Instant Recall

Three and the City
Hiten Tejwani, Gauri Pradhan and Mayuri Kango
Out-of-towners Pradhan and Kango met through a common friend in 1995 and the television actors hit it off instantly. “We rented a large terrace apartment in Lokhandwala and moved in together,” says Kango. Once her boyfriend (now husband) Aditya Dhillon left for the United States, and Gauri began dating Hiten Tejwani, they became a merry threesome. They’re always spotted at filmi parties together, but the best part of their evening is usually the period after the party—a quiet meal at a restaurant.

The trio vacations in Goa every New Year. And the Kyunki… couple even joined Kango and her husband for a few days during their honeymoon.

Merry Muses
Rocky S, Shilpa and Shamita Shetty
BOLLYWOOD designer Rocky S is always in the company of the Shetty siblings, Shilpa and Shamita, who also happen to be faithful patrons. Sure they enjoy each other’s company, but it’s also great unpaid publicity, especially with rumours of a liaison between Shamita and Rocky.

Shilpa dodges this one, “Rocky is a close friend. We have the same group of friends and get invited to the same parties. So, we go together, that’s all,” she says.

Big Picture
Shah Rukh Khan, Gauri and Karan Johar
KHAN seldom parties. But when he does, he likes to be with the people who know him best—wife Gauri and best buddy Karan Johar. “I prefer staying at home with the kids, while Gauri and Karan go partying,” says SRK. “But if there’s an appearance I can’t get out of then I take them, with the consolation that at least I know two people. Otherwise, I’m very shy,” he adds.

Coconut Comrades
Bose Krishnamachari, Justin Ponmany and Alex Mathews
THESE three artists have more than just the Kerala connection in common. Mathews was part of a 1970s leftist Marxist group called The Radicals. Krishnamachari met him in 1987 when The Radicals had a big show in Mumbai’s Victoria Terminus. Ponmany, a younger painter, has curated an exhibition featuring Mathews and himself, in honour of the good old days. “Justin and I have a 15-year-old friendship that started at the JJ School of Art,” says Bose.

Writer’s Bloc
Ekta Kapoor, Hassan Ali and Mushtaq Sheikh
TELLY queen Ekta Kapoor, actor Hassan Ali and scriptwriter Mushtaq Sheikh are always spotted together at parties and awards nights. This trio loves unwinding at Mumbai’s celeb-heavy JW Marriott, and spends every New Year’s together in Goa. Kapoor may have a rep for playing hardball, but here’s a secret:

“She’s actually just one big softie,” says Sheikh.

Runway Romeos
Aparna Chandra, Aparna Bahl and Tania Lefebvre
DESIGNER Chandra and choreographer-duo Bahl and Lefebvre are among the capital’s oft-seen threesomes. The reason why they bond so well? “Well, we’re in a related field, which means we share a common circle. Besides, we like doing the same kind of things, partying at the same places,” says Chandra, who has just one grouse: “These days all three of us travel so much that it’s difficult to find time.”

Filmi Chakkar
Urmila Matondkar, Manish Malhotra and Tusshar Kapoor
WHEN people look at us, they probably think that all we talk about are films and other people,” laughs costume stylist Malhotra. “But we’re regular people who discuss everything but other people.” He met Matondkar in 1995, through Rangeela, and Tusshar two years ago, through his sister Ekta. More bonds? They’re all into fitness and food.