Bollywood’s great gamblers

It's Diwali and time to roll the dice at some of the industry's hottest card parties. Here's a report card, past and present.

Remember the line from the Hollywood film The Colour of Money that went 'money won is twice as sweet as money earned.' Well, this sentiment looms large each Diwali in Bollywood.

In the week leading up to Laxmi Pujan, amounts running into several lakhs are lost and found at the famous Bollywood patta parties.

And the card parties correspond to increasing fortunes of the industry; just like the movies, the stakes at the tables are very high.

Diwali: From pujas to poker

Sleek iPods, edible family photos ringed with pink icing on cakes, and weekend holidays in Singapore. Believe it or not, these are some of the items on the Diwali wish-list this season. If gold and silver are beyond your reach, and steel bartan seem infra dig to buy this Dhanteras, indulge in a shiny new laptop. Bored with celebrating Diwali at home every year? Have a swinging weekend elsewhere, be it Goa or Singapore.

All this seems a far cry from what Diwali used to be 20 years ago. Remember whitewashing the house a month ahead of the festival; taking out your best bedsheets and curtains from the trunk; lighting coloured candles bought from the neighbourhood store; gorging on barfis, ladoos and pedas without fear of adulterated khoya or diabetes and exploding the noisiest crackers without dreading court rules and deadlines?

Bangaloreans enjoyed this play

Bangalore rocked on Saturday night, thanks to a brilliant play called The Game, that was staged a city hotel by renowned Bombay thespians Alyque Padamsee and Sabira Merchant.

The duo played two old Parsees who meet in an old age home after being abandoned by their family. They get to know each other better over several games of rummy and what ensues is a brilliant journey laced with humour.

Among the audience was Leena Singh, looking lovely in a black flowing gown and Manjusha, in a crimson saree, along with Vijay and Zarine Rekhi, Harish Bijoor, Chytra, Esther and Julie. Alyque and Sabira, who performed in Bangalore after aeons, received a very warm reception for their play on the loneliness that old age brings.