Lalit Modi marked his 63rd birthday in London over the weekend with a vibrant celebration attended by close friends, including businessman Vijay Mallya. The former IPL chairman shared clips and images from the event on Instagram, expressing gratitude to his partner Rima Bouri, who organised the gathering.
Who is Rima Bouri?Rima Bouri, who Modi introduced as his partner earlier this year, is an independent consultant from Lebanon with a background in marketing, as per her LinkedIn profile. She completed her schooling at Brillantmont International School in Lausanne and later earned a marketing degree from Richmond, The American International University in London.
Her early education was at Saint Teresa Convent in Surrey, and she is fluent in English, French and Portuguese, with basic proficiency in Arabic. Bouri keeps a private Instagram presence with over 800 followers. Modi had revealed earlier this year that a 25-year friendship between them had evolved into a romantic relationship.
Birthday celebrations in London
Modi's birthday party took place at Maddox Club in Mayfair, one of London's upscale nightlife venues where the minimum table spend starts at £1,000. Videos shared on his social media showed him cutting a cake and dancing with friends to a custom birthday track that included the refrain, "Happy birthday, Lalit. King of smiles."
Vijay Mallya among attendeesAmong those present was Vijay Mallya, who, like Modi, currently resides in London. Their long-standing friendship has been acknowledged publicly by both. In July, Modi had shared another set of party clips featuring karaoke moments with Mallya, with former cricketer Chris Gayle among the guests.
Lalit Modi on his connections and past relationshipsModi and Mallya have also appeared separately on influencer Raj Shamani's podcast in recent months. After Mallya's episode, Modi praised him for backing the IPL in its early days, calling him the first major supporter of the league.
Modi's personal life has often drawn public attention. He was married to Minal Sagrani from 1991 until her death in 2018 and has two children with her. He later confirmed in 2022 that he was in a relationship with actor Sushmita Sen, while clarifying that they were dating and not married.
Modi has been based in London since 2010 after leaving India amid investigations into tax and financial irregularities. In 2013, the BCCI barred him for life following an internal inquiry.
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