of Indian fashion-
promoting Indian sensibilities through
his style. He exudes charm by the minute
conversing as easily with dignitaries and
foreign buyers as with designers and fash-
ionistas. It’s impossible to miss him
able to
throughthecrowdsashecommandsatten-
tion in a manner few can achieve. In a
fashion schedule that’s brimming over
achieve
what I set
with shows, you see him everywhere,
sometimes aggressive and sometimes
reprimanding the teams to make sure

out to do
things are perfect. However, what we see
and appreciate is the 20-minute fashion
parade, not recognising what goes behind,

if not in a
is weeks and years of hard work and pas-
sion by different stakeholders.

5 year plan
THE INCEPTION
Sethi, who had been in the business of
sourcing for years, entered the fashion

but a 15-
arena with new ideas, passion and dreams.
Donning many hats, his speciality at that
time was home furnishings, Indian crafts
and fashion accessories, which never
deterred him to dream big for the nascent
fashion industry at that time. When asked
abouthowFDCIcameabout,Sethireveals,
year plan.
“My job was to source for specialty stores
across the world. We recognised the prod-
uct that they required for their stores
The credit
for this
internationally and had them made in
India. So, the journey of ‘make in India’
and ‘made in India’ started in the 80s. I

goes to the
was familiar with the export and designer
worldbutnotreallywiththeIndianfashion
industry. In 2000, one of my clients,

FDCI board
Selfridges in the UK, their MD Vittorio
Radice, who made it to the 50 most power-
ful men in fashion list according to Time

members
magazinecametoIndia,andwasimpressed
by the young energy of India, so we started
to do an India promotion in the UK. That

was when I was in awe of fashion
designers.”
It was around this year that the Fashion
Design Council of India aka FDCI had only
been set up. Sethi, came to the first fashion
week as a buying agent with 7 of his buyers
from Selfridges which included different
genres - womenswear, menswear, RTW
and more. The first-ever fashion week
became his introduction to the FDCI. “The
buyers I got, selected close to 17 designers
at that fashion week. After that I was lucky,
with a month long India promotion at
Selfridges that happened in the following
year and it was noticed by everyone across
the world. Later, the promotions helped
take India to the best stores across the
world in Italy, Ireland, Israel, Russia and
the US. So what happened is that very fast
I was able to make headway with FDCI.
The board realised that I was a serious
player and I meant business when it came
to promoting Indian fashion designers. In
the year 2008, a group of senior members
left FDCI to form another body. It was then
that FDCI invited me for a meeting in
Delhi. Little did I know that my name was
being proposed not as a board member
but as the president for the organization,”
narrates Sethi who was actively doing his
sourcing business and flabbergasted by
this proposal.
However, as fate would have
it, he agreed to take up the role
-which was strenuous and new-
as he sold his intellectual prop-
erty to a 20 plus billion dollar
company back then and had
already reduced his responsi-
bilities on other fronts.
Many including his predeces-
sor, the director general of FDCI
who was an ex IAS, Mrs. Rathi Vinay Jha
amongst designers such as Rajesh Pratap
Singh, JJ Valaya, TJ Singh, Anju Modi and
others became his staunch supporters.
THE FIERY BACKLASH
When Sethi took over, he was bombarded
with questions and raised eyebrows on
what he was doing and trying to achieve.
The possibilities he visioned set his imagi-
nation whirling and he kickstarted his
journey to redefine fashion in India.
and 400
plus
designers.
Case in point - Rounds of questioning
in the 2000s from the media asking, “why
is there no corporate backing?”, “where
is the government’s support?”, “who
exactly wants to buy clothes with high
prices?” and “Is fashion only for classes
and not masses?” With the hindsight of
taking over the charge of fashion in India,
Sethi developed a unique perspective with
a clear intent of solving these problems
and taking the Indian fashion industry
international. However, back
then,thisseemedtobeanintim-
idating and arduous task.
“Every journalist asked me
this question, that fashion is an
elitistthing,itdoesn’thelpIndia,
why isn’t there any corporate
backing for you? For years I
FDCI struggled with this, and told
everybody that we are a nascent
fashion industry. Today, this may sound
strange, but over the years, I struggled
with this question because international
fashion was backed by big corporates and
also government support. For almost, 7-8
years of my journey, I have faced obstacles
with corporate funding and frankly there
was none. The only help I got was from
the government. I, at least was able to show
everybody that the govt backed us. We
were given buyer seller funds, the govt
helped in sending designers to Paris
Fashion Week. It was not something hap-
pening every season, but I was able to get
help and the government recognised the
importance of fashion. I was fortunate that
the textile ministry supported us along
with many top bureaucrats such as Ms.
Rita Menon, who was the former textile
secretary back then. Khadi and Village
Industries Commission(KVIC) have
backed us for the last 5 years till date. Many
ministers such as Ms. Smriti Irani during
her tenure and Mr Piyush Goyal, Textile
Minister backed us this time to show the
soft power of India with handloom and
Khadi at the G20,” confesses Sethi.
GROWING WITH CORPORATE
BACKING
Even after years of establishing and break-
ing stereotypical ideas about fashion, the
problem of corporate investments still
existed till the late 2000s. “I’m obligated
to Lakmé who backed us for 5 years and
then Wills Lifestyle and ITC group who
backed us for nine years continually. So
wehadcorporatebackingforfashionweek
but not designers. Then Amazon came in,
they trusted us because they wanted to
launch fashion in their online spaces for
the next four years. FDCI did survive
because of corporates,” he says.
So with Reliance Brands Limited com-
ing into the picture, alongwith Darshan
Mehta, President and Managing Director
of RBL and Jaspreet Chandok, Group Vice
President and Head of RISE opened new
spectrum of avenues for the fashion indus-
try. Aditya Birla group also made a signifi-
cant contribution to the industry. “Now,
I’m working in close proximity with
Reliance Brands and my designers are
benefittingfromthesecorporatefundings,
collaborations and associations. The ques-
tion now is not about why there is no cor-
porate funding for designers rather who
is next in line for the collaboration. Beauty
of the story is that now we have come full
circle, since 2008 to 2023 it has taken 15
years but looks like I have been able to tick
all the boxes. This happened due to the
contribution of designers, FDCI and most
importantly to the three fashion weeks
held each year - pret and couture. For me,
I feel elated and convinced (in my mind)
that I was able to achieve what I set out to
do, if not in a 5 year plan but a 15 year plan.
The credit for this also goes to the FDCI
board members and 400 plus designers
who have supported me at every step for
15 long years,” says a proud Sethi.
GOING INTERNATIONAL
Keeping up with times, the Indian fashion
industry has gone international with
designers participating at main trade
events and fashion shows. Be it, Paris, New
Your favourite fashion entrepreneur
Rei Kawakubo, a Japanese designer who founded Commes des Garçons
Your favourite Indian craft or loom
Vertical/Horizontal Panja loom for daris (Carpets)
When it comes to craft, I would say Ikat
The last book you read
I recently got my hands on a rare out-of-print book on Charles Correa with essays by him
York or the Middle East. Designers are best as we are exploring markets across
present in large numbers at these exhibi- the globe,” adds Sethi.
tions and are also a part of multi brand In his tenure of 15 years, he started new
stores internationally. A special mention properties besides India Fashion Week -
has to be given to the buyers and stores of IndiaCoutureWeek,IndiaMen’sWeekend
the Middle East for reviving and support- and the most recent one being Wedding
ing Indian designers in the genre of resort Weekend along with new collaborations
wear, Indowestern and fusionwear. with Lakmé and Reliance that paved a
“Design strength, creativity, right pricing strong future for Indian fashion. He was
amalgamated with the India story is what also responsible for taking Indian fashion
designers are pushed for on international designers international. Today, after
platforms by importers and buyers to gen- achieving a pinnacle, he still has an insa-
erate a good economy. The orders that tiable energy to contribute to the fashion
come internationally are now in large industry. Even though he shakes his head
numbers unlike earlier. We are proud of disapprovingly, it looks like his unstop-
wearing India and showcasing crafts such pable energy won’t let him call it a day.
as embroideries, handlooms and khadi
that are working across the world. We are
hungry for recognition, we are trying our Created by Mint Brand Studio
04 Saturday, 30 September 2023
Chennai
Source A compendium of beautiful objects inspired by
the colours of the World Cup teams
YELLOW FELLOW
Inflated Oversized
Sunglasses
Loewe’s oversized acetate
sunglasses have a chunky
squared rim, in line with
the house’s playful
proportions. Available on
Matchesfashion.com;
around ₹29,000
BLUE AWAY
Classic Blue Linen Pants
Crafted from a linen blend, comfy indigo blue pants with
pockets from Rias Jaipur. Available on Ikkivi.com; ₹6,100
Things to watch, read, hear, do—and other curated experiences from the team
THE VOICE OF HOME
H O
ave you noticed the skies in
Delhi are now bluer, the morn-
ings cooler and the sunshine
mellower as it filters through trees or
falls across buildings? This changing
of seasons, and the start of festivities,
is the time of year when my yearning
for my childhood home—Kashmir—
increases. In my longing for some-
thing familiar, I tend to do two things.
One, listen to Kashmiri Sufi singer
Noor Mohammad Shah’s Tche hue na
vuchum kahn mauji—the song is a trib-
ute to mother, or mauji. Second,
watch the single, Ride Home Ft Noor
Mohammad, where Alif frontman
Mohammad Muneem and Moham-
mad sing the same song while driving
on a misty day in the Valley. The song
feels like home: one where you want
to savour a cup of kehwa and a but-
tered lavasa (bread). This is perhaps
what the Welsh mean by the word
hiraeth. —Nipa Charagi
HOW TO LOUNGE
NO GREY
AREAS
Panda Overlay
Panelled,
reversible jacket
with geometric
appliqué patterns
and mirror hand-
embroidery from
Ka-Sha, worn with
the brand’s tunic
and pants.
Available on
Ka-sha.com;
₹75,000
LOUNGE LOVES
NEPAL’S TINY GEM
T
he Patan Museum in Lalitpur, Nepal,
may no longer be the most cutting-edge
small museum in South Asia but it
remains a marvel. In my many visits to the
country, I have tried not to miss spending an
afternoon with its fantastic collection of
Newar religious art, covering Buddhism,
Hinduism and the tantras. Sited in the
precincts of the medieval palace of Lalitpur’s
Malla kings, on the Patan Durbar Square, this
tiny gem was created in the 1990s as a
collaboration between the Nepalese and
Austrian governments. Since its opening in
1997, it has served to burnish the peerless art
heritage of the Newar people and stands as a
testament to the Kathmandu Valley’s unique
heritage. —Bibek Bhattacharya
THE PERFECT NUDE
T
here are many perks of having a make-
up artist as a friend, and one of them is
finding pocket-friendly alternatives to
pricey stuff. Four years ago, I accompanied
her on a shopping-cum-research trip to a
Nykaa store. She picked a nude pink lip liner
(that I wouldn’t have cared to try) and said it
would suit me. I didn’t know then that this
product, named Pillow Fight (₹335), is similar
to the legendary Charlotte Tilbury lipstick
Pillow Talk (₹3,150). It has a fetching matte
finish, looks good on its own, and can be used
to layer over bright colours for a soft effect. I
had never bought the same lipstick twice—
not even the iconic Ruby Woo by MAC—but I
have since purchased this lip liner countless
times. It never leaves my tiny make-up pouch.
—Jahnabee Borah
RED RIGHT
Aquaracer
Professional 200
From the 2004 TAG
Heuer ‘Aquaracer’
collection, designed
for professional
divers. Available on
Ethoswatches.com;
₹3,36,600
ORANGE
BLOSSOM
Vanleles Ring
The ring is crafted in
18 carat rose gold
and rimmed with
diamonds. Available on
Saksfifthavenue.com;
around ₹4.5 lakh
GREEN QUEEN
Mini Jodie Bag
Bottega Veneta’s Mini
Jodie is a playful,
handcrafted bag with
overt texturisation in
pure leather.
Available on 24s.com;
around ₹4.9 lakh
Compiled by Shrabonti Bagchi.
FOR A RAINY DAY
ne of my guilty pleasures is
watching re-runs of How I Met
Your Mother. Despite several
problematic themes and characters,
which have been rightly called out, I
like its goofiness, unpredictable
humour and warmth, and the use of
certain props as signposts in the
show’s complex timeline. One of these
is a yellow umbrella, a recurring visual
motif connecting two important char-
acters. I have always wanted one, and
the Rainster umbrella from Pangolin,
which comes in many colours, has a
variant in the exact shade of canary
yellow featured on HIMYM. Besides its
pop-culture significance, it is also a
good, sturdy umbrella—not the flimsy
foldable ones that come undone in the
slightest wind—with a long wooden
handle. Pangolin uses 75% sustainably
sourced raw materials for its products,
so that’s a plus. Could it be “The One”?
—Shrabonti Bagchi
One ringer to
STREAM OF
STO R I E S
RAJA SEN
rule them all
The ‘Succession’ crowd uses the same phones we do, but without a case.
I
have very little in common with Kendall Roy. He almost controlled one of
the biggest media conglomerates in the world. He has a chauffeur for his
motorcycle. He travels in private planes. He almost bought a company simi-
lar to The New York Times—while I hesitate to buy an NYT subscription. His
father left him billions of dollars. Mine did not. (This is fine: My father loved
me deeply and demonstrably. His did not.) We have, as mentioned, far too lit-
tle in common. Except for the fact that we use the exact same phone.
Kendall Roy, and his siblings and his monstrous father on the show Succes-
sion (streaming in India on JioCinema), use a brand new iPhone. Of course
they do.
This is truly unique brand positioning. State-of-the-art gadgets have always
helped shows and films to depict affluence but this was rarely ubiquitous.
James Bond used an Ericsson phone with a touchpad to drive his BMW in
Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), while Al Pacino lusted after an unreleased gold
Samsung smartphone in Ocean’s Thirteen (2007).Now the only shiny rectan-
gle that matters is the iPhone. It has become at once the Mercedes—the stan-
dard luxury brand—as well as the Rolls- Royce, the best there is. Blame it on
the meticulously rounded edges.
This positioning is newer than it seems. Three years ago, Knives Out
director Rian Johnson revealed how circumspect Apple was about its
on-screen depiction. “They let you use iPhones in movies, but, and this is very
pivotal if you’re ever watching a mystery movie, bad guys cannot have
iPhones on camera.” This bears true to Johnson’s whodunit, where the villain
doesn’t use an iPhone even as several other suspects do. Simply by breaking
this product-placement omerta, Johnson finished it off. Storytellers using
Apple products realised how big a giveaway this was, as did Apple. Morality
soon became no obstacle in iPhone-ownership. Even Logan Roy got one.
Part of this, as mentioned, is due to the rounded edges. Apple builds prod-
ucts with near-ridiculous attention to detail, fetishising materials and their
sculpting in a way other phones do not—even those that are as expensive, if
not more—preferring to concentrate instead on battery life or better cameras.
Yet by putting a discernible premium on elegance—and by talking about it
loudly enough—Apple has singled itself out as the super-luxury brand with-
out being the world’s most expensive or most powerful phone.
When we see Apple products used on films and shows, the discernible dif-
ference is not in product but in approach:
The Succession crowd uses the same
phones we do but they never feel
the need to protect their gad-
get with a case. Dent it twice,
get a new one. It’s not an
STREAMING TIP
approach those of us sav- OF THE WEEK
ing up for a phone could The Fake Sheikh (Amazon Prime
possibly take, and that’s Video) is a documentary about
what sets us apart—the British reporter Mazher Mahmood,
fact that they are raw- who took on a number of false
dogging it, possibly aided identities to entrap politicians,
by the fact that their
trouser pockets aren’t
likely to contain loose
celebrities
camera for
and sports stars on
various headline-
grabbing exposés.
Fascinating, unseemly
change and house keys.
Another reason for this pro- stuff.
liferation is that Apple, by sticking
resolutely to its own way of doing
things, has a recognisable visual interface, easy
for storytellers to overlay on screen in terms of speech bubbles used for tex-
ting and FaceTime video calls. Even their message tones and swoosh sounds
have now become everyday on-screen communication, just the way the
Nokia ringtone—the Grande Valse, by Spanish composer Francisco Tarrega—
used to show up in horror movies all the time. We don’t need to be told what it
is because we already know.
In terms of product positioning, this is a feat. Obviously, everyone on Apple
TV+ shows uses iPhones to text, while FaceTime-ing is written into the plots,
but Apple’s infiltration into the cool market has always been strong, right
from Sex And The City icon Carrie Bradshaw writing all her columns—and
thereby the show’s voice-over—on a Macbook, down to one Modern Family
episode (Connection Lost, season 6, episode 16, Hotstar) that was shot almost
entirely on iPhones and iPads. That also demonstrates the brand’s growing
demographic. As in a newly gentrified neighbourhood, first came the crea-
tives, then came everyone else.
In brand terms, the closest I can get is Nike’s Air Jordan shoes. Ubiquitous
yet cool, expensive yet attainable, on screen and on wishlists at the same time.
And yep, performers and rock stars and athletes rock their pairs with far
greater abandon than those of us who take time saving up for them. There is,
however, one massive thing that Jordans—produced in limited runs, with pri-
ces varying astronomically due to availability—have that iPhones do not.
Exclusivity.
Enviable as this current position may be for the brand, it could be headed
for a tipping point. You might not want what everyone on screen already has,
and Apple—far behind its rivals on customisation options in product prefer-
ences or upgrades—is serving up more of the same. No matter how exceed-
ingly gorgeous Apple makes its products, they are never going to be hard to
get. Once the cult, they are now the baseline.
Not that this matters to the streaming platforms. Amazon Prime Video and
Peacock are already fidgeting with “virtual product placement” or “In-Scene
Ads” where a can of cola or a bag of candy can be added digitally next to an
on-screen character. This can be different for different markets, and even for
different demographics. It sounds frightening but we are so used to logos
everywhere that I doubt we will notice. Speaking of logos, look at the one on
the back of Kendall’s phone. Who bit the apple? We all did.
Raja Sen is a screenwriter and critic. He has co-written Chup, a film about
killing critics, and is now creating an absurd comedy series.He posts @rajasen.

