RUBINA’S RADAR | WHO’S YOUR MOMMY?

December 5, 2023December 6, 2023Leave a comment

DECEMBER 5, 2023

Daddy’s l’il girl who? It’s Mommy’s big girl season in fashion, with model Lila Moss recreating her mother’s iconic naked dress in London on Monday night and Khushi Kapoor wearing one of her late mother’s gowns for her big night out at The Archies premiere in Mumbai on Tuesday evening. 2024’s going to be all about ‘Who’s your mommy’ and how you play it in fashion.

LONDON: A moment in fashion’s history was created in 1993 when British supermodel Kate Moss arrived at an Elite Model Agency party for the Look of the Year contest at the Hilton Hotel in London, wearing a sheer silver dress by Liza Bruce, sans a bra, with just a pair of black underwear. With that outing, Moss turned owning a naked dress into a wardrobe must-have for every fashion forward around the world. The Liza Bruce dress was a part of Undressed: A Brief History of Underwear, an exhibit at the Victoria and Albert museum in London in 2016. According to Moss, the naked dress happened quite by chance, as the dress was not see-through in her Soho flat before she stepped outside. Interestingly, It also started Moss’ paparazzi trail as it was the first time she had really got papped, self-admittedly, by the photographers.

Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell in London in September 1993.

This memorable look was recreated by the supermodel’s daughter, Lila Moss at The Fashion Awards 2023 for the British Fashion Council held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on December 4th, 2023. Moss wore a sheer silver gown by Albanian designer, Nensi Dojaka, with a black pair of underwear, referencing her mother’s iconic naked dress from 30 years ago. Lila recreated the dress with honourable sentiment, but failed to create a historic fashion moment like her mother. British photographer, Dave Benett photographed both Moss women in their respective naked dresses in London, in 1993 and 2023.

Lila Moss at The Fashion Awards in London in December 2023.

MUMBAI: Khushi Kapoor did not source an outfit nor buy one for her first red carpet moment as a debutant actor at The Archies premiere in Mumbai. She simply shopped at home, from her legendary mother, Sridevi’s wardrobe – a touching and sensitive start to her innings as a fashion forward actor. She chose a champagne-hued gown by designer duo, Ken Kaufman and Isaac Franco of Kaufman Franco, that her late mother had worn 10 years ago to the 14th International Indian Film Academy Awards (IFFA) in Macau in 2013. Kapoor looked resplendent and poised in the gown, and the ice around her neck, also her mother’s, lent her extra sparkle on her big night out. She honoured the memory of her mother admirably, and with grace. Kapoor not only broke the predictable fashion sourcing trend with her choice, but also kept up with the pro climate call to the fashion industry to reuse, repurpose and recycle. With her lithe frame, Kapoor’s already a fashion favourite and an ‘it-girl’ in the making.

©Khushi Kapoor

Sridevi with Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor in Macau in 2013.

The Archies streams on Netflix on December 7, 2023 and has an ensemble cast of film debutants, aside from Kapoor – Suhana Khan, Agastya Nanda, Vedang Raina, Mihir Ahuja, Aditi Saigal and Yuvraj Menda.

Disclaimer: Any part of the content on the r ubinaakhan.com website cannot be reproduced without prior permission and crediting the website and the author. The © ahead of a name is the copyright of the subject in the photograph and not shot by Rubina A Khan.

©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | ANCIENT SCULPTURES AND MODERN HISTORIES OF THE RAILWAY MEN

December 1, 2023December 2, 2023Leave a comment

DECEMBER 1, 2023

Humanity is but an amalgamation of ancient cultures, of the good and the great, but not without the bad and evil either. Modern histories on the other hand, are stories of yesterdays told today, with enchanting whimsy and hope, a great example being The Railway Men – The Untold Story of Bhopal 1984 on Netflix. Celebrating ancient cultures with Mediterranean sculptures is a new exhibit at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya in Mumbai, India called Ancient Sculptures: India Egypt Assyria Greece Rome from December 2nd, 2023 to October 1st, 2024.

MUMBAI: A new exhibition, a first of its kind, Ancient Sculptures: India Egypt Assyria Greece Rome opens on December 2nd, 2023 at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (known as the Prince of Wales Museum of Western from 1905-1998) in Mumbai, India. The Ancient Sculptures exhibit explores why we must look at, and look int our ancient connected world, with curators from CSMVS, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, The British Museum and The Getty Museum coming together to tell the stories of shared cultures. They have chosen sculptures to be exhibited alongside objects from Indian institutions at the exhibit which commences on December 2nd and goes on till October 2024. The objects on display were chosen by the curators at CSMVS in Mumbai that add to the cultural and historical significance of the stories of India’s rich antiquity, making for compelling storytelling from ancient Greece and Rome. The Indian public will be able to view historical artistic achievements of the ancient Mediterranean with India’s very own cultural treasures for the first time at CSMVS.

Sekhmet: Goddess of Destruction; Mottled granodiorite, Thebes (modern Karnak),
Egypt; c. 1390-1352 BCE ©Trustees of The British Museum, London, United Kingdom.

