SRK turns Waddesdon into wedding destination

Remember the famous helicopter shot in the 2001 Bollywood film, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham?

"It's at the beginning, when Shah Rukh Khan lands in a helicopter and his mum is waiting with a plate of prasad to welcome him," says Susmita Das, who is getting married at the location on Saturday, August 12, to her fiancé, Arun Wadhwa.

Karan Johar chose the lovely location - Waddesdon Manor in Buckingham-shire - to represent the palatial residence of the patriarch Yash Raichand (Amitabh Bachchan), while the other cast members include Jaya Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor, Rani Mukerji and Kajol. Playback by Lata at her best.

Susmita, 26, is Bengali; Arun, who is 28, a Punjabi. Both were born and brought up in Britain. The couple, who met as students at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London, are doctors training to be general practitioners.

Susmita's parents are Hindu Bengalis who arrived from Bangladesh "thirty-ish years ago". Her mother was a doctor, her father is a solicitor. She grew up in Redbridge in east London and went to Woodford County High School for Girls.

Arun says: "My dad was born in Dehradun and came here in 1984 when he was 27 and my mum came from Agra when she was only six years old."

It was Arun's sister, Ambika - she herself had a destination wedding in Udaipur 18 months ago - who spotted Waddesdon's potential while watching Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.

Arun explains: "When my sister was rewatching it, she suddenly thought, 'Oh, that's a nice place! Where is that?' She googled it, found it and organised us to go and see it."

"Both families fell in love with Waddesdon," asserts Susmita.

"Completely," adds Arun, who praises his sister for being "very, very clever".

"We're doing a Hindu wedding ceremony with a mandap outdoor followed by a reception for 500 in a marquee," Susmita goes on.

She laughs: "My mum said to Arun, 'Oh, you should land by helicopter,' but that would be too much for him!"

Waddesdon, barely an hour's train journey from London, has become a desirable wedding venue. Four years ago, another couple, Trisha Patel and Simon Byrne, were married at Waddesdon, with lots of relatives from both sides.

"We found Waddesdon by searching the Internet," says Simon. "We decided to visit in person and thought the venue was very picturesque. Because I am Irish many guests were travelling from Dublin, so proximity to the airport was also important."

Expect more Indian weddings at Waddesdon, especially as its website now proclaims: "We are delighted to announce that our next Waddesdon Manor wedding will be the marriage of Susmita Das and Arun Wadhwa, held on Saturday 12 August."

Rothschild home

• Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham climbed to number three in the British film charts after grossing a record £44,98,281.
When I went to Waddesdon Manor on a sunny spring day to see an exhibition of French calendars, I learnt of its colourful history.

When I went to Waddesdon Manor on a sunny spring day to see an exhibition of French calendars, I learnt of its colourful history.

The mansion was built in the neo-Renaissance style of a French château between 1874 and 1889 for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild (1839-1898) as a weekend residence for grand entertaining.

The last member of the Rothschild family to own Waddesdon was James de Rothschild (1878-1957). He bequeathed the house and its contents to the National Trust. It is now managed by the Rothschild Foundation, chaired by Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild.

Amartya Sen's wife, Emma Rothschild, is connected to the family although it has many branches.

Several well-known films have been shot at Waddesdon Manor, including The Queen (2006). Its gardens doubled for Buckingham Palace. The location has also been used in many television series. The mansion most recently stood in for the exterior of the fictional Haxby Park in the second series of Downton Abbey (2011). Exteriors also featured in the 2016 TV series, The Crown.

The interior was not used in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham - possibly because it is exquisitely tasteful with no hint of kitsch.

No smoking

• In his time, Winston Churchill was a favoured guest at Waddesdon Manor but since smoking was not allowed inside, he was allocated a bedroom with a terrace where he could puff his cigars.

Tittle tattle

• Some might see this as a little hypo-critical but The Economist is organi-sing a money-making exercise on Au-gust 31 - "India Summit 2017".

"Can India become the world's most important economy by 2050, as many prominent economists predict it will?" it gushes. "Under the Modi administration, significant reforms have already been passed to make doing business easier and remove red tape."

Is this the same magazine which ran a cover story in June, "The eco-nomy under Modi. India's prime min-ister is not as much of a reformer as he seems. But he is more of a nationalist firebrand"?