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Hema Malini, Dharmendra's Daughter Ahana Deol's Mehendi Ceremony: Picture

Ahana Deol, Dharmendra and Hema Malini's younger daughter and Esha Deol's younger sister is all set to tie the knot this Sunday.The Mehendi ceremony kickstarted today at Hema Malini's bungalow in Juhu, Mumbai, with the who's who of the Bollywood industry making their presence felt.Click on the slider to see few pictures from Ahana Deol's mehendi ceremony...


Priyanka Chopra proud of 'Gunday'

Mumbai: Actress Priyanka Chopra, who recently saw the first copy of her forthcoming film "Gunday", is thrilled with how the movie has turned out.

The actress took to Twitter to thank all those who have made the film possible.

"Just got done watching the first copy of 'Gunday'. I'm so proud of everyone who made this film possible...pat on the back," Priyanka posted on the microblogging site Friday.

The film also features Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh and will hit the screens Feb 14.

Rohit Shetty takes Hindi tuitions

After sharing some Tamil flavour to audience with his superhit film 'Chennai Express', director Rohit Shetty is going Hindi Vindi these days... Talks are that he is taking coaching for brushing up his Hindi... Why? So that he turns out to be a perfect host language wise, for his forthcoming action reality show 'Khatron Ke Khiladi'.

The dedicated filmmaker is keen that he not only look perfect but also sound correct in his small screen debut. So while he can speak proper Hindi no doubt, he wants get his diction right, sources revealed. And for this he is taking special classes from... Guess who??? One Hindi teacher called Vidhur Chaturvedi, who actually taught the language to Katrina Kaif for her film 'Raajneeti'.

Arre wah, watta dedicated host he is!!

Ash, Deepika are among top world beauties

While B-town's pretty mummy Ash made it to the fourth position, the 'Chennai Express' girl bagged the 29th position in the list.

A statement released by Ash in media read, "The results of this poll by Hollywood Buzz was brought to my notice in fact by my well-wishers whatsapping me, believe it or not, and I must admit it's overwhelming to hear that over 4 million people across the globe have voted and listed me amongst their top choices with such beautiful and talented women. I say a huge loving thank you to all my well-wishers (fans) for making me smile and always being there for me. More power to our love."

The former Miss World from India was positioned right behind Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie, who was at number 3.

Italian actress Monica Belluci was voted number 1, while American model and actress Kate Upton was number 2.

Deepika, who charmed her audiences with 4 hits in 2013, followed behind ‘Les Misérables’ actress Anne Hathaway, who was at number 28.

Following is the list of the ‘World’s 30 Most Beautiful Women of 2014′:

1. Monica Bellucci
2. Kate Upton
3. Angelina Jolie
4. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
5. Irina Shayk
6. Meryem Uzerli
7. Charlize Theron
8. Amber Heard
9. Rihanna
10. Scarlet Johansson
11. Megan Fox
12. Adriana Lima
13. Halle Berry
14. Eva Mendes
15. Miranda Kerr
16. Katy Perry
17. Amanda Seyfried
18. Olivia Wilde
19. Mila Kunis
20. Kristen Stewart
21. Kim Kardashian
22. Jennifer Lawrence
23. Taylor Swift
24. Haifa Wehbe
25. Beyonce
26. Candice Swanepoel
27. Jessica Alba
28. Anne Hathaway
29. Deepika Padukone
30. Fan Bingbing
 

Of weddings and destinations

The season for destination weddings in Vizag spans from November to February

Vizag with its pristine beaches is attracting couples from different cities and fast growing as a destination wedding spot

Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry tied the knot with her French beau, actor Olivier Martinez, in an intimate ceremony at the Chateau des Conde in Vallery in France’s Burgundy region in a romantic castle.

Back home, the luxurious beaches of Goa witnessed Bollywood actor Lara Dutta and tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi’s wedding while actor Celina Jaitley exchanged her vows at the 1,000-year-old monastery in Austria. The concept of destination weddings is fast picking up among Indians.

