Tag: Fashion

RUBINA’S RADAR | WHO’S YOUR MOMMY?

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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 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 | WESTLIFE IS COMING EAST

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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

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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 | TO BE AS FLY AS SLY!

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NOVEMBER 14, 2023

The world premiere of Sylvester Stallone’s documentary, Sly, was held at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 16th, 2023 and released worldwide on November 3rd on Netflix. The film hits your heart and your mind with cerebral, introspective and gritty chapters of Stallone’s life, narrated by him, Arnold Schwarzenegger, directors Quentin Tarantino and John Herzfeld, his brother Frank Stallone Jr, Henry Winkler the cool icon Fonzie of the 70s and Talia Shire Coppola. The unvarnished documentary is a 96-minute account of his life (should have been multi-part limited series in my opinion) without Sly or Sly getting hagiographical. Born to Francesco (Frank) Stallone, a hairdresser and his wife Jacqueline (Jackie), a promoter for women’s professional wrestling, in Hell’s Kitchen, a rough neighborhood in New York, Stallone’s quest to fill the void of unrequited love from his parents drove him to seeking it from strangers through his films. And, very successfully too, by creating a Stallone world of what could be through his pen versus what wasn’t, and could possibly never be. Sly is a wildly inspiring streets to superstar story of Stallone and I loved it. In his words, he made his own fate in the face of adversity and rejection all around. Oh, to be as fly as Sly!

Sylvester Stallone, the original action man of Hollywood and a worldwide phenomenon, and one of only two actors in history, alongside Harrison Ford, to have starred in a box-office number one film across six consecutive decades is remarkably real in Sly. Stallone narrates his own story, in his words, controlling what he wants to share with the public about himself. Writer, director and star of three massive film franchises, Rocky (six films), Rambo (five films) and The Expendables (four films), Stallone made himself an actor by writing and directing his own movies since the 70s. Interestingly, when he moved to Los Angeles for work, he lived in a place in the San Fernando Valley, one street away from Balboa Boulevard. The name of the boulevard inspired the last name of his iconic screen character, Rocky Balboa, in his 1976 breakout hit film, Rocky. He wrote the screenplay of the film in three days, and starred in the film as the protagonist like only he could, leading the film to become an extremely successful and lucrative franchise over the years. Sly is an intimate conversation between Stallone and the viewer, with him revealing the varied layers of his persona without any stirring drama.

Sylvester Stallone leans against a doorway in a hat and a leather jacket in a still from the film, ‘Rocky’ directed by John G. Avildsen, 1976. (Photo by United Artists/Courtesy of Getty Images)

SYLVESTER STALLONE’S INSPIRED THOUGHTS IN SLY:

  • Do I have regrets? Hell yeah I have regrets but that also is what motivates me to overcome the regrets. I do that through painting or writing because I can’t fix it physically. It’s gone, that fucking thing called time.

  • I am just not going to break.

  • There was no possibility in our (John Herzfeld and Stallone) minds for failure. Never entered the conversation. We had to make our own fate.

  • The rejection is my encouragement. Are you going to accept their evaluation of you or are you going to evaluate yourself?

  • What is healthier — to live under the illusion and still have a glimmer of hope that you could’ve been great or actually have an opportunity to be great and blow it and then realise you’re a failure?

  • Once you get to your dream you realize that’s not your dream. My dream’s not turned out the way I thought. It also comes with a storm front that you’re constantly battling because you’re disappointed.

  • Once you make it to the top of the mountain, it was all blue skies. It’s not. The air’s thinner, it’s precarious, there’s not many people up there, it’s pretty lonely.

  • I’m a grinder. I just grind and grind and try to outwork myself and my insecurities — I become indifferent to the threat of failure because I know, no matter what, even if it is not a bonafide success, it is good to continue to push yourself.

  • 90% of the journey is tumultuous and ugly but you have to go through it. You may not get there but you’re gonna be better off than doing nothing.

  • When we’re born, we’re soft clay and a heavy handed sculptor starts to put dents in it and that’s in our mold. That’s what we are and we cannot correct those distortions and that’s what develops personality. Not a lot of people can overcome it — it takes work.

  • Life is undefeated, you can’t beat it. You just have to go on the defense is a conversation he had with his son, Sage about what the future was all about, that inspired the line in the Rocky Balboa 2006 film, “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows, it’s a very mean and nasty place. I don’t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.

