After a star-studded b'day bash, the actress whisked off her hubby for a getaway
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 10, 2016)

When birthday boy Raj Kundra walked into a European fine-dining restaurant in Khar with wife Shilpa Shetty on Thursday, what was initially planned as a quiet, intimate dinner turned out to be a surprise party with close friends and family, including politician Aditya Thackeray, sister-in-law Shamita Shetty and mother-in-law Sunanda Shetty, in attendance.

Also on the guest list were Anil and Sunita Kapoor, Harman Baweja, Dia Mirza and husband Sahil Sangha, The Bhagnanis - Vashu, Jackky and Pooja, Upen Patel, Bunty Walia and wife Vanessa Parmar, Manish Malhotra, Sophie Choudry, Rocky S, Shabir Ahluwalia and wife Kanchi Kaul, Sanjay Kapoor and wife Maheep, Atul Kasbekar and Suniel Shetty.

By 11pm, the place was buzzing with celebrities while photographers crammed the pavement outside. Shilpa and Raj came out to greet the media and pose for pictures before returning inside to a two-tier chocolate cake for the birthday boy who turned 41 on September 9.

The party went on well past midnight after which Shilpa had yet another surprise up her sleeve as she pulled out three tickets to Dubai, Raj's favourite holiday destination. The couple, with their son, Viaan, took off to the Arabian nation in a private jet on Friday morning.

Raj had gifted Shilpa a sprawling apartment in the world's tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa, when the two had tied the knot in 2009. In January 2016, the couple sold the property and invested in a larger apartment that overlooks the gulf of Dubai.

But for the birthday getaway, Raj and Shilpa have booked a private villa for two days in Dubai's most expensive beach resort, Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, and plan to take off to a nearby island on a private yacht to indulge in jet-skiing, shopping and of course, sumptuous food. "We visit Dubai more than twice a year, for both business and leisure, and I'd rather live at a plush hotel where everything is serviced. I travel with my entire entourage so it's easier too," Shilpa had told Mirror in an earlier interview on January 28.