The festive season has just about begun in Bollywood. Adding to the celebration is the long list of releases. The well-heeled and coiffured set of B-town has a series of parties lined up. If last month was about Iftar dos, this week Ganpati Bappa takes centre stage. We bring you a round-up of the most talked-about parties that celebrities would give their right arm to get invited to!
Ganpati Bappa @ Galaxy
After more than a decade of welcoming the elephant god at his Bandra residence, this is the first year that Salman Khan brought him in at his sister Arpita’s home. Reason? His house is under renovation. Salman’s Ganpati celebration is one of the biggest draws in Bollywood. The ‘Khan-daan’, as the family is popularly referred to, gets together to represent a wonderful melting pot of various religions and cultures. Even Salman’s ex-girlfriends are often seen enthusiastically taking part in the celebrations. Sangeeta Bijlani has been spotted here regularly but this year Katrina too was present at the visarjan, after the family reportedly distanced itself from her.
Card party @ Krishna I
Ekta Kapoor does everything in a flamboyant way. That’s actually an understatement. One just has to be at one of her card parties hosted on Deepavali night to actually believe this. It’s a great place to hobnob and network with television and big screen stars. The party lasts all night. The losses and wins are humungous too. If you are not invited here, then you need to seriously brush up on your networking skills!
Holi party @ RK Studio/Prateeksha/Janki Kutir
What Raj Kapoor started years ago, famously dunking his guests in a pool of water at his RK Studio, Amitabh Bachchan’s Holi party took forward. Apparently at RK’s parties there used to be paani-puri and live bands playing hit numbers. The Big B has stopped playing Holi since his mother Teji took ill in 2005. Terrorist attacks on Mumbai and Pune have kept him away for the last few years. This year in fact, Bollywood urged people to celebrate a dry Holi because of the drought. Else, Shabana Azmi’s Holi party at her maternal home in Juhu’s Janki Kutir, part of a 40-year-old tradition started by her father, is also a big draw.
Iftar party @ Mannat
Though this was the first year that Shah Rukh Khan hosted an Eid party, it has made its way into the most popular ones in Bollywood. The who’s who attended because it was King Khan inviting, Chennai Express had made it big at box office and SRK’s third child through surrogacy, AbRam, had been welcomed into the family. Delicacies were handpicked by wife Gauri for the big event, to which even the media was invited.
Rani, Kajol @ Durga Puja
The feisty cousin sisters always get together for the Durga Puja celebrations. Personal rivalries notwithstanding, the actresses are seen dressed in all their finery and even serving food to guests. Not just Bengalis, everyone can come to the party and Bollywood sure makes its presence felt.
