April wedding for Bollywood pair

MUMBAI - One of Bollywood's hottest on-screen couples, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, will wed next month. But celebrations are likely to be subdued because the groom's grandmother is ill, media reports said yesterday.

The wedding, billed as Bollywood's biggest in decades, is expected to take place between April 18 and 20 at the groom's home in Mumbai.

'I can tell you a date has been discussed, but I am not in a position to disclose it now,' a spokesman for Rai said. 'It is for the two families to make any announcements.'

Abhishek is the son of legendary screen icon Amitabh Bachchan.

The Times Of India said April 20 had been vetted by astrologers as an auspicious day for both stars.

'The date April 20 is free of 'doshas' or bad combinations,' astrologer Naveen Khanna was quoted as saying.

Abhishek and Rai got engaged in January, ending fevered speculation about their hush-hush romance. They are known as Abhi and Ash in the Indian media and have also been dubbed 'Abhiash', a melding of their two names.

The wedding ceremony is likely to be a strictly private affair with only about 15 close family and friends invited, the media reports said. Abhishek's octogenarian grandmother is in hospital.

Rai, a 33-year-old former Miss World, and Abhishek, 31, have worked together in at least five films.