Fulfilling her childhood dream of marrying like a princess, the “mast mast” girl of Bollywood Raveena Tandon tonight tied the nuptial knot with her boy friend Anil Thadani, a film distributor, in royal grandeur at a 17th century palace turned into a five-star hotel.
The high profile wedding ceremony was held at Jag Mandir palace hotel in traditional Punjabi Khatri and Sindhi style with parents of both the bride and the groom performing the rituals.
The Jag Mandir palace, located on an island in the famous Pichchola lake, where Mewar maharaja Karan Singh had held a reception for Mughal prince Khurram who later become emperor Shah Jahan more than 400 years ago.
The palace was decorated like a set of a Bollywood film with an exquisite blend of tradition with modernity in marriage ceremonies.
The barat procession of the groom, with caparisoned horses, camels and torch bearers, reached the wedding venue in style.
Led by a local band, the procession started from the sunset terrace of Fateh Prakash hotel with many of the baratis dancing to the tunes of Bollywood’s hit songs.
After winding its way through a maze of narrow lanes of the city of lakes, reached the banshi ghat of Pichchola lake where the groom and baratis boarded flower-decked boats, owned by former Udaipur royals, to reach Jag Mandir Palace.
As the groom reached Jag Mandir, fireworks greeted the guests.
A tight security ring was thrown around the palace and journalists, cameramen and TV news channels crew were kept out of the venue of the marriage ceremony.
Wearing diamond jewellery, Raveena, chairperson of Children’s Film Society, wore the same wedding dress which her mother had 35 years back in her own marriage with film director Ravi Tandon.
The lehnga her mother wore in her marriage was redone by Ravina’s dress designers.
More than 5,000 locals gathered at the other bank of the lake to have a glimpse of the marriage of tinsel world glitterati.
Although they failed to have any glimpse of Raveena taking the saat phere (circling the holy fire seven times) with Anil Thadani, a divorcee, it did not dampen their curiosity and they watched the fireworks from across the lake.
Among those came to bless the couple were Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ravi Shankar Prasad, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, general secretary of Samajwadi Party Amar Singh, cricketer Ravi Shastri and film actors Jackie Shroff and John Abraham.
,yeh kya kerti hai..