Nepal king attends Bollywood wedding
 
 
Indo-Asian News Service

Tuesday, January 29, 2008: (Kathmandu):

Nepal's royal family has hit the headlines again as beleaguered King Gyanendra attended a Bollywood wedding in Kathmandu.

Accompanied by Queen Komal, Gyanendra, who could be the last king of the once powerful Shah dynasty, went to the upmarket Soaltee Crowne Plaza hotel to attend the wedding of Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala's brother Siddharth.

Siddharth, also an aspiring actor in India's multibillion-rupee Hindi film industry, has acted in films like "Anwar" but is yet to establish himself in Bollywood like his sister did.

The groom donned the traditional Nepali attire of daura-suruwal - the traditional long shirt and tight pyjamas - complete with a Nepali cap and the traditional Nepali garland of grass.

The bride, Yulia Wekitova from Kazakhstan, was also dressed like a traditional Nepali bride in a red, richly embroidered sari with one end modestly draped over her head.

Siddharth, a virtual stranger in Nepal, has not played any significant role in the nation's politics, despite being the grandson of BP Koirala, Nepal's first elected prime minister and grandnephew of current premier Girija Prasad Koirala.

His elder sister Manisha, however, faced much criticism in the past for supporting King Gyanendra's grabbing of power with the help of the army.

Though a non-resident Nepali, she came to Nepal in 2006 to campaign for the municipal election held by the royal regime though her grand-uncle was boycotting it. Her support for the polls caused the Maoists to "ban" the screening of her films in Nepal's theatres.

Manisha's father Prakash Koirala, who was appointed minister by King Gyanendra, was later expelled from his father's Nepali Congress party, which was opposing the royal regime.

The end of the royal regime seemed to affect Manisha's stars as well.

Her plan to start a film city in Nepal and promote Nepali films as well as signing up for a Nepali remake of the Hindi classic film Mother India failed to get off the ground.

A Nepali tabloid commented tongue in cheek how the Koirala family always seemed to hold weddings when Girija Prasad Koirala was passing through a bout of illness.

The prime minister was consicuous by his absence Monday. In the past, he has been too ill to attend the wedding of his granddaughter Melanie in Kathmandu.

The prime minister named Melanie's mother Sujata minister this year, triggering widespread public criticism.

Siddarth's wedding also comes at a time the prime minister has been advised rest after suffering from cold and breathing problems.

This is the third high-profile wedding attended by the king since he was shorn of his powers.

Soon after the fall of the royal government, he attended the wedding of the daughter of the then army chief Pyar Jung Thapa to a scion of a former Indian royal family.

Though the king did not attend the Delhi wedding of Devyani Rana, once known as the woman former crown prince Dipendra wanted to marry, he went to a banquet organised in Kathmandu later.

Crown Prince Paras, who is once said to have had a huge crush on Manisha, was also invited to Monday's party.