A panel discussion at CSMVS on opening day, on December 2nd at 5:30pm, has been organised with primary support from Getty, called Why Ancient Sculptures Matter(s) – A conversation on the making of Ancient Sculptures: India Egypt Assyria Greece Rome. Joyoti Roy, Project Curator of Ancient Sculptures (Curator Art, CSMVS) and Nilanjana Som, Curator Ancient Sculptures (Curator Art, CSMVS) will be in conversation with Professor Dr Andreas Scholl, Director of Staatliche Museen zu Berlin (Berlin, Germany) and Dr Thorsten Opper, Curator Greek and Roman Sculpture, The British Museum (London, UK) moderated by Renuka Muthuswami, Curator Ancient Sculptures, CSMVS on the day.

The museum was named the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India to honour HRH the Prince of Wales, as had laid the foundation stone of the museum building on November 11, 1905 in Mumbai. The Prince of Wales went on to become George V, King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from May 6th, 1910 until his death in 1936. George Wittet, a Scottish architect, was selected through an open competition to design the museum building in 1909 and the construction of the building was completed in 1914. The magnificent Indo-Saracenic architectural style of the museum building embodies elements from Hindu, Islamic and Western architecture. Interestingly, during World War I in 1914, the building was used as a military hospital and named Lady Hardinge War Hospital, and it was used as a hospital again during the influenza pandemic from 1918-1920. The museum as we know it today, was opened to the public 17 years after its ideation and construction, on January 10, 1922 in Mumbai. Wittet also designed the Gateway of India to commemorate the landing of George V, the first British monarch to visit India, for his coronation as the Emperor of India in December 1911. George V had visited India earlier in 1905 as HRH the Prince of Wales, becoming monarch in 1910.

Ancient Sculptures: India Egypt Assyria Greece Rome is on from December 2nd, 2023 to October 1st, 2024 from 10:15 AM to 6:00 PM at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya: 159-161, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai, Maharashtra 400001.

MUMBAI: The Railway Men – The Untold Story of Bhopal 1984 released on Netflix on November 18th, 2023. The series is a spine-chilling, heart-wrenching portrayal of a catastrophic massacre of human life – the Bhopal gas tragedy in India in 1984 and the Sikh genocide in the same year. A 45 ton methyl isocyanate gas leak on December 2nd, 1984, from the US-owned chemical firm, Union Carbide Corporation’s pesticide plant set up in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in 1969 as Union Carbide India Limited, killed thousands of people instead of the agricultural pests and insects it was supposed to. The chemical leak from the plant occurred due to substandard operating and safety procedures and understaffing at the plant. The four-part limited series, a cinematic tale of heroism and humanity in the face of imminent death and despair honouring the unsung heroes of the tragedy, is the first venture from Yash Raj Films’ Entertainment, the streaming content arm of Yash Raj Films. It also marks the beginning of a multi-year creative partnership between Netflix and Yash Raj Films.

R. Madhavan, Kay Kay Menon, Divyendu and Babil Khan in The Railway Men
©Yash Raj Entertainment ©Netflix

The Railway Men is an acting-led series. The series blazes through with phenomenal performances by every single actor in the series, but not without a flawless script, screenplay and dialogue, meticulously produced by YRF Entertainment and ably directed by Shiv Rawail. I loved Kay Kay Menon’s performance as Iftikhar Siddiqui, Bhopal Junction’s station master. Menon is an absolute acting masterclass in the series. You can read his face, expressive of every little human emotion and nuance, bereft of dialogue. And with dialogue, you can’t take your eyes off Menon’s railway station master act during the series. Dibyendu Bhattacharya’s performance as Kamruddin, a Union Carbide manager, is exemplary, as is Raghubir Yadav’s enactment of a train guard on the Gorakhpur-Bhopal Express. Babil Khan is terrific as the fresh and righteous locomotive driver Imaad Riaz as is Divyendu in his part as a multi-layered dacoit, Balwant Yadav. Juhi Chawla Mehta is a refined and succinct bad-ass in her portrayal of Rajeshwari Janglay, a railway bureaucrat. Sunny Hinduja is earnest and able as journalist Jagmohan Kumawat, as is Sunita Rajwar as Vijaya, a cleaning woman at the railway station. The Railway Men is an incredible series to come about from India, about India, and it is a must-watch!

©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | WESTLIFE IS COMING EAST

November 21, 2023November 21, 2023Leave a comment

NOVEMBER 21, 2023

The most famous Irish boy band in the world is U2 formed by Bono (Paul Hewson), The Edge (David Evans), Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. in 1976 whilst they were all still attending Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin, Ireland. The global music landscape has seen very successful boy bands coming out of Ireland ever since, especially in the 90s, one of them being Boyzone (very imaginatively named) that was formed in 1993, followed by Westlife in 1998. Interestingly, Louis Walsh managed both Boyzone and Westlife. Straight off their shows in South Africa, Taiwan, Macau and Vietnam, Westlife is coming to India to perform live for the very first time in November 2023 with their Wild Dreams Tour 2023 and 2024.

