Sonali's Society: Chitrangada Singh on Rekha, and Deepika Padukone's 'pregnancy debut' at Met Gala

Timeless beauty Chitrangada Singh on RekhaPerhaps the most compelling pick for a lsquoTimeless Beautyrsquo is the mononymous Rekha and this week she is Chitrangada Singhrsquos chosen icon Calling the legend the ldquoquintessential Hindi film heroinerdquo Chitrangada finds herself floored by Rekharsquos ability to deliver ldquorestrained natural performancesrdquo that remain just as compelling today as they were decades ago Naturally the actress confesses that Umrao Jaan remains her alltime favourite film It is a choice that underscores a simple truth true cinematic immortality isnrsquot just about the glamour but a performance style that never goes out of fashionMetIculously IndianThe Met Gala is only days away and the lsquoWintour of our discontentrsquo chatter is at an alltime high but letrsquos be real until the red carpet rolls out wersquore all just breathlessly waiting to see who survives the stairsDeepika Padukone at the Met Gala in 2018While critics claim the Met is losing its edge we can assure you the Indian contingent is sharp enough to cut through the noise Leading the pack is Isha Ambani who we hear is likely to be draped in Gaurav Gupta While the designer himself is skipping the NYC madness his sculptural wizardry will keep him there in spiritTaking his place in the flesh is Mumbairsquos sartorial sovereign Manish Malhotra who isnrsquot just dressing the Alist mdash hersquos walking the carpet himself in what we expect to be a masterclass in this yearrsquos lsquoFashion is Artrsquo theme Then therersquos the Deepika Padukone dilemma Shersquos a regular but this year the spotlight isnrsquot just on her gown mdash itrsquos on her glowManish MalhotraHaving just confirmed her second pregnancy on April 19 with that adorable photo of baby Dua a lsquopregnancy debutrsquo on the Met steps would be the ultimate power move And Ranveer Singh Hersquos left us in a lsquowill he wonrsquot hersquo spiralWe know hersquos currently in New York and plans to remain abroad for the next few weeks but whether he makes his formal debut remains the seasonrsquos bestkept secret If he does show up in true Singh style it wonrsquot just be a debut mdash it will be a takeover After all if the stairs donrsquot break the internet we can always trust a Bollywood power couple to do the jobBillionaire BluesIn the airconditioned sanctuary of the VIP box where even a hair flip is often choreographed and the diamonds usually outshine the floodlights Wednesday night gave us something far more relatable raw emotion Seeing Nita Ambani tearyeyed as the Mumbai Indiansrsquo campaign hit yet another snag was the ultimate unmasked momentNita AmbaniClearly therersquos more than moolah associated with the game for some franchise owners mdash the sentimental Mrs Ambani is not alone Dallas Mavericksrsquo main man Mark Cuban mdash everyonersquos favourite Shark Tank firebrand mdash has made a career out of weeping over NBA championships and screaming at referees but seeing that same vulnerability at the Wankhede feels different Itrsquos a serious shift from the poised lsquoFirst Lady of Cricketrsquo to a founder watching her blueandgold empire face a glitch in the Matrix and it comes with an authenticity that doesnrsquot feel packagedPreity Zinta the reigning queen of dugout drama and dimpled heartbreak clearly has a contemporary in the lsquoowners who actually carersquo club Sometimes lsquobeing investedrsquo looks messy ladies but we love you more for itThe nonviolent cake protestPratik Gandhi my personal favourite lsquoScamrsquo star celebrated his birthday on Wednesday mdash not with the flamboyance of his lsquoBig Bullrsquo character but in his own inimitable style A quiet day at home was his singlepoint agenda and it began with a ldquowholesomerdquo workout A temple visit followed mdash his local holy haunt is Juhu Haveli mdash and then it was time for cakePratik GandhiAs greetings poured in so did the presents many arriving covered in frosting At some point the fridge staged a protest as did Pratikrsquos mum ldquoI had to send out a frantic SOS to the group chat begging everyone to stop sending dessertrdquo the actor laughs Though this isnrsquot a milestone birthday it is poised to be a milestone year for Pratik with his Gandhi biopic due for release Itrsquos the right time for the Mahatma we agree and wersquore not just talking about the TV series at this pointldquoThe war and the world take up a lot of my mind spacerdquo Pratik confesses and he doesnrsquot intend to sound like a pageant contestant when he wishes for world peace mdash he means it with the utmost sincerity ldquoI have a 12yearold and I wonder what the future holds for her All this hostilityhellip where are we headedrdquo Hopefully into a better and brighter year not just for the actor but for the world he so thoughtfully observes