William, Kate leave Bollywood awestruck

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, had Bollywood luminaries in their awe at a star-studded gathering attended by A-listers like Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit.

Khan, who met the royal couple at a meet-and-greet organised here for them, told PTI, “It was very nice. They are so elegant and beautiful. It was really nice to see them.”

The royal couple attended a glittering reception alongside some of the biggest names in business and Bollywood, to celebrate Mumbai’s film and creative industries.

They met and greeted the who’s who of Bollywood, including actor Rishi Kapoor, his wife Neetu, actress Madhuri Dixit, her husband, actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, director Karan Johar, actor Anil Kapoor and choreographer Shiamak Davar.

After meeting these guests, the couple went to individual tables and interacted with other celebrities, including Parineeti Chopra, Shilpa Shetty, her husband Raj Kundra, Arjun Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Jacqueline Fernandez.

They also had a chat with cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, music composer Shankar Mahadevan, actress Aditi Rao Hydari, politician Priya Dutt, actress Huma Qureshi and designer Manish Malhotra.

Kate was wearing a blue evening gown with embroidery which had an Indian touch. It was designed by British fashion designer Jenny Packham.

William and Kate, both aged 33, arrived here on a seven-day tour of India and Bhutan, aimed at building up strong bonds with the two countries.

Hosted by the British High Commission and the British Asian Trust, the evening supported three charities: Childline, Magic Bus and Doorstep, as a legacy of the India tour.

The event was followed by dinner and performances inspired by the Indian film industry.