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Aishwarya Rai - Abhishek Bachchan Marriage News

Look-alikes entertain eager crowds at Abhi-Ash wedding
Mumbai, April 20 A large crowd of onlookers, gathered outside the Bachchan bungalow here Friday for a glimpse of what was touted as the wedding of the year, were entertained by some whose sole claim to fame was their resemblance to some stars.

While Bollywood stars Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai's wedding was out of bounds of all, the media included, except for a select list of stars and celebrities, the crowd was happy to catch Amitabh Bachchan amid them - till they realised that the man was only a look-alike of the super star.

 

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The man, who identified himself as Keshav Srivastava, was attired in the same way as Big B down to the saffron turban, and, unlike others in the crowd, had little difficulty in reaching up to the gates of "Jalsa", the Bachchan bunglow, just before Abhishek was to come out.

His act, however, was soon over as the security personnel stopped him from proceeding further.

"I had come to greet the couple," Srivastava later told media persons with a smile.

As a small crowd gathered around him, Srivastava said he had come from Bhopal Wednesday especially for this event.

At "Pratiksha", the Bachchans' other bungalow at Juhu, it was the turn of a Salman Khan look-alike to provide some amusement to the fans who were tired waiting to catch a glimpse of the star couple.

While many initially thought the famous actor had come to attend the wedding, the man gave himself away by distributing false invitation cards for the wedding of another
star couple as an elaborate joke.

He was soon cornered by police and taken away.
Abhi weds Ash...finally
Mumbai, April 20 Colour, confusion and crowds... It was every bit the grand filmy wedding as Abhishek Bachchan, astride a horse, wearing an off-white sherwani and a white turban bedecked with flowers, arrived on a hot Friday evening to wed Aishwarya Rai.

Bollywood's power couple finally tied the knot in a grand ceremony that held much of the nation in thrall - never mind if the only details of the closely guarded event that filtered out were grainy zoom shots from TV cameras stationed across the road.

Aishwarya reached the Bachchans' Juhu residence Prateeksha in a silver Mercedes decorated with flowers along with her mother and brother.

At almost the same time, the barat left the other Bachchan bungalow Jalsa nearby, with a visibly anxious Amitabh Bachchan, complete with a saffron turban, ushering his guests into the waiting Volvo buses that would take them to the wedding venue.

 
His face covered with a sehra of white flowers, Abhishek did a small jig before getting off the bus and waving cheerily and then getting on to his horse again at Prateeksha.

While photographers scrambled to train their cameras at the goings-on, curious stargazers climbed up trees, railings and even hoardings to get a first-hand view.

Amid the sea of saffron turbans sported by the baratis, several close friends like yesteryear actor Danny Denzongpa, industrialist Anil Ambani and director Goldie Behl could be seen.

The Bollywood celebrities who arrived to bless the couple also included Sonali Bendre, Preity Zinta, Karan Johar, Ajay Devgan and Kajol.

With so many high-profile guests, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav and Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, at least 1,000 security personnel swarmed both the flower bedecked Bachchan homes. The road outside Prateeksha was blocked.

Friday's wedding was the climax of three-day festivities that included a sangeet and a mehndi ceremony that were equally secretive.

The buzz around the Abhi-Ash marriage started last year and had been steadily getting louder even though the Bachchans never announced it officially because they wanted to keep it a private affair.

TV shots and newspaper pictures of guests, who kept floating in and out of their house from Wednesday, were the only proof that the big fat Indian wedding was finally taking place.

Both the Bachchan residences were turned into fortresses and for the uninvited, getting in was next to impossible.

The Bachchans not only took care of their own privacy, they were thoughtful enough not to disturb their neighbours - the lawns at the venue were covered with soundproofed, air-conditioned tents.

Members of the film fraternity who made it to the guest list showed cooperation towards the first family of Bollywood - none of the invitees breathed out a single detail about the wedding.

"They have invited all those people who are emotionally close to them," Amar Singh said in an interview to a TV channel in an apparent explanation for some conspicuous absentees like neighbour Hrithik Roshan and all the Khans.