Political uncoupling in the season of break-ups
CHEAP
THRILLS
NISHA
SUSAN
am finding it hard to believe it has
I been nearly 10 years since Gwyneth
Paltrow used the phrase “conscious
uncoupling” in a blog post to describe
the end of her marriage to Coldplay
frontman Chris Martin. Has it been so
long since the post on her wellness site,
Goop, set off a Mexican wave of giggles
around the world?
As usual, though, Paltrow has had
the last laugh. The phrase that she
learnt from the famous marriage thera-
pist Katherine Woodward Thomas is
now part of a fairly earnest relationship
lexicon.
This has been the year of celebrity
splits in the West—Reese Witherspoon
from her husband, Hugh Jackman from
his wife, Billy Porter from his husband,
Justin Trudeau from his wife, India
from Canada—all amiable separations.
Sorry, sorry, I kid because I love. India’s
break-up with Canada has been about as
amiable as the late Russian mercenary
leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s from Rus-
sian President Vladimir Putin. Among
these fragments of dozens of burnished
works of art, only a few have the sharp
shards of a break-up—like actor Sophie
Turner’s break-up with singer Joe
Jonas, for instance. These few have had
the classic tabloid elements of snide
quotes from nameless “friends”, cus-
All is not well if the common bird is declining
A WA L K
IN THE
WO O D S
NEHA SINHA
he bird sat at the very top of the
T electric pole. The June sun had
blistered the ground, turning it
into a series of cracks and crevasses. The
open countryside felt like a furnace, the
kind of oven that would bake any expec-
tations of respite to cinders. In a nearby
forest, monkeys clung to the shadows of
bare trees, but the Indian roller contin-
ued to sit in the open: a cheeky, colour-
ful sentinel.
As I watched, it took off from the pole,
diving and then swerving its body up—a
smooth, rolling motion that shimmered
with colour and power. Sometimes it
caught prey, sometimes it just flew in an
almost military-style patrol. Its wings
were a brilliant blue—two shades, one
close to cerulean, the other close to
powder blue. Oxford and Cambridge
blues, someone joked.
The Indian roller’s rollicking flight
could only be called an aerial gambol. It
would usually return to its perch. And
what a joy it was to see its animated live-
liness in the listless heat.
For many who have seen the Indian
roller, also called the Neelkanth and the
Pala pitta, the bird symbolises the quin-
tessential Indian countryside. Areas
with fields, a few trees, a small eatery,
perhaps a pond or two. Areas that face
the brunt of heat, drought, the crackle
of a monsoon storm—open natural eco-
systems and scrubland that dot many
states. These often don’t register as pla-
ces in themselves but as areas connect-
ing two places.
There has traditionally been a lot to
see in these open habitats. A black
drongo sitting on the back of a cow or
on the branch of a tree. A Black-shoul-
dered kite whirring in the sky, sus-
pended at the same spot, eyes pinned on
prey below. A Great grey shrike sitting
on a thorny bush, its wicked hook-like
beak glinting. An Indian robin jumping
about, tail in the air at a jaunty angle.
These have been quotidian sights, so
it comes as a shock that many common
birds in India have witnessed a sharp
decline. According to the newly
released State Of India’s Birds report,
the Indian roller, the Blue-rock thrush,
the Common sandpiper, the Marsh
sandpiper, the Forest wagtail, the Great
grey shrike, the Garganey, the Northern
shoveler have witnessed sharp declines
(between 30-50% in the last 10 years).
Thirteen institutions came together
to assess how birds in India are doing.
Over 900 species were assessed, and it
was found that there has been a decline
of almost 40% in birds. I am drawing
attention to the common ones because
their apparent abundance so often
makes them seem invincible.
Perhaps we visually miss the decline
of a common bird because another bird
tody battles and well-placed photo-
graphs to establish who is totally over it
already. You have drinks with a good
friend of the preferred sex? I will have
photographs of myself frolicking on the
beach, laughing with a good-looking
new character. Apart from these few
exceptions, everyone else is keeping it
discreet and gracious.
Why are all these Hollywood types
breaking up? I have no clue but a celeb-
rity lawyer in the US told People maga-
zine her thrilling, totally winning-all-
the-prizes theory—the empowering
influence of female-driven media has
made her female celebrity clients file for
divorce. To quote this Laura Wasser,
“They’re feeling their power by going to
see Barbie and Taylor (Swift) and
Beyoncé.” In the US, where the Ameri-
can Sociological Association states that
the majority of straight people divorces
are initiated by women, experts and
amateurs are always looking for expla-
nations and ways to hustle women back
into the happy institution. Wasser’s is as
good as yours.
Never mind Wasser. I have to admit
that I thought of Paltrow and the phrase
she made famous in the context of a
political break-up—a phenomenon usu-
ally guaranteed to be filled with acri-
mony and providing joy for no one,
except the connoisseurs of schaden-
freude. Recently, when Tory MP
Nadine Dorries resigned, she wrote a
resignation letter to her boss, UK Prime
Minister Rishi Sunak. Among the other
things she said were the sentences:
“You took office a year ago, the country
is run by a zombie Parliament where
nothing meaningful has happened.
What exactly has been done or have you
enters the frame. If the roller is missing,
we might sight a crow and forget about
the former. If the Great grey shrike isn’t
to be seen, the sighting of a bee-eater
makes up. Seeing large numbers of
Blue-rock pigeons, crows and Common
mynas may belie the loss of other birds
that were once more abundant.
Many bird enthusiasts too look for
rare birds. Rarer birds are actively
sought out and desired—the trophy
after a long trip, the “lifer” on a well-de-
served holiday. Common birds may be
background tapestry to these lifers. But
common birds also have something
other birds don’t—the ability to show up
where we are, the ability to transform a
mundane moment into something else.
Young birdwatcher Arushi Kanwar
has noted the loss of some common
birds since the covid-19 pandemic. “I
THINK
When Gwyneth Paltrow used the phrase ‘conscious uncoupling’ for her break-up with Chris Martin, it caused much mirth.
achieved?” Having got this off her chest,
perhaps she felt better? It seems
unlikely.
How about Putin’s remarks about
Prigozhin after his former ally met
with a fiery death? “I knew Prigozhin
for a very long time, since the early
1990s. He was a man of complicated
fate, and he made serious mistakes in
his life, but he achieved the right
results.” Brr. A Siberian chill just went
Seeing large numbers of
Blue-rock pigeons, crows and
Common mynas may belie
the loss of other birds that
were once more abundant,
like the Indian roller
up my spine. Goop on ice.
I was very interested in the recent
political break-up initiated by the
AIADMK in Tamil Nadu. On 25 Septem-
ber, the AIADMK leadership, report-
edly including MLAs, MPs and district
secretaries, got together and
announced that the party has broken up
with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
According to the Frontline magazine,
the party’s statement said “the State
regularly
saw the
Indian roller in
the Chandu-Jhanj-
hrola stretch in Haryana. My
parents live in Panchkula and I used to
see both the European and the Indian
roller there. I see neither now. Gener-
ally speaking, there’s a lot of construc-
tion at many places. The decline of
more common birds often has me ques-
tioning whether I am going out enough
or there’s more disturbance in these
places,” she says. The idea of a local
patch being disturbed is how we have all
experienced outings in the natural
world—but this is tolerable only if the
bird has another spot to go to.
There are often conservation plans
for rare species—but hardly any for
common birds. Kanwar B. Singh, a resi-
Saturday, 30 September 2023
GETTY IMAGES
leadership of the BJP, for over the past
year has been systematically, purposely
and with ulterior motives, speaking def-
amatorily against the AIADMK, (former
chief ministers) C.N. Annadurai and J.
Jayalalithaa as well as criticising our
policies and programmes”. Routine
statement, yes? Yes, yes.
Anonymous quotes from the BJP say
the party was not expecting it at all,
much like several Hollywood celebrities
(left) European bee-eaters in Kyrgyzstan; and as a peacock dances, an Indian roller
(below) dives into a meadow in central India.
dent of the National Capital Region and
a veteran birder, notes the decline of
birds like the Sirkeer malkoha and
the Yellow-wattled lapwing in
the Capital. The Sirkeer is
a bashful resident bird
with dark eyes and a
red, yellow-
tipped bill. “I
would see the
bird often on
the fringes of
the Delhi
Ridge—but I
hardly see it
now,” Singh
says. “We also
seem to have
pushed the
Indian robin to
the edges of the
city or to a few insti-
tutional campuses. And
till even 20 years ago, the
Yellow-wattled lapwing was
common in Delhi.” Now, one mainly
sees its noisy cousin, the tateri, or the
Red-wattled lapwing, in the city.
The State Of India’s Birds report is
based on citizen science records; the
step forward would be to systematically
monitor declining common birds and
excavate the reasons for decline. It
would also be useful to continue moni-
toring in places for many decades—
these don’t have to be faraway forests
but cities, where many birdwatchers
live and work.
A few years ago, I was in Kyrgyzstan.
I was looking for eagles, something
Central Asia is famous for. While my
eyes combed the skies (there were no
Chennai 05
who found out about the split from
media or Instagram. A recent Singapore
Management University study intro-
duced me to their phrase PPDC, or Per-
ceived Partner Dissolution Considera-
tion, a term that desperately needs
some gooping up but is otherwise quite
useful. PPDC is one half of a couple’s
ability to gauge correctly whether the
other party is considering a break-up.
Or if you want the version from the
study’s co-author, Kenneth Tan, “the
extent to which individuals perceive
their partner is thinking about imple-
menting steps or plans to terminate
their relationship.” The BJP had low
PPDC about AIADMK. Okay?
What I was more intrigued by was
some of the other language and actions
that immediately followed the
break-up. For one thing, party workers
in Chennai celebrated the exit from the
National Democratic Alliance (NDA) by
handing out sweets and bursting crack-
ers. This is the political equivalent of
Princess Diana’s famous revenge dress.
BJP workers, not to be outdone, are
reported to have burst crackers in Mad-
urai. No panache in imitation but sure,
why not? We all do what we can.
A senior AIADMK leader, K.P. Mun-
usamy, reportedly told the press that it
was “not just for today, but forever”.
Oh, Mr Munusamy, I don’t know any-
thing but something about that line
worries me. Is it buried longing? Is it
tempting fate? The unconscious might
be coupling.
Nisha Susan is the author of The
Women Who Forgot To Invent Face-
book And Other Stories. She posts
@chasingiamb.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY NEHA SINHA
eagles, only a faraway Long-legged
buzzard), what I did see was an abun-
dance of common birds. There were
Rosy starlings in the trees. Common
cuckoos sat on the wire in a lazy fash-
ion. Grey-headed goldfinches frol-
icked in low bushes. And I screeched
when I saw something bejewelled
overhead. A pair of birds, shining in
pastel colours.
It was a male European bee-eater and
he was leaning forward towards a
female. He had caught a dragonfly, and,
instead of eating it himself, he gave it to
the female. The mountain air caught in
the dragonfly wings, making them look
like spun sugar. The female swallowed
the sweet present—and hopefully
accepted the male as a companion too.
He promptly dove off the wire to catch
another insect. The cycle repeated itself
like the most perfect little story.
The sighting became the highlight of
my trip. In a world looking for the big
things, this little thing seemed inordi-
nately precious—the endless patience of
a little bird in that corner of the world.
We hadn’t seen rare birds that day but
the common birds made up for it.
To witness a decline of the common
bird is to acknowledge that all is not well
with our world; that what was once
abundant will not always remain so. The
birds are circling over our lives in
diminishing loops. We must act on not
forgetting—but safeguarding—that
which is familiar.
Neha Sinha is a conservation biologist
and author of Wild And Wilful: Tales Of
15 Iconic Indian Species. Views
expressed are personal.
06 Saturday, 30 September 2023
Chennai COVER

DREAMS OF GLORY:
INDIA’S CUP RIV
With the 2023 ODI World Cup
GETTY IMAGES AFP

starting on 5 October, England and

Australia could be strong contenders
for the title apart from an India
bolstered by their Asia Cup win

Deepti Patwardhan

I
n which language does Rohit
Sharma get angry? Apparently,
Bambaiya Hindi (Bombay Hindi).
During a press conference held to
announce India’s squad for the 2023
ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, on 8 Septem-
ber, the Indian captain seemed miffed when
asked about the constant scrutiny and exter-
nal pressure building on the team.
“Mere ko abhi World Cup mein ye sab sawaal
mat poochna, ki mahaul ban raha hai, ye
sab…uska jawab nahi dunga main abhi (don’t
ask me these questions during the World Cup...
I am not going to answer these kinds of ques-
tions),” he replied testily. “How many times
have I said this? We don’t care what’s happen-
ing outside. That’s not our job to look at how
the atmosphere is outside. All our players are
professionals. All of these players have expe-
rienced these high-pressure games. It doesn’t
make sense to keep talking about it. As a team,
we would like to focus on our goal.”
For cricket-crazy Indian fans, anything less
than a title win may seem
like disappointment. The

10
2023 World Cup, which
begins on 5 October, is the
first time that India, the
spiritual home of the sport,
The total number of will be the sole host of the
grounds that will play marquee event. Whether
host to the 13th edi- Sharma and his team are
tion of the World Cup able to block it out or not,
they will be in the eye of
the storm, with the noise
growing louder, expecta-
tions only rising as the tournament pro-
gresses. Especially since the last time India
co-hosted the event, along with Sri Lanka and
Bangladesh, in 2011, they emerged world
champions.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
was the captain then,
Sachin Tendulkar the hero
on the verge of retirement.
Sharma didn’t make it to the
class of 2011 and a 22-year-
old Virat Kohli’s most mem-
orable contribution was car-
rying Tendulkar, finally a
World Cup winner, on his
shoulders around the Wank-
hede Stadium in Mumbai after
a win over Sri Lanka in the finals.
But Sharma is now the captain and Kohli,
the embodiment of Indian cricket’s fierce
ambition. Two of the best white-ball batters
in the world currently, Sharma and Kohli will
spearhead the Indian challenge, hoping to
script a winning tale of their own. made of silver and gold, was sent to the edge The biggest absentees are two-time world Africa and is likely to miss the first half of the

OUT OF THE WORLD

(clockwise from top, left)
Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah
Afridi; Australia’s Pat
Cummins (right) with
teammate Steven Smith;
Ben Stokes of England; and
New Zealand’s captain
Lockie Ferguson celebrates
with teammates in a match
With the world’s richest cricket body, the
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI),
hosting this year’s World Cup, it promises to
be grander than ever. It will start and end at
the biggest cricket stadium in the world—the
Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad—that
has a capacity of over 130,000.
Also, the International Cricket Council
(ICC) and BCCI literally sent the most coveted
prize in One Day International (ODI) cricket
of space—120,000ft above Earth—by attach-
ing it to a stratospheric balloon. The trophy
later landed at the Narendra Modi Stadium to
begin its 18-country tour.
The World Cup, itself, however remains
limited in scope. While the Fifa men’s World
Cup will increase from its current 32-team
final tournament to 48 countries in the 2026
edition, cricket scaled down from 14 coun-
tries to 10 in 2019. This edition will also see 10
teams compete for the title over six weeks. All
the teams will take on each other in a round-
champions West Indies, who lost to Scotland
in the qualifying event—the 2023 ICC Men’s
Cricket World Cup qualifier. Ireland and
Zimbabwe, who are full members of the ICC,
also failed to qualify for the mega-event.
Meanwhile, the Netherlands return to the
World Cup after a gap of 12 years. Having
failed to make the cut in the last two editions,
they grabbed the last qualifying spot for this
year’s World Cup.
World Cup.
They also lost the ODI series in Australia
MONEY BALL
2-3 and were beaten by India comprehen-
sively in the first two games of their three-
match series here; they won the third. Worry-
ingly, their lead spinner, Adam Zampa,
$10 mn
Overall prize money for the
leaked 113 runs in 10 overs against South
Africa in the fourth ODI, to equal the record tournament
for the most expensive spell in 50-over

