An Affair To Remember: Karishma Kapoor’s Grand Festive Wedding
Karishma Kapoor is one of the most versatile actors to grace the silver screen in India. Right from her debut in Prem Quaidi in 1991, to her stellar performance in Raja Hindustani and Dil To Pagal Hain, she is one leading lady who has consistently improved her skills by leaps and bounds. Whether she was cast in comic roles or portrayed serious characters, she handles everything with panache and grace.Then again, this shouldn’t really be surprising to any of us, considering the Kapoor family’s eternal romance with the art of acting. Her parents – Randhir Kapoor and Babita Kapoor (nee Shivdasani) – were talented actors in their own right, and Karishma too took to the industry like a duck to water.
But Karishma is one woman who has survived all the ups and downs in her career as well as her personal life. Before her marriage, she is rumored to have been in a relationship with Ajay Devgan and was briefly engaged to Abhishek Bachchan for around two months before it was called off. She married industrialist and businessman Sunjay Kapur, who was the CEO of Sixt India, on 29 September, 2003. The two had been childhood friends and knew each other quite well when they decided to go ahead and tie the knot. The couple was blessed with two lovely children – Samaira Kapoor and Kiaan Raj Kapoor. However, their marriage ended in a divorce in 2014. But notwithstanding this, the Kapoors had very traditional and lavish wedding for their beloved daughter, Karishma. And it was indeed the talk of the town.
The Sunjay Kapur – Karishma Kapoor marriage ceremony was conducted in the traditional Sikh way, as Sunjay Kapur is a Sikh. The wedding was truly an affair to remember. It was held at the famous Deonar Cottage, the home of the legendary star Raj Kapoor, who is also Karishma’s late grandfather. Here is a closer look at this grand wedding ceremony
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The Mehendi
Right from the mehendi ceremony, Karishma’s wedding was a real party, infused with many laughs, giggles, and also a tear or two. Karishma looked simply stunning in a sunny orange lehenga. Her entire bridal trousseau, which included saris, churidars, ghagra-cholis, and salwar-kameezes, were all painstakingly designed by noted Indian designer, Manish Malhotra. The glamorous clothes were all embellished with some beautiful chican work or some gorgeous sequins and kota work. Karishma had specifically requested for light colours for her big day, and this is exactly what the talented designer gave her!
Her orange lehenga was covered with some intricate embroidery, appliqué work using some exquisite floral motifs and sequins. She was also wearing some exquisite emerald earrings and an emerald choker for the occasion, and she looked exactly like a princess! The joy on her face was very evident as intricate designs were painted on her hands and feet. She opted for a classic full-arm mehendi design that truly made her the picture perfect bride. On her arms, she had the dulha-dulhan design, which was then embellished with several vines, paisley motifs and even use of negative space! Her feet too, were covered with some very intricate and beautiful designs.
Her little sister, Kareena Kapoor was also evidently excited as her sister got ready to tie the knot, and was always there for her. Kareena was wearing a red lehenga with some lovely embellishments that was topped off by a perfect pink-and red dupatta. Both the sisters looked gleeful as they posed for pictures together. Her mother, Babita, too was a picture of excitement and nervousness as her eldest daughter prepared to tie the knot. She was doting all over Lolo, even causing her to shed a tear at the thought of leaving her mother’s home.
Her father, Randhir Kapoor, too came in to see his beautiful daughter, hugged and kissed her to give her strength. When asked what she felt about her wedding, she remarked,”We have known each other for a long time as friends since childhood. I am happy.” The Kapoor home looked very festive indeed, decked up with a range of floral decorations that included amazing floral center pieces, and long malas made of perfumed jasmine flowers.
Once the festive mehndi ceremony with its dance and singing came to an end, it was then time for the chooda ceremony. The bangles for the ceremony was first purified using milk and rose petals before the ceremony. The gorgeous red and ivory bangles were presented to the bride by her in-laws. These were lovingly put onto Karishma’s hands by her loving parents, Randhir and Babita. Once the coloured choodas were donned, it was time for the golden, umbrella-shaped kalire to be fastened upon her hands. These were tied on with the utmost love by all members of her family and her friends. They are not only auspicious, but are supposed to remind the bride of the relatives and friends that she will be leaving behind when she goes to her new family. The gold symbolizes wealth and prosperity that will await her in her new family.
Several noted Bollywood celebrities, like Sridevi were present for the mehndi ceremony, which makes it even more special!
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The Wedding
If you thought the mehndi ceremony was a grand affair, then the wedding took everything to the next level. The wedding was a portrait of opulence, luxury and elegance. Gorgeous antique chandeliers winked softly from the ceilings as their entire front lawn was decorated with hues of soft pink and white. Instead of regular old chairs, there were several chadars for the guests to sit on. Kareena, the sister of the bride, looked very pretty in her mint green and pink lehenga with some truly stunning embroidery. She wore simple and classic jewellery, and had her hair decked with some lovely jasmine flowers!