Fans and mediapersons who had logged on to Aishwarya's official site also faced disappointment as they found it temporarily closed.

"This site is temporarily unavailable. Please do not call or e-mail but check back again next month. Thank you," said a message apparently posted by Aishwarya.

Whether the wedding of the year was accessible to all or not, the couple's many fans just hope that they live happily ever after...
 
AbhiAsh set for big, fat fairy tale wedding
Mumbai, April 17 With only three days left for the AbhiAsh wedding, the countdown has begun. From the 16-page gold-embossed wedding card to the Z-grade
security ring with 300 guards and rumoured swipe cards for entry, the minutiae of the celebrity event have all in a tizzy.

After Abhishek Bachchan, the scion of Bollywood's first family, and Aishwarya Rai, one of the most beautiful women in the world, got engaged in January following the
premiere of their film "Guru", no stone is being left unturned by the Bachchans for the upcoming nuptials.

Though the April-20 wedding date is neither confirmed nor denied by the two families concerned, ongoing hectic preparations are proof that the mega wedding is going to
take place as scheduled at the Bachchan bungalow in the posh locality of Juhu, Mumbai.

The two Bachchan bungalows - Prateeksha and Jalsa - now resemble well-guarded fortresses and workers can be seen constructing the mandap (dais) within the bungalow
premises.

The ceremonies are set to start from April 18 with mehndi (henna), followed by sangeet (music) the next day. According to reliable sources, a special kind of mehndi has
been ordered for the ceremony, like the one brought by Liz Hurley for her marriage with Arun Nayar last month.

 
The sangeet preparations are apparently entrusted to Abhishek's Delhi-based sister Shweta Nanda. Shweta's friends are queuing up to her, as they want to perform to the song "Kajra-re" from "Bunty Aur Babli" for the ceremony. Ace choreographer Sandeep Soparker has been roped in to teach dance steps to Abhishek's friends for the occasion.

Security has been beefed up to 'Z' grade and over 300 guards are deployed to tackle any eventuality, like gatecrashers or crazy fans breaking in. Rumour has it that the
guests will have to use swipe cards for entry.

Some last-minute invitees are being included in the guest list, this time from the bride's side. The wedding card along with boxes of cookies-chocolates is now being dashed off to the bride's filmmaker-friends along with a personal request from the bride to be, her mother or her secretary.

The wedding card is embossed in gold and personally signed by groom's father Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya's parents.

The wedding is going to be a close-knit affair as Amitabh's mother Teji Bachchan is ailing. Invitees have been sworn to secrecy about the wedding details and also about the contents and look of the wedding card, the dress code, etc.

"The fact is every guest is under an unwritten oath of secrecy. We aren't even allowed to talk about the wedding among ourselves. I'm not even discussing it with my wife. We're being offered money by sections of the media to divulge details. One newspaper, which wanted to be shown the wedding card, even offered me the equivalent of what I make for five days of shooting. I naturally refused," said an invitee.

Gregarious pals of the Bachchans, like Karan Johar, have retreated into a shell, pretending to be immersed in work or shooting to avoid talking about the wedding.

All agog over hush-hush AbhiAsh wedding

Mumbai, April 17 With AbhiAsh's not-so-ordinary wedding just around the corner, the buzz outside Prateeksha, the famous Bachchan residence, has reached a fever pitch. From excited fans to the media, everybody is snooping outside the main gate to get a glimpse of what's happening inside.

Abhishek Bachchan, the scion of Bollywood's first family, and Aishwarya Rai, one of the most beautiful women in the world, who got engaged in January following the premiere of their film "Guru", are set to tie the knot in the presence of close family members and friends at the Bachchan bungalow in the posh locality of Juhu, Mumbai.

No stone is being left unturned by the Bachchans for the upcoming nuptials.

From the 16-page gold-embossed wedding card to the Z-grade security ring with 300 guards and rumoured swipe cards for entry, the minutiae of the celebrity event have plunged all into a tizzy.

