Sniffer dogs beat Hrithik and Suzanne to wedding suite
Sita Menon in Bangalore
Hrithik's baraat had to travel a distance of a mere 200 metres to get to where bride Suzanne was waiting for him -- but in real time, the trip from the door of the Tipu Sultan suite, where the groom was installed, to the suite occupied by the Khans, took forever. Even on horseback.
The baraatis, though, didn't mind that it took just over two hours to cover 200 metres -- the Roshans, Rishi and Randhir Kapoor, Prem Chopra, Dimple Kapadia, Jeetendra, Bunty Soorma, Rajiv Babbar and a host of other showbiz celebs, making up Hrithik's baraat, danced non-stop.
The best dancer of the lot, meanwhile, stayed perched atop his horse, taking it all in.
If getting to Suzanne's doorstep took Hrithik two hours, it was some more time before he could actually cross the threshold and join his bride. The baraatis decided to have some fun with the young man, and refused to let him go in. "Arre, aisi jaldi bhi kya hai?" they teased even as they found ways to keep Hrithik outside Suzanne's room.
Half an hour later, they finally relented. Hrithik and Suzanne were finally together -- and together, they then ventured out to the poolside, for the ceremony proper.
After the pandit chanted the mantras, a maulana recited the aayats starting with Al Ham-Do, throughout which Hrithik and Suzanne stood.
There were neither any pheras nor any kabools. The bride did not even ask for a meher, as per Muslim tradition.
In fact, the non-religious nature of the affair was underlined by its very timing. Muslims by tradition do not celebrate weddings during the month of Ramzan -- a factor that the Khans decided to ignore, on this occasion.
The registrar then took centrestage. The couple exchanged rose garlands, signed the register, and it was finally over.
Suzanne was bedecked in heavy jewellery, a maang tikka and a nathni.
The highlight of the evening's post-nuptials party was the live band, flown in for the occasion from New Zealand. Sukhbir played DJ for the evening, and obligingly belted out a few numbers.
The dancing never stopped. Hrithik picked up Suzanne, placed her on his shoulder, and launched into some nifty steps. "It was beautiful," says Mirza Khan, the bride's uncle.
The bride and groom abandoned the festivities at 0400 on Thursday morning. The guests kept up the revelry for another hour and more.
The Tipu Sultan suite, designated as the honeymoon suite, had meanwhile been decked up for the occasion. The suite was done up completely in gold paint, with linen and furniture matching Hrithik's gold-embroidered white Jodhpuri suit.
But the first ones into the suite were a bunch of police dogs, sniffing for possible explosives and suchlike nuisances. It was only once they were done that Hrithik and Suzanne, patiently waiting outside, were allowed in.
Today is a leisurely, relaxed day for the newlyweds, who will remain at the resort.
Meanwhile, the odd glitches did crop up, to mar the festivities. Such as the line of cars that ended up outside the gate, because someone forgot to ensure extra parking facilities for the guests within the compound.
Then again, though every invited guest had a specially prepared pass sent to them ahead of the event, they ended up waiting in line for over 20 minutes at the gates of the resort, before being allowed in.
All, that is, except Chief Minister S M Krishna and liquor baron Vijay Mallya, who breezed through in a twinkling.
