Ankita Chaurasia (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 1, 2020)

Rishi Kapoor’s last rites were performed at the Chandanwadi crematorium in Marine Lines, on Thursday evening at around 4 pm. Due to the ongoing lockdown, the funeral procession was limited to a group of 20, comprising of family members and close friends.

Amidst tight security, the mortal remains of the actor were brought to the crematorium in an ambulance from the H N Reliance Hospital in Charni Road. Wife, Neetu Kapoor and son, Ranbir, alongwith girlfriend Alia Bhatt, followed in a car. Rishi’s daughter, Riddhima Kapoor Sahani, who lives in Delhi couldn’t attend as she was unable to fly down to Mumbai given the lockdown. However, she has been issued a pass and is driving down to the city to be with her family.

Abhishek Bachchan, who had earlier also visited the hospital, was one of the first ones to reach the crematorium, alongwith Anil Ambani, whose wife Tina had worked with the late actor in several films. According to a source present at the venue, Alia, who stayed by Neetu’s side the entire time, was herself inconsolable.

Rishi’s sister, Rima Jain, and her husband Manoj Jain, were present for the hour-long ceremony, with sons Armaan, Aadar and daughter-in-law Anisha. Brothers Randhir and Rajiv, niece Kareena and her husband Saif Ali Khan were at the crematorium, along with Ranbir’s close friend Ayan Mukerji and other directors Rahul Rawail and Rohit Dhawan.

Turning Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari into Universal Studios-like entertainment park. Representatives from their firms met officials recently. A total of three contenders in the fray for Rs 2,600-cr project
Shruti Ganapatye (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 16, 2019)

The Ambani brothers, Mukesh and Anil, have separately expressed interest in transforming Film City, Goregaon, into a mega tourist attraction on the lines of Universal Studios (right) in Los Angeles. It’s a Rs 2,600-crore project and so far, three entities, including the two tycoons’ companies, are in the fray. Bhanot Infra Venture (BIV) is the third firm.

Representatives of Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Limited, Anil’s Reliance Big Entertainment, and BIV attended a pre-bidding meeting in December. Mirror has a copy of the minutes of this conference.

The final date to bid for the Maharashtra government’s project is February 28. Officials of Film City, formally known as Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari, expect the process to go off smoothly despite the prospect of a high-profile clash between the Ambani brothers.

Film City’s managing director, Jayashree Bhoj, confirmed the participation of the three companies in the pre-bidding phase. “They have shown interest, sending us some queries about the project. The project clearing committee headed by the chief state secretary then held a meeting and approved some of the questions and made changes in the draft,” Bhoj said. “Once the bids are submitted, we will assess technical qualification and financial eligibility (of the companies) before awarding the project. It will take four to six months to award the project.”

The state had floated a global tender for the Film City revamp in July 2018. The over 521-acre place currently houses some studios, one of which is owned by an Anil Ambani firm. The government wants to convert it into a world class tourist complex with theme parks, food courts, a five-star hotel, dormitories, a museum and an amphitheatre, apart from eight village locations, 42 outdoor locations, post-production facilities and film training institutes.

According to the documents accessed by Mirror, Reliance Industries Limited has said that SRA development should not be a part of the revamp and the total cost. The state has clarified that SRA has nothing to do with the project. The company has also sought clarifications on permissions needed from the environment ministry, the traffic police and the civil aviation ministry, and demanded FSI of one to be utilised at the project site without restriction.

Reliance Big Entertainment has requested information about the rehabilitation of tribal hamlets in the area, and enquired whether it can bring in an alternative power supply company. It also wants to know if it will be allowed to make changes at the site through land filling, levelling and breaking hillocks, and whether it will offer concessions to the Marathi film industry for renting studios and shooting. Curiously, the company has asked if the successful bidder’s operations at Film City will be covered under the Right to Information Act.

When Mirror contacted RIL, an official said the queries should be emailed. However, the company later did not respond to the reporter’s mail. The public relations officer of Reliance Big Entertainment did not respond to phone calls and text messages. 

