Happy Two-Year Anniversary to Abhishek & Aishwarya
Indian cinema is renowned for its love stories. Some love stories trickle from reel life to real life. And there is one such real love story, which is sure to have been the reason for numerous broken hearts worldwide (and also warmed the hearts of all the romantics out there). The very eligible son of a legendary veteran actor, meets the world’s most beautiful woman. They fall hopelessly in love, and (after much speculation), tie the knot to become the Indian film industry’s new generation ‘Golden Couple’.
Yes, it’s none other than the debonair Abhishek Bachchan and his stunning bride Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who celebrate their 2nd wedding anniversary next week. The couple were first seen on-screen in Dhai Akshar Prem Ke back in 2000, where their friendship began. At the time, Abhishek was involved with Karisma Kapoor, and Aishwarya was in her first high-profile relationship with Salman Khan. Two years later, the Bachchans publicised Abhishek and Karisma’s engagement, which coincided with Amitabh’s 60th birthday. Amitabh believed the announcement was the perfect gift for the milestone.
Much to everyone’s disbelief, the buzz of the news was somewhat short-lived. Just a few months later in January 2003, Karisma’s aunt, and wife of the evergreen Rishi Kapoor, Neetu Singh, let slip to a newspaper that the engagement was off. The reports sparked rumours of an unprecedented kind: the media and the fans yearned for an explanation to stop the speculation once and for all. However, the audiences were left disheartened as the Bachchans and Kapoors remained tight-lipped about the chain of events which led to the break-up. To this day, it’s still uncertain as to what took place.
During these eventful years, Abhishek and Aishwarya had formed a strong friendship with one another. Not long after the break-up of the engagement, Aishwarya also made the decision to remove Salman Khan from her life. Towards the end of their relationship, Khan had become overly-possessive of the beauty queen and, in turn, this gave her ample ammunition to move-on in her life and her career without him. In 2003, both Abhishek and Aishwarya were experiencing rough patches in their respective careers, and at the same time, trying to come to terms with the ends of their individual relationships.
It was at this time that Aishwarya found a much-needed solace in Vivek Oberoi, who she dated for nearly two years. During these years, her career went from strength to strength, with Hollywood also knocking on her door. On the other hand, Abhishek was getting accustomed to delivering failure, until his critically-acclaimed performance in Mani Ratnam’s Yuva blew everyone away. This was followed by the super-hit Dhoom, which made everyone sit-up and take notice of Jnr Bachchan. In mid 2005, due to her dissatisfaction of Oberoi openly talking about marriage plans, the Kyun Ho Gaya Na! jodi went their separate ways.
The void in Aishwarya’s life was soon-after filled by a very impressionable Abhishek. At first it was explained that time spent in each other’s company was simply due to the films they had signed together. However, the Bollywood rumour mills are seldom scared to go overtime, and their growing closeness was increasingly difficult to hide.
In April 2006, it was evident that the two were seeing each other, when they were witnessed sneaking-off together to the cinema on one night, and partying all-night on another. As the year came to an end, the couple were spotted together at various temples across the Indian sub-continent. In Janurary 2007, Amitabh Bachchan announced to a TV channel that Abhishek had asked for Aishwarya’s hand in marriage, not long after the premiere of Mani Ratnam’s Guru, in Toronto. From then onwards, gossip began once again with everyone trying to determine when the wedding would take place. Just a few months later, on 20 April 2007, the couple wed in a lavish ceremony with the world peering through to witness an almost epic match of destinies.
The wedding, a very close-knit affair, brought Bollywood politics to light and gave the media a field day. The Bachchans’ wedding guest-list somewhat divided the Indian film fraternity. There was no invitation for King Khan, with whom it seemed Bachchan Snr had a continuous popularity battle with. It was obvious that a lot of security and outside effort had gone into keeping the media and fans at bay during the celebration of the wedding. The Bachchans believed this was a family occasion, and they wanted to keep it limited to a close circle of friends and acquaintances. Once again, the audiences were somewhat hard done-by, as they were in no way able to be part of, or come into view of, a once-in-a-lifetime occasion. Was it wrong to shut out those who made the Bachchans who they are today? Or was this decision purely taken to enjoy an important private ceremony, much like any other less-publicised wedding?
The beginning of the “Golden Couple’s” official relationship couldn’t have been on a better note, with Guru becoming a much-needed turning point in Abhishek’s career. It also gave the couple their first success as co-stars. During their first year of marriage, they also (together with Papa Bachchan) delivered success in Sarkar Raaj. In the same year, Aishwarya also gave the audiences another hit (after Dhoom 2) opposite Bollywood’s ultimate heartthrob, Hrithik Roshan in the enchanting Jodhaa Akbar. Post-marriage, Aishwarya has also been seen in two Hollywood flicks; The Last Legion and, more recently, Pink Panther 2. Whereas his wife’s career chart is visibly rising higher and higher, Abhishek seems to have delivered a mixed bag of films post-marriage. Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, Drona, Mission Istanbul and Ram Gopal Verma ki Aag failed miserably at the box-office. Arguably however, his most recent two films, Dostana and Delhi 6 saw Abhishek give two of his best performances to date.
Career-wise, it appears that the Bachchans have finally landed on their feet. On a more personal level, it seems the two could not be more perfectly matched. In just viewing their live dance performances during the Unforgettable Tour, it’s clear to see that the compatibility between the two is just right. Their performance of Guru’s “Tere Bina” in Houston oozed true love, and made the romance of the song just something else. In an age where the glamour, fan following and celebrity status of Bollywood actors can overshadow their work, it’s refreshing (to say the least) to see that two of the biggest names in their field are, quite simply, completely in love. A recent newspaper interview with Aishwarya’s bhabhi and first runner-up of Mrs India 2009, Shrima Rai, confirms this fact: “They are one of the cutest couples I’ve ever known. They are so close that they complete each others’ sentences. It’s absolute fun to watch them narrate their experiences, of a shoot or anything else…”.
With Abhishek believing married life is a continuous honeymoon, and Aishwarya reportedly saying “life is wonderful” after marriage, the two are truly living up to their “Golden Couple” tag. As the world is eagerly waiting for the pitter-patter of tiny Bachchan toes, the couple seem to want to enjoy the time they spend together surrounding their hectic schedules. So maybe love truly does conquer all!
We wish the couple a very Happy Anniversary, and pray their love remain strong forever.
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