Life & Style

It is a rainy morning with grey light flooding in from the windows of the ‘Swedish restaurant’ in IKEA Hyderabad. I’m here on a Sunday after spotting a post on my Instagram feed announcing a chess tournament. In IKEA? I am curious. A portion of my misspent childhood had been allotted to playing the royal game and I wonder, as the Americans say whether “I still got it”.

I find the tournament players at one end. Even before the event has begun, some have started playing impromptu. The organiser looks frazzled — nearly 50 players have turned up, and there are more participants than the number of boards.

A fun game of chess at IKEA

| Photo Credit:
Nagara Gopal

I look around, the crowd is mostly 20 and 30 somethings, and look like young professionals. I register my name, and am added to a WhatsApp group, where the pairings or who will play whom will be announced. There are post-it notes stuck on the tables, numbering them and imposing an order on these 64 squares. For clocks we use apps on our phones, with about 10 minutes to each player to complete the game.

As I soon find out, with names like Pawns Gambit, Tribe 64, and Chess Musketeers, virtual chess clubs which use social media to advertise meetups and tournaments are all the rage. These tournaments usually last a few hours and are held in upmarket coffeeshops. In fact, some of the participants will be rushing after the event concludes, to another one in Bagh Beans café.

Chess and coffee shops go all the way back, a link in a chain that stretches back across millennia to the chaikhanas on the Silk Route. Where chess is played is where people meet up and ideas are exchanged. And indeed ‘coffeehouse chess’ has entered the lexicon, for it is the gully cricket of the game, far removed from the Test match-like solemnity of classical chess. Instead of cover drives, there would be barbarous attacks on the king, a lack of strategic foresight, all so that the pieces and pawns can fly in all directions. And the proliferation of cafes in Hyderabad is showing no signs of stopping.

My opponent is a techie who has won office tournaments. He essays the Sicilian Defence and we are soon plunged into battle. Posters extolling Swedish crayfish adorn the walls, while overhead light from the lamps fight the gloom of the morning.

Chess enthusiasts compete in a friendly tournament at Bagh Beans Coffee and Art
| Photo Credit:
Siddhant Thakur

As we play, on the next board, one player has lost but asks, “saradaga unkoti aaduthama?” (Let’s play another for fun?) and they cheerfully set up the pieces and are off again.

Between rounds, we grab our complementary coffees and wander around. I meet Salil Kumar, 28, originally from Bihar, who now helps design jet engines for an aerospace company here. “You could have sat at home, what is your motivation?”, I ask. “It’s the long weekend. The past two days I’ve been a couch potato, so I thought I’ll come out and meet my community,” he says. But why chess? “It is like an addiction, but a good addiction,” he says with a laugh, adding that he took up the game post-lockdown to give his brain some “exercise”: “I switched from Reels to chess” he says.

Our conversation is interrupted by dozens of WhatsApp notifications pinging; the pairings are out and everyone rushes to their table. I play with Siddharth G, a bespectacled 18-year-old, doing his B.tech. Siddharth has got a walkover in the previous round, so was yet to push a pawn in anger. Afterwards, “It was my first game, and I was anxious at the start” he admits.

Online or offline, I ask? “Offline” he says, “chess.com is the lazy way”. Offline, there is a feedback, as you observe people’s reactions, the psychology behind the game comes out”.

The chess session at Bagh Beans Coffee and Art witnessed participants in different age groups
| Photo Credit:
Siddhant Thakur

As the tournament progresses, I am able to make some broad observations; most of the players are those who took up online chess during the lockdown. Now, half a decade in, they have wearied of the impersonal phantom zone of the net and are keen to pit their wits in the real world.

For some like Vishal K, 28, a data analyst, it is to avoid cheating. He plays a variant called bullet chess online, a kind of frenzied T20, where players have only 1 or 2 minutes per game. Why I ask, “ It is difficult to play classical online because people are using bots”.

Still, the real world has its own quirks.

The organiser has to contend with a dispute where a bishop of one colour has defected to another like a politician after elections. Of course, these are impossible online, as illegal moves cannot be inputted. And neither is there the measured hush of a tournament hall, where every sonic transgression is shushed instantly.

At one point, a family tries to open the emergency exit and trigger a piercing alarm. They walk away nonchalantly, leaving behind a deafening din till a security guard comes along. The muzak wafts over the low rumble of customers chatting, counterpointed by a kid shrieking for his mother to get him a pastry. Still, a participant says: “I like the white noise he says, “In a tournament hall, when it is quiet my mind goes in a 1,000 different directions. But when people are talking, I am able to focus”

A young participant at Bagh Beans Coffee and Art
| Photo Credit:
Siddhant Thakur

After the tournament I catch up with the organiser, Sairam Kolaganti, 25. “I didn’t have friends to play with” he says. He was tired of playing faceless opponents and wanted a place to play, and people to play with.

