MUMBAI MIRROR (June 19, 2020)

Whoever said diamonds are a woman’s best friend, sure didn’t know about dogs. And Tara Sutaria will vouch for this. With rules of the Coronavirus lockdown relaxed since the last few weeks, the actress brought home an adorable five-month-old Beagle over the weekend and couldn’t stop fussing over the puppy.

While twin sister Pia welcomed the pooch home, announcing, “I love you way too much already,” actor-beau Aadar Jain took on the christening duties and named the little furbaby Bailey. Happy with his pick, Tara blew him emoji kisses, asserting, “Whoever named her knows what he’s doing.” The actress who, when asked about their relationship, had said, “Well, we really enjoy each other’s company,” now has yet another reason to bond with him, apart from their shared love for food.

Aadar’s sister-in-law Anissa Malhotra, who married his brother, Armaan, in February, went “Yayyyyyyy” on the post and Tara immediately replied, “Cannot wait for you to meet her.” Guess introducing a new member to the clan could be a good reason for a reunion of the Kapoor and Jain khandaans after the star-studded wedding.

Aadar Jain’s mother on him and Tara Sutaria, the couple who was the centre of attention at the Armaan Jain-Anissa Malhotra wedding festivities last week
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 12, 2020)

At Armaan Jain and Anissa Malhotra’s wedding, the most talked about filmi do since Deepika Padukone-Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra-Nick Jonas nuptials, Tara Sutaria and Aadar Jain were the centre of attention.

The common refrain at a string of star-studded ceremonies—Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan, Karan Johar and Kiara Advani were among the performers at the sangeet, which was held the day after the wedding—was that the couple would be the next one to tie the knot. The arrival of Neetu Kapoor with Ranbir and Alia Bhatt, after they missed the preceding events to be by the ailing Rishi Kapoor’s side, momentarily fuelled chatter around the reported December wedding of the Brahmastra co-stars. However, the focus swiftly returned to Tara and Aadar.

On Monday, Rishi and Neetu’s daughter Riddhima Kapoor-Sahni posted a group picture, which she described as “family”, on Instagram. It had Tara, with her arm around Aadar, sharing the frame with the latter’s parents, Rima and Manoj Jain, his newlywed brother and sister-inlaw and cousin Nitasha Nanda, among others.

When Mirror reached out to Rima about rumours of another wedding in the family, she said, “No, nothing like that. They’re young. We’ll see later in life what happens. Let them make their life and let them work (first).” When asked if the relationship had the family’s approval, she said, “We love anybody our son loves.”

Last week, along with Karisma and Kareena Kapoor, who’re the Jain brothers’ cousins, Tara had been at the forefront of the wedding festivities. At the sangeet, she joined Aadar for a performance on the song “Gallan Kardi” and sang a song for the newlyweds.

In an earlier interview to Mirror (Nov 5, 2019) the Student of the Year 2 debutante had said that she and Aadar met for the first time at a Diwali party in 2018. “It’s important to say this, we enjoy going out and spending time together. Aadar is special to me and both of us are foodies, so we are going to be spotted at restaurants,” the 24-yearold actress had said, reiterating evasively, “We really enjoy each other’s company”, when asked about their relationship status.

Last year, the couple made joint appearances at several prominent filmi dos, including the Bachchan Diwali bash and Malaika Arora’s 46th birthday in October. Aadar was also spotted at the screening of the actress’s last film, Marjaavaan. In December, they went to the U2 concert in Navi Mumbai together. Later, Aadar shared a recording of the band performing on their song, “Beautiful Day”. “When I am with you,” he noted, tagging Tara, who responded, “Always with you.”

Reportedly, the couple also brought in the New Year together in London.

Shah Rukh Khan, Kareena and Karisma Kapoor, Karan Johar, Anil Kapoor headlined Armaan Jain and Anissa Malhotra’s filmi sangeet ceremony in Mumbai
Hiren Kotwani (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 6, 2020)

Karisma and Kareena Kapoor’s cousin Armaan Jain and his bride Anissa Malhotra clearly don’t care for wedding-related rulebooks. The newlyweds had a star-studded sangeet on Tuesday, a day after tying the knot and throwing a reception party at a suburban five-star.

The stage, this time in Central Mumbai, was decorated in mauve and silver shades with the couple’s initials engraved in gold. According to Priti Sidhwani, who did the décor for all the ceremonies, the theme for the sangeet was metallic accents. “Gold, shimmer, gold acrylic and white were the colours of the musical evening after the floral drama, Venetian gardens and French windows of the wedding,” she added.

