Shabana and Baba Azmi revive Diwali tradition at father Kaifi Azmi's Janki Kutir
7:17 AM
Shabana and Baba’s Diwali bash at Janki Kutir was reminiscent of the legendary Azmi hospitality
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 20, 2017)
For the first time since Kaifi Azmi’s demise, a Diwali party was hosted at his Juhu residence. Wednesday evening saw a steady stream of B-townies, from Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan to Aamir Khan, Nandita Das and Konkona Sensharma head towards Janki Kutir.
Vidya Balan looked resplendent in a magenta gold sari, her producer-husband Siddharth Roy Kapur complementing her in a peachy kurta. Sridevi and Boney Kapoor, Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, Anil and Sunita Kapoor, Farah Khan and Shirish Kunder and of course Azmi siblings, Shabana and Baba along with their spouses Javed Akhter and Tanvi Azmi were the other made-for-each other jodis, right down to their coordinated ensembles.
Keeping in mind that it was an evening of ethnic chic, Farhan took a leaf out of his father’s wardrobe and turned up looking like a debonair desi in a grey kurta and white pajamas. Nandita Das looked ethereal in a long white crinkled skirt with a gauzy gold dupatta and even Hrithik Roshan sported a white kurta for a change. Be it Tilottama Shome or the reserved Jaya Bachchan, everyone seemed in a buoyant mood.
“Diwali celebrations, along with Holi, Eid and Christmas, were started by Kaifi saab at Janki Kutir. After he passed away in 2002, this is the first time we have revived the tradition. We have hosted outstanding poets and artistes, from Begum Akhtar and Faiz Ahmed Faiz to Firaq Gorakhpuri and Josh Malihabadi in the past, along with then strugglers like Shekhar Kapur, Mahesh Bhatt and Anil Kapoor. Directors like Guru Dutt and Chetan Anand came home to bring in the festivals with us, as also artists like MF Hussain and Jatin Das. Restoring this tiny cottage to its former glory is my brother Baba’s mission. It was a warm informal evening, our colleagues and family broke bread together. Everything on the menu was cooked at home. Baba is almost fanatical about this as my mum’s kitchen is legendary,” a still exuberant Shabana informed the day after.
On the buffet was paya, shammi kebab, mutton masala, chicken makhani and keema methi, the house specialty, among others. “But the hit items was the ‘tamatar ki chutney’, along with the ‘khubani ka meetha’ to prepare which Baba flew down his friend, Monto, from Hyderabad,” the gracious hostess added.
The party started at 10.30 pm and the last of the guests straggled home at around 5 am, in the first light of the dawn. Though there wasn’t the regular naach-gaana and card games were the only entertainment, no one was even slightly bored. “The conversation was scintillating and the food mouthwatering,” a guest raved.
For the first time since Kaifi Azmi’s demise, a Diwali party was hosted at his Juhu residence. Wednesday evening saw a steady stream of B-townies, from Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan to Aamir Khan, Nandita Das and Konkona Sensharma head towards Janki Kutir.
Vidya Balan looked resplendent in a magenta gold sari, her producer-husband Siddharth Roy Kapur complementing her in a peachy kurta. Sridevi and Boney Kapoor, Rishi and Neetu Kapoor, Anil and Sunita Kapoor, Farah Khan and Shirish Kunder and of course Azmi siblings, Shabana and Baba along with their spouses Javed Akhter and Tanvi Azmi were the other made-for-each other jodis, right down to their coordinated ensembles.
Keeping in mind that it was an evening of ethnic chic, Farhan took a leaf out of his father’s wardrobe and turned up looking like a debonair desi in a grey kurta and white pajamas. Nandita Das looked ethereal in a long white crinkled skirt with a gauzy gold dupatta and even Hrithik Roshan sported a white kurta for a change. Be it Tilottama Shome or the reserved Jaya Bachchan, everyone seemed in a buoyant mood.
“Diwali celebrations, along with Holi, Eid and Christmas, were started by Kaifi saab at Janki Kutir. After he passed away in 2002, this is the first time we have revived the tradition. We have hosted outstanding poets and artistes, from Begum Akhtar and Faiz Ahmed Faiz to Firaq Gorakhpuri and Josh Malihabadi in the past, along with then strugglers like Shekhar Kapur, Mahesh Bhatt and Anil Kapoor. Directors like Guru Dutt and Chetan Anand came home to bring in the festivals with us, as also artists like MF Hussain and Jatin Das. Restoring this tiny cottage to its former glory is my brother Baba’s mission. It was a warm informal evening, our colleagues and family broke bread together. Everything on the menu was cooked at home. Baba is almost fanatical about this as my mum’s kitchen is legendary,” a still exuberant Shabana informed the day after.
On the buffet was paya, shammi kebab, mutton masala, chicken makhani and keema methi, the house specialty, among others. “But the hit items was the ‘tamatar ki chutney’, along with the ‘khubani ka meetha’ to prepare which Baba flew down his friend, Monto, from Hyderabad,” the gracious hostess added.
The party started at 10.30 pm and the last of the guests straggled home at around 5 am, in the first light of the dawn. Though there wasn’t the regular naach-gaana and card games were the only entertainment, no one was even slightly bored. “The conversation was scintillating and the food mouthwatering,” a guest raved.
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