Aishwarya Rai & Abhishek Bachchan sparks marriage rumours

Varanasi, 27 November, 2006

Bollywood actors Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai offered prayers at a Hindu temple on Monday, fuelling speculation that the two may be close to getting married. Accompanied by veteran actor and Abhishek Bachchan's father Amitabh Bachchan and his family , Rai visited the famous Kashi Vishwanath and Sankat Mochan temples in Varanasi and participated in the traditional Hindu prayer rituals. Neither the Bachchan family nor Rai made any comments to the waiting media crowd.

Superstar actress Rai, a former Miss World and Abhishek Bachchan, the rising Bollywood star, have appeared together in many recent movies including ' Dhoom 2 ' and ' Umrao Jaan '.The pair, who are currently starring together in Bollywood movie, 'Guru', have long been under media scrutiny.

Bachchan's family checked into a Varanasi hotel late on Sunday amid tight security and were seen leaving with a police escort, in the early hours, for the ceremonies, held on Monday at 3 am. None of the party spoke to the media but their family priest said the prayers were held to mark the birth anniversary of Amitabh's deceased father.

Despite this statement, local press are convinced that Rai's presence was significant and her decision to be part of the prayers, was an important indicator of the nature of their relationship.

This is the first time Aishwarya Rai has participated in a Bachchan family-only event signalling the acceptance of the Bollywood star as a member of their family.After the rituals, Abhishek and Aishwarya were scheduled to leave for Agra.

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• abhishek bachchan
• marriage rumours
• temple visit
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