Mind the (Generation) Gap

Mumbai Has Some of India’s Most Dazzling Shops, Restaurants and Cultural Sites Thanks to Being Home to Glitzy Bollywood

By Rosemary Counter|September 20, 2024

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Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Mumbai, India. Photo: Westend61/Getty Images

Anant Ambani, son of Asia’s richest man, recently married Rhadika Merchant in Mumbai, India. Although our invite must have been lost in the post, the city offers many other diversions including Diwali, the Festival of Lights

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40s

Inspiration: PRIYANKA CHOPRA, 42, & NICK JONAS, 32

Actor and Miss World Priyanka Chopra and pop star Nick Jonas, nicknamed “National Jiju” in India (translation: “elder sister’s husband”), returned to Mumbai for the lavish wedding. Chopra lived here during her Bollywood years.

A FESTIVAL OF SITE: BOOGIE NIGHT

The gorgeous couple (alongside Kim Kardashian, John Cena and world leaders) tore up the dance floor at the Jio World Centre, the 7.4-hectare cultural hub created by Nita Ambani, mother of the groom. Among its amenities, the centre has a rooftop drive-in theatre.

FUN-BAI IN MUMBAI: PICTURE PERFECT

Spot the unassuming Olive Bar & Kitchen by the paparazzi swarming outside. Mumbai is the home of Bollywood, after all, and you'll find a pantheon of stars posing in the candlelit white Mediterranean-style interiors.

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Inspiration: SHAH RUKH KHAN, 58

Shah Rukh Khan is known as the “King of Bollywood,” appearing in more than a hundred films. The dashing“King Khan” received the most votes of anyone else on Time magazine’s 2023 Most Influential list.

A FESTIVAL OF SITE: MILES OF STYLE

Perfect your fashion in the “City of Dreams” by shopping Colaba Causeway. Its cobblestone streets are packed with stalls selling saris, sunglasses and jewelry. For upscale bling, Moksh's Bombay collection is dazzling.

FUN-BAI IN MUMBAI: GIN PALACE

If you can’t make it to the Taj Mahal proper, try the Taj Mahal Palace. The ornate 1903 hotel, which hosted the Ambanis’ welcome party, is a haven of luxury. The vast oval pool is surrounded by pink and orange chaises and a gin cart makes the rounds.

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60s

Inspiration: KRIS SRIKKANTH, 64

The swashbuckling former cricket star known as the Indiana Jones of the wicket was the very first arrival to the Ambanis’ nuptials. The Indian team captain and 1983 World Cup champion twinned with wife Vidya in shades of gold.

A FESTIVAL OF SITE: GET LIT

What's bigger than a World Cup win? Diwali – five festive days beginning Oct. 29 filled with all manner of illuminations to celebrate light over dark, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.

FUN-BAI IN MUMBAI: NIGHT LIGHTS

For a street party head to the Art Deco-lined Marine Drive, or “the Queen’s Necklace,” named for the lights curving along the bay at night. A buzzing crowd gathers to watch a cacophony of fireworks.

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70s

Inspiration: TONY BLAIR, 71

With wife Cherie, the former U.K. PM was warmly welcomed to the wedding for his work with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. He rubbed shoulders with former PM Rishi Sunak’s in-laws, the Murthys, the low-key billionaires at the helm of Infosys.

A FESTIVAL OF SITE: TEA TIME

Sip a cup of Cutting Chai, the city’s unofficial drink, at Cafe Mysore, an Ambani family favourite. A video of Anant and his bride bowing down to touch the feet of café owner Shanteri Nagesh Nayak, 75, as a sign of respect went viral.

FUN-BAI IN MUMBAI: TALENT POOL

The members-only Soho House on trendy Juhu Beach is full of local design flourishes from Indian antiques to glorious block-print fabrics, and has a rooftop pool shaded by Indian arches. Bollywood celebs abound.

A version of this article appeared in the August/September 2024 issue with the headline ‘Bright Lights, Big City', p. 74.

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