Expect Road Diversions For Funeral Today
Bella Jaisinghani & Sushil Rao | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; February 28, 2018)

Iconic actor Sridevi’s body was flown into the city from Dubai on a 13-seater Embraer business jet on Tuesday night. Her husband Boney Kapoor, his brother Sanjay Kapoor and her stepson Arjun Kapoor accompanied the body on the aircraft. Arjun had reached Dubai in the morning to accompany his father and oversee the return journey.

Officials at the cargo complex cleared the documentation and the body at 9.50pm and the ambulance carrying the body left the airport through the exit gate number 1 near the international terminal 2. The ambulance was tailed by a cavalcade of cars, including those of Anil Ambani and Anil Kapoor, who had reached the airport to receive the body.

A virtual green corridor was created by the traffic police from the airport to the Kapoor residence in Green Acres in Lokhandwala Complex, Andheri (W). The movement led to a half-km traffic jam in the Lokhandwala Complex. The nearby Celebration Club, where the actor’s body will be kept for public viewing on Wednesday, was off bounds for visitors as arrangements went on inside. Traffic is expected to be cordoned off in some parts of the area on Wednesday and roadside stalls have been told to stay shut.

Before the body was flown back, the police, expecting thousands of fans, had fortified security arrangements at Green Acres as well as at the Juhu house of Anil Kapoor. A steady stream of visitors, including veterans from the industry closely associated with Sridevi, was seen at his home since Sunday, Jeetendra, who was her costar in several blockbusters in the 80s, was quoted by a TV channel saying, “An actor needs to be versatile, be good at dance, comedy and dramatics. With Sridevi, no one could fault her for any of her performances. She was always perfect.”

In Dubai, before the case was closed, the authorities questioned Boney again. A team also visited Jumeirah Emirates Towers, the hotel where Sridevi was found dead on Saturday.

The embalming certificate of Sridevi’s body given to the family mentioned that the death was due to “accidental drowning”. It mentioned that there was “no infection disease”, a requirement for the body to be shipped or sent by air. Interestingly, while the death certificate issued by the forensic department mentioned Sridevi’s age as 53 years, the embalming certificate mentioned it as 52.

A source said that an ambulance had been kept ready at the mortuary even before the letters for repatriation of the body were received. The Embraer aircraft, belonging to Ambani, was kept ready in the cargo area of the Dubai airport for the last two days.

Funeral Will Be Held Today In Vile Parle
Sushil Rao & Bella Jaisinghani | TNN (THE TIMES OF INDIA; February 28, 2018)

More than two-and-a-half days after superstar Sridevi’s body was found in a bathtub in her hotel room in Dubai, the UAE authorities closed the case and released the body to be taken back to India. The body, which was then embalmed, was flown in a private charter flight belonging to ADAG from Dubai airport at 7pm (IST) and landed in Mumbai at 9.30pm.

A posse of policemen escorted the ambulance carrying Sridevi’s mortal remains to the Kapoors’ Lokhandwala residence. Police had to resort to a lathi-charge to control the 2,000-odd-strong crowd gathered there.

The actor’s body will be kept at Celebration Club in Andheri from 9.30am to 12.30 pm on Wednesday so that fans and celebrities can pay their respects, said a statement issued by the Kapoor family. From Celebration Club, the funeral procession will leave for the Vile Parle Seva Samaj crematorium at 2pm and the last rites are expected to be performed around 3.30pm.

On Monday, after the post-mortem report revealed the cause of the actor’s death to be “accidental drowning” and the case was transferred to the Dubai public prosecution, there was speculation that the authorities may not release the body on Tuesday either.

There were also reports that the authorities were planning to collect more blood samples and tissues for investigation. However, ruling out any foul play and the need for re-investigation, authorities speeded up the process and closed the case by afternoon.
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MUMBAI MIRROR (February 28, 2018)

A private jet owned by industrialist Anil Ambani and carrying Sridevi’s body departed from Dubai around 7 pm and landed at Mumbai at 9:40 pm. An ambulance from Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital took her body to Boney Kapoor’s Lokhandwala residence around 11 pm. Security had been stepped up at all locations to ensure a final farewell to the cinematic legend, who passed away on Sunday at the age of 54.

