Gayathri Kallukaran is a Junior Journalist with Eastern Eye. She has a Master’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from St. Paul’s College, Bengaluru, and brings over five years of experience in content creation, including two years in digital journalism. She covers stories across culture, lifestyle, travel, health, and technology, with a creative yet fact-driven approach to reporting. Known for her sensitivity towards human interest narratives, Gayathri’s storytelling often aims to inform, inspire, and empower. Her journey began as a layout designer and reporter for her college’s daily newsletter, where she also contributed short films and editorial features. Since then, she has worked with platforms like FWD Media, Pepper Content, and Petrons.com, where several of her interviews and features have gained spotlight recognition. Fluent in English, Malayalam, Tamil, and Hindi, she writes in English and Malayalam, continuing to explore inclusive, people-focused storytelling in the digital space.
For decades, Shah Rukh Khan’s ocean-facing mansion, Mannat, stood as the pinnacle of Bollywood royalty. Located in Mumbai’s upscale Bandra area, the house wasn’t just a home—it was a symbol. Fans from around the world still gather outside its gates, hoping for a glimpse of the man often called the “King of Bollywood.”
But the crown for the most expensive celebrity-owned home in India has now passed on.
Kapoor-Bhatt mansion takes the lead
Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, one of Bollywood’s most celebrated couples, have completed work on a sprawling new bungalow in Bandra, reportedly worth over ₹250 crore—approximately €27 million. This figure eclipses the estimated value of Mannat, which stands around ₹200 crore or €22 million.
This isn’t just a luxurious residence. It’s a bold statement of the couple’s rising status in the industry. Their new property signals that a new generation of Bollywood royalty has arrived.
Personal touches and prime location
The Kapoor-Bhatt bungalow blends cutting-edge architecture with personal design choices. Both actors were deeply involved in shaping the interiors and layout, working closely with architects to ensure the space reflected their tastes and lifestyle.
Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt outshine Shah Rukh Khan Getty Images
The home’s location adds further weight to its emotional and symbolic value. It is situated close to Krishna Raj Bungalow, the former home of Ranbir Kapoor’s late father Rishi Kapoor, preserving a connection to the actor’s heritage and childhood memories.
A shift in Bollywood’s property powerhouses
While Mannat remains an iconic destination undergoing renovation, it no longer holds the top spot in Mumbai’s ultra-premium celebrity housing market. Other high-profile residences, like Amitabh Bachchan’s Jalsa in Juhu, are estimated at around ₹125 crore (€13.5 million), making Ranbir and Alia’s mansion the clear front-runner in terms of value.
Mannat remains an iconic destination undergoing renovationGetty Images
This €27 million investment isn’t just about luxury—it marks a turning point in how star power is defined in modern Bollywood. Kapoor and Bhatt, both at the top of their careers, are not only dominating cinema but also influencing lifestyle trends and property benchmarks.
A family home for the future
The couple are reportedly planning to make the mansion their permanent residence, raising their daughter Raha in one of Mumbai’s most exclusive neighbourhoods. The property offers them privacy, security, and all the comforts needed for their growing family.
The design also reflects a desire for permanence—this isn’t a status symbol to flip or rent, but a long-term home meant to reflect their legacy.
A new chapter in Bollywood’s legacy
The purchase of this home is being seen as symbolic of the shifting tides in Bollywood. While Mannat and Shah Rukh Khan continue to command respect and fan devotion, there’s no denying that the torch is being passed.
Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt’s new home is not just Mumbai’s most expensive celebrity bungalow—it’s also a sign of the generational shift taking place in Indian cinema. The glamour, wealth, and global reach once associated with SRK are now being matched by the power couple of the new era.
This isn’t just a real estate story. It’s a reflection of changing icons, growing ambitions, and the evolution of stardom in Bollywood.
So, Kajol and Twinkle Khanna’s show, Two Much, is already near its fourth episode. And people keep asking: why do we love watching stars sit on sofas so much? It’s not the gossip. Not really. We’re not paying for the gossip. We’re paying for the glimpse. For the little wobble in a voice, a tiny apology, a family story you recognise. It’s why Simi’s white sofa mattered once, why Karan’s sofa rattled the tabloids, and why Kapil’s stage made everyone feel at home. The chat show isn’t dead. It just keeps changing clothes.
Why Indian audiences can’t stop watching chat shows from Simi Garewal to Karan Johar Instagram/karanjohar/primevideoin/ Youtube Screengrab
Remember the woman in white?
Simi Garewal brought quiet and intimacy. Her Rendezvous with Simi Garewal was all white sets and soft lights, and it felt almost like a church for confessions. She never went full interrogation mode with her guests. Instead, she’d just slowly unravel them, almost like magic. Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha, they all sat on that legendary white sofa, dropping their guard and letting something real slip out, something you’d never stumble across anywhere else. The whole thing was gentle, personal, and almost revolutionary.
Simi Garewal and her iconic white sofa changed the face of Indian talk showsYoutube Screengrab/SimiGarewalOfficial
Then along came Karan Johar
Let’s be honest, Karan Johar changed the game completely. Koffee with Karan was the polar opposite. Where Simi was a whisper, Karan was a roar. His rapid-fire round was a headline machine. Suddenly, it stopped being about struggles or emotions but opinions, little rivalries, and that full-on, shiny Bollywood chaos. He almost spun the film industry into a full-blown high school drama, and honestly? We loved it up.
Kapil Sharma rewired the format again and took the chat show, threw it in a blender with a comedy sketch, and created a monster hit. His genius was in creating a world or what we call his crazy “Shantivan Society” and making the celebrities enter his universe. Suddenly, Shah Rukh Khan was being teased by a fictional, grumpy neighbour and Ranbir Kapoor was taunted by a fictional disappointed ex-girlfriend. Stars were suddenly part of the spectacle, all halos tossed aside. It was chaotic, yes, but delightfully so. The sort of chaos that still passed the family-TV test. For once, these impossibly glamorous faces felt like old friends lounging in your living room.
Kajol and Twinkle’s Amazon show Two Much feels like friends talking to people in their circle, and that matters. What’s wild is, these folks aren’t the stiff, traditional hosts, they’re insiders. The fun ones. The ones who know every secret because, let’s be honest, they were there when the drama started. On a platform like Amazon, they don’t have to play for TRPs or stick to a strict clock. They can just… talk.
People want to peep behind the curtain. Even with Instagram and Reels, there’s value in a longer, live-feeling exchange. It’s maybe the nuance, like an awkward pause, a memory that makes a star human, or a silly joke that lands. OTT gives space for that. Celebs turned hosts, like Twinkle and Kajol in Two Much or peers like Rana Daggubati in Telugu with The Rana Daggubati Show, can ask differently; they make room for stories that feel earned, not engineered.
How have streaming and regional shows changed the game?
Streaming freed chat shows from TRP pressure and ad breaks. You get episodes that breathe. Even regional versions likeThe Rana Daggubati Show, or long-running local weekend programmes, prove this isn’t a Mumbai-only appetite. Viewers want local language and local memories, the same star-curiosity in Kannada, Telugu, or Tamil. That widens the talent pool and the tone.
From White Sofas to OTT Screens How Indian Talk Shows Keep Capturing HeartsiStock
Are shock moments over?
Not really. But people are getting sick of obvious bait. Recent launches lean into warmth and inside jokes rather than feeding headlines. White set, gold couch, or a stage full of noise, it doesn’t matter. You just want to sit there, listen, get pulled into their stories, like a campfire you can’t leave. We watch, just curious, hoping maybe these stars are a little like us. Or maybe we’re hoping we can borrow a bit of their sparkle.
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