MF Husain designed Shalini Passi’s wedding cards, but on one condition

Nothing is ordinary about Shalini Passi, the Delhi-based artist, art collector, and now an OTT star after the release of the Netflix show Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives. From her juice and soup-heavy diet to her skincare mantra of not holding grudges, her sartorial choices, and her palatial, museum-like Delhi mansion—everything related to Passi screams distinctive. No surprise here that she roped in legendary Indian artist MF Husain to design her wedding cards.
Yes, MF Husain designed invitations for Shalini and her businessman-husband Sanjay Passi’s wedding. In an interview with Ananya Bhattacharya, Editor, Features, India Today Digital, Shalini reveals what went behind the same.

MF Husain designed invitations for Shalini and her businessman-husband Sanjay Passi’s wedding. (Photo: India Today Archive)

MF Husain, Shalini tells us, painted the Passis’ wedding cards on one condition: he had to see the bride first.
“Husain sahab has been very close to my husband’s family. My husband’s family approached him to make the wedding cards, and he said, ‘First, I’ll see the girl, and then I’ll paint [the cards]’,” Shalini tells India Today Digital.
“Then he saw me and said, ‘This is a Radha-Krishna jodi,’ and he painted a set of four beautiful wedding cards. One was for the Mata Ki Chowki, one was for the sangeet, one for the wedding, and one for the reception,” Passi adds.
Shalini was 20 when she married Sanjay Passi. The couple welcomed their son, Robin, a year after tying the knot.
Now 49, Shalini follows a strict diet and a daily routine to maintain her physical appearance, because she wants to ‘keep up with her team of 20-somethings’.
Her diet comprises a shot of ghee in the morning, followed by a bevy of juices, goat curd, ragi chilla, and several soups at night. On days when she is not visiting the temple (which she does around 9 pm regularly), Passi eats egg, fish, or chicken for protein.
To keep her teeth healthy and strong, Passi drinks everything—from chamomile tea to kala chana paani—with a straw.
Passi also works out for two hours daily: one hour of dance followed by an hour of Pilates and weight training. She also meditates twice a day.
‘Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Wives’ premiered on Netflix on October 18.
Watch the full interview with Shalini Passi here.