And then SRK looked at me and said “Ohh!!.. so you a JABRAA..!!..” and my eyes glittered with joyy…. and I wanted to freeze that moment forever!!..
OH WAITTT.. let me put in some perspective to how this happened..
So, I was invited to the FILMFARE nomination night/pre-party that happened on the 9th Jan 2017.. elated that I was, I reached the venue half an hour late (Mumbai traffic you see) and collected my “All area Access Invite” for the event..
We were welcomed by the Editor and the Head honcho of Filmfare Mr. Jitesh Pillai, and let me tell you that he has by far been the humblest host and the most genuine person that I have ever met!!..
As the party progressed he and his colleagues introduced me to all the celebrities which was a very sweet gesture from the Filmfare end.. I vividly still remember Jitesh sir saying “Now that you are a part of the Filmfare, don’t hesitate to ask for anything you require” (this definitely made us feel at home! :’) )
You know for a movie buff like me it’s a different feeling watching these celebrities from a distance and actually interacting and partying with them! And it takes not more than a second for you to break the ice with them as well.. I mean c’mon even they are normal human beings! -)
The party started at about 8.30 pm .. it was supposed to be a Fashion evening by Manish Malhotra, we saw the practice they go through. This is not a new thing that I learnt that day but I observed again that every move you see over the ramp is marked. It’s almost perfect every time, and yes it may look easy but even walking on the ramp takes a lot of hard-work (apart from looking great and carrying yourself with a poise!)
We had stalled ourselves around the ‘Red carpet Interview spot'(Atleast that’s what we called it!) where each of the celebs coming in were being interviewed.. Post that interview they would interact with us and then take our leave.
We met newbies who have been bagging their ‘Best Debut trophies’ in all the award functions this year Saiyami Kher and Harshwardhan Kapoor
Winning has its perks. @SaiyamiKher strikes a pose with the winners of the @JioChat contest! 62nd #JioFilmfareAwards pic.twitter.com/50lhd4DLnZ
— Reliance Jio (@reliancejio) January 11, 2017
I also met my personal favourite monologist from Pyar Ka Punchnama Mr. Karthik Aryan.. I greeted him by saying “A Happy woman is a myth!!..” he laughed in acceptance 😛
Raveena Tandon was one of the queens of the 90’s Bollywood, she met us very humbly and clicked pics with us.
I had actually watched a TV Series on doordarshan called “Sea Hawks” in which Mr R. Madhavan played a very flamboyant character.. I reminded him of that which amazed him! 🙂
This went on for an hour or so, and we heard someone say something about my (or should i say everyone’s!) ultimate Red carpet dream.. “SRK has confirmed about coming to the event!!..” and we again went to our host for the evening Mr. Jitesh Pillai requesting him if he could ask SRK for a group pic with us (having met Shah Rukh Khan a couple of times earlier).. this was something which had to be done.. c’oz people make all kinds of promises.. some people also bitch about him of having lost his charm ..but you can trust me on this that as soon as he comes.. all these so called Anti-SRK people also throng for a pic with him.. I guess that’s why they call him the Badshah/King of Bollywood!)
So, awaiting other celebs.. meanwhile I went in and had some delicious snacks which were being served at the hotel. And since it was a party it was fun to see around as wherever we rolled our eyes to we could only see known faces .. some having mocktails some binging on the starters… some just socializing along with others.
Its a very surreal feeling for a Bollywood buff like me when you see a Nitish Tiwari (director of Dangal) sitting besides you having his drink… The extrovert that I am, I couldn’t help but congratulate him for inspiring everyone with the masterpiece that Dangal was. He was very humble about the compliment and thanked me with a broad smile on his face and asked me “You are the youth.. you liked?”, to which I replied “Of course Sir.. the hard work that you all have put in its making comes through and touches and inspires us in ways more than one!..” 🙂
I again hung around with a couple of friends in the lobby near the bar having my mocktail when Sonam Kapoor walked in, in an attire which proved to me that day of why everyone terms her as the ‘fashionista’ .. she was very elegant about her walk and her postures as she posed for the shutterbugs, post she had given her byte (that’s the common slang for a quick interview on the red carpet) she walked in towards the ballroom.. she looked in a hurry as the show had already started inside and she seems inquisitive about having a look at Manish Malhotra’s latest designs.. so I tried not to hinder her and just gave a smile when she passed by me, she reciprocated with a smile as well.
The interactions continued ..
Some of the most funny ones being with some people least expected..
like the “Saree ka pallu” interaction with Manish Paul.. which started off as a one way appreciative conversation but became comical very soon(it’s Manish Paul after all what else do you expect!).. where his answer to me when I said that ‘My mom is a very big fan of your sense of humour’ received a response “Kya baat kar raha hai meri mom bhi mere humour ki badi fan hai!!..” 😛
or
There was the selfie instance where Swara Bhaskara (again looking elegant in a biege coloured gown) tried to correct me on my “Selfie taking skills” .. it went on with she training me “Dude..Selfies should be taken by holding the camera above your head level.. that’s what Sonam has taught me..” to which someone responded from behind us.. ” hah sahi bol rahi hai.. listen to her!” .. although I had taken my selfie with her by then .. so I turned to see whom the approval came from.. and it was Sonam Kapoor accompanied by Tamanna Bhatia..
I was always crushing over Tamanna so I didn’t think twice before complimenting her on her dress.. to which she responded in the sweetest way “AAawwwwwwwww.. So sweet of you!!..” about the same time Sonam came by asking Swara, Jitesh and Tamanah for a selfie (which Tamannah later shared on her instagram account as well!)