CONTENDERS FOR THE THRONE

with Bangladesh on 26
September in Dhaka.
cricket. Australia, however, shrugged it off as
one bad day at the office and have big plans
for Zampa, who is bound
$4 mn
Winners of the tournament
out of this world to launch the World Cup tro- robin stage, with the top four qualifying for Defending champions England and five-time to play a crucial role on
phy tour in June. The 60cm-high trophy, the semi-finals. winners Australia are two of the strongest India’s spinner- will take home
AFP contenders for the title, apart from India. friendly wickets.
Both the teams have a battalion of all-
rounders and utility players: Stokes, Sam
Curran, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Davis
He is also the
most success-
ful bowler—
$2 mn
Runners-up to get
Willey and Chris Woakes for England, and from the 10
Mitchell Marsh, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron teams com-
Green for Australia. Aussie captain Pat Cum-
mins and Mitchell Starc are star bowlers who
can be handy with the bat as well.
peting—in the
last four years.
The leg-spin-
$40,000
Teams will collect after
The 2019 finals hero, Stokes, has bolstered ner has taken 77
the England team by coming out of retire- wickets since every group stage win
ment for the World Cup. One of the best all- the 2019 World
rounders in the world, the 32-year-old made Cup.
an immediate impact on the team on his
international comeback. The series against
“Zamps, he’s
effective at not
Past champions
New Zealand was his first since announcing only keeping the 1975: WEST INDIES
retirement in July 2022. After scoring a half- run rate down but 1979: WEST INDIES
century in the first ODI against New Zealand, he can take a couple 1983: INDIA
the left-handed batter followed it up with a of wickets at the 1987: AUSTRALIA
massive 182 off 124 in the second match. It was death,” Cummins 1992: PAKISTAN
the highest individual score by an English said at a press confer-
1996: SRI LANKA
batter in ODIs. ence after arriving in
Australia, however, have had a far from India. “I wouldn’t be sur- 1999: AUSTRALIA
ideal run-up to the World Cup. Some of their prised if we keep two, 2003: AUSTRALIA
key players are returning from injury lay- three or four overs 2007: AUSTRALIA
offs—Cummins (wrist), Starc (groin), Smith up our sleeve with 2011: INDIA
(wrist) and Glenn Maxwell (ankle soreness/ him.” 2015: AUSTRALIA
paternity leave)—and may not have enough Unlike some 2019: ENGLAND
game-time. One of their key batters, Travis previous edi-
Head, picked up a finger injury in South tions, South
R STORY
VALS
Africa are flying under the radar this time.
They have a few match-winners in the ranks,
like Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller, who
have done well in these conditions in the
Indian Premier League.
“Entering the World Cup as non-favourites
can perhaps help us. People are not backing
us to win but that could work to our benefit,”
pacer Kagiso Rabada told Wion. “It’s about
clicking as a unit, as a team. We need per-
formances to come at the right (time) when
we need it.”
On the last two occasions that the ODI
World Cup was played in the subcontinent—
in 2011 and 1996—Sri Lanka made it to the
finals. They won their first and only World
Cup title in 1996 and lost to India in 2011. But
the Sri Lankan team is in a flux and their cap-
tain, Dasun Shanaka, is just about holding on
to his spot in the team. They have also been
hit with injury worries—all-rounder Wan-
indu Hasaranga is likely to miss the World
Cup due to a hamstring injury and Dushman-
tha Chameera is struggling with a pectoral
muscle injury.
They will also still be reeling from the
defeat to India in the Asia Cup final on 17 Sep-
tember. Playing at home, Sri Lanka were
bowled out for a mere 50 runs, the second
lowest total in their ODI history. Indian pacer
Mohammed Siraj tore through their batting
order, dismissing opener Pathum Nissanka,
Sadeera Samarawickmara, Charith Asalanka
and Dhananjaya de Silva in one fiery over.
India knocked off the required 51 runs in 6.1
overs to complete a 10-wicket win.
Earlier in the tournament, India demol-
ished the confidence of their biggest rivals in
the sport, Pakistan.
Pakistan’s battery of pacers—Shaheen
Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah—
were the talk of the town before their Super
Four clash against India. During the group
stage match between the two countries, they
had sent back India’s top four before the first
GETTY IMAGES
15 overs. But the Indian batters, led by open-
ers Sharma and Shubman Gill, met the chal-
lenge head on. Their lead bowler, Afridi, fin-
ished with an economy rate of 7.9 as India
plundered 356 runs in 50 overs. In reply, Pak-
istan folded up for 128. The team looked in
disarray after the defeat.
This young Pakistani squad, captained by
Babar Azam, is not as menacing as its prede-
cessors. Even before they set foot in India,
they lost Naseem Shah to injury. One of the
most mercurial teams in the world, however,
they can never really be written off. Their
blockbuster clash against India, scheduled for
14 October in Ahmedabad, is the most antici-
pated match of the World Cup so far.
Earlier this month, it was reported that
tickets for the India-Pakistan match were
selling for as much as ₹56 lakh. For all of
BCCI’s riches, the issues in scheduling and
ticketing before the World Cup may see many
of the genuine fans left out. The schedule has,
for instance, seen a number of changes and
few tickets are available for the public.
India’s strong finish at the Asia Cup—the
comprehensive wins over Asian powerhouses
Pakistan and Sri Lanka—was a statement of
intent. Though the competition at the World
Cup will be far fiercer, the Indian team is
shaping up well for the title hunt.
Though there is some truth in Sharma’s
arguments that his players are constantly
subject to scrutiny and know how to deal with
it, a World Cup at home is a different beast
altogether. All that noise, all that frenzy will
be dialled to the maximum. Apart from Kohli,
none of the players in the Indian squad has
quite experienced it.
If the Indian players are not aware of it
already, they will surely be reminded that the
last three ODI World Cups have been won by
the home team. No pressure then.
Deepti Patwardhan is a Mumbai-based
sportswriter.
The Indian team after winning the Asia Cup Final against Sri Lanka on 17 September in Colombo.
How India can win
the World Cup again
The home team will start as favourites. But for India to win, the selection of the
playing eleven will have to be spot on. Lounge analyses India’s chances
Sumit Chakraberty
he ODI World Cup is back in India after a
T 12-year hiatus. The current squad only has
two players from the M.S. Dhoni dream team
that won the final in Mumbai in 2011: Virat Kohli
and Ravichandran Ashwin. But it’s a squad bristling
with talent that will start as favourites in home con-
ditions, with key players coming into form at the
right time.
Now it’s the turn of Rohit Sharma to try and emu-
late the feats of Kapil Dev in 1983 and Dhoni in 2011.
Fresh off the Asia Cup triumph, India have ticked
most boxes just in time for the big event. Here’s a
rundown of what they have got right—and a caveat
on what could go wrong.
THE RETURN OF JASPRIT BUMRAH
The best news for India is Jasprit Bumrah’s return
from injury, especially given his blistering form in
the Asia Cup. He was virtually
unplayable in his first spell
against Pakistan on 11 Sep-
tember and his early
wicket in the final against
Sri Lanka six days later
showed just what India
had been missing. Admit-
tedly, the damp, cloudy con-
ditions in Sri Lanka aided Bum-
rah, but the control and pace with which he moved
the ball both ways signalled that he would be a huge
threat in the World Cup.
He appeared in no discomfort, except for a heart-
stopping moment when he twisted his ankle after
delivering a ball in the final. A nation heaved a col-
lective sigh of relief as he carried on full swing. But
the star bowler has an uncommon action and the
team management would do well to manage his
workload during the long World Cup campaign.
THE EVOLUTION OF MOHAMMED SIRAJ
As a rookie, Mohammed Siraj was the unlikely
spearhead of a second- string pace attack in an inju-
ry-hit Indian team that famously won the series-de-
ciding fourth Test in Brisbane, Australia, in January
2021. Now he partners Bumrah, swinging the new
ball both ways and mixing it up with well-disguised
slower balls and bouncers.
Pace bowlers hunt in pairs and Siraj showed just
how, with a sensational haul of six for 21 in the Asia
Cup final on 17 September, after Bumrah provided
the initial breakthrough. It’s a formidable opening
attack for the World Cup, although it remains
to be seen how they perform at venues less
favourable to seam and swing bowling. India’s
World Cup opener against Australia in Chennai
on 8 October will tell us more.
KULDEEP YADAV’S NEW
ACTION
A straighter run-up
with the non-
bowling arm
tucked
closer to
the body AP
has given
more impetus to the left-arm leg-spin of
Kuldeep Yadav. His comeback trail started
last December in Bangladesh and gained
momentum to culminate in a nine-wicket
tally in the Asia Cup; he was named the
player of the tournament. Pakistan and Sri
Lanka are no pushovers against spin but
Yadav tied them up in knots.
Leg-spin requires guts and an attack-
ing captain who prioritises wicket-taking
over saving runs. Under Rohit Sharma,
Yadav has been revitalised. India’s wicket- Mohammed Siraj; and
taking prowess in the middle overs on spin- (right) K.L. Rahul.
friendly tracks will be vital.
Saturday, 30 September 2023
THE RAHUL-KISHAN COMBINATION
K.L. Rahul’s run-a-ball century in a high-pressure
game against arch rivals Pakistan in the Asia Cup on
11 September came straight after rehabilitation from
a serious injury in the IPL. His glove-work behind
the stumps also ticked a box for
India in replacing the
injured Rishabh Pant.
Rahul is important in
the middle order because
he’s arguably the best
counter to spin in the
squad. Ishan Kishan (pic-
tured) has also been scoring
consistently but he’s not as safe a
wicketkeeper as Rahul. However, Shreyas Iyer’s
back spasms during the Asia Cup prompted India to
include both Rahul and Kishan in the playing
eleven. Thus the team management stumbled upon
the better solution, because Kishan brings a left-
right combination to the middle order to put spin-
ners off their game.
But an even better option than Iyer or Kishan
would be the swashbuckling Suryakumar Yadav as
a finisher, bringing his T20 game to the last 15 overs
of ODIs.
TOP ORDER FINDS GROOVE
After collapsing against the Pakistan speedsters in
India’s first Asia Cup game on 2 September, the top
order found its groove. Two half-centuries from
skipper Rohit Sharma and a century against Paki-
stan by Kohli heralded the readiness of these two
stalwarts for the World Cup. Most heartening of all
was the sheer attacking brilliance of young opener
Shubman Gill, who had gone off the boil between
the Indian Premier League (IPL) and the Asia Cup.
Nevertheless, the collapse against Pakistan was
another reminder that India’s string of right-hand-
ers at the top makes it easier for the opposition’s
new-ball attack to find their line. Kishan, an aggres-
sive left-hander, could be a foil at No.3, with Kohli
moving down to No.4 and Rahul to No.5. But it’s
unlikely that the team management will tinker with
the order at this stage.
SHARDUL OR SHAMI?
The Indian think tank seems intent on playing
medium-pacer Shardul Thakur at No.8 for the
PTI
Chennai 07
GETTY IMAGES
additional batting depth he provides. This means
Mohammed Shami will sit out as a back-up for Bum-
rah and Siraj. India will miss out on the unerring
accuracy with which Shami hits the seam with the
new ball, and his yorkers at the death.
Thakur has been winkling out batsmen with his
variations in the middle overs but usually proves
expensive. His slow medium pace could be vulnera-
ble if either Bumrah or Siraj has an off-day.
India already have two good all-rounders in Har-
dik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja. So it’s surprising
that batting depth has taken precedence over a
fourth specialist bowler. How often does a No.8 win
an ODI match with the bat? It remains to be seen if
India will rue this decision.
ASHWIN REPLACES AXAR
The quadricep injury that sidelined Axar Patel in the
Asia Cup brought Ravichandran Ashwin back into
the equation. The world’s No.1 bowler in Tests will
be another wicket-taker in India’s World Cup
squad, joining Yadav and
Jadeja on spin-friendly
tracks. The off-spinner
provides variety, given
how well he bowls to left-
handers. He’s no slouch
with the bat either.
Although Patel is a better
lower order batsman, he has
been off-colour in his primary
role of being a wicket-taking spinner. India consid-
ered Washington Sundar as his replacement, but
finally picked Ashwin after seeing his performance
in the ODI series against Australia just before the
World Cup. Fortuitously, India got a better team
with the inclusion of Ashwin.
BETWEEN THE EARS
It’s often said that cricket matches are decided by
what goes on between the ears of players and leaders,
more than what happens on the 22 yards. Coach
Rahul Dravid and captain Sharma (pictured) will
need to think on their feet
to make the right deci-
sions that give India
the best chance to
win the coveted
trophy that eluded
them in the last ODI
World Cup after top-
ping the league table.
They made poor choi-
ces at the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup last
year, such as putting Dinesh Karthik ahead of
Rishabh Pant and giving extended runs to
Arshdeep Singh and Bhuvneshwar Kumar
instead of getting Shami into the mix earlier.
But they learnt and came up with a winning
team and game plan at this year’s Asia
Cup. That will be a confidence-booster
going into the ODI World Cup.
Dhoni and South African coach
Gary Kirsten combined brilliantly in
the 2011 World Cup. Dhoni’s move to
come out ahead of the left-handed
Yuvraj Singh to counter the threat of
Sri Lanka’s ace off-spinner Muttiah
Muralitharan in the final is now part
of folklore. Kapil Dev led by the
example of his never-say-die atti-
tude to triumph over the mighty
West Indies in the 1983 final after
India got bowled out for a paltry 183.
Can Rohit Sharma similarly give us goose-
bumps many years after the event? He certainly
has the pedigree for it, after winning five IPL
titles for Mumbai Indians and two Asia Cups
for India. Now for the big enchilada.
Sumit Chakraberty is a Bengaluru-based
writer.
08 Saturday, 30 September 2023
Chennai TASTE

THE SECOND WAVE

OF ITALIAN DINING
Better ingredients
and intelligent diners
are driving the
resurgence of Italian (above) Bakes sandwiched with gelato at Coppetto; and The Gelato Bar.
food in India
Jahnabee Borah
jahnabee.b@livemint.com
It’s warm & cold—
gelato in a brioche
I
t has refined flour,’ was the first
response when a new Italian
place opened a few years ago,”
says chef Dayamani Singh of the
trattoria-style eatery Cin Cin in
Mumbai. In 2023, that has changed as The popular icy treat, coupled with innovative
Naples pizzas (fermented for 50 hours), flavours, is now making its way into bakes
handmade orecchiette and regional
dishes from Apulia, Rome and Venice in
Italy find their way into menus. Arzoo Dina
The details are essential, for a discern-

ing diner wants more. This change implies
a shift from the generic pesto pasta to
Ligurian-style strozzapretti. Liguria is
located in north Italy, and strozzapretti is
a rustic, hand-rolled twisted pasta, elon-
gated like penne.
This dish, on the new menu at the pre-
mium Italian restaurant Romano’s in JW
Marriott Mumbai Sahar, is a comforting
combination of handcrafted durum
wheat strozzapretti, basil pesto, potato,
green bean and Riviera olives—the kind
of dish that a well-travelled gourmand
would appreciate. It’s meant for the kind
of diner outlets such as Romano’s seek to
serve now.
Food trends move in cycles, and there’s
a rise in the number of Italian restaurants
spotlighting regional specialities, fresh
ingredients and creative plating all ready
for Instagram. The last few months have
seen a number of new launches across cit-
ies. The pizzeria Camillo’s opened at The
Manor in Delhi in August; the premium
Italian dining space Napoli by Shatranj
reopened after a hiatus of eight years in
Mumbai in June; and the eatery Spettac-
olar, with a menu featuring street foods of
Italy—like the crusty bread pinsa romana,
the cheesy dessert seadas and crispy fried
turnovers called panzerotti—has garnered
rave reviews in Bengaluru since its open-
ing in June.
Mumbai-based consultant chef Sanjay
Kotian planned the new menu for Napoli,
which shut in 2015 because its menu,
with creamy pastas and continental
dishes, had plateaued. It was the time
when modern Indian menus, Japanese
restaurants and South-East Asian dishes
were most in demand.
They continue to be popular but now
restaurateurs have started approaching
Kotian to design Italian menus: “I do see
classics (pastas and pizzas) as well as mod-
ern Italian (Caesar salad) coming back.
Among my clients, I don’t have anyone
asking me for Asian.” The main difference
between now and then is the way the food
is plated, as well as the attention to tech-
nique and ingredients.
Take the case of the Caesar salad, a
modern Italian dish most Indi-
ans are familiar with. At Napoli,
it’s served as mini bites with
romaine lettuce leaf wrapped in
chicken and topped with addic-
tive Parmesan crisps; whereas at
Camillo’s in Delhi, a piece of let-
tuce head is placed on creamy
cheese with charged edges for a
smoky twist.
Changing the plating and dining
experience played a key role in
Romano’s new menu, which
launched in August. Executive chef
Dane Fernandes says they used to
be family oriented, with dishes like
risotto that came in serving bowls
and were meant to be shared.
Now, a dish comes pre-plated and
the portion size is just enough for
one. The presentation is Instagram-wor-
thy. Like their cheese and cold cut plat-
ters, which are served in mini gondolas,
with smoke emanating from the sides.
While social media will get such dishes
their share of likes and shares, diners
come back for the food, and ingredients
are at the heart of it. This means high-
quality wheat flour for pillow-soft pizzas
and fresh cheese for flavour-filled sauces.
Home baking took wing during the pan-
demic. These days, diners have a better
understanding of dough, fermentation
and yeast—the essentials of good bread
(top) The new menu at Romano’s
has tiramisu with coffee from
Chikkamagaluru; and their cheese
and cold cuts are served in a mini
gondola, all ready for Instagram.
E
and the perfect pizza. And armed with
such knowledge, they demand more
from Italian restaurants.
The supply side has improved to
meet this refinement in demand.
Fernandes takes note of the grow-
ing tribe of cheesemongers who
have helped elevate Italian food in
India. For instance, the cheese
Grana Padano is integral to Italian
dishes but it cannot be imported to
India. The reason: It contains ani-
mal rennet and imports of such
products were banned in 1984. For
decades, Italian restaurants used
processed cheese.
About 13 years ago, artisanal
cheesemakers began to crop up in
India, mainly in cities like Chen-
nai, Bengaluru or Mumbai, and began
supplying speciality cheeses to restau-
rants in their cities. More recently, better
cold chain infrastructure has spurred
demand for fresh cheese, notes
cheesemaker Mansi Jasani. Apart
from popular Italian cheeses like
burrata, mozzarella and Parme-
san, Jasani offers regional vari-
ants and styles, such as Montasio,
Fontina and Provolone.
Better ingredients, informed
diners and even Instagram are
making the second wave of Italian
menus a spectacular experience.
veryone’s favourite Italian gelato is getting a makeover, moving away from
classic flavours and catering to experimental consumer palates. With
options of vegan, keto-friendly and sugar-free variants, it has amassed wider
appeal. Gelato makers are adding a touch of India with ingredients like Nagpur
orange, filter coffee and jaggery. Now, following in the footsteps of gelaterias in
Italy, these creamy scoops are making their way into bakes—stuffed into warm
brioche buns, or maritozzi (Italian buns traditionally filled with sweet cream),
sandwiched between chunky cookies, and even paired with croissants.
Take, for example, Affogato, a newly launched gelateria in Mumbai. Apart from
regular scoops, you can enjoy artisanal gelatos like stuffed bombolinis (Italian
doughnuts), croissant sundaes and gelato sandwiched between shortbread bis-
cuits. Bengaluru’s premium dining restaurant, LUPA, has an artisanal gelato bar,
with flavours ranging from the boozy lemon and prosecco to a nuanced straw-
berry and balsamic vinegar gelato, burnt butter and caramel, and a classic strac-
ciatella. On weekends, their brunch menu offers a selection of gelato sundaes. The
restaurant also houses a mini lab where they experiment with flavours and churn
out gelato using a vintage Italian machine.
Some of my most memorable tastings have involved scoops of tub tim grob-fla-
voured gelato (a traditional creamy, coconut-based Thai dessert) studded with
ruby-hued pieces of water chestnut and tapioca starch, an intensely dark choco-
late gelato, and a fruity and zingy peach and passionfruit sorbet—all flavours avail-
able at Mumbai’s Cremeyum Creamery.
Shalini Rattan, founder of Cremeyum Creamery and co-founder, Affogato,
believes Indians today “are much more well-travelled and their palates are experi-
mental”. More and more people want to sample diverse flavours and gelato serves
as the perfect vehicle for this, she notes, adding that it has lower fat content than
ice cream. Some of her experiments include avocado and matcha gelato, Irish cof-
fee, black sesame, even liquorice.
In Gurugram, Haryana, at the Wild & Raw smoothie and juice bar by OMO Cafe,
you can find gelatos with ingredients such as Karnataka vanilla, sattu (roasted
Bengal gram flour) and jaggery, milk and bread, burnt butter gelato and ngarum
coffee-flavoured gelato, using beans sourced from Nagaland.
Chef Rachi Gupta, who runs The Gelato Bar in Mumbai, also offers cookie and
croissant gelato sandwiches, warm brioche buns stuffed with gelato as well as
brookies (a mix between brownies and cookies). In Gupta’s case, it was her travels
across Italy that inspired her to marry two favourites—gelato and bakes. “In Italy,
especially during the winter months, it’s not uncommon to find peo-
ple having something warm with their gelato. So, you will find
brioche buns paired with gelato, and even little croissants,
locally known as cornetto,” she says. Her experiments
include a vegan orange sorbet using Nagpur oranges,
filter kaapi gelato, aam panna sorbet and a pineapple
and mint sorbet. “Nearly two out of five customers
who visit us want to try gelato paired with bakes.”
Mumbai-based Coppetto Artisan Gelato has
launched maritozzo buns sandwiched with gelato.
Nikhil Jain, founder of the gelateria chain, hopes
to reach a wider audience, especially those looking
for something that isn’t overly sweet.
Arzoo Dina is a Mumbai-based food and travel
writer.

