British Rani Mukherjee wants Ash to turn Sanyasin

Ardh Kumbh Nagar (Allahabad), Jan 17: A Bollywood crazy British widow who is fond of being called 'Rani Mukherjee' aspires that doe-eyed former Miss World Aishwarya Rai turns a 'Sanyasin' instead of marrying Junior Bachchan, Abhishek.

The headline hogging topic of Ash-Abhishek marriage is also slowly turning a spicy affair for the Bollywood lapping foreign tourists flocking the Ardh Kumbh fair here in great numbers.

A resident of Bradford (England), Irene (45) sings with equal ease Bollywood chartbusters like ''Roop Tera Mastana Pyar Mera Deewana,'' ''Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'' and ''Kajrare'' just as she croons songs rendered by Beatles and Britney Spears.

''Bollywood has been a craze for me from the time I came to India a month ago. I love to see Hindi films especially Ashiqui and Saajan. I will love to meet Madhuri Dixit and Hritik Roshan before leaving for my country, but not before relishing the spiritual solace in the Akharas dotting the Ardh Kumbh arena here,'' said Irene who is here for performing the 'shradh' of her husband Ian, who died of cardiac arrest 14 months ago.

Ask diminutive Irene why she is a Madhuri Dixit fan instead of the other westerners who admire the beauty of Ash. ''May be because Ash has opted for Abhishek as life partner. A man who wears sunglasses while giving soundbytes to TV channels should not be married to a natural Indian beauty like Aishwarya,'' asserts Irene who likes being called Rani Mukherjee as she resembles her at least in height.

Wearing a Laos tribal hat decorated with precious stones, the Britisher says 'it would have been better if Ash married Hritik Roshan. But since the Dhoom 2 guy is already married, Ash should now turn a Sanyasin and take to the Akharas in Ardh Kumbh here.' Before coming to India, the former school teacher went with the clothes of her hubby to 'Kailash Parwat' (Mount Kailash) in China to pray Lord Shiva to render peace to his soul.

The school teacher from Bradford is not the only foreign tourist gossiping about the much hyped Ash-Abhishek tie up. Luisa Franco and Armad Clement, an Italian-French couple also are not ready to lap up the idea of the starry marriage. ''Abhishek, the son of superstar Amitabh Bachchan is less Indian and more western with a hair-band on his head. But Ash is an out and out Indian beauty who was crowned Miss World for her ethnic charm. The idea of the two Bollywood actors getting married is far from interesting,'' they said.

Collina (55), a housewife from Czech Republic, whose dream of taking an Ardh Kumbh dip in the Triveni Sangam at Prayag has been realised after a 38-year-long wait feels the hazel-eyed Bollywood beauty should not be getting married right now to anyone. ''No one in Bollywood or Hollywood is worthy of marrying a peerless Aishwarya. She should only concentrate on her work both in Bollywood and Hollywood instead of marrying.'' Spanish photographer Miguel, however, is very excited with the Ash-Abhishek wedding. ''May be they will call me also to snap up the wedding. The globalisation of media has made Bollywood personalities noticeable across the world and Ash being a former Miss World and Abhishek a superstar son, the marital bond between the two is a great proposition,'' he said.

Thousand of foreign tourist shutterbugs, devotees of Akharas as well as tourist are presently flocking to the Ardh Kumbh fair, largest religious congregation in the world. The Mela administration puts the estimate of number of fotreign tourists visiting Ardh Kumbh at about 100,000 as compared to 60,000 for the Maha Kumbh here in 2001.

UNI