When tabloid! caught up with Sunanda Pushkar at midday on Sunday, she was getting ready for her mehndi — an evening of song and dance usually held before the main wedding according to Indian custom.
She hadn't eaten since the morning, hadn't quite decided what outfit she was going to wear that evening and she had more than a dozen doting relatives and her groom waiting to meet her for a sit-down lunch.
This scenario would likely push any bride over the edge, or worse — turn her into a bridezilla. But not Pushkar. The 45-year-old beaming bride of Indian politician Shashi Tharoor waltzed into a JLT penthouse for a photo shoot and was surprisingly calm and composed, albeit still a little love-struck.
"Shashi is the most romantic person I have known in my life. He's a terrible, terrible romantic," she said.
"Remember, for my engagement I was wearing this red sari and he had read a poem out loud — his own poem, too?"
This is the third wedding for both.
She turned to her friend, designer Anjali Chandiramani, who designed a large part of Pushkar's trousseau for the Dubai leg of the wedding celebrations.
"He's so laid-back, gentle and romantic. That's what I love about him."
The former Indian minister wed Pushkar in a Kerala-style traditional wedding on August 22 at his ancestral home, ending speculation about the status of their relationship.
After allegations that Pushkar had received a free stake in the cricketing Indian Premiere League due to her friendship with Tharoor, the dynamic political figure was forced to step down.
Changing attitudes
"I have been hurt so much. I have no intention of speaking to the media about this. The media got it all wrong — from my age to my life. There was no research done. Somehow their attitude was ‘if you have a brain, then you can't be good-looking'. I want to change that attitude," said Pushkar, whose pensive mood was broken when her father walked in and enveloped her in a warm hug.
"It has been an emotional few days for all of us. We are missing our mother a lot... My mother passed away three months back and I really did not want to have a celebration before a year passed. I was just not comfortable. But everybody was like... my father is very sick and would love to see me married. In fact, we were supposed to have this celebration in Kashmir in our style, instead of Dubai."
But as the day progressed and guests began to arrive for the mehndi, Pushkar, it seemed, was determined to make the best of one of the most important events of her life as she and Tharoor danced to some classic Hindi songs.
Swapping her initial choice of a lavender chiffon sari for a heavily-embellished red and green sari by Shaahid Amir, she played the perfect host.
"I feel so decked out that I almost feel like a Christmas tree," Pushkar said. "At first I thought I will wear something simpler, but then my aunts were like, ‘We look more bridal than you, so you have to play the dressed-up bride tonight.'"
Admitting to being "fashion-challenged", Pushkar said clothes and shopping were just not her thing and that she would rather stick to saris when stepping out with Tharoor for public functions.
Her role model is none other than the late Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. "For me it has always been Indira Gandhi. I am a typical Kashmiri, who doesn't look beyond her own country for inspiration.
"We have had some great political figures in India. Come on, the US is yet to have a woman as their president," she said.
Pushkar also knows marrying a public figure means she will now have to be always on her guard. "It's not always easy, because you have to say the right thing at all times. And sometimes, you can't always be doing the right thing."
Tabloid! caught up with Bollywood designer Shaahid Aamir, who after styling stars like Aamir Khan and Saif Ali Khan in blockbusters, has now shifted gear by dressing politician Shashi Tharoor and his bride Sunanda Pushkar for Sunday night's mehndi.
How did you meet the groom?
I met him in Mumbai last month through a mutual friend of ours, and I have known Sunanda for many years. But I met them accidentally when they had come down for a seminar. So during our unplanned lunch, we began discussing clothes and one thing led to the other...
What kind of a client is Tharoor?
Mr Shashi Tharoor is not much into clothes, but he is an endearing, nice-looking entrepreneur. Also, we were quite like-minded where clothes are concerned. He likes wearing Indian fabrics and hand-woven materials. So my first outfit I designed for him is a jute kurta [tunic] hand-woven in Pagalpur, a tiny village in Bihar. Then I made a few bandhgalas [Indian suit with a Chinese collar — a formal ensemble]. We opted for an Indo-western twist to all his outfits.
How difficult was it to dress a political figure and how is it different from dressing Bollywood stars?
My mantra is simple when it comes to dressing celebrities: Less is more. Also, Mr Tharoor has an inherent style and I didn't want to make any kind of fashion statement here. Keep it clean and simple.
Tabloid! caught up with Dubai-based designer Anjali Chandiramani of A & H/Vastra collections, who has designed a large part of Sunanda Pushkar's trousseau.
How did you meet the bride?
Sunanda walked into our Vastra store around eight months ago. It was by sheer accident. After meeting with her, I realised she had classic tastes and had just one demand: she wanted saris that were extremely simple. But I always suggested that she experiment a bit more. And it worked, for the most part. She is also one of the nicest people I have known and is an ideal client. Everybody in my store adores her.
Tell us more about the bridal outfits that you have designed for her.
For the lagan [last night's wedding ceremony], I have designed an orange, pink and red shaded sari with a heavily-embellished red blouse. It has baadla work [silver embellishments] on it. I purchased the sari in Mumbai and then had a team of people working on it. For the rest of her trousseau, I have concentrated on jazzing up a sari that she had previously purchased with edgy blouses.
Did Pushkar give you a brief on what she wanted?
Sunanda was always aware of the political nature of her wedding. So her only request was that I keep that in mind and not go over-the-top with any of the saris or designs. But she asked me to go ahead with some bright colours.