Elevate your dishes with the nutty flavour of tahini

PHOTOGRAPHS BY NANDITA IYER

ference between ordinary and wow Ingredients 2 eggs + butter/oil to fry eggs
hummus, but its potential goes far 2 cups leafy greens A few rocket leaves (optional)
DOUBLE beyond mere dips and spreads. Its com-
plex flavour blends seamlessly into both
(mix of lettuce varieties and rocket)
1 medium cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 tsp mixed seeds
For the spread
TESTED savoury and sweet recipes and savoury- 1 medium tomato, deseeded and cubed 2 tbsp tahini
sweet recipes like salad dressings. For the dressing 1 tsp hot sauce
N A N D I TA I got my hands on a large bottle of 1 tbsp tahini 2 tsp honey
IYER good-quality tahini when a food blogger 2 tbsp lemon juice 1 tsp mustard sauce
friend from Kuwait was kind enough to 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil A pinch of salt
send it to me through a relative visiting 2 tbsp Greek yogurt 1 clove garlic, finely grated

I
f you are looking at adding just one
new ingredient to your cooking rep-
ertoire, my vote goes to tahini. As
someone who writes about food, ingre-
dients are my gateway to culinary
adventures. They are my way to explore
the flavours and cultures of our diverse
country and the world at large.
I was first curious to cook with tahini
when I read a recipe for halva flapjacks
(tahini, condensed milk, oats, dried fruit
and nuts) by baker and food writer Dan
Lepard in his column, How To Bake, in
The Guardian in 2010. The fact that I
remember this tahini recipe from 13
years ago will tell you how strong some
food memories are. Those days, tahini
was not easily available in our local
supermarkets, even in a metro like
Mumbai, so the recipe was noted down
to try out later when I got my hands on a
bottle.
Made from ground sesame seeds,
tahini has deep roots in Middle Eastern
cuisine. Its velvety texture and nutty
aroma make it a versatile ingredient,
capable of elevating dishes to extraordi-
nary heights. Good tahini is the key dif-
Mumbai. Now that I had a full bottle of
the real stuff on my hands, I was eager to
try out recipes going the full spectrum
from hummus to cookies to desserts.
Until then, my hummus either lacked
tahini or used mixer-ground sesame
seeds that did not give the intense fla-
vour or the silky texture that bottled
tahini offers.
Another favourite thing to make with
tahini is this quick flavour-rich dip that
you can whip up in minutes. Just com-
bine tahini, minced garlic, lemon juice,
salt and the required quantity of water in
a bowl and you have a dip that goes with
any roasted veggies, crudites or falafel,
or just drizzle it over a falafel bowl.
Tahini is made in different parts of
Turkey and other parts of the Middle
East following age-old traditions. Ses-
ame seeds are soaked in water overnight.
The seeds are crushed to separate the
outer layer (bran) from the kernel. This
gives a silky-smooth tahini. Soaking the
crushed seeds in salted water causes the
bran to sink. The floating seed kernels
can be skimmed and collected to be
roasted over hot stones. The toasted
(left) Leafy salad with tahini dressing; and tahini sourdough toast.
seeds are ground in an old-fashioned mill
until an oily paste i.e. tahini is obtained.
My go to YouTube channel for Turk-
ish food, Refika’s Kitchen by chef
Refika, has a recipe for homemade
tahini, in which she skips the soaking
process. White sesame seeds are toasted
in a hot pan until golden brown. The
browner you toast the seeds, the tahini
ends up more bitter to taste. The toasted
seeds are transferred to a blender with a
powerful motor and after initial grind-
ing for a minute, a generous quantity of
neutral oil (Refika recommends hazel-
nut, grapeseed or sunflower oil or any
other seed oil) is added to the blender
and the mixture is blended until a silky
texture is obtained. A total blending of
three to three-and-a-half minutes is
required to make tahini from sesame
seeds. This prepared tahini is then
transferred to a glass jar.
Whether you buy readymade tahini
or are going the DIY route, here are
some tahini recipes that are worth try-
ing when you are feeling creative in the
kitchen—tahini and chocolate-chip ice
cream, tahini caramel popcorn, tahini
and miso-glazed tofu, salted tahini
stuffed dates and tahini basil pesto, all of
which do justice in exploiting the com-
plex flavour of this magical condiment.
LEAFY SALAD WITH TAHINI
DRESSING
Serves 2
(This dressing recipe is inspired from
Refika’s kitchen YouTube channel.)
Half tsp salt
Half tsp black pepper powder
Method
Wash and dry the greens well. Chop the
lettuce into bite-sized pieces. In a bowl,
combine the greens along with the
chopped cucumber and tomato.
Whisk all the ingredients for the
dressing in a jug until thick and creamy
or run it briefly in a small mixer. Pour
the dressing over the salad ingredients
and serve immediately.
Notes: You can also add some
cooked chickpeas to this salad to make
it heartier.
This same dressing can also be used
on roasted carrots, bell peppers or
served with potato wedges or bread.
TAHINI SOURDOUGH TOAST
Serves 1-2
Ingredients
1 medium tomato, sliced
Salt
2 slices of sourdough bread
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Method
Slice the tomato and place in a single
layer on a dish. Sprinkle salt and keep
aside. Drain off excess juices after 5
minutes.
Toast the bread slices until crisp and
golden. Rub them with garlic cloves
while still hot.
Fry the eggs in the sunny side up
style. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on the eggs
and keep aside.
In a small bowl, combine all the ingre-
dients for the spread and spread it over
the two slices of toasted bread.
Arrange tomato slices on the
toasts followed by the fried egg and
rocket leaves. Sprinkle some
mixed seeds over the toasts and serve
immediately.
Double Tested is a fortnightly column
on vegetarian cooking, highlighting a
single ingredient prepared two ways.
Nandita Iyer’s latest book is The Great
Indian Thali—Seasonal Vegetarian
Wholesomeness (Roli Books). She posts
@saffrontrail.

The timeless charm of closet
chameleons
With fall-winter
around the corner, we
asked designers and
stylists about the
importance of ‘boring’
menswear classics
Manish Mishra
Y
ou wear too much black
and blue”, “your clothes
are too beige”, “you don’t
experiment enough”. Neu-
tral hues, heritage fabrics,
classic brogues, old-school trainers—
items that crowd many male war-
drobes—are often seen as uninspiring,
even termed boring, in fashion circles.
These timeless essentials, however, are
the ultimate fashion chameleons, effort-
lessly lending themselves to countless
stylistic adventures.
A camel coat, for instance, can offer
incredible repeat value in winter. It can be
worn on various occasions with different
separates and nifty accessories. With a
white shirt and blue jeans, it adds a casual
vibe. The same coat gives a dressy touch
when teamed with a short black kurta and
matching leggings.
Cable-knit jumpers or ribbed turtle-
necks too are wardrobe chameleons that
can take you from the conference room to
the bar during winters.
With the season set to change, it’s a
good time to rethink, re-imagine and rec-
ontextualise your wardrobe classics.
For designer Karrtik D., classic closet
essentials, such as camel coats, cable knits
and a predominantly black wardrobe,
Ò
LV KEEPALL
BANDOULIÈRE 45
Pops of acidic green,
deep reds and yel-
lows appeared in
many shows, from
Gucci to Benetton.
Why not bring them
together in a Keep-
all? Available at LV
stores and online;
₹3.05 lakh
STYLE Saturday, 30 September 2023
Chennai 09
(clockwise, from above) From the collection of Sahil Aneja; a look from Gucci; from
Hermes; actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Khanijo; and Zegna.
SHAKE IT
COURTESY KHANIJO/INSTAGRAM
UP A BIT
aren’t “boring”.
Ways to style your
“They can easily be fashion’s best-kept
secrets that stay trendy, no matter which fall-winter garments
‘-core’ is trending in the world. And the
allure of essentials lies in their adaptabil-
ity. What some may label as ‘boring’ often
possesses a quiet intrigue that can with-
stand the test of time.”
To illustrate his point, he explains how
1 A neutral duster coat is
often undervalued but it can
work effortlessly for both
day and evening outings with
minor styling tweaks.
duster coats, brogues, aviators and waffle For a day look, layer it with a
knits can be dependable choices for lightweight knit or a sleeveless
autumn. “Let’s not forget other fall must- vest and finish off the look with
haves like leather boots, cosy scarves and a sling pouch. For an evening
dark-wash denim.” outing, throw it on a beaded tee
Celebrity fashion stylist Pranay Jaitly or a tuxedo shirt; it will infuse a
offers some suggestions: a head-to-toe sliver of formality and polish.
black look with a turtleneck accessorised
with a houndstooth scarf, a yellow clutch,
a burgundy strap watch or shoes. “Dou-
ble-breasted jackets are also a good invest-
ment. You can also opt for well-tailored
velvet and corduroy suits and accessorise
2 A sweatshirt hoodie
works well in an array of
settings, from the gym to a
game of basketball or pickleball.
It’s an apt layering essential for a double-breasted tailoring, leather biker
them with colourful pocket squares and a long flight and it can even be jackets and carrot-cut pants having a
bit of prints, in case you want to jazz things worn to a nightclub for a glam- moment right now,” says Khanijo, who
up a bit,” he adds. leisure look. Layer a coat on top wears mostly three shades—black, ivory
Celebrity stylist Yogesh of it to give it a structure or and beige. “These are not boring clothes.
Sharma emphasises the impor- wear a white collared shirt and Maybe it’s just some people’s perception,
tance of good footwear: “Invest in fold up the sleeves for a preppy as Gen Z wants to stand out with oversized
a pair of brogues, which can be chic vibe. tailoring and statement colours.”
worn with trousers for a formal That’s the thing about fashion. Some-
look or with jeans for a more casual one’s “boring” can be another person’s
appearance.”
In other words, classic essentials
are the building blocks of an ever-
evolving style journey. Plus, they
3 Ribbed and textured knits
may have been associated
with grandpa-core but
they work surprisingly well for
the season. A knitted cardigan, a
“avant-garde”.
“The perception of ‘boring’ clothes can
depend a lot on how they are styled and
accessorised,” says Sawan Gandhi, a
ensure you don’t get stuck in the mere scarf and ankle boots are the ulti- designer known for balancing Indian and
cycle of fast-fashion trends. Designer mate fall/winter essentials. You can pair polo tee or a ribbed jumper can Western silhouettes. “What’s important is
Rajvvir Arora of the Diyarajvvir them with a polo neck and a pair of boots be layered under an array of that your personal style reflects your indi-
brand observes that clothing that sur- and you are good to go. It’s an outfit that jackets, from a trench to a viduality,” he says. “Some people find
vives all fads and fashion cycles is def- can work for office, a meeting, a date, an peacoat. It’s snug and keeps excitement and joy in experimenting with
initely a bigger style statement than a evening party, all depends on how you you warm. bold and trendy styles, while others
garment that just lasts a quarter-sea- play with colours and silhouettes.” appreciate the simplicity of classic pieces.”
son. “Classics have more restyling According to designer Gaurav
appeal,” says Arora. “For example, an Khanijo, an off-white shirt is the ulti- Manish Mishra is a Delhi-based fashion
ivory trench, a black overcoat, a cash- mate layering essential. “I see heritage writer and content creator.
Build a fall-winter accessories wardrobe
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10 Saturday, 30 September 2023
Chennai FOCUS

Becoming a celebrity Some of the country’s

well-known fitness
trainers outline what it
takes to be a great—

fitness trainer in India

Mahalakshmi Prabhakaran
mahalakshmi.prabhakaran@htlive.com
COURTESY SHWETAMBARI SHETTY
not just good—trainer

E
very couple of weeks, you
will see headlines about
how a particular celebrity
lost a tonne of weight cour-
tesy their personal trainer—
or find a trainer, a favourite of the stars,
doling out advice. Such news stories shine
a spotlight on the growing breed of fitness
professionals tagged as “celebrity fitness
trainers” because, well, they train “celeb-
rities”.
But what makes for a great trainer? And
how do you crack this space? Passion is
important, yes, certification is crucial, but
there’s much more to it: the competence
to oversee a client’s overall health and
well-being, customising programmes for
them, apart from understanding how to
garner attention and take the odd risk.
Celebrity endorsements help, of course,
and celebrity trainers earn well.
The first time she heard herself being
referred to as a “celebrity fitness
instructor”, Yasmin Karachiwala remem-
bers feeling both “embarrassed and shy”.
“I was, like, I can’t put that tag on myself. It
doesn’t sound right. I thought I was taking
away from the celebrities,” says Mumbai-
based Karachiwala, whose list of clients
includes actors Katrina Kaif, Deepika Pad-
ukone and Alia Bhatt. Over time, she has
learnt to accept the title. “I think I have
earned being called that and I don’t think
it takes away from the work me or my cli-
ents do,” says Karachiwala, who has also
authored two books, Sculpt and Shape: The
Pilates Way and The PERFECT 10: 10-Min-
ute Workouts You Can Do Anywhere.
For someone who has built a success-
ful career over 26 years and become a
leading name in the Indian fitness indus- Shetty. She adds that clients expect train- word-of-mouth endorsements work like
try, it’s surprising to hear that Karachi- ers to guide them to make changes to magic.
wala never planned on becoming a their lifestyle: from their diet to figuring “The way it happened was, someone
trainer. “I was a lazy kid growing up. I was out how to enhance sleep quality. “Today, would go, ‘there’s this class (by Yasmin)
not good at studies or sports. All I was if you want to distinguish yourself, you and you have to try it.’ That is how so many
good at was playing pranks, fooling need to learn not just about fitness but people came,” she says. She credits
around and running away from any kind overall health and well-being.You want to Kareena Kapoor Khan for getting the
of work,” she says. be a health coach, not just a fitness coach,” word out about her Pilates classes.
Her introduction to exercise happened says Shetty. Telang likens fitness to a sci- Karachiwala may not travel with her
during her college years in the late 1980s, ence, and says that the difference between actors but, as she has said in earlier inter-
when a girlfriend pulled her to an aerobics a good trainer and a great one is the ability views, she designs workout plans they can
group class at a fitness studio. “I saw peo- to design customised programmes for cli- do while on outdoor shooting schedules.
ple dancing and thought, I am a great ents. “After all, everyone is unique, so you Shetty is currently training celebrities she
dancer, I have got this. But as things need to understand them before you prefers not to name, adding, “The idea of
turned out, my first class was bad. I had design a programme.” being known as a celebrity’s trainer
coordination problems and people gave doesn’t excite me.”
me the dirtiest looks.” THE ART OF TAKING RISKS The salaries of celebrity trainers are
Becoming a successful trainer is also about always a subject of great interest. Kris
BE CLEAR ON THE ‘WHY’ taking risks. Karachiwala is Gethin, actor Hrithik
Yet, the day came when her aerobics MYBOLLYWOODBODY credited with bringing Roshan’s trainer, purport-
instructor asked Karachiwala, a regular their ‘why’. They need to know that while Pilates to India in 2006. edly earns ₹20 lakh a
student by then, to take a class. “I was the job looks cool from the outside, it’s Starting it out of a studio at month. And 12 hour-long
aghast but my teacher said, ‘just play the really a lot of hard work and requires you home with expensive Today, if you want to sessions with Karachiwala
music and teach whatever comes to your to be mentally sharp. So understanding equipment, she remem- distinguish yourself, could cost you ₹20,000 a
mind.’ At the end of the class,” Karachi- their ‘reason(s) why’ helps aspirants to bers fending questions like, month. Shetty agrees that
wala recalls, “the very people who had decide if they really want to get into it.” “What is this Pilots-Palat- you need to learn not being a trainer to a star is a
given me hate looks had wonder in their “To become a great trainer,” he adds, ees? Why is it expensive? just about fitness but good job if earning money
eyes. I realised that I completely “you need to be passionate about wanting Why are you doing it?” It overall health and is the focus. But, she says:
enjoyed the process and to make people fit. It starts wasn’t known in India but “Thing is, if you think you
liked teaching people with that.” As in the case of Karachiwala says that well-being. are going to make some
what to do.” Karachiwala or Shetty, the never deterred her. “I fell in deep impact in their life,
SHWETAMBARI
Shwetambari Shetty, task of getting people to love with it and I knew that you are not. Celebrities
SHETTY
co-founder of Tribe Fit- To become a move and train with you once people tried it they
CO-FOUNDER,
have a million things to
ness Club and fitness great trainer, you should excite you. would like it too.” focus on and fitness is just
TRIBE FITNESS CLUB
expert, Cure.Fit, in Benga- Shetty says she had to one aspect of their lives.”
luru, remembers the hap- need to be CERTIFIED FIT dip into personal savings
piness she felt at the end of passionate about Brampton, Canada-based and even sell her house to USING SOCIAL MEDIA
her very first zumba class wanting to make Rizwan “Sunny” Rabbani, co-found Tribe Fitness When it comes to creating
in 2011, though she had just 38, founder and head Club, her studio in Benga- posts that can go viral,
one student. “It was a thrill- people fit. It starts trainer of the YouTube luru, in 2014. “It was a calculated risk. The Rabbani has a lesson or two to share.
ing experience to teach with that. channel MyBollywood- thinking was if it didn’t work, I would go Liked for his unique multilingual presen-
her. When I finished the Body and a gym by the back to being a freelance trainer or go tation style, Rabbani made headlines a
class, I realised that I RISHABH TELANG same name, started his back to corporate life,” says Shetty, before couple of years ago with a marketing
enjoyed teaching her and I FITNESS EXPERT career in fitness quite early. stating the moral of the story: “To succeed campaign aimed at catching comedian
wanted to do this more “I started working out at (clockwise, from top) Actor Hrithik ces, you have got to do a basic certification as a trainer, you need to be willing to take and actor Kevin Hart’s attention. The
often,” Shetty says. the age of 14-15 and by the Roshan with trainer Shwetambari to start,” he says. Karachiwala can’t stress risks and make bold decisions.” trainer created a huge billboard in
The first step to becom- time I turned 18, I started Shetty; training on Rizwan ‘Sunny’ the importance of the right certification Sometimes, taking a risk can also be Toronto, with Hart’s face blown up and
ing a successful fitness training people and mak- Rabbani’s YouTube channel; enough. She says: “I often say that in fit- about pivoting off a casual idea thrown at the accompanying text reading: Yo!
trainer is to know why you want to do it. ing money out of it,” says Rabbani. comedian and actor Kevin Hart with ness training, certifications are like your you, like Rabbani did with MyBollywood- Kevin, I heard you are in Toronto. I’m a
Rishabh Telang, fitness expert at Cult.fit, As an early starter, Rabbani underlines Rabbani; and (below) Shetty. ABCs, they are the foundation. Only then Body. With 4.4 million subscribers, it is an big fan. Can I take a selfie?
Bengaluru, often meets youngsters who the importance of certification. “Becom- you can form words, from which you learn extremely successful channel today and Not only did the billboard get Rabbani
tell him they want to become trainers ing a personal trainer is a simple game. to build short sentences, paragraphs, and has helped him expand his business. a selfie with Hart, it made him a celebrity
because it’s cool. As an experienced pro- Yet, while you don’t necessarily need to eventually a story, right?” But in 2014-15, when social media for seven days, he says. “We started post-
fessional, Telang tries to help them make have an undergraduate degree in, say, Karachiwala’s list of certifications wasn’t the beast it is today, Rabbani chose ing the picture of the billboard all over
informed decisions. “I try to understand kinesiology or a bachelor’s in health scien- includes Basi (Body Arts and Science to start the channel based on a suggestion social media and asked our friends, fam-
COURTESY SHWETAMBARI SHETTY International) certified Pilates Instructor, by his then client, actor, director and ily and followers to tag him. We had his
Balanced Body Comprehensive Master comedian Rupanjit Bal. “He thought I had attention in a matter of hours and then
Instructor, and Balanced Body MOTR a jolly personality and so, one day, he just we were all over the Western media. If I
Master Instructor. went, “Why don’t you try YouTube?” A am not mistaken, I had about 70-80
So, where do you go for these courses? quick class and a bit of experimentation interviews that week,” he says. That cam-
Telang recommends signing up for certi- later, Rabbani started uploading ‘How To’ paign helped his fitness channel gain a
fication programmes offered by the fitness videos. “I started posting videos good following. “In these times where
US-based organisations National Acad- primarily for my clients but soon, more everybody is about views and likes, you
emy of Sports Medicine or American people started to like my content and I just have to do some out of the box, crazy
Council on Exercise. The programmes are got more motivated as the likes, shares, things to get the public’s attention,” says
online and these organisations have affili- comments and views grew,” he says. Rabbani.
ates in India. Basi, in Newport, California, Karachiwala uses her social media
is known for its Pilates teacher training TRAINING THE STARS responsibly. “You will never see me doing
programmes. For zumba certifications, a The names of stars she has trained over some crazy exercise or trying to look good.
prospective trainer can sign up for their the years roll out smoothly as Karachiwala I try to put out content on simple exercises
courses on Zumba.com. talks of the experience of working with the that people can do at home,” she says.
big names of Bollywood. “When I used to Rabbani sums it up perfectly when he
BE A HEALTH, NOT FITNESS, COACH conduct my group fitness classes in the says, “With time, you will have experience
“Yes, doing certifications is fantastic and 1990s, I had Dimple Kapadia, Aishwarya and recognition. With time, you will have
you need them to be able to build enough Rai, Chunky Pandey, Farah Khan, all the the admiration and respect of people. So
credentials for yourself, but this advice Bollywood wives, Maheep, Bhavna, make sure you are on top of everything:
would have been enough 10 years back. Seema, Neelam, among others, coming your basic certification, social media con-
Today, clients want more from their in,” says Karachiwala, noting that when it tent, the way you look, the way you talk.
trainer than just a certification,” says comes to getting celebrities as clients, Everything matters.”

