The workload at French consulate's Mumbai office had suddenly increased in the first week of April with visas of around hundreds of applicants including that of chefs, businessmen, retailers and journalists lined up for clearance.

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The applicants were meant to hop on a luxury cruise liner-- Costa cruise-- to celebrate 'the big fat Indding' (literally) of the dentist-cum-writer Sana Khan and Adel, heir of a Dubai-based NRI Rizwan Sajan. He is counted among the richest and most powerful in the Emirate, according to a rating released by Forbes magazine.

"This is the first time a whole ship has been exclusively booked by a private individual for a family celebration," said Giuseppe Carino , VP, guest experience and on board revenues, Costa cruises.

The business magnate is rumoured to have splurged around Rs 200 crore on the celebration with more than 1,200 guests on board. This is excluding the 1,100 serving staff on the cruise with a capacity of 3,800.

The celebration that started with a welcome party on board during the first night in Barcelona, was followed by Sangeet ceremony the following evening in the grand Bel Ami Theatre of Costa Fascinosa. The theatre's grandeur allowed for a truly filmy-stage setting where artists from different parts of the world, family members, and guests performed to the tunes of Bollywood.

The barat-- which forms an essential part of any traditional Indian wedding-- was celebrated with the cruise anchored at bay in front of the Promenade de la Croisette road in Cannes. Not to mention these functions were glittered with the Bollywood stars including Sushmita Sen, Juhi Chawla, Sofie Chowdary, Malaika Arora, Shilpa and Shamita Shetty. While Gauhar Khan and Hussain hosted all the shows on the ship, rapper Badshah, the Meet Bros and Vishal-Shekhar kept the guests entertained. While the poolside White Party closed the event, with the cutting of the wedding cake, the guests rode on innumerable experiences before finally disembarking at Savona, Italy.

According to family members, the decision to have a cruise wedding was not an impulsive one but had been replaying for eight years in Sajan's mind that also founded Danube Group over two decades ago. The Bollywood film 'Dil Dhadakne Do', released in 2015 on a similar theme, just made the film lover's idea even more resolve.

The actual preparation started only in February after the Sajan family zeroed in on 114,500 gross tonnage Costa Fascinosa. A five-member team got into planning the event in the minutest of details. However, food was of prime importance and therefore, special meetings were held for the purpose in Genova, Dubai and Brazil to finalise the menu. An entire range of spices purchased from London brought flavours to the cuisine prepared by over 60 chefs flown along with hundreds of helpers and waiters.

An eve prior, a leaflet saying 'Tomorrow's Breakfast' was slipped in cabins of guests mostly resting on beds made with rose-petal spreads. Even the lunch and dinner menus were provided well in advance at the hotel room. The ship was given a touch up of Indian feel and colours and everything right from room key cards to short film on the television was customised to reflect glimpses of the bride and the groom.

Among the staff embarked were 20 hair dressers and four artists preparing the traditional Indian male turbans. All in all, 15,000 red roses were used for the decorations, the parades and as gifts for the ladies, said the organiser.

The writer was on the cruise at the invite of Costa Cruises