(From top ): Pramod Kapoor, publisher, Roli Books, Shashi Kapoor, Zohra Sehgal and Deepa Gahlot at the release of The Prithviwallahs; Arbaaz Khan and Malaika Arora at the Club Aphrodisia launch; Abhishek Bachchan, Stephen Urqhart and Sonali Bendre at the inauguration of the Omega stores; the polo finals at the Jaipur Polo Grounds

A book on the country?s premier theatre house was launched amidst much fanfare in the Capital while a polo tournament culminated in a nail-biting finish. In Mumbai, a fashion show and the unveiling of two timewear stores had people turning up in droves

Stage-struck

In the winter of 1928, a strapping, handsome 21-year-old man called Prithviraj Kapoor arrived in Mumbai on the Frontier Mail from Peshawar, carrying a suitcase in one hand and a hockey stick ? his lucky charm ? in the other. The story takes off from here in The Prithviwallahs, a book narrated to Deepa Gahlot by Prithviraj?s son, actor Shashi Kapoor, and launched recently at The Park in the Capital.

The book is the story of a theatre that has become a living legend and of the Prithviwallahs ? the men and women who made it happen. ?It scans the period from 1929 to 2004 when Prithvi came to Mumbai, how without knowing anyone, he landed the job of an extra in his first film and as a hero in his third film, Cinema Girl, how he joined the only English theatre company, J Grant Anderson, got trained and played heroine in Nrachkritka, how he formed Prithvi Theatre in 1944, how it closed and how it was brought back to life by Jennifer Kendal (Shashi Kapoor?s wife), and how it?s thriving now,? said Shashi Kapoor.

To top off the evening, the hosts showed stills from the lives of the Prithviwallahs. There were nostalgic moments on display, stills from Shakuntala, Ahoothi, Deewar and a young Shashi as the villain, Gayadin, in Kisan.

Gahlot made a speech and actress Zohra Sehgal recalled how she had once asked Prithvi: ?Why Prithvi Theatres?? He had replied: ?Because it?s my dream that there will be a Prithvi Theatre in every town.?

Horsing around

If you were among those who?d gone to the Jaipur Polo Grounds for the finals of the Antiquity Maharaja Hari Singh Memorial Cup recently, you would have seen two distinct audiences ? those who had come to watch the game and those who had come to be watched. It would remind you of what Winston Churchill once told the Oxford University team: ?A polo handicap is your passport to the world?.

As the final match between Jindal Steel and Power and Aravali Polo got underway after an exhibition match between Metropolitan Nikko and Yes Bank, celebrities started trickling in. Spotted doing the rounds were Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Dr Karan Singh, Navin Ansal and Raseel Gujral and Nikita Anand among others.

In an edge-of-the-seat thriller that could have swung either way, defending champions Jindal Steel and Power won the 14-goal Cup, defeating Aravali Polo 8-7. Top scorer Basheer Ali hit the winning shot in the last minute of the concluding chukker to lead his team to victory in the 10th edition of the tournament. This brought the curtains down on the 2004 Delhi polo season.

Male order

After the success of Lounge Bohemia, its loungewear collection for 2004, clothing brand Tuscan Verve recently unveiled its latest collection for fashion-conscious men called Club Aphrodisia.

The look for the season, as interpreted by Tuscan Verve, made by the Mumbai-based Vinayak Garments, is one that?s on-the-edge, bordering on the sexy and yelling attitude. The collection manifests itself in different ways: from the obvious glamour of the shirts to the sleek discretion of faux leather jackets, from bright pop prints to the eye-opening shine of satin and the hard edge of corduroy. Each piece ups the flash factor. ?This season, the look is very sexy. Our fabrics hug the body and the garments are cut to allow the Tuscan Verve man to show skin and muscle. The mood is stylish as sin,? said Deepa Wadhwani, founding director, Tuscan Verve.

To embody the look, gorgeous model Upen Patel is the face of the new campaign ? the Tuscan Verve Guy. From playing host to hip Tuscan Verve bashes to being dressed in the best the label has to offer, Upen will bring his own sense of style to the collection.

A full-house party, the night was well attended, with the Khan family chipping in to support Upen. Spotted at the event were Arbaaz Khan with wife Malaika Arora, Sohail Khan with wife Seema and sister Arpita besides Aditi Govitrikar, Manisha Koirala, Wendell Rodricks, Rocky S, Katrina Kaif, Ashish Chaudhuri, Shruti Seth and Deepti Gujral among others.

Perfect timing

When one of the world?s biggest brand names in watchwear comes to town, you can?t really expect anything less than a darned good time. The recent inauguration of not one, but two Omega stores in Mumbai had the city?s usual Page Three people turn up in full force at the plush Grand Hyatt Plaza.

There was leggy model Katrina Kaif, Suchitra Pillai, Abhishek Bachchan and even Omega brand ambassador Sonali Bendre, who looked bewitching in blue. Bachchan Junior was presented an Omega watch by Stephen Urqhart, president, Omega International. Said a visibly-pleased Urqhart, ?I?m proud to present an Omega timepiece to a youth icon of the nation, Abhishek Bachchan. We see immense synergy between Omega and Abhishek.?

One of the newly-opened Omega boutiques is located at the Grand Hyatt Plaza itself. The plush boutique is spread over 350 sq ft. The second, and larger of the two boutiques is located on the ground floor of the swanky new CR2 Mall at Nariman Point and will operate in collaboration with the Ethos Group, which has years of experience in watch-retailing.

Photographs of book release and polo match by Prem Singh