Post which Jitesh sir (who saw me awaiting Sonam’s attention while they were on their selfie taking spree, which Sonam started by holding the phone post exclaiming ” Main sabse tall hun toh main best le paungi selfie!”) introduced Sonam to me.. “He is Aditya” then turning to me he said “Go on Aditya! Now you click a selfie!” while Sonam greeted me “Hi Aditya!” I complimented her on how gorgeous she was looking to which I got a couple of more aawwww’s.. then I complimented her for her performance in Neerja and told her “That Neerja shook me up..i don’t usually get completely flowed into the movies’ plot.. but post Taare Zameen Par if any movie made me cry it was Neerja!” and wished her the best for the Filmfare award this year! She very humbly accepted my compliments and told me “Do Pray that I win it!”, I reciprocated in assurance…
While the party and the celeb interactions continued one after the other a very significent part of majority of the interaction included me asking the celebrity for a quick photo and the celebrity obliging.. which made way for almost every celebrity noticiing my mobile cover 😛 while Sonam found that “innovative thinking” .. Raveena Tandon just did an “Arey wahh!” Anurag Kashyap pointed out that he had seen this cover a couple of times earlier that same night.. (must have been when pics were being clicked with other celebrities around him!)
But the most significant moment of them all came when the mega moment of the night arrived!!!!! .. whole encounter below..
this is what i like to call ‘[highlight]The SRK Moment[/highlight]’ ..
Some things you are bound to see when the news that “SRK yaha aane ke liye nikal chuke hain!” include .. at least 20-25 coordinators running here and there doing all the required checks.. Bouncers being briefed about their role when he arrives at the venue.. Girls (and well in some case the guys too! 😉 ) starting with their touch-up .. well who knows when you might just get an opportunity to click a pic with the Badshah himself!.. and you don’t want to look bad in that pic of yours right!!?? C’oz it’s supposed to be a prominent talking point in your upcoming life.. with your friends, family.. distant relatives (with whom you avoid interaction otherwise, but would surely interact just so that they see your Pic with SRK and feel bad about themselves!) .. your watchman.. your newspaper guy so on and so forth!!..
ANDDDDDDDDD HERE WAS THE FILMFARE MOMENT WHEN TIME STOPPED!!!!!!!!
Padmashri Dr. Shah Rukh Khan was here!!.. all eyes (I could even see some of the other celebs in awe) were glued on him.. he started giving his interviews about Raees .. while I stood there listening to him.. some answers in his cheeky humorous way which as soon as I heard I was like .. this sentence which he just said is surely creating headlines tomorrow!!.. haha.. 😀
As his arrival was when the show had come almost to an end made it compulsory for him to go in quickly .. the disheartened me, i asked Jitesh sir who was still standing there post greeting SRK and escorting him to the Ballroom door.. “Sir, do you think we would get the million dollar picture which we have been waiting all this while for?” he exclaimed “I will try my best after all you guys are my guests!..” a waiting of 15 minutes later SRK came out with Karan Johar and Alia bhat.. both looking dapper just as King Khan.. while Karan was in a hurry to go home having flown down straight from his New York vacation to the party … he dragged Alia along as they were to go together..
Jitesh sir kept his promise.. “See I need you to meet this FAN of your’s .. he has his photo with you on his mobile cover which everyone has been talking about..” he took the phone from my hand and handed it over to SRK.. SRK smiled (obviously with his dimples showing for the girls around to go into an awwww mode!) .. he looked at me and exclaimed with his eyebrows going up.. “JABRA!!..” and i just nodded .. almost in disbelief of what had just happened!!!… it followed with others clouding him for their picture with him.. and I had to get out of the amazement of what had just happened with me and rush for my ‘million dollar picture’ as well!!!!… although I was a bit late to secure a good place in the picture ..but what the hell.. none else got called Jabra by SRK so i was contented ,happy, excited all at the same time!!!….
This made me realize one thing that sometimes you are so busy making that moment perfect for yourself ..that you forget to live in that moment.. it was indeed my first interaction with SRK but him calling me “JABRA” indeed converted my normal day into a memorable one!!! ^_^
While the party went on till 2.30 am with most of the celebs having their dinners post the show.. we joined them in the sprawling lawns where a multi-cuisine dinner was being served.. (I really got an experience of what they mean by when they say the phrase “the party went on till the wee hours of the night!..” as I came out of Hyatt Regency Andheri I had just lived my FILMFARE life!!! Thanks to Jitesh pillai sir for being a fantabulous host throughout!!! ..
The world seemed different… I looked at the Moon in the Sky ..eye to eye and told him “You are not the only one who hangs out with the STARS..”
— BY A TOTAL BOLLYWOODIST!
Aditya Kittur 🙂
[author image=”https://www.thestylesymphony.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/adi-with-srk.jpg” ]Aditya is born and brought up in Mumbai, an electronics engineer and currently working in IT. He is a complete Bollywood buff and loves reading, writing on Bollywood. He lives by the moment and has three major goals in life.. 1. Travelling to different exotic locales around the world, 2. Become a published author and 3. making people connect to the words he writes! PS: He has been learning Gujrati for the swag that comes along with it and is a good cook! 😉 [/author]
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Nice post revealing the behind the scenes account! Good for the author that he got the opportunity…
Congratulations 🙂
Awesome pics 🙂 Thanks a lot for sharing.