Malavika’s Mumbaistan: Wedding belles

Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone.

Our filmy insider reports that there is talk that the much-awaited Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh wedding might be conducted between Bangalore and Switzerland. Singh is brand ambassador for Swiss tourism. The actress is said to meanwhile be making quick sorties to Bengaluru as she’s in the process of refurbishing her house there. Rumour has it is Sabyasachi is designing her wedding lehenga and the nuptials are slated around October-November this year. Meanwhile, as first reported on these pages, Sonam Kapoor’s wedding ceremonies will be hosted between her aunt Kavita Singh’s Bandstand bungalow and the reception will be at her friend Samyukta Nair’s Leela Hotel. What’s interesting is that the actress is said to have bought a two-bedroom apartment in London’s posh Notting Hill neighbourhood, which the couple plans to move into after their wedding.

As we had also first suggested, the era of the destination wedding looks to have well and truly passed. That’s enough mega-wedding news for one day we think.

AWESOME BERRY?

Word comes in that Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry, who has topped various ‘sexiest and hottest’ listings, is alleged to have made not one, but two visits in the span of three days to chef Manish Mehrotra’s India Accent in NYC recently (in pic with staff and chefs from the restaurant). And whereas we have reached out to Mehrotra for his version of the visits, perhaps the secret of the actress’ awesomeness could be no more than some awesome okra after all?

The mind boggles…

THE BRIDE WORE AJSK

Siddharth Bhandariand Saudamini Mattu.

This week, when designers Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla hosted the wedding reception of their niece and CEO of their couture brand, Saudamini Mattu, and Delhi-based architect Siddharth Bhandari, all eyes were not only on the celebrity guest list, but on what the bride herself wore. After all, the designers are regarded among the emperors of bridal wear and this was the wedding of their ‘jiggar ka tukra’ as one suburban grande dame put it. Only the best would do. “She wore a completely hand-embroidered marodi, it’s something we had created over a year ago and then decided to keep aside for her wedding...it took over three months to embroider,” said Khosla. Ever since she joined the business six years ago, Mattu, an alumnus of Lady Sri Ram College, added a zest to the label, breaking new ground and launching new lines. “She is sharp and knows her numbers and has made me and Abu move and shake and reinvent our brand,” said Khosla. Much of that moving and shaking was on display at the reception on Saturday.

LET THERE BE PEACE

“I saw a programme about the little girl’s life one evening and felt helpless,” said pilot and mom Tisha Zaveri, one of the organisers of the peaceful march against the Kathua atrocity on Monday evening at Marine Drive. “The next morning, I awoke and said I do have a resource — a lot of telephone numbers — and I could message people to come together. Everyone was responsive and it went viral. We had to quickly form planning committees and various sub committees.” We, too, had attended the procession on Monday and been heartened to see so many people marching, the anguish writ large on their faces, as cars whizzed past on Marine Drive during peak-hour traffic. Many had come out because they too had felt the anguish and grief. We also noted Kathua bringing forth heightened emotions of sorrow, grief and anger. What was saddening was that the anger was often misdirected. News reports of the march made snide references to the designer shades and shoes of the well-heeled crowd that had marched, as if these having these accruements denied them the right to express sadness or empathy.

The peaceful walk at Marine Drive on Monday. (Kunal Patil/HT Photo)

Those who didn’t participate often turned negative, taking their anger out on those who did, resulting in many staying away from such protests, fearing criticism and ridicule. ‘In our own, everyday lives, do we contribute to peace, respect and harmony or hatred, suspicion and disharmony? What violence, injustice or savagery through thought, word or act are we manifesting individually?’ we had observed last week. When would we set aside such pettiness and embrace positive action from wherever it emanated, regardless of our own value judgments? Or understand that as everything is connected, the anger, hatred and suspicion that we set in motion daily could have a butterfly effect and its victim could be a defenseless and innocent eight-year-old girl in Kathua? Peace, empathy and non-violence must begin within ourselves before it reaches anywhere else.