On Wednesday at 2 pm the Dubai Prosecutor’s Office ruled out any foul play in her death and released the body to her family. The forensic report had stated that Sridevi had died from accidental drowning in her bathtub, after losing consciousness and the case was closed. Boney Kapoor, his brother Sanjay, sister Reena and her husband Sandeep, and Boney’s son Arjun Kapoor, took the body from the morgue, got it embalmed and flew to Mumbai on a private plane that had been parked at the Dubai airport since Sunday. At Mumbai airport, Anil Kapoor was present to receive the family.

In a statement, the Kapoor family said Sridevi’s body will be at Celebration Sports Club in Lokhandwala near her home for people to pay their last respects between 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, before cremation. The last journey commences at 3:30 pm at a Vile Parle Crematorium.

Colleagues and friends of the late actress kept pouring into Anil Kapoor’s Juhu bungalow to pay their respects to the family. While Rajinikath, Shah Rukh Khan with wife Gauri and Akshay Kumar with wife Twinkle arrived late on Monday night, Bappi Lahiri, Katrina Kaif, Athiya and Ahaan Shetty were present on Wednesday. Anupam with son Sikander Kher, Anees Bazmee and late Shammi Kapoor’s wife Neila Devi were also present.

Sara Ali Khan was seen taking packages for her friend, Sridevi’s daughter Janhvi Kapoor. Janhvi and sister Khushi, have been distraught and isolated at Anil’s bungalow, with their close friends keeping them company.
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Sonil Dedhia (MID-DAY; February 28, 2018)

A Kapoor family’s long wait to bring back the mortal remains of Sridevi came to an end as the Dubai Police allowed the repatriation of her body yesterday. The Dubai Public Prosecution closed the case after stressing that all procedures were followed, a day after they announced that the actor’s death occurred due to “ accidental drowning” at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel on February 24. The mortal remains of the actor arrived at the aviation terminal in Kalina at 9.30 pm last evening, in Anil Ambani’s Embraer jet. Accompanying Boney Kapoor were brother Sanjay Kapoor and son Arjun Kapoor, who had flown to Dubai yesterday morning to be by his side. Anil and Sonam Kapoor were present at the airport along with Ambani.

Preparations were underway at The Celebration Sports Club in Lokhandwala, where the actor’s body will be kept from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm today to enable fans to pay homage to the star. The last journey will commence at 2 pm from the sports club to Vile Parle Seva Samaj crematorium and the funeral is scheduled for 4 pm at Vile Parle’s Pawan Hans. A source close to the family said, “Anil and Sanjay are overseeing the arrangement of the condolence meet and the funeral.”

Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 30, 2016)

Ever since they broke-up in January before rekindling their romance after a two-month split in March, India’s cricketing captain Virat Kohli and actress Anushka Sharma have maintained a stoic silence on the subject of their relationship, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to their personal lives again. Anushka has gone a step further, refusing to interact with the media if any questions about her cricketer beau are posed.

However, social media and their respective fan clubs have been buzzing about the couple’s hush hush plans to bring in the New Year with an engagement.

On December 24, Virat and Anushka landed at Dehradun’s Jolly Grant airport and took off to Narendra Nagar where they checked into the Hotel Ananda spa and resort, a picturesque Himalayan getaway tucked away in Rishikesh, 17 kms from Dehradun. The receptionist of the hotel admitted that rumours have been flying, thick and fast, about a possible ring. The couple brought in Christmas together, with Anushka reliving childhood memories. Her mother is a Garhwali and Dehradun was a frequent vacation home for the Sharmas. She was snapped feeding a peacock and performing poojas at temples with Virat and a pandit. On Wednesday they visited an ashram in Haridwar.

