Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan: Exclusive club

April 13: Those expecting the Abhishek-Aishwarya wedding to match the lavishness of the Liz Hurley-Arun Nayar show will be disappointed.

The April 20 gathering will be about exclusiveness. As with the team to Bangladesh to be announced by the cricket board the same day, big names aren’t assured a place.

The guest list, of course, features Amitabh Bachchan’s brother Ajitabh and his family, as well as Abhishek’s sister Shweta and her extended in-laws who include the Kapoors.

The groom’s close friends such as Sikandar Kher, Goldie Behl and Rohan Sippy will be there; so will Karan Johar, who’s like a son to the Bachchans, with mom Hiroo Johar and J.P. Dutta, a father figure to Abhishek.

Yash Chopra, his wife Pam and sons Aditya and Uday are expected to make the cut.

The length of the guest list will be dictated by the size of the Bachchans’ residence and only those will be invited whose presence is a must.

Jaya Bachchan is believed to be supervising every detail, with her husband and son out of it all. She has kept the razzmatazz to the minimum.

All the invitees are keeping a low profile lest they unwittingly let slip details.

The air, however, is thick with speculation. According to some reports, all the Bachchans’ neighbours have been asked to keep their gates shut to the media. The family is also rumoured to have requested the civil aviation ministry not to allow any planes to hover over their residence during the wedding.

The Bachchans are amused, but not overly so. As Amitabh told a friend: “My son’s wedding is a very private, solemn and precious moment for me and my family. Surely we’re entitled to our privacy if and when we need it?”