On life's truths and turning points that make us who we are

Mayoral burn: Malti Rai contested to be a corporator in Bhopal twice, and lost both times. But, she still got picked as the BJP’s mayoral candidate for the upcoming polls. Naturally, she is enthusiastic about the opportunity. So much so that while filing her nomination papers, in the presence of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Rai announced that one of her priorities on becoming mayor would be to make the municipal corporation corruption-free. She seemed to have forgotten that the BJP had been ruling it for 10 years. Bhopal ex-mayor Alok Sharma was also present and it was evident from his face that he felt the impact of her words | Illustrations by Jairaj T.G.

Taking her time: When V.K. Sasikala was released from prison in February 2021, her supporters expected her to make a comeback soon. But, she chose to step aside. Now, as EPS and OPS are fighting to take over the AIADMK, Sasikala has held a road show. But, she is still, largely, waiting and watching. But, Chinnamma, as supporters call her, is well-informed on what is happening in the party—senior leaders loyal to her update her regularly. If she is planning to return to active politics, she is definitely not rushing into anything.

Clearing the decks for Deka: Tapan Kumar Deka, a 1988 batch IPS officer, has pipped seniors and contemporaries to become director of the Intelligence Bureau. He superseded five officers to become the chief of the domestic spy agency. Among his seniors were A.S. Rajan, of the 1987 batch, who was special director. Perhaps mindful of the fact that spies, too, care about seniority, Rajan has been made director, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy. Similarly, Swagat Das, also of the 1987 batch, has been shifted to the home ministry as special secretary (internal security). But, the government still needs to find suitable posts for three more officers who were senior to Deka.

Upward bound: It’s official. Nayanthara will star opposite Shah Rukh Khan in her Bollywood debut, Jawan, by Tamil filmmaker Atlee, known for his action thrillers Theri and Mersal. Jawan is set to release next year in five languages—Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. The news comes soon after the southern beauty returned from her honeymoon in Thailand with filmmaker Vignesh Shivan. Looks like things are looking up for Nayanthara—professionally, personally and geographically | Rinkuraj Mattancheriyil

Mistress of romance: Actor Charithra Chandran, who played Edwina in Netflix’s Bridgerton 2, is set to star in Meet Cute’s A Mid-Semester Night’s Dream. This rom-com podcast series, directed by Suha Araj, also features Rasha Zamamiri, Elliott Ross, Craig First and Joseph Lymous. It portrays a group of graduate students who discover a magical version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream that turns readers into swooning romantics. The series will premiere in September | Getty Images

Face-off: Mirror, mirror on the wall. Who’s the handsomest of them all? Bollywood stars are in the business of looking good, but it is not often you see a friendly father-son banter on who is better looking. We are talking about Boney Kapoor and son Arjun, of course. On the latter’s 37th birthday, Boney shared a throwback picture and captioned it: “Happy birthday beta, and stay motivated. You are for sure getting to be better looking than me.” To which, Arjun replied: “After your debut in Luv’s film, we will all have competition for sure....” He was referring to Boney’s acting debut in Luv Ranjan’s next film. Boney might have aged, but he can still give his son a run for his looks | AFP, PTI

Hot wheels: Kartik Aaryan is one lucky guy. Following the success of their film, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, producer Bhushan Kumar gifted Aaryan with India’s first McLaren GT worth a whopping Rs4.7 crore—a blazing orange beauty that is almost as good looking as its owner. The supercar has a top speed of 326.7 kmph and is capable of going from 0 to 100 kmph in just 3.1 seconds. After getting the car, Aaryan had a very pertinent question for Kumar. What’s next, sir? A private jet? | PTI

Tot alert: It’s raining celebrity pregnancies on Instagram! As news of the Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt pregnancy spread at supersonic speed, another couple quietly announced that they are expecting their first child—South Korean stars Son Ye-Jin and Hyun Bin. While Alia’s announcement was more dramatic—she shared an ultrasound with a heart emoticon on the screen—Son opted for a sedate style. “A new life has come to us,” she posted on Instagram. Son and Bin rose to fame with their career-defining performances in the hit Korean drama, Crash Landing On You | Instagram@vast.ent