First Time First Show

As soon as we approached Jesse Randhawa,who arrived with her mother and husband in tow,our glitter detector started buzzing. Shimmering like a truckload of gilt had been poured over her,Randhawa was in a heavily embroidered Priya Chintan sari teamed with chandelier earrings from Popley. “I wanted people to see me in an Indian avatar since the role for which I’m nominated is very traditional,” says the lady.

There was nothing traditional about Gauhar Khan’s dress—a cherry-red sheath with a high,ruffled collar. Many heads turned as she alighted from a BMW with her parents. “The dress was designed by a stylist friend of mine but I dictated each nip and tuck,” smiles Khan. But what hoisted her look from the domain of a lukewarm good to an unparalleled stunning was the debut actress’s haughty,I’m-wilder-than-your-dreams demeanour that made us feel she would fit right in with Bollywood’s Brady bunch.

Although Abhay Deol was MIA,both his inamoratas in Dev.D would have made him go pink with pleasure. Kalki Koechlin was clad in a floating black maxi by Neeta Lulla that encompassed both a certain understatement and a relaxed smartness that could be an apt description of the lady herself. “Usually my hair is poker-straight like Avril Lavigne’s so I wanted to give it a little twirl which took hours. By the time I got back from the salon outside my house,I had to get dressed in 15 minutes as Anurag (Kashyap) was screaming his head off because I was late,” rues Koechlin.

Mahie Gill,who would have made the maker of the little black dress a proud man indeed,arrived with a mini cheerleading squad. “I’ve brought five of my friends with me. Adrian,my make-up man,came home and we all dressed together. It took us more than an hour-and-a-half but dressing up is almost as much fun as the award ceremony itself especially when it’s with all your friends,” says Gill.

Going by his relaxed poise,Santosh might as well have been curled up in his living-room couch with a big bowl of popcorn and a firm grip on the remote control. “That’s because I’m confident I’ll win,” he explains. The elegant Arundhati Nag arrived in a beautiful green Kanjeevaram. “I am nervous as it’s my first award ceremony,” she said. She didn’t leave empty-handed,she took the Best Supporting Actor for Paa,and our hearts with her.

Looking dapper in a Hugo Boss suit (“chosen by my wife as she’s the only one with any taste when it comes to all things sartorial”) was Bollywood’s latest bon vivant,Omi Vaidya,a strong contender for the best-looking geezer of the evening award if it weren’t for his blue trainers (never a good idea with a suit). But we’re guessing the trainers won’t dent his chances of getting an all-access pass to Bollywood’s Hall of Fame,considering that winning combination of a yummy-as-a-cherry-cake personality,charming posh-and-cockney accent and all-hell-has-broken-loose dance moves.