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MUMBAI - Two of India's biggest cinema stars, Abhishek Bachchan and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai, are finally engaged after months of feverish speculation about their relationship, their families said on Monday.
The hush-hush romance of Rai and Bachchan, the son of legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan, had transfixed
the Mumbai-based Hindi film industry, despite denials by the couple of sharing anything more than a healthy friendship.
On Sunday evening - one of the most auspicious days in the Hindu calendar - Bachchan and Rai were engaged in a private ceremony in which Abhishek reportedly placed a diamond ring on his girlfriend's finger.
"No date for marriage has been fixed yet," the senior Bachchan told reporters, adding that his son had proposed to Rai in New York last week after the world premiere of their latest film entitled "Guru." The senior Bachchan said the two families will sit down and decide on the marriage date.
"Some members of the two families are not in town now. Let them come back," the father told Sahara television. "Every son's parents desire a daughter-in-law. We too will have a daughter-in-law and we are very happy."
TV channels and newspapers, however, said the marriage could take place as early as next month, with some suggesting February 19 or March 7 as possible dates. The Bachchan family has booked a top luxury hotel for these days, the reports said.
In the stars
As news of the engagement spread, large crowds sang and danced through the night outside the Bachchan family home. Several Bollywood stars, top industrialists and politicians also visited the couple into the early hours of Monday to offer congratulations.
Rai and Bachchan left Mumbai shortly afterwards for a film shoot in the western state of Rajasthan. Members of the Bachchan family also left for the central Indian city of Ujjain to offer prayers at a revered temple, Indian television reports said.
Rai, 33, and Bachchan, 30, have worked together on at least five films, and both have been in the past romantically linked to other Bollywood stars. Bachchan was even engaged to Bollywood star Karisma Kapoor in 2002, but the marriage was called off.
Speculation of a romance gained ground after their families visited several temples over the past few months to pray for the two lovers whose stars were reportedly not in harmony, a key ingredient to any engagement in astrology-mad India.
As soon as the engagement was made official, television channels started airing positive predictions.
"This year is going to be very good and productive for him in which new developments are seen," astrologer Arun Sharma told NDTV channel. "Even for Aishwarya her stars are strong. But she will have to look after her dietary habits."
Sources close to the Bachchan family said they were keen to see the marriage take place soon as Abhishek's octogenarian grandmother was not in good health.
Rai, who has acted in over 40 films, was crowned Miss World in 1994. Bachchan junior too has acted in about 40 films.
- REUTERS