Knot Or No?

It's a story line in which only the beginning seems believable. What's also quite clear is that there's one person who would be pivotal in taking the story all the way to a happy end. What happens in between is subject to endless possibilities and options. No wonder anyone and everyone in Bollywood and outside is speculating and writing his own screenplay to this luscious love saga. Ok, so Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan are dating. Also, it doesn't take an ace detective to figure out that they will need the Bachchan family's, specially mother Jaya's, approval to transform their affections into marriage. But will they, won't they, when will they? Even as the two lead players prefer to maintain a suitable, studied silence, it's anybody's guess. Says Ash's mother, Brinda Rai: "There's nothing, and we are very amused at this."

Everyone loves a fairytale chocolate romance and romantic India, in the grip of Valentine's Day fever, couldn't have asked for a cheesier fantasy this February. There's Aishwarya Rai, by popular anointment the most beautiful face of India. There's Abhishek Bachchan, the scion of the Bollywood royal family, tinseltown's most eligible bachelor, who is redefining the word "sexy" these days with his lanky, languid, stubbled retrosexual (aka old-fashioned) appeal. Put the two together and you get the common man's dream couple, inheritor to a long line of celebrated, often fated, Bollywood pairings.

No wonder then, when rumours of their romance started emanating from the sets of J.P. Dutta's under-production Umrao Jaan (allegedly fuelled for the film's publicity), the media, fans and the industry were quick to lap it up. Oh, everyone gushed, they had to have an affair since they looked so picture-perfect together! Aishwarya's presence at Abhishek's 30th birthday party, the special attention the birthday boy gave her, the stories about how they danced together, how she was the first one to come and last to leave, how Salman Khan and Vivek Oberoi were conspicuously absent from the celebrations, were all perceived as an open declaration of the relationship. Much was also made of the fact that Aishwarya was the only one to have got direct access into the house, while all other guests were asked to park outside the house. There's even a story doing the rounds about how Ash admonished Abhishek when he gallantly kissed Priyanka Chopra's hand.

The speculation reached a frenzy when a local news channel and a national daily reported about Ash and Abhishek's horoscopes being taken by Big B's brother Ajitabh, to be matched by Bangalore astrologer Chandrashekhar Swami, who is said to belong to Punaroor in Mangalore, the Rai family's native place. "God willing, the marriage will happen, the sooner the better," the swami is reported to have told etv Kannada news channel. He also talked about Aishwarya's family being his regular patrons. When probed, Ajitabh is reported to have intriguingly said: "It is left to destiny". Since then, the Ash-Abhishek romance has become the staple in an extravaganza of collective voyeurism. As to the stars themselves, they're learning yet again that in these media-intrusive days, something immensely personal has become wide open for public scrutiny. Meanwhile, Abhishek himself is supposed to have gone on denial mode and is even said to have reassured Ash's former boyfriend, Vivek Oberoi, that Ash and he are just co-stars, nothing more.

On the face of it, love couldn't have arrived at a better moment for the two—both recovering from relationship fiascos. They had worked together the first time in a dud called Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, when they were dating Salman and Karisma Kapoor, respectively. Recently they were cast together in Kuch Naa Kaho, and went on to set the screen on fire with the superhit number Kajra Re in Bunty Aur Babli But the timing for off-screen romance seemed perfect right here, right now, what with Aishwarya recovering from her seven-month-old split with Vivek, and Abhishek not having been able to get into any committed relationship (though there have been intermittent rumours about Rani Mukherji, Priyanka Chopra and model-actress Dipannita) after the rather public end to his engagement with Karisma Kapoor.

The industry, however, is sceptical. Not at the idea of their romance but about the reported imminence of a wedding. It can't happen in the immediate future, is the consensus. A six-week-old relationship "is just too early", insist friends. So the question being asked in industry circles is: why should Small B get hooked to Aishwarya just when his career, after Bunty Aur Babli, Dus, Sarkar and Bluffmaster, is going great guns? Also, why would Aishwarya think of settling down when she has three prestigious projects—Umrao Jaan, Dhoom 2 and Akbar Jodha—riding on her? "They are at their peak right now and their market will go down badly," says trade analyst Amod Mehra.

Bollywood insiders also point out that love, here, will have to have a strong family element as well. Abhishek is known to be a true family man, a well brought up son who would never do anything against his parents' wishes, and would even let them decide on basic things like the clothes he should buy. He is the kind who talks of such old-fashioned notions as "making the parents proud", and for him the ideal woman is the one who loves "you and your family". The close-knit Bachchan family, in turn, would want their bahu to adjust completely into their fold, and not cause any break with their only son. Mother Jaya is known to be particularly concerned about the son after the Karisma episode, and rumour mills have it that the other serious candidate for his affection, Rani Mukherji, could not pass muster with her. Bollywood gossip also maintains that Jaya is extremely protective about her son whom she thinks is too easily taken in, and she may have reservations about Ash being too worldly wise for her gullible son. So, even though it might be great for Ash (herself known to be traditional to the core in matters like marriage) to gain entry into Bollywood's first family, she would be expected to put her career on the backburner, says an industry person.

The horoscope-matching is another thing that intrigues people. More so because it was Big B's estranged brother Ajitabh who is reported to have taken them over for expert examination. Why him? In fact, the latest rumour is that the kundalis were sent by the Bachchans and the Rais independently, and that Ajitabh just happened to be present there at the same time, for his own personal consultation. Also, the buzz is that the kundalis in question haven't really matched. So will the Bachchans, known to be highly superstitious, give the green signal for this union at all?

As of now, Ash and Abhishek are nestled together again for the shoot of the film that worked its magic on them. There will many more months of close proximity. They would be heading off to Brazil for the shoot of Dhoom 2. As if that wasn't enough, Mani Ratnam has signed both Ash and Abhishek for his next film, which will also have, believe it or not, Vivek Oberoi opposite Vidya Balan. Enough for us to speculate on. Again. Will they, won't they, when will they?