  • Life is addition up until age 40 and after that, it is subtraction.

  • The core of human need is requited love.

  • I was blessed with this ability to deflect this bitterness into what I wish had happened. I wish I had a father like Rocky.

  • The children I created, Rocky and Rambo are now taking care of me. The beauty of being able to play those two is literally the entire spectrum of life — the disenfranchised, friendless and lonely Rambo and Rocky, the one that embraces everything, loves humanity and is loved by humanity, and I relate so well to both of them.

  • That’s real what lives, breathes, dies and bleeds — you better take care of that.

Sylvester Stallone sits on a staircase, holding the leash of a dog in a still from the film, ‘Rocky,’ directed by John G. Avildsen, 1976. (Photo by United Artists/Getty Images), a CBS news poster of the film, Sylvester Stallone in London to promote Rocky, on Tuesday 25th January 1977. (Photo by Allan Olley/Mirrorpix/Getty Images) and Sylvester Stallone on the set of the film ‘Rocky IV’ (directed by Stallone), Los Angeles, California, 1984. (Photo by Steve Schapiro)

Stallone and his third wife, Jennifer Flavin, whom he married in 1997, have three daughters, Scarlet Rose, Sistine and Sophia Rose Stallone together. He also has two sons, Seargeoh and the late Sage Stallone from his first wife, Sasha Czack. After selling their Martyn Lawrence Bullard-designed mansion in Hidden Hills, California, Stallone and his wife moved to Palm Beach, Florida two years ago.

Sylvester Stallone attends Netflix’s “Sly” world premiere during the Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 16, 2023 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Ryan Emberley/Getty Images for Netflix)

Stallone rues selling the rights of Rocky to the day to producers Irwin Winkler (no relation to actor Henry Winkler) and the late Robert Chartoff, his anger stemming from being deprived of an equity stake in the franchise for his work — a longterm asset that could have been passed on to his children after his death. Stallone may not have the franchise rights to the films, but he is, and will always be, Rocky Balboa, a character he envisaged, wrote and gave immortal life to on screen. Obsolescence cannot touch Sylvester Stallone and his cinematic legacy. Never.

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 | KOREAN KING OF POP – JUNGKOOK

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NOVEMBER 10, 2023

In the artistic landscapes of music, fashion and seemingly never-ending Netflix dramas, South Korea is an indomitable power, as is the extremely gifted singer and performing artist, Jungkook. He has reintroduced himself in 2023 as an independent, multi-genre artist, dropping three singles and a debut solo album, Golden, this year. Jungkook has been promoting and performing his third single of 2023, Standing Next To You, to screaming fans and entranced audiences in New York. The single made its television debut on The Tonight Show on November 6th, NBC’s Today at the Rockefeller Plaza on November 8th and TSX in Times Square on November 9th.

Jungkook’s third single, Standing Next To You from his debut solo album, Golden, released on November 3rd, 2023, with over 29 million views as of today, making it a winning track. I am sure it will hit a billion views very swiftly, given his stellar track record. Born Jeon Jungkook in Busan, South Korea, and mononymously known as Jungkook, the back-up dancer-turned-headliner is on his way to becoming a global pop superstar.

Jung Kook performing at the Rockefeller Plaza in New York on November 8, 2023 (Photo by Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)

A member and vocalist of one of South Korea’s most successful and popular boy bands, BTS, since June 2013, with the single 2 Cool 4 Skool, Jungkook has sung three solo songs, all chartbusters, as part of BTS’ discography — Begin (2016), Euphoria (2018) and My Time (2020). With Golden, Jungkook has reintroduced himself as an independent artist, given the name and fame he enjoys as a BTS band member. Jungkook became the first South Korean artist to release an official song for the FIFA World Cup soundtrack with Dreamers, which he subsequently performed at the 2022 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony in Doha, Qatar. His indie tracks seem to be outnumbering almost every K-pop artist’s in the world, with his debut solo single Seven (July 14) featuring American rapper Latto, becoming the fastest song in history to reach 1 billion streams on Spotify and went platinum. His second single this year, 3D (September 29) featuring Jack Harlow and his debut solo album, Golden, and his third single, Standing Next To You is steadily climbing the charts, competing with his own track record.

