It must have taken all her political skills to smile through it so radiantly. On May 1 (Maharashtra Day), at a five-star Sobo hotel, Priya Dutt received the Best Politician award from a media house. To give her the trophy, compere Siddharth Kannan called on stage ex-cop Y.P. Singh and his wife Abha (former director of postal services, Maharashtra and Goa). Today they are both better known as lawyers and activists.

Although well recognised elsewhere, they are not exactly very popular with the Salman Khan or Sanjay Dutt families because they are pretty vocal about celebrities and the privileges the state, even the judiciary, sometimes accords them. In fact, Abha Singh is the lawyer who filed a PIL asking why Salman was roaming around scot free when a much younger boy called Alistair Pereira was already serving his jail sentence for the same crime of drunken driving that resulted in the death of a couple of pavement dwellers.

Google Abha Singh and right there will also be reports of the lawyer and activist urging the Governor of Maharashtra not to take cognisance of the clemency appeal made by Press Council chairman Justice Markandey Katju on behalf of Sanjay Dutt.

There is a report in The Hindu that goes, “Touching on the growing demand for pardon to Mr Dutt by politicians such as Congress leader Digvijay Singh and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Ms Singh said: It does not wash the charges against Sanjay Dutt under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act were dropped… Politicians know that the 2014 polls are close and are attempting to prove their compassion by going [in] for such popularity gimmicks.”

“It could be politically correct, but legally it is all wrong,” Ms Singh said.

Tall, slim and elegant, Priya Dutt, extremely stylish in a sari with a natty choli, a striking neckpiece and gold heels, didn’t look one bit like a politician. But when she took the mike, she was at her political best. She talked of how she had come into politics at a difficult time for her family and hadn’t a clue on how to even give a speech. But before that, a smiling Priya so graciously thanked the organisers and also the Singh couple for giving her the award that not one person in the auditorium would have remembered Abha’s plea to the Maharashtra Governor against brother Sanju. Political gimmick? Not really. It was graceful behaviour at a social function and Priya is a very amiable person, not known to rub anyone the wrong way. Most times one sees her walking around Mumbai dressed casually in jeans without security guards announcing her presence. She is quite a contrast to her starry brother.

Last week there was quite a bit of nostalgia strewn all around. When Aparna Sen flew down to Mumbai for a special screening of Goynar Baksho (sub-titled in English), it also happened to be Moushumi Chatterjee’s 60th birthday (although Indu, as most know her, has always claimed to be a couple of years younger). While Moushumi had invited a couple of close friends and had her daughters around her, Aparna had invited Shabana Azmi (sporting a nice short hair cut), Hema Malini and Waheeda Rehman. Hema arrived only a couple of minutes before the screening started, called up from the foyer and said, “I am here,” before she was quickly ushered into the lift and taken up to the theatre. But Shabana and Waheeda were early enough to catch Moushumi cutting a huge birthday cake.

For a couple of days prior to the screening, Moushumi had been down with fever and cold and was actually feeling quite miserable. But she put on her best party face, wore a lovely saree and was chirpy all through the show, greeting invitees from a vantage seat in the auditorium. She had reason to be buoyant. Goynar Baksho, as most who’ve seen the film would know, is quite her show. One isn’t sure why Aparna would’ve even thought of Jaya Bachchan, Sharmila Tagore or Raakhee for that role because the mischievous glint in the eye and the delightfully wicked abusing so necessary for the character were right up Moushumi’s street and she pulled off a difficult role with ease. The pile of compliments she collected after the screening were the birthday presents Moushumi went home with that evening.

Finally, a sobering thought: Mahesh Bhatt had read it right when immediately after Kasab’s hanging, he had said in this very column, “I fear that Sarabjit Singh may not come back home. Victim of tit for tat politics.” With that we return to politics.

Bharathi S. Pradhan is editor, The Film Street Journal