Reaching for the moon

Cracking vice: Vice President Venkaiah Naidu is feeling a little lonely at the top. A talkative man with a fondness for speaking in rhymes, he says protocol issues are restraining his interactions these days. So, to get over the problem, he commissioned a new hall at his residence, for the benefit of those who want him to release books or grace events. “That way, I get to see a lot of people and talk to them. They also get a venue at no cost,” quipped Naidu at a recent book launch | illustrations Jairaj T.G.

Devoted to voters: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal recently interacted with a group of senior citizens waiting to go on a pilgrimage under the Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana, the state government’s scheme for elderly pilgrims. He asked them to consider him as their son, perhaps taking inspiration from the mythological tale of Shravan, who helped his blind parents go on a pilgrimage. Kejriwal also promised the gathering that he and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, along with their families, would join them in their journey to the Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu and Kashmir in late July.

Beaming a signal: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is winning admirers on both sides of the political divide. The treasury benches are happy that Birla is strict in conducting proceedings and quelling disruptions. The opposition benches are glad that more newcomers have had the chance to speak. A two-time MP, Birla has maintained discipline without ruffling the feathers of senior MPs. He has also developed his own style in signalling members who exceed their allotted speaking time. A Congress MP from Punjab recently asked Birla to “delay” his smile for two minutes, so that he could finish his speech. According to the MP, Birla smiles whenever he wants members to wind up.

She’s got talent: After Netflix’s Leila, Huma Qureshi is gearing up to star in Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead. Leila’s director Deepa Mehta could not stop gushing about the actor’s talent. She joked that she would not mind representing Qureshi. “She is a wonderful actor,” she told THE WEEK. “I am thrilled for her. So, she is taking me on as a manager.” Both women are fans of Snyder’s films like 300 and Watchmen | AFP

Cash flow: Masaba Gupta’s fashion label, House of Masaba, has raised $1 million in a round of investment led by Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal. “After being in the business of fashion for 10 years, it was the right time to bring on board institutional investors,” said Gupta. “I believe that the brand has immense scalability, both domestically and internationally.” The brand, which specialises in resort-wear, swimwear and bridal wear, has 11 exclusive outlets in India | Fotocorp

Season’s greetings: The much-awaited trailer of the second season of Sacred Games is out. Apparently, Pankaj Tripathi’s character, Guruji, is going to have a much bigger role this season. Kalki Koechlin and Ranvir Shorey join the star cast of the show. “This season is bigger, more compelling, and totally unexpected,” show-runner Vikramaditya Motwane said. “Be prepared to discover a different side to each character as we take the audience on a tremendous journey....” The second season premieres on Netflix on August 15 | Amey Mansabdar

Rapped for indecency: The Punjab police have booked rapper Yo Yo Honey Singh for the lewd lyrics of his song Makhna, which has got over 200 million views on YouTube. The chairperson of the Punjab State Women Commission had demanded legal action against the rapper for using phrases like “I am a womaniser” in his song. She said it was “indecent” and had a “degrading influence on society” | PTI