The mood at the wedding reception of Tennis star Sania Mirza and Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik was more symbolic of the general feeling that these two sportspersons would be good will ambassadors of India and Pakistan in the days to come.
The evening function at Taj Krishna was off to a quiet start with the first one to enter the venue being Shoaib Malik's mother Sultana. “I am very happy. We were all eagerly waiting for this evening. Insha Allah, we will have a grand function in Sialkot on April 17.” Pakistan cricketer Tanvir Sohail, perhaps, reflected the mood of the Pakistan cricketers themselves. “I am representing the Pakistan cricketing fraternity here. It feels great to be in India and especially in Hyderabad for this august occasion. The best part is we are taking our ‘bhabhi' [Sania] back home.”
Film stars Nagarjuna and his wife Amala, Jagapathi Babu, Venkatesh, Vishnuvardhan and film producer V.J. Rajendra Prasad were some of the celebrities from the tinsel world who attended the wedding reception. Former Davis Cuppers S.P. Mishra and Vasudeva Reddy, and tennis stars of yesteryears, Jayadeep Mukherjee and Enrico Piperno, former test cricketer Arshad Ayub and chairman of GVK group of industries, GVK Reddy, were among the dignitaries.
The Telugu Desam president and former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu walked into the reception around 8.30 p.m. More than 600 invitees were present in the Ball Room of hotel Taj Krishna.
