Exclusive: Screen Big Picture with Celina Jaitly, Dino Morea

Screen: We are going to ask Dino to enlighten us about the new buzz word in the industry—the six-pack abs that everyone is in a great rush to acquire. As a super model and an actor what is your take on the fitness bug that has bit the industry? Since youngsters look up to actors and idols in several ways, how has it affected them in terms of the physique that they want to acquire?

Dino Morea: I think, it is a good thing to be aware about fitness. But its bizarre when some kids resort to any extent to try and achieve a great physique in a short while. It’s not right and it’s not good for their bodies. They are not being adviced correctly. They read magazines and look for a quick fix to try and attain the six packs. To all those present here, I’d say that you already have a six pack, underneath the layer covering it. If that layer comes off and if you exercise, the six pack will show. I think one should look at fitness as a whole rather than just concentrate on the six packs. Since Mumbai lacks the space wherein one can exercise or play a sport, I have in my small way promoting fitness in the city by setting up fitness stations on the streets.
During my growing up years, I played a lot of sports and my lean frame helped me in my modelling career. When I go to the gym, I see these kids trying to starve themselves, take steroids and powders. So, while it’s great that everyone’s becoming more aware about health and fitness and look upon matinee idols, what is disturbing is the extent to which they go that will harm them in the long run. For those who are looking for instant fixes, like an instant coffee, it’s very tough. If you want to look aesthetically pleasing, Avinash can do that with his camera, or make-up can do the trick. In fact, I have also done it to enhance my abs during a photo shoot.

Avinash Gowariker: You’re not supposed to give out secrets.

DM: It’s okay. You can do that today.

Screen: So long live photoshop. But, Avinash this is an interesting point. You’re a fashion photographer. You also shoot celebrities who are not fashion icons. How far do you think that this image that we see in the popular mediums whether it’s in the movies or magazines, is unreal? As Dino said, we don’t talk about a lot of the things that go into it. What kind of impact does it have on people?

AG: It’s quite well balanced and not very unreal. There is Ranbir Kapoor, who’ll not flaunt his body. In his entire career, Akshay Kumar too has bared two or three times. Salman always does it. I shot Shah Rukh in Om Shanti Om. The point I want to make is that, Shah Rukh’s six pack is not as popular as his romantic image. With Aamir also, in Ghajini and Dhoom 3, people appreciated him for what he is. Whereas, actors like Salman and Sanjay Dutt are known to flaunt their physique. The audience is smart, and are not confused or think this is unreal. Each person has his own hero. When I’m shooting a portfolio, Many people come with references of Salman or Shah Rukh and I see that they are not at all confused. They come with a clear perception of how they want their portfolio made.

Screen: Celina , speaking of fitness and the ideal vital stats, what is your impression of the impact of movies on people, as a beauty queen, an actress and as a model? Do you feel that now people want quick fixes to get that perfect body, because the body idea has become more stringent than before? It was okay to be a little plump earlier, but now if you’re not a Size six or a Size four or Size zero, you’re overweight.

Celina Jaitley (CJ): The whole idea of fitness has definitely changed in India. A decade ago, fitness in our country was never even a part of our drawing room conversations. I agree with Avinash, that people are not foolish. They go for what they like. Aishwarya fans like her for her beauty. Shah Rukh had an amazing body in Om Shanti Om, but people still like and talk about his romantic image more. My whole idea of beauty is that, beauty is like being born rich and then becoming poor. The younger lot who are in schools, do look for quick fixes. It’s a fact and a growing reality today. I’m totally against it. I know of women who are taking medications, and starving. There are people taking medications that can fatally damage their liver. I know of women aspiring to look like a certain actress post-pregnancy. So yes, both the scenarios do exist.

Screen: Nikhil, there was a time when there were fashion shows and models, but films majorly influenced fashion. You wanted a kurta like Mumtaz, wore a hairdo like Sharmila Tagore. Then there was the look on the ramp that gained importance over time. So, what is the synergy between the looks that you see on the runway and what you see in the movies?

