Bollywood's most controversial and secret marriages

From Hema Malini-Dharmendra, Rekha-Vinod Mehra to Aamir Khan-Reena: Bollywood's most controversial and secret marriages

Actor John Abraham took everyone by surprise as he tied the knot with his girlfriend Priya Runchal in a hush hush ceremony. While the paparazzi keeps a watchful eye on the Bollywood brigade, some have managed to escape the media glare and keep the D-day a low-key affair. Here is a look at some of the secret celeb weddings that stumped everyone.

Geeta Bali and Shammi Kapoor

The actors fell in love on the sets of their film Rangeen Raaten. However, the road was not an easy one for the couple as Geeta Bali at that time was an established actress while Shammi Kapoor had just begun his career. Besides, Geeta was a year older to Shammi.

After four months of their first meeting, the actors tied the knot on August 24 in 1955 at a temple with producer-director Hari Walia as the only witness to their wedding.

Hema Malini and Dharmendra

Bollywood's Dream Girl broke a million hearts when she tied the knot with Dharmendra. Said to be nursing a broken heart after a relationship with Jeetendra, Hema found solace in the arms of Dharmendra. However, the sailing was not smooth for the couple as the actor was already married with two sons and Hema's father did not approve of their relationship. When Dharmendra's first wife refused to divorce him, the lovebirds decided to convert to Islam and ran away to Khandala and tied the knot in a secret ceremony.

Nargis and Sunil Dutt

After her relationship with Raj Kapoor ended, Nargis fell in love with Sunil Dutt on the sets of Mother India when he saved her from a fire. Love blossomed between the couple, but they had to keep their relationship under the wraps as the actors played mother and son in Mother India and a romantic relationship could have harmed the film's prospects. After the film's release, the couple went public about their relationship and got married in 1958.

Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bhaduri

The actors who fell in love on the sets of Zanjeer had to keep their wedding a secret affair due to Amitabh's rising popularity. Despite high profile guests like the Gandhis the wedding was a low-key affair.

Rekha and Vinod Mehra

While much has been said about the Amitabh-Rekha saga, very few know that the actress found love in actor Vinod Mehra. The couple is even said to have married in a secret ceremony, however, Rekha has never admitted to the fact. In an interview on Simi Garewal's chat show, she denied ever being married to Vinod and brushed the topic aside by refusing to talk about it.

The actress later settled down with Delhi-based businessman Mukesh in 1990, but the relationship came to a tragic end when the latter committed suicide.

Sridevi and Boney Kapoor

The director fell for the southern beauty on the sets of Mr India. Though married with two children, the director pursued Sri until she yielded. The couple got married in a secret ceremony in a temple as he was still married to his first wife Mona Kapoor. They kept their marriage a secret for 6 months till the divorce was finalised.

Sridevi and Mithun Chakraborty

The media was abuzz with reports of the actors' marriage after the release of their film Jaag Utha Insaan. Mithun was still married to Yogeeta Bali, who allegedly attempted a suicide to stop her husband from getting out of the marriage. Sridevi is said to have ended the relationship after she learnt that Mithun was still married to his first wife.

Saif Ali Khan and Amrita Singh

Chhote Nawab Saif Ali Khan fell for the actress despite an age gap of 12 years. The couple went on to marry in 1991 in a low-key ceremony despite disapproval from Saif's family. However, the relationship fell apart after 13 years. The couple has two children Sara and Ibrahim. After a string of relationships, Saif found love again and is married to Kareena Kapoor.

Juhi Chawla and Jay Mehta

The talented actress kept her marriage to Jai Mehta a secret as she was concerned that her marital status would affect her career. She made the relationship public when she was expecting her first child.

Aamir Khan and Reena

Bollywood's Mr perfectionist married childhood sweetheart Reena secretly even before his debut film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak hit the screens. The couple kept their marriage under the wraps for some time before coming out with the truth.