Malavika’s Mumbaistan: Dubai Calling

If it appeared that India was divested of its leading fashion designers last week, put it down to the fact that they were marking their presence in Dubai. Heavy weights like Rohit Bal, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Shantanu and Nikhil, and Raghvendra Rathore , were present in person or name, at the launch of an exciting new initiative called Atelier India, to be located at the iconic 20,000 square feet Robinsons Dubai, that promises to further establish Indian fashion presence in the region. “A (desi) fashion night out in Dubai,” said erstwhile Mumbai girl Sujata Assomull, who is fashion editor with a leading Dubai-based newspaper about the launch, which saw the aforementioned designers present 10 pieces each of their newest garments, at a five star hotel. Speaking to the media, Bal who showcased his Guldastan collection, which made its debut at the recent India Couture Week 2018, elaborated about the similar aesthetic that defined the region. In fact, Atelier India is seen by many as a consolidation of the movement to meet the demand for Indian designs in the enormously lucrative West Asian market. Suneet Verma is also expected to showcase his recent couture line later in the year at another venue, and word comes in that Payal Singhal will be unpacking a trunk show of her winter festive collection at another popular site too. “Dubai feels like it’s another city in India,” said Assomull.

Indeed.

True Lies

A recent trip from Mumbai to Delhi reiterated what we’ve always known, that the twain can hardly meet. Take the case of this recent and hilarious cocktail party conversation. A garrulous grande dame from Mumbai is said to have been holding forth about a recent sighting she’d had of actress Priyanka Chopra, not looking her best, at a high-profile event. “PC was looking so hot and sweaty, poor thing,” she said. “And, the outfit! So overdone. That too, with 6 inch heels!” This information naturally had the gaggle of prime Lutyen’s ladies in a tizzy. Until one of them enquired innocently: “But why on earth was Chidambaram wearing six inch heels?” Turns out, of course, that the initials PC in politics-obsessed Delhi stand for the former finance minister, and not for the Bollywood-obsessed Mumbai’s glamorous star.

And therein lies the difference.

Cool at Seventy Five

Padmni Devi with Sanjay and Zarine Khan

It’s not often that a septuagenarian on the occasion of her significant birthday is referred to as cool and girlish. But, that is how singer Kanika Kapoor described Padmni Devi, the erstwhile Maharani of Jaipur, on the occasion of the surprise birthday celebration organised by her daughter Diya Kumari for some of her mum’s closest friends, at the spectacular City Palace, Jaipur. The occasion saw around 150 guests, including Jaya Bachchan and Zarine and Sanjay Khan, fly in for an evening of music, speeches (the birthday girl’s handsome grandson Padmanabh (Pacho) Singh is said to have delivered a moving address), fireworks and a banquet fit for a queen. What’s more, it also featured an impromptu rendition of Kapoor’s popular Chittiya number, which is said to have got the gathering on its feet and dancing.

A Candle for Krishna Kapoor

All things considered, it’s not been the best of times for the Kapoor family. Starting with the death of Shashi Kapoor, the last and youngest of family patriarch Prithviraj Kapoor’s dashing sons to depart to the great silver screen in the sky, followed by a devastating fire a few months later that gutted the family heirloom RK Studio; last month had seen Raj Kapoor’s eldest daughter Ritu lose her husband, industrialist Rajan Nanda, suddenly, and yesterday, her mother Krishna Kapoor, long celebrated as ‘the first lady of the film industry’ succumbed to a heart attack and passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 87. To say that her passing is the end of an era would not be wrong. Krishnaji, as she was called, had carved a special place for herself in Bollywood’s heart by her graciousness, warmth and gentle charm. She had been a role model for many in the industry and her style and grace were the subject of much adulation. The last time we had the privilege of meeting her, had been at the engagement of Akash Ambani and Shloka Mehta at Antillia a few months ago. Though she had been ailing, and in an out of hospital, and was on a wheelchair, accompanied by her devoted daughter Rima Jain, she looked every inch the first lady of the film industry, as she greeted each person in the long queue that had assembled to meet her with the same warmth and affection. Goodbye and Godspeed Krishnaji. You epitomised a chapter in Bollywood which was known for its elegance, warmth and civility, and it is richer for having had you preside over it with your propriety and poise. Our condolences to the Kapoors in their time of loss.

First Published: Oct 02, 2018 00:56 IST