Koffee with Batman

What do film and TV celebrity Karan Johar and comic-book superhero Batman have in common, other than their star power?

Well, both of them were in Hong Kong this week: one came in from Mumbai to party, the other flew in from Gotham City to save the world. 

Johar was in town, as were Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif and Shahid Kapur, as star attractions for a Diwali Dreams Ball at the InterContinental Hong Kong Hotel.

Anyone who could afford to pay the price of admission — a cool Rs 15,000 per person — could wine, dine and be entertained by the Bollywood brigade.

There were several other Diwali balls - and an assembly line of celebrities from Mumbai and elsewhere.

Aditya Narayan, the star-son anchor of Zee TV’s hugely popular SaReGaMaPa, came with a team of dancers for a HK$1,200-per-person do hosted by the Indian Association and the Indian Club.

Several other Zee TV artists were the star attractions at a gala event organised by the Indian Businessmen’s Association. 

The galaxy of stars filled up the social calendar of the Indian community in Hong Kong this week, but given the civic rules that do not permit fireworks displays, there was more light than sound…

But Batman’s arrival — in a C-130 aircraft that flew low over residential and commercial areas in the heart of Hong Kong - more than made up for the absence of a high-decibel Diwali.

The caped crusader was in town for the filming of Batman: The Dark Knight, and local councillors are concerned that the noise associated with his nocturnal crime-fighting might render residents sleepless.

The government agency that is helping Warner Bros in shooting the movie has appealed to the public for tolerance and understanding: after all, Batman is the Good Guy, and he’s here to save the world!

But the limits to the comic book hero’s powers were exposed in Hong Kong. The film’s script required Gotham City’s one-man army (or rather, his stunt double) to jump off a plane into the Victoria Harbour, but given the poor water quality in the harbour (into which the city’s effluents are released), the scene had to be abandoned.

Evidently, you can’t bank on Batman in the germ warfares of the future…

From bats to cats. Some 200-plus felines will take part in a competition later this week to decide which is the most beautiful of them all.

The Hong Kong International Cat Show will have separate pageants for short-hair and long-hair cats, and some rare breeds will be on the ‘catwalk’.

There will also be events for the public on the the right way to handle cats. It promises to be quite a meow fest.