On December 29, Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, and Anil with Tina Ambani, arrived in Uttarakhand, giving rise to fresh speculations of an engagement on January 1. The new arrivals also checked into Hotel Ananda. However, when Mirror contacted Anushka’s spokesperson, they informed, “The rumours surrounding Anushka and Virat’s engagement are untrue. They are on vacation.”

“Many are saying that Virat is set to become the brand ambassador of Uttarakhand tourism and was personally invited by Chief Minister Harish Rawat. The CM wished him and Anushka a happy stay in his state. A grand bash has been planned for New Year’s Eve which will be attended by all the celebs in town,” added the source.
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BOMBAY TIMES (December 30, 2016)

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli, whose relationship has literally been through a rollercoaster ride through the year, are finally catching up on lost time. The couple is relishing a yoga retreat in Uttarakhand with snow-capped mountains all around them. They headed to Dehradun last weekend. Anushka, who has been sporting a Rudraksha mala lately, has been spending time feeding peacocks. Her cricketer beau has also been sporting a similar accessory. Given that the two are spending New Year's Eve with the parents from both sides, buzz is that marriage could be one of the topics of discussion at their dinner table although there has been no confirmation of the same. They've moved from Dehradun over the last 48 hours to Tehri, where her parents were waiting to join them. Let's hope there's some cheer around the corner then!
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Much fanfare and buzz suggest ‘it’ couple, Virat, Anushka to exchange rings on Jan 1 in U’khand
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; December 30, 2016)

Barely a year after Anushka Sharma and her cricketer beau Virat Kohli took a ‘relationship break’ supposedly over a ‘should we wed, shouldn’t we wed’ disagreement, there are strong rumours that the lovebirds will exchange rings at a private ceremony in Uttarakhand on January 1. The couple is holidaying in Dehradun, where Anushka’s grandmother lives.

Photos of Virushka at the Anant Dham Atmabodh Ashram in Haridwar with Maharaj Anant Baba, who is the actress’ family’s spiritual guru, surfaced online yesterday, lending credence to the buzz about an impending wedding. They reportedly performed a havan and had a long meeting with Baba before returning to their hotel. The arrival of Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, and business tycoon Anil Ambani at the Dehradun airport last afternoon also sent gossip mills into a tizzy.

While the actress’ spokesperson maintains the rumours are not true, sources tell us a low-key engagement ceremony is slated to be held at Ananda Resort in Narendra Nagar, Tehri-Garhwal. Virat’s actor-friend Angad Bedi (Pink fame), who is currently vacationing in Delhi with ‘close friend’ Nora Fatehi, is expected to join them today. So will cricketing great Sachin Tendulkar and his family, claim sources.

Families of the couple are already at the venue, we hear, and preparations for the roka are in full swing. A source informs the family pundit of the Kohlis has picked a date in February as auspicious for the wedding. “Though it’s a little too soon, the idea of a Valentine’s Day wedding is irresistible to most,” adds the source.

Though it was earlier said that Anushka-Virat will live in together once Virat’s five-BHK flat in Worli (Omkar Heights building) is ready, well placed sources tell us that he will get possession only in 2018.

For all his powers of persuasion, the attorney is easily swayed by the whims of his daughter who has just turned author
Shreevatsa Nevatia (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 20, 2015)

Harish Salve (58), Sakshi Salve (32)

Sakshi Salve's disposition can make any former Delhiite feel nostalgic for the Capital. Her voice has a nasal ring to it. Her gestures are animated. Her candour can border on the brash. In Mumbai to release her first book, The Big Indian Wedding, the 32-year-old narrates the story of its inception without any affected pause. "In 2009, I happened to emcee for a friend's sangeet. And you know how the sangeet has now become a veritable concert. I just wrote a script and after the event, I had people telling me I should do this professionally. I was supposedly that entertaining." Soon enough, confesses Sakshi, her emceeing talents were being sought by the many intersecting circles of Delhi's elite. "In 2013, I was the entertainment in charge of eight weddings. Aunties wanted selfies with me. I was able to captivate an audience of 1,000 people. They laughed at my jokes. I must confess, it was a rush."

