Bollywood’s star couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai led the inaugural amfAR gala to raise funds for the Foundation for Aids Research programme in Mumbai on Sunday.
The gala, held for the first time in India, also saw Sharon Stone, Hilary Swank, Ke$ha and Kenneth Cole in attendance.
“I am confident we will have several more to come in our country. I hope we all collectively raise funds, spread awareness and strengthen the force,” Rai said.
Bachchan added: “We are honoured to be here today and we both feel strongly about the disease HIV. It’s a matter of pride to raise funds for this cause and spread the awareness.”
The black tie event, held at the Taj Mahal Palace and Hotel, also featured a gold-themed fashion show by designers Rohit Bal, Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla and Tarun Tahiliani, and a high-energy performance by pop sensation Ke$ha, who performed her hits Animal, We R Who We R, and Tik Tok.
Rai was especially thankful to Sharon Stone, who is amfAR’s global fundraising chair.
“It’s very generous of her. We salute her passion to drive so passionately towards this cause. She is worthy of salutation,” said the former beauty queen.
Stone said she would love to be in a Hindi movie.
“Of course, I have seen many [Hindi] films. The language is different, but I like it,” she said.
Asked if she had learnt any Hindi, Stone said: “I have learnt to say ‘Namaste’. I love Indian food, I love spicy food. It’s fantastic. I got up today at 4 and went for a walk, it’s a moment that you feel. It’s a whole different feeling — I went to a temple, it was great.”
Asked if she would visit again, she replied: “If you welcome us, we will be coming back. If you want us, we will be back.”
From Bollywood, Sophie Choudry, Dino Morea and Nargis Fakhri were in attendance.
