The Stars & the Sheiks
The Middle Eastern royalty seems to be in awe of our Bollywood and cricket celebs. They roll out the red carpet to welcome them, which our celebs thoroughly enjoy their hospitality
Recently, Emirati entrepreneur Saif Ahmad Belhasa shared a video on Instagram showing Indian actress Mouni Roy feeding a giraffe at Fame Park, his farm for exotic animals. Apart from feeding Melman, named after the giraffe in the movie Madagascar, Mouni, who was accompanied by her fiancé Suraj Nambiar, a Dubai-based businessman, was also seen feeding racoons and birds, and even engaging in a tug-of-war with a tiger!
She is part of the long list of Indian personalities who have forged links with the elite of the Middle East. Urvashi Rautela, Kajal Agarwal, Raai Laxmi, the recently married couple Zaid Darbar and Gauhar Khan, and Suniel Shetty’s son Ahan who will soon be making his Bollywood debut in Tadap, are among other celebrities who have visited Fame Park. Actress Shama Sikander was spotted there last year, feeding some of the animals. “There are some very beautiful animals there who are adorable and kept really well. I fed even the big cats,” she says.
Shilpa Shetty had taken a tour of Fame Park a couple of years ago along with her
husband Raj Kundra and son Viaan, though she was trolled for putting up videos with a chimpanzee named Princess. The actress later deleted the videos.
The Emirati businessman has entertained a number of international celebrities too at his farm, including Paris Hilton, boxer Amir Khan and the late football legend Maradona.
Shilpa Shetty often has events in Dubai in the presence of Emirati royalty. Four years ago, she launched her book The
Great Indian Diet in Dubai in the presence of Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan. Sheikh Hassan bin Rashid al Khalifa, a Bahraini prince, was reportedly Jacqueline Fernandez’s boyfriend early in her career. The Bahrain-born actress often rings in the New Year in the Middle East.
Middle Eastern royalty loves Bollywood as much as the people of the Emirates love Bollywood films. While Shah Rukh Khan is the face of Dubai Tourism, a poll revealed that 97 percent of the Arabs know who Salman Khan is. In fact, Salman is the face of the popular fashion brand ‘Splash’. Belhasa has hosted Salman Khan a few times and got him to inaugurate his driving school. Shah Rukh, Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan own lavish properties in the UAE.
FASHIONING THE STARS
Working with Middle Eastern designers, especially Lebanese
ones, is Bollywood trend. Lebanese designer Zuhair Murad created a veil for Deepika Padukone to wear at her wedding reception. Priyanka Chopra has worn Lebanese designer Elie Saab. Aishwarya Rai sported Dubai-based MIchaelk Cinco’s work at Cannes. Sonam Kapoor Ahuja is the brand ambassador for the Jannah High Jewelry Collection by Sheikha Fatema bint Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the UAE royalty, and also of the Italian luxury brand BVLGARI. a
CAMERA-READY
Many Bollywood films are shot in the UAE, not just because the Sheikhs welcome the stars, but also because of the subsidies and the facilities offered. Almost every Salman Khan film is shot in the UAE. Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathan is also slated to be filmed there. In fact, around 10 Indian films are shot in the Gulf every year.