It was during her sister Saaniya's wedding in February 2014 that Sakshi saw her abilities to master ceremonies truly manifest. "There were these sets, these lavish performances, and me at the centre," she boasts, if a little bashfully. Her account of the events that month do, however, seem to be at some odds with reports that the Goa wedding was largely unostentatious. Sitting beside her, Harish Salve interrupts, "You don't have to be opulent to be classy."

The lawyer goes on to admit he was caught in an emotional tailspin all through. "The idea that my daughter was getting married was a huge trauma inflicted upon me. I stopped at three vodkas. One more and I'd have been howling."

Sakshi continues by saying that with her sister married, she felt a sudden void overwhelm her. "I missed sitting and thinking of lines. I missed writing. But I also started absorbing what I had witnessed. There were bachelorette, bachelor parties, there were youngsters going to Ibiza. I just had to document this madness."

Plugged as an 'ultimate guide for dummies', the tone employed by The Big Indian Wedding is almost uniformly tongue-in-cheek. But as she takes down the 'Karan Johar proposal' and the shenanigans of a wedding DJ, Sakshi's obvious derision of excess seems more juridical than jocular. "I'm what Harish Salve would have been like if he were a little girl," she laughs.

Harish Salve is quick to rewind back to 2000, a year when he was the country's Solicitor General. "Sakshi had always seen me as her dad in a T-shirt and jeans, who would blow dry her hair. I decided to show her my other persona. She would come to the Supreme Court at 11:30, although my meetings began at eight. At one, my juniors would take her to lunch. She'd come back at 2:30 and use a couch I never used. At 4 o clock, she would go home extremely tired." Salve says his elder daughter had all that it takes to become a good lawyer, the verbal skills, a head for figures, but what she lacked, he chuckles, "was industry". Insisting that he has always encouraged his children to chase their dreams, Salve adds, "If my father could have bought me a yacht, I'd have been a jazz pianist. But here I am, struggling to buy a better car." His self-aware levity offers an opportunity for investigative prodding.

According to a recent news report that listed the legal fee of India's top lawyers, Salve is said to charge Rs 6-15 lakh for an appearance in the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court. "There are a few factors at play here," he explains. "Under the UPA regime, the government shrunk and the headlines started coming out of the courts. Since lawyers are the ones making headlines, this focus is natural. Besides, you now have Rs 50-100 crore riding on a case. I feel Rs 7 lakh would qualify as reasonable."

Mukesh Ambani was one of the many prominent faces visible at the star-studded launch of Sakshi's book on Wednesday. Much was made about the amount earned by her father when he defended the industrialist against his brother Anil during the Krishna Godavari Basin gas dispute. When asked if this public confrontation was proof of the changing institution of family, Salve, who now practices as a barrister in London for six months in a year, said, "Family businesses all over the world have fallen apart. We no longer live in a world where the elder brother is like a father. This is true for the Ambanis too, but I'd add that whenever Mukesh and Anil fight, the nation's assets first get wasted."

Renowned in the legal fraternity for his powers of persuasion, Salve at home is easily influenced by the will of his daughters. They forced him to shed 30 kilos. They have coerced him into adding David Guetta and Deadmau5 to his jazz playlist, and Sakshi even claims to have prodded her father into defending Salman Khan on May 6. "I was in London. I woke up to news reports about Salman Khan being sent to jail. He was my first love when I was six. I immediately texted my father saying he couldn't let this happen." Salve clarifies that he was in Mumbai to appear for Vodafone when Khan's lawyers briefed him. "The case was a sitter. The law says you can't send a man to jail without a copy of the judgment. That's why I needed only 10 minutes notice." The 58-year-old lawyer seems almost impervious to righteous public fallout. "When people ask me about why I appeared for a vilified someone, I have a pat answer. Good guys don't need lawyers. Healthy people don't go to doctors."