Star power rises, power games deepen, and the city buzzes on
Starry neighborhood
Jubilee Hills is all set for a fresh dose of star power. Buzz is Megastar Chiranjeevi may soon have two blockbuster neighbours — Nandamuri Balakrishna and Allu Arjun.
We hear Balakrishna is making a plush new residence in the premium locality, reportedly on elevated land with sweeping views and plenty of privacy. His current house may face possible road widening — also that area has become congested with few accidents too taking place there — so he decided to move to a better place.
Not far behind, Allu Arjun is also said to be building a sprawling new mansion in the same neighborhood on a property of 4000 sq yards.
Both Balakrishna and Allu Arjun’s homes are said to cost over `80 crores.
The new DGP is...
The race to the top post of DGP has gotten interesting. With the promotion of six officers to the rank of DGP, the total number of officers in that rank has gone up to 11. The officers promoted recently are VV Srinivasa Rao, Swati Lakra, Mahesh Muralidhar Bhagwat, Charu Sinha, Dr Anil Kumar and VC Sajjanar.
The promotion gives CM Revanth Reddy enough choice to pick up the officer for the top post which falls vacant after Shivadhar Reddy’s superannuation shortly. The announcement about who will succeed Shivadhar is to come any moment now.
But insiders tell us one name is as good as final. That leaves Soumya Mishra IPS,DG Prisons out of the fray. When it comes to women, it still is a long road before they are considered for the top posts, regardless of how efficient they are.
Falling prey to conmen!
Most businessmen of Hyderabad prefer to keep a safe distance from jeweller Sukesh Gupta, the man whom the CBI and ED held responsible for defrauding the MMTC Limited to the tune of over Rs 504 crore. But he ends up finding a new ‘bakra’ with his sweet talk everytime he has an “ambitious business plan”. Apparently he flaunts his top connections with a politicians and bureaucrats — that’s people fall for his plan.
Rajesh Agarwal is the new bakra who has fallen prey to Sukesh’s claim of offering him a share in the Nizam-era jewellery. Apparently Rajesh shelled out Rs 50 crore, as per his complaint to Hyderabad police which is investigating the matter.
When the news of his case involving Nizam jewellery was all over the city, another top businessman dealing in high end furniture, confessed how he too was made a bakra by Sukesh sometime ago by making false claims and getting him to shell out a mind boggling sum.
The furniture guy could not approach the police as his dealings were in cash!
However, a caution note to all. Those who had in the past dealt with the Nizam’s wealth for business, have all hit extreme bad luck and lost all their money. So stay away from such deals. Do not even buy jewels or basra pearls which they say belonged to the Nizam! Not worth the risk of bad luck!
A cosy Cantonese star rises
Hyderabad’s restaurant scene moves faster than a hot wok on full flame. New eateries open with fanfare, draw packed crowds for a few months, and just when they seem settled, another shiny newcomer pops up down the road.
Curtains down for the earlier one!
A seasoned restaurateur was heard grumbling recently that Hyderabadis have “no loyalty” when it comes to dining out — always chasing the latest hotspot in town.
The latest buzz is around Lili, the cosy new Cantonese restaurant in Jubilee Hills, launched by three young entrepreneurs — Abhilasha Oruganti, Naveen Krishna and Navyatha Reddy. The charming part? Diners are likely to spot the founders themselves taking orders, checking tables and sometimes even serving guests. Hands-on hospitality always wins hearts.
The petite, stylish space is currently packed and drawing all the right kind of attention. Here’s hoping the trio recovers their investment quickly — before Hyderabad’s next must-visit address opens its doors and steals the spotlight.
Who did Dr Preeti Reddy recently meet? None other than PM Narender Modi. Rumour is she was pitching for a Lok Sabha ticket in the next general elections.
What makes TDP MLA Bojjala Sudhir Reddy so likeable? He’s the most helpful person when reached out to for temple darshan’s in Tirupati and Kalahasti. All others pretend to help but are MIA when needed. Not Sudhir.
When did Meghna Rao celebrate her birthday with a Mahjong party? Mahjong is the biggest craze now. Just about everyone is doing the same — hosting Mahjong parties.
Where were the Nepali thieves who stole Rs 2 cr worth valuables at Anirudh Reddy’s house caught? On the Nepal border and luckily the cops were able to get back all the stolen goods.
Why is everyone looking forward to shop at Sverve exhibit today at Park Hyatt? Because their curation is excellent, the the best designers in the country are showcasing their designs here.
Joke
A married daughter called her mom angrily and said “I plan to walk out of my marriage.” The surprised mom asked, “What happened?”
The daughter said she asked her husband to buy her a Rs 1 lakh necklace which he refused saying he can’t afford it now.
The mom pacified the daughter, said she will speak with the son-in-law. She called him and said, “Babu, I will transfer `2 lakh to your bank account, you keep `1 lakh, with the other
one lakh buy her the necklace. Let her be with you because if she comes home, she will drive us all mad — we cannot bear her!”