Holding court near the entrance was Karisma, who was twinning with daughter Samaira, and welcomed guests on behalf of the bridegroom’s cousins. Later, she joined sister Kareena’s stage revival of Poo from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, dancing to “Bole Chudiyan” and the Veere Di Wedding song “Tareefan”. “This was very last-minute, so I’m warning you guys,” Karisma, who also danced solo on “Le Gayi” from Dil Toh Pagal Hai, told guests ahead of the performance. The actress-siblings were later joined by Karan Johar and the trio grooved to “Radha” from Student of the Year.

Ranbir and Neetu Kapoor, who, along with Alia Bhatt, had been unable to join in the revelry owing to Rishi Kapoor’s recent hospitalisation, were in attendance. “They left early to tend to Rishi ji,” said a source.

Also present at the do were Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan, Varun Dhawan and Natasha Dalal, Sidharth Malhotra, Kiara Advani, Chunky Panday with wife Bhavana and daughter Ananya, Rani Mukerji, Sonam Kapoor, the Ambanis, Gautam Singhania and Yash Birla. Arjun Kapoor and Malaika Arora made their first joint appearance at a filmi do. British actress-socialite Elizabeth Hurley also attended with Haseena Jethmalani.

While Armaan danced to “Jine Mera Dil Luteya”, his brother Aadar Jain performed on cousin RK’s “Bachna Ae Haseeno” and on “Gallan Kardi” with rumoured girlfriend Tara Sutaria.

KJo anchored the entire ceremony, while SRK and Gauri presented a skit, playing Manoj and Rima Jain.

Kiara was joined by the girl gang from the family for a bit on “Sauda Khara Khara” from her film Good Newwz, while Anil Kapoor closed the show with “Gallan Goodiyaan”.

The dinner spread featured various Indian, Mughlai, Oriental and Italian cuisines, with a counter dedicated to sushi. Cocktails and mocktails were served from five bars that were set up at different spots at the venue. “The haleem and mughlai chicken were the best. I’m sure Rima had chosen the dishes herself,” a guest informed.

—With inputs from Avinash Lohana

Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 5, 2020)

Armaan Jain tied the knot with girlfriend Anissa Malhotra on Monday. Cousins, Kareena and Karisma Kapoor, with Saif Ali Khan and Taimur on his shoulders, accompanied the groom to a suburban five-star for the wedding, which began with the sehra-bandi, followed by the pheras and a reception, at which guests grooved to English chartbusters.

Amitabh, Jaya, Abhishek, Aishwarya Rai and Aaradhya Bachchan, along with Boney, Anil, Sanjay and Arjun Kapoor, and Arbaaz, Sohail, with mother Salma Khan, sister Alvira and brother-in-law Atul Agnihotri, were in attendance. Dimple Kapadia, Twinkle Khanna, Karan Johar, Kiara Advani, the Ambanis, CM Uddhav Thackeray with wife Rashmi, and Tara Sutaria, rumoured girlfriend of the groom’s brother, Aadar Jain, were also spotted.

Armaan’s aunt Ritu Nanda, who passed away a few weeks ago, was missed, as was Rishi Kapoor, who was hospitalised recently. Neetu, Ranbir and Alia Bhatt weren’t present either.

Armaan sounded ecstatic, even though he had lost his voice. “Everything was absolutely fantastic,” he exclaimed. The highlight of the evening was Nitin Mukesh belting out Raj Kapoor chartbusters, including “Dum Dum Diga Diga”, “Patli Kamar Hai” and “Mera Joota Hai Japani”.

“I was sitting in a corner when some youngsters started singing 'Dum Dum Diga Diga' as a tribute to Raj uncle and papa (singer Mukesh). So, I sang along. It was an emotional moment and drew the newlyweds and their parents to the dance floor,” the veteran singer recounted.

Karisma Kapoor, Armaan Jain, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Anissa Malhotra

MUMBAI MIRROR (December 16, 2019)

Almost five months after their engagement, the Kapoor clan assembled in South Mumbai on Saturday night for the roka ceremony of Armaan Jain and Anissa Malhotra.

