Filmmaker and content creator Saniya Mirwani and Prajay Shah, marketing professional at Whirlpool, first met while playing badminton in the apartment building they shared in Mumbai. Saniya was 11 years old. Prajay had a crush on someone else. He asked for the other girl’s intercom number (the real flirty question back in 2009), and Saniya was heartbroken.
They were just friends for a long time, became really close friends, and eventually best friends. Then, in 2011, during the ICC Cricket World Cup final, India beat Sri Lanka and the two hugged for the very first time. A couple of days later, over a dramatic phone call, they simultaneously confessed their feelings for each other. Now, 15 years later, after many years of a long-distance relationship—her in New York, him in Mumbai, then her in Mumbai and him in Toronto—the duo got married in a beautiful ceremony in Mukesh Mills, which enjoys the reputation of being one of the most “haunted” locations in Mumbai. The celebrations also included a Holi-themed party at Tropicana Resort & Spa, Alibaug, and a traditional sangeet at IFBE, Mumbai, a refurbished ice factory complete with exposed brick walls and a tree growing in the centre of the space.
Over a video call on a late Friday evening, I sit down with Saniya and Prajay (full disclosure: they’re two of my closest friends) to break down everything that went down at the wedding and the lead-up to it.
The proposal where (almost) everything went wrong
Prajay: I was very secretive with my planning. It was in Goa, and I had a shortlist of six places. We confirmed the location [Slow Tide] only when I landed, because I wanted to physically see each of them. The proposal had throwbacks to how we first met [while playing badminton] and things I know she likes, such as being by the beach and eating good food, right down to the Moscato wine that we flew in from Mumbai. But so many things went wrong, from us being super late to our reservation, to a power cut. Plus, just that day there was a marathon or triathlon or something and the finish line was right where we were on Anjuna Beach.
Saniya: As we sit down to eat, Prajay says, very sweetly, “I had a dream that you and I were on the beach, playing badminton as the sun set and it felt like everything in the world was right.” So I say, “Okay, fine, we’ll do it,” except as soon as I serve Prajay decides to start walking away from me, throws his badminton racket in the sand, walks towards some rose petals with a fortune cookie in hand. He was referencing memories of our first date.
I broke open the fortune cookie, gave him half, but as I put it in his mouth, he’s bitten my finger—there’s actual footage of me going ‘What is wrong with you? Why are you so nervous?’. And right then, he goes down on one knee and says, “Will you marry me?” I have turned around and started crying. Then I hear a boom. Turns out, Prajay had asked a friend to bring firecrackers, but the friend went and got ₹25 rockets, and one missed Prajay’s ear by literally this much.
A perfectly ghostly location
Saniya: I really wanted to get married in a gurdwara, but unfortunately there were logistical issues. Then I decided that we’ll get married outdoors. But we’re in Mumbai and I love the sea. At the same time, there are not a lot of locations by the water that are accessible in Mumbai. The first time I heard about Mukesh Mills was when my dad’s best friend mentioned it. I was in America at the time and I Googled it—it came up as the most haunted location in Bombay! My parents and sister went and saw it, loved it, and they knew I would too. I was excited that it was Bollywood-coded too—Om Shanti Om, which is one of my favourite movies, was shot there. I have the original DVD of Om Shanti Om; it was Prajay’s first gift to me when we started dating, so it just made sense. Also, ‘Jumma Chumma De De’ and Agneepath (1990) were shot there.
Prajay: Ours was the first wedding that, I think, happened there.
Saniya: Not the first one; there was a nikah there before. When my parents went to see it the second time, my dad spoke to the security guard and asked him if there had been any supernatural occurrences. He said no, that it’s just bad PR, but suggested that we could perhaps not hold a wedding here. But we all loved the location and believed that our excitement was stronger than anything. And if there are ghosts, they would also party with us. I was also excited that we managed to find a hidden place in south Mumbai.
Prajay: People who lived in Mumbai their whole lives didn’t know this location existed.
Saniya: I didn’t feel like there were any spirits around. I did think it was very filmy, like a Bollywood set. Decor-wise, I didn’t want to over-decorate, but we added a couple of chandeliers at the entrance, because I wanted to pay homage to Om Shanti Om. My sister and I even danced to ‘Dhoom Taana’ from Om Shanti Om and ‘Dola Re Dola’ from Devdas.
Prajay: I don’t think even Saniya knows this. But my first or second time at the venue, I spent some time just sitting in the ruins and speaking to the venue. For some reason it felt significant to me to make peace with whatever spirits were there. I did it to show some respect as well. It felt like the right thing to do; I don’t know if that makes sense.
Saniya: That’s really cute. I was glad we were bringing some joy to the place.