Jungkook’s Standing Next To You video

Jungkook’s dulcet sounds and vocal riffs on the track, with Michael Jackson falsettos and the smooth dance moves, make it a fantastic pop track. He even wore a very Jackson-esque, military style jacket for his appearance on The Tonight Show. Standing Next To You is clearly inspired by Michael Jackson, but it is all about Jungkook’s single sound energy, given he is the only vocalist on the track, without another artist like his earlier singles this year. The music video plays to his agile strengths as a terrific dancer, with every single vocal intonation of the determined love lyrics in sync with his dextrous moves. He traces a femme fatale love interest with untamed desire, through a tungsten hued tunnel and an abandoned theatre in a dusty industrial lot. The video was directed by Tetyana Robertivna Muinyo and filmed in Budapest, Hungary. Of Cuban and Ukranian descent, she is popularly known as Tanu Muino in the business. Muino directed the music video for Harry Styles’ As It Was in 2022 which was Billboard’s number one song of the year worldwide.

Jungkook performs Standing Next To You on The Tonight Show in New York on November 6, 2023 (Photo by Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images)

Jungkook named the album Golden as his mother had a golden dream when she was pregnant with him and when he looks back at his decade old journey that changed the music landscape worldwide, he considers it all a “golden moment” in time. Jungkook is also known as “golden maknae”, a nickname coined by his bandmate, RM, which means golden youngest in Korean, for his exemplary talent and being the youngest member of BTS. And it’s only a matter of days for Golden to go platinum!

Jungkook on NBC’s The Tonight Show in New York on November 6th, 2023

He’s keeping it real by being “most proud of BTS and the army” of fans over the past decade, but not without honouring his mother and his family at every step of his journey as a multi-genre performing artist. What’s next for the golden maknae? A world tour by Jungkook in 2025 hopefully!

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 | LUXURY IS A FEELING

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NOVEMBER 7, 2023

Fashion is a luxury, but luxury is not necessarily fashion, simply because luxury is not all materialistic and worldly; it’s spiritualistic too. Luxury is not always what you can buy, but also what you can feel. Silence and quiet in the morning is as much a luxury as buying a jet, sleeping and waking up without fear, speaking your mind, wearing runway couture, choosing to love who you want to, buying a mansion, sharing your private time or going on a bespoke holiday – these are all life’s luxuries that we choose to indulge in of our own volition. A rooftop swim past midnight under the stars at The Dorchester Collection’s first property in the Middle East, The Lana, with the Dubai skyline adding more shimmer to the night, is just the kind of luxury money can buy, and the soul can feel. The Lana opens in Dubai in February 2024 and it is going to be the hottest luxury hotel opening of the year because the Dorchester Collection hotels are always beyond cool.

DUBAI: The Lana is the 10th Dorchester Collection hotel that will open in February 2024 in Dubai where water, land and sky will converge with humans in luxurious, manmade excellence. A waterfront location with definitive modern architecture in the Marasi Drive, The Lana’s infinity-edge, rooftop pool with a bar, has stunning views of the adjacent marina facing the Burj Khalifa and Downtown Dubai. Comprising of 225 guest rooms and suites, with showstopping balconies, you can watch the changing landscape around you from sunrise to dusk. “Inspired by the bold spirit of Dubai, my team and I are thrilled to be opening Dorchester Collection’s first hotel in the Middle East. We look forward to offering you a truly exceptional experience, crafted with the utmost care,” says Richard Alexander, General Manager of The Lana. One cannot think of a London without The Dorchester and 45, Park Lane, Los Angeles without The Beverly Hills and the Bel Air, Paris sans the geranium dotted façade of The Plaza Athenee and Le Meurice, Italy without Hotel Eden Rome and Principe Di Savoia, or the beautiful English countryside without Coworth Park in Ascot. Each one of these beautiful Dorchester Collection hotels is iconic, luxurious and glamourous, shaping the histories of the cities they’re located in, and being a part of history in people’s memories. These hotels have played architectural parts in films and Netflix series and are stars in themselves, such is the indomitable presence of all nine Dorchester Collection hotels in the world of luxury, with The Lana all set to create its own history in the Middle East with a Marhaba Dubai! I think the Dorchester Collection hotels are architectural actors really, representing the past and present of their cities and more importantly, their people.