Lokesh Kanagaraj’s
home-grown style
The director of
‘Master’, ‘Kaithi’ and
‘Vikram’ owes as
much to Selvamani
and Aabavanan as
Scorsese or Tarantino
Aditya Shrikrishna
W
hen we quiz older
film-makers from
the south on their
inspirations, we
hear familiar
names: Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scors-
ese, Steven Spielberg and Paul Thomas
Anderson. Lokesh Kanagaraj gives us
these familiar names too but he adds that
one of his favourites is the Aabavanan-
written, R. Aravindraj-directed Oomai
Vizhigal (1986). As famous as the film is,
it’s rare to hear it mentioned by film fans,
and even rarer to hear about it from film-
makers who have established themselves
in the last 25 years.
Peeling through Kanagaraj’s enthusi-
asm for Kamal Haasan, we find that his real
heroes are writers, storyboard execution-
ers and action directors. In that sense he’s
closest to Tarantino. Kanagaraj sees cin-
ema not only in K. Balachander or Balu
Mahendra, the craftsmen, but more often
in steadfast technicians like Aabavanan
and R.K. Selvamani.
So far, Kanagaraj—the most exciting
Indian film-maker working the action
genre, with Maanagaram (2017), Kaithi
(2019), Master (2021) and Vikram (2022)—
has not expanded on these influences
beyond the song references and procla-
mations of his fascination for actor Man-
soor Ali Khan (Veerabhadran in Selva-
mani’s Captain Prabhakaran). However,
the generous use of songs from the late
1980s and early 1990s in his films says a lot
about his appetite for Tamil action films of
that period.
Take K. Rajeshwar’s Amaran (1992),
which was, at the time, a failure at the box
office. The gangster drama, derivative but
with compelling mythmaking and cinema-
tography, was considered too violent for
the “family audience”. The hype created by
a bouncy soundtrack from Adithyan didn’t
help, especially Vethala Potta Sokkula, fea-
turing Karthik and Silk Smitha.
In Master, young men in a juvenile facil-
ity become tabletop percussionists and
start humming the lively song during the
hero’s (Vijay as JD) lowest point. Veera-
bhadran, the antagonist in Captain Prab-
hakaran (1991), appears in the lesser-
known Predator pretender Asuran
(1995)—written by Selvamani—with its
most popular song used for an action set-
piece in Vikram. Selvamani’s Pulan Visar-
anai (1990) and Captain Prabhakaran fea-
ture some of the best action sequences of
‘Tora’s Husband’: many worlds, one sky
WORLD VIEW
A look at what’s making waves
on the global cinema scene
Rima Das’ film is a
minutely observed
account of one family’s
joys and struggles during
the covid-19 pandemic
Uday Bhatia
uday.b@htlive.com
W
e always say that there is one
world but that’s not true. Each
of us are a world of our own.”
The speaker is sitting with a companion by
the side of a road, his back to us, so we
can’t see his face. But we can hear the res-
ignation in his voice; understandable,
given that Jaan (Abhijit Das) has been
pushed by fate to breaking point over the
course of Tora’s Husband (2022). His
words also suggest a way of thinking about
Rima Das’ cinema, her interest in human
relations over plot and spectacle, and the
way her camera regards everything before
it with a clear-eyed curiosity.
Tora (Tarali Kalita Das) and her hus-
band Abhay—whom everyone calls Jaan—
are at the film’s centre but there are so
many other worlds we get glimpses of.
The baker at Jaan’s restaurant, who turns
this period (including Kanagaraj’s favourite
extended prologue before opening credits
that lasted three films), and Aabavanan
delivered some inspired storytelling in the
action films of that time.
Selvamani’s protagonists are men of the
law, while Aabavanan’s are wronged men
forced by circumstance to fight for good
from the outside. The masculine camara-
derie of Oomai Vizhigal is reflected in
Maanagaram; Kaithi borrows its state
actor-convict interplay from Inaindha
Kaigal (1990).
In Kanagaraj’s cinema, Selvamani and
Aabavanan influences converge. He is
self-aware enough to pick the best of Sel-
vamani—the latter’s eye for set-pieces and
build-up—and from Aabavanan, his old
school, mythical, high stakes storytelling.
The politico-criminal nexus in Kana-
garaj’s films draws into its maelstrom lay-
men, lawmen and those disowned or let
down by the state; the compelling aspects
of Kaithi and Master come from this very
clash of power.
While Vijayakanth’s action films had
portrayed him as a prototypical police offi-
cer performing procedurals with break-
neck action, films like Oomai Vizhigal and
Inaindha Kaigal have regular people put-
ting in a united effort. Despite these differ-
ences, both types of protagonists went
after crime lords with links to political
authority. These were always well-written
and compelling antagonists, an element
that Kanagaraj never misses in his films
either. The unnamed young leads with
varying levels of adrenaline—played by Sri
and Sundeep Kishan—in Maanagaram are
as susceptible to be pulled into the nexus of
crime, politics and law enforcement as the
bungling idiot wanting to be a henchman.
In Kaithi, a man freed after a 10-year
up drunk not because he hates the place
but because he’s so much better at his job
than his co-workers that it depresses him.
The domestic worker curious about the
species of plant she’s watering. The troub-
led young man standing in peak traffic,
dispensing doomsday advice to the world.
Jaan’s mother, whose morning routine is
captured in a few deft strokes: singing
while fanning herself, scaring off mon-
keys, lovingly feeding the cow (Jaan
watches her do this, and, though he’s
unhappy with her for leaving home after
a tiff with Tora, in the next scene he stops
his car to pick up a calf that has strayed on
to the road).
This isn’t the only time we see Jaan’s
protective instinct. When a customer at
his restaurant is rude to a waiter, he asks
him to be more civil and ends up fighting.
He refuses to let go of any of his staff, even
though business is tepid since reopening
after the covid-19 lockdown. He buys foot-
balls for the local children. He’s an
involved, loving, if erratic, father to his
own kids. But Jaan can’t begin to fix his
relationship with his wife, which has dete-
riorated because of his drinking. Every
night he leaves Tora and the kids at home
and gets wasted with his friends. He says
he needs it—maybe he feels he deserves it.
But Tora isn’t under any such illusions.
She explains to a friend: “He’s a good man
but a bad husband.”
This is the fourth film from Das, who
broke through with her second film, Vil-
lage Rockstars (2017), which premiered at
the Toronto International Film Festival
and won the National Award for best fea-
CULTURE
Stills from ‘Master’.
Kanagaraj picks the best of
Selvamani—the eye for
set-pieces and build-up—and
from Aabavanan, his
old school, mythical, high
stakes storytelling
A still from ‘Tora’s Husband’; and (right) Rima Das directing the film.
ture. Unlike that film and Bulbul Can Sing
(2018), Tora’s Husband has an urban set-
ting and focuses on adults rather than
children or adolescents (though Tora and
Jaan’s young son and toddler daughter are
frequent comic relief). Das felt a responsi-
bility to make a film that captured both the
prison sentence is called to help investiga-
tors during a drug bust where the police
force is compromised, and the only trust-
worthy man is a mild-mannered, avuncu-
lar constable guarding a fort.
What results is unmitigated violence
filmed with a relish rarely witnessed in
Tamil mainstream cinema. No other
Indian action film-maker has serviced
such set-pieces with auteur-like touches
in the last decade or so. The darkness of
Kanagaraj’s subjects finds a home in the
murky underworld and night-time visual
palette of his frames. Kanagaraj loves to
play with lights; the streetlight of an inter-
section in Maanagaram and the head-
lights of vehicles in Kaithi centre the
action that is delivered without cuts and
never lets our focus slip away from the
kinetic aspects of the scene.
What editor Philomin Raj brings to
Kanagaraj’s films cannot be understated;
they have worked together in every film so
far. They know when no character is
required in the frame—like a through-the-
vehicles shot in Kaithi—and when they
need both their main characters, as in the
interval scene of Master. A lamp that illu-
minates the subject under interrogation
dazzles the hero in light as it swings like a
pendulum, even as we swing between the
narratives of hero and villain.
Lokesh Kanagaraj is ready with his fifth
film, Leo (releasing 19 October), starring
Vijay, and armed with a cinematic uni-
verse that could go boom or bust. The very
fact that top actors have ceded ground to
a director is a moment worthy of celebra-
tion in an industry saturated by male star
persona.
Aditya Shrikrishna is a freelance writer
and film critic from Chennai.
reality and the tenor of covid times. “Since
the wounds of the pandemic are still fresh,
we are keen to move forward,” she said in
an interview to Platform. “But there will be
a time when we will make pandemic films
based on our imagination. I wanted to tell
the story of a global pandemic in real loca-
Saturday, 30 September 2023
Chennai 11
Sakshi Gupta’s ‘Spaces Of Being’ (2023). COURTESY THE ARTIST & EXPERIMENTER
Mapping the
mindscape
In Sakshi Gupta’s solo show, the messiness of
our minds takes a sculptural form
Riddhi Doshi
I
f the chaos of our thoughts could get a tactile form, it would manifest as
Sakshi Gupta’s sculptural works. Thirteen metal installations, created
from industrial scrap, make up her show, If The Seas Catch Fire, at Experi-
menter, a contemporary art space in Mumbai. “As a teenager, I have always
been curious about our life, what our purpose is. I have had many existential
questions,” says Gupta. For the 44-year-old sculptor, the struggle with these
questions has only intensified with time. “This comes from the feeling of dis-
jointedness (with one’s self), which creates a sense of turmoil.”
Gupta hopes the exhibition, whose title comes from the late American
poet E.E. Cummings, will become a space to reflect, to see where we are and
bridge the gap in the sea of consciousness that we are all part of.
There are two sides to her installation Spaces Of Being. The plain side of
the large, metallic chicken coop is like a mask, or façade, symbolising the
personas we present as social beings. The other, more dramatic side is the
reflection of our mindspace. Several chickens and hens navigate a crowded,
complex grid—reflecting messy thoughts clashing, struggling to find a
voice. “We acknowledge the need to organise them, yet it’s almost impossi-
ble to do so,” says Gupta.
Give Yourselves To The Air, To What You Cannot Hold fills a room where
you can see palm fronds hanging from the wall and ceiling, with two fronds
lying on the floor, like discarded layers of the self. It portrays a moment of
letting go, or an inability to hold on, says the artist. “It embodies a vulnerable
instance of feeling exposed to the bone. Through its inertia, and just ‘being’
rather than ‘doing’, the work exudes qualities of stillness and surrender,”
she adds.
In another room, a metal carpet, crumpled, takes centre stage. Titled As
Small As A World And As Large As Alone, this installation is Gupta’s rendering
of a saturated mind, with creases, folds, ruffles and gaping holes. The metal
threads appear fettered to the floor, invoking notions of resilience and
tenacity, says Gupta. “The carpet is like a portal that allows one the space to
be with each strand of their thoughts and emotions, and view them as seeds
planted in a sea of consciousness,”she says. “An overworked state of mind
compels us to take a pause, re-examine our belief systems, and see the design
we may be subconsciously fabricating,” she adds.
Another work highlights the detritus that a city discards, and how this
takes on a life of its own. For Gupta, the banal existence of gunny bags is a
pervasive presence in the cityscape. Lying abandoned around construction
sites, she feels these embody and reflect the sentiments of the city and its
inhabitants. “They assume the form of frustrated dreams, disappointments,
and the sensitivity that gets trampled and pushed aside.” For Beauty Is Noth-
ing But The Beginning Of Terror is a pile of metal gunny sacks in different
shapes and sizes, stacked against a wall. On a second look, they appear like
dishevelled creatures trying to break free.
If The Seas Catch Fire is on at Experimenter, Colaba, Mumbai, till 26 Octo-
ber, 10.30am-6.30pm (Tuesday-Saturday).
Riddhi Doshi is a Mumbai-based journalist and a Kathak student.
the country—his friends comment on
the weight he has put on, and Tora’s
complaints about how their relation-
ship has changed indicate that alco-
hol is a recent problem. The mental
strain of living through covid
informs the film. Everyone seems
on edge. Tora often appears on the
brink of exploding (Das cuts several
scenes at the moment when some-
thing dramatic seems about to hap-
pen). Jaan mentions that he has
thought of ending his life. “I am
desperate and I feel useless,”
another man says. Nilima, a
domestic worker in Jaan’s home,
delivers a public rebuke to every-
one who’s shunning her after she
returns from a covid ward.
Indie directors often start out
wearing multiple hats but retain only a
tions, natural conditions, in real time.” couple once they have had some success.
Tora’s Husband joins Bheed (2022), Joji In her last three films, Das has been
(2021), Aarkkariyam (2021) and a handful writer, cinematographer, editor and pro-
of other depictions of Indian life in the ducer. She has perhaps the most
covid years. Das shot it over two years, unforced film-making style of any Indian
between lockdowns, with a small crew. director working today. Her camera will
During that time, she lost her father; the wander, linger on a cloud, a sleepy cat, a
film is dedicated to him. Though in the blind singer. Towards the end of the film,
film the lockdown has lifted and normal husband and wife exchange a series of
life has resumed, the visual evidence of the texts. Relations have frayed to the point
pandemic is still part of the landscape: that falling sick with covid is actually a
masks, hazmat suits, ambulances ferrying blessing, a chance to get away and reflect.
covid-positive patients to makeshift With this distance comes tenderness. “I’ll
wards. bake you a cake once you’re back,” he
Das allows the viewer to join dots. We texts. Then, more poetically, “Both of us
can assume, for instance, that Jaan’s are under the same sky.”
drinking has picked up during lockdown,
just as it did in many households across Tora’s Husband is in theatres.
12 Saturday, 30 September 2023
Chennai
(from left) Stills from ‘Glory Of Sport’, the official film of London 1948; ‘O Sport, Ty-mir!’, the official film of Moscow 1980; and Bud Greenspan’s ‘16 Days Of Glory’, on the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, US.
Olympics and Olympic values
A celebration on celluloid
A jubilant Indian delegation after the Indian men’s hockey team won the final at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
Starting 1 October, a
festival of films and
acclaimed images will
allow sports fans to
revisit unforgettable
Olympics moments
Mahalakshmi Prabhakaran
mahalakshmi.prabhakaran@htlive.com
A
s one of the most important
sporting events in the
world, defined by the motto
Citius, Altius, Fortius-Com-
muniter (Faster, Higher,
Stronger-Together), the Olympic Games
have given audiences incredible—at times
jaw-dropping—moments of human spirit
and sportsmanship.Who can forget Nadia
Comăneci’s perfect 10 in the 1976 Mon-
treal Olympics, Usain Bolt’s world-break-
ing records at the 2008 Beijing Olympics,
or, most recently, Neeraj Chopra taking
the victory lap holding the Indian flag aloft
at the Tokyo Olympics?
Now, Indian audiences can relive those
moments, courtesy Olympics In Reel Life—
A Festival Of Films And Photographs, pre-
sented by the Film Heritage Foundation in
partnership with the Olympic Museum in
Lausanne, Switzerland. To be held in
Mumbai (1-7 October) and Delhi (7-14
October), the festival’s expertly curated
programme includes a marathon screen-
ing of 33 Olympic films and 10 documen-
tary series; an exhibition of the Olympic
Museum’s internationally acclaimed pho-
tography series, titled Olympism Made Vis-
ible; and a campaign in Mumbai which
spotlights Indian sportspersons at the
Olympic Games. Being conducted in a
tie-up with the Brihanmumbai municipal
corporation (BMC), this campaign will
feature photographs of Indian Olympians
displayed on billboards at 25 spots across
the city. “When I approached the BMC
with the idea, they were excited,” says Shi-
vendra Singh Dungarpur, film-maker,
archivist and founder director of the Film
Heritage Foundation.
The timing of the event couldn’t be bet-
ter. As Dungarpur tells Lounge, “From
15-17 October, India will be hosting the
first International Olympic Committee
(IOC) session since 1983 and the Indian
government has announced its intention
to pitch to host the Olympics in future.”
Explaining how it all came together,
Dungarpur says: “The Olympic Museum
team was familiar with the kind of work
the foundation has done. They knew that
we had done Reframing The Future Of
Junior hockey champions at the Kalinga stadium in Bhubaneswar.
Manfred Kinder, Milkha Singh, Malcolm Spence, Otis Davis, Earl Young and Carl Kaufmann at the 400m men’s final at Rome 1960.
Film 4 (a conversation between visual artist
Tacita Dean and film-maker Christopher
Nolan at the National Centre for the Per-
forming Arts, or NCPA, Mumbai, in April
2018),” he says. Additionally, both the
Film Heritage Foundation and the Olym-
pic Museum are members of the Interna-
tional Federation of Film Archives (Fiaf).
For Dungarpur and team, it wasn’t too
hard to say yes because “the idea of show-
casing the history of Olympics through
films made by great auteurs like Miloš
Forman and Kon Ichikawa was exciting”.
IN-DEPTH CURATION
When it came to curating the film sched-
ule, Dungarpur and co-curator Robert
Jaquier, project manager—Olympic films,
Olympic Foundation for Culture and Her-
itage—had their work cut out. They had to
select a strong line-up from the IOC’s
exhaustive collection of archival films,
which dates back to 1912, and the Olympic
channel. “Robert and I wanted to make
sure that the films screened would show-
ZOOM
1964/KISHIMOTO/IOC
POULOMI BASU, IOC
case not just the history of the Olympics
but also its exciting aspects. The films
being screened are such humane films,
they almost seem fictional, which they are
not,” says Dungarpur. In his curatorial
note, Jaquier writes: “The retrospective of
Olympic films is the largest ever put
Neeraj Chopra after winning gold in the men’s javelin throw at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
1960/COMITÉ INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIQUE
A still from Carlos Saura’s
1993 film, ‘Marathon’.
OLYMPIC MUSEUM
together. It will present all the best Olym-
pic films, from the most well-known ones
to unknown gems. Taking a non-chrono-
logical approach, the films have been
grouped thematically and artistically to
create bridges between eras and highlight
their formal qualities over time.”
PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OLYMPIC MUSEUM, LAUSANNE, SWITZERLAND
Taking Olympics
to schools
I
n Indian schools, the “activ-
ity”of sport is limited to the PT
period slotted at the end of
the day. “We are taking Olympics
In Reel Life to schools in Mumbai
and Delhi to show kids that
sports is cool,” says Shivendra
Singh Dungarpur, film-maker,
archivist and founder-director
of the Film Heritage Foundation.
“Beyond its physical aspect,
sports makes you a good human
being and teaches you the
importance of values such as
sportsmanship and integrity.
This is why we have tied up with
the Brihanmumbai municipal
corporation (BMC) in Mumbai
and Indian National Trust for Art
and Cultural Heritage in Delhi to
ensure children from local
schools come and watch the
films,” Dungarpur adds.
Dungarpur says an underlying inten-
tion is also to showcase the “art of cinema”.
“Visual art is so powerful, and, through
this event, people are going to realise that
there is more to film than just feature
films,” he notes.
Of the films scheduled for screening,
Dungarpur is excited about Leni Riefen-
stahl’s Olympia, made in 1938, and Ichik-
awa’s 1965 film, Tokyo Olympiad. “When
they asked me if I wanted to show Olym-
pia, I said, ‘Of course!’” The official film of
the 1936 Berlin Olympics was shot by Hel-
ene ‘Leni’ Bertha Amalie Riefenstahl, one
of the few women directors in Nazi Ger-
many in the 1930s. Riefenstahl was known
to have tried a number of new techniques
2021/COMITÉ INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIQUE (CIO)
while filming Olympia, such as tracking
system shots, underwater diving shots and
panoramic aerial shots. Highly controver-
sial and polarising, her films, Olympia and
Triumph Des Willens are today counted as
amongst the most effective propaganda
films ever made.
FRAMING VALUES
The Olympism Made Visible photography
exhibition, a highlight, is a global initiative
conceived in 2018 by the Olympic
Museum to portray the role of sport as a
force for positive change and empower-
ment. Over the past six years, the series
has seen 12 photographers, including
names such as Dana Lixenberg, Lorenzo
Vitturi, Alex Majoli and Max Pinckers, visit
developing countries like Jordan and
Cambodia to create their own visual nar-
ratives linking sports, culture and educa-
tion. The exhibition, which will be held in
Mumbai and Delhi, will feature more than
80 photographs by Lixenberg, Vitturi and
the Kolkata-born, London-based neuro-
diverse artist Poulomi Basu.
Basu’s series, Champions Of Tomorrow,
shot in Odisha this summer, will debut at
the festival. She visited schools in Bhub-
aneswar to explore the impact that sport,
physical activity and Olympic values edu-
cation can have on schoolchildren.
Participants in Mumbai can also look
forward to interacting with Lixenberg and
Vitturi, both of whom will be holding
workshops on 3 October at the Piramal
Gallery, NCPA.
Olympics In Reel Life will be held at the
NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai, from 1-7
October. Film screenings will be at the Little
Theatre and Godrej Dance Theatre, 10am
onwards. The photo exhibition will be at the
Open Air Plaza.
At India International Centre (IIC), 40,
Max Mueller Marg, Delhi, from 7-14 Octo-
ber. Film screenings at the CD Deshmukh
Auditorium, 10am onwards.
LIVEMINT.COM NEWS Saturday, 30 September 2023
Chennai 13

