FOR THE MAN IN FULL | www.mansworldindia.com MAY 2020 | K 150 TA APSEE PANNU WRITING HER OWN SCRIPT Executive Editor’s Note MAY 2020 Publisher & Editor N RADHAKRISHNAN THE ART OF ENJOYING ONE’S Executive Publisher MINAL SURVE Executive Editor ARNESH GHOSE COMPANY, MERGE DRAGONS, Associate Editor RAJU BIST AND MY RELATIONSHIP Assistant Editor SAMREEN TUNGEKAR WITH SUGAR Fashion Editor NEELANGANA VASUDEVA Art Director TANVI SHAH Associate Art Director HEMALI LIMBACHIYA can be used, but multiple book plots were graphed. I had to work out — Graphic Designers GAUTAMI DAVE, SANJANA SUVARNA the sweaty kind — at least four times a week. I played a lot of chess and Scrabble with my partner. I got better at chess. I, funnily, sucked ass at JAYESH V. SALVI Senior Digital Manager Scrabble. I have no idea why and I am deeply ashamed. But those games Production Manager MANGESH SALVI kept me alert. And I took to Merge Dragons like an addict. mansworldindia.com Okay, hear me out. Merge Dragons is an elaborate online game — the ads kept popping up during scrabble — which involves various Web Editor ARNESH GHOSE challenges that help you build your own dragon farm and base camp and Staff WritersMAYUKH MAJUMDAR, SANIKA ACHREKAR, RAJEEV MATHEW fill it up with gold and construction and orchards and magic mushrooms, and look at me, sounding like an absolute idiot. Merge Dragons seems Consulting Editor PABLO CHATERJI like a cross between Farmville and Candy Crush (I’ve played neither; I’m have never been someone who cannot be by himself. It’s weird, just aware of the concepts) and funnily it gave me a sense of purpose MAITHILI RAO, SOLEIL NATHWANI, Contributing Editors I know. I don’t necessarily need social interaction. And I am not every day. I had to check in on my dragons, make sure I played the MAGANDEEP SINGH someone who enjoys phone calls either. The longest phone call challenges to garner high scores to win more dragons, build them I shared with my partner, till date, must have been for a minute. comfy homes, store my gold, harvest lots of life orbs to resurrect dead General Manager, Sales & Marketing MANOJ SHARMA Tops. This lockdown has also made me realise that I abhor video acres and explore new lands. It is quite an elaborate list of chores and, calls. I cannot think of anything as annoying as video calls. To interestingly, Merge Dragons became a part of my routine. It’s as if I had ([email protected]), NEW DELHI I distract myself, I start applying filters to my face while on the call. a second establishment that I had to take care of. The dragons — with General Manager, Sales & Marketing TULSI BAVISHI But what’s funny is that, I enjoy human company. Not as much as cute names, often quipping assuring statements like “I’m here for you!” canine company, obviously, but I enjoy being with people. I love crowds, and “Whatever you need!” and “Right away!” whenever I made them ([email protected]), MUMBAI restaurants, dining out, hitting a pub for drinks, dancing, house parties harvest or build something – seemed to be there for me, like pets. Well, Deputy General Manager-Sales & Marketing NOHA QADRI — the works. But when I am by myself, my company does not bore almost like pets. I’ve decided to uninstall the game once the lockdown ([email protected]), MUMBAI me. I don’t talk to myself. I thought I would start doing that during the is lifted. It’s keeping me quite occupied now, but it has the potential to lockdown. But I realised that I don’t. I am not someone who loves the become a distraction. Sometimes, when I am a tad too engrossed, I pull Assistant Manager - Sales & Marketing SAGRIKA SANJAY sound of my own voice. Well, it’s not abhorrent, but I am not in love with back and tell myself, “None of this is real, you know? It’s not like you’re ([email protected]), NEW DELHI it either. Silence does not agitate me. Being at home, for almost two earning anything in tangible currency.” That’s virtual interaction for you – months, all by myself, didn’t bother me. I am quite fascinated by that. I like a sugary cola. Vacuous but satisfying. Circulation Manager BHAUTIK MEHTA did set a routine. Discipline is important. Setting goals is important. Don’t Which brings me to my relationship with sugar. I was allowing myself listen to all those idiots who preached “don’t worry your little head about sugar intake only on weekends till the lockdown. I had stuck to that, (+91 98197 28984) being productive, this is a crisis and you are surviving it et cetera et quite painfully, initially, for almost six months. But I started introducing Sr. Circulation Exc. (MIS & Opr) SANTOSH P. GAJINKAR cetera". We have had the privilege to be stuck in comfortable homes with portions of desserts every day during the lockdown. Sugar makes you (+91 99695 