This Christmas Eve was quieter than most and a lot of the city's jet-setters opted for small private parties. Perhaps at the end of a slow year, people do not want to throw cash away on partying. But among the more notable parties was a huge bash in Marve, thrown by Rajesh Shah, son of diamond merchant Bharat Shah. It was jam packed. Spotted among the crowd was Sharad Kapoor, Viren`Roopam' Shah and Jas Arora with his girlfriend-fiancee, Bonnie (Queenie Singh's sister). According to the film world, Jas is trying to keep the relationship low profile until his film Mein Solah Baras Ki is released.But the Shahs were not the only people who opted for an out-of-town party. The Rahejas also had a do at The Resort, in Madh Island. An obvious choice for them, as they own the place.But the most happening party of the night was at Dhanraj Mahal (near Three Flights Up). Hosted by Agni Vesh, his annual party has become `a-must-be seen-at'. The party was rocking till six in the morning. Among those knocking back their
drinks were Vishal Sippy and Tanya and Bobby Deol. Ever since Bobby married Tanya Ahuja, he has become quite a regular at parties in town. Perhaps now that he is the son-in-law of finance guru, Dev Ahuja, Bollywood parties are not good enough for him. Incidentally, this might be Agni Vesh's last party. Dhanraj Mahal is being acquired by the Government and its residents are busy making the rounds of the High Court trying to save their property.
Flop show
Remember the Judy Collins song, `Send In The Clowns'? That's what you would have hummed if you had the misfortune of attending the party hosted for Vikas Bhalla on Wednesday, at The Headquarters. In case you are wondering who Bhalla is, it suffices to say he is an actor-who-never-was, and who changed tracks to croon a tepid album, Awara. So, now he is a musician who never was. But for the sparse crowd that came, it was like attending a wedding where the bridegroom turns up late for the reception. Sir Vikas Bhalla deemed it necessary to turn up
almost two hours late, leaving his guests with precious little to do than twiddle each other's thumbs. Well, if he considers arriving last-but-not-the-least to be an indelible mark of a supersinger, he is well advised to pay heed to the professional punctuality of genuine superstars like Amitabh Bachchan.
Malaika's moves
At a do, in the Oberoi's Regal Room, the guests of honour were MTV veejays Nafisa Joseph and Malaika Arora. And with this pretty duo as hostesses for the night, you can bet that the very expensive tickets were a complete sell out. But those who thought they could dance the night away with these lovely lasses, were in for a rude surprise -- Malaika had to leave before the clock struck 12. Sounds like Cinderella? Well it was not because she had to go home before midnight. Malaika had to be in church, on time for midnight mass. A model with a religious side?
Wedding bells
Will be ringing for Farah Khan, daughter of actor Sanjay Khan in January, 1999. This weekend, Farah
celebrated both her birthday and her engagement to Aqeel Ali. She first met Aqeel, two years ago, at a party hosted by Ramona and Jaideep Garware. Her own bash, this Saturday, was a star-studded affair with Rakesh Roshan, Karina Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit and Puru Raj Kumar in attendance. Farah herself was glowing and looked dazzling in a long red dress. Farah and Aqeel's partnership will extend to more than a marriage, as the two of them will be working together on a TV show. It will be a celebrity-based talk show and will be on air early next year.
Jag's jig
Farah's bash was not the only Bollywood do on Saturday night, as Jag Mohan Mundra celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary at Gallop's, at the Turf Club. Of course the main attraction was Helen Brodie, the star of his latest film Monsoon which will premiere next month. Incidentally, Helen was looking fabulous with her new darker hair and even trimmer figure. And keeping Helen company, were some of Mumbai's more established glamour dolls such as
Persis Khambatta and Simi Garewal. The main topic of conversation, for the night, was of course his film. What most people wanted to know was how much nudity there really is, considering Mundra's past record.
Four play
The Ghetto anniversary bash -- Mumbai's favourite night club turned four -- was a relatively tame affair. Rather strange, considering the fact that most days this night club is so crowded that it's hard to breathe. An invitation-only affair, the numbers were rather restricted. Spotted at the bash were Sheetal Malhar (who has put on weight but is still looking great), Neerja Shah, Jayesh Gandhi and author Vikram Chandra. Sameera Nanda, ex-veejay, was also there but it was hard to see her. She was surrounded by several men. The boys really seem to love her despite her plump arms, sagging cleavage and tacky dress sense.
And finally...
Jules Fuller is a complete party animal. At any do in town, you can be sure to bump into him. But it seems he has now found a way to mix work
with pleasure. Clubbing, is now part of the job. On Tuesday night he was spotted at a Bandra night club where some new dance music was being launched under the label, Milestone Dance. Maybe this is part of a quid pro quo arrangement -- we expect the music, this company is promoting, will be on Channel [V] next month?
Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