©The Lana, Dubai

SWEDEN: H&M is a forerunner in the world of fashion collaborations with the late Karl Lagerfeld being their very first partnership in November 2004, followed by Versace, Comme des Garçons, Balmain, Maison Margiela, Stella McCartney and Sabyasachi over the years. H&M is ready to drop its second designer collaboration of the year with Rabanne online and in stores, on November 9th, 2023, the first being with Mugler in May 2023. Paco Rabanne, the fashion label, known only as Rabanne as of 2023, was founded in Paris in 1966 by Spaniard, Paco Rabanne, whose real name was Francisco Rabaneda Cuervo. The 1966 debut show of Paco Rabanne in Paris, with a collection called Manifesto: 12 Unwearable Dresses in Contemporary Materials, made of metal plaques and organic plastic linked with wires, was shown on black and white models, who walked barefoot as he could not afford to buy shoes for them. An original fashion anarchist, the show earned him fame with art collector Peggy Guggenheim buying and wearing his creations. Rabanne was also known for his fragrances – Paco Rabanne Pour Homme, 1 Million and Lady Million that are immensely popular to the day. He was awarded the Legion of Honour by France’s minister of culture, Frederic Mitterrand in November 2010, with Mitterrand highlighting Rabanne’s early work, especially his Manifesto collection during the ceremony. Rabanne was acquired in 1987 by Puig, a Spanish fashion and fragrance company, with Julien Dossena reimagining the textile alternative design language of the maison since 2013 as its creative director. “As a designer, I’ve always been interested in exploring hedonism and empowerment. I was very enthusiastic to work with H&M on a collection that will introduce Rabanne’s avant-garde energy to a wider audience in a democratic way,“ says Dossena of the H&M collection that includes womenswear, menswear, shoes and accessories, and a capsule home décor line. In the 60s, Rabanne’s metal couture was met with disparaging rebuke and today, almost 60 years on, metal couture is a haute step forward in sustainable fashion.

Jared Leto, Damson Idris, Irina Shayk, Julien Dossena, Creative Director of Paco Rabanne,
Elle Fanning and H&M Creative Director Ann-Sofie Johansson.

WORLD: The ongoing strife between Israel and Palestine for the siege of Gaza marks a month today, with horrific loss and devastation all around in both countries since October 7th. Christian Dior seems to have replaced Palestinian-Dutch model, Bella Hadid with May Tager, an Israeli model, in their new holiday beauty campaign. There is no official statement from Dior on the replacement, if that holds true, or if Tager is another beauty ambassador alongside Hadid and many more. Hadid, a beauty ambassador for Dior since 2016, has never shied away from vocalizing her thoughts on Palestine over the years. She is very aware and cognizant that her advocacy for Palestine could jeopardize her modelling career, but she has stood firm in her stance and beliefs to honour her roots. Hadid’s father, Mohammed Hadid, an American real estate developer born in Nazareth, Palestine, was married to her mother, Yolanda van den Herik, a Dutch model and television personality, born in Papendrecht, Netherlands, from 1994 to 2000.

Bella Hadid

The worldwide ramifications of the war between Israel and Palestine remain to be seen in the days and months to come, with over 10,000 people killed since October 7th, 2023, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah. As the war rages on and the world watches history being written, it is humanity that is being written off the Earth rather tragically.

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

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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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. The basil and cinnamon ice cream and the Laduree macarons.
  4. Ranveer Singh’s sincere compering skills in a colloquial style that held the attention of the attendees.
  5. 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!

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©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | BILLIONS ARE FASHIONABLE

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OCTOBER 27, 2023

It is you and your skin, that makes fashion visible and desirable, with or without clothes caressing your person. And who knows skin better than Kim Kardashian who turned billionaire with Skims, and billions are fashionable! The success of Skims for women made her launch Skims Men on October 26th with a fabulous campaign featuring pro athletes to add a few more billions to her skin game. Her billionaire sister, Kylie Jenner, posted an affordable Hi with Khy, her new clothing line that will retail vegan leather coats priced at $198 November 1st onwards. Meanwhile, Indian fashion will be celebrated with regal ease, in the palaces of Jaipur this November, with the sound of clinking glasses of Glenlivet and Royal Salute adding to the allure of the night.

