Nearly four years after their relationship became a major topic of discussion online, Lalit Modi has spoken publicly about the criticism directed at Sushmita Sen following their dating announcement in July 2022. The businessman and former IPL chairman had surprised many people when he shared holiday pictures with Sushmita Sen on social media and revealed that they were in a relationship. The photos quickly spread across the internet and sparked widespread discussion. While many people reacted with curiosity, others questioned the relationship and accused Sushmita of being interested in Modi because of his wealth and public status.

Now, speaking in a conversation with Humans of Bombay, Lalit Modi has strongly rejected those claims. He described Sushmita as one of the most independent and successful women he has known and said the public perception of their relationship was inaccurate.

Talking about Sushmita’s financial success, Lalit said, “Sushmita, please understand, is a very beautiful and a very well-to-do lady. I don’t know if anybody knows this, but she has more diamonds than anybody I know on the planet. And she has earned it herself, and she has diamond stores. So she’s a very wealthy lady. She has done it all on her own. There wasn’t a time I went out with Sushmita that I had to pay for anything. She paid for everything. I was like a kept boyfriend. So Sushmita is a woman that is very proud, and I’m going to say this very happily, and she is the remarkable lady and the self-made lady, self-made lady, and she will never accept anything from anybody.”

Lalit Modi also said that the criticism aimed at Sushmita was unfair from the beginning. According to him, the assumption that she was motivated by money did not match reality. He even joked that if anyone benefited from the relationship, it was him.

He said, “So when somebody says she’s a gold digger, no, Lalit was a diamond digger. It wasn’t she was a gold digger. I was hoping that I was a diamond digger as far as she was concerned, because she was truly a diamond. And as far as I’m concerned, she could have anybody on the planet she wanted. It was never about money. It was never about anything else. And she is extremely well-to-do. I mean, she can buy what she wants and do what she wants and probably buy anybody she wants on the planet, without a doubt.”

When Lalit Modi first announced the relationship in 2022, he referred to Sushmita as his “better half,” which led to speculation that the two had married. He later clarified that they were dating and not married. Despite that clarification, the announcement continued to generate intense discussion online, making it one of the most talked about celebrity relationships of that year.

Just back in london after a whirling global tour #maldives # sardinia with the families – not to mention my #better looking partner @sushmitasen47 – a new beginning a new life finally. Over the moon. . In love does not mean marriage YET. BUT ONE THAT For sure pic.twitter.com/WL8Hab3P6V

— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) July 14, 2022

What happens when motherhood changes not just a woman’s life but her very sense of self? This question lies at the heart of Belly of the Beast, Aadyam Theatre’s third production of the season. Adapted from the book The Elephant in the Womb, the play is written by Kalki Koechlin and Sheena Khalid, and directed by Khalid.

The production follows five women at different stages of motherhood, from pregnancy and labour to postpartum life, raising young children and eventually learning to let go. As their lives evolve, they begin transforming into mythical creatures that reflect the emotional and physical intensity of their experiences. Drawing from real life stories and testimonies, Belly of the Beast explores motherhood in all its complexity, capturing moments that are beautiful, frightening, exhausting, tender and deeply personal, while remaining universally relatable.

Instead of relying solely on realism, the play uses mythology to explore the inner lives of its characters. At the centre of the story are five creatures: a dragon, a unicorn, a spider demon, a vampire and a werewolf. Each creature emerges from the emotional world of a woman, giving form to feelings that are often difficult to express, including fear, desire, rage, vulnerability and resilience. By moving between everyday life and fantasy, the production transforms intimate experiences into something larger, stranger and highly theatrical.

The world of the play is brought to life through shadow puppetry, live music and movement. Created in collaboration with acclaimed puppeteer Anurupa Roy, the shadow work allows the mythical creatures to exist alongside the performers, while an original live score by Guy Hershberg adds emotional depth to the storytelling. Together, these elements create a space where reality and imagination merge and often blur into one another.

The cast includes Kalki Koechlin, Kettan Singh, Amba Suhasini K. Jhala, Rachel D’Souza, Shanaya Rafaat and Shruti Vyas.

Speaking about the production and her involvement as both writer and actor, Kalki Koechlin said, “Pregnancy is tough, birth is gruesome and postpartum is hell, but more horrifying than all three is society’s completely casual approach to one of the most epic experiences life has to offer. Only when you become a mother do you awaken to the intensity and wonder of it all, to the sheer strength of character required to create life, and to transformations of mythic proportions that are unleashed upon mothers. This isn’t a cute play on the gift of motherhood; this is you walking straight into the belly of the beast.”

Director and co writer Sheena Khalid said the idea of adapting the book for the stage immediately appealed to her. “When I read Elephant in the Womb, I was immediately drawn to its world. It was playful and something that really left me intrigued. I have always been a fan of Kalki’s writing, so when she suggested adapting it for the stage, I was genuinely excited. I am not a mother, but the research for this play completely shifted in me. The conversations with friends, the stories of mothers, and a deep dive into what it actually means to grow a human being inside you, the challenges and the glory of it, revealed far more than I had anticipated.”

She also explained how the visual language of the production developed. “I found the graphic style of the novel intriguing. To preserve that intrigue, we thought that shadow puppetry and working with overhead projectors would work really well with the genesis of the book. Also, I always wanted to collaborate with Anurupa Roy, the puppeteer. So that’s kind of how all of these things started coming together.”

At its core, Belly of the Beast does not present motherhood as a single, universal experience. Instead, it embraces its contradictions, allowing love and exhaustion, care and rage, wonder and uncertainty to exist side by side. Compassionate, darkly humorous and visually inventive, the play offers an honest look at one of life’s most transformative journeys and the many changes that come with it.

Salman Khan is often known for maintaining close bonds with people he has worked with in the film industry. In a recent interview, choreographer Mudassar Khan shared how the actor surprised him by attending his wedding in 2023 despite his busy schedule.

Speaking to Filmygyan, Mudassar revealed that he had invited Salman Khan to his wedding but never expected the actor to actually attend. According to him, Salman travelled through heavy traffic in Jogeshwari and waited for around 45 minutes before finally reaching the wedding venue.

Talking about the moment, Mudassar said, “Meri shaadi mein Salman Khan aaye, woh meri zindagi ki sabse badi gift thi. I think meri life ka one of the biggest surprises tha woh, kyunki mujhe nahi pata tha ki woh aayenge. Maine invite kiya tha, but maine nahi socha tha ki woh aayenge, kyunki woh itna busy rehte hain. Matlab, he literally entered Jogeshwari ka traffic, stayed there for 45 minutes, and then entered that small hall where I was getting married. It was like a big thing for me. Woh mere liye bahut badi blessing thi.”

Mudassar also explained that Salman Khan’s presence at the wedding meant a lot to him personally because of the actor’s packed work schedule and popularity.

Mudassar Khan has worked with Salman Khan in several films over the years, including Dabangg, Bodyguard and Ready. The choreographer married his longtime girlfriend Riya Kishanchandani in 2023.

After the wedding, Mudassar shared the news on social media and wrote, “Alhamdulillah, married to the most beautiful person in the world, @riya_kishanchandani. Thank you to both of our families for all the support and love from all of our friends and loved ones. Dua mein yaad rakhna.”

The couple later welcomed their first child in December 2024. Sharing the news of their baby girl on social media, they wrote, “With the blessings of Almighty and the prayers of family and friends, we, Mr. & Mrs. Khan, are proud to announce that we are blessed with a baby girl. Alhamdulillah.”

The interview clip and Mudassar’s comments about Salman Khan are now being widely shared by fans on social media.