One date that everybody faithfully saves on their yearly calendar is Vineet Jain’s annual Bombay Times anniversary bash. It’s always held on a grand scale at an upmarket venue and the crowd is only A-list. So, this year when my friend Achla Sachdev (the famous choreographer and former supermodel) asked me to come along with her (yet again!), it didn’t take me more than a split second to say “Yes!”
The theme for this year’s bash was The Mad Hatter’s Party and everybody was supposed to wear a funky headgear. I got mine especially designed by Farzad Billimoria and the theme was “recycle”. Farzad had painstakingly crafted a headgear out of bubble-wrap, napkins, a plastic spoon and fork and used soda cans. As for Achla, she got her red gown and matching headgear made by designer Swapnil Shinde.
We arrived fashionably late for the party – around 11.30pm – and the venue was already choc-a-bloc with Bollywood stars, starlets and leggy models as far as the eye could see. Here are a few interesting tit-bits…
1) Actor Imran Khan sported a beard (which was golden brown) and made an appearance with wife Avantika. She wore a chic Alexander McQueen dress and teamed it with a lovely yellow clutch.
2) The other Alexander McQueen sighting was on the daintily manicured fingers of Princess Francoise Sturdza of Romania. The Princess is now married to Shantaram author Gregory David Roberts, and she wore a ring of a skull with wings by McQueen. Now that is one piece of jewelry that I would covet as much as any of the Crown Jewels.
3) Even though there were a number of stars with their better halves (Shah Rukh and Gauri, Arjun and Meher Rampal, Akshay and Twinkle Khanna), the cutest sight was actor Sikander Kher with his mother, Kirron. How sweet is he to hang with his mother at the mother of all parties? We like!
4) We bumped into the newest actor in B-Town, Chirag Paswan. Even though the media has not ben too kind to him or to his debut film, the young boy was in good spirits and enthusiastic about a long innings in the industry. “I’m here to stay!” he said, emphatically. We wish him the very best for all his future projects.
5) The hot-bod of the evening was definitely Sushma Reddy. The lovely lass showed off her curves in a circulation-stopping dress and the effect was mind-blowing. What do you think?
6) The couple-outing of the evening was definitely Ashmit Patel and Veena Mallik. With frequent speculation about their relationship being on or off, we say it’s definitely on. The two looked quite lovely together as they hung out with friend Tanuj Garg from Balaji.
7) Meet-&-Greet was a very important thing to do at the Bombay Times party. All the stars made it a point to hug, shake-hands and air-kiss each other. No, last night there were no dramatics and no uncomfortable vibes. Everybody was each other’s best friend and life was beautiful. If only…
Here are a few more snapshots from the party to whet your appetite for all things glamorous. Enjoy…
Photos: Ranjit Rodricks for MissMalini