21 September,2016 07:39 AM IST | | Malavika Sangghvi
The two families represent Gujarati business pedigree
Kaustabh Shah
Nita and MukeshâÃu00c2u0080Ãu00c2u0088Ambani
The groom's late grandfather, industrialist and politician Viren J Shah, former governor of West Bengal, had been, amongst other things, a great raconteur with a charming line in humour, especially of the self-deprecating kind. "A few years after he had returned from Aden and was already making strides to establish his empire, Dhirubhai Ambani, who was a few years younger, had come to see me to interest me in his new textile venture - as a possible investor/ partner," he used to narrate, his eyes twinkling, decades later.
DhirubhaiâÃu00c2u0080Ãu00c2u0088Ambani
"And to my utter regret, I had not seen the golden business opportunity offered by the charismatic and dynamic young man at that time," he'd said. It takes a certain confidence to make an admission of this nature, and Shah, who had been jailed in the Emergency for political activism, possessed that in spades.
The celebration at Antilla to mark the marriage of Kaustabh, easily one of the most eligible bachelors of his generation, to Radha Brahmbatt, will see the Ambanis roll out a dandiya ras in keeping with their Gujarati roots, and will witness the city's biz community come out in full strength. And perhaps on that occasion, the two patriarchs will celebrate in their own way up there, with cups of masala chai!
The lion in winter?
Last week witnessed the birthday of Subbirami Reddy, easily one of the most colourful personalities to straddle the worlds of business/ politics/ religion and entertainment.
Subbirami Reddy
The flamboyant Hyderabad-based bizman and former MP is known for his parties to which a slew of celebs converge, regardless of whether they are held in Mumbai, Goa, Delhi or Vizag.
Nothing is too OTT for Reddy, who commands one of the most powerful perches in the country with his key position in the Tirupati stakes. Multi-coloured invitation cards with full figure depictions of the host in various attires? Check.
Portraits of the host sitting bare-chested in front of mammoth Shiv lingams? Check. Felicitations of sundry celebs and spiritualists? Check.
But this year, rather than be the centre of attention, Reddy used the occasion of his birthday to honour Telegu cinema icon Mohan Babu for completion of four decades in the movie business. Is the lion mellowing in his old age? Perish the thought!
Days of wine and roses
We chanced upon this stunning photograph of iconic Italian film director, and one of the pioneers of the neorealist movement, Roberto Rossellini, and his paramour, the statuesque Sonali Senroy Dasgupta, at the height of their great romance, which had shocked society and had become an affair almost as sensational as that of the Nanavati case.
Sonali had hailed from a conservative Bengali background but had married a maverick Bohemian Bengali filmmaker in the early 50s and borne two sons to him. Even before the Rossellini episode, she had been something of a sensation. "She became a style icon with her backless Gujarat mirror-work blouses and her exquisite taste in handloom sarees... It was a contrast to other women who were dressed in chiffons and georgettes," says an old timer.
"Unsurprisingly, this apparition had caught the eye of Rossellini, who had come to India at Nehru's invitation. Before anyone realised what was happening, she had flown out of the country on a chartered plane with him and her infant younger son thwarting her family's attempts to impound their passports."
The romance endured and the infant son she had spirited away was later adopted by Rossellini and the two had a daughter together (stepsister to actress Isabella Rossellini), but alas, due to strict Catholic Church rules, the couple could never marry. "But he set up an exclusive boutique for her on the famed Via Veneto where she sold objet d'art and fabrics from India as exquisite as herself," says the source. "She passed away a few years ago in Rome. And no, she never returned to India until she died." Quelle romance...
Musically connected
"This Album has Harsh's own compositions. And has been launched by a music label. Hope u like it," texted Bijal Meswani, wife of Hital, Executive Director at Reliance and a cousin of the Ambanis, about her son Harsh's debut album, Trail of Thought, in which he has played all instruments on the keyboard.
Hital and Bijal Meswani with their kids. Harsh is the older son.
The young composer, who is said to have inherited his musical talent from his father, who exposed him to a gamut of music, from classical to rock, had begun learning the keyboards at the age of 9 but opted out of class preferring to be self-taught. His compositions âUncharted Territory' and âSolitude', to name a few, have stirring arrangements and sensitive melodies.
As for the elder Meswani, his tastes run from Mandolin maestro U Srinivas to Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Pandit Jasraj and Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, to the Beatles and Coldplay. "He has a good sense of tune and pitch," says Bijal about the corporate honcho.
