Sanjay Leela Bhansali threw a party for his industry friends after his dream project 'Bajirao Mastani' (2015) bagged six National Awards, including a Best Director honour, on Monday. While his Bajirao, Ranveer Singh, was very much part of the celebrations (no surprises there), the absence of Mastani, Deepika Padukone, sent tongues wagging. The actress, who attended a friend's wedding in Sri Lanka last week with rumoured beau Ranveer and mother Ujjala in tow, apparently landed in Mumbai on Sunday.

Says a source, "Several big names from the industry turned up for Bhansali's bash, but onlookers kept wondering why Deepika, who seems to his current favourite, didn't show up despite being in town."

Industry insiders suggest Deepika may have decided to stay away from the party since she was upset over missing out on the Best Actress award - an honour that she had bagged at major film awards this year for 'Piku'.

A friend of the actress, however, rubbishes the buzz, saying, "Deepika has been away from family for a long time since she was busy shooting for her maiden Hollywood project with Vin Diesel. She wanted to spend as much time as possible with her parents and sister before she flies back to the US for the shoot. There's nothing more to it."

Deepika's spokesperson insists the actress had gone to Sri Lanka for her best friend's wedding and was in Mumbai "just for a few hours when in transit".