The groom looked very handsome indeed in his off-white sherwani. As for Karishma, she was simply a picture of perfection. She veered from tradition when she chose to wear a pink lehenga, instead of the traditional red. This is a trend that has caught up much more these days, and Karishma was definitely an early pioneer of this trend. She looked like a bride painted by the hands of a true artist. Wearing a gorgeous diamond studded necklace, hanging earrings and a simple maang tikka would have made her look gorgeous enough, but the traditional nathni that glinted quietly from her nose took her entire look to a whole new level. Every item in her bridal jewellery bag was made of the finest finest diamonds, including her delicately worked maang tikka.
Both the bride and the groom shared a few moments of nervous laughter as they set their eyes upon each other. The ceremony then proceeded in the traditional way, with the couple taking seven pheras around the Guru Granth Sahib. The couple then exchanged rings and garlands, and sought the blessings of all their elders, as well as God.
As expected, the occasion of the Sunjay – Karishma Kapoor marriage was a star-studded affair, with the likes of Amrish Puri, Govinda, Sridevi, Vivek Oberoi and many other Bollywood stars in attendance. Once the wedding ceremony was over, the couple cut a gorgeous, three–tiered wedding cake that was decorated to perfection, topped off with flowers and other edible decorations. There was even a red heart at the centre of the cake, that lit up before the happy couple cut into it. The couple fed each other pieces of the delicious cake before everybody joined in the celebrations. Soon, glasses of bubbly champagne was handed around to every one present, and the party toasted to the couple’s long health and happy marriage.
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The Lavish Food Spread
And before the celebrations wound to an end, there was a scrumptious feast to look forward to. The spread was so diverse and delicious that it would have been worthy of a Hogwarts Christmas feast! While the Kapoors are calorie-conscious, they are also aficionados of good food. The spread included a huge variety of cuisines that will suit almost any palette.
The Indian fare on offer included Gujarati, Rajasthani, and of course, Punjabi cuisine. Apart from that, there was also a delectable range of Thai, Chinese, Italian, Continental, and French food. During the ceremony, the guests were treated with a variety of refreshments like lime refreshers, thandai, fresh coconut water. They were also served with a range of mouth-watering vegetarian delicacies like Vegetarian Canapes, Shitake Mushroom Fritatas and Vol-au-vents.
The lunch was a buffet featuring some lip-smacking starters like Prawn Cocktail, Thai Raw Papaya Salad, Glazed Ham, American Corn and Pasta Salad…need I spell out more? The main course featured a lot of pasta dishes, because Karishma is a huge lover of Italian food. The main course boasted of some other amazing dishes like Baked Crabs, Lobster Thermidor, and Chicken in Terragon Sauce.
The dessert menu was something that all sweet-tooths would die for, and featured some classic desserts like the Philadelphia Cheesecake, Badam Halwa, Sitaphal Angoori Rabri, and Blueberry Cheesecake. There was even a crepes counter for the guests to order from! What a treat for all the guests!
But as every party must end sometime, soon it was time for the bidaai. Karishma looked happy and sad at the same time as she threw grains of rice behind her, as per the customs. This symbolizes the fact that the bride wishes great prosperity for her maternal home before she leaves for her new home. Every one who shared this bitter-sweet moment with her is unlikely to ever forget it.
The End Of The Troubled Marriage
The couple was blessed with a daughter Samaira in 2005, and a son in 2010, whom they named Kiaan. Soon after the birth of their second child, trouble started brewing in their seemingly perfect paradise. Little was known about it, until some sources close to the couple discreetly shared with tabloids the fact that Karisma has started living separately at her maternal home, and only visits Sunjay once in a while. Also in late 2010, Sunjay was often spotted arriving at parties and social events in the company of the model and socialite Priya Sachdev- hotelier and actor Vikram Chatwal’s ex-wife, which led to the speculations that she might be one of the many reasons for Sunjay and Karishma’s discord.
While everyone had got used to their on and off relationship, no one had seen an extreme step coming. Sunjay and Karisma filed for a divorce in 2014, and that marked the beginning of their ugly breakup battle. The couple indulged in mud-slinging thereafter, and Karishma alleged that Sunjay married her just to attain popularity since he was always hungry for fame. Sunjay on the other hand rued that Karishma has ‘failed’ as a mother, and that she just married him on a rebound after her engagement with Abhishek Bachchan went sour. In his divorce plea, he also mentioned that she married him in haste in a “calculated and clinical manner”.
The once married pair now castigated one another for having selfish abject reasons to tie the knot. Their well-wishers hoped that they would sort out things in an amicable manner at least for the sake of their children but the damage was already done. In early 2016, their divorce plea was processed and they were legally granted a divorce. Post-split, Karishma returned back lock, stock and barrel to her maternal home in Mumbai from her ex-husband’s place in New Delhi. It is said that their children Samaira and Kiaan now live with their maternal grandmother Babita Kapoor in Mumbai.
Since their split, Sunjay and Karishma have returned back to their respective lives. Karishma is said to be making considerations to make a return in the acting world. Little is known about Sunjay though, who was apparently having a live-in with Priya Sachdev.
It is definitely a sad end to a 13-year old marriage which was marked by a gala festive wedding. We hope the couple consider bonhomie, if not a reconciliation, at least for the sake of their children, and wish them the best for life and its pursuits.
