It’s the coming of age of an unconventional artiste, whose life has been laced with passion, scandal and heartbreak. As she stuns audiences with her latest release Badhaai Ho, she takes Megha Shah through the defining moments of her life
In July last year, Neena Gupta posted a fetching picture of herself on Instagram, with the caption: ‘I live in Mumbai and am working. I’m a good actor looking for good parts to play.’ It was startling to some that a National
Award-winning actor with a career of 30odd years would need to ask for work publicly, pitiful even. But few recognised it for what it was, a rather healthy and modern approach to life — and Instagram.
Sometimes the most refreshing take on social media can come from a 62-yearold. Though the tech age presents her with challenges (she’s currently learning how to buy books on Audible) her Instagram account is a delightful display of jaunty acuity and a casual disregard for some of the carefully curated, unspoken rules upheld by members of the social club.
A recent post shows her clutching a trolley at an airport, sporting a self-styled look with sunnies, captioned: ‘Socha apni airport look khud hi daal doon.’ A good-natured laugh at her own dwindling celebrity while simultaneously parodying the growing pap culture and the advent of the meticulously styled airport look.
‘It’s OK to wear a dress, even if your legs are fat’ reads an Instagram post she’s authored, signing off her quote with NG. ‘It’s OK to dream about Ranbir Kapoor’ reads another. On a platform that celebrates perfection her social media presence sticks out — just like her choices in films.
Gupta is surprisingly delicate in person. Unadorned, accoutred in khaki shorts and thick black glasses, revealing unexpectedly skinny legs, she walks towards me almost shyly, in the lounge of a Mumbai airport hotel, clutching a small crumpled parcel of foil, containing within it an omele¢ e sandwich, her homecooked lunch.
Esta historia es de la edición November-December 2018 de Verve.
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Esta historia es de la edición November-December 2018 de Verve.
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Making Amends
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Diamonds With Provenance
In keeping with the company’s commitment to environmental and social responsibility, Anisa Kamadoli Costa, chief sustainability officer at Tiffany & Co. and chairman and president at The Tiffany & Co. Foundation, enlightens Shirin Mehta on the efforts that make the jewellery giant an industry leader in transparency
SARTORIAL ECONOMICS
Sisters Tashi and Tara Mitra demonstrate to Akanksha Pandey how deviating from the mainstream can bend the way we think, live and dress
NOTES TO SELF
An anthropomorphized tiger’s perspective, a viscerally worded futuristic interpretation of loss, a critique of performative activism, a meta reflection on the earth’s crises. Told through different lenses, Janaki Lenin, Indrapramit Das, Keshava Guha and Roshan Ali’s stories — written exclusively for Verve — attempt to make sense of the fraught reality that we exist in today
The Eternal Optimist
As Generation X and xennials grapple with fully transitioning to conscious living, young millennials and Generation Z are leading the charge to reverse human-caused environmental damage. Sahar Mansoor, founder and CEO of the Bengaluru-based zero-waste social enterprise Bare Necessities, has a simple overarching philosophy: consume less and stay positive. Verve gets deeper into the mindset of the action-oriented earth advocate
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Indian music festivals have been demonstrating a refreshing sense of responsibility in terms of their ecological impact. Interacting with stakeholders who strive to make these large-scale events greener, Akhil Sood investigates the reasons behind the improved attitudes of audiences and the increase in corporate support.
earth hour
Crafted using nature’s elements, these dials draw inspiration from the many heterogeneous materials and hues around us.Verve turns its lens onto a mesmerising few
THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT
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NATURAL JUSTICE
Most of us are only just waking up to the urgency of climatic action. When the stakes are so high, what can individual action solve? Mridula Mary Paul, an environmental policy expert, is proof of the tenacity needed to effect systemic change. It’s not glamorous, and the rewards are few and far between, but that doesn’t stop her from aiming big, finds Anandita Bhalerao
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Navigating Indian streets as a woman is hard enough. But what is it like while riding a bicycle? Bengaluru-based Shreya Dasgupta, a regular cyclist, speaks to five urban women about the pros and cons of this increasingly popular means of transport.