Zee merger
m MINT SHORTS
JioCinema to appoint former
delayed by a Infra sectors grow 12%, fiscal
Google exec Kiran Mani as CEO
New Delhi: JioCinema plans to appoint former Google general
manager Kiran Mani chief executive officer, leading the Indian
streaming TV service’s effort to broaden its reach among mobile
few months,
says Sony
deficit at a 3rd of FY24 target
customers, according to people familiar with the move. Mani for-
merly ran Google’s Android operations in the Asia Pacific region. Reuters
He’s going to lead technology development for the service and feedback@livemint.com
facilitate partnerships with Hollywood studios, said the people, Robust core sector growth to prop up IIP for August; industrial recovery seen broad-based
J
who asked not be identified. BLOOMBERG apan’s Sony Group Corp
said on Friday a merger of
its Indian unit with Zee Gireesh Chandra Prasad & Rhik Kundu ₹2.52 trillion during the same period last
Interest rate on five-year Entertainment Enter- rhik.kundu@livemint.com year, data from CGA showed.
prises, which had an initial Centre’s total receipts during April-
recurring deposit raised to 6.7% deadline of September, would
NEW DELHI
August stood at ₹10.29 trillion, or 37.9%
ISTOCK
take a few more months to of annual estimates, of which tax

complete.
“Based on the current state
of preparation, we expect
completion within the next
few months,” Sony said in a
statement, without elaborat-
ing further.
Sony and Zee did not imme-
diately respond to Reuters’
requests for comment.
The merger to create a $10
billion media and entertain-
New Delhi: The finance ministry has raised the interest ment powerhouse, which was
rate on five-year recurring deposit schemes to 6.7% from announced in 2021, won a key
6.5% for the quarter ending on 31 December, while retain- approval in August.
ing the rates for all other small savings schemes for the It was delayed due to issues
above mentioned period. As per a circular from the Depart- including a legal battle with
ment of Economic Affairs (DEA), the interest rate on savings lenders over loan defaults by a
deposits has been retained at 4%, on the one-year term Zee group entity.
deposit at 6.9%, on two-year and three-year term deposit The combination also ran
at 7%, and on the five-year term deposit at 7.5%. RHIK KUNDU into problems after the Secu-
rities and Exchange Board of
India banned Zee’s CEO,
Maruti Suzuki gets GST show Punit Goenka, who had been
lined up to run the merged
cause notice for ₹139 crore entity, from the boardrooms
New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, the country’s largest car- of listed companies for a
maker, has received a show cause notice from the goods and ser- year.
vices tax (GST) authority for an amount of ₹139.3 crore, a stock Earlier this month, Zee was
exchange filing by the company said on Friday. ALISHA SACHDEV served with a fresh setback
after lender Axis Finance
approached an appellate tri-
Juniper Hotels files draft papers bunal to challenge the
approval the merger received
for ₹1,800 crore IPO in August.
REUTERS
O
utput of eight infrastruc- receipts stood at ₹8.04 trillion, or 34.5%
ture industries grew of annual estimates. Corporate tax col-
12.1% in August, its fastest lections rose over 15% year on year to
pace in 14 months, aided ₹2.39 trillion in April-August.
by double-digit growth Total expenditure during April-Au-
in coal, gas, refinery products, cement, gust rose to ₹16.72 trillion, or 37.1% of the
steel and electricity sectors, commerce annual estimates, from ₹13.90 trillion
ministry data showed. during the same period of the previous
Experts said this is expected to help year.
maintain robust industrial output in The Centre aims to bring down the
August. fiscal deficit—the difference between
The eight core industries make up the government’s income and spending
two-fifths of the weight of the items met through borrowing—to 5.9% of
included in the Index of Industrial Pro- Fiscal deficit in the first five months of FY24 stood at ₹6.43 trillion, or 36% of the gross domestic product during FY24.
duction (IIP). Overall industrial output annual estimate of ₹17.87 trillion. HT Nayar attributed the “modestly wid-
had grown 4.8% this fiscal till July. ening deficit” to lower tax devolution to
Data separately released by the Con- Tax (GST) e-way bills, rail freight, etc, The stable progress in economic states in August. She said while the tax
troller General of Accounts (CGA) on according to Aditi Nayar, chief econo- activity is expected to be supported by devolution in August 2023 was in line
Friday showed that India’s fiscal deficit mist and head of research and outreach the festive demand, India Ratings said. with that in July, it was lower in annual
in the first five months of FY24 stood at at the rating agency. RBI estimated the economy to grow terms as a double tranche had been
₹6.43 trillion, or 36% of the annual esti- India Ratings & Research said in an at 6.5% this fiscal, while the finance min- released in August 2022.
mate of ₹17.87 trillion. istry has forecast a 10.5% Earlier, in May 2023, the Reserve
In the same period of GROwTH TRACK growth in nominal terms. Bank of India (RBI) approved a transfer
FY23, the fiscal deficit The robust growth in of ₹87,416 crore as dividends to the gov-
stood at ₹5.42 trillion, or OVERALL THE stable progress CENTRE aims to cement and electricity ernment for FY23. This is likely to serve
32.6% of the year’s target industrial in economic activity bring down fiscal sectors also got support as a cushion if the government falls short
output had grown is expected to be deficit to 5.9%
of ₹16.61 trillion. Experts 4.8% this supported by the of gross domestic from the dry spell of mon- in other revenue streams, such as disin-
said the fiscal deficit target fiscal till July festive demand product in FY24 soon in August, experts vestments and overshooting expenses,
for this year is achievable. said. The monsoon usu- like for the rural job guarantee scheme.
ICRA Ltd expects ally dampens construc- Of the total revenue expenditure,
industrial output to expand 9-11% in analysis on Friday that the core indus- tion activity and power demand. The which stood at ₹12.98 trillion during the
August, given the uptick in the core sec- tries’ performance showed that the buoyancy in the sector’s growth also got April-August 2023 period, ₹3.7 trillion
tor growth as well as the healthy per- recovery in the infrastructure industries support from the government’s capex. was on account of interest payments,
formance of high-frequency indicators is getting broad-based, which is a good The Centre’s capex rose to ₹3.74 tril- and ₹1.81 trillion went into subsidies.
such as auto output, Goods and Services sign for the economy. lion during April-August 2023, from gireesh.p@livemint.com

‘India to grow at 6.5% Vedanta to demerge business Tata Power gets

every year till 2030’
PTI
feedback@livemint.com
largest economy from the 10th
rank globally in 2014, and
within the end of this decade, it
Moody’s rating
FROM PAGE 16 lowed a rating downgrade of
Vedanta’s London-based par- upgrade on
units, we believe that we will ent, Vedanta Resources Ltd
unlock value and potential for (VRL), by S&P Global. solid finances
faster growth in each vertical,” “The proximity of VRL’s
said Anil Agarwal, chairman of large bond maturity in January PTI

T
New Delhi: Juniper Hotels Ltd, the company that runs he Indian economy is will become the third largest Vedanta. 2024 has increased the likeli- feedback@livemint.com
hotels under the Hyatt brand, has filed preliminary papers poised to grow at an aver- economy in the world, he In an interview on Friday, hood of the company under- NEW DELHI
with capital markets regulator SEBI to raise ₹1,800 crore age of 6.5% annually asserted. “Global economy is Ajay Agarwal, president of taking a liability management

T
through an initial public offering (IPO). As per the com- between 2023 and 2030, chief going to go through a period of finance at Vedanta Ltd, said, exercise. VRL has initiated ata Power on Friday said
pany’s DRHP, its maiden public issue will be through a economic adviser V Anantha uncertainty. Geo-political frag- “The demerger can provide talks with bondholders to help Moody’s Investors Ser-
fresh issue of equity shares with no Offer for Sale (OFS) Nageswaran said on Friday. mentation, geo-economic inef- both Indian and international address the company’s bond vice has upgraded the
component. VARUNI KHOSLA Speaking at the BCC&I Indo- ficiencies, and reversal of glo- investors an opportunity to maturities of about $3 billion, corporate family rating of Tata
Pacific Economic Conclave, balisation, and all these factors invest and create value from including $1 billion, in January Power to Ba1 from Ba2 and
Nageswaran said the global are currently underway. ‘commodity-specific’ build- Anil Agarwal, founder, 2024,” it said. maintained a stable outlook.
Next tranche of electoral bonds economy is going to witness a “Whereas between 2003 play entities.” Vedanta Ltd VRL’s limited alternative According to a report from
period of uncertainty, and and 2008, globalisation was in The demerger is planned funding sources add to “down- Moody’s, the rating upgrade to
issue to open on 4 October India has to plug its heyday. Inter- to be a simple vertical split; lead, silver, and recycling busi- side risks, even though pay- Ba1 is driven by Tata Power’s
New Delhi: The government has approved the issuance of the into the global Chief economic est rates were low for every share of Vedanta nesses. ment of the January bond is solid financial metrics, which
28th tranche of electoral bonds that will open on October 4 for supply chain and adviser or were being Ltd, shareholders will receive “The board has selected a highly likely,” said S&P, fol- are projected to remain above
10 days. The announcement comes ahead of assembly elections make itself Nageswaran lowered glo- a share of each of the five panel of directors to evaluate lowing a similar downgrade by the upgrade trigger set for the
in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and attractive for the said India needs bally..now inter- newly listed companies— the options and will appoint Moody’s Investors Service on earlier Ba2 rating.
Mizoram which are expected to be held later this year. A finance China-plus one est rates either are Vedanta Aluminium, external advisers,” Hindustan 26 September. “Moody’s Investor Service
to plug into
ministry statement said that State Bank of India (SBI) has been strategy. rising or going to Vedanta Oil & Gas, Vedanta Zinc said in a release. “The downgrade reflects has upgraded the corporate
authorised to issue and encash electoral bonds through its 29 “We have had the global remain at a high Power, Vedanta Steel and Vedanta Ltd, whose pro- the elevated risk of debt family rating of the Tata Power
authorized branches. RITURAJ BARUAH 9.1% growth in supply chain level. We are real- Ferrous Materials and moter group entities are near- restructuring over the next Company Ltd to Ba1 from Ba2,
FY22 and 7.2% in istic about our Vedanta Base Metals. ing a multibillion-dollar debt- few months because VRL has and maintained the stable out-
FY23. We are growth prospect, “We believe this will allow repayment schedule, believes not made any meaningful look,” a BSE filing said.
Government’s gross liabilities rise poised to grow 6.5% per annum which is still going to be one of the full value to be realized that by separating businesses, progress on refinancing its Tata Power’s rating incor-
on average for this year and the the world’s highest growth and increase shareholders’ the group will be able to cater upcoming debt maturities,” porates the company’s stan-
2.2% sequentially in June quarter remainder of the decade. Why rates at 6.5% in real terms and value in each of the businesses to a much larger pool of inves- said Kaustubh Chaubal, a dalone credit quality and a
New Delhi: The central government’s total gross liabilities rose I am talking about 6.5% and not 11% in nominal terms,” the because the shareholders for tors. “Being listed, it will indi- Moody’s senior vice president one-notch uplift for share-
by 2.2% sequentially during the April-June 2023 period (Q1, 7.5-8%? It is because we are not economist said. each of the businesses might vidually allow each to have and lead analyst on VRL. holder support. The com-
FY24), the finance ministry said in a statement on Friday. Accord- experiencing the kind of global He also emphasised the be very different,” said Ajay their own specific pool of capi- Moody’s said VRL’s credit pany’s standalone credit qual-
ing to the provisional data, the centre’s total gross liabilities growth that we experienced importance of increasing the Agarwal. tal…provide their own growth quality is constrained by its ity is supported by predictable
increased marginally to ₹159.54 trillion at end of Q1,FY24 from between 2003 and 2008,” the share of manufacturing in Hindustan Zinc Ltd, of trajectory and attract a differ- weak liquidity because of large cash flow from its distribution
₹156.09 trillion at end of Q4,FY23. The Indian government’s fis- CEA said. India has made Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which Vedanta Ltd owns ent set of financing perspec- refinancing needs and interest businesses that benefit from a
cal deficit during the first five months of the current financial year progress in the last eight years and the country’s contribution 64.92%, will also create differ- tive,” Agarwal said. expenses amid tightening stable regulatory framework,
stood at ₹6.43 trillion. RHIK KUNDU as it has now become the fifth to global manufacturing. ent legal entities for its zinc, The announcement fol- financing conditions. the agency said.

Bharti-backed Online shopping to get a festive season push True North sells
Eutelsat group
lists on LSE FROM PAGE 16 significant change in the con-
sumption landscape.
F&B, hotels, and airlines do
well. This trend is not going to
20% of Niva Bupa
shoppers to buy goods online in On Friday, Redseer said reverse, but the silver lining is
Shouvik Das the festive months. It expects online sellers expect at least a the World Cup. The sporting FROM PAGE 16 acquired a 9.9% stake in Fettle
shouvik.das@livemint.com demand will be led by catego- 15% year-on-year jump in fes- event will give a fillip to online Tone for ₹90.8 crore, accord-
NEW DELHI ries such as beauty and per- tive sales this year after a dis- platforms as people spend raised from external investors. ing to filings at the time.
sonal care, home and general mal first three quarters of the longer hours at home. We are Post the primary infusion and True North now holds

B
harti Enterprises-
backed satellite operator
and services company
Eutelsat group on Friday
announced its listing on the
London Stock Exchange (LSE)
in the UK, the second country
where the company’s shares
will be listed publicly. The LSE
listing plans were confirmed by
France-headquartered Eutel-
sat Communications in June
last year, and comes a day after
the latter completed its merger
move with UK-headquartered
satellite operator OneWeb—in
which domestic conglomerate
Bharti Enterprises is a stake-
holder. Shares of the newly-
formed Eutelsat Group, in
which OneWeb holds a 50%
stake, were listed on the LSE at
8AM GMT on Friday.
merchandise, and fashion.
Companies are banking on
festive season demand to
shrug off a slump in demand
witnessed across discretionary
categories earlier this year.
While demand in categories
like quick-service restaurants,
apparel, footwear and retail
remained under pressure in
the June quarter, segments
such as paints and jewellery
bucked the trend.
“The festive season started
on a note wherein we see con-
sumption becoming stronger,
especially for categories linked
to festivities,” she said.
The year also marks a dec-
ade since e-commerce compa-
nies such as Flipkart and Ama-
zon initiated their festive sea-
son sales, reflecting a
current year.
Redseer surveyed a few
hundred sellers (primarily the
smaller sellers) prior to the fes-
tive season.
“Our findings show that
despite modest sales growth
on e-commerce platforms
recently (only 40% of sellers
we surveyed reported a 10%
increase in current quarter
sales versus the March quar-
ter), anticipation for a festive
sales boost amongst the sellers
is high across categories,” it
said.
Amazon said it is expecting
one of its strongest festive sea-
son sales this year.
According to a recent study
conducted by Nielsen Media
commissioned by Amazon
India, 81% of consumers indi-
Redseer anticipates 140 million shoppers to buy goods online in
the festive months.
cated strong sentiment and
intent, and one in two
intended to increase online
spending compared to the last
festive period. The platform
will list products from 1.2 mil-
lion sellers. Rival Flipkart is
offering deals across 500
direct-to-consumer brands.
It is also offering personal
loans of up to ₹5 lakh at an
interest rate of 12.5% per
annum via banking partners
on the platform.
HT
Meanwhile, e-commerce
firms expect to benefit from
the Cricket World Cup in India
to be held between 5 October
and 19 November, which will
keep viewers glued to their
screens and cap their visits to
offline stores.
“The share of consumer
wallet has moved towards
more out-of-home categories,
which is why you see offline
doing better than online. Last
year, we saw categories like
seeing heightened activity
wherein our teams are work-
ing on joint plans with online
platform partners,” said Nitin
Chhabra, CEO of Ace Turtle,
which holds licenses for
brands such as Lee and Wran-
gler in India.
Chocolate maker Mondelez
said online sales have been
growing at a faster clip, albeit
on a smaller base.
“A lot of our partners are
building their capabilities, and
we are also working with them
to build their capabilities
around the cold chain, etc.,”
said Desmond D’souza, senior
director for sales at Mondelez
India. Demand during Rakhi
was good across all channels,
with very encouraging off-
takes.
subsequent dilution, the SPV
(special purpose vehicle) will
hold around 28% in the com-
pany,” Sehgal said in an inter-
view.
This is only the second time
a foreign partner has taken
control of an Indian general
insurer; the first was when
Italy’s Generali raised its stake
in Future Generali to 74% in
May 2022.
Mint first reported the com-
pany’s plans to raise $100 mil-
lion in primary capital on 27
March.
True North acquired a
55.6% stake in the business in
2019 through its special pur-
pose vehicle (SPV) Fettle Tone
from Max India Ltd stake for
₹510 crore in 2019.
In March 2021, Axis Bank
slightly more than 60% of the
SPV, with other investors
holding the rest.
The partial stake sale to
Bupa gives True North more
than fivefold returns on its
investment.
Niva Bupa is targeting a pre-
mium collection of more than
₹5,000 crore for FY24, much
higher than ₹ 1200 crore when
True North invested in the
company, Sehgal said. “The
business has so far grown at a
compounded basis at 40%
since we invested and is
expected to at 25-30% over the
next 18-24 months,” he added.
The company, ranked third
in the Indian general insur-
ance market, has an 8.4% mar-
ket share, more than double
the 4% it had in 2019.
14 Saturday, 30 September 2023
Chennai NEWS LIVEMINT.COM

JKC invests ₹100 cr Sebi order on CFMA plea MEIL bags

more in Jet Airways, $648 mn
plans to fly in 2024 to delay MCX shift to TCS Mongolian
refinery deal
Anu Sharma
anu.sharma@livemint.com Staff Writer
NEW DELHI feedback@livemint.com
Sebi direction which followed complaint from Chennai body sparks volatility in MCX shares
T M
he Jalan Kalrock Consor- egha Engineering and
tium (JKC) on Friday said Infrastructure Ltd
it has invested ₹100 crore Ram Sahgal (MEIL) has secured a
more in Jet Airways (India) Ltd, ram.sahgal@livemint.com Wrench in the works $648-million work order in
completing its financial com- MUMBAI The MCX stock plunged nearly Mongolia.
mitments to take charge of the 9% intra-day before closing 2.2% The order was awarded by