While Goa, Jaipur, Udaipur and places in Kerala top the list of wedding destinations, Vizag with its pristine beaches is also attracting couples and fast growing as a preferred place for tying the knot. City hotels have hosted quite a few destination weddings for families coming from Kolkata, Delhi, Raipur, Bhubaneshwar, Behrampur and Vijayawada. The reason behind the trend, say hoteliers, is due to a combination of socio-economic factors. “The concept of a wedding is evolving from a social function involving more than a thousand guests to a microcosmic bonding of families. Now, couples prefer to make it an intimate gathering with a small group of 100 to 150 guests and later give a final reception back home for all other guests,” says Madhav Bellamkonda, Chief Operating Officer of Varun Group and General Manager of Novotel Hotel, which hosted eight destination weddings last year. For some, it is the emotional connect with the place that draws them to choose a destination over the others. For instance, when two years ago Delhi-based Aditya and Sonal were deciding on a destination wedding, they selected Vizag, simply because they had both spent “fun years” of their childhood in the city before their families migrated to North India. “We wanted to start our lives from the point where we met and the days when we were just school friends. It was a nostalgic feeling,” says Sonal. This growing trend has created an industry estimated at a whopping Rs 1.9 lakh crore , say industry analysts.

Themes and decor

The season for destination weddings in Vizag spans from November to February. Budget is not a restraint, but emphasis is on the novelty factor. Aesthetic décor sprinkled with creativity is a thumbs-up for these weddings. Right from creating a 10-feet-high hydraulic lift for the ‘mandap’ on the sandy beach to decors of white and violet shades or the theme of ‘fishing’ – hotels and event managers in the city are going all out to create the glitz and glamour in creating a different experience for the couple and their families.

Indian colours and customs have been great attractions for foreigners, many of whom have preferred to tie the knot in the country and Vizag, too, hosted a few such weddings. Ajit Singh Garcha, General Manager of The Park, points out that foreigners prefer the wedding venue to retain the natural charm instead of a complete transformation with gaudy decorations. “We recently hosted a destination wedding for a couple who wanted the entrance to be where the grass ended and the sand began, so that it opens to the sea and has a natural feel to it,” he says.

Farm-house weddings

Farm-house weddings have also become increasingly popular with many smaller resorts coming up in and around Vizag, especially in the West Godavari region, promoting the concept of destination weddings. These hotels and resorts have tie-ups with decorators, photographers, beauticians, custom-made bridal trousseaus and other services like assistance for travel.

“We also fly in make-up artists and DJs from cities like Mumbai for some of our clients,” says a hotel executive with a leading hotel group in Vizag. Most destination weddings in the city also add a dash of sight-seeing and shopping to the celebration. “It is like mixing a vacation with the rituals of wedding. Very few cities have a natural geographical advantage like Vizag with its long stretch of beach on one side and the green canopy of Eastern Ghats on the other side,” says Garcha.

Weddings are incomplete without a lavish food spread and to make it more special for the couple the hotels also fly in chefs from other cities who specialise in specific cuisines. “We had couples requesting Thai and Japanese cuisine in destination weddings in Vizag and for them, we called our master chefs from different properties of The Park,” Garcha added. Elaborate and live salad and tandoor counters and a dash of exotic stuff are not uncommon in these weddings. Dragon fruit, Thai rose apples and honey dew melons vie for space with strawberries, mangoes and figs. And this is not all! Hotel staff dresses up in different themes too!

Hotel players in Vizag see this as a lucrative industry and an opportunity to promote the city as a wedding destination in newer markets like Gujarat. However, to beat the favourite destinations like Goa or Jaipur, Vizag has a long way to go. “Assorted value-adds like water sport activities should be developed here.

These are essential elements in a destination wedding. Families want to add a dash of fun and excitement along with the wedding rituals,” says Madhav.