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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Toronto MU chapter.

Is there really a Bollywood Met Gala? Well, social media thinks so.

What was the NMACC?

A new A-list event was born on the weekend of April 1, and it was not an April Fools’ joke. Nita Ambani—an Indian philanthropist—and her family hosted the inauguration of the annual Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) event in Mumbai. They invited many stars from both Hollywood and Bollywood to celebrate.

The NMACC is a cultural centre celebrating the Indian arts to preserve and promote the culture.

Who was there?

Both Bollywood royalty and Hollywood stars were invited to the event. The guest list ranged from models, singers and actors. From the Hollywood side, Tom Holland, Zendaya, Gigi Hadid, Nick Jonas, Penelope Cruz and Emma Chamberlain were all seen at the event.

As for Bollywood, Priyanka Chopra, Hrithik Roshan, Kajol, Varun Dhawan, newlyweds Sid and Kiara, Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone and of course, the king, Shah Rukh Khan were all present.

Talk about the event of the year!

What were the best and worst looks of the night?

By far, the best looks were definitely Zendaya and Deepika Padukone.

In her dark blue, purple and gold sari, Zendaya was definitely at the top of the list! She looked stunning at the event with hand-embroidered stars and nature-themed embellishments paired with a gold blouse and jewellery. This sari is now on every brown girl’s vision board. 

Deepika Padukone donned a custom-made gold pantsuit with intricate embroidered designs, an ivory cape, and sparkles that matched the night’s theme. Her jewellery included a beautiful set of earrings and a maang tikka. With this look, she fused Indian and Western culture seamlessly and looked jaw-dropping all evening. 

One of the worst looks of the night was Bhumi Pednekar. Star of Pati Patni Aur Woh, Bhumi Pednekar, was not serving.

With the awkward angle of her dress and the seemingly “ripping edges,” it was definitely not the favourite look of the night. However, the embroidered flowers on the bodice and the jewel-studded headpiece saved the look.

Paparazzi Highlights

Indian paparazzi far exceed American paparazzi.

The Indian paparazzi at the event went viral on social media and were definitely an unexpected highlight. Many of their viral moments were interactions with Spider-Man actor Tom Holland. As the word “spider” is translated to “makdi” in Hindi, the paparazzi found it fitting to call Tom Holland “Makdi-Man” and “Tom-Homecoming,” after his hit movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming. With Nick Jonas there as well, he was given nicknames such as “Nikwa” and “Nika-ji” while he was posing with his wife, Priyanka Chopra. 

Performances

Bollywood stars Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra performed a song from their Bollywood movie, Dil Dhadakne Do, giving fans what they have wanted for years — Priyanka Chopra and Ranveer Singh dancing together once again!

Also performing the Oscar-winning dance to “Naacho Naacho,” Rashmika Mandanna and Alia Bhatt lit the stage on fire with their amazing dance moves. Finally, Varun Dhawan, Ranveer Singh and King Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) performed the viral hook step from the song “Jhoome ho Pathaan,” from Shah Ruk Khan’s latest movie, Pathaan.

They were the trio we never knew we needed.

With the dresses, performances and culture displayed at this event, fans cannot wait for next year!

Ranika Persaud

Toronto MU '25

Writer, 3rd year Biomedical Science student, Grey's Anatomy lover.