Dr. Sandeep Goyal hosts star-studded lunch to celebrate Uday Shankar’s return to Star TV

Dr. Sandeep Goyal, ace adman and Chairman of Rediffusion, hosted an opulent lunch party in Mumbai on December 8 at the luxurious Indian Accent restaurant at NMACC. The event was a grand affair, graced by the who’s who of the industry, all dressed to the nines for the occasion.

When asked about the gathering, Dr. Goyal smiled and shared, “We host a lunch party every year in the first week of December. December 3rd is my wife Tanya Goyal’s birthday, and December 5th is mine. This time, the main occasion was to celebrate my close friend Uday Shankar’s triumphant return to Star TV.”

A Celebration of Friendship

Uday Shankar, the media mogul and the man of the moment, reflected on the importance of genuine connections. He remarked, “When you’re down and out, very few people reach out. Sandeep and a few others always stayed connected. These connections were never about business. Not too many people are genuinely happy for other people’s happiness.”

Dr. Goyal fondly recalled his long-standing friendship with Uday Shankar. “I’ve known Uday since my Zee days and his at Aaj Tak. When I had just quit Dentsu and was looking to explore something new. Uday, who was at Star TV then, encouraged me to handle the Life OK launch and venture into mobile advertising. That’s when I spoke to Airtel and devised a method to send end-of-call messages via prepaid phones. On a single evening, 50 crore messages were sent out. This innovation marked the foundation of my mobile marketing company, Mogae Media, and set the stage for our growth.”

A Gathering of Stalwarts

The lunch was attended by several luminaries from diverse walks of life, making it a truly memorable event. Among the notable attendees were Uday Shankar, Subodh Jaiswal, and Praveer Sinha, who share roots in Bihar. The camaraderie and conversations among these stalwarts added a unique charm to the celebration.

The exquisite lunch, warmly conducted over 9 courses by Carol Goyal, filled with delectable cuisine and heartfelt exchanges, was more than just a gathering; it was a celebration of achievements, relationships, and the enduring power of genuine connections.

Amongst the attendees were Chef Sanjeev Kapoor, Monica Shergill of Netflix, Harit Nagpal of Tata Play, Sunil D’Souza of Tata Consumer, Amit Goela of Akasa Air, former BCCI CEO Rahul Johri, Veetika Deoras of Taj Hotels, Aarti & Kailash Surendranath, artist Brinda Miller, Avinash Kaul of CNBC, Sabbas Joseph of Wizcraft, Bennaifer & Sanjay Kohli of Edit II, Paulomi Dhawan, Amit Tandon of IiAS, Anuj Jain of Kansai Nerolac, actress Poonam Dhillon, Abhishek Karnani of FPJ, social influencer Maninder Singh Randhawa and of course Anuraag Batra.

Dr. Goyal’s annual lunch party has become a much-anticipated event in the advertising and media circles, known for its warmth, elegance, and thoughtful purpose. This year’s celebration was no exception, marking a milestone for friendship, success, and the joy of shared happiness. 

Dr Goyal, his wife Tanya and Uday Shankar

Harit Nagpal, Avinash Kaul, Subodh Jaiswal, Romi Dhawan and Vaishali Kaul

Dr. Annurag Batra, Founder of exchange4media and Chairman & Editor-in-Chief of BW Businessworld, at the luncheon

Rahul Johri and Sanjeev Kapoor

Dr. Annurag Batra with Sandeep Goyal and Tanya Goyal

Actor Poonam Dhillon with Rahul Johri

Dr. Annurag Batra with the host Dr Sandeep Goyal

Veetika Deoras with Carol

Carol Goyal, Monica Shergill, Ananth and Vaishali Kaul