Nikhil Thampi: Well, it’s a psychological balance between the two for sure. I’ve grown up in the ’80s when fashion in Bollywood was cult created. Like a Chandni or a Jodha Akbar or a Devdas or the chiffon saree. This is something that was cult, not really seen in modern cinema. Today, we see really high-end brands. But for me, the ’80s and ’90s marked cult creation. The synergy between the two depends, because it’s a character that you’re going to portray in the movie. How you do that and how people accept it and imbibe it is a different thing. But when you talk of a red carpet appearance, where new designers come in, they want to look a little bit more formal. It’s the international influence, the awareness of how a certain look works on the runway, to look different from other people. That’s where we come in the picture, where we do something more glamourous. But eventually, Bollywood plays a very important role.

Screen: Dino, there was a time when models were separate from actors. Supermodels had the perfect bodies, while actors carried their personal charm or charisma to play their parts, like the romantic heroes who tilted their head or smiled impishly. The two having merged, in terms of actors trying to look fitter and a whole lot of models entering the industry, has that changed things for the audience?

DM: Yes, completely. If we go chronologically, and watch films from the early ’70s, there were Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Vinod Khanna and Rajesh Khanna. They were larger-than-life characters who really didn’t focus on aesthetics and body. Then you came into the late ’80s and even the ’90s when modeling took a new step in India, with the arrival of Deepak Malhotra, and then Milind Soman with his great physique that everybody wanted to emulate. I remember when I was in school, Milind Soman did one ad in which he bared his body, and everyone looked up and said ‘wow’.
Take Salman for instance. When he started in films, he was lean and wasn’t really much into building his physique. It was later on that he paid attention to his body and started becoming bulkier and more aesthetic looking for the screen. It was a slow merge, but it did happen. But now, everyone feels they need to build a body and six pack abs to be an actor. Like Avinash said, there’s an actor like Ranbir who doesn’t show his body that often. So people who have it, show it, as opposed to people who don’t. It’s a visual medium after all and everyone wants to look good. So if you’re a good actor with a great physique, its good. It’s not however necessary that you have to have a fantastic physique to be a good actor or play a certain character on screen.

Screen: There was a time when we would say, for a heroine, ‘oh my god she’s so fat. How can she be an actress’? But, then again, they had a charm of their own and a following. That has changed to a large extent. You don’t see too many fat heroines. There are very few brave enough to hold on to a certain body weight and yet be seen on screen. What is your take on that?

CJ: It is the common belief amongst people that to be a good actress, you have to have an absolutely perfect body. But reality is something else altogether, because there are actresses who may not have the perfect body, but are loved by one and all. It is more important to be fit. It also has a lot to do with the changing trend of clothes that are being used in cinema. You need to be a fit person to carry the kind of fashion that exist now, to be able to dance in them, romance in them and sell dreams to people. Most women in India, don’t have the privilege of the life that you and I have, living in a city like Mumbai and acquiring an education. So they live their lives through the dreams that are sold to them via the medium of cinema. To be a heroine you need to have a good body, but to be an actress, talent is more than enough.

Screen: Neeta that’s an interesting point that Celina just raised which was about the clothes being worn on screen, which are more western. Do you feel that the narrative of the films that we have now is supporting a certain kind of clothes? And riding us to a certain kind of physicality?

NL: I have a different take to this, essentially because if you go back in history, the kind of films that were made and the kind of research that we did for films, was very restrictive to the Indian domain because of the lack of internet and fashion magazines. The sensibilities of the film-maker were more India centric because India was going through a definite change at that point in time. The heroine was larger-than-life, but then the physique was that of the average Indian woman. With the advent of television, fashion TV and the internet, the globe became like a constricted space where you could see everything happening everywhere. With that even India came on the fore front with Bollywood plus foreign brand making an entry. The aspiration of wearing that foreign brand became huge in the late ’80s and early ’90s. We could see what other designers were doing, and we aspired to not only wear, but also make those kinds of clothes. This resulted in a complete marriage of Indian and western culture.
It was also around the same time, that fashion shows became huge. In fact, when I got into the fashion scene, I was doing films and I was doing mainstream fashion with fashion shows that were latent and started becoming popular. Now you see that everything is about the marriage of what is happening on stage, in the films and what’s happening realistically in front of you. I would also attribute that to the fact that we are a young country and we want everything that’s new and innovative and fashionable. Therefore, we don’t restrict our fashion aspirations only to India. What I foresee in the future is India making a mark on the global map, with people aspiring for Indian garments that have a global appeal.

Screen: With the kind of impact that Bollywood stars and models generate, what is the responsibility that comes with it, because there’s always a flipside to the positive impact?

