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Colour,
confusion and crowds... It was every bit the grand filmy wedding
as Abhishek Bachchan, astride a horse, wearing an off-white sherwani
and a white turban bedecked with flowers, arrived on a hot Friday
evening to wed Aishwarya Rai.
Bollywood's power couple finally tied the knot in a grand ceremony
that held much of the nation in thrall - never mind if the only
details of the closely guarded event that filtered out were grainy
zoom shots from TV cameras stationed across the road.
Aishwarya
reached the Bachchans' Juhu residence Prateeksha in a silver Mercedes
decorated with flowers along with her mother and brother.
At
almost the same time, the barat left the other Bachchan bungalow
Jalsa nearby, with a visibly anxious Amitabh Bachchan, complete
with a saffron turban, ushering his guests into the waiting Volvo
buses that would take them to the wedding venue.
His
face covered with a sehra of white flowers, Abhishek did a small
jig before getting off the bus and waving cheerily and then getting
on to his horse again at Prateeksha.
While
photographers scrambled to train their cameras at the goings-on,
curious stargazers climbed up trees, railings and even hoardings
to get a first-hand view.
Amid
the sea of saffron turbans sported by the baratis, several close
friends like yesteryear actor Danny Denzongpa, industrialist Anil
Ambani and director Goldie Behl could be seen.
The
Bollywood celebrities who arrived to bless the couple also included
Sonali Bendre, Preity Zinta, Karan Johar, Ajay Devgan and Kajol.
With
so many high-profile guests, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Mulayam Singh Yadav and Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, at least
1,000 security personnel swarmed both the flower bedecked Bachchan
homes. The road outside Prateeksha was blocked.
Friday's
wedding was the climax of three-day festivities that included a
sangeet and a mehndi ceremony that were equally secretive.
The
buzz around the Abhi-Ash marriage started last year and had been
steadily getting louder even though the Bachchans never announced
it officially because they wanted to keep it a private affair.
TV
shots and newspaper pictures of guests, who kept floating in and
out of their house from Wednesday, were the only proof that the
big fat Indian wedding was finally taking place.
Both
the Bachchan residences were turned into fortresses and for the
uninvited, getting in was next to impossible.
The
Bachchans not only took care of their own privacy, they were thoughtful
enough not to disturb their neighbours - the lawns at the venue
were covered with soundproofed, air-conditioned tents.
Members
of the film fraternity who made it to the guest list showed cooperation
towards the first family of Bollywood - none of the invitees breathed
out a single detail about the wedding.
"They
have invited all those people who are emotionally close to them,"
Amar Singh said in an interview to a TV channel in an apparent explanation
for some conspicuous absentees like neighbour Hrithik Roshan and
all the Khans.
Fans
and mediapersons who had logged on to Aishwarya's official site
also faced disappointment as they found it temporarily closed.
"This
site is temporarily unavailable. Please do not call or e-mail but
check back again next month. Thank you," said a message apparently
posted by Aishwarya.
Whether
the wedding of the year was accessible to all or not, the couple's
many fans just hope that they live happily ever after...
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