71319) amenities for almost two months. If we didn’t utilise this time, we need feel good. As long as you are not bingeing on it, moderate portions to be aware of the fact that we did, for large parts of our days, waste are not harmful. Yes, it causes a dependency, but at least during the precious productive hours. I made sure I wrote something every day. lockdown, I’m going to lean on sugar. And Merge Dragons. What are you PRADEEP ACHAREKAR Accountant Writing is a workout for people in our profession. I don’t think much of it leaning on? Office ManagerRAJEEV POOJARY Office AssistantVAIBHAV MORE MW.Com (India) Pvt. Ltd EDITORIAL & MARKETING OFFICE: 401, 4th Floor, Todi Building, Mathuradas Mills Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400 013., Tel:67487777 NEW DELHI: 1104, Prakash Deep Building, 7 Tolstoy Marg New Delhi - 110001, Tel:011- 43503672, 23356071, 23356072 BANGALORE: Santhome-33/01, Ist stage, Ist Cross, Indira Nagar, Bangalore-560 038 — Arnesh Ghose Contact for editorial: [email protected] Circulation: [email protected] Printed and Published by N Radhakrishnan on behalf of MW.Com India Private Limited. Printed at Spenta Multimedia, Peninsula Spenta, Mathuradas Mill Compound, N.M. Joshi Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400 013. Published at MW.Com India Private Limited, 401, 4th Floor, Todi Building, Mathuradas Mill Compound, Senapati Bapat Marg, Lower Parel, Mumbai 400 013. Editor: N Radhakrishnan. MAY 2020 • MW 2 All rights reserved worldwide. Unsolicited manuscripts will not be returned unless accompanied by a postage pre-paid envelope. NEWS-STAND PRICE ` 150 INTERNATIONAL SUBSCRIPTION RATES US $ 115 (1 year); US $ 220 (2 years); US $ 325 (3 years); US $ 525 (5 years) Contributors Contents MAY 2020 VEER MISRA 75 In this issue: Fifty shades COVER STORY of gay (Page 37) THE Describe yourself in one RELENTLESS word: Ambitious What is the first thing TAAPSEE that comes to your mind PANNU when you hear the word With a filmography that has ‘Internet’? Memes only set the wonder woman A foreign language you standards of narratives and FEATURES want to learn? Spanish stories, actor Taapsee Pannu If you could invite three goes into details of her 67 The Pain Beyond The artists for dinner, who would journey, one that’s made of a Loss: Cancer feels they be? Frida Kahlo, Lana ladder with every step taking even more challenging Del Rey and Raf Simons her a notch higher, and about when even the most quarantine with a routine privileged, like Rishi BY SAMREEN Kapoor and Irrfan TUNGEKAR Khan, don’t recover By Amit Vaidya 71 The Alchemy Of Alt Balaji By Jigar Shah MAITHILI RAO 89 Sisterhood Of The In this issue: The Maturing Of Taapsee Messmans: Meet Pannu (Page 85) Kainaz Messman Describe yourself in one Harchandrai and word: Secular Tina Messman Wykes, the founders What is the first thing that comes to your mind of Theobroma when you hear the word By Samreen Tungekar ‘Internet’? Freedom A foreign language you 93 What Is Vir want to learn? French Das’ Viagra? Which celebrity do you By Mayukh Majumdar most identify with? Arundhati Roy FOB 6 Radar 11 Disney and Apple TV+ binge list 13 The Interview: Hansal Mehta JIGAR SHAH ISHA BHANSALI 15 The A-List In this issue: In Conversation With In this issue: Ask the Expert 17 Shatrunjay Pratap Hansal Mehta (Page 13) (Page 63) Singh: The tale of Describe yourself in Describe yourself in a preserver one word: Inquisitive one word: Curious 19 Photographer’s self- What is the first thing that comes to What is the first thing that comes portraits in quarantine your mind when you hear the word to your mind when you hear the 85 23 Jason Kothari: The ‘Internet’? When I first began using word ‘Internet’? Information THE turnaround expert the Internet, it was all about Yahoo and A foreign language you want MATURING 25 Drunching with MSN messenger. But now for me, the to learn? As of now, I want to summer cocktails internet is about access to information learn Sanskrit. It’s not foreign OF TAAPSEE 27 Tattoo artists and A foreign language you want but it’s as rarely known to us as PANNU tattoo trends to learn? Spanish and Mandarin any other foreign language The actress is now a 29 COVID-19 and cam sex Which is the first movie that made If you could style one person from bankable powerhouse, 30 Apps to organise your you cry? Can’t remember the first history, who would it be? I would delivering nuanced daily routine film, but the last film I cried in was have loved to style Albert Einstein performances that 31 A guide to the Avengers: Endgame and Marlon Brando resonate with the modern uncommon beaches Indian woman in the world DEVKI BHATT BY MAITHILI RAO 35 The summer physique guide 3 MAY 2020 • MW MAY 2020 • MW 4 Contents MAY 2020 RADARWHO &