DM: There is a responsibility that I carry because I’m a public figure. People watch and follow what I do. If I talk about fitness in public, I must know what I am saying and mean what I say because somebody’s listening and somebody might do exactly what I say.
I don’t promote any quick fixes. Fitness is a long term process. Nothing can happen fast. As the proverb goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. So if you want to be fit, you have to practice everyday. Play a sport or go to the gym. It takes time, but ultimately you will see changes. If you want a good looking physique overnight, there’s a quick way, but it’s not the right way. Diet or food, is 70 per cent of your fitness so what you eat, will show on your body. But girls who starve and eat one meal a day, there’s no point. Eat more food, you smile better also!

Screen: What’s the difference between a trend and a fad?

NL: Trend is a holistic mix of fads and classics. And when they go on for a long period of time, trends become classics, because of the sheer attribute of being wearable, like the little black dress. Whereas fads are trends that become a style for a brief period of time. Trend fades away like your dhoti pants. So that’s a fad and you will see it come back again in a cycle format maybe a few years down and go away. But through the years, you’ll probably see one dominant style like your kalidar kurta, which is a classic.

AG: Bunty aur Babli set a trend. You see Sushmita (Sen) in Main Hoon Naa, she set a trend withthe chiffon sarees. With Jodha Akbar, so many people wanted to wear clothes like Jodha. While, it was impractical, Neeta managed to design very aspirational and wearable clothes. Luckily, we have this thing called the Indian wedding where people go berserk on anything. That is where these ghagras come into play. When I shoot, I get so many clear, blatant references, ‘I wanna look like Ranbir from XYZ movie’. So Indian industry (I don’t like the word Bollywood) is a very strong influence. In the ’70s everybody wanted to wear the clothes that Rajesh Khanna wore in the film Sapno Ki Raani.

Screen: We have a question for each of you. Tell us about your favourite trends or fashion idols and things that you think are terrible and should be banned.

AG: Trends and fads have been there for years, but some time ago, it ran over board and became impractical. For example Govinda was aspirational. People loved him for his acting, but couldn’t wear his clothes. Even with Mr. Bachchan, his clothes were never great. Maybe his hairstyle was. It was not something out of the world to wear Mr. Bachchan’s type of clothes. So now, fashion is connected from film to film. The designers are more responsible than the actors. They design it and sometimes it just clicks. Sushmita Sen’s sarees became a huge influence on the Indian style scene. There’s an actor for every style. Off screen, they come up with many looks which may never come on screen. But it’s still very aspirational

NT: Rockstar was a big influence on me. Even I started wearing those pants. It’s trendy. It could be a fad. But, at the moment it feels right, and it’s comfortable for the weather. Coming to the influence, we have seen Sharmila Tagore wearing a bikini as compared to some actresses in the present time donning it, that people feel is cheap. So the manner in which an attire is portrayed is very important. Once people adapt it, they like it and appreciate it. But if the portrayal goes wrong, it’s wrong. People’s psychology and how they perceive and imbibe them is important.

Screen: That’s where the actor’s persona comes in as much as the stylist and the designer. Neeta what is your opinion?

NL: This is something very important and it needs to be addressed. Avinash will agree with me on this. In our culture, what is the sexiest outfit you can think of? The chiffon saree, that I designed in Chandni, that I’m styling for actors till date. But, I don’t understand the concept of some women saying, ‘I don’t want to look like a behenji in a saree’. Where does that concept come from? Because for whatever it takes, you are a behenji if you think being Indian is being behenji. I would defy anyone to show me a sexier outfit than a saree.
What about Rekhaji wearing a Kanjivaram? That’s as behenji as behenji can get, if that’s the word. It doesn’t look very sexy, but it looks classy and stylish.

AG: A college girl won’t want to wear it is the point I’m trying to make. From a photographer’s perspective, when a model comes to me, she would not want to wear a Kanjivaram. She’d rather wear a chiffon.

Screen: Celina what is your opinion on the saree, because now gowns have become far more popular? Is it sexy or not, cool or not so cool, especially when you’re representing your country on an international forum. It’s turned into a raging debate when you go to Cannes, whether you should go in a gown or a saree. Even if you’re looking gorgeous in a saree, people are sort of divided in their opinion whether it should be a gown or a saree.

