Malavika’s Mumbaistan: Celebrating Shaina

“I rarely celebrate my birthday,” said BJP spokesperson and designer Shaina NC, who’d just flown in from rigorous campaigning in Madhya Pradesh, this Friday evening,

“I rarely celebrate my birthday,” said BJP spokesperson and designer Shaina NC, who’d just flown in from rigorous campaigning in Madhya Pradesh, this Friday evening, when husband Manish Munot along with their friends and family celebrated her special day with an elegant dinner at their residence. True to the many hats the birthday girl wears, and the wide-ranging nature of her interests, the party saw an eclectic mix of guests stream in to wish her, all through the evening. They were all there, the city’s best and brightest, from politicians, bureaucrats, MLAs, lawyers, stars, doctors and industrialists to the city’s younger glam-glitterati (who strolled in fashionably late). The daughter of parents hailing from two prominent and old-world Mumbai clans, whose lives have been intrinsically linked with that of the city, Shaina is a chip off the block, a politician who is equally at home at a dusty politician’s rally, a stylish Mumbai art opening or even a high volume, fiery prime-time TV debate. We spotted prominent individuals from across the board, like the wife of present Maharashtra CM, banker Amruta Fadnavis; BJP’s Pankaja Munde; Congress’ erstwhile Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan; senior advocate Amit Desai; principal secretary to Maharashtra CMO Pravin Pardeshi; Alvira and Atul Agnihotri; architect Hafiz Contractor; actor Arbaaz Khan with Giorgia Andriani; Raveena Tandon; designer Maheka Mirpuri; industrialists Jay Mehta and Navin Agarwal; Nawaz Singhania; Vasudha and Prashant Ruia along with mother Madhu Ruia; Yash and Avanti Birla; and playback singer Sonali Rathod with husband-tabla-maestro Roop Kumar Rathod, amongst others. Of course, by far, the most elegant personality on the occasion was easily Shaina’s octogenarian mother, the graceful designer Munirra Chudasama, whose scintillating conversation on politics, current affairs and society kept many in thrall and accorded the evening its special charm.

Shaina NC with Manish Munot (HT Photo)

True Lies
This middle-aged socialite and fashionista (fashion victim?), who gives the impression that she’s permanently just stepped off a Mediterranean cruise, on a friend’s luxury yacht, looks like she needs to stop keeping up with the Kardashians. The weekend saw her and her group of luvvies kick up their heels at a bash hosted by an international luxury brand at an offbeat venue, where unbeknownst to the aforementioned self-styled SoBo ‘sophisticate’, a video clip, shot by another guest, of her demonstrating the courage of her convulsions with great gusto on the dance floor with others half her age has been the source of many sniggers since. Why? Because the song she’s grooving to happens to feature a particularly obscene chorus line, which the title of the song is taken from and which would make most cringe. The spectacle of the ageing socialite carrying out her vigorous jhatakks and mataks to the offensive number, has been doing the rounds on WhatsApp since then and as expected, has elicited its fair share of derision in society circles, with comments like, “Oh dear. To what lengths will someone go to appear hip and happening?”

Overheard

Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone (Pramod Thakur/HT Photo)

Anushka-Virat, Deepika-Ranveer, Priyanka-Nick…surely Bollywood will never witness a bigger, more anticipated, high-voltage, glam-wedding. Unless of course, Salman Khan or Karan Johar get married, and of course, we don’t mean to each other.”
-One carried away starry-eyed filmy journalist to another, on the way back from the Deep-Veer reception.

Exuberance and Joy

Keshav Suri (extreme right) with husband Cyril Feuillebois and Jyotsna Suri (centre). (HT Photo)

To say that Delhi-based hotelier Keshav Suri, whose father, the late Lalit Suri, had been an integral part of the late PM Rajiv Gandhi’s inner circle, is pushing the envelope as far as LGBTQ visibility and acceptance goes, is an understatement. The suave gentleman, who was one of the petitioners in the recent landmark judgment, which had decriminalised homosexuality in India, has been a pioneer in the matter, offering his resources and clout to support and champion the LGBTQ cause, in ways big and small. Last year, the 30-something Suri had married his long-time partner Cyril Feuillebois in a joyous ceremony in Paris, and no sooner had the much-awaited judgement been announced, than he went ahead and planned his own big-fat Indian wedding celebration in Goa. This was held amidst great pomp and partying over the weekend at his resort in Goa. Large hoardings adorned Goa’s streets, welcoming the wedding brigade, and renowned international drag artists had been specially flown in, to perform for the guests who included Delhi’s old-world, and young and restless circles, along with Parmesh Shahani and Pernia Qureshi. The occasion also saw Suri’s mother Jyotsna Suri, a quiet and retired homemaker, who had risen to the occasion after her husband’s death and steered the family-owned business with grit and success, sportingly take to the dance floor at one of the events, with her son, to perform an exu- berant dance item on an Asha Bhonsle track. And what is eliciting her the most accolades, is that she had done so, with her son in complete drag attire himself. If a picture of what true sophistication and self-actualisation means, is required, this is what it looks like. Our congratulations to the Suris on the happy occasion.