Dubai: Bollywood wives Sussanne Roshan and Gauri Khan have a lot in common. They belong to the same fraternity, share similar business interests and are great friends too. Now the first ladies of Bollywood have joined hands to design a plush property in the western Indian state of Goa.
The duo were in Dubai last weekend to launch Naira, a cluster of 12 bespoke holiday villas developed by Mumbai realty firm Emgee Group.
“NRIs (non-resident Indians) in Dubai have a flair for style. They are well travelled and exposed to high living standards,” said genial Roshan, explaining why they chose Dubai to launch their project.
Roshan and Khan have been involved in interior design for some time. Roshan studied it at Brooks College, Long Beach, California, and Khan runs The Design Cell, a interior design store in Mumbai.
Roshan, who runs The Charcoal Project in Mumbai, said she was attracted to Naira as there were no uber-luxury properties in Bambolim, north Goa. “Everything was rustic, so when Emgee approached us we thought we had the chance to raise the bar there with our design concepts,” she said.
Khan, a director in Shah Rukh film production company Red Chillies Entertainment, got interested in designing while setting up their Mumbai family home. “It began as a hobby with Mannat (Khan’s home). Then Sussanne asked me to do a few things for her and I did a pretty good job and that’s how it all started,” said Khan.
Having spent most of her time supporting her husband, bringing up her kids Aryan, Suhana and now the latest addition to the Khan family, baby AbRam or looking after her new store, how does she make the time to do all this? “Being a mother is not an excuse to not work,” said Khan.
“It’s very important for women to work nowadays. Women who enjoy their work don’t let the pressures of managing kids and work get on to them. If you’re happy with what you’re doing you will share that happiness with your kids too. You hear a lot of mothers who beat up their kids. That’s mainly because they are not happy so they bring out their frustrations on their kids. You have to learn to be content in life.”
Asked if she has any say in her husband’s choice of movies, she said: “Oh! Not at all. We never discuss movies at home.”
Roshan too agrees. “It’s all about managing your time well. Both children and work are equally important and need attention. You should prioritise your time then everything will fall into place. I don’t feel pressure at all because I don’t waste my time in unproductive things.”
And how does her superstar husband take to criticism over his movies? “Does he have a choice (laughs). If I don’t like his movie, I slam it and tell him straight on his face and he accepts it. He’s a wonderful husband and great father to our children.”
The EMGEE Group has also roped in UK design guru Martin Waller whose company has done work for the likes of the British royal family, ex British Pemier Tony Blair, the Beckhams and Madonna to name a few. “Dubai is used to luxury and NRIs here are looking for properties with similar standards back home. That is why we decided to come up with this chic concept for which we’ve involved this terrific team. We wanted to take luxury to a new level. Honestly, Naira wouldn’t have been more beautiful without Gauri, Sussanne and the team” said Nazia Sharma, vice-president of, EMGEE Group who with Roshan and Khan at the launch.
Naira details:
Cost: Rs100 million (about Dh6 million).
Area: 603 sqm is the area of each villa.
Each villa faces the sea and is 75 metres from the shoreline.
The villas are expected to be completed by 2016.
The developers will provide all amenities in the villa, including cutlery and crockery. All you have to walk in with your suitcase the developers claim.
