By IANS
Agra : The much-hyped wedding reception of Juhi Babbar, daughter of actor-turned politician Raj Babbar, was held here Friday with a grand feast, complete with music and a guest list of 100,000.
Raj Babbar, MP from Agra and convener of the Jan Morcha, wanted his electorate to bless the newly weds, party workers said.
"Why shouldn't the whole city of Agra get involved in it? Raj Babbar is proud to be representing Agra everywhere and he wants everyone in the city to share his joy and happiness," said a Jan Morcha leader.
Juhi, who made her Bollywood debut with "Kash… Aap Hamare Hote", married her long-time boyfriend Bejoy Nambiar June 27 in Mumbai.
According to Juhi, she and Nambiar met over two years ago when he directed a short film, "Reflections", with her and Malayalam superstar Mohanlal in the lead.
While over 70,000 invitation cards adorned with prints of an M.F. Hussain painting were distributed, a large number of people were called on telephone.Sources close to Babbar said a "feast of this size and dimension" could itself be a world record of sorts.
The glitzy reception was held at the Telegraph grounds in Agra's Sadar Bazaar area, complete with folk and instrumental music to add to the ambience.
And the feast was one definitely fit for kings! While the menu included dam aloo, choley, matar paneer, puris, kachoris and different types of naans, the desserts included balu shahi and moong dal halwa.
According to a halwai, around 300 tins of ghee were used to prepare the delicious dishes.
Hundreds of cooks, waiters and organisers were recruited to manage the mega show, which boasted of VIPS in the guest list too – Railway Minister Lalu Prasad, Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Rajnath Singh, actors Shatrughan Sinha, Govinda and Rajat Kapoor among a host of others are said to have been invited.
Around 800 security personnel were deployed for the event, a source close to Babbar said.
The newly married couple – Juhi and Bejoy – are said to have arrived Thursday to see the Taj Mahal and mobilise support for the Mughal era monument to be included in the New Seven Wonders of the World list.