Bollywood’s first big shaadi of the year is here. For months, fans were speculating about the dates of the Athiya Shetty-K L Rahul wedding, with the buzz getting stronger last week as the cricketer’s Bandra house was bedecked with lights. It is now confirmed that the actor-cricketer jodi — who have been in a steady relationship since 2019 — will tie the knot on January 23 at Suniel Shetty’s sprawling farmhouse Jahaan in Khandala. The pre-wedding festivities will kick off today at the farmhouse with the mehndi and sangeet ceremony.

While the lovebirds kept mum about their impending nuptials over the past months, we hear the wedding preparation began last November. Athiya’s parents Suniel and Mana Shetty personally called their industry friends, requesting them to block their dates from January 21 to 23.

“The shaadi will be a grand, traditional affair, in keeping with the rituals of the Bunt community that the Shettys belong to. The pre-wedding festivities will kick off today with the Madarengee, where the bride’s hands are adorned with mehndi. On D-Day, the bride will perform Murthasese that entails praying to the sacred tulsi plant, followed by the aarti that will mark the beginning of the wedding ceremony. It will be followed by the Dhareyeruna [kanyadaan] and the homa, which sees the couple taking the saat pheras,” reveals a source.

The two families have drawn up a list of 100 guests, comprising their extended family and friends. A mélange of movie stars and cricketers will head to the hill station over the weekend. The source adds, 

“Salman Khan, who had launched Athiya in Bollywood with Hero (2015), will be present. Ajay Devgn, Abhishek Bachchan, Jackie and daughter Krishna Shroff, Sanjay Dutt, Sajid and Warda Nadiadwala are on the guest list, as are Arjun and Anshula Kapoor. The groom’s cricketer-friends Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya won’t be able to attend as they are part of the one-day series against New Zealand.” 

While some guests will be put up at their luxurious farmhouse, others will stay at the Radisson hotel in Khandala, and another lavish property a few kilometres away from Suniel’s estate.

Rahul, who is joining the Indian cricket team for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy next month, will head for training within days of the wedding. Given his chock-a-block schedule, the newly-weds will host an elaborate reception in Mumbai only after the 2023 Indian Premier League is wrapped up.