Delhi loves to dress-up and that is probably why Cosmopolitan’s editor Nandini Bhalla’s annual birthday party has become an invite people wait to receive. Every year she chooses a different theme, and this year it was the ‘Mahabharata’. So women channeled their inner Draupadis’ and Kuntis’ while for the men it was mostly all about Arjun.
Invites came with crowns, bows and garlands—so the tone was set. Held at the Dirty Martini at Olive, Draupadis’ long and never-ending sari greeted you and lead straight to the birthday girl herself. She of course had done a fun, fearless and fashionable take on Drapudi, in her Shantanu and Nikhil pre-draped sari complete with turban. Dior’s Kalayani Saha had taken a similar route in a trouser sari, designed by Komal Sood, who came with her muse for the evening. The modern Draupadi seemed the most popular look for the night and even I decided to take this path. In gold a Gaurav Gupta sari complete with lines and lines of pearls and diamonds, I was the “Sindhi” Draupadi – “Draupadani”!
Of the many Kunti’s, Tanisha Mohan did the most fun take on this mythological character, teaming kundan and sunglasses with her glittery vest and jeans, while AD Singh and Gaurav Gupta deserve a special mention for looking every bit the fashionable warrior.
For those who did not know how to interpret the dress code, Nandini had set up a photo booth complete with props. Attention is in the detailing, and for those who needed it but may not have known the story of the Mahabharata very well, there was a screening of the TV serial going on in the background. While flowing martinis and music ensured everyone was in the mood, the question on most people’s minds was— “What will Nandini’s theme be next year?”
Spotted at the party: Gaurav Gupta, Shantanu and Rima Mehra, Sid Tytler, Tanisha and Robbie Mohan, Harmeet Bajaj, Urvashi Kaur, AD Singh, Radhika Chanana, Karishma Manga Bedi, Ammu Saidi, Sushma Puri, Sanjay and Sheena Sharma, Gunjita Dhawan, JJ Valaya, Poonam Bhagat, Gauri Karan, Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna.