Articles: Aishwarya Rai - Page 4

Aishwarya and Bachchans again in court

Looks like the dark clouds of court and cases have not completely abandoned Ash. Happily married to a 'peepal' tree (Banyan tree) and supposedly getting married to Abhishek Bachchan, Ash is now being pulled to courts through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). A PIL against Ash and the Bachchan family has been filed in the Patna High Court by Lawyer Shruti Singh as Ash was married to a tree to overcome astrological differences with her fianc Abhishek Bachchan. "I filed a PIL to stop such practices as reportedly conducted by actor Amitabh Bachchan for his future daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai. It is in violation of Article 17 of the Constitution, which prohibits untouchability. It also violates fundamental human rights," said Shruti. The rituals performed by Aishwarya, Amitabh and Abhishek would only promote superstitions and blind faith among common people. An FIR should be filed against Bachchan, his wife Jaya and Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh for encouraging such practices," adds the Lawyer. Hmm…being a celebrity one life is not a private affair so better be watchful at every step!

Shilpa Shetty or Aishwarya Rai

Latest uproar of the international arena is Shilpa Shetty: A position owned by Aishwarya Rai. Ash had made it big and famous on international showbiz with her patience, planning and publicist but Shilpa took over her position by winning 'Big Brother'.
Now the question is how long will this fame for Shilpa stay. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt thinks Shilpa could easily turn out to be a 'one hit wonder' unless she can keep up the winning spree. "She has to do something special, something significant, consistently," he says. Can Shilpa cash in on the situation when Ash is going for a domestic life? Time says it all so let's wait…

Ash-Abhi to wed on 19th April

The much-awaited wedding of Bollywood couple Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai will take place on April 19 and will be a small family affair.

"The families met and the decision was taken on Monday. The wedding will be a small private affair with only close family and friends in attendence and it will be held at the Bachchans residence in suburban Juhu," a source said on Tuesday.

Sources close to Abhishek's family said the functions beginning with 'haldi' ceremony will take place on April 18, marriage is expected to be solemnised on April 19. The 'vidayee' ceremony will be held on April 20 at Prateeksha, the bungalow of his father Amitabh Bachchan.

It is also being reported that the guest list will be a close 24, the Bachchan and Rai families and close friends like Amar Singh, the Ambanis. The word is also abuzz that Kapoor family and Gandhi family will also be invited.

Rumours are that there would be two reception parties that would be held in Mumbai and Delhi.

Abhishek is at present shooting for his friend Goldi Bhel's movie 'Drona' and Aishwarya is busy with the shoot of 'Jodha Akbar' directed by Ashutosh Gowarikar.

The rights for covering the mega wedding have reportedly been sold to an international media house for an undisclosed sum of money.

Amitabh Bachchan 's mother, Teji Bachchan, is ailing and admitted to Lilavati Hospital. This is also being cited as a reason for Bollywood's first family not wanting to postpone the wedding any longer.

heres the long article abt it..

Abhishek-Aishwarya wedding on April 20


Aishwarya with beau Abhishek


MUMBAI: Bollywood's most talked about pair -- Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai -- will take the plunge into matrimony on April 20 in a "small, intimate affair" without the trappings of film industry weddings.

Unlike the recent Liz Hurley-Arun Nayar wedding, where the paparazzi went berserk, the Abhi-Ash marriage will be a very private affair at the Bachchans' home Prateeksha in Juhu, sources close to the couple said on Tuesday.

"The families met and a decision has been taken on the date," a source said.

"It will be a small family affair attended by close friends like Anil and Tina Ambani and Amar Singh. The ceremonies are likely to be spread out over three days, culminating in the marriage on April 20," the source said.

Only the Bachchans' close friends -- who could be as few as 15 -- will be invited to the wedding.

Speculation about the date and venue for the marriage has been rife since Abhishek, 31, and Aishwarya, 33, got engaged on January 14.

The Bachchans and Aishwarya consistently denied all reports about a date for the marriage but on Tuesday, the actress' manager Hari Singh said he could neither confirm nor deny the news.

