Nisha’s Mumbai: Nisha JamVwal Week Full Of Glamorous Weddings, Cocktail Nights and Celebrity Conversations
· Free Press Journal
Wedding grandeur
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Now we all know that India is a country of the biggest weddings in the world. Grand, extravagant spectacles of pageantry, pomp and show. And yet, as we speak, I notice a gradual change towards more joyous celebration and enjoyment rather than sheer performance and the pressure of performance. And of course, Mumbai is the leader of many trends not only in India, but even in Asia, Russia and the eastern countries.
I see weddings becoming more fun not only for the guests, but also for the bride and groom, for whom it was earlier arduous hard work to go through myriad rituals, performances, heavy-weightlifting-like costume changes and then the stage show, where they had to wait while guests came up endlessly for photographs and wishes. The whole thing would often pass in a blur, and they would not remember too many genuinely fun moments in the years going forward.
The first big change is that the sangeet cocktail party has shifted to after the wedding, where the bride and groom can also let their hair down and dance their way into marriage and a happily-ever-after.
Mumbai weddings are finally beginning to look less like endurance marathons and more like actual celebrations.
The Galani & Oberoi Cocktail Dance & Banquet for their beloved Karishma and Sanvar at the grand Lotus Ballroom of Nita Ambani’s Convention Centre was not only magnificent and sumptuous but also a rocking, foot-tapping party where no one stood still — they just danced, not only on the dance floor but everywhere they were standing. The bride’s mother, Kalpana Galani, had a blast and looked stunning in a blue shimmery ensemble. Much like the guests, who preferred disco glimmer over traditional bridal fare!
Jungle chic
And Kaushika and Kamlesh Hemdev’s ‘Starlight Soirée’ was no less an evening filled with sparkle, music and celebration at their glamorous cocktail night celebrating the wedding of their son Karan and his beloved Khushboo at Mumbai’s St Regis, where the ballroom was thronged with Mumbai’s glitterati — glamorous and thoroughly à la mode!
What stood apart was the unusual jungle-themed décor, which was far removed from shiny gota or shimmering gold trims! It was instead very chic and jungle cool — Versace-esque in its animal prints and foliage. A far cry from the overdone floral themes we’ve seen unendingly.
The jungle theme gave the evening an unexpectedly international air — somewhere between Milan and Mumbai.
The soon-to-be-wedded couple also looked like they had a blast as they danced their way into a beautiful journey together in grace and grandeur. The guests followed the dress code, which was ‘Fusionè Glam’.
Music and meaningful insights
Expresso is a wonderful platform presented by The Indian Express newspaper for talented personalities to have in-depth discussions with glamorous moderators. But it is my opinion that the probers and interviewed stars should be more succinct and not ramble endlessly!
And so while singer Shilpa Rao had all the right looks and responses and was a delight to behold and hear — I do believe she could have kept things crisper.
She gave some great insights and peeks into the much-loved Bollywood world that almost every Indian is fascinated by.
Perhaps brevity too is becoming a lost art in the age of podcasts and panels.
Slow Sips, Sharp Conversations
And then there was a whiskey evening with paired courses hosted by Paul John Whisky curated brilliantly by Sonal Holland. Did I ever mention that I was one of the first female members alongside Mitali Kakkar and Sabina Chopra in the Single Malt Club. There were that few female single-malters then. But all that has changed now.
This became especially evident at the sit-down dinner at Gigi where the number of women confidently discussed single malts, tasting notes, blends, casks and ageing with as much authority as the men — perhaps even more. Whisky, once considered an intimidating old boys’ club of cigars, leather chairs and male posturing, has quietly acquired an entire new female audience. Bombay women now swirl, sniff and discuss peaty finishes with complete ease. And frankly, some of them understand the subject far better than the gentlemen theatrically pretending to.
Perhaps Bombay’s women discovering single malts with such confidence is also part of the city’s larger shift — women no longer entering traditionally male spaces cautiously, but owning them entirely.
What was particularly noticeable this time, however, was that India has officially entered what was once considered Scotland’s near-exclusive domain — single malts. No longer do Indians have to necessarily stuff their bags with Scottish and Irish whiskies. There is far greater choice available in the market now, and the increasingly celebrated homegrown Goan single malt, Paul John, brought together whisky connoisseurs, social regulars and a handful of influencer types who suddenly became experts on oak barrels after two pegs.
The gathering had all the mood lighting, polished glasses and smoky conversations one associates with whisky evenings, but without the stiffness that usually accompanies luxury spirit events. The lively crowd seemed genuinely interested in Indian single malts finally holding their own internationally rather than automatically worshipping imported labels.
There is also something wonderfully old-world about whisky gatherings. Unlike frenetic cocktail parties where people dart about performing social acrobatics, whisky evenings somehow encourage lingering conversations, slower pacing and slightly philosophical strangers by the second pour.
The evening itself was stylish without trying too hard — which, in Mumbai, is rarer than vintage champagne. Guests moved through the room discussing tasting notes with great seriousness while simultaneously demolishing appetisers with equal commitment and of course the selfies and group pictures which are mandatory at these things?
Perhaps whisky is one of the last surviving social drinks where people still pause long enough to actually converse and take the evening a little more leisurely. And that too in a city increasingly fuelled by haste, desperate networking and phone screens, that alone deserves a toast.
Write to Nisha JamVwal at [email protected]