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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.
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