The bride and groom were all smiles as Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal waved out at the waiting media at Mumbai’s private Kalina Airport yesterday, while heading towards Jaipur where their wedding festivities reportedly kick off today.
The actress stunned in a mustard coloured shahrara (Indian dress) while Kaushal stuck to casuals as they made separate entries into the airport, even as images from Jaipur showed Kaif’s family arriving in droves to the Rajasthan city where the couple are set to tie the knot later this week.
A musical welcome awaited the couple as they arrived at the resort yesterday, with fireworks lighting up their entry into Six Senses Fort Barwara at Sawai Madhopur. The couple was offered garlands, while a ‘tilak’ or red vermilions was applied to their foreheads as a mark of an auspicious welcome.
Earlier yesterday, scenes from Jaipur airport saw Kaif’s sister, actress Isabelle Kaif arrive with her siblings and nephews and nieces in tow as a frenzy broke out as people recognised the Bollywood star’s famous family.
With the festivities expected to kick off today with the sangeet, despite any confirmation coming from Kaushal or Kaif, this Bollywood celebrity wedding continues to be shrouded in secrecy, albeit with a few leaks along the way.
Scenes from the airports in Mumbai and Jaipur today saw a number of recognisable faces head down for the three-day wedding, with Angad Bedi and wife Neha Dhupia posing for the cameras, followed by actress and TV host Mini Mathur, director husband Kabir Khan, actress Sharvari and South Indian star Malavika Mohanan.
Bollywood bigwigs such as director Shashank Khaitan, director Rohit Shetty, filmmaker Karan Johar, Alia Bhatt, Bosco Martis, Anaita Shroff Adajania, Anurag Kashyap and Aditya Dhar are expected to attend the wedding ceremony.
All the guests will be required to undergo mandatory RT-PCR tests in order to attend the ceremony. The District Collector earlier told the media present that coronavirus protocols remains in place. “These 120 guests shall follow all COVID-19 protocols and fully vaccinated guests will get entry in the much-hyped celebrity wedding,” the collector stated, according to IANS.
According to a report by entertainment portal Pinkvilla, Kaif’s close friend Salman Khan may not be attending the wedding but his private bodyguard Shera has been put in charge of security at the resort. Khan’s long-time bodyguard Gurmeet Singh (or Shera, as he is popularly known), runs his own company called Tiger Security with close to 100 staff and bouncers heading down there. The news was also verified by news agency ANI. And for those of you wondering why Khan may not be there on Kaif’s big day, it’s probably because he will be in Riyadh, Saudi Arabian for his ‘Da-Bang’ tour that is taking place on December 9.
Meanwhile, according to sources, the couple will have their sangeet or music ceremony tonight with the theme ‘bling’. Images of shiny disco balls being carried into the venue also seemed to confirm the story.
A pre-wedding haldi ceremony, where the bride and groom are applied a turmeric paste, will take place on Wednesday morning, followed by a mehendi or henna ceremony. The actual wedding ceremony is to take place on December 9, followed by a cocktail reception.
The wedding is a private affair, according to insiders, with mobile phones banned at the venue.
While the mood has been festive by large, the couple has also generated some negative press with a Rajasthan-based advocate filing a complaint with the District Legal Services Authority against the closure of the road leading to the Chauth Mata temple from December 6-12 owing to their wedding.
Advocate Naitrabind Singh Jadoun filed the complaint against the manager of Six Senses Fort Barwara, the Bollywood couple and the District Collector against the closure of the road leading to the temple. Along with this complaint, in view of the problems faced by the devotees, a request has been made to open the way to the temple.
“Chauth Ka Barwara accommodates a historical temple of Chauth Mata, which is centuries old. Every day, hundreds of devotees visit the temple and offer their prayers. Hotel Six Senses is located on the way to the temple. The hotel manager has closed the road leading to the temple under the supervision of the District Collector from December 6-12. Due to this, the devotees are facing a lot of trouble in reaching the temple. For the next six days, the main road leading from Hotel Six Senses to the temple will be completely closed. In such a situation, keeping in mind the sentiments of the common man and the devotees, the way to the Chauth Mata temple should be opened from the front side of Hotel Six Senses,” Jadaun said in his complaint, according to a report by IANS.
