Squad Ghouls
Stepping out of a soul-ar powered vehicle would’ve been the ultimate flex for Akshay Kumar as he haunted Ekta Kapoor’s Vile Parle pad with the Bhooth Bangla squad on Monday
The feisty front-row
At Lakmé Fashion Week 2026, there was an unmistakable twist: there were more celebrities on the ramp than off it — and yet the discourse still circled fiercely around who sat where. Last week’s four‑day fashion extravaganza ended Sunday, but the room’s reverb hasn’t died down, and the chatter is now about who was watching, rather than who was walking.
Ananya Panday rocking the ramp for Rahul Mishra last Friday. PIC/SHADAB KHAN
The runway saw star turns from Ananya Panday closing for Rahul Mishra, Aneet Padda as a striking showstopper for Péro, and appearances by Tamannaah Bhatia, Disha Patani, Aditi Rao Hydari, Khushi Kapoor, Kalki Koechlin, Siddhant Chaturvedi, and Alaya F — underscoring film’s ongoing influence on fashion storytelling.
Meanwhile, the coveted front-row drama continued to ruffle feathers. Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi sat up front for Anamika Khanna, while Mozez Singh made it there for Abraham & Thakore, but for many others, securing a seat wasn’t as smooth.
We hear from industry insiders that several stylists and influencers were miffed for being sidelined across shows, despite efforts to secure suitable seating. This is nothing new, of course. When seats are seen as status markers that signal influence, the battle tends to get fierce, competitive, and occasionally theatrical. Year after year, it remains stilettos on, knives out.
Walking the talk
There’s a magic to Mumbai, where everyone’s got their own lane, and the coolest ones don’t need to announce it. On most mornings, while we negotiate with our alarm clock, you will find Neerja Birla walking the Coastal Road promenade. She hops on at Breach Candy, striding down the whole stretch and back — no fuss, no entourage circus. Just her, her pace, and an attendant trailing discreetly behind like a shy punctuation mark.
Neerja Birla
A passionate advocate for mental health, Kumar Mangalam Birla’s beautiful wife is big on the idea that fitness is sanity, not vanity. And she doesn’t just preach it — she shows up for it. Year after year, she participates in the Mumbai Marathon, putting in the miles like clockwork. Honestly, there’s something iconic about it. No need for attention, no performance — just discipline doing its thing before most of the city has even had chai.
Bad boy billionaire
A Mumbai-based billionaire had everyone buzzing about the beauty he brought with him to a recent celebrity wedding. “Pretty brazen,” most folks muttered, given how widely the event was covered. Worse, perhaps, was the fact that the guest list was crawling with the couple’s common friends — so word getting back to his wife was almost inevitable.
“She doesn’t care enough, and he couldn’t care less,” say those in the know about the arrangement. Their rocky relationship has dominated headlines before, so this isn’t the first rumble in what’s clearly been a long-running storm. Another scandal? Just another day at the office for him, apparently.
Shelling out for Sunday brunch
Step aside, small fry — the big fish owned brunch this weekend. While the rest of us ate A1 samosas in our cinema seats, watching the sequel to his blockbuster hit, Ranveer Singh gorged on GSB-style crab and prawn tawa masala at Maaslli Seafood Restaurant in Worli on Sunday. By his side, the stunning Deepika Padukone looked effortlessly chic in a white t-shirt and jeans — dangerously pristine for a meal that promised to be deliciously messy.
Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone
As we hear it, this unexpected outing came courtesy of a restaurant tip from Deepika’s parents, Prakash and Ujjala Padukone. Though Bangalore is their true home, the badminton legend and his better half clearly know where to get our city’s best seafood — having visited Maaslli a fair few times. This was a first visit for Ranveer and Deepika, though, and the powerhouse couple made quite the splash — doing justice to their food and even stopping for a picture with the eatery’s elated owners, Rajesh and Prasad Nayak.
Almost in keeping with the theme, the actors left the restaurant only to find an ocean of eager fans waiting outside — proving that whether it’s on screen or at brunch, Ranveer and Deepika always command a crowd.
