Saif-Kareena refuse to perform at wedding

Most of B-Town including Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif will perform at a wedding in Delhi on November 18. But one couple have decided to stay away from it in spite of being offered big bucks - Saif Ali Khan and his girlfriend Kareena Kapoor.

Not for strangers

Says a source, "The couple was offered to perform at the wedding between two gutkha families and were offered almost Rs.4 crore but they turned it down. They had taken a decision over a year ago that no matter what the price offered, they would not dance at wedding functions of strangers. That is strictly reserved for family and friends."

The reason for the star couple's non-performances at weddings is parental disapproval. Mainly his. The chote nawab comes from a royal family, and it is belittling for them to perform at weddings for cash.

Even Bebo's parents weren't exactly thrilled with the idea of them dancing at private functions. While shows and events like award functions are fine, they draw the line at weddings. Saifeena were shocked to hear that they were part of the 'gutkha wedding' in the media and decided to clarify their stand."

Hum bhi nahin...

While Saif and Kareena took the decision not to perform at weddings a year ago, Ajay Devgn and his wife Kajol have never performed at weddings. It's a stand they had taken right in the beginning of their careers and till now, haven't changed their minds though they have been offered big money to perform together. In fact, Devgn has often expressed his displeasure of stars performing at shows, events and weddings. Suniel Shetty also doesn't perform at weddings.

Says Bebo, "As a rule, Saif and I have stopped performing at weddings. We are not performing at this Delhi wedding. We took this decision together a long time back and have decided to stand by it even if it means losing huge money."

Saif adds, "To each their own. It's a question of comfort and individual choice and we both are personally not comfortable performing at weddings. The same goes for the decisions I make on my films and ads. I do them according to my comfort level. Having said that, I would like to add that we fully respect everyone else's decision for doing whatever they want."

Almost all B-Town stars from Zayed Khan, Jacqueline Fernandes, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Dia Mirza, Fardeen Khan, Lara Dutta, Urmila Matondkar and Sushmita Sen have been invited to attend or perform.

Pricey B-Town
Apparently, more than Rs.25 crore is being spent on having Bollywood at the week long wedding celebrations in Delhi. While Shahrukh Khan is reportedly being paid four crores, Salman Khan is being paid two and Katrina Kaif, a crore. Kat is expected to perform at the sangeet and mehndi celebrations today while Salman will perform at the wedding on Thursday. Shahrukh is expected to attend the reception on November 19.

Aadha ab, rest later
The appearances of most of the B-Town stars at the gutkha wedding have been organised by producer Vashu Bhagnani who is said to be a close friend of the father of the bride. Most star remunerations are given in full in cash before the event takes place 50 per cent when the deal takes place and the rest a couple of days before the event.

Harmful effects of gutkha
* Gutkha leads to oral sub-mucous fibrosis (SMF), a pre-cancerous disease that is a first step to cancer. This has increased 20 to 30 times across the country. It also leads to throat, esophageal cancers.
* Oral cancers, predominantly squamous cell carcinomas of the lip, mouth, tongue, and pharynx.
* Loss of appetite.
* Promote unusual sleep patterns
* Loss of concentration.
* One study found that pregnant women in India who used gutka had a threefold increased risk of having a low birth weight infant.