These days it’s rare to not spot Shloka Mehta with her mother-in-law Nita Ambani whenever they are out and about in Mumbai. Mukesh Ambani’s wife has shown time and again just how protective she is about her daughter-in-law. The two have been spotted together on several occasions since Shloka married Akash Ambani in March this year. So, when designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla recently shared a throwback photo of Ambanis, the Bachchans, Deepika Padukone, Gauri Khan, Amrita Singh and Sonali Bendre, many were surprised not to find Shloka in the frame.
The reason for Shloka’s absence from the photo was because the photo shared by the designer duo was clicked in 2012, long before Shloka had formally become the part of the Ambani family.
While sharing the throwback photo, Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla wrote how in 2012, the Ambanis had welcomed them in their posh south Mumbai house. They wrote, “Mrs Ambani’s faith in our work and her absolute championing of the book is unprecedented. We showed her a dummy copy and she put herself behind it one hundred percent and hosted its India launch at their residence. To have that sort of belief in our work, that level of encouragement and support is priceless. We are eternally grateful to her.”
For this event, the duo had dressed Nita and Mukesh Ambani, Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Amrita Singh, Tabu, Gauri Khan and Sussanne Khan in their hallmark ranges. Each wore an ensemble which showcased their mastery over technique, craftsmanship and design at its zenith. From Resham and Zardozi to Mirror work, Gota and Patola, it was a dizzying array of beauty.
Also joining the photo was Sara Ali Khan, then only known as the daughter of Amrita Singh and Saif Ali Khan. Sharing a throwback photo of Sara, when she was a student, the designer duo wrote, “Years before she became a star on screen, when she was a student at Columbia University, Sara made her ramp debut at the India Fantastique Show.
“She won all hearts dressed in a Pink City Ghagra ensemble.An ode to Jaipur the joyously hued, masterfully appliqued ensemble featured multiple windows or jharonkhas akin to heritage architecture. And within each window was a magnificently embroidered motif. Paired with acoatie style blouse in zardozi it became a trendsetter range.”