Though the April 20 wedding date has neither been confirmed nor denied by the two families concerned, ongoing hectic preparations are proof that the mega wedding is going to take place as scheduled.

The two Bachchan bungalows - Prateeksha and Jalsa - now resemble well-guarded fortresses and workers can be seen constructing the mandap (dais) within the bungalow premises.

The ceremonies are set to start from April 18 with mehndi (henna), followed by sangeet (music) the next day. According to reliable sources, a special kind of mehndi has been ordered for the ceremony, like the one brought by Liz Hurley for her marriage with Arun Nayar last month.

The sangeet preparations are apparently entrusted to Abhishek's Delhi-based sister Shweta Nanda. Shweta's friends are queuing up to her, as they want to perform to the song "Kajra-re" from "Bunty Aur Babli" for the ceremony. Ace choreographer Sandeep Soparker has been roped in to teach dance steps to Abhishek's friends for the occasion.

Security has been beefed up to 'Z' grade and over 300 guards are deployed to tackle any eventuality, like gatecrashers or crazy fans breaking in. Rumour has it that the guests will have to use swipe cards for entry.

Some last-minute invitees are being included in the guest list, this time from the bride's side. The wedding card along with boxes of cookies-chocolates is now being dashed off to the bride's filmmaker-friends along with a personal request from the bride to be, her mother or her secretary.

The wedding card is embossed in gold and personally signed by the groom's father Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya's parents.

The wedding is going to be a close-knit affair as Amitabh's mother Teji Bachchan is ailing. Invitees have been sworn to secrecy about the wedding details and also about the contents and look of the wedding card, the dress code etc.

"The fact is every guest is under an unwritten oath of secrecy. We aren't even allowed to talk about the wedding among ourselves. I'm not even discussing it with my wife. We're being offered money by sections of the media to divulge details. One newspaper, which wanted to be shown the wedding card, even offered me the equivalent of what I make for five days of shooting. I naturally refused," said an invitee.

Gregarious pals of the Bachchans, like Karan Johar, have retreated into a shell, pretending to be immersed in work or shooting to avoid talking about the wedding.
 
Abhi-Ash wedding - the real guest-list
Mumbai, April 14 With the electronic media and the paparazzi going ballistic with "details" about the Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai marriage, no one is sure about the facts any more.
The April 20 wedding is not going to be a lavish affair, say those in the know. Only the immediate relatives of the Bachchans - brother Ajitabh and his family, sister Shweta and her in-laws, which include all the Kapoors - are being invited.Abhishek's close friends like Sikandar Kher, Goldie Behl and Rohan Sippy are sure to be there. Karan Johar and mom Hiroo Johar as well as and J.P. Dutta, whom Abhishek looks on as a father figure, are expected to attend.Yash Chopra, his wife Pam and sons Aditya and Uday are also likely to be there at the ceremony.The lady of the house, Jaya Bachchan, is busy supervising every detail. In fact, Big B and the bridegroom are keeping completely out of the picture, and that includes the invitees' list.Jaya, being firm of mind and resolute in her purposes, has kept the fanfare to the barest minimum. The guest list would be in accordance with the size and capacity of the Bachchans' residence - Prateeksha - and of course, the imperativeness of the potential invitees' presence on the premises.All the invitees are keeping a low profile to avoid divulging details about the wedding. But some of the atrocious claims cooked up by entertainment channels have the Bachchans hugely amused.According to media reports, neighbours have been asked to keep their gates shut to media personnel and the aviation ministry requested to bar planes over their residence during the wedding.Amitabh has told a friend, "My son's wedding is a very private, solemn and precious moment for me and my family. Surely, we're entitled to our privacy if and when we need it."

