Apr 20, 2007, 12:14 GMT
New Delhi - Bollywood, where marriage is an oft-scripted theme, was set to see two of its leading actors, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, marry on Friday, with a Bollywood actor calling it a union between a 'prince of acting' and the 'princess of beauty.'
04/03/2007 - Aishwarya Rai - © Solarpix / Photorazzi
Seven years after they first appeared together in a movie in 2000, actors Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai were due to solemnize their much-hyped marriage Friday evening in the western Indian city of Mumbai in a ceremony at Bachchan's up-market bungalow.
'It'll be a beautiful wedding. Abhishek is the prince of acting nowadays and Aishwarya as we all know is the princess of beauty,' Anil Kapoor, a leading Bollywood actor told the Hindustan Times.
The wedding was to be carried out according to Hindu customs and rituals and the ceremony, starting with a procession of cars and a bus carrying invited guests and family members to the Bachchan residence.
The wedding was scheduled to take place later in the evening at a pre-determined auspicious hour, performed by carefully selected Hindu priests.
The Bachchans have kept the wedding a strictly private affair, asking invitees not to divulge information to the media. They have also spurned 'exlusive coverage' deals which were reportedly offered by Indian and foreign media.
The wedding venue has been turned into a virtual fortress. There's heavy security at the entrance and entry is strictly by invitation. Guests even have to leave their cell phones outside, reported NDTV.
In an otherwise smooth-sailing wedding preparation, there were a few jittery moments when Friday morning a small-time actress, Jahnavi Kapoor, allegedly tried to commit suicide by slashing her wrist in front of Abhishek's house, claiming that he had jilted her, reported news agency PTI.
Kapoor, who had played a small role in the Abhishek movie Dus, claimed, in what is being seen as a publicity stunt, that before Abhishek met Aishwarya Rai, he had dated her with promises of marriage.
Kapoor was arrested after the incident.
The guest list, which includes Bollywood colleagues, entreprenuers, politicians and close friends, has also generated a response as many people from Bollywood have not been invited because the Bachchans reportedly wanted to keep the occasion a low-key affair due to the failing health of Abhishek's grandmother, Teji Bachchan.
Aishwarya Rai, 33, considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, began her career in 1994 when she was crowned Miss World, and took to modelling. She made her film debut in 1997, became a leading Bollywood star and has recently been cast in international cinema roles.
Abhishek Bachchan, 31, belongs to Bollywood's first family. His father is the superstar and legend Amitabh Bachchan and mother a popular 1970's actress Jaya Bachchan, who still acts. Abhishek's grandfather was the renowned Hindi poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan.
Abhishek was educated in India and Switzerland and then became a star in 2000 with JP Dutta's film Refugee, purportedly without any support from the senior Bachchans. He was named the sexiest man in Asia in a survey conducted by a British newspaper last year and has endorses several top-notch brands of products.
Abhishek's elder sister, his only other sibling, married into a high-profile business family, and has also entered the world of entertainment with a talk show on NDTV.
The couple reportedly got close when Abhishek supported Aishwarya during the tough times she underwent in two of her former relationships with top Bollywood actors, and after Abhishek's father was hospitalized last year.
page: 1
arushiApr 21st, 2007 - 11:44:51
this was a stupid wedding as no big superstars lik hrithik,sharuk were called
Report this comment
arushi sarkar and ankitaApr 21st, 2007 - 11:46:04
this was a stupid wedding as no big superstars like hrithik,sharuk were called
yaseraMay 2nd, 2007 - 14:28:38
nt bad xcould have been better
Your Talkback on this Story