Sources said the wedding will be held on April 20, the Akshay Tritiya, considered the year's most auspicious day by most Hindus. The wedding date was apparently advanced because of the condition of Amitabh's mother Teji, who is being treated at Lilavati Hospital here for some months.

Since rumours of the Abhishek-Aishwarya romance began floating from the sets of their film "Umrao Jaan" in 2005, the couple has consistently maintained silence and refused to speak about the relationship in public.

After their engagement, they were seen in public, hand in hand, and visited various temples to perform poojas, but it was Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan who did the talking on the forthcoming union.

Former Miss World Aishwarya, described as a "simple" and "domesticated" girl by Amitabh, is said to be "manglik" and had to make trips to several temples to nullify the bad omen.

At a recent awards ceremony, Jaya gave an emotional welcome to her future daughter-in-law.

"She has a beautiful heart and a beautiful smile and I welcome her into the family," she said, bringing tears to Aishwarya's eyes.

Abhishek's very public engagement with actress Karisma Kapoor ended in 2003 while Aishwarya's relationship with Salman Khan was the talk of tinsel town before they broke up. She was also linked with Viveik Oberoi.

On screen, the couple did not have much luck with films like Kuch Na Kaho and Umrao Jaan, but their latest movie, Mani Ratnam's Guru, was helped to a large extent by news of their engagement on the weekend of its release.

Abhishek had in fact proposed to Aishwarya while on a trip to New York to publicise Guru. Aishwarya was crowned Miss World in 1994 and then entered the world of films.

Abhishek has gone from being known as Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan's son to carve a niche for himself in Bollywood by delivering knockout performances in films like Yuva and Guru.

The couple is currently busy fulfulling their commitments, with Aishwarya wrapping up Ashutosh Gowarikar's Jodha Akbar and Abhishek filming Goldie Behl's Drona.

Reports of their marriage first emerged when the couple sought blessings at Vindhyavasini Temple soon after their engagement. In what was seen as a pre-nuptial ceremony, they performed parikarama (circumambulation) of the deity and the Bhagwati Pooja.

A Kolkata-based designer in all likelihood will design the groom's wardrobe. Aishwarya may ask her favourite designer Neeta Lulla to kit out her wedding dress. Or it may be Abu-Jani, whose rich designs have cast a spell on Amitabh-Jaya, sources said.

It's not just Bollywood that has been affected by the film industry's most anticipated wedding in recent years. British filmmaker Gurinder Chaddha, who is expecting twins later this year, has decided to name them after Abhishek and Aishwarya if it is a girl-boy pair, a newspaper reported.

Aishwarya will continue to work in movies after her marriage, though Amitabh is often heard saying that "it is up to Abhishek and Aishwarya to decide whether she wants to work or not".

Aishwarya's Prince Charming

After weaving silken charm for Amitabh Bachchan and hazel-eyed Aishwarya Rai in reel life, a master weaver family of this 'silk city' has woven signature golden fantasy to dress up Abhishek Bachchan for his marriage.

Come April 19 -- the date for much awaited Ash-Abhishek marital union -- and Junior Bachchan will wear an unrivalling golden Sherwani,' the fabric for which has been weaved by the 400-year-old family of master weavers -who have been in this profession since past four centuries of this city famous for signature Banarasi sarees.

''We received an order for the costly Chaodani fabric from our business associates Kay Sons in Churchgate (Mumbai) last November.

The owner of the Mumbai based design and tailoring house Gullu Babu asked us to be extra careful while weaving the fabric as it was meant for stitching an exclusive sherwani for Abhishek Bachchan to be worn at marriage with Aishwarya,'' the head of the master weaver family Abdul Matin said on Tuesday.

Two month back Gullu Babu himself trouped down to our unit in Peeli Kothi locality here to take the fabric for the ''treasured'' sherwani likely to cost anywhere between Rs two to Rs five lakh.

The owner of 500 handlooms Mr Matin, who claims to head the only weaver family which weaves the 'Chaodani' style fabric in the world said ''it is after a gap of two decades that the golden fabric with a base of warped silk has been woven for anyone.''