MUMBAI: Irish pop band, Westlife, will be performing live for the first time in India in three cities – at the Mahalaxmi Race Course in Mumbai on November 24th, at the Embassy Riding School in Bangalore on November 25th and at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on November 26th. Westlife was formed in 1998 in Dublin, Ireland, with Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member before leaving the group in 2004. They will be performing their pop chart historical numbers – Uptown Girl, Swear It Again, If I Let You Go, Flying Without Wings, You Raise Me Up, I Have A Dream, When You’re Looking Like That, along with the latest tracks from their twelfth studio album Wild Dreams, that was released on November 26th, 2021 by East West Records.

**Westlife performs as part of the ‘Festival Machaca 2023’ at Parque Fundidora on June 24, 2023 in Monterrey, Mexico.**

Kian, Mark and Shane performed in their school musical Grease together in the early 90s, and after their success on stage, they decided to form a band. Westlife has gone through many name changes since the band’s formation from 6 AS 1, I.O.YOU, Westside to finally Westlife named thus as Kian, Mark and Shane are from Sligo in west Ireland, with only Nicky being a Dubliner. Westlife recently announced their very first headline North American tour in 2024, starting with Canada in March 2024 to USA, Mexico and Brazil.

Disclaimer: Any part of the content on the rubinaakhan.com website cannot be reproduced without prior permission and crediting the website and the author. The © ahead of a name is the copyright of the subject in the photograph and not shot by Rubina A Khan.

©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | A JUMMA AND A CHUMMA IN MUMBAI

November 17, 2023November 18, 2023Leave a comment

NOVEMBER 17, 2023

Attention is a heady elixir in Mumbai, and rather addictive at that. With the world blowing kisses at Virat Kohli for breaking and making new cricket records at the Wankhede Stadium and football’s invincible goliath himself, David Beckham on a walkabout of the very same stadium with none other than the revered lord of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, with Kohli as an assist, it’s been a very celebratory November so far. And with India playing Australia in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 on November 19th in Ahmedabad, the attention on cricket is only going to escalate, particularly if India wins the cup.

MUMBAI: India’s colossus of cricket, Virat Kohli became the first batter in ODI history to score 50 centuries, breaking the record for most hundreds in ODIs during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023. Kohli broke Sachin Tendulkar’s landmark record for most ODI centuries when he hit his 50th ODI hundred in the semifinal game against New Zealand on November 15th at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India. Kohli made his ODI debut in 2008 and has played 279 innings in 291 matches to score 13,794 runs at an average of 58.69 and a strike rate of 93.62 to date. He has scored 50 centuries and 71 half-centuries in the 279 innings to date. After the 2011 World Cup win, Kohli had carried his idol, Sachin Tendulkar on his shoulders on the Wankhede grounds, and after hitting his milestone, he saluted towards the stands in the direction of his wife Anushka Sharma, and then to Tendulkar. “It’s the stuff of dreams, Anushka was sitting right there, Sachin was there in the stands. It’s very difficult for me to explain this, but if I could paint a perfect picture, I would want this to be the picture. My life partner, the person I love the most, she’s sitting there. My hero, he’s sitting there. And I was able to get there in front of all of them and all these fans in Wankhede as well, such a historic venue. It was amazing,” said Kohli of his historic moment and India’s win.

Virat Kohli at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India on November 15th, 2023.

Of course there was another sporting goliath, David Beckham, watching the semi-final game and Kohli’s record innings from the stands. Beckham was on his first visit to India as a UNICEF goodwill ambassador, and caught up with the revered god of cricket and ICC Global Ambassador, Sachin Tendulkar in Mumbai, ahead of India’s semi-final match against New Zealand. People went wild seeing Beckham, Tendulkar and Kohli together, and the three legends of sport were met with thunderous applause and excitement by the fans at Wankhede, especially when Kohli played assist for Beckham’s legendary kick. India plays Australia at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19th and it remains to be seen what records the boys in blue will make and break on the day.

David Beckham with Sachin Tendulkar, Akash Ambani, Kiara Advani, Siddharth Malhotra at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, India

