'All that glitters Diwali ball': Hollywood and Bollywood kick off festival of lights in New York

NEW YORK -- Fifteen years ago, Anjula Acharia hosted an intimate Diwali party with about 40 guests in her apartment in Manhattan's Tribeca neighborhood. She wanted to invite her friends to celebrate the Hindu festival of lights, which she grew up observing with her family in Buckinghamshire, England, a suburb roughly 50 miles northwest of London.

Acharia, an entrepreneur who also manages actress Priyanka Chopra, has organized the party almost every year since, usually in her apartment or at a friend's house. In 2019, she brought it to the Pierre hotel.

Now, called the All That Glitters Diwali Ball, the event is a glamorous affair and one of the most visible Diwali gatherings in the country, filled with preeminent South Asian musicians, politicians, fashion designers and business executives.

"It's just gotten bigger and better," Acharia said, noting that five years ago, she struggled to find sponsors for decor and food. "Now, we've had a battle for sponsors."

On Saturday, about 300 guests descended a grand staircase in the Pierre in their most elegant South Asian attire -- some in their bedazzled wedding lehengas -- and into the party where Punjabi tracks played from the stereo.

Comedian Hasan Minhaj posed for photos with actress Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, and Ali Sethi, a singer and songwriter, chatted with Avantika Vandanapu, who starred in Mean Girls, the 2024 film.

Minhaj, Ramakrishnan and Vandanapu were among the hosts for the night. Acharia said it was important to assemble a host committee that reflected the diversity of the roughly 2 billion people of South Asian descent around the world.

"Pre-partition, before we were broken up by the British, my mum tells me that everybody celebrated Diwali," Acharia said about the holiday, which will be observed for the first time by New York City public schools on Nov. 1. "For me, Diwali is an expression of South Asian culture. It's our food, it's our music, it's our fashion."

An assortment of South Asian dishes, including lamb biryani, pav bhaji and pani puri, were served buffet style. At about 10 p.m., Acharia made her way to the front of the room where she shared her Diwali wish.

"We know there's sadness in the world, and it always challenges me to throw this party and see what's happening," Acharia said. She partnered with World Central Kitchen, particularly for its work in the Gaza Strip, Ukraine and areas affected by Hurricane Helene, and asked guests to donate.

Nora Fatehi, a Canadian Moroccan dancer and singer based in Mumbai, then performed a medley of her popular Bollywood dance numbers, including Dilbar, O Saki Saki and Manike. The night ended with a ladies versus gentlemen dance-off as singer Jay Sean emceed.

We asked partygoers about their outfits, their favorite Diwali memories and what this gathering meant to them.

Interviews have been edited.

Avantika Vandanapu, actress

Tell me about your outfit. It's very unlike me. I'm South Indian, so more often than not, I'm wearing a traditional sari, but Falguni Shane Peacock offered to dress me tonight. It's so exciting to be getting dressed by a designer that you've admired from afar for so long.

What's your favorite Diwali memory? Falling asleep to the sound of everyone's laughter and being carried to bed, and waking up in my lehenga.

Falguni and Shane Peacock, fashion designers

Many people here are wearing Falguni Shane Peacock.

Shane Peacock: Everywhere I look, I can see our clothes. There are two people right there.

Tell me about your outfit.

Falguni Peacock: My look is from my couture collection, which we just showed in India.

Hasan Minhaj, comedian

Why did you decide to co-host this event? It's a collection of the whole South Asian diaspora, and I love just the idea of us highlighting light over darkness, especially given everything that's happening in the world. And I think in terms of fashion, it's a celebration of color, maximalism, joy, community. It's such a very cool New York diaspora thing to be a part of.

What your favorite South Asian food? Oh, this is divisive. Biryani is obvious, of course biryani. I feel like khichdi is slept on. Khichdi as a cuisine can be amazing -- any version. What I want is your mom's version. That's the go-to. It's comfort, it's love, it's like a hug from your grandmother.

Mona Patel, entrepreneur

Tell me about your look today. I have been dressed by Rahul Mishra. I was with him in Paris last week. He said, "I have a sari for you."

