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Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives will be called Fabulous Lives vs Bollywood Lives from the upcoming third season.
What else is new about the Netflix reality series?
“It has added three new wives to the mix, all from Delhi,” said Neelam Kothari Soni, a former actress who starred in the series’ first two seasons.
The 54-year-old, who currently manages her family’s jewellery business in Mumbai, was in Singapore last week for a promo event to talk more about the series and what fans can look forward to in the new season.
She was accompanied by the series’ other heroines Maheep Kapoor, Seema Sajdeh and Bhavana Pandey during the three-hour event with about 250 people – predominantly women – at the Sofitel Sentosa ballroom on April 25.
After the series started off well, with people curious to know about the lives the four lead characters, it fell somewhat flat last season, with critics finding them boring and vacuous.
Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives focuses on the personal and professional lives of the four celebrities who live in Mumbai – the wives of actors Samir Soni, Sanjay Kapoor, Chunky Pandey and Sohail Khan (who Seema recently divorced).
It debuted on Nov 27, 2020, on Netflix, with a second season premiering on Sept 2, 2022.
“Fans love our show but we wanted to give them more,” said Neelam, who revealed that the reality series is not scripted.
“So in the new season, we will step out of our comfort zone and face off with Delhi’s best-known divas.”
The additions from Delhi are Riddhima Kapoor Sahni (wife of businessman Bharat Sahni and sister of Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor), Shalini Passi (wife of Pasco Group chairman Sanjay Passi) and Kalyani Saha Chawla (ex-wife of luxury retailer Ravissant’s Vishal Chawla).
“Season 3 will be entertaining, funny, emotional, dramatic, over the top… but at the heart of it all, it remains an exploration of the many facets of friendship. The bond we share are special,” said Maheep.
From lavish parties to business ventures, the two seasons, produced by Karan Johar, gave a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the opulent lifestyles that the wives lead.
The series had candid interviews, intimate moments and dramatic encounters.
Without an actual script, Bhavana explained it was up to the actors to decide what to discuss and “whether to fight or cry”.
Seema said some situations are slightly planned, but that it’s up to the four to decide how the episode pans out.
Pakistani Fauzia Razi, who has been living in Singapore for 20 years and is in the clothing and jewellery business, said the show is interesting because the four talk about various topics like botox and sex, which makes it easier for most people to talk about subjects like that later.
“I can now relate to them because I have seen them in front of my eyes,” she said.
Ms Deepika Thakur, a housewife from Delhi, is a huge fan of the show, but found the second season a bit dull.
“I can see that the series needs a lift,” she said. “In Season 3 (for which the start date is yet to be announced) I can see they are not going to hold back. There is sure to be anger, spice, fights and new vibes and surprises.”
For organiser Jinny Nevatia from Advaita Events, the event was an opportunity to gauge if the four wives had any sway in Singapore.
“Indian jewellery brand Tanishq came aboard as the main sponsor and there were 250 screaming women wanting to take selfies with them. So, I think there is a market for such Bollywood shows in Singapore,” said Jinny.