MUMBAI: The first edition of Himalayan Knot, a project exploring the textiles, weaves and crafts of the Himalayan region, namely Ladakh, orchestrated and nurtured by Royal Enfield’s (Eicher Motors Ltd) social mission, was held on November 17th at a Mukesh Mills in Mumbai. The Timeless Spirit of The Himalayas, a conversation between designer Prabal Gurung and sustainable activist and journalist, Bandana Tewari, both of Nepalese descent and heritage, spoke of their combined familiarity with the Himalayan region, and the pressing need for its rightful cultural identity on the global landscape. After all, conversations like these that stem from personal experiences, are the first drivers that action change, be it cultural, ethnic, political or climactic. The Himalayan region traverses India, Nepal, China, Pakistan and Bhutan, and is often othered and smothered by talks of the highest mountain peak in the world, Mount Everest, and not its indigenous people, their culture, their histories and the adverse effects of global warming on all aspects of their life. Tewari also moderated a panel on Empowering Communities Through Craft and Culture and Shaping Contemporary Fashion With Heritage Textiles during the course of the evening. Talking about the plurality in the singularity of our roots and our heritage is the only way forward in a world consumed with selective recognition. The Himalayan kitchen experience was crafted by culinary virtuoso, Chef Prateek Sadhu’s new restaurant NAAR (fire in Kashmiri) in Solan, and led by Chef Kamlesh Negi and a 10-member team, alongside Ladakhi home chefs in Mumbai. The Baqarkhaani, Yak Cheese Askaloo and Gucchi Pulao were incredibly flavourful and delicious. The affable Chef Negi lives in Dehradun, but he belongs to the Paudi Garhwal region of Uttarakhand, and his culinary talent for regional dishes is beyond compare. I am yet to eat something made by him that’s not wildly amazing and memorable.

©Prabal Gurung at Mukesh Mills, Mumbai, India | Photographed by Rubina A Khan

Strategically positioned on the banks of the Arabian Sea, Mukesh Mills, a favoured spot for film shootings, came alive for the night from its dilapidated, withered, barren and abandoned state of existence. Prior to this Jumma night, I had only ever seen Mukesh Mills playing shape-shifting characters in Amitabh Bachchan’s films, namely the Jumma Chumma track from Hum (1991), Khuda Gawah (1992), Agneepath (1990), all directed by the late Mukul Anand. I reckon Bachchan’s Tiger in Hum led to the spawning of many tigers in the film industry since, but Bachchan’s Tiger is an indomitably original and beloved character. I was deliciously excited to be at Mukesh Mills, a place I had wanted to visit for a long time, imagining Bachchan’s 90s era and the films he shot at the abandoned and obsolete mill. I shall go back to Mukesh Mills soon to see the jetty and the docks in all their geographical and historical glory under the warmth of the winter sun.

Mukesh Mills in Colaba, Mumbai, India

An excerpt from ©Amitabh Bachchan’s blog, marked Day 75 reads thus:
“My dear friend and producer of the film, Romesh Sharma and I had been battling for a number for a sequence for a while. On a private visit to Brussels, Belgium I walked past a music store and heard the notes of a song which remained with me. A few months later driving up to Abhishek’s school in Switzerland I heard some attractive notes of another song on the radio and it all came together. ‘Mukhra’ Belgium, ‘antara’ Switzerland and we had the song. Soon after it was recorded, there was Holi at Prateeksha and in the madness of the revelry of the festival, we played the song out to the hundreds of guests at an open house. Billu, as I fondly call Romesh, and I knew we had a winner. We sat on the design, we sat on the location, we sat on the choreography and picked Mukesh Mills. Set up a section of the dilapidated factory into a workers entertainment centre and shot the song. I have never witnessed such enthusiasm and energy in all, during the shooting of this catchy number. We had our moments though. A few months before that shooting I had been on a concert tour – Jumma Chumma in London. Wembley Stadium. 65,000 people. A first for any Indian concert. There was just Sridevi and myself and Kalyanji Anandji with Viju and his orchestra. But I wanted more artists. Two young first timers had suddenly erupted on the film firmament and had perhaps just one film to their credit. Aamir Khan and Salman Khan. It was their first stage show ever. I invited them to join us. Along with Anupam and Neelam we had the concert of our time. A film was made of it and it is available on dvd and video. The popularity of the song and the concert visual was now known to all. We had performed it on stage with exquisite Broadway dancers from New York. They had looked stunning. Would the impression of the song in the minds of the audience get disturbed with what they were now about to see on screen? It was a challenge. One that dance director Chinni Prakash came out in flying colors with. The lovely Kimi Katkar, so gorgeous in her red dress and the only lady on set in the song, incredible. In every shot, the crew, the light men, the spot boys the producer, director, the crowds, all screaming and shouting, egging us on to give our best. What an atmosphere.”

Disclaimer: Any part of the content on the rubinaakhan.com website cannot be reproduced without prior permission and crediting the website and the author. The © ahead of a name is the copyright of the subject in the photograph and not shot by Rubina A Khan.

