DeepVeer treat media to podi idli

Actors Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh had their first reception at the Leela Palace. Eat and go, he told reporters

Deepika and Ranveer at the reception at The Leela Palace Bengaluru on Wednesday. DH PHOTOs BY SK Dinesh

Wednesday evening was nothing short of a fairytale for many in Bengaluru. After all, it was DeepVeer’s reception. After an intimate wedding ceremony at Lake Como, Italy, the couple flew into the city to meet friends and family in Deepika’s hometown. The bash was at The Leela Palace on Old Airport Road.

Fans started gathering in front of the five-star hotel from 5 pm, eagerly waiting for a glimpse of their favourite stars.

The stage was decorated with red flowers and golden chairs. While the media waited patiently, the hosts passed around biscuits and announced the couple would arrive only by 7.30 pm. That was 30 minutes behind schedule.

As the couple eventually walked down the stairway at 7.40 pm, Deepika and Ranveer looked like royalty, and the media just couldn’t stop clicking them. As you might have already read, the two look radiant and happy. Ranveer being his quirky self, greeted the crowd with a ‘Namaskar’, and followed it up with ‘khana khake jana!’ (Have dinner and go!). As they posed for photographs, they were having a fun conversation with each other.

Ranveer couldn’t stop admiring his wife, in fact, he helped her with her sari and even blew her a kiss. And we don’t blame him, she looked like a dream in her gorgeous Kanchipuram gold zari silk sari gifted by her mother Ujjala Padukone.

After posing for photographers for exactly six minutes, the couple made their way to the intimate reception arranged for their family and friends. The time they had set aside for the media was up.

Guests who joined them in their celebration included Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chairperson of Biocon, cricketer Anil Kumble, badminton star P V Sindhu and Sudha Murthy, chairperson the Infosys Foundation.

There were snacks and dinner served separately for the media. The menu was predominantly northern, and a southern attraction was the podi idli, or idli served with spicy lentil powder.

Anuja Pandey, lifestyle blogger and a family friend of the Padukones, was one of those who attended DeepVeer’s reception. She says, “The couple looked every bit royal. They are two grounded individuals and have such warm personalities. There were elderly guests at the reception and the couple got down the stage to greet them. Very thoughtful of them.”

Giving a sneak peek of the dinner menu, Anuja says it was a mix of South Indian, North Indian, Continental, Chinese and Japanese delicacies. “There was also a wholesome spread of desserts. From ‘jalebis’ and ‘rabri’ to ‘gulab jamun’, ‘kulfi’ and ‘falooda’, the food was rich and grand. Deepika and Ranveer also opted for an eco-friendly event,” she added.