T
airline it won in a bankruptcy he Multi Commodity lower at ₹2,049.70. Mongol Refinery State Owned
auction over two years ago. Exchange of India Ltd (MCX) (in ₹) Llc for its third project, the
Lenders, which selected Lenders have not transferred stock witnessed significant 2,150 2,049.7 Hyderabad-based engineering
Multi Commodity
JKC to take over Jet Airways, ownership to consortium MINT volatility on Friday after the Exchange of India
firm said in a statement. The
have not transferred owner- Securities and Exchange 2,100 company received a letter of
ship to the consortium, accus- a further bank guarantee of Board of India (Sebi) directed it to post- agreement for constructing a
ing it of not investing the ₹150 crore, the total invest- pone the planned migration to a new crude oil refinery unit, it said.
agreed amount in the airline; ment touches the agreed trading platform on 3 October, in 2,050 The proposed facility, with
meanwhile, the consortium amount of ₹350 crore. It response to a petition filed by the Chen- 1,970 annual capacity of 1.5 million
has accused lenders of remains to be seen whether nai Financial Markets and Accountabil- 2,000 tonnes of crude oil production,
obstructing ownership trans- creditors will agree to the ity (CFMA) before the Madras high court. will cater to local demand for
fer and thwarting its attempt to ownership transfer now. MCX said in an exchange filing that it gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel
1,950
resume flights. On 31 July, the Directorate had received a Sebi-forwarded letter on and LPG. It is a government-
Last month, the National General of Civil Aviation 27 September from CFMA regarding its to-government initiative.
Company Law Appellate Tri- (DGCA) extended Jet’s air migration to the new commodity deriva- 1,900 MEIL hydrocarbons presi-
bunal (NCLAT) asked JKC to operator certificate until 3 Sep- tive platform (CDP). “It may be noted that dent P. Rajesh Reddy and
complete the investment by tember; the airline will need to writ petitions filed by CFMA on CDP is Mongol Refinery’s executive
1,850
30 September. seek another extension as the pending in the Madras high court for dis- 9.15 am 3.30 pm director Altantsetseg Dash-
“With this infusion, the latest one has also expired. It posal,” it said in the filing. “The regulator Source: Bloomberg Sebi has advised MCX and its clearing corporation MCXCCL to submit detailed davaa signed the contract for
Jalan-Kalrock consortium has will also be required to informed that since the matter involves comments on the issues raised by CFMA. REUTERS the new project at Ulaanbaa-
now fulfilled its undergo a re-cer- technical issues, the same would be dis- tar, Mongolia.
total financial Last month, tification process cussed in the Sebi Technical Advisory sultancy Services Ltd (TCS) platform. the market’s dismay. even if it migrates in between. “MCX’s “The new venture marks
commitment of NCLAT asked and show adher- Committee meeting, which will be held The migration has been delayed by a MCX, however, said in June that it will recovery from the day’s low suggests that the company’s third foray into
₹350 crore equity the consortium ence to regulatory shortly. Meanwhile, Sebi advised the year during which MCX had to renego- try to migrate before the current con- the markets are pricing in a resolution of the region. MEIL holds a
as per the court- to complete requirements. exchange to keep the proposed Go-Live tiate contract extensions with Chennai- tract with 63 Moons ended. It had the issue,” Rajesh Palviya, derivatives and prominent position in global
approved resolu- Before its last of CDP in abeyance,” MCX added. registered 63 Moons Technologies Ltd, announced on 19 September it would technical head of Axis Securities, said. hydrocarbon sector, with a
the total
tion plan, and all flight in April The MCX stock fell 8.7% to ₹1,913.25 which was raising costs periodically. migrate by end-September. Subse- Palviya expects the stock to rise by presence across upstream,
commitments by investment 2019, Jet Airways during the first hour of trade, but gradu- The contract with 63 Moons ran from quently, on 27 September it said it will go another ₹200 to ₹2,250. The closing at midstream and downstream
JKC now stand by 30 September flew to more than ally recovered from the lows to October 2014 to September live by 3 October. However, the ₹2,049 is a monthly breakout operations, and a track record
fulfilled to take 65 destinations, hit a record high of ₹2,139.95 2022. It had a fixed compo- CFMA complaint has delayed after two years, during which of delivering onshore and off-
control of the domestic and during the last hour of nent, and a variable cost the migration further. the highest closing was shore projects worldwide,”
iconic airline. The consor- international, with a fleet of
tium’s strategy to revive the 124 narrow and wide-body air-
trade, and finally ended
2.2% lower at ₹2,049.70. ₹60
MCX payment for
cr component, linked to the
turnover of MCX,
63 Moons has derived a
significant portion of its ₹162
cr
MCX payment for
₹1,703 in October 2021. At
the lower end, it was at
Reddy said.
The first venture in Mongo-
airline remains unaltered,” the craft. On 1 September, the Sebi has advised MCX amounting to ₹60 crore revenues from contract ₹1,150. After that, it never lia involves the construction of
consortium said in a statement. Enforcement Directorate (ED) and its clearing corpora- 1st extension from annually. extension. In 2022-23, its the next six-month closed above the high lev- the first greenfield Mongol Oil
The consortium, whose res- arrested Jet Airways founder tion Multi Commodity Oct to Dec 2022 The TCS platform will net revenue was at ₹290 extension els until September, Refinery project. In this refin-
cue plan was approved in June Naresh Goyal over a ₹538 Exchange Clearing Corpo- have only a fixed compo- crore. Of this, MCX’s pay- implying that it is in unchar- ery, MEIL is overseeing con-
2021, said it plans to get the air- crore fraud at Canara Bank ration Ltd (MCXCCL) to sub- nent and would help the ment for extension of contract tered waters. struction of EPC-2, encom-
line flying in 2024 as planned. after lengthy questioning at its mit detailed comments on the exchange reduce costs drastically. accounted for ₹141 crore (₹60 cr in Shyam Sekhar, the founder of passing open art units, utili-
“Further announcements Mumbai office. issues raised by CFMA along with sup- MCX has paid ₹60 crore to 63 Moons in the December quarter and ₹81 crore in ithought Financial Consulting Llp, said: ties, offsite and plant buildings
regarding the launch date of The agency alleged Goyal porting documents by 3 October, which the first quarterly extension from Octo- the March quarter). In the first quarter of “This is a commercial decision that will valued at $598.90 million. The
Jet Airways will now be made diverted funds abroad by creat- will be evaluated by its technical advi- ber to December 2022. Over the next current fiscal year, net revenue was at enable significant cost savings for MCX company is also constructing
in the coming weeks,” it added. ing various trusts and using sory committee. six-monthly extension, it coughed up ₹115 crore, of which ₹81 crore was from and it should be expedited once the rele- captive power plants for the
Last week, JKC had invested them to buy properties. He was An MCX official said he wasn’t aware ₹162 crore. Finally, it renegotiated MCX. In the second and third quarters, it vant Sebi committee completes exami- EPC-3 phase for $189.72 mil-
₹100 crore in the airline. Along sent to a 14-day judicial custody of the technical issues raised by CFMA another six months extension through will be at ₹125 crore, each, as contract nation of the technical issues against the lion. Total value of the three
with the latest ₹100 crore and under money laundering laws. against the adoption of the Tata Con- December end for ₹250 crore, much to terms mandate full payment by MCX TCS platform by CFMA.” projects is $1,436 billion.

Windfall tax Staff crunch in retail, logistics as festive season nears ADB’s reforms aim
on crude oil
raised; cut for
Devina Sengupta &
Suneera Tandon
to unlock $100 bn pressure,” said Alok Kumar, of Haryana, Telangana, West
president of recruitment firm Bengal and Karnataka to meet
Manpower India. Contract staff- demand for the festive season.
diesel, ATF MUMBAI/NEW DELHI ers will be hired at minimal As part of hiring a ramp-up, Rhik Kundu pected,” it added.
wages as companies face a Myntra will have more women rhik.kundu@livemint.com Multilateral development
Rituraj Baruah

R
etailers and logistics ser- crunch to offer more, he added. in its sales teams by up to 20% NEW DELHI banks, including the ADB and
rituraj.baruah@livemint.com vice providers are strug- Companies such as Reliance over last year, and 45% overall World Bank, must raise their

T
NEW DELHI gling to strike a balance Industries Ltd (RIL) saw a rise including verticals such as sup- he Asian Development annual spending by $3 trillion
between hiring contract workers in voluntary separation in its ply chain as well as contact cen- Bank (ADB) announced on by 2030, including $1.8 trillion

T
he Union government on
Friday raised the windfall
tax on locally produced
crude oil to ₹12,100 per tonne,
from ₹10,000 per tonne in the
last two weeks.
A finance ministry notifica-
tion also cut the levy on diesel
from ₹5.5 per litre to ₹5 per litre
and from ₹3.5 per litre to ₹2.5
per litre on aviation turbine fuel
(ATF). The revised levies take
effect on 30 September.
The Centre first imposed
windfall taxes on the sale of
locally produced crude oil with
effect from 1 July 2022 as oil
exploration and producing
companies made hefty profits
amid multi-year high crude oil
prices post Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine. Further, the addi-
tional levy on the export of pet-
rol, diesel and jet fuels came in
as private refiners were largely
selling abroad amid better
international prices, instead of
the domestic market.
The increase in windfall tax
on crude comes at a time when
crude prices are well above the
$90 per barrel mark. The
to maximize festive season sales
and reducing costs, amid efforts
to boost last-mile connectivity
after two quarters of muted sales.
While firms are rolling out
marginal hikes for their sales
teams, recruiters said they are
seeking to hire contract work-
ers at minimum wages. There-
fore, getting manpower across
states is becoming a challenge,
they added.
“The first two quarters were
challenging due to unseasonal
rainfall. Consumer electronic
firms are now asking for addi-
tional budget from the finance
teams to hire sales workforce
for the festivities,” Kartik Nar-
ayan, chief executive-staffing,
TeamLease Services, said.
Studios bet on family entertainers, multi-starrers
Lata Jha
lata.j@htlive.com
NEW DELHI
While firms are rolling out marginal hikes for sales teams, recruiters
are looking to hire contract workers at minimum wages.
Many companies are hold-
ing back quarterly bonus pay-
ments of sales executives for
September-November, plan-
ning to pay only in December,
said industry insider.
As companies focus on cost
control, retail stores are incen-
tivising staff with rewards such
as gold coins, travel vouchers,
and cash bonus to encourage
them to achieve sales targets.
The festive season, running
from September to December,
urban elite. However, there’s a
clear shift with renowned film-
makers of the 90s, Rajkumar
Santoshi and Anil Sharma, lin-
retail and telecom subsidiar- tres for the festivities. “Our Friday that it has approved for additional climate actions,
ies. Attrition rate preparation for reforms in capital management, and $1.2 trillion towards sus-
rose 64.8% over While companies the Big Fashion that are likely to unlock about tainable development goals,
2022-23, accord- are keeping their Festival is in full $100 billion additional funding according to the recommenda-
ing to the group’s costs in check, swing to cater to capacity for the next decade to tions of a committee headed by
MINT annual reports. offline stores are high demand tackle major crises, including cli- N.K. Singh and Lawrence Sum-
Mint has learnt from customers mate change, in Asia. mers, the co-conveners of G20
desperately
intensifies the battle between that sales teams in waiting to shop on The increased funds will be expert group on strengthening
traditional brick-and-mortar some of the retail trying to push Myntra for their further leveraged by mobiliz- MDBs. The first volume of
stores and online platforms as businesses of RIL, for sales festive pur- ing private and Singh and Sum-
they vie for a larger share of have received chases,” said domestic capital ADB said mers report, pub-
sales via discounted offerings. hikes ahead of the Nupur Nagpal, to address various increased funds lished in July, pro-
However, manpower short- festive season, and others are CHRO, Myntra. crises, ADB said in will be further poses solutions for
age has been a pressing issue, expected to get it in the com- Myntra is also offering perks a statement. leveraged by addressing issues
since the pandemic when off- ing weeks. RIL did not for its key sales occasions, such “Reforms were
mobilizing private, such as poverty
line stores were temporarily respond to Mint’s queries. as bonuses, special rewards for introduced alleviation and
closed. “The next couple of Some firms are tapping into performance, late-night trans- through update of domestic capital shared prosperity
months, companies want to up small towns for talent on their port and rest room facilities as ADB’s capital ade- to address crises within MDBs. The
hirings but getting manpower own. Fashion e-tailer Myntra, well as period leave for teams. quacy framework. second part,
to move is becoming a challenge for instance, is tapping into the devina.sengupta@live- It expands the which will be
on the back of cost and inflation pool of temps from rural parts mint.com bank’s annual new commit- released in October for discus-
ment capacity to more than $36 sions by G20 finance ministers
billion—an increase of approxi- ahead of its annual meeting at
mately $10 billion, or 40%.” Marrakech in Morocco, will set
“The expansion is achieved the road-map for transforming
by optimizing ADB’s pruden- MDBs to address all challenges
tial level of capitalization while faced by the global economy.
maintaining overall risk appe- “It will enable ADB to pro-
ing such scripts or delivering Ghayal and Andaz Apna Apna, is demographic appeal. “Film- tite. Reforms create countercy- vide up to $360 billion of own
such movies,” said Shariq Patel, collaborating on two projects makers need to bring families clical lending buffer to support financing to its developing
the chief business officer, Zee with Aamir Khan. Salman Khan back to the theatres as films are ADB developing member member countries and private
Studios, that produced Gadar 2. signed a family drama by Sooraj being seen as occasions, which countries facing the unex- sector clients,” ADB said.

November contract of Brent on
the Intercontinental Exchange
is currently trading at $95.43
per barrel, higher by 0.05%
from its previous close. The
November contract of West
Texas Intermediate (WTI) was
trading at $91.50 per barrel,
T
he success of films like
Gadar 2 and Jawan has
not only revived careers
of yesteryear actors like Sunny
Deol but has opened the doors
for filmmakers of the 1990s to
experiment with genres, such
as action dramas, comedies as
ing up projects after a long hia- This emerging Barjatya. Deol may can be celebrated with passion
tus, said industry insiders. trend may result For a while, feature in films by and fervour. Most film-makers CORRECTIONS AND CLARIFICATIONS
Studio executives said film- in the revival of sequels to hits Santoshi, Sharma, have realized that there is a sig-
makers are making a deliberate comedies, action such as Hera or J.P. Dutta, fol- nificant audience base in Bha- Mint welcomes comments, suggestions or complaints about errors.
attempt to bring non-premium and family drama, Pheri or Welcome lowing Gadar 2’s rat, essentially in small cities
viewers who had taken a liking given that there is Readers can alert the newsroom to any errors in the paper by
had little success success. David and towns, which want to be
emailing us, with your full name and address to
to regional films, back to Hindi value in catering Dhawan is plan- entertained, have an appetite
mainstream movies. “There is to India’s middle with India’s ning a comedy film for it and haven’t been getting
feedback@livemint.com.

lower by 0.23% from its previ-
ous close.
The prices are rising amid
supply concerns as Opec+ has
resorted to supply cuts and
Saudi Arabia and Russia have
announced voluntary cuts.
well as family entertainers, to
cater to the demand of diverse
audiences including the small-
town moviegoers.
For a while, sequels to hits
such as Hera Pheri or Welcome
had little success with India’s
no doubt that films with an
emotional core, which were
made for the masses have made
a comeback. It shows that audi-
ences are still receptive to such
old-school cinema and there is a
spring in the step of those writ-
class despite push urban elite with son Varun. too many films with mass sensi- It is our policy to promptly respond to all complaints. Readers
back from urban, Vivek Krish- bilities, at least in Hindi.” dissatisfied with the response or concerned about Mint’s journalistic
multiplex audi- nani, CEO of IN10 “However, it will be crucial to integrity may write directly to the editor by sending an email to
ences who may not consider Media Network- owned Movie- plan and structure projects in a asktheeditor@livemint.com
such movies to be “cool Verse Studio said movies tasting feasible manner,” Yusuf
Mint’s journalistic Code of Conduct that governs our newsroom is
enough”, he added. success at the box office have Shaikh, business head, feature available at www.livemint.com
Santoshi, known for hits like mass narratives with a broader films, Percept Pictures, said.

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LIVEMINT.COM NEWS Saturday, 30 September 2023
Chennai 15

Kia to expand capacity ‘No combining assets for liquidator fee’

Gireesh Chandra Prasad regulator said in some cases,

in India only after 2025 gireesh.p@livemint.com

New DelhI
liquidators only deduct costs
of the process from the real-
ized value of an asset to deter-

T
he liquidators of insol-
vent companies cannot
combine proceeds from
asset sales with the company’s
liquid assets to calculate their
The SUV maker is operating at over 100% capacity at its Andhra facility fees, which results in excessive
remuneration, according to an
order by the Insolvency and
Alisha Sachdev Bankruptcy Board of India
alisha.sachdev@livemint.com (IBBI), the authority responsi-
New DelhI ble for bankruptcy rules.
In its order on Thursday, the
mine the net value of realized
assets, a portion of which con-
stitutes the fee. However, they
often fail to exclude “expenses
incurred to preserve and safe-
guard the corporate debtor’s
asset and maintaining its oper-
ations as a going concern” to
calculate the net realized
value, IBBI said.
Besides, interest payments
IBBI prescribes the fee in different slabs taking into account how on specific interim financing

