This is one association that readers might find a tad difficult to digest, since Ekta Kapoor and Shobhaa De couldn’t be more different than chalk and cheese. But the soap queen’s company Balaji has roped in the author-columnist as its social media consultant for the film Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. It’s a never before move, but one that makes complete sense. How so, Ekta answers herself, “Shobhaa’s keen insights and understanding of the society of the 70’s and the contemporary Indian mind will ensure that the context of the film is set perfectly for today’s audiences. I am looking forward to some exciting and hitherto unknown facts to emerge from her association.”Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai is set in the 70’s and will uniquely showcase all that is iconic for that period — lifestyle, gangsters, politicians, Bollywood stars, romance and the sheer colour of the era. And when it comes to the ethos of urban India, there couldn’t have been a better expert than Shobhaa. Her keen scrutiny of the social order and merciless clarity of thought has earned her the reputation of an iconic commentator on the Indian society. For the past three decades, her editorials, whether on national politics, or traditional fashions, on Bollywood gossip or on the decadence of the modern and elite, have always resonated with readers.
Needless to say, Shobhaa is keen on this association as well. “This new involvement promises to be as exciting as the Sensational Seventies. Mumbai was a hotbed of intrigue and scandal, a metropolis that was engaged in a ferocious turf battle that went beyond real estate and dhanda. The sinister and sexy personalities dotting Mumbai’s urban landscape remain as vivid today in the 21st century as they were back then. I’m looking forward to being a part of Ekta’s nostalgia,” says Shobhaa.
