<h2>Backstage Pass</h2>
Finding their footing, literally, actors Kalki Koechlin and Siddhant Chaturvedi turn rehearsals into a full-blown main character moment at Lakme Fashion Week on Sunday
<h2>Fort-ified in glamour</h2>
Jewellery designer Farah Khan Ali threw open the doors to her new store in Fort on Eid &mdash; a happy accident, as we hear it. Farah tells yours truly she actually intended to launch her boutique over three days &mdash; between March 19 and March 21 &mdash; but approved the invite without her reading glasses on!
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/Ekta-Raheja_e.jpg" alt="Ekta Raheja" width="1280" height="720" /> Ekta Raheja
The date dilemma didn&rsquo;t dampen the occasion, if anything, it amplified the festive spirit. Farah&rsquo;s family was the first to show up in support: dad Sanjay Khan, brother Zayed with wife Malaika, Fardeen Khan with mum Sundari, sister Sussanne, cousin Laila, and a handful of next gens.&nbsp;
Co-host Ekta Raheja looked lovely in a pale-yellow outfit, accessorised with some of Farah&rsquo;s finest emerald pieces, and made it a point to mingle with as many guests as possible. Also in attendance were Shweta Bachchan-Nanda, Tanya Godrej, Tarun Tahiliani, singer Sukhbir, Sushmita Sen, Zoya Akhtar, Seema Sajdeh, Rekha, Poonam Dhillon, Bobby Deol and wife Tania, Anna Singh, Bhairavi Jaikishan, Kim Sharma, and Dia Mirza.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/Farah-Khan-Ali_e.jpg" alt="In selfie mode: Ayesha Shroff, Anna Singh, Shaina NC, Prerna Goel, and Farah Khan" width="1280" height="720" /> In selfie mode: Ayesha Shroff, Anna Singh, Shaina NC, Prerna Goel, and Farah Khan
Several lovely ladies dropped by after attending Manish Malhotra&rsquo;s mum&rsquo;s memorial, most notable among them being Twinkle Khanna &mdash; who threw a bejewelled black jacket over the outfit she wore to the prayer meeting, appearing perfectly poised for both. As if that weren&rsquo;t enough, two Thackerays &mdash; Aaditya and aunt Sharmila &mdash; added extra sparkle to an already glam gathering. Star-studded, family-approved, and undeniably exclusive &mdash; Farah&rsquo;s launch sparkled in every sense.
<h2>From rink to riches</h2>
Long before she became a World Cup-winning cricket star, Jemimah Rodrigues was a state-level hockey player &mdash; zipping across the rink with dreams bigger than the scoreboard. Malad knew her hustle back then; the world was just late to the party.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/Ronnie-Jemimah_e.jpg" alt="Ronnie D&rsquo;Souza and Jemimah Rodrigues" width="1280" height="720" /> Ronnie D&rsquo;Souza and Jemimah Rodrigues
Over the weekend came a full-circle moment &mdash; with a twist. Ronnie D&rsquo;Souza, Uncle&rsquo;s Kitchen United rink hockey team owner and one of her earliest supporters, made his way to Goregaon to meet Jemimah on set.&nbsp;That&rsquo;s where she handed him an autographed Team India jersey &mdash; less a gift, more a quiet thank you. Because when Jemimah was dropped from the ODI squad in 2022, she didn&rsquo;t disappear &mdash; she returned to the rink.&nbsp;
At Willingdon Catholic Gymkhana, she turned out for UK United and smashed a hat-trick, reminding everyone exactly who she was. Ronnie never forgot it. Fast forward to 2026, having scripted history with an unbeaten 127 against Australia. New stage, same roots &mdash; and she&rsquo;s still looking back with gratitude.
<h2>Dining with a diva</h2>
One may have expected Alia Bhatt to shine among the stars at Farah&rsquo;s store launch, but it was mum Soni Razdan who made a brief appearance. Keeping things characteristically cool, the veteran actress shared warm greetings with a few close friends before making a swift, discreet exit from the boutique.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/Soni-Razdan_e.jpg" alt="Soni Razdan" width="1280" height="720" /> Soni Razdan
Not content to call it a night, though, Razdan traded the store&rsquo;s spotlight for a quiet dinner at the exclusive Breach Candy Club thereafter. Proving once again that while the kids are out collecting likes, the legends are still collecting the best tables in the city.
<h2>The weekend that was</h2>
It has been quite a weekend in our fair city, marked by Eid and a host of other activities &mdash; both solemn and festive. Saturday, in particular, brought Bandra streets to a standstill as crowds gathered outside Galaxy for a glimpse of the season&rsquo;s biggest star, Salman Khan.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/mar/Salman-Khan-az_e.jpg" alt="Salman Khan" width="1280" height="720" /> Salman Khan
In the absence of his annual Eid film release, the show shifted to his suburban home, with father Salim Khan leading the cast. Seated in a wheelchair and surrounded by his family, the nonagenarian acknowledged the waiting crowd with a gentle wave &mdash; a moment that felt particularly poignant, given his recent hospitalisation.
Not far away, in Santacruz, the film fraternity turned up in full to pay their respects on the passing of Manish Malhotra&rsquo;s mother, Sudarshan. From Kajol and Ajay Devgn to Urmila Matondkar, David Dhawan, Gauri Khan, and Vicky Kaushal, the turnout stood as testament to the warmth and goodwill Manish commands in the industry. Taken together, the weekend was a reminder of what defines Mumbai &mdash; its remarkable capacity for both collective joy and shared grief.

The date dilemma didn’t dampen the occasion, if anything, it amplified the festive spirit

Sonali's Society

Backstage Pass

Fort-ified in glamour

Trending Stories

Latest Photos

Latest Videos

Latest Web Stories

Mid-Day Fast

Home / Mumbai-guide / Things To Do / Article / Sonali's Society