LOS ANGELES: Skims changed the shapewear game for women around the world, making its founder, Kim Kardashian a billionaire. As of July 2023, the valuation of Skims, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, stands at $4 billion. And Kardashian wants more, stretching her seamless sights and tights on men. Skims Men dropped on October 26, with a campaign featuring pro male athletes – Brazilian soccer player Neymar Jr. (Al Hilal SFC), American footballer Nick Bosa (San Francisco 48ers) and Canadian basketball player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder). There are three collection for men, “designed for your best performance” as it claims, in cotton, stretch and sport, that includes underwear, tees and tanks and socks in her trademark soft and comfortable fabrics. Prior to her Skims era, Kardashian could never find shapewear to match her skin tone, making her dye the limited ones available with tea bags and coffee in her bathtub before her red carpet appearances. This vacuum in the market prompted Kardashian to create Skims with business couple, Jens and Emma Grede in 2019 with underwear, shapewear and lounge clothing for women in multiple hues to match every skin tone around the world. And, Skims for women has been a fitting, body hugging success since, as will be Skims for men, in all likelihood.

©Neymar Jr and Nick Bosa for Skims Men

JAIPUR: Jaipur, a UNESCO world heritage site since July 2019, really seems to be in step with fashion this holiday season. The city is hosting not one, but two fashion shows on the first weekend of November and on the same date, in its historical and walled confines. There’s the Rewild fashion fundraiser show by the House of Anita Dongre, founded in 1995 by Anita Dongre and her siblings, Meena Sehra and Mukesh Sawlani, taking place on Saturday, November 4th at the City Palace. It is jointly hosted by designer Anita Dongre and Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur and her daughter, Gauravi Kumari, with a brunch the following day. In line with Dongre’s belief that “the opportunity to lead a dignified life should be accessible to all, from people to animals,” the Anita Dongre Foundation has collaborated with the Nature Conservation Foundation in Mysore to raise funds to preserve and protect the Earth’s wildlife, their focus being elephant welfare and conservation in India. And, a mere six kilometres away, a capsule fashion show at the Rambagh Palace will see designer Rajesh Pratap Singh, exhibiting his collection on its grounds the same evening, along with other designers. Interestingly, Dongre’s show is being held at the City Palace, and the Rambagh Palace show on its grounds, both palaces belonging to the divided royals of Jaipur. It’s Pernod Ricard for the win in Jaipur this season, celebrating fashion with their scotch whiskies – Glenlivet at Dongre’s fundraiser and the befitting Royal Salute at the Rambagh show. Royal Salute has been a part of royal history for over 70 years, given it was created on June 2nd, 1953 to honour the coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth II of England, and named after the ceremonial 21-gun salute fired from the Tower of London to mark royal occasions. Royal Salute has been a part of Pernod Ricard since 2001.

Anita Dongre (Photo by Rubina A. Khan/Getty Images)

MUMBAI / BALI: He’s Indian, he’s Goan, and he’s been a Bombay guy for a while now, but come November, he’s all set to become a Balinese guy. Chef Dane Fernandes, Executive Chef of the JW Sahar Mumbai is moving to the Westin Nusa Dua Bali, Indonesia in November, both hotels under Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel chain. Marriott International generated approximately $20.77 billion in revenue in 2022 worldwide. Fernandes is all about food, especially hyper regional fare, that he learnt to cook from his grandmother in Goa. Anyone who works with him learns the art of innovation and patience, no easy feat in a hot and busy kitchen. Once the youngest Executive Chef for Marriott Asia Pacific at 29, he abhors boredom as much as he adores a late night workout. Fernandes plays ball, runs marathons and works out as much as he works in his kitchens creating delicious foods, leading a team of over 200 people.

Chef Dane Fernandes, photographed by Rubina A Khan

“I am leaving for the Westin Nusa Dua on November 9th, and I am hopeful and excited. I’ve always loved embracing cultures and I feel that moving to Bali will be a spiritual awakening of sorts for me, where I will be able to connect with my inner self. I am really looking forward to cooking with the fresh produce in Bali and the quality and range of ingredients that are available in the country. I hope to create new dishes and flavours, mixing Indian and Balinese culinary styles. But what I am looking forward to most is eating authentic Indonesian food,” says Fernandes, who might just take up running through paddy fields by dusk as his daily workout fix over enclosed gyms in Bali.