Sairam had some chess experience, playing tournaments as a kid. He would often make friends at these tournaments, and after the official game was over, they would just play for fun for a couple of hours, like musicians jamming after a concert. “We had fun” he says, “friendly games played with good spirit”. It is that chapter from his childhood that he wishes to replicate.

What is in it for the cafes? “All we want is a place to play,” Sairam explains, “We go to all the new cafes who are looking for a crowd.”

Sarita Sarkar, co-owner of Bagh Beans, says she organises regular chess events, and has also won championships as a child in West Bengal. “My mother taught me, and said chess is a game that can teach you about life. As a child, I liked pawns, because they were small but powerful.” When she was approached to organise events at the cafe, Sarita jumped at the idea. “I already had wooden boards set up for casual games. To be frank, we don’t do much business as chess attracts students who don’t have a lot of spending power. But I still host events because I like to see them use their brains and not their phones.”

Chess enthusiasts gather at cafes over the weekends for friendly tournaments
| Photo Credit:
Nagara Gopal

I talk to the winner, Rahim Lakhani, 35, a businessman who also has a coaching academy. In tournaments, he explains “I always play by the book.. I take a minimum of six months to learn and prepare theory”.  Here, however, he can play casually, for the sheer joy of the game.

The prizes are distributed and people drift away. A few still keep playing hunched over the tables. Perhaps this is the beginning of the rebellion against brainrot, against doomscrolling the days away. Chess, after all, represents the ultimate triumph of mind over matter.

Cinnamon apple cake
| Photo Credit: Anushruti

Rekha Boggarapu, who designed costumes for all the characters in the Telugu film Miraiexcept lead actor Teja Sajja, says she feels both relieved and proud of what she calls one of her most challenging assignments. She credits cinematographer-director Karthik Gattamneni and his team for their meticulous documentation and communication at every stage. “We were clear about every character’s backstory, the production design, colours and textures,” she notes.

Rekha began designing for films with the 2018 spy thriller Goodachari, followed by Major, Adivi Sesh’s role in HIT 2, and portions of Gaami, along with several music videos and web series.

Law to fashion design

Fashion design and cinema were not easy career choices, Rekha recalls. Armed with a postgraduate degree in constitutional law and diplomas in forensic sciences and fashion design, she laughs when asked about the eclectic mix. “I come from a family that’s academically inclined. My grandfather is a retired headmaster, my mother is an educationist and my father is a lawyer with the Crime Branch, Crime Investigation Department (CBCID).”

Rekha excelled in academics but was not drawn to medicine or engineering. When she told her parents that she wanted to do something creative, there was resistance initially. “I studied law. After completing the course, I felt the need to step out of the comfort zone created by my parents.”

Shriya as Ambica; a sketch of her ensemble
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

She persuaded her family to let her open a boutique and begin designing. Then came an unexpected break: an actor walked in and asked if she could create clothes for a photoshoot. That encounter set off a chain of opportunities. The same actor mentioned her to a film team in search of a costume designer. “That’s how I met director Sashi Kiran Tikka, actor Adivi Sesh and the team of Goodachari.”

Keep it real

Rekha prefers her characters to appear as realistic as possible on screen, an approach that proved effective in Goodachari and Major. “It was a proud moment when the Indian Army raised no objections to the costume designs for Major (the biopic of Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan) during approval. The uniforms for army personnel and police officers were deliberately understated so they wouldn’t draw attention,” she recalls.

Since then, she has followed a non-negotiable principle: understand the characters and their stories thoroughly. “Knowing a character’s background, education, problem-solving style, and so on makes designing much easier.”

Films such as Gaamiand Mirai required her to create looks for imagined worlds. She worked on portions of Gaami before taking a maternity break.

Mirai offered Rekha a broader canvas, with characters played by Shriya Saran, Manchu Manoj, Jayaram, Jagapathi Babu, Ritika Nayak, as well as supporting and junior artistes. “It was challenging because we didn’t take references from international cinema for any of the looks,” she says.

For Shriya, who plays Ambica, the head of a spiritual clan, Rekha layered silk and velvet. “In the self-immolation scene, five different fabrics were used: a silk skirt, a raw silk blouse with crochet lace, a Chinon silk dupatta with velvet accents, and so on. Shriya’s look was rich yet understated, reflecting a wise woman who could foresee the future.” By contrast, Ritika Nayak, portraying a young sadhvi, wore garments in soft cottons.

Colours and textures

Rekha also incorporated curtains, throws and blankets to add texture, blending them with traditional fabrics. Jayaram, playing the sage Agastya, was dressed in shawls with bordered edges and given subtle details, including long, dark nails that were barely visible on screen.