Jay Sean, singer

What's your favorite Diwali memory? Diwali was the one time of the year that we would all get together, and it was always at my mom and dad's house in West London. And the thing is, fireworks are actually legal in England. So we'd go and buy so many fireworks. Back garden, food, drink, music -- it's just a good time.

What's your favorite era of South Asian music? I still love '90s Bollywood music -- those emotional songs that pull at your heart's strings.

Alok Vaid-Menon, writer and comedian

Tell me about your outfit. I'm wearing one of my favorite designers named Papa Don't Preach based out of Mumbai. Shubhika, the designer, is a dear friend of mine. She designed this outfit for me when I was performing in Mumbai earlier this year in February.

Why is this gathering important to you? Growing up, Diwali was such an essential part of my life. I was always worried: Am I going to lose this as a queer and trans person? And it feels really important for my inner child as an adult to be able to be here as the fullest expression of myself. Because when I was younger, I couldn't wear the things that I wanted to wear.

Sabyasachi Mukherjee, fashion designer

Did you grow up celebrating Diwali? I'm Bengali, so we don't call it Diwali. We call it Kali Puja. I have very fond memories of it. My father used to make firecrackers at home, he taught me how to do it because he was a chemical engineer.

Is this your first time coming to this event? Yes. It's incredible how India is being recognized in the US. I came in yesterday, just for the party. I flew from Kolkata, and I fly back tomorrow morning. I'm absolutely jet-lagged out of my wits, but just being here makes me happy because you just realize you're a part of a larger global network.

Imran Amed, founder and CEO of The Business of Fashion

Tell me about your look tonight. I met the designer Sabyasachi in 2006 in New York, and he was making his first foray into the fashion week scene here. We maintained a friendship. So when I was coming to this event, he was my first choice to get dressed. Probably for Indian designers, he's one of my go-to designers.

Mira Nair, filmmaker

Tell me about your outfit. It's from Raw Mango, a little lovely company in Delhi. I got it for the opening night of my Brooklyn showing of "Monsoon Wedding" last July, and I'm repurposing it.

What's your favorite Diwali memory? I used to light lamps on Riverside Drive, where our home has been for 25 years, and pave the sidewalks with rangoli, but no one knew what I was doing. Now, it's this. Now, it's glam events.

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, filmmaker

Tell me about your outfit. It's made by a Pakistani, Zain Hashmi.

What does this community mean to you? There are filmmakers, there are artists, there are businesspeople, there are people in sports. And the whole idea is we are a community, we are here and we are doing incredible things. And to be able to come together in Diwali or Eid or in any of these festivals together is a testament to the strength of people.

What's your go-to South Asian song? Pasoori by Ali Sethi.

Ali Sethi, musician

Tell me about your look today. I'm representing the lost dream of the Indo Muslim paradise. I'm wearing a sherwani from Lahore. I'm wearing these vintage retro grandma sunglasses. They remind me of my grandmother who used to celebrate Diwali as a child.

Is this your first year coming to this event? Second year. I think it's very important and special because there are fewer and fewer spaces in South Asia where you can have this kind of inclusive, joyous celebration of our sensibility as opposed to our narrowly demarcated identity.

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, actress

Tell me about your outfit. Anita Dongre. Jewelry, too. With of course some jasmine in the hair. I love jasmine in my hair, which is very typical Tamil.

What's your favorite Diwali memory? I've never celebrated Diwali. This is my first time I've ever celebrated Diwali because my family is Tamil, of Sri Lankan origin. We celebrate holidays like Thai Pongal and Tamil New Year.

What's your favorite South Asian song? Raa Raa from Chandramukhi, a Tamil film -- so good. Basically the Chandramukhi soundtrack? Bangers.

Nora Fatehi, dancer

What is your favorite Diwali memory from your years in Mumbai? I would say the recent Diwalis because I started attending more Bollywood Diwali parties. Manish Malhotra does some of the biggest Diwali parties. Karan Johar also. So when you attend them, it's like, "This is a vibe."

What's your current favorite South Asian song? I would definitely say Tauba Tauba. But also I have a song coming out with Karan Aujla very soon, and I keep listening to it. I'm like, "My God, I can't wait 'til this releases because this is going to be a jam in most of the parties."