Wearing a confident smile and her signature dark eyes, Sharmilla Khanna’s is one face you cannot miss at any social do. A page 3 regular, Sharmilla is often seen enjoying an afternoon brunch with Mumbai’s glitterati or at the launch of a designer store. But before you think she is a social butterfly who loves to party, she’s quick to dismiss the idea.
An event organiser by profession, Sharmilla is responsible for having organised some of Mumbai’s exclusive events like the launch of MAC, Jimmy Choo and swears that if she had it her way, socialising would be well, out of it. “Most people think I like to attend parties but that’s the opposite of who I am. I don’t drink alcohol and go to bed before anybody else. Unlike what most people in the business may like to believe, I don’t need to ‘network’ for work. My work speaks for itself,” she says.
Sharmilla is one of the first few people that ventured in the field of niche events for luxury brands. “I started off by helping out a few friends with their launches and before I knew it, people were approaching me to handle their events,” she says adding, “My area of work still remains very niche. Given the amount of personal attention I give to every client, it’s not possible take up work in bulk.”
Working in close tandem with her daughter Shaan, Sharmilla believes she couldn’t have asked for a better work partner. “It is amazing to work with Shaan. We both have a similar vision for work and that helps a great deal. Shaan being more clued into technology contributes to various innovative marketing ideas. But we do have disagreements too,” she admits.
Apart from a flourishing career in events, Sharmilla and her husband—both self-confessed gourmands have also started a food store—Sorbet in Bengaluru. “We both love food. What we love more is to experiment with food. We love to go around the world tasting new types of cuisine and surprising our palette every time we’re in a new environment. That’s the experience we want our customers to have too,” she says.
An entrepreneur, a restaurateur and a full-time mother, Sharmilla is a multi-tasker and if we may add, a stylish one at that!