CJ: Honestly, when I saw Chandni for the first time, that’s all I wanted to be. I even told my mother to change my name to Chandni. I can never get that image out of my mind of Sridevi in that particular blue or white chiffon saree that she wears in the film. So the Indian woman in me, would always feel the sexiest in a saree. At all my UN functions I’m always in a dilemma, whether I should wear a dress, a gown or a saree? And I always end up wearing a saree, because personally, I feel the sexiest in it. There are several things to be considered when wearing a sareee. For instance, the way it is draped, the colour, your fitness quotient and how comfortably you can carry it. A person at Cannes may just completely bowl over the media with a stunning presence in the most amazing, simple, plain chiffon saree. And another may go with most ordained of sarees, with jewellery and bags and everything and be a complete disaster.
Fashion is nothing but carrying whatever you are wearing today, with confidence. And carrying it with that thought in your mind, that yes I look gorgeous, I look sexy. So that’s the confidence you should have because there is no fashion statement, better than self confidence

Screen: It’s interesting that you talk about confidence. For a long time in the movies, the way an actor or an actress was dressed was more about their personality. It was not that everybody had to fit into that one mould. We see somewhat the reverse of that happening now. Is that a good thing? This uniformity, in the way actors and characters are presented to us, what would you say to this, Avinash as a photographer?

AG: In movies, it’s the director’s call. I’m sure they brief Neeta on the role saying, ‘this is what I want, whether you like it or not’. Why I’m saying this so blatantly is because sometimes we have had deadly Indian makeovers like somebody going completely de-glam like Bebo in Jab We Met. That is actually a very bold director’s call. He’s not concerned about what the fashion trend is.

Screen: Ashutosh had once mentioned that Aishwarya shouldn’t have this gymed out look for Jodha Akbar. She should look like a queen. So, perhaps a look works only if a character is convincing.

AG: According to history, Jodha wasn’t like that. But that’s the liberty Ashutosh took as a director. For instance. Urmila (Matondkar) was reinvented with Rangeela. There’s Sonakshi (Sinha) she’s one girl very next door. She has kept that personal space, because she is comfortable. There are some girls who are comfortable with anything. Priyanka (Chopra) is so cool about whatever she wears. But, here we are talking about films and missing out on the directors. Many a times, it’s the director’s call about what he or she wants for the film. Sometimes it’s generic, sometimes it’s definite. Now I don’t think when Farah (Khan) wrote Main Hoon Naa, she thought Sushmita’s saree will start a trend. She was only concerned that Shah Rukh should fall in love with a teacher. So, how do I make my teacher look sexy. That’s when the designers step in.

NL: Agreeing to what Celina and Avinash said, it’s about the confidence level, and about what the director wants. Being able to create that kind of trend or impact though a character’s costume or a characterisation, is essentially about the fact that there is something different about the character that you dress. It’s something about the personality that you are dressing and creating a comfort level, about making the personality of the actor feel very comfortable in the character. If you give an actor a woollen kurta in the summer, he will not be able to perform. So performance and honesty to the character comes from the comfort level in the garment, be it de-glamourised or being in fashion.

Screen: Interestingly, Sridevi’s saree in Chandni was so famous. In English Vinglish, she is again seen in a saree. She isn’t looking in-your-face sexy but there is an appeal to the kind of clothes she’s wearing. It fits in with her character who is a mother, a family woman and yet it’s very attractive.

NL: I don’t think we can take Sridevi as a ballpark figure, because Sridevi is a fashion institute in herself. I have dressed her in Roop Ki Rani, in the heaviest of costumes, with almost 800 metal pieces and feathers on the head. For another film she’s worn a 12 kg metal top and she’s carried it off like a house on fire. What you saw in English Vinglish is just her simple self. All she did was wear the kind of clothes that were comfortable and exude her personality through them. But, if you have seen her in other films, she actually comes across as a diva.

Screen: Celina, how easy or difficult is it to bring your own personality in a role? How does that change on the ramp?

CJ: If you already decide what you want to be, you will never do justice to what you’re playing. Because as Avinash said, the director has cast you in a role, keeping in mind what he thinks works best for you. On the ramp, it’s completely different, as there you’re just a mannequin who walks up and down for a minute and doing justice to somebody’s creative vision, that may probably set a trend. So being an actor, you wear clothes to transform the character and not yourself into a diva.
At the end of the day, it is humungous team work. With globalisation, there’s an amalgamation of various trends from all over the world plus our own rich heritage. So how does one put it all together in a two hour film? You need someone really creative to do that which is when the designers come in. Then there are people who make us look good. I don’t think I would be able to carry the film on my shoulder if these people were not the wind beneath my wings. It’s a combined effort to make cinema and sell dreams to people. It’s a lot of blood, sweat and tears that go into it from a lot of people, like the make-up and hair stylist. You also set trends with make-up, just the way you apply eye-liner or the lipstick you wear, or the way you style your hair in a particular film.