Special henna for Aishwarya-Abhishek wedding
Jaipur, Those of us who don't know where Sojat is, it's time to refresh their general knowledge. This is the place in Rajasthan from where Aishwarya Rai will get henna for her mehndi (henna) ceremony when she weds Abhishek Bachchan. Over 15 kg of local henna will travel to wherever (the trader refuses to disclose where) the ceremony takes place. The henna packets would be sent five days prior to the wedding day. "The Bachchan family contacted a mehndi agent in Mumbai who in turn has placed orders with two of the leading henna traders of Sojat," sources told IANS here Friday. These traders had prepared a special type of mehndi for model and actress Liz Hurley's wedding to NRI businessman Arun Nayar recently. "We have received orders from an agent in Mumbai for the Bachchan wedding and we are preparing special packets for them. We will send these packets to wherever they decide to get married," said Nitesh Agarwal, a Sojat-based mehndi trader. Sojat and its surrounding areas in the Pali district of the state boast of the most intensive henna cultivation in India. Up to 90 percent of Rajasthan's commercial henna production is in this area. Over 100 henna processing units are in operation in Sojat.Bollywood's hottest couple are getting married on April 20. According to reports, the ceremony would be a low key affair and held in Mumbai with only the closest family and friends in attendance.
 

Ash had been the dutiful 'bahu' for long
By Subhash K. Jha,

Mumbai, Jan 16 Though Bollywood's hottest couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai announced their engagement on Sunday, the actress had been fulfilling the role of a dutiful daughter-in-law long before their relationship was made public.

"For a while now, Aishwarya has been a dutiful bahu (daughter-in-law) at their residence, so much so that Jayaji (Jaya Bachchan) has completely warmed up to her and has been telling friends for a while that Aishwarya will fit wonderfully into their household.
 

"Aishwarya has made it very clear to her parents that all marriage details will be decided by them. The same goes for the Bachchans," a close family friend of told IANS.

The couple chose to maintain a discreet distance from and a deafening silence on the matter that has hogged the headlines and mindspace since the announcement of the engagement Sunday night.

While Abhishek flew off the next morning with his mother Jaya to Rajasthan for the shooting of Goldie Behl's "Drona", Aishwarya chose to be with her family on Monday before heading for Karjat to shoot for Ashutosh Gowariker's "Jodha-Akbar", thereby leaving all the subsequent details including the wedding date to the parents.

"It's almost like an arranged marriage with love thrown in. We all knew Abhishek and Aishwarya were getting close to one another for a long time. But neither spoke about it. And since they're very private people we thought it unwise to probe beyond a point.

"We just let their relationship take a natural course. We're genuinely happy to discover that the two of them have decided to be together," added the source.

Now both the parties, in the biggest wedding of the year, are waiting for the parents to get together and select a date.

Said a close friend of Aishwarya: "Her dad is out of town. As soon as he returns in a couple of days he'll be meeting up with Amitabh to decide a date. Both the families are eager to lock in on a date for the wedding."
 

Brad, Angelina congratulate Aishwarya
New York, Jan 16 Celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have congratulated Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai on her engagement with Abhishek Bachchan.

Pitt and Jolie wished Aishwarya all the best and said "we hope to see her back in Hollywood real soon", Sheeraz Hasan, founder of www.Hollywood.tv, said in a press release.

Aishwarya featured in the Hollywood film "Mistress of Spices" directed by Paul Mayeda Berges.

Pitt, who came to India to shoot "A Mighty Heart", about the life of slain journalist Daniel Pearl, said that Indians were very loving and spiritual and he and Jolie had loved every minute they spent in the country.

 
Jolie also showed keen interest in Indian films and said she would love to star in a Bollywood film.

Hollywood's hottest pair had met Hasan at 64th Annual Golden Globes event Monday where Pitt's "Babel" won best motion picture-drama trophy.

Abhishek, Aishwarya's post wedding party in Rajasthan?
By Anil Sharma,

Jaipur, Jan 16 Bollywood's hottest pair Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, who were engaged over the weekend, may hold their post-wedding party in Jaipur or Udaipur sometime in February with over 6,000 guests in attendance.

"Representatives of the Bachchan family have already started holding talks in this direction with the concerned erstwhile royal families," informed sources told IANS.