Interestingly, the master weaver family which does business as Noorul Hasan Abdul Matin and Company Pvt Ltd has in the past not only sourced out pure silken fabric handloomed for costumes worn by Big B Amitabh Bachchan in 'Khuda Gawah,' but also the blouse and lehenga worn by Aishwarya in the chartbuster number 'Kajrare' in Shaad Ali's 'Bunty aur Bubbly.'

The cent per cent handloomed silken fabric has also decked up other film stars, including Shahrukh Khan's sherwani fashioned by master weaver's 'kinkhab' fabric, Aamir Khan's sherwani for a watch advertisement and bubbly Urmilla Matondkar's silken sartorials in Punkaj Parashar's 'Banaras.'

The master weaver family which received the coveted Handloom-Handicraft 'Hastshilpa' award from President Kalam last year claims to have woven silken magic for royal families of Britain, Bhutan and Saudi Arabia too.

Besides, these weavers have provided silk fabric to a host of top-notch designers including Neeta Lulla, Rohit Bal and Manish Arora.

''Off late, a scarlett coat worn by a hot shot model in the ongoing Will India Fashion Week was made from fabric woven by us. But the imperial offering woven for Abhishek's sherwani represents that fabric which has only been worn by royal families in the past,'' Mr Matin added.

Interestingly, 'Jalans' -- a Banarasi Saree showroom of Varanasi had a few months back claimed to have secured the order from the Bachchans for dressing up Aishwarya on the marriage day in an 'Anmol' silken Lehenga costing Rs two lakh.

The manager of the showroom Vishnu Jalan when contacted today claimed the order has already been delivered to the filmy family last month.

Abhi-Ash wedding,Crazy Kiya..

Media reports of Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan planning to tie the knot on April 20 have added to the feverish curiosity on the superstar wedding.

Ever since Abhishek and Aishwarya got engaged in January, media frenzy has been feeding an insatiable public hunger for juicy details on venue, date, trousseau and honeymoon.

"It (the date) must be true because the news was probably released from the Bachchans' office. Its apparently a three-day-long celebration," said a source.

Television and radio channels are adding to the cacophony. One TV channel has even gone to the extent of preparing a feature on the wedding with details of where Abhishek's father Amitabh and mother Jaya will stand to bless the couple.

But no one really knows the answer to the big question - are Abhiash - as the couple has been fashionably dubbed of late - actually getting married on April 20?

"All this news is coming from Delhi and everybody is relying on a report published in one newspaper. The Bachchans are closely guarding the wedding details, but I guess very soon they will make the announcement just the way they announced the engagement.

But the reports are a little confusing because, if you see, every newspaper has a different version of the story," said the source.

One media report said, for the wedding, Abhishek would wear a golden sherwani weaved by a Varanasi-based family that has been in the weaving business for the last 400 years.

Abdul Matin, head of the weaver family, said that two months ago they were told to weave a Chaodani (golden fabric with a base of warped silk) style fabric for Abhishek's sherwani, which will approximately cost Rs.500,000. Some other weavers are said to be busy preparing Aishwarya's trousseau.

The venue for the wedding is reportedly Bacchchan's Mumbai residence Pratiksha.

It is the last wish of Amitabh's mother Teji Bachchan, who is unwell and admitted at Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital, to see grandson Abhishek settled that is said to be behind all the rush.

Since the engagement announcement, all newspapers and TV channels have come out with a different wedding date, guest list and venues.

Some say it is going to be a big fat wedding, while others are sure it would be a very quiet and small affair. As far as media rights of the wedding are concerned, they have not been finalised yet.

Is Aishwarya a Bachchan already?

"Aishwarya never had any ceremony to get rid of her manglik curse. Nothing like this ever took place," Abhsthek told this week's edition of the "The Week" magazine,calling the widespread media accounts of the ceremonies "intrusive and insensitive."

Abhishek and Aishwarya's marriage is expected to be Bollywood's biggest wedding in years.

Last November the family travelled with Rai to a temple in for what the Indian media reported were prayers to clear up mismatches in their stars.