©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | JIO WORLD PLAZA OPENS IN MUMBAI

November 3, 2023November 23, 2023Leave a comment

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

Ahead of its opening on November 1st, 2023, Isha Ambani, Executive Director, Reliance Retail Ventures Limited, alongside her parents, Mukesh and Nita Ambani, hosted an extravagantly appointed preview of the Jio World Plaza at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai on October 31st. The Jio World Plaza’s nothing like India has ever seen, and it stands to change the landscape of luxury in India in a manner most indulgent, aspirational and consumeristic. Cartier, Dior, Rolex, Giorgio Armani, Saint Laurent, Gucci, Balenciaga, Valentino, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Muji and Samsung are just some of the 66 luxury brands housed in the glimmering plaza, vying for your attention and your bucks, but of course. Tiffany & Co, Rimowa, Saint Laurent, Valentino, Versace, Bulgari and Pottery Barn marked their presence at the plaza, and in India, with their very first stores in the country. For culinary indulgences, coffee and sweet conversations, there’s the Parisian Laduree and the Italian Armani Cafe. Looking at the expanse of the space spread over four levels and the signages of brands, you can’t not think, jio luxury jio! Prior to the opening of JWP, luxury brands were compelled to open stores in hotels due to a dearth of quality retail space in the country. But thankfully, the plaza has called in the death of the archaic, hotel-housed luxury store model in India. The raison d’etre for the Jio World Plaza was best expressed by Nita Ambani, at the opening affair, “We want to bring the world to India and take India to the world.”

Jio World Plaza, Mumbai | Photographed by Rubina A Khan

The Cartier store, inaugurated by brand ambassador, Deepika Padukone, has the headlining space of 2500 square feet right at the entrance of the plaza. The rents at JWP are commensurate to the luxuries on offer, and the square footage of space, but naturally. Christian Dior’s Indian arm, Christian Dior Trading India has leased a space of 3317 square feet in the plaza from Reliance Industries for upwards of INR 21 Lakh a month, the rental of which is based on the minimum monthly guaranteed sum or net revenue share, contributions ranging from 4% to 12%, whichever is higher, as reported by Reuters. India’s 1.4 billion population is the largest in the world and real estate consultants, Knight Frank, estimate India will have 1.4 million millionaires by 2026, 77% more than in 2021, as the economy continues to grow. India’s per capita income as of 2023 is INR 1,92,000 ($2,300) and the country has more than 800,000 millionaires. These millionaires, who make up only 0.06% of India’s total population of 1.4 billion, are ready to flash and splash their cash on all things expensive, but not necessarily luxurious. After all, an expensive price tag is a hashtag to immediate Instagram fame and validation for some, and a discreet buy for connoisseurs of luxury.

Shloka and Akash Ambani, Mukesh Ambani and Radhika Merchant, ©Ranveer Singh, ©Isha Ambani and ©Nita Ambani | Photographed by Rubina A Khan

This is the third Reliance extravaganza of 2023 celebrating the international worlds of art, fashion, sports and culture in India. The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) multi-day opening gala on April 1st, the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in attendance at the Jio World Centre on October 14th and the Jio World Plaza opening on October 31st has had Indians entranced with the sheer scale of the build, both physical and fiscal, and the glamour power attached to them. The entire Jio complex, including the Jio World Garden, Jio World Drive and the Jio World Convention Centre, took about 13 years to build.

©Karisma Kapoor Jio World Plaza, Manish Malhotra and Rubina A Khan, Nora Fatehi, ©Alia Bhatt and Janhvi Kapoor | Photographed by Rubina A Khan

The JWP opening saw a theatrical fashion show, The New Order of Style, choreographed by Aparna and Anisha Bahl, showcasing eight designers, with 21 showstoppers, 40 performers and 120 models on the second level of the plaza, with an opening address by Isha Ambani, the hostess of the night. Manish Malhotra’s Bombay Bordeaux collection was fire and desire in bold colours and styles, with Karisma Kapoor working a red haute sari suit on her lithe frame, and Janhvi Kapoor, Nora Fatehi and Karan Johar walking the show for him. Abraham & Thakore’s collection was an artistic smorgasbord of delicious monochromatic blacks and whites. The original model mould and butt bold, John Abraham, walked for Satya Paul by Rajesh Pratap Singh. Miss Supranational Asia 2022, Ritika Khatnani walked for Ritu Kumar’s beautiful collection, as did Sara Ali Khan for Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, and many more beautiful ladies and gents walking for the designers. But can there be a fashion spectacle in Bombay without Ranveer Singh? Evidently not, and his runway appearance elicited roaring cheers from the guests as he walked in a bejewelled black dhoti and blazer at the end of the showing. Singh then went on to turn compere for the evening, bringing in Nita Ambani’s 60th birthday (November 1st) with effusive praise for her beauty, elegance and visionary work. She wore a gold Kanjivaram saree to the opening, made by master artisan, Somadas. Known as a Kanchi Pattu and woven in the korvai style in pure silk zari, from her yet-to-launch Swadesh initiative by the Reliance Foundation, the sari was an ode to India’s master craftsmen. Seated by Kokilaben Ambani, Mukesh and Nita Ambani, Akash and Shloka Ambani, Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal, Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, were Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Pinky and Sanjay Reddy, and many more guests. Everyone looked fabulous and happy with the fashion theatre, culinary delights, late night shopping, open bars and the high ceilings.