The Bachchans are considered to be close to the erstwhile royal family of Jaipur and chances are that the bash would be held here and be attended by over 6,000 guests, including Bollywood stars, industrialists and politicians.

Sources in the Jaipur City Palace said the Bachchans have expressed a desire to book the entire palace for a day. Their major concern, however, is the security of the high-profile guests coming to attend the party.

The Bachchans' representatives are also reportedly in talks with some five-star hotels on the Jaipur-Delhi highway for the accommodation of some guests.

Speculation about the Jaipur do were fuelled after the former queen of Jaipur Padmini Devi met Jaya Bachchan in Kuchaman where she, along with Abhishek, is shooting for Goldie Behl's film "Drona".

The Jaipur City Palace is an imposing blend of traditional Rajasthan and Mughal architecture. The vast complex was originally built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of the Kachhwaha clan of Rajputs in the early 18th century.

The complex is divided into a series of courtyards, sprawling gardens and buildings. It is home to several palatial structures like the Chandra Mahal, Mubarak Mahal, Badal Mahal, Govind Dev ji Temple and the City Palace Museum.

Rumours are also rife that Udaipur, known as the city of lakes, could be chosen to host the post-wedding celebrations.

According to sources, the Udaipur City Palace complex could be the party venue. Part of the palace has been converted into two hotels and another part still serves as the residence of Udaipur's erstwhile king.

But it offers plenty of spots to hold a grand wedding and can accommodate 100-3,000 guests at a time.

The most popular of them is the landscaped promenade on the shores of Lake Pichola It offers spectacular views of the lake, island palaces and mountains. The Promenade Jetty is another venue for special dinners and ceremonial occasions that can accommodate up to 2,000 guests.

The island palace of Jagmandir is one of the most exquisite venues for weddings. Jagmandir's garden courtyard can accommodate up to 500 guests.

Udaipur has played host to many big weddings, including actress Raveena Tandon's marriage to businessman Anil Thadani in 2004. Actor Vikram Chatwal, son of US-based hotelier Sant Chatwal, also held his pre-wedding parties here in 2006.
 

Abhishek Bachchan returns to work
Jaipur, Jan 15 After getting engaged to Aishwarya Rai in Mumbai Sunday evening, Abhishek Bachchan is back to work.

Accompanied by his mother, actress Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek arrived in Jaipur Monday to shoot for "Drona" directed by Goldy Behel.

Clad in a white shirt and blue trousers and sporting sunglasses, a cheerful looking Abhishek landed at Sanganer airport around 9.30 a.m. He refused to answer reporters' queries about his wedding date.

Both the stars immediately left for Kuchaman City, the location for the shooting of "Drona". His co-star Priyanka Chopra had arrived a day before.

Kuchaman is a former fort of the Rajputs on a rock cliff in Nagaur district, 130 km from here.
 

Amitabh confirms Aishwarya, Abhishek engagement
Mumbai, Jan 14

Bollywood's hottest and most talked about pair Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan were engaged Sunday.

Confirmation of this came from none other than Abhishek's father, film icon Amitabh Bachchan, at whose residence here the engagement took place.

There was no immediate word on the wedding date, industry sources said, adding Abhishek popped the question after the international premiere in Toronto Friday of Bollywood film "Guru" featuring the duo in the lead roles.

Speaking to reporters at Toronto, Aishwarya, a former Miss World, had pleaded with them not to jump to conclusions about her relationship with Abhishek, saying an announcement would be made at the appropriate time.

Aishwarya had in the past been romantically linked to actors Salman Khan and Vivek Oberoi. However, reports had been flying thick and fast for the past few months that she and Abhishek were about to tie the knot.

These reports gained added currency after Aishwarya accompanied Abhishek and his parents to perform rituals at a Varanasi temple in November 2006.
 

Bachchans, Aishwarya to visit Guruvayoor
Guruvayoor (Kerala), Jan 15 Bollywood's hottest pair Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, who were engaged Sunday, are to visit Kerala's well-known Sree Krishna Temple in Guruvayoor in early February.