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©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | NEWS OF THE NEW

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OCTOBER 24, 2023

It’s the last week of October and Diwali is three weeks away, with 2024 on the ascent not far behind. The season is all about celebrating the new with mithais, movies and money – making it and spending it! And when it comes to a new actor debuting in the world of films in India in 2023, Suhana Khan is the first name that comes to mind given she is Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter, the reigning superstar of India. And new films on Diwali are always almost synonymous with Yash Raj Films, this year being no different with Tiger 3 starring the consummate screen pair, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, with Emraan Hashmi. After the colossal worldwide collections of Pathaan (January 2023) and Jawan (September 2023) of over a ₹1,000 crore and ₹1,100 crore respectively, both starring Shah Rukh Khan, YRF is shooting for even more coin with Tiger 3.

MUMBAI: Even before the release of her first film, Archies, Suhana Khan is a recognised face, beloved and adored by the public, landing her a Maybelline New York campaign in April 2023, headlining the brand in India. That she is loved and famous has a lot to with her father being superstar Shah Rukh Khan, but more so for her personable countenance every time she steps out in public. She expresses herself articulately, and is almost always smiling, polite and affable with fans, selfie-seekers and invasive photographers. She wears her father’s fame and name ever so lightly, just as her Papa, and not the monumental celebrity he is. It’s not like she just woke up one day and decided to act for a living because her father is who he is. She seems to have worked steadily and assuredly towards her dreams, graduating from Ardingly College in the UK, in 2019, winning the Russel Cup for Exceptional Contribution To Drama, but of course, given her artistic leanings. She featured in a 10-minute short film, The Grey Part of Blue, which is about a teenager’s experience of unrequited love, directed by Theodore Gimeno in 2019. After school, she went to the Tisch School Of The Arts in New York to study acting and drama. She came back to Mumbai from Tisch, well prepared and ready to start working as a full-time actor. Her first film, Archies, directed by Zoya Akhtar airs on Netflix on December 7th, wherein she plays the brunette Veronica Logde to ginger-haired Archie Andrews played by Agastya Nanda in the fictional town of Riverdale, set in 1960’s India. She looks the part in the teasers and the songs, pirouetting on skates like a poised ballerina. Needless to add, it is the most anticipated film on everyone’s watch list! “I am 5″3 and brown, and I am extremely happy about it and you should be too,” she once wrote on Instagram in September 2020, in a bid to end colorism and today, everyone is happier for the same. Because, Khan is here to stay and play. A new film, where she will be working with her father, to be directed by Sujoy Ghosh, has also been announced in September. The shooting for this untitled thriller starts only in November 2024 and it will be Khan’s first theatrical release.

©Suhana Khan

MUMBAI: Founder and creative director of Primal Gray, a clothing company based in New Delhi, Yuv Bharatram introduced his fashion label to Mumbai’s fashion forwards with a LAP (label awareness party) on Saturday evening. An alumnus of the Shri Ram School in Delhi, founded by the late Manju Bharat Ram in 1988, and owned by his family, the Shri Rams, Bharatram went on to graduate from the Parson’s School of Design in New York 2017. Having worked as an intern and apprentice with many fashion firms, the last being Hermes in Paris, France, in 2019, Bharatram launched Primal Gray in November 2022. The clothes are fun and easy, crafted from conscious materials and priced accordingly. A year on from the launch, he should perhaps look into retailing the Plexi-Glass Dress he made in 2014, with a flower mask made from recycled spoons, the idea of which stands even more poignant today, making it the right climate for avant-garde Indian fashion almost a decade later. “The Plexi-Glass dress was inspired by how people blindly buy and promote brands, buying the most ostentatious items of clothing just to show off the brand. They would rather showcase their wealth over being well-dressed. The dress is a statement of how other people can see through their insecurities, while they remain blind to the fact that people can see through their veil of superiority – the entrapment of the wearer in their prison of branded clothing,” said Bharatram of the 2014 dress. Primal Gray’s garments non-toxic additions to your wardrobe, but in no way is the label responsible for the toxicity of the wearer! The company also makes candles named after cocktails like Cosmopolitan, Espresso Martini and Negroni, to keep your chakras balanced and aligned, should you need to sage away unwanted energies.