The Bachchans -- known as the first family of Bollywood for their dominance of the entertainment industry -- held the ceremonies to offset the curse of being a "manglik" hanging over the green-eyed Rai, according to media reports.

Pictures of Rai and the Bachchans emerging from the temple were splashed in Indian newspapers and one well-known astrologer, Chandrasghekar Swami, said he had "advised both the families to perform this corrective puja (prayer)."

Astrologers also said Rai might have to marry a tree before her actual wedding to rid herself of her supposedly unlucky status. This would mean any bad luck would befall the tree, not Abhishek, one of Bollywood's leading men.

Asked why he had not come out earlier with a denial, Bachchan, replied his job was "to act and I guess I am doing fine."

Meanwhile the duo is supposed to tie the knot on April 19. The festivities associated with Abhishek's wedding with Aishwarya are expected to spread over three days. There will be a Sangeet ceremony on the April 18 and a Mehendi ceremony the next day, both at the Bachchan residence - Jalsa.

The Bachchan boy will walk the aisle with Aishawarya in the early morning hours of April 20 at Bachchan's bungalow - Prateeksha. The baaraat will leave Jalsa for Prateeksha on the night of Apr 19.

Though Hindu marriages are traditionally solemnized at the bride's house, these days, it is not uncommon for the bride's side to arrange the wedding at a venue outside their house to accommodate larger number of guests.

But the bride's parents arranging a wedding at the house belonging to the groom's family is unprecedented. If the wedding has to take place in a house, it has to be the bride's house.

Amitabh Bachchan has gone on record saying the wedding will be a low key affair in view of his mother's indifferent health. An inner circle of family and friends are expected to attend.

The Bachchans are known to be staunch and unabashed traditionalists. They believe in their faith, they visit temples and they consult priests and even astrologers.

What happened to their respect for Hindu traditions when it came to choosing a venue for the wedding?

Just wondering!

The woman who Provoked Ash

Her English is still as shaky as it was when 25 years ago, Kiranjit Ahluwalia became a cause-celebre in Britain after she set her abusive husband on fire.

But her spirit remains undoused. In the news for Provoked, the film that recreates the horrific events that led to her shocking behaviour, Kranjit strikes you as being surprisingly normal.

"After what has happened to me, my life can never be normal," she corrects my assessment of her situation.

"Of course what's happening to me is unbelievably heartening—the support for my plight from women's groups and sisters in Britain and all over the world a book on my case and now film….

But the wounds will never heal. How can I be normal? What pleases me is that my two sons are doing well. They're in university now. And that makes me forget a lot of the pain I've suffered."

How does it feel to be suddenly at the vortex of all this media attention ? "Quite frankly when I co-wrote the book Circle Of Light (with Rahila Gupta) it was a story that had to be told…

When it happened I thought I had said whatever I had to. I never expected someone to make a movie about my life. Provoked came as a a pleasant shock. I wasn't prepared for it.

When I heard Aishwarya Rai is going to play my character I was very pleased. Of course I had seen her films, like Devdas. She's so beautiful and such a good actress."

Kiranjit admits she wasn't as closely involved with the making of Provoked as she was with the writing of the book.

"But the idea of making a film on domestic violence and about what happened to me seemed good to me. I'm glad that the film has been made.

Hopefully my story will help women like me caught trapped in such situations to come out and let the world know their plight. You're a journalist.

I want you to tell the world that women who have suffered like me need not feel it's the end of the world for them. That there's hope."

She pauses and then reflects on her long journey from innocence to alleged crime to martyrdom and now movie-made stardom. "Sometimes I think how could a girl from a village in Punjab have come so far. It's all destiny."

When I ask her if she would ever consider remarriage Kiranjit displays unexpected spunk and humour.

"After what I've done do you think any man would want to marry me? No man can trust me and I can trust no man.

It isn't as if I've been put off men for life, or that I think they're all bad. My brother, my brother-in-law are decent men and devoted husbands. I don't know why this had to happen to me."

She admits her life has taken a turn for the better now. "Maybe they will make Provoked Part 2 about what's happening to me now."

And the laughter makes you forget this is a woman who has suffered the most nightmarish and inhuman provocation imaginable.