Manchu Manoj, portraying Mahavir Lama, the malevolent figure wielding the black sword, was dressed in layers of red, black and brown. “His clothing had several layers, symbolising the steps he must cross to achieve his destructive ambitions. Given his dark childhood, nothing in his attire suggests hope. The fabrics have a subtle lustre, reflecting the wealth he has acquired along with his power,” she explains.

Shades of black

Rekha notes a similarity between Manoj and Jagapathi Babu, who plays the elder guardian of one of the seven granths. “The black in their costumes signifies mastery of black magic. But Jagapathi Babu’s character uses his knowledge for the benefit of others, so the black is softened with streaks of red and orange.”

Manchu Manoj as the Black Sword; a sketch of his ensemble
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

She admits she lost count of the number of characters she designed. Some scenes — including portions set at the Kumbh Mela and a song featuring Nidhhi Agerwal with several dancers — were edited to reduce the film’s duration. Other sequences required costumes for characters based in Japan and Morocco. “Since the film was shot over a long period, a few of my assistants moved on. At any given time, I had a team of two to ten on set to streamline production and fittings.”

Rekha chose not to design for Teja Sajja’s superhero, Superyodha. “It would have been overwhelming. A week into filming, when the makers suggested bringing someone else on board, I agreed. Lanka Santoshi, who has designed for Teja’s previous films including Hanu-Man, took over.”

Currently, she is working on Goodachari’s sequel G2, Dacoit starring Adivi Sesh and Mrunal Thakur, Dandora with Sivaji and Laya, and a new film with Sharwanand. “Among them, Dandora is a smaller film with a hard-hitting, moving story,” she says.

What has made her journey worthwhile is seeing her parents watch Mirai and appreciate her work. “I now understand their initial reluctance to let me pursue this path. I’m glad they are proud of what I’ve achieved.”

Have you ever felt a burst of motivation to make a beeline for the gym, or head out for a run simply because of a cute new T-shirt, or a pair of brightly patterned leggings? With luxury athleisure having a moment world over, your cute leggings or that chic tennis skirt are now workout motivators, and a lot more.  

Joining the fray is luxury athleisure brand Athletifreak, which recently threw open the doors to its first store in India, in Delhi. Founded by entrepreneurs Mo and Noor Wadhwani in the US in 2021, Athletifreak is being backed in India by actor Shahid Kapoor and his wife and entrepreneur Mira Kapoor as strategic investors and brand ambassadors. 

“The brand was born nearly five years ago when my husband was training for the Ironman triathlon. I have a background in fashion and was excited to celebrate fashion and fitness together,” says Noor. Mo recalls how he was able to dig deeper and identify opportunities for improvement in the clothes he was training in. “We kept asking ourselves how we could make something that has the right fabric, performance, functionality and fit. We also wanted to develop a brand that had to be a persona; where someone could say ‘I am an athletic freak’,” he says, of what he calls their ‘freakish passion for movement’. 

Mo and Noor Wadhwani
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Training shorts, skorts, joggers, wayfarer shorts, classic polos, tanks, hoodies and sweatshirts, all in solid colours from deep blue and espresso brown to rose make up Athletifreak’s collection. A lot of time and research, Noor and Mo say, went behind the development of their different fabric technologies used across the garments, to make it lightweight, breathable, stretchable, anti-microbial and moisture wicking. “As a fabric geek, I realised it has to be functional, feel good and look good to bring fashion and functionality together in the best way possible. We are also very conscious about the materials used and 60% of our product is sustainable fabric,” Mo says. 

Five years on, with India’s rapidly evolving fitness culture, the duo believes the timing could not have been better, for them to bring the brand here. Their brand story and vision to cater to people of all ages and all kinds of movement based on their individual journeys is something that Mira Kapoor says she resonated with. “Being a strategic investor and partner came very naturally to both Shahid and I. Shahid’s primary form of movement apart from exercise is dance, and for me, I love pilates, walking and mindfulness. We were keen on being involved in a brand that is rooted in India but has global appeal,” she says. 

The Athletifreak store in Delhi
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The luxury athleisure brand’s choice to open its first store in Delhi comes close on the heels of the London-based brand Cos opening its first store in the city as well. While both Mira and Noor speak about their close ties to the city having grown up there, Noor further says that the city has an affinity for luxury, and is very conscious of luxury fashion. 

“For us, it was more about entering India with a bang, not just about Delhi or Mumbai. We will be everywhere, and have a significant presence online as well. I think the tail winds behind fitness and wellness as an industry are very strong here at present,” Mira says. 

