Return
to Story Page
To print: Select File and then Print from your
browser's menu
Nina Pillai
Since Valentine's Day, the hype and the hoopla that surrounds February 14th have been hard to get away from - perhaps it is the wedding bells that toll or the bells on a belle's toes, it's got me in a mesmerised trance. Is it my imagination or are we all being more expressive about our feelings and emotions? On Friday night Vayu Garware and Mayuri announced their betrothal.
What was to be a double birthday celebration, his-and-her's, turned out to be an engagement announcement. Charming, they make a striking couple and have the warmth and generosity to boot. So Hudd! To all you skeptics who don't believe in love. I reached the Rendezvous close to the witching hour, as the young un's never can make it anywhere till they wilt, yet the party was just filling up. Mayuri looked jewel-like in a Tiffany blue dress in satin with a scarf to match. The pear shaped diamond on her left hand twinkled like the proverbial star - Vayu with his Adonis good looks was close at hand to give his fiance that extra cuddle of loveand protectiveness. Sunita and Ramesh Garware were very close friends of Rajan, my late husband. I remember when we got engaged, we went to spend a weekend at their lovely farmhouse in Pune - close to 20 years ago, way before farmhouses were fashionable and Pune was still Poona. I remember the warmth and love they showered on us as a young couple and I felt all the nostalgia of being young and in love hit me, swirling me in a whirlpool of emotion.
They say all the world loves a lover. That evening there were a lot of young couples who looked like they'd connected. Charmer Chirag Doshi introduced me to a pretty young lady Mallika, who turned out to be the daughter of Mira Rattan, an old school pal. I saw Pratap Gaekwad walk in with Avantika, Shobha De's lovely young daughter, they looked like they were made for each other. Nandi and Sanjay Kapur were down from Delhi. Kajol was there with mama Tanuja - a formidable actress who still carries the years well. There were lots of lovelies like Rakhi Grover, SumanRanganathan and young beau's like Jugal Hansraj, Viresh Chabra and Mohit Burman. I was spoilt rotten by my dear friend Bakul Jain who got me a bottle of Claret so I could indulge in a vintage wine. I was overwhelmed by the chivalrous gesture. With Mama Garware leading the brigade on the dance floor we danced till we nearly dropped with exhaustion. A wonderful evening full of caring, loving and romance.
When I got the wedding invitation to Farah Khan and Aqeel Ali's nuptials I was struck by the elegance of the silver and blue card. Designed by Farah, it had a lovely silver motif and ancient Muslim calligraphy with a message of blessing for the union, all over it. The venue was The Club at Andheri. When I arrived I was greeted by the divine Khan clan. I went straight to the stage to wish the couple. The stage was beautifully decorated with flowers and loops of blue and pink fabric to give the illusion of a tent. Farah and Mama Zarine had designed Farah's exquisitely worked cream, silver and diamante gharara.Farah, being an accomplished jeweller, had designed an exquisite diamond and pearl choker which echoed the motif of her outfit but glittered like a constellation of stars around her swan-like neck. She made a gorgeous bride, chic and classy. Aqeel looked handsome in cream with his hair pulled back in a ponytail. As I came down to mingle I couldn't help but think of the Prime Minister's historic trip that afternoon to Lahore. The popularity of Sanjay and Zarine was amply demonstrated by the `star' turnout that night, and people from other walks of life love this couple just as much. Being a virtual institution in the Mumbai film world, the Khan family have integrated into the social fabric of the city to show us what true secularism really is. Sanjay and Zarine's other daughter Simone is wed to Ajay Arora and their youngest daughter Suzzane is betrothed to Pinky and Rakesh Roshan's son Hritik. In these unions lie the secret of social harmony that binds our nation as one. The wedding feast was akin to goodghar ka khana. I sat with Zarine, Sanjay, Pinky and Rakesh, Kiran, Dharmesh Darshan and his wife, and Anil Desmukh on a round table partaking of the wedding feast. I met the dapper Kabir Mulchandani, stunning actress Amisha Patel with her parents, Amrish Puri, Uru Patel, Suchitra Pillai, Madhu Sapre, Mario, Anna Singh, Bonny and Vivek Mulchandani, Pooja, Lalit, Neelu Merchant, Punit and Vikas Bhalla, Fardeen and Laila looking striking in a green ghagra with husband Rohit Rajpal in tow. There were a host of other young trendsetters. The evening was a huge success because of the warmth and generosity of the Khan clan. May they be forever blessed, as also the young newly weds.
Having only watched a film award function on television, and then, only the Oscars, I was not quite ready for the heave-ho that the Filmfare show turned out to be. We arrived late but even so, getting to the entrance was a gargantuan task. Despite the war-footing preparation such an event demands, Pradeep Guha waslooking frazzled when I met him. Things were obviously not going like clockwork and I could see the perfectionist in him chaffing. We walked in to see UB40 in a bad lip synch performance, like going through the motions of a pantomime. Why can't these bands perform live instead of the taped stuff? Anyway purple strobe lights, heat and dust being the order of the night, I slunk away determined to watch it on television the next day.
Having made the effort to go only for good pal Pradeep I was a little disappointed. The party at The Club after the show was a fun event. All of filmdom and then some, were there, I sat in turn with Shilpa Shetty looking ravishing in a silver dress by Manish Malhotra, my dear friend Mama Shetty, Vijay Darda MP, Sanjay Kilachand, Arjun, Shefali, Monty, Anook and Viresh Chabra. I congratulated Karan Johar for sweeping the awards. He was enthusiastically inviting one and all to a celebration dinner the following night. I greeted Zeenat Aman with her two young sons in tow and Zaheer,her young beau. I chatted with Dharmesh Darshan, Sashilal Nair, Gulshan Grover, was introduced to the attractive Rani Mukherjee and congratulated Shekhar Kapur for Elizabeth. To his attractive wife Suchitra, I confided that Shekhar had been the victim of a white supremacy plot to see that his film didn't get nominated for as many Oscars as it should have, including best director. If Shekhar had been an Anglo-Saxon director, his film would have swept the Oscars. On that score I have no doubt. The evening was fun and racy and Pradeep Guha showed his true flair at hosting the best corporate events with this filmi do. Tonight, curled up in bed, I'll watch the Filmfare awards and bless him yet again, old pal that he is. He is a visionary and his bold leadership has kept the flagship in shape. Love may make the world go round but it is sheer dint of hard work that keeps the tills ringing and proves true success. Monday morning blues are taking a toll and slogging through the week seems such poorcomfort. An island in the sun would be so much more fun. As the saying goes `If wishes were horses beggars would fly'.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
------------------------------------------------------------
This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
------------------------------------------------------------