Sonali's Society

Tangled in tinselAt a starstudded film event in BKC on Monday the peerless Vidya Balan proves that laughter is always the best accessory mdash even when her pose and pleats are perfectDesert debriefThe dust has finally settled on Indio and while the 2026 main stages at Coachella were sadly lacking an Indian headliner Armaan Malik ensured we werenrsquot just a footnote On Weekend 2 our lsquoprince of poprsquo proved that you donrsquot need a setlist to own the desert mdash sometimes a killer knit poncho and the right VIP wristband do the heavy liftingAashna Shroff and Armaan MalikAnd letrsquos not ignore the softpower cameo energy either mdash with his wife Aashna Shroff right there in the mix the duo gave us equal parts fashion calm confidence and lsquowe belong herersquo energy under those desert lights On this occasion their presence was the performance Now letrsquos manifest that 2027 slotBappa before anyone elseThe paparazzi have been permanently stationed at Siddhivinayak Temple for the last few days and who can blame them Between billionaire blessings and political heavyweights Bapparsquos guest list is currently more exclusive than a SoBo galaNita AmbaniFirst up the Ambani clan descended in full force to celebrate Mukesh Ambanirsquos birthday on April 19 In a crimson Jamdani saree and jewellery featuring an assortment of deities Nita Ambani showcased a textbook temple look while the rest of the squad also opted for traditional wear Akash and Shloka were accompanied by their tots while Anant and Radhika navigated their impenetrable security detail with a smileNext came Supriya Sule who made a purposeful appearance with husband Sadanand to offer their daughter Revatirsquos wedding invite mdash securing that divine RSVP before Mumbairsquos elite begin to receive their savethedates for the June nuptialsSupriya and Sadanand Sule at Siddhivinayak TempleBetween cricketers and rockstars film faces and industrialists Siddhivinayak continues to cement its place as the cityrsquos most powerful intersection of faith and influence mdash where the resident VIP calls the shots no matter how formidable his visitors areFielding the falloutIn the highstakes theatre of Indian cricket public sentiment is a fickle beast mdash vocal when you win but merciless when the chips are down As the Mumbai Indians struggle through a lacklustre 2026 season captain Hardik Pandya finds himself in a blinding spotlight largely of his own making His penchant for lsquoextrarsquo PDA with girlfriend Mahieka Sharma mdash from onfield victory hugs to filmed Ferrari drives mdash has shifted from lsquocelebrity goalsrsquo to a lightning rod for criticismHardik Pandya and Mahieka SharmaThe latest flashpoint a viral video suggesting the MI team bus waited 20 minutes for madam Mahieka recently has drawn fire even from Lalit Modi in London who slammed the breach of protocol as a ldquocomplete nonordquo though he offered the hasty qualifier ldquoI hope this is fake newsrdquoFrom those in the know we hear the matter has been blown out of proportion with Mahieka being unfairly targeted in this sideshow But when performance dips personal indulgences are rarely forgiven mdash right or not they are roasted as distractionsYet every coin has a flip side While some cricketing insiders scoff the fashion world has swooned Mahiekarsquos recent turn at fashion week and her new role as a Kama Ayurveda brand ambassador prove that controversy is a potent currency For her the spotlight has translated into a line around the door for premium sponsorships Itrsquos a classic modern paradox the very visibility that fuels a sporting scandal is the same engine driving a commercial empire Over the top Perhaps But in the world of highsociety optics even a sassy roast can be seasoned with goldThe art of the pretty cryWe are fashionably late to this party but even though the appetisers are cold the plat de reacutesistance still merits mention In the MarchApril Indian edition of an Italianborn magazine Karan Johar calls Kiara Advani the ldquomost beautiful crier in the whole worldrdquo mdash a superlative so hyperspecific one would think it could only be birthed in a Dharma boardroomKiara AdvaniNow while most mere mortals may not know this an unofficial sorority of lsquopretty criersrsquo actually exists Canonised by film obsessives the list features Meena Kumari Meg Ryan Demi Moore in her Ghost era and Aditi Rao Hydari Their shared gift Making heartbreak look composedOf course membership to this unspoken club is neither accidental nor genetic Itrsquos a craft mdash honed somewhere between good lighting emotional restraint and the precise calibration of mascara that refuses to run The lsquopretty cryrsquo lives in that narrow corridor between vulnerability and vanity where the pain is palpable but never puffy Just a trembling lip a glistening eye and that one perfect tear making its slow Oscarworthy descent Less breakdown more balletKaran JoharMeanwhile many like moi unravel like damp tissue in moments of crisis mdash neither elegant nor intact and certainly not beautiful But then again we were never meant to be captured in closeup