The couple will be accompanied by Abhishek's parents - Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, said K.V. Nambiar, president of the Guruvayoor Devasom.

"We were told about their visit from Mumbai though the exact dates would be communicated when their programme is finalised. It would happen in the first week of next month," Nambiar told IANS.

"The visit would take place before their marriage," he said.

According to speculations, Amitabh is likely to give an elephant as an offering to the temple.

Abhishek and Aishwarya were engaged at the Bachchans' residence in Mumbai Sunday.

Industry sources said Abhishek popped the question after the international premiere in Toronto Friday of Bollywood film "Guru" featuring the duo in the lead roles.

Rumours had been flying fast for the past few months that she and Abhishek were about to tie the knot. These reports gained added currency after Aishwarya accompanied Abhishek and his parents to perform rituals at a Varanasi temple in November 2006.
 

Amitabh delighted with son's engagement; marriage date not fixed (LEAD)
By Arpana and Subhash K. Jha,

Mumbai, Jan 15 Dad Amitabh Bachchan is thrilled with the engagement of son Abhishek with Aishwarya Rai, a decision that was hanging fire for more than a year, and said Monday that the wedding date for Bollywood's hottest couple has not been decided yet.

Asked when the marriage would take place, the Bollywood superstar said: "Not right away. But yes, very shortly. Like every father I'm over the moon, specially at this juncture when Abhishek has delivered such a sledgehammer performance in 'Guru'."

The wedding is expected to take place in February.

"Amitabh Bachchan is so happy with this alliance that he himself called up a journalist and said, 'Congratulations, Abhishek proposed to Aishwarya and she has accepted'," a source close to the family told IANS.

The engagement Sunday evening of the industry's most talked about and written about couple puts at rest all speculation on whether the marriage will happen or not. Close friends feel that their love has withstood the long, rigorous test of time.

A day after the high excitement of the engagement, Amitabh told a news channel that he was "feeling lonely" as his son and wife had left for a shoot early morning and wished they could have relished the celebrations longer.

"Abhishek and Jaya are in Rajasthan shooting. They flew this morning itself. So, after all the excitement, the house is empty right now and I am feeling lonely," Amitabh told CNN-IBN.

Commenting on the speculations by the media on his son's relationship with Aishwarya all these months, he said: "They are young and determined people (media) and they are doing their job. As a celebrity we have certain commitment towards media and we try to fulfil it."

Apparently, some of family members were initially against the match but finally they also came around.

"Everybody - be it fans, media or family members - were against their marriage because of Aishwarya's flings in the past and the myth that she brings bad omen for her boyfriends. They warned Abhishek 'if you marry her your career will be ruined' and insisted that she is very unlucky.

"They tried to dissuade him by talking about their age difference (Abhishek is about to turn 31 and Aishwarya is 33) and that she is a manglik (born under a particular astrological configuration that the superstitious believe is not auspicious for the husband). But Abhishek didn't listen to anybody and withstood all the opposition," added the source.

Abhishek's first love story with Karisma Kapoor didn't have a happy ending. Before joining films he was dating the actress and they had got engaged too, but they later broke off over reported interference by Karisma's mother, former actress Babita, who didn't want her daughter to marry the then flop actor.

In 2005, Aishwarya came into his life after her break up with co-star Viveik Oberoi. Before that she had had an affair with Salman Khan.

Abhishek and Aishwarya appeared as lead couple in "Kuch Naa Kaho", "Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke", "Umrao Jaan" and the just released "Guru". In the first three films, their on-screen chemistry failed to impress and the movies sank without a trace. Thankfully, "Guru", released Friday, is making waves at the box office.

"They said that Abhishek should go with Rani Mukerji because they make a good couple. Some said that their romance is a mere publicity stunt but the fact of the matter is that they were waiting for a hit. Their marriage talk was going on for quite sometime; it didn't happen in the last few days," said the source.

The engagement took place at Amitabh Bachchan's residence and among those present at the ceremony were Aishwarya's family and industrialist Anil Ambani and his wife, Tina. Close friend Karan Johar was also there. Earlier, the 'roka' ceremony was performed at Aishwarya's house.

