&ldquo;Some faces are timeless, but it is the beauty within that makes a woman truly unforgettable,&rdquo; Shilpa Shetty Kundra tells us, as she crowns <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/article/hema-malini-on-her-63-years-in-cinema-i-needed-to-pay-a-tribute-to-dharamji-23639045" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Hema Malini </a>our Timeless Beauty this week. Growing up, Shilpa admired &ldquo;the star.&rdquo; Today, she says, &ldquo;knowing the woman behind the star,&rdquo; she admires her even more.
&ldquo;Hema ji is, of course, one of the most beautiful faces Indian cinema has ever seen. But what fascinated me, even as a young girl, was that her beauty was never the whole story. There was always an unmistakable strength, grace and dignity about her that made her stand apart.
She reigned as the number-one star in Hindi cinema for years, at a time when the industry was fiercely competitive. As a South Indian, Hindi was not her strongest language, yet she rode that wave of success with determination to become The Dream Girl &mdash; a title that will stay with her for eternity.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/sep/Shilpa-Shetty-aa_e.jpg" alt="Shilpa Shetty Kundra" width="1280" height="720" /> Shilpa Shetty Kundra
Her success was never just about a beautiful face. It was about hard work, perseverance, discipline and an extraordinary ability to command the screen. She was also a trendsetter who chose to live on her own terms, making choices about love and work despite the odds, while carrying it all with her trademark grace.
Having admired Hema ji from afar for years, knowing her personally has changed my definition of beauty. Her warmth, sense of humour, values, self-respect, quiet resilience and discipline have only made her more beautiful to me.
Her relationship with dance is equally inspiring. She continues to dance with the same passion and dedication, never allowing age or changing times to dictate what she can or cannot do.
And then there are Esha and Ahana. Seeing the strong women they have become makes me believe even more keenly that the apple doesn&rsquo;t fall far from the tree.
For me, that is what makes Hema ji&rsquo;s beauty truly timeless. Her face may be iconic, but it is her strength,<a href="https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/photo/hema-malini-birthday-2025-sholay-dream-girl-and-other-iconic-films-of-the-actress-107815" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener"> femininity, independence, discipline and dignity</a> that have made her unforgettable.&rdquo;
<h2>In Her Material World</h2>
Without intending to, we seem to be celebrating our little global village this month. The latest dispatch comes in the form of a stunning pair of ruby and diamond earrings that have travelled from the Delhi atelier of Alok Lodha all the way around the world to adorn the ultimate material girl herself, music icon Madonna.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/sep/Madonna_e.jpg" alt="Madonna in earrings by Alok Lodha" width="1280" height="720" /> Madonna in earrings by Alok Lodha
The earrings in question feature 5.16 carats of Mozambique rubies, custom-cut in Lodha&rsquo;s signature tulip cut, interspersed with 2.57 carats of natural diamonds. We&rsquo;re told Brooklyn-based stylist Rita Melssen chose the earrings from a selection of remarkable ruby pieces to complement <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/bollywood-news/article/adnan-sami-praises-madonna-reinvention-says-singers-must-keep-evolving-23648270" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Madonna&rsquo;s blush-pink look</a> for a recent photoshoot &mdash; proof, if we needed it, that pink and red can be a very good match indeed.
Madonna is hardly the first icon to fall for Lodha&rsquo;s high jewellery. Sharon Stone, Mindy Kaling, Kate Beckinsale, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have all been spotted wearing pieces from the brand&rsquo;s dazzling high-jewellery line. From Delhi to Hollywood and beyond, it seems the journey of a great jewel knows no borders.
<h2>Hello, Mumbai</h2>
Fifteen years ago, our favourite restaurateur packed his bags and moved to New Delhi &mdash; to expand the footprint of his beloved bar and kitchen, Olive. Having travelled back and forth fairly frequently since, AD Singh has remained a significant fixture on the city&rsquo;s food scene. This year, however, we are delighted to note that AD and his warm and vibrant wife, Sabina, have officially returned to aamchi Mumbai.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/sep/AD-Singh_e.jpg" alt="AD Singh and friends at Olive Qutub on Wednesday" width="1280" height="720" /> AD Singh and friends at Olive Qutub on Wednesday
Of course, celebrations are in order, and not just in our neck of the woods. &ldquo;When I moved to Delhi, I didn&rsquo;t realise I would make some really close friends there,&rdquo; AD confesses to yours truly, explaining a spate of goodbye parties &mdash; the last as recent as Wednesday night.
Hosted, expectedly, at Olive Qutub, the intimate evening saw several society favourites in attendance, including cigar scion Ameeta Seth, model Sonalika Sahay, designer Shantanu Mehra, musician Ayaan Ali Bangash and his wife, Neema (incidentally, a Mumbai mulgi herself).&nbsp;
The goodbye parties in Delhi may still be going strong, but Mumbai is already raising a glass to having AD and Sabina back home.
<h2>Birthday Wisdom</h2>
September has barely begun, and already the birthday roll call is giving us plenty to celebrate. Padma Lakshmi, who shares her September 1 <a href="https://www.mid-day.com/entertainment/hollywood-news/article/zendaya-turns-30-with-sweet-message-to-fans-and-a-childhood-throwback-23647938" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">birthday with Zendaya</a>, marked another trip around the sun not with a list of achievements, but with something far more revealing: gratitude.
<img src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2026/sep/Padma-Lakshmi_e.jpg" alt="Padma Lakshmi" width="1280" height="720" /> Padma Lakshmi
The Chennai-born author, actor, model and television host took to Instagram with a baker&rsquo;s dozen of things she feels lucky to have &mdash; and, in classic Padma fashion, managed to make the inventory feel both glamorous and grounded.
At the top of her list is her daughter, Krishna, whom she describes as her &ldquo;greatest pride and joy.&rdquo; There is gratitude, too, for the women she can champion, a mother who has weathered life alongside her, family and friends, and the &ldquo;tribe&rdquo; behind every success &mdash; a reminder that even the most formidable women do not get anywhere alone.
She celebrates her books (&ldquo;whether they hit the NYT list or not&rdquo;), her television career and, perhaps most importantly, the privilege of still being able to dream. And then there is her body &mdash; the one that has carried her through life, &ldquo;scars and all.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s a birthday list, yes, but also a useful reminder that gratitude is worth practising, not just professing. Perhaps this is the kind of list we should all be making: less a tally of what we&rsquo;ve acquired, more an accounting of what &mdash; and who &mdash; has made life worth living. Celebrate what carried you here, cherish who carried you, and keep making room for what comes next.

Growing up, Shilpa admired “the star.” Today, she says, “knowing the woman behind the star,” she admires her even more.

Sonali's Society: Timeless beauty: Shilpa Shetty Kundra on Hema Malini

Trending Stories

Latest Photos

Latest Videos

Latest Web Stories

Mid-Day Fast

Home / Lifestyle / Sonalis Society / Article / Sonali's Society: Timeless beauty: Shilpa Shetty Kundra on Hema Malini

Sonali's Society: Timeless beauty: Shilpa Shetty Kundra on Hema Malini

Trending Stories

Latest Photos

Latest Videos

Latest Web Stories

Mid-Day Fast