Ila Arun sings at good pal Neena Gupta's post-wedding bash

Mumbai, Aug 18 (IANS) Ila Arun's throaty voice filled the night as Neena Gupta's bosom pals, filmmaker Kalpana Lajmi and Soni Razdan, were on their feet dancing with gay abandon in an impromptu post-wedding bash thrown for the actress.

Neena, who tied the knot July 15 in the US with Vivek Mehra, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, had a surprise get-together with her close friends in attendance in Mumbai where she had a 'sangeet' and 'mehndi' ceremony.

Kalpana, who applied the mehndi, is still smiling about that special evening.

'Neena and I have been very close friends for decades. The mehndi I applied at her wedding festivities is still bright red and wet on my palms. She's courageous to have grabbed the chance to find domestic bliss at this age. That evening we all celebrated the vibrancy of love and marriage in our middle age. But then shared joy like this cuts across all barriers,' Kalpana told IANS.

Sharing more about the evening, Kalpana says: 'I was part of the bride's side. Soni, Neena, Ila and I have bonded since 1982 when we worked together in Shyam Benegal's 'Mandi'. Soni is married. And now Neena.'

Adds Neena: 'It was a memorable wedding after the impromptu wedding in the US. I told Kalpana she should've brought along the man she loves and undergone a wedding ceremony.'

'I know the mehndi and sangeet ceremonies happen before the wedding. I also know I'm past the age of such frolic and fun. But what to do? All my friends are young at heart, and so am I. They all wanted to be part of my marriage even if it was belatedly.'

The actress regrets the fact that her loved ones couldn't attend her 'shaadi' in the US.

'My friends felt so left out. I feel bad about that. That's why I'm happy I went through the sangeet and mehndi ceremonies like in a proper wedding. Never mind if it happened in the reverse order. The important thing is to enjoy what you do in life. And my friends had a ball on Saturday,' Neena said.