Laila Lamba, Malaika Arora, Poonam Bhagat and Shalini Hinduja | Photographed by Rubina A Khan

FIVE THINGS I LOVED AT THE JIO WORLD PLAZA OPENING:

The red carpet photo ops are held inside air-conditioned confines, with no one breaking into a sweat literally, with melting makeup, guests and photographers alike.
Isha Ambani in Dior (she changed a few times through the evening – she does own the plaza after all!) Alia Bhatt in Gaurav Gupta and Malaika Arora in Alaia were the black beauties of the night.
The basil and cinnamon ice cream and the Laduree macarons.
Ranveer Singh’s sincere compering skills in a colloquial style that held the attention of the attendees.
The plaza itself and that the evening was orchestrated flawlessly and impeccably with the most genteel and polite staff. I mean, even the security dogs barked politely!

Let the Reliance Return on Investments (RROI’s) begin as Reliance is here to play as you pay!

Disclaimer: Any part of the content on the rubinaakhan.com website cannot be reproduced without prior permission and crediting the website and the author. The © ahead of a name is the copyright of the subject in the photograph and not shot by Rubina A Khan.

©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | OF BEAUTIES AND BRANDS

October 13, 2023October 13, 20231 Comment

OCTOBER 13, 2023

India is in the throes of a beauty and fashion brand avalanche in the country, with Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez launching during the summer in June 2023, followed by many more that have launched, and are planning to launch since. But the bigger question here is: When will Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics and Kim Kardashian’s SKKN – all three being coveted celebrity owned and fabulous beauty brands – come to India? Beauty is a business to make money in, especially in India!

MUMBAI / JAPAN: Actor Tamannaah Bhatia’s skin is always in, making her the first Indian brand ambassador for the Japanese cosmetics brand, Shiseido. This ambassadorship in India is a collaboration with Shiseido’s Indian distributor, Baccarose Perfumes & Beauty Products Pvt. Ltd. founded by the late Hemansu Kotecha in 1984, in a landscape nascent of luxury beauty in India. “I am absolutely thrilled to be associated with Shiseido, a brand that has consistently set the standard for excellence in beauty for over a century,” says Bhatia. She makes an excellent poster girl for Shiseido in Asia with her flawless skin and personable countenance. Shiseido was founded in 1872 by Arinobu Fukuhara as Japan’s first Western-style pharmacy in Ginza, Tokyo. Fukuhara, the son of an Eastern herbal medicine doctor, was a trained pharmacist, educated in Western medicine, who rose up the ranks to Chief Pharmacist in the Japanese Navy. The name Shiseido comes from Chinese Yi Jing, the Book of Changes from the Four Books and Five Classics of Confucianism meaning, ‘Praise the virtues of the Earth, which nurtures new life and brings forth significant values.’ Translated into English, Do means ‘house of’, and Shi Sei means ‘where everything is born’. The first non-pharmaceutical product Fukuhara created was a cake of toothpaste in 1888 that sold successfully at eight times the price of regular toothpaste. And 151 years on, Shiseido is not just a global leader in the beauty business with its skincare, makeup and fragrance lines today, it is a lasting legacy of the Japanese visionary. Shiseido’s presence in India so far has only been online via Shopper’s Stop, Parcos, Sephora and Nykaa. But the brand is set to open its first brick and mortar store in India on October 18th, 2023 at the Inorbit Mall in Malad, Mumbai, with their skincare trio regime being unveiled by Tamannaah Bhatia.

Tamannaah Bhatia ©Shiseido India

MUMBAI: A fresh-faced beauty from Juhu, Paloma, made her debut as an actor and not a star, in a film called Dono last Friday. And I say this because Paloma can act, and not everyone from the Juhu zip code in Mumbai can! She did not break character for a nano-second with her succinct and able performance in her portrayal of a regular working girl dealing with a red flag of an ex boyfriend in the film. Her zephyr-like body language and her perfectly made-up face (big ups to her makeup artist) express the emotions of her character in a manner most beguiling. Her dialogue delivery is well-timed and she speaks Hindi clearly, without any affected accents and pretentious colloquialisms like some of her ilk. I see Paloma making big strides in acting roles in films and headlining fashion and beauty campaigns in India with her arresting eyes and lithe body. Though what I’d really like to see her in is in a gripping Netflix series because that will make her shine internationally. Daughter of the beauteous actor, Poonam Dhillon and film producer Ashok Thakeria, Paloma has done the work that goes into the making of an actor, and if she keeps honing her innate acting skills, stardom will be hers.

©Paloma

MUMBAI: NARS Cosmetics launched in India on October 10, 2023 with its bestselling Cruella Velvet Matte lips, Tinted Moisturizers, Light Reflecting Collections and so much more just an “Add to cart” away for Indians. “Don’t be so serious, it’s only makeup” said François Nars, the founder and creative director of NARS Cosmetics. But who should know better than Nars, a makeup artist and photographer, that beauty is a serious billion dollar business that’s been making him coin since he founded NARS Cosmetics in 1994. NARS Cosmetics started with twelve lipsticks created by Nars, that were sold at Barneys New York and has gone on to create multi-use beauty and skin products since. Born in Tarbes in the South of France, Nars assisted some of the top makeup artists in Paris, and graduated from the Carita Makeup school in Paris subsequently. He worked with fashion’s very best – the legendary photographer Steven Meisel and hairstylist Oribe Canales when he moved to New York in 1984.