K
ia India, the Indian subsidiary of regulator clarified the fees big and how soon are amounts realised from the asset sale. MINT arrangement to complete the
South Korea’s Kia Corp., one of must be calculated separately process must be excluded.
the leading sport utility vehicle based on proceeds generated IBBI prescribes a fee struc- holders, which is a lower rate. These exclusions would mean
(SUV) makers in India, will from asset sales and as a share ture with various tiers, consid- The regulator has explicitly that net realisable value of the
explore capacity expansion of the liquid assets distributed ering the size and timing of the said certain liquid assets, such illiquid assets would be lower
options only after 2025, despite its facility to its stakeholders. Liquidators funds realized from asset sales as cash and bank balances, for the purpose of computing
at Anantpur in Andhra Pradesh operating are eligible for a higher fee for and the distribution of amounts including term deposits, a liquidator’s fee.
at more than 100% capacity, a senior com- selling a company’s assets as not realised by the liquidator to mutual funds as well as quoted IBBI has been trying to
pany executive told Mint. per existing rules, but the reg- stakeholders. IBBI sought to shares available at the start of streamline the functioning of
Kia’s Andhra unit, which started with a ulator clarified the two com- clarify that the liquidator’s fees the liquidation process after debt resolution professionals
capacity of 300,000 units following a $2 ponents must not be merged. from asset realisation has to be exploring corporate restruc- and liquidators, highlighting
billion infusion by the parent, expanded its The clarification follows computed as a share of pro- turing, should not be consid- ethical practices that profes-
annual capacity to 350,000 units last year. instances of different interpre- ceeds of sale or realisation of ered as “realization” for the sionals should follow.
Now, it seeks to de-bottleneck the existing tations by liquidators to com- assets that are not liquid. purpose of calculating the fees It has also been proactive in
facility further by removing inefficiencies Kia’s Andhra unit, which started with a capacity of 300,000 units expanded its annual pute their fees, leading to dis- The liquidator is not enti- at a higher rate. initiating disciplinary actions
and optimizing the manufacturing pro- capacity to 350,000 units last year. AP crepancies among distressed tled to fee on realisation of the IBBI also provided clarifica- against erring professionals as
cesses to enhance production to 400,000 companies and, in some cases, liquid assets, it added. For such tions on additional costs that they have a critical role to play
units, said Hardeep Singh Brar, national utilize that capacity, said Brar. “We started seller. In July, it had upgraded the flagship triggering investigations into liquid assets, he can only claim should be excluded when cal- in addressing problems of bad
head, sales and marketing, Kia India. with a production capacity of 300,000 product amid intensifying competition, their affairs. a fee on its distribution to stake culating a liquidator’s fee. The loans in the corporate sector.
During April-August, Kia produced units, and last year, we did 330,000 units in following the entry of new players in the
135,000 cars and is likely to end the fiscal sales. So, we are running at more than full segment. In August, Kia sold 14,860 SUVs
year with sales of 330,000 units, including capacity. We are sorted for this year, and including the Seltos and Sonet, emerging
exports. In the year ago, the company had the next. We will see what needs to be done as the fifth largest SUV-manufacturer by
rolled out 146,000 units.
The company is operating two shifts at
after that.” volumes this year, with cumulative sales of
“It’s a little too early to comment on that nearly 70,000 units during April-August.
India experiencing new momentum: Shah
its Anantpur facility and could increase (whether Kia will utilize Hyundai’s produc- “We have yet to do a lot in connectivity
production by adding another shift. How- tion unit). For now, I would say no. But and autonomous technology and you will HT Correspondent decisive policies, political sta- pleted the journey of 75 years here, there is teamwork and
ever, it has no plans to set up a new factory right now, we can go up to 400,000 units see Kia bring out offerings with more feedback@livemint.com bility, democracy and team- and in the past 75 years, we the policy formulation is also
in the near future, a person aware of the in the Bengaluru plant. We have a year or advanced features than competition. For New DelhI work in the federal structure as have made several achieve- clear under the leadership of
company’s plans told Mint. instance, we are now the only it came out of the “policy ments in every sector...We Modi ji. Therefore, no one can
rush hour
T
Additionally, Kia may opti- player to have a radar-based he success of the G20 paralysis” it was suffering from have proved ourselves at the stop India from establishing
mize production to focus on a advanced driver assistance Summit and Chandray- 2004 to 2014. international itself at the first place in every
particular model line, such as In Apr-Aug, Kia It is operating two KIa may optimize system (ADAS) in addition to aan-3 mission, the suc- The Union In this period, forum,” the min- field in the Amrit Kaal,” he
Seltos, which gives it a major- produced 135,000
cars and is likely to
shifts at Anantpur
facility and could
production to focus
on a particular
the camera-based ADAS, mak- cessful launch of the Aditya L-1 minister was India’s GDP has ister said. said, referring to the period
ity of volumes focussing more end FY24 with sales raise production by model line such ing Seltos the only SUV to have craft to study the sun, and the speaking at the almost doubled “In the 100th leading up to the centenary of
on the domestic market. of 330,000 units adding another shift as Seltos the feature found typically in passage of the women’s reser- 118th annual ses- to $3.75 trillion year of our Inde- India’s Independence.
Kia’s sister brand Hyundai is offerings by luxury manufac- vation bill in Parliament have sion of the PHD
from $2.03 trillion pendence, we “The last nine years have
also set to begin production at turers. Going forward, we will filled the country with new Chamber of want a country been that of political stability
General Motors’ Talegaon factory, which two before we start thinking along those be bringing in a grounds-up EV that will be energy and people are experi- Commerce and and per capita that is ahead in all and decisive policymaking...
was acquired last month, in FY25. Hyundai, lines. We expect to hit 400,000 units next positioned as a mass-premium product in encing a new momentum, Industry at Vig- income has risen sectors,” he our GDP has grown from
too, began with a capacity of about fiscal year,” he added. FY25. We are evaluating more products Union home minister Amit yan Bhavan in added. $2.03 trillion to $3.75 trillion
600,000 units at the Pune factory and Kia Seltos, the mid-sized SUV launched out of the 14 battery electric vehicles that Shah said on Friday. Delhi. The theme India is the during the period, which is
expanded capacity to 900,000 units. The in 2019, was a runaway success, establish- Kia Corp will launch globally over the next Shah also said in the last for this year’s session was “Ris- youngest country and has the almost double. Per capita
company could ramp up production at this ing Kia in India, and quickly gained popu- four-five years,” Brar said. The brand is see- nine years, the country, under ing India: Yahi Samay Hai, Sahi largest number of engineers, income has grown from
facility by another 200,000 units. larity to boost sales, to even rival its sister ing a healthy sales trend in the run up to the the leadership of Prime Minis- Samay Hai”. doctors and technocrats, Shah ₹68,000 in 2013-14... to ₹1.8
However, Kia India is not expected to brand Hyundai’s Creta, a segment best- festivities, he added. ter Narendra Modi, witnessed “The country has com- said. “There is democracy lakh,” he said.

Air India set to boost efficiency on routes Trai seeks

Anu Sharma
anu.sharma@livemint.com
New DelhI
T
ata Group-owned Air
India is expected to con-
solidate its presence and
increase efficiency across 100-
plus routes, or over 50 origin-
destination pairs,to fully util-
ize the group’s network of four
airlines.
According to Competition
Commission of India’s assess-
ment on deployment of both
air traffic and seat capacity for
2022-2023, Air India and Vis-
tara has shared presence in 48
origin-destination pairs, or on
96 routes. Travel portals data
reviewed by Mint reveals that
22 out of these 48 pairs, offer
flights by both the full-service
carriers, including Mumbai-
Trivandrum, Mumbai-Cochin,
Jammu-Delhi, Jammu-Srina-
gar, Delhi-Varanasi, Delhi-Ud-
aipur, Delhi-Patna, besides the
metro-metro connections like
Kolkata-Delhi, Delhi-Hydera-
Air India and Vistara had 96
overlapping routes . MINT
bad, Mumbai-Chennai, Delhi-
Chennai, among others.
In fact, 11 such overlapping
routes in the domestic circuit
are shared by at least three air-
lines from the Tata Group such
as AirAsia India, Air India and
Vistara, including Bengaluru-
Delhi, Mumbai-Goa, Bengalu-
ru-Mumbai, Mumbai-Jaipur,
Cochin-Delhi, Bengaluru-Hy-
derabad, Delhi-Lucknow, Del-
hi-Pune, Delhi-Guwahati, Del- Delhi, Bengaluru-Guwahati,
feedback
hi-Srinagar, and Delhi-Goa. Cochin-Delhi, Delhi-Trivan-
Internationally, the CCI’s drum, Amritsar-Delhi, Bhub- on 5G
assessment identified 24 ori- aneswar-Mumbai, and Delhi-
enterprise MAKE
gin-destination pairs with Bengaluru, where its capacity
overlapping operations by Air ranges from 45% to 75%. It also
India, Air India Express, Vis- committed to minimise capac-
tara, and Singapore Airlines. ity on some international
An analysis of the airline routes where capacity share
technology YOUR
networks con-
ducted by Mint Current network
exceeds 50%.
“Because we Shouvik Das MONDAY
revealed that 14 of of the airlines have competition shouvik.das@livemint.com
these origin-des- shows that there clearance, once
tination pairs are are 14 origin- we receive clear-
New DelhI
MORNING
T
served by Air
destination pairs ance from foreign he Telecom Regulatory
India and Vistara.
Besides two route where AI and
jurisdictions, we
can plan the net-
Authority of India (Trai)
has released a consulta-
PLAYFUL GUJARAT URJA VIKAS NIGAM LIMITED
CIN U40109GJ2004SGC045195
pairs, Delhi-Sing- Vistara operate work together. tion paper seeking feedback (Wholly-owned company of Govt. of Gujarat)
apore and Mum- We can avoid from stakeholders on policy ISO 9001 -2015 Certified Company
Sardar Patel Vidyut Bhavan, Racecourse, Vadodara 390007
bai-Singapore, internal competi- bottlenecks for faster adoption Catch the latest PBX: (0265) 2310582-86, www.guvnl.com
are operated by a three Tata tion. Rather than flying parallel of 5G-driven technologies for
Group carriers: Singapore Air- to Frankfurt or London, we can businesses. Written inputs will section of NOTICE INVITING TENDER
lines, Air India, and Vistara. space it out so that customer has be accepted till 30 October. GUVNL hereby invite bids for procurement of 2400 MW
The CCI approved the Vis- better spread of schedules and The paper seeks to boost the capacity on long term basis (15 years) through Tariff
tara-Air India merger on 1 Sep- more choice. So it will operate adoption of technologies like based Competitive Bidding process (Tranche-II) as per
tember. Ensuring post-merger as two separate businesses but artificial intelligence, internet Ministry of Power Guidelines dated 06.03.2019 for
Procurement of electricity from Thermal Power Stations set up
network efficiency, Air India complementary rather than
voluntarily agreed to maintain competitive sense,” Air India
of things (IoT) and extended
reality, which will be critical in
to solve a set of on DBFOO basis and sourcing coal allocated under SHAKTI
B (iv) Scheme. The tender documents (RfQ, RfP and PSA)
minimum capacity on domes- chief executive Campbell Wil- enabling automation across intriguing puzzles. are uploaded at www.mstcecommerce.com &
tic routes like Bhubaneshwar- son told Mint earlier this week. enterprises. www.guvnl.com.
According to the paper seen
Date: 30/09/2023 General Manager (Commerce)
by Mint, adoption of new tech-
nologies among enterprises

Tech firms nudge staffers back to offices “will require effective ecosys-
tem collaboration between tel-
ecom service providers, origi-
nal equipment manufacturers,
Devina Sengupta insists employees turn up at infrastructure providers and
devina.sengupta@livemint.com least once a week for most government to increase con-
mumbAI teams, but executives says sumer adoption and market
staffers are more regular. readiness, to unlock large-

I
ndia’s largest technology
services firm Tata Consult-
ancy Services (Ltd) has
asked some of its teams to
attend office five days a week,
a move which may prompt
rivals with a hybrid work
model to follow suit.
“We got a mail few weeks
ago, asking our team to come
to office five days a week. Until
now, it was three days a week,”
a TCS employee said. How-
ever, other executives said the
five-day week is not company-
wide, and depends on the team
manager. “There are certain
projects which require teams
to come to office every day,
while for the rest, it remains
three days as of now,” the
executive said.
After two years of work from home during pandemic, IT firms are
facing resistance in getting their workforce back to offices.
resources officer Milind Lak-
kad had said in June that work-
from-office leads to more col-
laboration among newcomers
and junior management. He
had pointed out that while
tenured employees who are
well-networked within the
organization can work virtu-
ally “using the social capital
essentials like collaboration,
mentorship and team-build-
ing suffered a lot in these two
years,” he had noted.
However, IT firms are facing
resistance in getting workers
back to offices. While Wipro
Ltd has a three-day week pol-
icy, HCL Technologies Ltd has
a similar policy for its senior
“We believe the future of
work is hybrid, and have
adopted a flexible approach in
our policies, keeping the
requirements of our clients
and employees as our foremost
priority. Collaboration and
innovation through shared
perspectives is the foundation
of a high-performing culture.
Since May, all employees are
being encouraged to work
from the office, any three days
of their choice, in a week,” said
Wipro. HCL and Infosys did
not respond to Mint’s queries.
IT firms also ask their
employees to return to office
to ensure data safety and
reduce moonlighting. For
employees, there may not be
much of an option but to head
scale benefits of 5G.”
It also identified the need to
upgrade the infrastructure to
meet the standards of 5G con-
nectivity, and “fiberization” of
networks to deploy 5G among
enterprises besides densifying
networks to help enterprises
adopt new technologies.
Adoption of 5G via captive
networks for enterprises hit a
roadblock as telecom service
providers and large enter-
prises clashed over access to
5G spectrum. While compa-
nies pushed for direct alloca-
tion of 5G spectrum from the
Department of Telecommuni-
cations, citing greater flexibil-
ity of deployment and privacy,
telcos were against the move
arguing such allocations and hindustantimes htTweets www.hindustantimes.com

TCS said it cannot com- built up over the years”, the managers. Those in the lower to office as job market in the deployment will be expensive,
ment, citing a silent period. same can’t be with more junior rungs have a more flexible tech sector is sluggish after a inefficient and eventually lead
The company’s chief human employees. “Workplace work schedule. Infosys Ltd year of hiring frenzy. to operational burdens.
 ChEnnAI, NEW DELHI, MUMBAI, BENGALURU, kOLkATA, AHMEDABAD, HYDERABAD, CHANDIGARH*, PUNE*
Saturday, September 30, 2023
SENSEX 65828.41 320.09
E-tailers ready for
festive showdown
Amazon, Flipkart expect a revival in discretionary spending
Suneera Tandon
suneera.t@htlive.com
NEW DELHI
I Vedanta to demerge
ndia’s leading online retailers
are gearing up for a head-to-
head clash with their annual
festive season sales events start-
ing in October and stretching
until mid-November, coinciding
with the cricket World Cup, which
companies say will boost demand
for discretionary products such as
TVs and clothing after two subdued
quarters.
On Friday, Amazon announced it
will kick off its ‘Amazon Great
Indian Festival’ (GIF) on 8 October,
in sync with Flipkart’s The Big Bil-
lion Days sale, to deny any early
advantage to chief rival. Amazon
had earlier advertised a 10 October
start date for the event. Reliance
Retail’s Ajio is yet to announce its
festive season sale dates.
Flipkart’s fashion platform Myn-
tra expects about eight million cus-
tomers to transact on its platform
this festive season.
“August is the bellwether for the
festive season in terms of how the
season will shape up, and there have
been good signs so far. Whether you
look at festivals starting from Rakhi,
Onam and Ganesh Chaturthi, all
have been very good in terms of off-
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livemint.com
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Companies are banking on festive season demand to shrug off a slump
in demand witnessed across discretionary categories earlier this year.
Gross merchandise value*
(in ₹ cr)
Growth (y-o-y, in %)
48.6
52,000
CY20
35,000
CY19
*For one month long festive
Minimum number of shoppers
period up to Diwali expected to transact online
#Projections
WORLD CUP BOOST
FESTIvE sale season World Cup to boost
coincides with cricket online sales as people
World Cup in India are likely to stay home
take; we have seen growth in fes-
tive-related categories,” said Nan-
dita Sinha, CEO of Myntra.
Gross merchandise value for the
festive season spanning October
through November is estimated to
reach ₹90,000 crore, marking an
18-20% increase from last year’s
sales during the same period, con-
For
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9380172897
VOL. 17 NO. 233 Rs. 15.00 18 PAGES
JKC invests additional ₹100 cr Sebi stays MCX shift to TCS
in Jet Airways uP14 platform uP14
114.75 DOLLAR ₹83.04 ₹0.15 EURO ₹88.15 ₹0.47 OIL $97.81 $0.03 GOLD ₹57,574 ₹182
The new Vedanta
With the restructuring, Anil Agarwal aims to create independent
“pure play” companies to unlock value
Six new entities and respective CEOs Revenue (FY23, in ₹ cr)
True North
sells 20% of
DON’T MISS
Niva Bupa for
Vedanta Aluminium (John Slaven)
52,618
Vedanta Ltd (Arun Misra)
Vedanta Base Metals (Chris Griffith )
34,442 ₹2,700 cr
22,700 Vedanta Inc. Sneha Shah
Vedanta Oil & Gas (Steve Moore) (earlier Volcan
15,038 Investment)
stake in %
sneha.shah@livemint.com
Vedanta Steel and Ferrous Materials (Navin Jaju) MUMBAI
13,882 63.71 Infra sectors grow 12% in
August, fastest in 14 months
P
Vedanta Power (Vibhav Agarwal)
rivate equity fund True
6,724
Source: Company filings
North on Friday said it
sold a 20% stake in gen-
The output of eight infrastructure industries
grew 12% in August, its fastest pace in 14
SATISH KUMAR/MINT
eral insurer Niva Bupa to its months, aided by double-digit growth in
coal, gas, refinery products, cement, steel
partner Bupa of UK for around
₹2,700 crore, making the lat- and electricity sectors, commerce ministry
ter the biggest shareholder in data showed. >P13
17
61,000
CY21
25
76,000
CY22
biz into six firms the 15-year-old company.
The UK-based international
healthcare and insurance
Merger with Zee Entertainment
delayed by a few months: Sony
company, which tied up with
Anirudh Laskar Japan’s Sony Group Corp. said on Friday a
group entity, Volcan Invest- India’s Max group to launch merger of its Indian unit with Zee
18-20
anirudh.l@htlive.com ments Ltd, Vedanta Inc. Max Bupa in 2008, will hold Entertainment Enterprises, which had an
MUMBAI Rising interest costs glo- around 63% of the company initial deadline of September, would take a
90,000# bally, coupled with approxi- once the transaction is con- few more months to complete. The merger
CY23
B
illionaire Anil Agarwal’s mately $2 billion in the group’s cluded. True North, through plan was announced in 2021. >P13
140 mn Vedanta Group unveiled bonds maturing next year, its special purpose vehicle
a complete overhaul of have intensified the urgency to (SPV) Fettle Tone, will hold Centre raises windfall tax on
its Indian metals, mining, and simplify its complex corporate around 28%.
this festive season
energy conglomerate, structure and unlock value to Niva Bupa also plans to raise
crude oil; levy on diesel cut
Source: Redseer
Vedanta Ltd, involving the repay debt. around ₹ 1,100 crore in pri- The Union government on Friday raised the
demerger of its businesses into “It appears the demerger mary capital that will value it at windfall tax on locally produced crude oil to
six independent companies, decision is driven by the debt ₹12,600 crore once the fun- ₹12,100 per tonne from ₹10,000 per tonne in
dEMAnd to be led the last two weeks. A finance ministry
by beauty, fashion, with a plan to list five of them concerns at the hold-co level,” draising is concluded, said notification also cut the levy on diesel from
home categories by FY25. said Amit Tandon, founder Divya Sehgal, partner at True ₹5.5 per litre to ₹5 per litre. >P14
With the restructuring, and managing director of North partner. The company is
PARAS JAIN/MINT
Agarwal aims to create inde- proxy advisory firm IiAS. also looking for an initial pub-
sulting firm Redseer estimated in a pendent “pure play” compa- Buoyed by the announce- lic offering in the next 12-15 Movie studios bet on family
report earlier this month. nies to unlock value by draw- ment, shares of Vedanta Ltd months. entertainers, action dramas
Redseer anticipates 140 million ing substantial investments for ended 6.82% higher at ₹222.55 “The transaction involves a The success of films like Gadar 2 and Jawan
the expansion and growth of on NSE, while its subsidiary primary fund infusion of has opened the doors for filmmakers of the
TURN TO PAGE 13 these businesses. Vedanta Ltd Hindustan Zinc gained 3.59% around ₹300 crore by both 1990s to experiment with genres, such as
said it plans to file for the man- to ₹308.65. joint venture partners, and action dramas, comedies and family
datory Sebi approval in Octo- “By demerging our business another ₹ 800 crore will be entertainers, to cater to the demands of
Staff crunch in retail, logistics diverse audiences. >P14
as festive season nears >P14
ber. The group also renamed
Agarwal’s main promoter TURN TO PAGE 13 TURN TO PAGE 13
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