Aishwarya, Abhishek get engaged

Mumbai, Jan 14: Former Miss World and Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai got engaged to actor Abhishek Bachchan, son of mega super star Amitabh Bachchan, at a simple function here this evening.

The ceremony took place at Aishwarya's residence in the presence of family members, according to sources.

Abhishek had proposed to Aishwarya yesterday in New York during the premiere of their latest film ''Guru'', the sources said. The engagement took place immediately after their return.

Later, family members and friends gathered at ''Jalsa'', the residence of the Bachchans at Juhu here, to celebrate the occasion.
Aishwarya's business manager Hari Singh informed the couple had arrived from New York this afternoon, and the engagement ceremony was held at Aishwarya's Bandra residence ''La Mer''. Asked whether a marriage date had also been fixed, Mr Singh said it was too early for that.

Speculations about Aishwarya-Abhishek marriage gained momentum after Abhishek's uncle Ajitabh visited a Bangalore-based astrologer, known to be close to Aishwarya's family, with horoscopes last month.

The pair has featured opposite each other in films like ''Dhai Akshar Prem Ke'', ''Kuch Na Kaho'', ''Umrao Jaan'' and the latest ''Guru''. Both of them, although not cast opposite each other, also feature in ''Dhoom 2''. In ''Bunty Aur Babli'', Aishwarya has featured in an item number ''Kajra Re'' with Abhishek and Amitabh.

UNI