Dil Se

Dizzying aerial swoops with Krrish, digital puzzle busting with Ra.One, shooting Gabbar baddies and playing cricket with Aamir — all these innovative game rides in the world’s first-ever Bollywood-themed park makes  MEENAKSHI RAO  wonder why Hindi cinema has got its best-ever showcase in Dubai’s $3.5 billion facility and not in India Having the first Bollywood themed park in the world 2,475 km away from India and not in the mother country of Hindi cinema is definitely a matter to frown upon but what one great Dane has done to shape up the thrilling cinema ride amid the sand dunes of Dubai is no less amazing. Meet Thomas Jellum, 45-year-old theme park specialist all the way from Denmark, holder of the BonBon Land Park in his mother country but now the General Manager of the splashy, innovative and completely engaging Bollywood Boulevard at the Dubai Parks and Resorts, the newest venture in the desert to dig into the ambitious mission of Emiratisation. More about...

He knew nothing about Indian cinema, had never visited India and was not even remotely associated with any kind of film activity. Yet Thomas Jullen, a Danish entrepreneur, was chosen to shape the Bollywood zone at the Dubai Parks and Resorts . MEENAKSHI RAO  caught up with him at Dubai. Excerpts from the conversation  Why would a man all the way from Denmark who knew nothing about Hindi cinema, be hired to carve out the world’s first Bollywood theme park? Well, it is true that when I was offered this project, I did not what Bollywood was and I had never seen a Hindi movie. But I would like to tell you that I have been in the theme park industry for close to 4 decades. I own Denmark’s first and only amusement park called BonBon Land. That may have done the trick I guess. Also, theme parks are an old concept in Denmark. Did you know that Lego was invented in Denmark and America as you might have thought?  So how did you get familiar with your new subject? ...

Chef’s tables are a high-end trend that’s picking up in the Capital, more so with celebrity chefs like Vivek Singh and Tejas Sovani curating a special course meals which take the cake in originality & evolution, says  MEENAKSHI RAO As modern cookery jargon like reconstruct, deconstruct, foraging and ageing waft into your ears, escorted by the delicate aroma of a nine-course meal that is to follow, a somewhat short but sweet man with a winning smile visits your carefully-curated table. He sports a winning smile, has many tales to tell both on and off the platter, and, of course, carries a reputation that speaks of big-time British political agendas like Brexit breaking bread at his table in London, more precisely at his celebrated eatery at Westminster Abbey, called The Cinnamon Club. But for now, celebrity chef Vivek Singh has popped up in the city to lay out a special chef’s table with a five-course lunch or a nine-course dinner option centred on what he calls ...

Here’s reliving the year gone by from the tracks, badminton stadia, rowing stations, and wrestling mats where history was made and written from rather unexpected quarters It was 2008, London. The star moment of the Big Games was about to sparkle. Superstar Usain Bolt was to run the 100 metres final in the evening. We journalists were standing around, talking, waiting and soaking in the atmosphere of a full-house stadium through the afternoon. An Australia-based sports author was there too. Conversation veered towards sports book-writing and who could be an Indian subject for his next mount. Not many names could be conjured up. Someone suggested MS Dhoni. The author preferred a non-cricket achiever. Sakshi Malik, PV Sindhu, Dipa Karmakar — they didn’t occur to anyone. Much later, Mary Kom was discussed — and dismissed — as a done to death sports personality, what with a movie and all that under her punch already. Today, he can choose from a raffle. Besides the ones mentioned...