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When the richie-rich Sanjay and Pinky Reddy of the GVK family in Hyderabad hosted their daughter’s wedding last year, it introduced Mumbai’s filmdom to a new level of celebration. At the various functions leading up to the wedding and reception, the Reddys had spread out the festivities in such a grand manner that there was on-stage entertainment going on in one large area, dancing in another hall, sit-down dinner in one tent and a buffet table elsewhere.
Last October, Jaya Bachchan emulated that when she put together Project 70 for Amitabh’s 70th birthday and had three large areas designated for different activities which included a complete theatre for staging Harivanshrai Bachchan’s Madhushala. By offering so much variety under one roof, guests could spend hours going in and out of various rooms and generally have a whale of a time.
On Wednesday night, Poonam Dhillon did an inspired replication of the same when she launched her new company Poetic Justice Film & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, and rang in her birthday too. She chose a relatively new five-star property at Goregaon East (filmwallahs are familiar with it because it’s on the way to Film City) that had enough space to host different activities. At the entrance, she had posted young women who greeted each and every guest with a garland of fluorescent flowers, something you could take home with you. Apart from bars at strategic spots, there was a long reception hall with a dim sum table, a salad and sushi counter, and several bread sticks and finger snacks placed on small glass tops. Flanking this space was an enclosed hall for entertainment, with a stage and theatre seating on one side. On the other was an outdoor area where every conceivable cuisine (Burmese, Brazilian et al) was laid out with cluster seating. There was a wide screen behind the bar here, so those who were seated for dinner could watch what was going on in the entertainment hall inside. The acts on stage were varied, ranging from dance and music to a sand artist (the artist draws in sand in one corner of the stage and you can watch what he’s drawn on a big screen). The artist ended his act by writing a “sandy” message wishing PD a very happy birthday. Poonam also had a fashion show where, draped in a gorgeous golden lace saree, she was the show stopper.
Kailash Kher who belted out one of his full-throated numbers (Teri deewani), told the audience that as a kid he had fallen in love with Poonam after watching Noorie.
So there was plenty to keep every guest amused all evening. At the party, Poonam’s sister Dr Rishma Pai (a renowned gynaec) talked of how her daughter Anvisha had just given them a heart-stopping moment. Anvisha is one of those brilliant kids who study at MIT and two days ago she had told her mother with a lot of excitement that all schools and colleges were closed because they were all going to watch the Boston Marathon.
Yes, Poonam’s niece Anvisha was at the spot where the bombs went off on Tuesday and all phones went down after that, making communication difficult for those anxious for news from Boston. Fortunately, Anvisha was able to get through to one relative with a message that she was safe but petrified.
Back home in Mumbai, a kidnap bid on producer Sajid Nadiadwala’s school-going kids has made all celebrity parents extremely jittery. A request has gone out from the names that matter to all freelance photographers to please refrain from releasing pictures of any of their children. Some parents have always been conscious of the security angle. Years ago when we were discussing kids, I’d asked Akshay Kumar where his son, Aarav, studied. It was no defence secret but he hesitated for a second, asked me to please not write it anywhere, and then told me which school his son went to.
Shah Rukh Khan has a security cordon around him at functions and he has them following his children too. Once, when his son Aryan went to meet a buddy at Crossword, the security men with guns followed him into the book store. One guesses that that bit of caution has been dispensed with in England where Aryan now studies, although the protocol continues when he’s in Mumbai.
Bharathi S. Pradhan is editor, The Film Street Journal