Family reunion
Sharing a roof — and presumably a breakfast table — isn’t enough to dull the Kapoor flair for the dramatic. Spotted at Filmalaya on Wednesday, Neetu Kapoor gave son Ranbir the kind of high-octane welcome usually reserved for a long-lost reunion. It seems for this iconic pair of Mumbai housemates, even a midday check-in makes for a cinematic moment.
A lesson in rhythm-etic
Terence Lewis
Before he was the king of contemporary dance and the judge we all love to watch, Terence Lewis was just another Mumbai mulga hustling for R200, teaching maths and history. It’s a classic rags-to-riches arc, but with that specific brand of ‘only in this city’ serendipity. And while it’s a story for the ages, a podcast that dropped on Wednesday puts it firmly on our radar today.
On IIMUN’s Before I Became Me with Rishabh Shah, Terence tells the heartwarming tale of the accidental windfall that shifted his entire trajectory. At a time when he didn’t see dance as a career, he had to be talked into taking a weekend class for a handful of six-year-olds. Assuming he was being paid Rs 500 to train eight tots, he was stunned to be handed Rs 4,000 at the end of the month — it turns out the rate was per child. For a young man who hadn’t seen that kind of cash in one go, this wasn’t just a first paycheque — it was a pivot.
Instead of blowing it on something fleeting, Terence showed us the true meaning of the Mumbai hustle. He hit Churchgate station, hoarded books on jazz and ballet, and literally curated a syllabus from scratch. No formal training? No problem. He taught himself to teach, proving that a little audacity and a solid plan are the ultimate power moves.
If you want the full download on how a maths tutor became a dance mogul, plug into Rishabh’s podcast. It’s sharp, it’s soulful, and it’s the ultimate origin story.
Matakte raho!
Shilpa Shetty and Madonna at Coachella
Madonna strode on stage at Coachella in a racy, lacy corset bodysuit with knee-high stockings and little else earlier this month and of course, she started a fire. That was all the tinder we needed to reignite the ‘age-old’ debate over the ‘appropriate’ way to age — even in 2026! In an era of radical self-expression, it’s ironic that ageism remains our favourite spectator sport. We’re the generation that lauded the icons who broke the mould and now we’re penalising them for refusing to settle into a rocking chair?
It’s a tired narrative, famously peddled by 50 Cent, who once quipped that one can’t be “like a virgin” at sixty plus — repeatedly referring to the queen of pop as “grandma.” Ever the arbiter of unsolicited opinions, the rapper’s jabs managed to get the gallery to giggle, but the joke is getting old.
Frankly, the only thing that should have an expiry date is the idea that women must become invisible once they qualify for a senior citizen’s discount. But let Shilpa Shetty tell this tale. On Wednesday, our Bollywood belle shut down the noise with typical flair — answering the “Umar badh rahi hai, kab tak aise matakti rahogi?” question with a dance video montage and a killer one-liner: “Matakna has no expiry date.”
If it isn’t already obvious, I agree. If “grandma” can still shake her booty at 80, we shouldn’t be judging — we should be asking for her playlist and her Pilates routine.
The mediterranean manifest
Chhaya Momaya on the pages of InStyle Greece
In a world of fast-fashion and fleeting fame, Chhaya Momaya is proving to be the definitive blueprint for the power-pivot. While so many so-called image coaches are content with a front-row seat, Chhaya has transitioned into the frame itself — appearing this month in InStyle Greece. It’s a takeover that feels less like a debut and more like a long-overdue coronation on the Mediterranean coast, and it comes packaged with an incredible story.
As we hear it, Chhaya was holidaying in the Peloponnese when photographer Giannis Vastardis essentially staged a creative intervention — insisting that her effortless poise belonged in the pages of InStyle magazine. The result is an extensive and rather stunning feature, far removed from loud logos and the frantic pursuit of relevance.
Truth be told, Chhaya’s European conquest is hardly accidental. Between cutting her hair in Italy with Giorgio Armani’s former stylist and maintaining a breezy, first-name-basis rapport with Alberta Ferretti, Chhaya is operating on a global frequency. And with a Vogue Greece shoot already locked for next month, this Mumbai maven is proving that chutzpah and style transcend geography. Frankly, we can’t wait to see which border she decides to cross next.