Reports had been flying thick and fast for the past few months that an engagement was on the cards, particularly after Aishwarya accompanied Abhishek and his parents for puja at a revered Varanasi temple.

Last February, Amitabh's brother Ajitabh Bachchan had told the media that he went to meet a Bangalore-based astrologer Chandrashekhar Swamy with the horoscopes of Aishwarya and Abhishek.

Apparently, Abhishek's octogenarian grandmother Teji Bachchan is keen to see him married.
 

Abhishek, Ash marriage has gossip mongers tied up in knots
New Delhi, Feb 15  Will they, won't they? The tantalising possibility that two of Bollywood's biggest stars, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, might get married has filmdom and millions of star gazers in a frenzy. 

 
That most of it is at the level of speculation and all the dramatis personae are stonily silent is more grist to the mill that started working in real earnest when the two stars began work on J.P. Dutta's "Umrao Jaan" about three months ago. 

Then came the Bachchan junior's 30th birthday on Feb 5 at his Mumbai home Jalsa. Industry sources say she was the only guest to be allowed to drive right up to the house Abhishek shares with his star parents Amitabh and Jaya. All others, including his favourite leading lady Rani Mukerji as well as Priyanka Chopra and Esha Deol, got off at the gate and walked inside. 

The sources say close family pal and Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh personally came out to escort her inside.

The party was a grand one with all of Bollywood's biggies including Shah Rukh Khan in attendance. And Aishwarya, who was introduced to all the other family members, was clearly chief guest for the evening. She and Abhishek were seen cosying together till 4 a.m. 

A few days later came the "bombshell" of uncle Ajitabh Bachchan going to Bangalore Feb 10 to meet the Rais' family astrologer Chandrashekhara Swamy, ostensibly to match their horoscopes.

The story was splashed big on the channels and in the newspapers and there has been no let-up since. Ajitabh, who has been estranged from the family for some time but was seen by his brother's bedside when he fell ill in November, neither confirmed nor denied the rumours and only said: "That is up to destiny."

That is enough to keep the speculation going for the duo, who have acted together only in two films so far. The first, Raj Kanwar's "Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke", was a flop and the 2003 "Kuch Naa Kaho" was also a box office dud. 

Their third experiment in sharing screen space - however brief - was a smash hit with both shaking a leg in the item number "Kajrare, Kajrare" from "Bunty Aur Babli".

Clearly, the earlier flops did little to dissuade both the actors from continuing a friendship. In those days, Abhishek was dating Karisma and Aishwarya was painting the town red with Salman Khan. Both were well-publicised romances and both failed.

Very few know that Abhishek got involved in a brawl with Salman when he barged in on the sets of "Kuch Naa Kaho" and allegedly tried to harass Aishwarya after their break-up.

After Salman, the former Miss World was linked with Vivek Oberoi for some time. The relationship broke up last year.

The Rais and the Bachchans are tight-lipped and close associates have refused to comment.

Recently, when father Amitabh was hospitalised, Abhishek didn't allow anybody to get any information on his health. Later, after his release, Abhishek said in an interview that he was quiet because he was superstitious.

Maybe the same logic is at work here.

As far as the media is concerned, the proverb that there is seldom any smoke without fire is the truism to work by. Take, for instance, the Aamir Khan-Kiran Rao affair that both denied strenuously. Today they are married and have proved media speculations correct. 

Other similar affairs that were denied but culminated in matrimony are Sridevi-Boney Kapoor, Kajol-Ajay Devgan, Sonali Bendre-Goldie Behl and Karisma-Sanjay Kapur. 

So maybe even sceptics won't be so surprised if Aishwarya, who played Amitabh's daughter in "Mohabbatein", becomes his daughter-in-law in real life. 

One way or the other, this is a big year for the duo. Other than possible marriage plans are their two films, "Umrao Jaan" and "Dhoom 2" that could be major milestones in their careers. 

IANS