©Nars

NARS Cosmetics is a subsidiary of Shiseido since 2000 after it was sold to the Japanese company, but Nars remains the artistic director, copywriter and in-house photographer for the brand he created.

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©Rubina A Khan 2023

Chivas Glassware Alchemy 2023 In Mumbai

May 9, 2023June 25, 2023Leave a comment

Mumbai is where the fame and glamour games are at, but since March 2023, an almost impossible party métier seems to have been set in basalt by the city, upon itself. The bar was raised irrevocably by the magnitude and magnificence of French fashion house, Christian Dior’s pre fall 2023 runway show held at the Gateway of India on March 30, so much so that no one remembers or wants to remember ABCD – A Before Christian Dior era! Mumbai shows no signs of tailing off the money shots any time soon, with Chivas Glassware Alchemy 2023 shaking up the city’s May calendar with its beguiling arrival.

*MUMBAI, INDIA – MAY 06: A general view of the music stage at the Chivas Glassware Alchemy 2023 Event on May 06, 2023 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Rubina A. Khan/Getty Images)*

The fourth edition of Chivas Glassware Alchemy 2023, called the Kaleidoscope of Time, was held on Saturday, May 6th in Mumbai at Snowball Studios in Worli. Time as a construct cannot be contained, but it can certainly be felt, such was the ubiquitous theme of the haute summer night. Oscillating between the then and now, the alluring blue-hued night reiterated the universal infinitude that today’s new is tomorrow’s vintage through fashion, art, music and food in a manner most luxurious.

Five virtuosos played host in previous years at Chivas Alchemy, expressing themselves through the five senses of Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, and Touch, but this edition had eighteen this time around, dix huit being the magic number of the award-winning Chivas 18 whisky blend.

The night was separated by rooms, each echoing the spirit of the artistry exhibited in it. Eleven design minds, ranging from established Indian designers to emerging ones, showcased their fashion genres through live installations in the main room, ably complemented by the art on the walls, a very busy bar and of course beautiful people like Malaika Arora, Arjun Kapoor, Rahul Khanna, Pulkith Modi, Kunal Kapoor, Narendra Kumar, Rajesh Pratap Singh and so many more at the party. There were almost a thousand people in attendance! The second area had an art installation with a bar right by it and a mezzanine bar above. The third room was where the party was really at with an edible centrepiece and culinary experiences par excellence by Ekaa Mumbai, Koko and Eat Drink Design. Chef Niyati Rao of Ekaa Mumbai is a culinary genius! The live musical act by Delhi businessman Ajay Bijli, and his band, Random Order, had everyone singing and dancing to his dulcet sounds – he’s got some pipes – and DJ Masha from Belarus turned up contemporary beats on her turntable, with yet another open bar led by mixologist, Giovanni Depergola from Dubai. Four open bars raising the party bar in Mumbai!

The interpretation of the night was yours, and yours alone, whether you loved the vintage, heritage vibe or the modern, hedonistic one. Everything in Mumbai is now evaluated in an AD (After Dior) parameter and that’s a tall order in itself, and I think that Chivas Glassware Alchemy 2023 was a wicked success making it one of the top three events in the city so far – it was mounted and orchestrated on a lush scale, with an attendance as bold and seductive as its whisky blends!

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Christian Dior’s Pre Fall 2023 Fashion Show At The Gateway Of India In Mumbai

April 1, 2023June 25, 20235 Comments

The Dior Pre-Fall 2023 show held at the historic Gateway of India in Mumbai, on March 30th, 2023, was an ode to the exquisite hand artistries and the rich textiles and colours of India by Dior’s Creative Director, Maria Grazia Chiuri. Dior’s affinity with India and its craftsmen dates back to its founder Monsieur Dior, to Marc Bohan to Chiuri now. Overlooking the Arabian Sea, dotted with ferry boats, the 26 metre high and 15 metre wide basalt Gateway of India constructed in the Indo-Islamic architectural style, turned its 99-year-old vintage self into the Diorway to fashion in a manner most extraordinaire on Thursday night. The Gateway of India was built to commemorate the arrival of the Emperor India, George V and Mary of Teck, Empress consort, at Apollo Bunder, Bombay on December 2nd, 1911, the first visit of a British monarch to India. The protected monument has been the very essence of the island city, ever since it was inaugurated almost a century ago on December 4th, 1924. Dior’s pre-fall 2023 showing had 99 styles on 23 models from India, 33 Indian models with international backgrounds and 43 international models. Interestingly, 99 was the glorious number of the night.

The show’s scale, grandeur and execution in India were unparalleled, and in step with Dior’s new landmark energy, taking over the facade of Harrods in London in November 2022 to the men’s pre-fall show at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt in December 2022. With the Gateway show, Dior set a new criterion for luxury brands that have a presence in India, and those that are interested in coming to India.