While Rishi and Neetu Kapoor arrived together, Karisma Kapoor was accompanied by mother Babita, and kids, Samiera and Kiaan Raj Kapur. Kareena Kapoor, who flew in from Bangalore after fulfilling a work commitment, showed up in a fiery red Raghvendra Rathore outfit with husband Saif Ali Khan, who was dressed in allwhite. Earlier, the actress was spotted getting ready for the ceremony at the Bangalore airport, which she jokingly identified as her new makeup room in a video that surfaced online.

Besides the extended family, including Randhir Kapoor, Parliamentarian Supriya Sule, Tina Ambani and Kiara Advani were among the guests. Armaan’s younger brother Aadar was spotted greeting alleged girlfriend Tara Sutaria at the entrance, while Neetu took to the dance floor with the bridegroom-to-be, who is the son of her sister-in-law Rima Jain.

On Christmas, Randhir Kapoor talks about the age-old tradition of celebrating the festival together and he hopes that future generations of the Kapoor khandaan will also embrace his father Raj Kapoor’s beliefs
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; December 26, 2018)

Nothing ever overshadows the spirit of the Kapoor family, and the way they come together to mark special moments in their life, is proof of that. Following their annual tradition, the Kapoors came together for Christmas brunch, hosted by siblings Sanjana Kapoor, Kunal Kapoor and their kids.

If there is one belief that unites the family, it is that… the show must go on. Earlier this year, there were talks that the legendary RK Studio is up for sale, but, Bollywood’s first family celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi with enthusiasm. Last year, the family missed Shashi Kapoor’s presence (he passed away in 2017), but that didn’t dampen their Xmas cheer. This year, family’s matriarch Krishna Raj Kapoor passed away, a few months ago, but the Kapoors have continued with the family tradition.

While Rishi Kapoor is away in the US, getting medical treatment, an emotional Randhir Kapoor told BT, “Papa believed that the show must go on, and we’re following his words. Life goes on, come what may. So, we all gathered for the annual brunch, like every other year and had a great time together. It has been a family ritual for decades now, so there was no reason for us to not do it this year, too. Yes, we missed our mother and Shashi uncle at the dining table. We really missed seeing Rishi and Neetu, too, but nothing ever stops us from celebrating life and the moments that we’re blessed to have with each other. We Kapoors are together, in our joys and our sorrows. We’ve never let our spirits get dampened by anything, because that’s not how we’ve been taught to look at life.”

The Kapoor brunch saw Kareena Kapoor Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Taimur Ali Khan, Karisma Kapoor, Babita, Kunal Kapoor and other members of the family in attendance. Talking about taking the family tradition forward, Randhir said, “I just wish that the traditions that our elders had lovingly started are carried forward by the generations to come. I just hope that the younger kids follow our customs, traditions and rituals with the same enthusiasm as us. On Christmas, with the festive cheer in the air, I just pray that the next generation of Kapoors is also close-knit and loving towards each other at all times, and follows the mantra – the show must go on.”

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 15, 2014)

In an interview to Mirror (June 16), Raj Kapoor's grandson, Armaan Jain, when quizzed about his real life love story had guffawed, "Where's the time for love? I'm married to my work."

However, a source close to the actor, who recently made his Bollywood debut with a rom-com, reveals that he has been seeing a South Mumbai girl Anissa Malhotra, who is currently in New York and has recently graduated from one of the best schools in the Big Apple. Although Anissa, who comes from a Punjabi-Parsi parentage, has never been spotted on the set, rumours are doing the rounds that she is more that just a good friend to the young actor.

When Mirror confronted Armaan, obviously taken by surprise, he almost stuttered, "You are mistaken. I have never been in a long-term relationship with anyone."

However, when prodded about whether he knew a girl by that name, Ranbir Kapoor's cousin admitted that he indeed did, but went on to add: "Anissa... Anjali... They are my close friends from school."

Armaan went on to say that these pretty ladies had studied with him at Cathedral & John Connon School in Fort. "Anissa is a childhood friend. I've known her since we were three. We were a group of eight who grew up together," he insisted.

When asked if Anissa had attended the premiere of Lekar Hum Deewana Dil, he protested, "All my friends attended my film's premiere. But these girls are like my sisters and the boys are my brothers. They are going to rag me silly if the news goes around about Anissa and me."

So, what's he been up to since the release of his first film? Armaan who had earlier stated that right now his only thought was bagging a second film once his contract ended on July 4, admitted that he had yet to sign his second film. "I've joined a couple of classes and I'm grooming myself. I've been working hard on myself," he said.