Amitabh stops work, not Aishwarya

Tuesday, April 03, 2007
While the Indian film industry, the media and fans have been speculating mainly on whether Aishwarya Rai will continue to work after marriage, it's her soon-to-be father in-law who has stopped work...temporarily at least.

The celebrated Bollywood alliance between Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai has fired the imagination of Indian celeb gazers and made even the international press, especially the British media where Bollywood has become immensely popular, draw their breath. It at once drew parallels with the other big fat 'Indian' wedding of Liz Hurley and Arun Nayar which took place in February. Not that the Indian population did not suspect the dalliance between Abhi and Ash, but as soon as the families declared that the dalliance was being formalised into an alliance, the Indian celeb watcher immediately went into "baraati" ecstasy, as they are so prone to do, and the media has kept feeding them with all kinds of tidbits to whet their appetite.

As March 19, the earlier date "settled" for the marriage came and went, and both Abhi and Ash continued working at a cracking pace to finish their prior commitments, it now comes to light that April 20 will be the W Day. This was confirmed by Calcutta's male fashion designer, Sharbari Dutta, once the date was revealed, as she is frantically working on the stitches for Abhi in time for April 20.

Now Abhi's father, the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, is so busy making arrangements for his son's wedding that he has put all his films on hold. Having a stupendous innings this time round, the Big B has had interruptions in his work earlier, but always on account of serious health complications. Even then he has reported on the sets ASAP because he has always been the true blue professional and tries his utmost to make amends to his producers. But this time it's his screen rival for awards, his son, and his marriage that has caused a break in work.

The 64-year-old crazily popular actor -- amongst the busiest in Bollywood with about half a dozen films in the works -- is now busy with the wedding arrangements.

"There is not much time left," a family source has been quoted as having said. Abhishek's mother, Jaya, has been supervising the couple's wedding wardrobe. Media reports said the wedding ceremony at Bachchan's home is to be a strictly private affair -- because the groom's grandmother, widowed Teji Bachchan, is ailing for a long time -- with only about 15 close family and friends invited. Though the number last counted has already swelled to 70, according to the wardrobe designers and caterers and other sources.

Abhishek, 31, and Aishwarya, 33, got engaged in January, and are now known as Abhi-ash by the Indian media. Much as the Bachchans hate the term "Bollywood" this must also be reminding them of the reflected glory of Brangelina!

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