Ringing In History
Fardeen Khan, son of dashing Feroz Khan,
has found the love of his life in the lovely heiress Natasha Madhwani, daughter
of legendary star Mumtaz and businessman Mayur Madhwani. The senior Madhwanis
and the Khans together with family and friends attended the engagement ceremony
of the betrothed in
It was a very private affair,
modern yet minimalist held at the
Sister of the groom-to-be
Laila Khan Rajpal revealed, "They have known each other as kids and both
families are friends. So there was not even the initial nervousness or
butterflies in the tummy for the two."
Mumtaz, the bride's mother
shared her feelings with Hi! on the bonding between the two families. "My
relationship with the Khan family is wonderful. I know all three brothers,
Sanjay, Akbar and Feroz for 40 years. But I have been especially close to
Feroz, who has been a pillar in my life when I was suffering from cancer. In
fact Feroz and I were just chatting about how never in our wildest dreams did
we think something like this would happen."
The Killer Khan as he was once
popularly known, Feroz, told Hi!, "Last year in London Fardeen told me he
was in love with Natasha, I was fairly surprised, I didn't give him any advice
just told him make sure you are totally in love with her."
The engagement was very much
in tune with the wishes of Natasha's father, the very wealthy Sindhi
businessman from
Her happiness for the match is
infectious and she was in confiding mode, "When Natasha was 17-18 years, I
had a feeling that she was fond of Fardeen, but then Natasha got herself a
boyfriend in her first year of university. She was in a very serious
relationship and she wanted to marry the guy. However, it didn't work out and
what's meant to be will be. As fate would have it, she is with Fardeen today,
and she is very happy."
Mother of the groom, Sundari
Khan, confided, "I have known Mumu through Feroz since they have been
co-stars and have had a relationship with her and Mayur since then. I was
always very keen on Natasha and Fardeen to get together, but you know how these
kids are... my son kept telling me he wasn't ready to get married. One day he
rang me up from
Mumtaz will not hear a word of
criticism against her future son-in-law though she does concede, "I
personally think Feroz is better looking than Fardeen, but Fardeen is good-
looking too." On rumours of Fardeen's roving eye she states unequivocally,
"I don't know why people think Fardeen is a Casanova, I think at his age,
men have so many girlfriends but he hasn't had so many girlfriends at all. In
fact, I hardly ever see him go to that many parties. In our times guys used to
sleep around with women left, right and centre, but Fardeen does none of this."
Both the respective mothers
feel the marriage is going to be happy because the two have known each other
for so long to the extent that they even know each other's faults well by now!
Sundari explains, "As a couple, Fardeen and Natasha, have an amazing compatibility.
They have so much in common. They can talk on any topic–politics, business,
events of the world, just about anything. All his friends adore her and she has
a very comfortable relationship with everyone Fardeen is close to. Fardeen
loves to pick on his girl's brains and she is really smart. She too does not
spare him either and loves to pick on Fardeen's brains. I think they are very
well matched."
Just as Mumtaz cannot stop
singing Fardeen's praises, so also does Sundari love talking about her future
daughter-in-law. "My relationship with Natasha has been from the day she
was born. I have known her as a baby, have seen her grow up. Nothing much has
changed between us since the engagement, she still calls me aunty–she says I am
like her mama. She and her sister Tanya tell me that I am their favourite
aunt!"
On the couple's future plans
she elucidates, “After marriage Natasha will definitely be parked in Mumbai,
and continue working for her dad, so she won't be idle. We will be staying
together, we have two flats, it's the same building side by side, so it's going
to be like one big joint family."
Mumtaz confirms, "Natasha is going
to Feroz's house, and he loves Natasha as much as his daughter Laila. Sundari
is not at all a nagging mother-in-law, she is very sweet, and she and Natasha
get along really well. Both of them adore each other."
Marriage is a tough territory
and somehow it seems to be getting tougher as an institution to survive. What
advice would these two worthy ladies–who have themselves gone through difficult
marriages–have to give this young couple? Sundari says it has to be mutual
trust and understanding. Mumtaz was more vocal, "My mother advised me that
once a woman gets married, she gets married forever, not to get divorced later.
I have lived up to that commandment, I am still very much Mrs Mayur Madhwani.
So I have advised Natasha the same that henceforth she has to do what Fardeen
likes and must stick by him through thick and thin. Only if it gets too bad,
then it makes no sense staying together, but as far as possible she must stand
by him always."
Touchingly in what should be
advice to all couples about to enter the bonds of matrimony she advises,
"I would like to tell them to be happy, they must look after each other in
troubled times, and they should be like a backbone for each other. He should be
her pillar when she needs him, and she should be his pillar when he needs her
and love each other till the end of their lives."
And finally sister Laila, who
wishes the couple all the happiness, offers some pithy advice to her brother,
"You have a great thing going. So value that and don't let it go. Marriage
is not easy, you have to work on it."
Here's wishing the couple all
the best in life. Now we stand by for the nuptials which promise to be like a
fairy-tale wedding.
Kerzina in Hi! Blitz, July 2005
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