It was Indian feast for the Royals
Mumbai, April 11: It was a welcome charity dinner hosted by the British Deputy High Commission in Mumbai teeming with who’s who.
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Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to young talent like Parineeti Chopra and Huma Qureshi — the best of Bollywood extended a warm welcome to British Royals Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton here.
The reception at The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai saw the creme de la creme of the film, sport and business society come together at the hotel for a glittering evening with the royal couple to raise funds for organisations including Childline India, Magic Bus and Door Step School, India.
The top-rated star Shah Rukh Khan, who looked dapper in a tuxedo and a bow-tie, and was the host for the evening, with Aishwarya, tweeted: “The royal couple was so gracious and full of poise. Tonight as I said is the night of the King, the Queen and the Knights. Wish all nights were same.”
Madhuri, the dancing diva of the tinsel town, looked ethereal in a sari for the gala, where she was accompanied by her husband Shriram Nene.
“It was a pleasure meeting their highnesses, William and Kate. Very gracious and down to earth,” Madhuri tweeted after the event.
From the snapshots that the stars have shared on social media, it is evident that special efforts were made to offer a true Indian flavour for the British Royal couple on their first visit to India.
The stars, which included names like Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Kapoor, Karan Johar, Anil Kapoor, Aditi Rao Hydari, Alia Bhatt, Farhan Akhtar, Jacqueline Fernandez, Sophie Choudry, Sonam Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, singer Kanika Kapoor, were dressed elegantly — mostly in creations by designer Manish Malhotra.
Duchess of Cambridge, who is known for her style and poise, stood out in a blue gown for the evening.
The decor was done majorly in marigold, and the centerpieces at the table were carefully chosen by the British Asian Trust.
Indian feast for the Royals
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, got a whiff of ‘desi’ flavours and aromas with the lavish Indian feast for dinner.
The non-vegetarian spread included ajwaini macchli (fish chunks marinated with hung yoghurt and bishops weed, charbroiled in tandoor), kundan kalia (boneless lamb cooked with spices and topped with gold varq) and shahi murg ka soyota (chicken morsels cooked in a rich saffron, cashew and corn-based gravy).
The vegetarian section ranged from dal langarwali (black urad and channa dal cooked to perfection tempered with pure ghee) and paneer shahi korma (cottage cheese cooked with cashew and evaporated milk — a lakhnavi delicacy). Other vegetarian delicacies – subz gandheri kebab (blend of vegetables on a sugarcane stick, a specialty of Hyderabad), khumb makhana mattar (mushrooms, peas and fox nuts, cooked in rich tomato gravy), chhonka palak (spinach tempered with garlic, finished with dried fenugreek leaves) as delectable options.
Accompaniments were awadhi gosht biryani, boondi and fresh mint raita, Indian crudités, cone papad, pickle, chutney and kachumber to be complemented with assorted mini Indian breads, Lucknowi vegetarian biryani (basmati rice and vegetables cooked together with panadanus extract).
Ending with a sweet note – it was dodha with rabdi, chhenna payesh and sharifa kulfi.
On their tour, the royal couple will also attend a lunch hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday, visit Kaziranga National Park in Assam, take a break for a trip to Bhutan, and return to Agra in Uttar Pradesh to view the Taj Mahal.