Bollywood gossip: Fact or fiction?

Sevashree Mohapatra verifies the reality behind the buzz. Not just gossip

Here comes talk of another interesting "match", supposedly in the offing.

The media is going ga-ga over how the kundlis (horoscopes) have clicked and what a wow couple the two will make - yes, we are talking about the Abhishek-Aishwarya marriage rumours which have the media in a tizzy.

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Is there some truth in it? Only time will tell but if one was to consider the "rumours" in the past on romantic linkups, many of them have some basis in reality, though the motive is sometimes to promote a forthcoming film or the lead stars. They might not be all fact but neither are they purely a figment of imagination. No smoke without fire, right!

The stars try their best to keep their wedding plans and affairs confidential. The oft-repeated claim is that they also have a right to their personal lives secret, away from media and public glare. So what if they are the heartthrobs of millions of people?

Stars might also be reluctant to reveal matters of the heart or marriage plans as it could jeopardise their image and lead to filmmakers dropping them from their projects. The "married" tag, many feel, diminishes their desirability factor among fans. It is especially true of actresses, as marriage seems to affect little the market value of the male actors. Chirpy and bubbly actress Juhi Chawla denied her marriage to industrialist Jai Mehta for a long time as her career was at its peak. Kajol, Sonali Bendre and Raveena

The media is going ga-ga over how the kundlis (horoscopes) of Abhishek and Aishwarya have clicked and what a wow couple the two will make.

Tandon confirmed the "talk" of their marriage much later. Even the recent grapevine gupshup about the three popular Khans -- Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Salman— proved to be true. When the glossies went ballistic about Aamir Khan's affair with

Lagaan's

assistant director Kiran Rao and his break-up with his wife Reena, it was dismissed as yet another piece of malicious gossip. Aamir Khan shocked many of his fans when he married Kiran Rao last year.

Reports about stylish Saif Ali Khan's link with a bronzed firang girl and the break-up with his wife and former actress Amrita Singh too came to be true. Saif now seems all set to marry Rosa, going by his recent statements.

Some stars seem to be perennially in the news for their link ups and break ups. While Salman Khan is reported to be serious about Katrina Kaif after the unsavoury end of his love chapter with Aishwarya, the media has had a gala time linking Akshay Kumar with his co-stars like Shilpa Shetty, Raveena Tandon, and recently Priyanka Chopra. The reports even claimed that Akshay Kumar-Twinkle Khanna marriage was on the rocks due to Akshay’s infatuation with the glamour girl Priyanka.

Aishwarya Rai also is a favourite with gossips mongers - after Salman Khan and Viveik Oberoi, she is now being linked with Abhishek Bachchan. Is it a hackneyed Bollywood gimmick to present them as a hot pair, as they have been busy shooting together in Jodhpur palace for the remake of Rekha’s classic Umrao Jaan? Both have earlier worked in Dhai Akshar Prem Ke and Kuch Naa Kaho.

No doubt that Abhishekh and Ash are among few of the most eligible singles in Bollywood Mumbai. Family members have denied the "alliance" reports and the sizzling Kajra re jodi seem to be very busy with their careers. Aishwarya is busy with her international ventures (The Last Legion and Provoked) and some plum assignments in Bollywood (Dhoom, Umrao Jaan and a biopic on Maharani Gayatri Devi), Abhishek's career is going great guns after Sarkar, Bunty Aur Babli, Dus and Bluffmaster did reasonably well at box-office.

Will Abhishek -Aishwarya link-up come true or just fizzle away as routine Bollywood blah-blah, time will tell.