Dishoom Loves. Issue VIII.

We’re securing our seats:—

At the Southbank Centre as tabla-player-extraordinaire and Mercury Prize winner Talvin Singh OBE – renowned for bringing together Indian and electronic music – brings his magic to the stage. And on this particular evening, Talvin will intertwine crescendos, staccatos and tempos in an improvised collaboration with two remarkable musicians (and multi-hyphenates) from London – Lucinda Chua and Coby Sey. 

We’re gathering our friends:—

To see a play about the man who murdered Mahatma Gandhi. Nathuram Godse was a journalist and nationalist, and the man who shot Gandhi in the chest, thrice. The Father and the Assassin is an ‘essential exploration of oppression and extremism’. Written by Anupama Chandrasekhar and directed by Indhu Rubasingham, it is showing at the National Theatre until 14th October. 

We’re spending every free minute:—

Reading through (and being transported by) the pages of author Hema Sukumar’s debut novel Minor Disturbances at Grand Life Apartments. Set in the coastal city of Chennai its a story of Grand Life Apartments, its residents – soon-to-be retired dentist Kamala, 32-year-old engineer Revathi and heartbroken British-chef Jason – and the community. Oh, and there’s also delicious food involved, so don’t be reading on an empty stomach. 

We’re settling in on the couch:—

To watch Can Bollywood Survive? on BBC iPlayer Asian Network. Superstars, super locations, super outfits, super hits – Bollywood has had it all. But, in recent years the industry has been in crisis mode. Like a well-written script, there’s competition, change, scrutiny, fandom, nepotism and a reputation at stake. BBC Asian Network’s Haroon Rashid goes behind the scenes to find answers to the question: can Bollywood survive?