'No bikinis please' says Ekta to all her guests on B'day bash

That's the only request Ekta Kapoor makes of the 300 hand-picked guests to her delayed birthday bash next month

When: 9/11
What: Ekta Kapoor's annual bash
Theme: Beach wear, (So what if there are no beaches near her house?)
Venue: Ekta's Juhu bungalow

Ekta Kapoor's annual party this year coincides with the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center. Not that she planned it that way. But now that the two events coincide, Ekta is determined to have a blast.

This is a very social season for television's resident czarina. "Right now, I've got two sets of Ganesh Mahotsavs, the one in my parents' house and the other in my own, which blessedly is just a hop away. So I'm hopping and skipping back and forth. This way, I'm sure I'll be able to lose enough kilos for my annual party next month," chuckles Ekta.

Need an excuse

For Ekta Kapoor's theme party this year, the dress code is beachwear. She says, "The idea is to be informal, cool, relaxed and in a fun zone. Where would one have as much fun as on a beach? I know there's no beach near my house, so people would look kinda odd in beach wear.

They can wear Bermudas and casuals, but no bikinis, please. I'd probably put up a blue prop suggesting a beachside skyline just to get the whole ambience."

u00a0And then comes the real reason why Ekta wants a beachwear theme for her party. "Because I got the coolest Goa pants and I need an excuse to get into them. And what better reason to get into my coolest clothes than my annual party?"

Postponed

The soap queen has postponed her annual birthday bash from the first week of July when she usually hosts the jamboree, to the second week of September and that too, one of the most dreaded days in the calendar. She has already sent out pre-invitation SMSes to all her friends to keep the date free. She explains, "I was supposed to have it in July.

Then in August. But August we've Ganeshotsav. September too is choc-a-block with parties in Bollywood. That's why I've told all my friends well in advance to keep September 11 free." She will be inviting the guests personally. "300 handpicked guests, each one will be invited by me. Hopefully there'll be no gatecrashers."

But why have a party on 9/11 when the World Trade Center came crashing down? "Oh that's because we want to have a blast of our own," comes the poker-faced reply. "No, I'm joking. I couldn't have it before September 9 for personal reasons."