Friends say lately he came across as media-shy, introverted.
The partying pattern of Rahul Mahajan had remarkably changed over the last couple of years, say his close acquaintances. From the swinging, flashlight-powered Page 3 circuit, he had apparently shifted to smaller and more private gatherings.
Mahajan, who had done schooling from Sion's Gyan Sadhna School before moving to Texas in the US to take pilot training, increasingly became media shy and would request reporters on the party beat not to use his photographs. He had good friends in Pooja Batra, Payal Rohatgi and Jay Sewakramani.
Actor Koena Mitra said, "I came to know Rahul after I won the Gladrags title in 2002 in Mumbai. He came across as simple and sober. I feel bad for his mother who is braving one setback after another. Of late, Rahul had become kind of reclusive, confining himself to his own core group."
Asif Bhamla, president of NCP's Bandra unit, said, "Rahul used to be a regular at my parties, but this year, he wasn't there. I partied with him many times, but never saw him doing drugs."
Salil Chaturvedi of Provogue, many of whose fashion shows Mahajan had attended, said, "Rahul was a sober guy. I have no idea if he was into drugs."
There was a time—three years ago—when Rahul seemed more into society parties. But after he shifted to London, where he lived most of the time, nothing much was heard about him. Even two years ago, when he came back to Mumbai, he would be more with his friends and private circle than go party hopping.
Earlier, Rahul's own parties would ooze glamour. Three years' ago, his birthday bash at the then Regent Hotel (now Taj Land's End) had Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Moon Moon Sen, Sonali Bendre and Mitra among others.
It was Vivek Moitra, the late Pramod Mahajan's secretary, who was seen more in the party circuit. A close friend of Moitra said, "Moitra never ever cared about the profile of a party. If a friend was hosting one, he would simply go. A jovial guy, he would always talk of machher jhol (fish curry) when talking to his friends from the east."
Moitra's favourite hangout was a plush hotel in Juhu and till recently, his regular companion would be Santacuz BJP leader Ashish Shelar.