“Athleisure has evolved because now, you can wear the same pair of leggings to the gym, you can travel in it with an oversized T-shirt or you can lounge at home. You can even go out at night wearing an interesting top or a blazer and a pair of heels, with your black leggings,” she adds. Athletifreak’s core black leggings for instance, she says, can be dressed up or down with the brand’s interesting jackets in different pop colours. 

Having already partnered with Ironman in the US, the team behind Athletifreak is hoping to engage with India’s growing fitness communities in the coming months. “A court, a class, or a run club is now becoming a place of discovery for friendship and connection. This, I feel, aligns with Atheltifreak’s core philosophy, which is to find and engage with other people who share that same passion and that same drive,” Mira signs off.  

Athletifreak is at Nexus Select CityWalk, New Delhi. Prices start from ₹3,999 onwards

Published – September 19, 2025 10:04 am IST

There is never a dull weekend in Mumbai. The city keeps you on your toes with new restaurant openings, inventive menus, and bars that seem to multiply overnight. It is the kind of place where you could plan three nights out and still feel like you have missed something. But here is a side note worth slipping in — Bandra is momentarily on the move. For three days only, the suburb’s unmistakable energy is being recreated in Goa, giving Mumbaikars by the sea a taste of home. So, whether you are navigating the buzz of Mumbai or stumbling upon familiar flavours down the coast, the weekend looks promising.

Bandra goes to Goa

This weekend, Goa gets a slice of Bandra as some of the suburb’s most loved restaurants and bars head west for a three-day takeover, Weekend in Bandra, from September 19 to 21. It is less of a pop-up, more of a neighbourhood on holiday.

Friday kicks off with Seefah serving her cult khao man gai and Asian grills, alongside cocktails from The Daily — think Holy Smoke and Sea Garden Spritz — while Jai Jawan brings its famous prawn fry, chicken tikka and masala fish, with Pack-a-Pav rolling out comfort favourites.

On Saturday, Darry’s makes its Goa debut with indulgent burgers and sandwiches paired with Boojee coffee, as Sixteen33 sets up its first cocktail bar pop-up. Jai Jawan and Pack-a-Pav keep the flavour of Bandra alive through the day.

Sunday closes in style with Benne’s loaded South Indian–Bandra-style dosas for brunch, paired with curry leaf palomas and coconut cocktails.

Elephant & Co, Survey no. 16/1, Grand Pedder Field, House no, 1049/2, Anjuna

La Loca Maria celebrates World Paella Day

Bandra’s favourite modern Spanish restaurant, La Loca Maria, is marking World Paella Day (September 20) with a two-week Paella Fiesta from September 19 to October 5.

Lobster paella
| Photo Credit:
Nilesh Dhakle

Chef Manuel Olveira, who grew up in Toledo, Spain, has designed three new celebratory paellas especially for the occasion. There is Paella de Chorizo, layered with smoky ’nduja, grilled pork belly and green beans; paella de pulpo y cangrejo, slow-cooked in a rich crab broth with cuttlefish and octopus; and paella de miso and enoki, a modern vegetarian take featuring miso broth, enoki mushrooms and Asian greens.

The specials sit alongside La Loca Maria’s signatures that regulars swear by — the indulgent lobster paella, striking squid ink paella, and hearty chicken and wild mushroom paella.

Fatima Villa, 29th Road, Pali Hill, Bandra West, Mumbai 

A new menu at Mercii

With the arrival of chef Beena Norohna, Mercii begins a new chapter with a new menu.

The Mercii new menu
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Seafood leads the way with scallop tiradito in leche de tigre and ají amarillo, while a brie and pear salad finds brightness in rocket and fennel. Then there are small plates, which come with flourish: smoked duck croquettes, prawn dumplings, and tiger prawns with brioche. Pastas transform into art forms, from rose-shaped truffle ravioli in edamame sauce to amaranth cannelloni with caramelised onion and citrus pomodoro. Even cabbage takes the spotlight as cabbage au flambé, finished tableside in a pisco blaze.

Desserts include a kunafa-wrapped cheesecake, glossy strawberry mousse, and cacao bloom, a vegan mousse layered with almond brittle and florals, presented as edible theatre.

B1, Plot 81C, Ground Floor, 81 Crest Building, Linking Road, Santacruz West, Mumbai

Lovefools has a new menu

Chef Sarita Pereira unveils The Travelling Heart, a new three-part menu inspired by her journeys outside India, each course a memory turned into flavour.

It begins in Europe: beet carpaccio with sundried tomato, pickled asparagus and apple pie purée finished with blue cheese, alongside a blush-pink tuna tataki, sharpened with yuzu kosho and cooled with wasabi yoghurt. Salads take centre stage, not the sidelines, with nilah and wild honey with Eleftheria cheese, pineapple and arugula drizzled in honeyed blue cheese feels like Greece meeting Goa, while Mediterranean glow balances avocado, candied walnuts, cranberries and raspberry-goat cheese dressing.

