Yes yes I know, everyone and their grandmothers is talking about it so this blog is for those of you who really couldn’t care less (you know who you are, the ones who only know the SS of gestapo infamy!) So if you don’t want to be left out of Page 3 party conversation that will undoubtedly dwell on the “wedding of the season” all you need to do is remember a few funky facts and you’re good to go! Jump in on any conversation regarding SS and her entourage (hell even Bigg Boss 3) Enjoy.
The Groom:
Raj Kundra manages Shilpa’s production house in India and also co holds the IPL team, Rajasthan Royals with Shilpa. Apart from that this high profile businessman is the owner of a reputed business Enterprise which trades in precious stones in Dubai.
The Ex-wife:
Kavita Kundra publicly accused Shilpa of breaking up her marriage saying that the couple was happy despite going through a rough patch. Last July she was quoted saying, “I look at the pictures of them together and think, she’s with my husband, she’s living my life. She is a cultural icon in the Indian community. She can have any man she wants and there are plenty of single men about. While I was trying to put our marriage back together, he was talking constantly about Shilpa, as if it didn’t matter what happened to us because he had found someone better, cleverer and more famous than me. Now he has begun pestering me for a divorce. I asked him if he planned to marry someone else but he avoided the question.”
The Goods:
Raj Kundra presented Shilpa Shetty with a heart shaped ring on Valentines Day thus year, he also bought her a mansion in Surrey, UK and flawless 20-carat diamond ring.
The Trousseau:
Manish Malhotra created Shilpa’s designer sari for the engagement which was a pansy pink chiffon. The rest of Shilpa’s clothes are being designed by Tarun Tahiliani, while Raj Kundra has chosen to wear creations by Shantanu & Nikhil. Ishu Datwani of Anmol Jewellers that has designed Shilpa’s bridal jewellery and claims, “she will be covered from head to toe in uncut diamonds.” Not to shabby eh?
The Invitations:
Shilpa roped in designer Ravish Kapoor to make the wedding cards, the logo has Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra’s initials on it (sort of a royal crest with a ribbon on it) the cards cost 500rs a piece. Reception cards have been sent to around 1000 people, while the cards for wedding, mehendi- sangeet to only 150. (Ebay baby!)
The Guest-list:
Invitations have been extended to Amitabh Bachchan family, Shah Rukh Khan + entourage including Farah Khan and Karan Johar, Salman Khan (a dear friend to Shilpa), Rekha. (Oohhh I spot so much potential for awkward moments!) Famous folk not from Bollywood include Jermaine Jackson, Vijay Malya and skipper of IPL team Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne. (Almost all of Mumbai’s glitterati is invited to the reception.)
The Festivities:
The engagement was held at Raj’s posh pad in Juhu and catered by China Garden. The venue for the wedding, mehendi and sangeet is a hill station of Khandala near Mumbai and Kiran Bawa’s bungalow (that’s her partner-in-spa). The sangeet happened last night (choreographed by Ganesh Hegde), Shilpa’s dad couldn’t make it because he’s recovering from Malaria in the hospital. Raj and Shilpa danced to Teri Ore from Singh is Kinng the rest of the family to Aahun Aahun from Love Aaj Kal. The wedding is tonight and the reception is on Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai.
The Drama:
Shamita Shetty is Shilpa Shetty’s baby sister (and former whiney housemate of Bigg Boss 3) she recently received a letter from Shilpa saying, well loosely…
sorry sistah
but I’m getting hitched to my mistah
I wanted to wait
but we had to set the date!
…and Shilpa burst into tears. Now there are several theories on why this happened (most if which I have made up but feel free to recycle and expound) a. Free wedding publicity (and way cheaper than buying the Bombay Times front page) b. Shamita wasn’t doing so well on Bigg Boss and needed a good exit strategy c. Shilpa is pregnant and Tarun Tahiliani doesn’t do baby-bulge bridal wear!
The Media Frenzy:
Shilpa Shetty turned down a deal from UK’s Hello magazine for exclusive coverage of her wedding (including her sangeet and mehendi) to Raj Kundra on November 22. At the Elizabeth Hurley wedding, guests were frisked and their cell phones were taken away by representatives of the magazine, and apparently Shilpa didn’t want her guests to face a similar situation. The actress was offered approximately 75,000 pounds (over 50 lakh rupees) in exchange for exclusive picture rights. Um.. Hello does she look at all like she might be hard up for cash?! (I say someone sneak in a camera and you’ll be able to afford a Richie Rich wedding too.)
The Honeymoon:
The couple will then take off to the Bahamas and it’s bye-bye Bollywood!