Raveena: Tired

Udaipur, Feb. 21: Bride-to-be Raveena Tandon found getting her hands and feet coloured with mehndi tiring. No surprise that, considering it took five hours.

The mehndi rasm went on through the afternoon at the pool deck of the Shiv Niwas Palace hotel amid singing and dancing by family members and friends, including producer-director Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan’s wife Gauri, Raveena’s sister-in-law Rakhi, former cricketer Ravi Shastri and his wife.

Mother Veena was busy with older women on the dholak in typical Punjabi style.

Amid the song and dance, dulhaniya Raveena was being attended to by Bollywood’s mehndi expert Usha Shah, from 12.30 pm till beyond 5 pm.

Usha said she had tried to lend an ethnic touch by using a mehndi style befitting the royal surroundings that made it appear as if everyone had been transported into the 17th or 18th century.

After all, Rakhi had quoted her mast mast sister-in-law as saying: “Main pichhle janam mein Rajasthan ki rani thi.” Family members had pulled out all the stops to ensure she was married in regal style.

The sangeet karyakram at Manak Chawk, the cemented open space in front of the City Palace, which continued late into the night yesterday was no less tiring. This despite the mast mast songs belted out by pop singer Arvinder Singh, accompanied by his 15-member band.

The music continued all evening as Raveena, dressed in a black glimmering suit, received guests and also tried to spend time with Anil, dressed in a grey Jodhpuri suit in the not-so-warm evening.

A dress rehearsal by Anil, clad in a sherwani, churidar, Jodhpuri nagra (shoe) and a typical Mewari (Udaipur) turban, amused his friends and family no end. The groom will be sporting this costume, designed by Bollywood fashion designer Manav Gangwani, at tomorrow’s wedding.