This week, Bollywood showcased some stunning Indian ensembles. Our favourites: mom-to-be Mira Kapoor’s floral Varun Bahl Couture creation, Sonam Kapoor’s sculpted Rimzim Dadu ensemble, and Athiya Shetty’s subtle and sweet Niti Bothra piece.
For others, it was all about western silhouettes. While Aishwarya Rai Bachchan attended the premiere of Sarbjit in a metallic Theia Couture gown, Kangana Ranaut returned to Mumbai after her vacation looking sharp in Gucci, and Priyanka Chopra attended the 2016 ABC Upfront in New York wearing a simple but impactful Dion Lee number.
Sonam Kapoor’s preferred turf after Bollywood is clearly Cannes. The L’Oréal ambassador has been living it up in the south of France sporting one spectacular gown after the other on the famed Cannes red carpet. The 23rd amfAR Gala, hosted to raise awareness about AIDS took place last night. Filmmakers, actors, designers and supermodels alike came together to support the charitable cause.
Spotted on the red carpet were Sonam Kapoor in Ralph & Russo, Uma Thurman in Elsa Schiaparelli, Katy Perry in Marchesa and Jourdan Dunn in DSquared2 amongst others. Go through our gallery of the most knockout looks from last night:
On her recent visit to India, the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, was the cynosure of all eyes. And with that, so was designer Anita Dongre, whose Gulrukh tunic dress was sported by the duchess in Mumbai.
This wasn’t the first such testimony to Dongre’s rise as a design powerhouse, however, it showcased once again how her eponymous brand artfully marries Indian traditions with a modern sensibility.
For the designer, 2013 proved to be a turning point—the Jaipur Bride collection captured the essence and changing outlook of the millennial Indian bride, and Dongre ventured into jewellery design with Pink City, a Jaipur-inspired jadau collection in collaboration with Pradeep Jethani of Jet Gems.
But if she’s known for one thing, it is the art in which she encapsulates the splendour of Rajasthan’s rich heritage and culture, with a special emphasis on gota work, through bespoke bridal couture, prêt and menswear. And her approach has found a distinctive fan following among Bollywood’s swish set especially for wedding wear. Dia Mirza, Mira Rajput and Sonakshi Sinha are just a few who swear by her designs.
At the 69th Annual Cannes Film Festival, chef Vikas Khanna premiered his 15-minute documentary, Kitchens of Gratitude. He chats with Vogue on the lessons he learnt while researching and filming these “soul-run community kitchens” and “real people with real hearts”.
Lesson 1: Sharing food is in our DNA“As Indians, we don’t talk about sharing food. It is our cultural identity. Our plurality is our biggest asset. It’s funny when I think back; growing up in Amritsar, I didn’t know exactly how many kids we had at home. Whoever was around stayed back for khaana. One of the places we shot the documentary at was Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity kitchen in Kolkata. It was a simple, early morning meal of rice stew with assorted vegetables, but the experience was fantastic. We were sitting side by side with lepers, beggars, intellectuals and poets. At Ajmer Sharif, I’d missed my meal because I was shooting in the kitchen. When I came out, almost every person there offered me his/her plate to share from. This is the India that I wanted to show to the world.”
Lesson 2: You don’t need big financial backing to feed people“I’m a restaurant chef; people who can afford our food come to us. I didn’t know how feeding on this massive scale happens. I was surprised to learn that at the Golden Temple kitchen, food is volunteer-based. At ISKCON Food Relief efforts across India, I was amazed to learn that the kitchen is entirely steam powered. It’s not about money. It’s something between them and God.”
Lesson 3: Breaking bread gives people the power to break walls“The documentary promo was first shown at Harvard. After the screening, everyone began recalling stories that bind, as opposed to stories that divide. There was this elderly cab driver there who recalled living with a Hindu family during the 1984 riots and all he talked about was the wonderful food and how much of it they fed him. We also shot at the Kumbh mela (where I was fulfilling a ritual, cooking a meal after my grandmother passed away) with over 3000 naga sadhus present. It was 6.30 in the morning, and as they left, each one of them touched my forehead or hugged me.”
Lesson 4: The Dalai Lama isn’t a vegetarian“Last year, I got the chance to spend time with His Holiness in Delhi on 26th January, where I requested that we celebrate his 80th birthday early (it’s in July). I’d visited his hometown in Amdo in Tibet and had prepared a cake with 80 layers of a local buckwheat pancake. He said a prayer that I think everyone should repeat during mealtimes. Every grain you consume is a sacrifice of life, so while eating it, just tell yourself, ‘May I be worthy of this sacrifice’. But what really surprised me was when he asked where the meat was! I’d just assumed—like everyone else—that he’s a vegetarian.”
