MAMI TROPHY RISES LIKE A PHEONIX FROM THE ASHES AND TAKES ON A NEW FORM

DESIGNED BY VARUNA D JANI THE MAMI TROPHY RISES LIKE A PHEONIX FROM THE ASHES AND TAKES ON A NEW FORM

Mumbai, October 2014:The 16th edition of the Mumbai film festival organized by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) will have a sparkling touch this year. The renowned jewellery designer and adornologist Varuna D Jani has graciously volunteered to design and craft the 15 coveted award trophies for the festival, to be held from 14-21 October 2014 at PVR Cinemas in Andheri, Cinemax,Versova and Chandan Cinemas in Juhu. 

MAMI trophies are sought-after awards and are treasured for a lifetime as they depict the artist’s contribution to Indian cinema. Inspired by this Varuna has created exquisite trophies distinguished by her craftsmanship which is unique and contemporary. This is the first time that a jewellery designer has designed the award for the festival.

The trophy resonates the inherent attributes of the festival and its symbolic mascot the phoenix. The Mumbai Film festival has gained a position over the years is at the pinnacle of recognition, status and popularity, and this year’s trophy represents that in its design and intent.  The trophy plaque is crystal with a gold and silver plated Phoenix (the emblem of MAMI) which is an enduring allegorical symbol, symbolizing rebirth, renewal or uniqueness. At the threshold of the trophy is the designer’s logo with two real diamond drops placed on the tips of the V wing on each side completing the symmetry of the design.

Says,ace jewellery designer and adornologist, Varuna D Jani “It is an honour and a privilege to have received this opportunity to design this prestigious trophy for MAMI. I was very excited and inspired to create and design the trophy. I hope I have imbibed in it the pride and the prestige that is associated with this magnificent festival.”

Mr Srinivassan Narayan, Festival Director, Mumbai Film Festival said, “We thank Varuna D Jani for her support towards the Mumbai Film festival. That a designer of her calibre has agreed to design our award trophies is a matter of pride for us. The final trophy is spectacular as is the design input put in by her. This year’s award recipients will be the envy of many as they will get to take the coveted trophy home.”

The trophy exudes a royal charm with crystal base and gold and silver plating. Equal emphasis has been given to the back and front of the trophy making it a piece of art. With fine engravings of letter, this year’s MAMI Trophy is going to be a sought after reward not just because of the repute and the prestige of the festival but also as a thing of beauty that the award winners would be proud to receive. After all the inspiration behind the design was that these awards (the MAMI trophy) deserve to be earned not owned. 

FEMINA APRIL 2014 - A Sparkling night

Seven designer jewellery headliners. Sixteen pretty women. A host of sultans and czarinas of style.  One international stylist.  A suave choreographer. Three glittering performances. A classy hotel. A red carpet walkway that featured the swish set of the Peshwa City and every woman’s best friend, India’s premier lifestyle for women, Femina. . . and you have a recipe for a sparkling soirée —Femina Sparkle Fest.

When Femina conceptualised this one-of-a-kind, exclusive fashion fiesta that lauded the achievements of the rocks stars of the jewellery world—jewellery designers like Varuna D Jani, Imitiaz Motiwala and jewellery houses like Goodwin, Ciemme, Orra Jewels, Cygnus and Sheetal Creations—thought it was a capital idea and came onboard to showcase their versatile talent and inimitable collection at the spanking new Novotel Pune Hotel on Nagar Road in Pune.

Helping them along were the denizens of the fashion world – stylist Mubaraka Caderbhoy Kuvawala, the diva of beautiful looks Chandrakala Sanap, the king of smooth moves, choreographer Satyajit Joglekar and designer Priyanka Rajiv alongwith Harshita Deshpande, la raison d’être behind the designer lifestyle store Myrah —banded together to put up a dazzling evening that would honour the achievements of the glitzy clan. And what a terrific evening it turned out to be as the lovely head turners took to the runway to show off the sparkling creations!

Matching them every step of the way were three glittering performances in between the fashion shows. Leading the pack was the mesmerizing Cynthia Furtado with her incredible singing prowess who had the audience swinging to her rendition of Shaikra’s Waka Waka, Whenever Wherever and Sunidhi Chauhan’s Kaisi Paheli Zindagani from the movie Parineeta. Then the truly funny standup comic Varun Thakur, the man behind Schitz En Giggles Comedy and Culture Machine took over and had the audience in splits with his funny one-liners. Suffice to say he the audience cracking up to his funny rabble rousing Finally, it was time for the man with the Twinkle Toes Piyush, the man behind Piyush’s Academy took over the stage and set it on fire with his incomparable energy levels and some seriously cool dance moves.

As for the swish set we mentioned earlier? Well, they were —Radhika and Saurabh Gadgil of the PNG clan, DCP Rajkumar Shinde, Gaurii and Hrishikeish Shirodkar of the Pashankar Group, Anand Behede, Managing Director, RB Group (India), designer brigade lead by Priyanka Rajiv, Nivedita Saboo with her husband Badal in tow, Vidya Tiwari, Hina Madhumal escorted by her husband Rafael, entrepreneur Dharini Turakhia and her husband Kunal, Sujit Jain of Netsurf, fashionista Nirja Gupta and her better half Kishan Gupta, Laleh Busheri, CEO, Prashanti Cancer Care Mission with her partner city’s leading oncosurgeon and oncosurgeon Dr Chaitanyanad Kopikkar, Pelham Roberts, principal, United World College (UWC) escorting his wife Urlike, showman Rakesh Wadhwa,  Sourav Chatterjee of the Aditya Birla Memorial 

Hospital to name just a few…

All in all, it was an evening to remember!