Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai is more exasperated than amused by stories of her impending marriage with
"Umrao Jaan" co-star Abhishek Bachchan.
"Who's doing all these marriage soap operas on my life? I don't know. Maybe you can enlighten me. One
TV channel got seriously imaginative. They actually put together film clippings, voice-overs and background
music to do a marriage story on Abhishek and me. Full marks for imagination," Aishwarya told in an
interview.
"But when you bring someone's old and seriously ailing family member into your soap opera (the report on
STAR News had a voice impersonating Abhishek's grandmother Teji Bachchan), then you're offending more
than just good taste. It's not nice to drag old and ill family members into a story just to prove a preposterous
point."
Taking a deep breath, Aishwarya continued, "I've absolutely no marriage plans in the near future. Earlier,
there was that whole media 'tamasha' about my horoscope. I thought that was the end of the marriage
episode in the ongoing soap opera of my life.
"But it just goes on and on. Now fertile sections of the media are setting dates for my marriage. They might
as well decide the venue, print the cards and invite me for my own wedding."
Maybe the whole world wants her to get married?
"I'm glad that they feel so strongly about it. But I've to feel the urge to marry and the time has to be right
before I can oblige my well-wishers."
Laughing heartily at her own joke, the screen queen calmed down.
"When there's a marriage, I won't hide it. I'll stand on rooftops and talk about it. For now, could Abhishek
and I just be allowed to concentrate on our individual careers?"
Wednesday, November 08, 2006 09:38 IST