Screen: As you said in films and even in general when you style an actor, you keep in mind the person’s personality and the body type. But there are people who follow trends blindly. So what would you say about the trends being followed, especially with the advent of social media, there’s so much everybody is aware about and with celebrities being scrutinised. So do you think it’s good in a way or do you see the bad side of it?

NT: It’s an actor’s job profile to depict a particular thing. If at all someone comes up to me, who is not a particular body type and says I want to wear a bikini bra with a saree that she can’t carry off, we diplomatically try to explain that this is what you like, but it may not look good on you. It’s everyone’s hard work. Nobody is making a mistake on purpose. I do believe that people scrutinise too much. I personally don’t follow critiques because it’s my hard work at the end of the day.

AG: It’s actually a very drastic situation. There’s no escape from being scrutinised and criticised. No one is certain about what is right or wrong. The outcome is known only after the film is released on Friday. There have been disasters even at Oscars and Cannes. You think top stars do not consult or think about how they should appear in public. But the minute they step out of the limo, their appearance is slashed. It’s most unfair. A lot of people like me, the directors may give a go ahead to something and then suddenly people like you will say, kitna ganda hai.

CJ: Most of these things happen because you are constantly under pressure. I may show I’m very much in control or I’m perfect. We, as actors, also need to realise that we can’t be perfect all the time. Anyone who is working with an actor and director should make an effort to know the artiste. We should also make an effort to know that the people who are there to photograph us or dress us or apply make- up have also put in a lot for their art, to be able to advise us on what to do.

Screen: So we guess it happens at two levels. One is the mass acceptance level of a fashion or a trend and the other is the high-end fashion. There’s popular calender art which has mass appeal and then there’s art which is not so popular. It’s the same with fashion as well. There’s a high fashion icon and there’s the aam aadmi fashion that depends a lot on how much you can relate to what a person is wearing.

CJ: I don’t know actually. Despite being in this line since the age of 16, I was a model, then I became a beauty queen, and later an actress, And now I’m a mom. So an icon remains as someone who you want to see and want to emulate and are inspired by. You want to see what they are going to be wearing next. I think Maharani Gayatridevi is a fashion icon. Sridevi to me would be a fashion icon. Then there are fashion icons that are made by image builders. Madonna is one of them. There’s Lady Gaga, who’s also a fahsion icon for some. My interpretation of a fashion icon is that, stay true to yourself and wear your confidence, before you wear your clothes.

Transcribed by Siddhi Pathak
Edited by Farida Khanzada
Photos by Prakash Yeram and Prashant Nadkar

Beating the heat

It was a hot summer afternoon and the guests walking in were clearly exhausted after traveling from different parts of Mumbai. But we must say, they didn’t allow the sweltering heat to dampen their enthusiasm to attend the event. While a few decided to rejuvenate by indulging in light-hearted conversations, some others including Avinash Gowariker quickly freshened up to look their best for the discussion.

Driving around

One expected the graceful Neeta Lulla to be chauffeur driven, with her sitting behind in her beautiful pastel green gown. However, the fashion designer preferred to drive herself and looked rather cool as she stepped out of her high-end Mercedes!

Jet-setting

Dino Morea was very keen to be part of the Screen Big Picture and wanted to attend it despite the fact that he had a flight to catch to Goa to attend another event. He wowed and enlightened the audience with some important tips on fitness.

On time

It was a pleasant surprise to see all our panelists arrive well before time. This gave them ample time to  sit  and catch up on news about each other.  And the discussion started bang on time

In fit form

Celina Jaitley looked stunningly slim and petite. No wonder Avinash Gowarikar and Dino Morea couldn’t believe that she could be the mother of two-year-old twins. They made their admiration quite apparent when they met her.