The parsley dusted lamb chops
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Playful small plates follow: sushi crackers, an LF signature, reappear with wasabi mascarpone, smoked avocado and cured watermelon, while a new avo black garlic version brings bold confit garlic miso. Vegetarian innovations include aubergine parmigiana — tempura aubergine and zucchini layered with stracciatella — and Morimoto-style kebayaki, a Japanese medley glazed in tonkatsu.

The menu travels further with the lush absinthe pork roast, silken yaki pork chashu, and Lankan mutton vadouvan with croissant-parotta.

The journey closes on a high with the chocolate symphony — dark, spiced and layered, a dessert that lingers like memory itself.

C14, 525, Ranwar, Bandra West, Mumbai

HyLo Taproom by Igloo opens at Jio World Drive

HyLo, the bar-forward culinary concept known for its hyper-local Indian food, opens its second outpost: HyLo Taproom by Igloo, in collaboration with Igloo Craft Beers. Set within Jio World Drive precinct, this 75-seater taproom is designed to change the way Mumbai eats, drinks and unwinds.

More than just a bar or restaurant, HyLo Taproom brings flavour-driven Indian cooking together with the craft and imagination of small-batch brewing. The menu leans into regional traditions and personal histories: aam aur mircha wings made with Nagaland’s GI-tagged king chilli, Goan chorizo chilli fry curry dogs, and karampodi chilli paneer are among the highlights. Chef Swati Harsha’s kaaley chane ke shaami — a family recipe — adds depth, while even the desi smash burger gets a HyLo twist with paneer, mutton or tenderloin options.

The spread
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

At the tap, Igloo’s brews take the spotlight with exclusives like the Brewer’s Blonde Ale and Konkan Rice Lager, alongside fresh radlers and rotating seasonal specials. Cocktails echo the Indian-first ethos — standouts include the Bombay 51 with house-made aam panna and the mahua-led Tribal Story, with playful experiments under the HyLo-genizer series.

G-30, Ground Floor, Jio World Drive, Maker Maxity, Bandra Kurla Complex, Bandra East

Banng Bar opens in Bandra

A couple of months after the launch of Banng, the team has unveiled its newest addition — Banng Bar, located downstairs. Designed as a more spacious, intimate setting, the bar brings a different energy to the address, shifting the focus from dining to drinks and late-night conversations. 

The White Lotus martinin
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

The drinks programme is led by Attapon De-Silva, better known as The Potion Master — one of Asia’s most celebrated bartenders, credited with shaping acclaimed bars such as Teens of Thailand, Asia Today, Tax, and Independence. At Banng Bar, his cocktails are split into moods — Fresh & Fizzy, Moody & Boozy, and Umami & Yummy. Highlights include the White Lotus Martini, brightened with white turmeric and garlic brine; Yellow, a blend of rum, curry and ginger flower nectar; and The Andaman, a “sea in a glass” made with squid-infused vodka and guava.

The spread
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

The food keeps things fun and unfussy: Pattaya nachos, crab cakes, Ping Bar skewers, and even late-night Banng cup noodles. A bar for moods, cravings, and everything in between.

Pinnacle House, 604, 15th Rd, PD Hinduja Rd, Mumbai

The Black Shepherd brings British comfort to Bandra

The Black Shepherd, a 26-cover restaurant in Bandra, is dedicated to serving authentic British cuisine. Chef-founder Rahul Kotak has reimagined timeless pub culture with warmth, intimacy and storytelling, creating a space that feels both soulful and refined.

The fish and chips
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

The menu pays homage to Britain’s greatest culinary comforts. Meals begin with warm, freshly baked breads and butter — a ritual of simplicity. The signature fish and chips uses locally sourced Asian seabass, fried golden and paired with triple-cooked chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce. The shepherd’s pie, with its slow-cooked meat and pillowy mash, is pure nostalgia, while Jacket Potatoes arrive hearty and filled to the brim. For indulgence, the buttermilk fried chicken burger comes with a perfect crunch.

Desserts are crafted with equal care — delicate madeleines bring subtle sweetness, while the handcrafted brownies, perfected by Rahul over four years, embody patience and craft.

The drinks menu balances nostalgia with comfort: teas, iced teas, and refreshing coolers. But it is the ritual everyone returns for — the bottomless hot chocolate, rich, velvety and endlessly warming — that anchors The Black Shepherd’s promise: honest food, soulful memory, and comfort done right.

