Abhishek, Ash don't have time to set marriage date

By Subhash K. Jha Mar 10, 2007, 11:44 GMT

Mumbai, March 10 (IANS) Belying overenthusiastic reports of a marriage date for Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, Amitabh Bachchan says they are as impatient as others but haven't been able to finalise a day due to paucity of time.

'We still haven't got a date. The two of them are so busy, we haven't been able to sit down and work it out,' Amitabh told IANS, denying reports that they were supposed to marry on Feb 19 or March 19.

'Now Abhishek's schedule for 'Drona' is postponed so I'm hoping we'll be able to sit down and work out a date. But Aishwarya is in Karjat shooting and Jaya has gone off to parliament. Everyone is impatient. So are Aishwarya and Abhishek.'

Though the two families would like it to be an intimate affair, fans and celebrity watchers are expecting a large wedding.

'Let's see. I think far too much is being made of this affair. It's just another wedding.'

It was a very moving moment for Amitabh when he went up on stage at the Filmfare Awards to give his wife the Lifetime Achievements trophy.

'I didn't know I had to give a speech. So, whatever I said came from the heart. I needed to recollect a lifetime with Jaya to give her the trophy for Lifetime Achievements.

'That evening brought out a lot of emotions. My daughter Shweta, who's a tough girl, was moved to tears. Aishwarya was crying. For Jaya to acknowledge us as well as Aishwarya's family was wonderful. The day Abhishek announced Aishwarya was the girl he was going to marry, she became a part of our family. I look on Aishwarya as a daughter.'

As for the Big B not getting a Filmfare Award this year, 'I didn't deserve one this year. I thought Abhishek was far more award-worthy in KANK ('Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna'). I very happily and proudly accept that.'

On stage Jaya had thanked her husband for giving her a home.

Says Amitabh: 'That was a manifestation of a larger socio-cultural philosophy. In our society a woman is uprooted from her paternal home after marriage and put through this whole process of re-acclimatisation in what's known as a 'paraya ghar'. A lot of us don't understand how painful this uprooting process is for a woman. That evening Jaya was acknowledging that whole process.'

For a special directors' preview of 'Nishabd' last week, Abhishek was moved to tears.

'I called all my directors to see 'Nishabd' Wednesday. Ravi Chopra, who is a very hard director to please, was deeply moved. People are surprised. They came expecting something else.

'Abhishek had only some rushes earlier on. He had some apprehensions about 'Nishabd'. He doesn't show his emotions that easily. He was visibly moved. He feels my performance in 'Nishabd' is better than in 'Black'. Abhishek made an interesting observation. He said I had huge props in 'Black'. In 'Nishabd', I performed without props. Again, Abhishek is a hard customer to please.'

On Shah Rukh Khan's comments on his friend and Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh at the Filmfare Awards, he says, 'Those were off-hand comments made in jest. Such comments shouldn't be taken seriously.'

© 2007 Indo-Asian News Service