Feeling comfy

After a slight debate, Avinash Gowariker had to agree with designer Neeta Lulla when she told him that he is wearing a patiala and not a dhoti pant with his kurta, an attire which he finds most comfortable and wears it even at red carpet events

Hot debate

There was a lot to talk about when designers Neeta Lulla and Rushi Sharma met celebrity photographer Avinash Gowariker. Oblivious to everything else they held an animated discussion on fashion, runway trends, besides catching up on news

Vox-populi

Celina, there are many times when a director has a character in his or her head and the stylist comes up with a different vision that makes the actor feel uncomfortable. At that point of time, how do I manage the situation?

CJ: This is such a wonderful question. As a stylist I can truly understand your dilemma. Dealing with an artist whom you will continue working with in forthcoming films and a director, how do you keep everyone happy? It’s not an easy task. There is a big amount of insecurity no matter how big an actor is, because, we are constantly being judged. If an actor is proving to be difficult in not accepting the vision that you have created for the actor, it is best to convey it through the director instead of confronting it with the actor, without complaining to the director. As an actor, we are judged all the time and bear the brunt if we are not properly turned in, even if its no fault of ours. I may look like a complete mess, but I have to continue giving my shot or go on the red carpet and receive flak for it. The good side of it is that we also get all the credit for it at the end of the day.
I would say that you need to use diplomacy. If you need to convey your vision to the actor, who is unable to understand then I would suggest you put it in a non-complaining way to the director. Pacify your actor all the time. Tell them they look good and if they don’t, then say it. Diplomacy is the best policy, but you must be truthful to your actor. I remember working with Neeta di. I wouldn’t even realise that the colour doesn’t look good on me because of the subtle way she would put it.. ‘Celina why don’t you try this? Maybe this is better?’ It’s then that I would realise that the colour did not look nice. Just as you handle your vision with care, remember your artist is going to carry your vision for you, so handle your artist with care and love too .

My question is to all of you. I want to know how important it is for a designer to be presentable, clothes-wise when on the set.

CJ: At work, I wouldn’t expect my designer to turn up immaculately dressed as there is humungous amount of pressure. So on the set, it’s all about concentrating on creative energies.

NL: You as designers and stylists have studied fashion and created a latent format of your own style statement. There is also something called personal hygiene. No actor wants to stand near a designer with body odour and with chipped nails. It’s not about wearing fancy clothes, but wearing comfortable clothes with that one style element that becomes you.

AG: When I started as a photographer, I’d wear only shorts and I had long hair and a beard. Gautam Rajadhyaksha was my idol. When I met him, he told me that I was a disaster. ‘If you think you’re going to be a photographer looking like this, you’ve got it all wrong. No actor or actress will want to have somebody like this in front of him’. He had made a valid point.

There’s a buzz about Bollywood stars being fashion icons. So how would you define a fashion icon?

AG: I think whoever succeeds in connecting with you is a fashion icon. If you can connect with the day-to-day youngsters, you’re an icon.

NT: People make fashion icons. For me Barkha Dutt, Maharani Gayatri devi are fashion icons because of their personality. Although Sonam Kapoor is a fashion icon, can you give me one look that says that’s Sonam Kapoor?

NL: It’s not about the way you dress., but the personality that you identify with.

AG: Fashion is understood in two different ways. One is the fashion industries and the magazines and the other is the everyday fashion that people relate to. You may not associate with Sonam’s fashion sense. But, to the editor of Vogue, who is in touch with the fashion world, it may be right. When I shoot Sonam, I always tell her that I don’t understand her style. She always takes some French designer’s name, in some bizzare accent, so I just say, ‘you wear what you want because you know more than me’. To answer your question, she is a fashion icon. But may not be for you, which is also right.

On the platter

With the panelists arriving well before the event was slated to begin, they sauntered into the trendy restaurant, The Sassy Spoon. Neeta Lulla who was the first to arrive, effusively greeted Celina Jaitley when she arrived. The actor flew in from Austria, where she was holidaying with her hotelier husband. Celina who jet sets across the globe and is in and out of Mumbai had a lot to discuss with Lulla for whom she has walked the ramp in the past.
Beating the sweltering summer heat, the panelists designers Neeta Lulla and Nikhil Thampi, photographer Avinash Gowariker, actors Celina Jaitley and Dino Morea enjoyed a hearty meal as they caught up with news about each other.
Neeta was seen enjoying a salad,while the fitness conscious Dino who was not hungry, sipped on a glass of chilled water. Celina on the other hand delicately dug into a risotto dish, but ate only a small portion. “You know how much I eat,” she smiled. But, Avinash did full justice to the continental spread.