Shop No. 1-A, Gloria Apartments, St John Baptist Rd, Mount Mary, Bandra West, Mumbai

House of Paloma: Where cocktails meet culture

Bandra has a bold new addition in House of Paloma, an art-driven, cocktail-forward bar created by friends and founders Prathik Shetty, Chethan Hegde, and Samarth Shetty. With Prathik and Chethan behind Bengaluru favourites 1522, and Prathik and Samarth behind The Reservoire — named in Tales of the Cocktail’s Top 10 Best Bars Asia-Pacific 2019 — the trio brings their signature energy to Mumbai.

The Don Pablo
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Designed in collaboration with architect Sumessh Menon, the 2,900 sq ft venue unfolds like a gallery. Siddharth Kerkar’s canvases, handcrafted details by ZAworks, and playful signatures such as the rotating Paloma Man and glowing Agave Lamp lend a vibrant, immersive feel.

The spicy maguro
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

At the bar, head mixologist M. Sunil Prathab shapes a Latin American-inspired programme. Standouts include the Caliente (Patrón Silver, apple, dill, chilli), Mogo Mogo (rum, raspberry, coconut jelly), and Paloma 1950, the house ode to its namesake.

The food menu, led by chef Pranay Shinde (ex-Masque, Indigo) with consultant chef Sombir Chaudary (SOKA), pairs punchy plates with inventive flair: crispy eggplant tacos with smoked pineapple salsa, butter kori rotti reimagined as smoky grilled chicken, and the indulgent tan lobster risotto, perfumed with tandoor smoke.

At once expressive, social and experimental, House of Paloma feels less like a bar and more like a cultural space.

545 Excel Entertainment Ground Floor 33rd Road Near McDonald’s Linking Road Bandra, Pali Village, Khar West, Mumbai

Designer Vino Supraja is all set to present her collection Weave: A Bhavani Tribute at the London Fashion Week later this month. Her line will feature handbags made using handwoven jamakkalams known for their bold, rich stripes in reds, blues, and greens, apart from western silhouettes made with patch-worked fabrics inspired by the rugs. The collection is the result of a journey that Vino took to Bhavani in Erode district two years ago.

A weaver with the jamakkalam
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

“I wanted to explore the region’s handwoven jamakkalams,” says Vino, who has also worked with a weaving cluster in Chennimalai for her line inspired by the folk art form of therukoothu. At Bhavani, Vino saw broken and dusty looms covered in cobwebs. “I did not meet many young weavers, with the existing seniors themselves not getting much work,” says the designer who is now based in Dubai.

She feels that the rug format may not do much to revive the craft. “Jamakkalams were traditionally spread on the floor for special occasions,” she says: “But people have stopped sitting on the floor these days.” Vino wanted to reimagine the rug as a fashion product. “The striking patterns are on a par with the Gucci stripes or the Burberry pattern,” she says.

From Vino Supraja’s collection featuring the Bhavani jamakkalam
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

While jamakkalam bags are not new, Vino’s idea was to craft premium products that she can market in Dubai and Singapore where she retails. “I wanted to label and package it well,” she says. “The story that most luxury brands promote is that their products are entirely handmade. How is the jamakkalam any lesser? It is a heritage product, and I wanted to do my part for it,” she says.

The R&D took almost a year, with challenges in working with the fabric. “The way colouring is done has changed over the years,” points out Vino: “In the jamakkalam, horizontal lines are coloured and vertical lines are white, but in the end product, weavers employ a technique such that the white is not visible.” This feature proved to be difficult to overcome while making the bags. “The white tended to be visible when we bent the fabric,” she says.

Designer Vino Supraja
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Diligent R&D helped resolve such issues and Vino worked with master weaver Sakthivel Periyasamy to come up with a line of handbags in green, red, and purple. Vino is from Vandavasi near Thiruvannamalai. An architect by education, she has dabbled in radio jockeying and television presentation before finding her call in fashion designing. This is her second time at the London Fashion Week; her line Purisai was showcased at the event in 2023.  

From the J Collection by Vino Supraja
| Photo Credit:
Special arrangement

Her upcoming showcase will be kicked-off by a performance by classical dancer and theatre artist Vaanmadhi Jagan. “She will introduce the jamakkalam to the London audience,” explains Vino. Vaanmadhi’s piece, lasting a little over a minute, has been choreographed by Palani Murugan, a therukoothu actor from the Purisai Duraisami Kannappa Thambiran Therukoothu Manram, to music composed by Paul Jacob.

“In keeping with the folk beats of the track, I have picked foot movements from devarattam and thapattam for the piece,” says Palani, adding that the dancer will be holding the fabric in hand. “Towards the end, she has also incorporated eye movements from Bharatanatyam,” he adds. The piece will set the stage for models to walk the ramp, also to “playful, foot-tapping music” by Paul, Vino says.