The Dior show in Mumbai had everyone talking around the world, even before the house announced the same on March 14th. And once it was confirmed, the word Dior was heard every day and everywhere, such was the excitement in the city, and country. It was akin to Bombay being dressed up as a bride for its French groom to arrive on March 30th for the wedding of the year! The Dior teams were in residence in the city a week prior, at the Taj Palace Mumbai, which is a mere 280 metres from the venue. Imagine being in walking distance of a fashion show of this magnitude, and the afterparty too – that’s the palace of Mumbai – the Taj Palace for you. The show had Rekha, Christian Louboutin, Virat Kohli, Anushka Sharma, Cara Delevingne, Karlie Kloss, Pierre Casigrahi, Beatrice Borromeo, Simone Ashley, Jeff Koons, Apo Nattawin Wattanagitiphat, Mile Phakphum Romsaithong, and accomplished people from around the world, in attendance. The show also marked the presence of Delphine Arnault, who made her first appearance since being appointed Dior’s Chairwoman and CEO in February, 2023.

Founded by Christian Dior in December 1946, the eponymous French luxury fashion house headquartered at 30, Avenue Montaigne in Paris, France, was acquired by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton in April 2017 in a $13.1 billion deal by Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH, the world’s largest luxury goods company today.

Here are some photos of the Dior Pre Fall 2023 runway, arrivals and the venue, shot by me:

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Mumbai’s Money Is Moving In Realty, Despite The Calamitous Second Wave In India

July 20, 2021July 21, 2021Leave a comment

Mumbai’s got money and it’s moving in realty, despite the Maharashtra government not extending the stamp duty waiver on property registrations in March earlier this year. INR 420 CR was collected in stamp duties in June 2021 as 7,850 properties were registered in the month compared to 5,640 units registered in June 2019, indicating a growth of 39 percent. However, in May 2021, INR 268 CR was collected in stamp duties due to the calamitous second wave across India – which was roughly half of the INR 534 CR collected in May 2019. Evidently, people have been buying property in Mumbai, albeit in an undefined, heterogeneous pattern.

In fact, prices have increased too, if you can call a slash in prices from a sharp 30% in 2020 to a 20% in 2021. Actor Ajay Devgan bought a bungalow in June spread over 5000 square feet in Juhu, Mumbai for INR 47.5 crore (which would have sold for over INR 60 CR easy, pre-Covid) and he paid a stamp duty of INR 2.37 crore on the purchase. A South Mumbai apartment that was priced at 15 CR went on to sell at 9 CR in the first phase of the pandemic in 2020 with the stamp duty waiver, but commands a selling price of 11 CR now. The reason for the upswing in the most expensive, not to mention glamorous city in India, is that builders and developers have smaller inventories now and they are trying to make some cash whilst the demand is still on the rise, given the pandemic has made forecasts and predictability highly unreliable and inaccurate during these times. Who would’ve thought there’d be 7,850 property buys in a strained and stretched economy, right? Even though it is not a seller’s market, the seller is making some kind of profit.

But property sells in North Mumbai are taking place in a very contrasting pattern to the realty index in South Mumbai. No, it has nothing to do with Bollywood’s residential dominance in the ‘burbs. In Bandra West, a two-bedroom apartment, measuring a 1000 square feet, that lists for INR 4.5 CR, sells at INR 4CR. Clearly the 20% drop in listing prices in South Mumbai are not at play in North Mumbai as there is a paucity of developments in the suburbs and the supply does not match the extensive demand, yet. So, the seller is more rigid with the pricing and gets whatever he/she asks for without having to conform to the South Mumbai pricing index.

Recently, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had set off a dampener with its proposal to increase property tax by at least 14 percent based on ready reckoner rates as on April 1, 2021. Property tax rates are calculated based on the ready reckoner rates of 2015 in Mumbai and the BMC wanted to revise the rates following the current ready reckoner rate. But on June 18th, the Maharashtra government announced that there would be no change in property tax till the pandemic continued, as it did not seem fair to burden people with an increase in the tax. The announcement didn’t just come as a huge relief to home-owners and stakeholders, but assuaged buyer sentiments, leading to a spike in buys in June. It remains to be seen what the next 6 months of 2021 will bring to the realty table, and at what cost, and more importantly, will a structured buying and selling pattern emerge from it all?

This feature first appeared in Gulf News on July 20th, 2021

RUBINA’S RADAR – THE UNEDITED LIVE INTERVIEW SERIES

March 30, 2021October 3, 20234 Comments

Hi everyone! On January 20th, 2021, I started a new series of live conversations called RUBINA’S RADAR – UNEDITED – on Instagram and Youtube with couturier Rohit Bal, a legend on India’s fashion landscape. It’s been two months since, and twelve interviews thus far, with some of the most legendary international icons and visionaries from the worlds of fashion, film, sports, luxury travel, business and then some…

There’s more coming up, so tune in every week by following me on Instagram: @rubinaakhan.inc and subscribing to my YouTube channel: World Of Rubina Khan

Thank you! Stay safe!

Love, Rubina