March 28, 2007	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 8, 1428

MUMBAI: Former Miss World Aishwarya Rai will marry actor boyfriend Abhishek Bachchan next month in one of the most high-profile Indian weddings of the year, reports said on Tuesday.

The ceremony will be held on April 20 at the Bachchan residence in Mumbai, where the country's Hindi-language film industry is based, the Times of India reported on its front page. Calls to Rai's media manager and the Bachchan household for comment went unanswered.

“The wedding will be a small, private affair with only close family and friends in attendance, and it will be held at the Bachchans' residence,” the Press Trust of India quoted an unnamed source as saying. The two families have opted for a discreet wedding with a guest list numbering around 15 as the groom's grandmother is unwell, the Times of India said.

Rai, a leading Bollywood actress, and Bachchan, son of legendary screen icon Amitabh Bachchan, got engaged on Jan 14, capping months of media speculation about their relationship. The couple have been dubbed “Abhiash,” a melding of their two names in the fashion of “Brangelina” for Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Rai is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful women in the world and Bachchan, who is one of Bollywood's leading men, was voted the sexiest Asian man by a British newspaper last year.

Astrologers declared April 20 an “auspicious” date for Rai and Bachchan.

“The date is free of bad combinations... and considered auspicious for starting any new venture,” said New Delhi astrologer Naveen Khanna, according to the Times of India.

Rai and Bachchan struck up a friendship while acting in their first Bollywood movie together seven years ago. Their latest film “Dhoom 2” was the highest grossing Bollywood movie last year, collecting Rs1.65 billion ($37 million) at the box office.—AFP