When she conceived the show, Vino looked for music rooted in Tamil folk traditions. “I also wanted some English rap on top of it,” she says. She spoke about this to Paul, who offered her a track he had composed years ago, featuring the voices of Chinnaponnu and Anthony Daasan. “He has used instruments such as the parai and kombu in it, and the lines are inspired by a Bharati poem that talks about the environment and saving our forests,” she says.

Vaanmadhi, who visited Bhavani with the designer, came up with a motif for the piece that was inspired by the meditative, rhythmic clackety-clack of the loom. “The visual score for the performance is based on the swing of the straight lines and colourful bands of the jamakkalam,” she says.

Music, says Vaanmadhi, is the most important element in a fashion show. “It sets the tone for what the designer is set to showcase,” she says. Takers for the jamakkalam may be on the decline; perhaps the fashion world will turn the tide.

The London Fashion Week is on from September 18 to 22. Bags in the J Collection are priced from ₹9575 onwards.

Published – September 18, 2025 01:53 pm IST

Triplicane Tiffin Club offers a set rotating menu for the guests, served in a tiffin carrier.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Uttara Chousalkar
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

On August 28, director Dominic Arun had already left for Dubai when word began to spread about his second feature, Lokah Chapter 1: Chandra. The film, headlined by Kalyani Priyadarshan, slipped quietly into theatres worldwide that morning, jostling for Onam footfalls against heavyweight releases starring Mohanlal and Fahadh Faasil. When the crew gathered in Dubai to greet audiences, they were stunned by the roaring reception, enough to move producer Dulquer Salmaan to blurt out in wonder: “What is happening!”

“No one had an inkling the film would shoot through the roof. Not us, not even our friends who had seen the low-key preview,” Arun recalls. Within two weeks, Lokah was inching towards the ₹200-crore mark globally, with unprecedentedly strong reports from regions such as the U.K. “The collection numbers are incredible,” says Anil Thomas, president of the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce. “Never in recent times have I seen so many late-night show add-ons for a movie. We think it will soon surpass Thudarum [the 2025 revenge drama], which was an outstanding industrial hit.”

Malayalam cinema has pulled off similar surprises before. Over the past decade, films such as Premam (2015), Drishyam (2013), Kumbalangi Nights (2019), and more recently The Great Indian Kitchen (2021) and Manjummel Boys (2024) have redrawn the industry’s creative and commercial horizons. But Lokah, a rare female-superhero fantasy thriller, is not only attracting a pan-Indian audience but also unsettling assumptions about what regional cinema can be. Made on a ₹30-crore budget, it arrived in the shadow of two of the year’s most-hyped releases: Coolie, Lokesh Kanagaraj’s Tamil spectacle with Rajinikanth, and Bollywood’s War 2, both of which came with massive budgets (₹350 crore and ₹400 crore, respectively), publicity machines, and a cavalcade of pan-Indian male superstars, and yet fell flat with critics and the audience.

Santhy Balachandran with actor Sandy on the set of Lokah

Lokah, by contrast, placed its bet on its vision built steadily from the ground up, backed by the collaborative labour that has carried Malayalam cinema through cycles of boom and bust. It departs from the realistic, quotidian characters, situations, and formal styles that have long defined Malayalam cinema, and instead stakes its claim in a new wave of “genre cinema”. These films, such as Gaganachari (2024), Bramayugam (2024), and the comic-book visions of filmmaker-cinematographer Krishnand, click neatly into one another, using the conventions of science fiction, fantasy, and horror while staying rooted in Malayali landscapes and concerns. Made by crews who grew up on torrents of global cinephilia, these films leverage the cutting-edge machinery of digital filmmaking.

“We started off thinking we were making an experimental film, and slowly, the budget swelled. We were aware of the risks involved, so we prepared thoroughly, without leaving space for confusion during the shoot.”Santhy BalachandranCo-writer of ‘Lokah’

Kalyani Priyadarshan (left) and Santhy Balachandran

‘We thrive despite the limitations’

Lokah draws its characters from Aithihyamala, a collection of ancient Kerala fables, and relocates them to the neon nights of Bengaluru, a city that has long reshaped the lives and aspirations of migrating Malayali youth. “We started off thinking we were making an experimental film, and slowly, the budget swelled,” recalls Santhy Balachandran, actor and the film’s co-writer and dramaturgist. “We were aware of the risks involved, so we prepared thoroughly, without leaving space for confusion during the shoot.”

While Balachandran perfected the overarching narrative that upends a patriarchal legend and recasts it as the story of a female superhero who does not want to be saved, Arun threaded humour and pop-cultural references into the screenplay. “We had a great collaborative equation,” she says.

