When Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had a ‘weird roka’ with Abhishek after proposal: We are South Indians

Actor Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan complete 16 years of marriage on Thursday. As they continue to be one of the most popular couples in Bollywood, let’s look back at the time when Aishwarya opened up about her sudden roka, which she had no idea about as she belongs to a South Indian family. She said the ceremony took place without her father. Also read: When Aishwarya Rai revealed the only time in her life that she ‘really cried’ was in school

Aishwarya and Abhishek got engaged in 2007 after he proposed to her on a balcony in New York. She said yes and shortly after the couple made their relationship public. They got married in the same year in a private ceremony at the Bachchan residence in Mumbai. Also read:

Recalling their roka, Aishwarya Bachchan told Filmfare in 2019, “He proposed, which was amazing! And it happened like really suddenly.” “I didn’t even know there’s something called a ‘roka’ ceremony. We are South Indians, so, I don’t know what a ‘roka’ is and suddenly there is this call from their house to ours; ‘we are coming’. My dad was out of town,” she recollected and said her dad would have taken a day to return.

“Abhishek was like ‘We are all coming and I can’t stop dad. We are on our way this evening. We are coming to your place’. I’m like, ‘Oh my God!’ So, this ‘roka’ is happening with a call to my father, who is out of town. Mum is here, we are here. They’ve all arrived home, they are emotional and all. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, it’s happening.’ Then it’s like, ‘Come on, let’s go home’. I’m like, ‘Mom, okay… is this…is this an engagement? Like, what just happened?’” Aishwarya added. She further added, “And, then I am sitting on Ashu’s (Ashutosh Gowariker) set and we did Khawja Mere Khwaja, sitting as a bride, and I am like, oh my god this is surreal, all happening on-screen, off-screen, this it was really really weird.”

Aishwarya and Abhishek starred together in films like Dhoom 2, Guru and Raavan. The two welcomed daughter Aaradhya Bachchan in 2011. While Aishwarya will be next seen in Ponniyin Selvan: 2, Abhishek has Ghoomer in the pipeline.