It was a veritable gathering of some of the country’s most celebrated talent that had come together to celebrate the birthday of Biloo Sharma this weekend
Anupam Kher, Javed Akhtar, Jaya Bachchan, Danny Denzongpa, Subhalakshmi Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Amjad Ali Khan and friends at Bilooâu00c2u0080u00c2u0088Sharma's birthday
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It was a veritable gathering of some of the country's most celebrated talent that had come together to celebrate the birthday of Biloo Sharma this weekend. Sharma, a soft-spoken and low-profile erstwhile actor-producer, had been a student of the FTII in Pune, where he'd forged deep and lasting friendships with fellow students Jaya Bachchan (nee Bhaduri) and Danny Denzongpa, making him something of an insider at Jalsa. In addition, his lovely daughter Neema is married to Ayaan Ali Bangash, son of sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan, which has extended the circle further to include the Bangashs, who, naturally, had flown down to bring in their samdhi's big day in Mumbai. Add to this Anupam Kher, who is an old friend of the family, and Shabana and Javed Akhtar, again part of the inner circle, and you have a staggering gathering of the country's leading actors, musicians, poets and lyricists under the same roof. As someone remarked about the extraordinary configuration: wonder what they talk about when they meet. The answer to that is: not politics for sure!
Rahul Bajaj, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Jamshyd Godrej
Across all party lines
The talk at Bansri and Rajesh Shah's reception to celebrate the wedding of their daughter Priya to Sashank this Saturday evening was about the confluence of Delhi folk on the occasion. Not just any Delhi folk mind you. "The best of the best," as one Mumbai society grande dame declared. "The good old real Delhi like it used to be." What she was alluding to was the latest Mumbai grudge against the Capital: that 'it was fast being depleted of its glamour under the cold gaze of the NDA-Kejriwal regimes at the Centre and state', a self-fulfilling prophecy, if ever there was one. But more of that later.
Rajesh Shah, Sangita and Sajjan Jindal
Shah, a long-time Modi supporter, who had recently been appointed as head of NIFT as reported earlier on these pages, might be a BJP supporter, but his friendships and associations cut across all parties and political ideologies. And so, rubbing shoulders with their Mumbai contemporaries Rahul Bajaj, Sangita and Sajjan Jindal, Jamyshd Godrej, Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) NCP's Praful Patel, Ishaat Husain, Mala and Harsh Goenka, we spotted prominent Delhi denizens Shobhana Bhartia and Aroon Purie with wife Rekha and daughter Kalli, Union Minister for Coal and Power Piyush Goel, Congress leader and erstwhile minister of state for power Jyotiraditya Scindia, legal eagles Manik and Riaan Karanjawala, and designer and Sonia Gandhi-confidante Sunita Kohli.
And standing statuesque amongst all these was the cultural czarina and once fiery ideologue Jaya Jaitley, who had been a protégé of George Fernandes, the firebrand leader of India's Socialist Trade Union and the Janta Party, who in turn had been closely associated with Rajesh Shah's father Viren Shah, when the two had formed an underground resistance movement against the Emergency. If this is not emblematic of the enduring ties across the board of India's power stricture at the thinnest edge of the creamy wedge, we don't know what is.
Exquisite high tea
It was easily one of the most exquisite high teas that we have recently attended (the other being a few Sunday's ago with the nuns and girls of the St Anthony's Girls' High School on Bellasis Road, but of that some other day). Catered masterfully by Harsha Kilachand with scrumptious pastries and delicate sandwiches, and festooned with a veritable forest of roses by Gurleen Manchanda, aesthete and designer Simone Arora's high tea at her store on Friday was a feast for the senses. Simone is married to Ajay Arora, the man behind a luxury furnishings brand, and they appear committed to making the word a prettier place, separately and together.
Simone Arora (in white) with Renu Chainani, Anu Dewan, Malaika Khan, Farah Khan Ali and a friend
Seen partaking of the surrounding beauty were the likes of Simi Garewal (who informed us that she was on her way to Melbourne next week where she'd be compeering the Indian Film Festival), Bindu Kapoor, Anu Dewan, Mona Narang and Zeba Kohli amongst others, joined by the beauteous ladies of Simone's own clan: mother Zarine Khan, sisters Farah Khan Ali and Suzanne, sis-in-law Malaika, and cousin Laila Furniturewala.
And to remind everyone of the magical hour when they had sat atop an exquisite room in an artfully restored heritage site on one of Mumbai's most genteel tree-lined avenues, Simone had thoughtfully arranged a give-back present of a tiny exquisite fine bone China tea set festooned with roses!
Daddy dearest
We have known make-up artist Mickey Contractor long before his name become a synonym for beauty and glamour in India's fashion and movie business.
Mickey Contractor, Bianca and Neetu Kapoor
Today, he is at the top of his game, and the foremost name for wedding make-up, having done up most of the country's heiresses for their big days. And over the weekend, while he was busy in Delhi as part of a fashion extravaganza (his modern gold glitter look was the talk of Gaurav Gupta's show, we hear), he took some time off work, and shared this adorable photo of a loving moment backstage with his daughter Bianca.
Kajol, Dia Mirza and Jacqueline Fernandez
"Will have to give you away someday. How?" And such is his standing with the country's beautiful people that the picture elicited comments from the likes of Kajol, Neetu Kapoor, and Jacqueline Fernandez. "She'll always be your little girl," said Dia Mirza. And fortunately for the doting dad, his daughter commented, "Can't get rid of me so easily pops! Not going anywhere!!!" Sweet.
Have club, will golf
This weekend saw the likes of industrialists Chirag Doshi, Ashish Goel, Kapil Grover and a host of other impassioned amateur golfers, all members of the Willingdon Club, gather at a SoBo eatery for the annual auction of what is described as the institution's singular friendly golf league.
Chirag Doshi
"It's become a ritual over the past three-four years," says a source. "We play a tournament and the acquisition of key players for teams follows the same rules as that of other leagues, i.e. by bids. Though, of course, these are friendly (no money is involved)," he says. Just as well. After all, some of the golfers themselves own teams in other leagues.
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