Yuv Bharatram, photographed by Rubina A Khan

MUMBAI: The third film in the Yash Raj Films’ Tiger franchise, and the fifth in their ongoing spy universe series, Tiger 3, written by Aditya Chopra and directed by Maneesh Sharma releases on Diwali this year, on November 12. Starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, the consummate screen pair that made the first two films, Ek Tha Tiger (2012) and Tiger Zinda Hai (2017) blockbuster hits, Tiger 3 has Emraan Hashmi playing the principal antagonist. Chopra intends to expand his super spy universe with multiple screen agents coming together like Tiger (Salman Khan) and Pathaan (Shah Rukh Khan) in Pathaan (2023). Tiger 3 traces the events of the agents in Tiger Zinda Hai, War and Pathaan.

©Yash Raj Film

The first song from the film, Leke Prabhu Ka Naam, aired on the YRF Youtube channel on October 23rd, with Katrina Kaif looking bewitchingly fine in it. Tiger 3 is Kaif’s first release of 2023 as also Hashmi’s, marking the latter’s 20th year in the film industry.

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©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | LIGHTS, CAMERA, DELHI!

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OCTOBER 20, 2023

New Delhi has been courting glamour with the 69th National Film Awards being held at Vigyan Bhawan on October 17th, 2023 and the Netflix series, Fabulous Lives kicking off filming in the capital for its third season next week. The third edition of the series has a new cast from Delhi added to the original cast from Bombay. Haute talk between the Mumbai and Delhi wives? Let the heads roll right into the tea spills!

NEW DELHI: Actors Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon won their first National Award for Best Actress – a joint honour for both with separate trophies of course – at the 69th National Film Awards at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi on October 17th, 2023. Bhatt won a very well-deserved award for her portrayal as the self-assured protagonist in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Gangubai Kathiawadi and as did Sanon for her performance in Laxman Utekar’s Mimi. Sanon and Bhatt received their awards from President Droupadi Murmu, the former wearing a custom Manish Malhotra sari at the felicitation, and the latter, her ivory and gold wedding sari. India’s elegant beauty and legendary actor, Waheeda Rehman was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Lifetime Achievement Award at the award ceremony. Interestingly, Allu Arjun made history by becoming the first Telugu actor to receive a National award for Best Actor for his performance in Pushpa: The Rise. 

©Alia Bhatt

NEW DELHI: The third season of the Fabulous Lives Of Bollywood Wives started filming in Mumbai this week with its original cast of the Bombay wives. Next week, it’s Delhi’s turn to take to the lights and cameras. This season of the series will see the glamorous and beautiful Riddhima Kapoor-Sahni, daughter of Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, alongside other Delhi wives added to the mix of the original Bollywood wives. The first and second editions of the Fabulous Lives aired on Netflix in November 2020 and September 2022, with actor Neelam, Bhavna Panday, Seema Sajdeh and Maheep Kapoor headlining the series, and Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan making a coupled cameo. Will we see Ranbir Kapoor make an appearance on the show for his sister? Maybe. There is also talk of Netflix renaming the show to just Fabulous Lives this season as the Delhi wives are not Bollywood wives. It could be very well be called Fabulous Lives Of Glamorous Wives, but then again, not everyone is glamorous or a wife in the cast this season. Glam damn! There’s still time to name it as the series is set to air in the second half of 2024.

©Riddhima Kapoor-Sahni

MUMBAI: Malaika Arora, the Khaleesi of sexy, in body and brain, struts a fashion runway like no other in India. She has been walking the walk for years now, carrying off every imaginable kind of garment with styled and poised ease. No season of fashion week, pret or couture, is complete without her panthera walk. And she definitely knows how to make coin, seducing the cameras with her sharp fashion face. A trained ballerina, Arora danced her way into every Indian’s heart with her graceful moves in Chaiyya Chaiyya atop a moving train in Dil Se, 25 years ago, and her ways and sways have been fire since. She does love the F word when it comes to her investment portfolio – Food, Fashion and Fitness. She has since evolved from dance numbers to crunching fiscal numbers in fashion (The Label Life), fitness (Diva Yoga) and food businesses as an investor and owner.

MUMBAI, INDIA – MAY 06: Malaika Arora attends the Chivas Glassware Alchemy 2023 Event on May 06, 2023 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Rubina A. Khan/Getty Images)

She celebrates yet another age-defying birthday on October 23rd, making it a very Malaika Monday. Interestingly, she shares her birthday with British actor, Emilia Clarke who played Khaleesi on the Game Of Thrones.

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©Rubina A Khan 2023