(L-R) Dominic Arun, Santhy Balachandran, and Nimish Ravi

The success of Lokah has reignited a familiar question, posed with excitement, curiosity, and disbelief: how does Malayalam cinema do what it does, within tight budgets? Beyond the socio-political conditions of Kerala — its film society movement, political consciousness instilled by leftist struggles, the waves of migration that widened its horizons and gave its people early access to global media, and its secular demographic fabric — lies a crucial structural factor: its modest market size. “If the biggest Tamil blockbuster grosses ₹800 crore, our films rarely cross ₹250 crore. Film production here is a highly risky business,” remarks screenwriter and producer Syam Pushkaran, whose Bhavana Studios bankrolled last year’s runaway rom-com hit Premalu. “There is no magic happening here. We thrive despite the limitations,” he says.

“If the biggest Tamil blockbuster grosses ₹800 crore, our films rarely cross ₹250 crore. Film production here is a highly risky business. There is no magic happening here. We thrive despite the limitations.”Syam PushkaranScreenwriter and producer

The industry, mindful of its challenges, operates like a village where cooperative labour becomes essential for sustenance. This indie spirit proved invaluable during the pandemic years, when crews continued to work under severe restrictions and yet produced acclaimed works such as Joji (the 2021 crime drama). Constraints shaped their working ethos, says Pushkaran. “Our filmmakers had to learn to work fast and smart, out of necessity. And we have always had brilliant technicians, from Santosh Sivan to Nimish Ravi, who help create a high-quality look and feel on small budgets,” he says. Ravi puts it more bluntly, “We work harder, longer. Sometimes, we work through the night without proper sleep. I wouldn’t say it is healthy.”

Actor-producer Tovino Thomas, who appears in a stunning cameo in Lokah, reflects on his own experience of working in (and as) Minnal Murali (2021), Malayalam cinema’s first full-fledged superhero film, which was made on a budget of approximately ₹18 crore. “Basil Joseph [filmmaker] relied on innovative, practical effects instead of VFX in many portions of Minnal Murali. The efforts of the art direction team gave the film a unique texture, and I believe this approach saved us money and time at that time. CGI can be expensive and time-consuming,” he says, adding that severe constraints and restrictions made them more creative. For instance, he shares: “Malayalam cinema produced My Dear Kuttichathan (1984), India’s first 3-D feature film, when the rest of the country couldn’t even think of such a technical experimentation.”

Tovino Thomas

“With this success, suddenly, a universe has opened. We now know that the audience isn’t averse to genre experimentation.”Tovino ThomasActor

The power of cooperative labour

“Having worked across different languages, I feel each industry has its own strengths, but Malayalam sets have a warmth and a sense of family between cast and crew,” says Kalyani Priyadarshan. “Historically, we have never had the luxury of endless resources. Instead of holding us back, the restrictions made us sharper and more thoughtful in how we plan and execute things, because we can’t simply solve problems later by spending more.”

Her words underline the years the Lokah crew invested in pre-production. Cinematographer Ravi, Arun’s long-time collaborator, was part of the film from its inception. “By the time filming began, we had almost everything ready in our hands,” he says. Arun had mapped out shot divisions during the writing phase, and once the script was locked, he and Ravi, with the help of Ajmal Haneef, an AI visualiser, worked on a meticulous lookbook and miniatures. This became the team’s bible, drawing everyone into Lokah’s kinetic, sweeping world.

Shooting for Lokah

Three Kerala-based studios executed the film’s seamless visual effects work. “Productions often make the mistake of waiting until the last minute to work on the VFX. This time, we brought in the VFX team right from the shoot. Aneesh Kutty, our supervisor, along with his team, worked alongside us. We gave them time, and they delivered,” says Ravi.

The production was smartly executed. During the unbroken 94-day schedule, the crew pulled through gruelling night shoots in unison. Priyadarshan arrived on the sets well-trained for action sequences. A housing colony was converted into the streets of Bengaluru, while the interiors of Chandra’s and Sunny’s apartments were shot in Kochi. And Dulquer’s role as a producer proved pivotal. “He knew this was not going to be a low-cost film. In fact, he understood the necessity of investing more money in certain areas, and suggested it himself,” says Arun. Dulquer’s association not only elevated the film, bringing high-profile cameos, but also ensured traction in Tamil and Telugu-speaking regions where his name commands a significant fan following.

For Tovino Thomas, Lokah’s success feels personal. “With this success, suddenly, a universe has opened. We now know that the audience isn’t averse to genre experimentation.” He describes his cameo and participation in promotional events as a gesture of solidarity. “They are all my friends, whose lives and careers I have closely seen… When friends are trying to expand the borders of our cinema, you have to show up.”

The writer is a film critic and independent researcher.

Neela Krishnamurti and Vidhya Srikkanth
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement