Ghajini actress Asin took to social media yesterday to dismiss rumours of trouble in her marriage. The speculations began after the actress, who had tied the knot with Rahul Sharma in 2016, deleted their pictures from her Instagram page.

Issuing a clarification, she said, “In the middle of our summer holiday right now, literally sitting across each other enjoying our breakfast and came across some very imaginative and utterly baseless ‘NEWS’. Reminds of the time we were sitting at home together with our families planning our wedding and we heard that we had broken up. Seriously?! Please do better. (Disappointed to have wasted 5 mins of an otherwise wonderful holiday on this!) Have a great day you guys (sic).”

While it is unclear why Asin deleted her pictures with Rahul, she has denied any hiccup in her marriage. The couple has a five-year-old daughter Arin.

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Actor Asin Thottumkal has shut down reports that suggested all is not well between her and husband, businessman Rahul Sharma. The speculations regarding their separation first sparked when the actor’s deleted Instagram posts featuring her husband caught the attention of social media users.

Taking to Instagram Story, the Ghajini (2008) actor revealed the couple was on a “wonderful holiday” when they came across this “imaginative and utterly baseless ‘news’”. Debunking the rumours further, a source close to the pair tells us, “They are one of the happiest couples we know. Rahul is a doting husband and father and absolutely adores Asin... They are very low profile and keep away from social media for this reason. It’s ridiculous to see this written about them.”

The source also clarifies that the actor had “cleared up old photos from her feed” back in January or February. “After that, she posted Rahul’s photos on her [Insta] Stories on Easter and other occasions. Whoever wrote this story conveniently forgot to notice these,” adds the source.

Asin and Rahul tied the knot in January 2016 and welcomed their daughter, Arin, in October 2017.

Only months after we witnessed the re-runs of Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan, director Kunal Kohli is set to offer a retelling of the ancient epic with Ramyug. The mythological outing, originally designed as a two-part film, has been converted into a web series, owing to the prevailing situation. The filmmaker is not complaining about the change of medium as he says, “The ultimate aim for all content makers is to reach a wider audience, so I am happy that Ramyug is releasing. We had close to four hours of content, so it was not difficult to convert it into eight episodes.”

The MX Player series features Diganth Manchale, Akshay Dogra, Aishwarya Ojha, Tisca Chopra and Dalip Tahil, among others. The timeless appeal of the epic aside, Kohli says that the ability to enhance it with innovative technology drew him to the project. “It’s an epic that has been with us since childhood. [While hearing the story], one always imagines the visuals in a particular way. With changing technology, I felt that we could take the visual to a different level.”

Ahead of the show dropping online, a music video, titled Jai Hanuman, with Amitabh Bachchan on the vocals and Ustad Zakir Hussain, was released last week. Asked how Bachchan came on board the project, the director says, “When Rahul Sharma [music director] played the song for me, I told him that it would be great to have Zakir Hussian play the tabla and Mr Bachchan sing it. We both laughed at the over ambitiousness of my thought. However, when I approached Mr Bachchan, he instantly agreed. [This episode] shows that a dream, no matter how big, might come true some day.”

After a quiet Christian wedding with some live music and a choir on Tuesday morning, Asin and Rahul Sharma tied the knot in a North Indian style ceremony in the evening. Asin wore a lehenga for the traditional Hindu ceremony while Rahul opted for a sherwani. Preparations for the Hindu wedding started soon after lunch, and seven priests arrived at the venue to set up the mandap at around 2pm. “The wedding rituals will wrap up by early evening. There will be a baaraat, varmala and pheras,“ said one of the priests.

NO NAACH-GAANA?
A group of dholwallahs from Shadipur did reach the venue, but there wasn't too much naachgaana during the wedding. “The dholwallahs were there for only a little while and there wasn't as much naach-gaana as one would see in other Delhi weddings. It was a simple affair,“ a source at the wedding told us.

A SHORT GUEST LIST
While around 100 guests attended the Christian wedding in the morning, the evening guest list had over 150-200 names on it. Akshay Kumar, who was the best man for the Christian wedding, returned around 8pm to attend the dinner after the Hindu wedding. “There were some Delhi-based guests attending the dinner from Rahul's side. After all the rituals were completed, a dinner was organised and the couple met their guests,“ said a source.

Asin's wedding to Rahul Sharma on Tuesday morning was a well-guarded affair, strictly attended by family members and close friends of the couple. Akshay Kumar, the best man at the ceremony, was among the guests who arrived well on time. The couple tied the knot as per Christian rituals. The ceremony started at around 11.30 am. As per sources, around 100 guests attended the event and stayed for a special lunch with the couple. A staff member and security official of the hotel where the wedding took place told us, “We are booked for a private function and entry of any other guest is not allowed. The hotel is closed for two days for other guests.“

Bollywood actress Asin is all set to tie the knot with Delhi-based entrepreneur Rahul Sharma in the capital on January 20. Sources, who are involved with the preparations, informed us that the wedding celebrations will take place at a hotel on NH8 on January 19 and 20. Arrangements are in progress for over 100 guests, who will participate in the two-day event. “It will be a private ceremony with only family members and close friends attending it. The mehendi function will be held on January 19. The nuptials will take place as per Hindu as well as Christian rituals. Both Asin and Rahul want a simple wedding and mostly vegetarian food will be served to the guests. On January 20, there is a formal wedding ceremony and a party has been organised for over 250 guests, including Rahul's Delhi-based friends,“ says the source.

This will be followed by a reception in Mumbai on January 23, invites for which have been already sent out. “The Mumbai reception is especially for the couple's Bollywood friends. Only a few people from the Hindi film industry are on the guest list for the functions in Delhi,“ adds the source.

Akshay Kumar was the first person from Bollywood to receive Asin's wedding invite. He tweeted on Sunday, “Happy to receive the 1st wedding card of 2 of my close friends, Rahul & Asin. Wishing you both happiness always (sic).“

Asin and Delhi based entrepreneur Rahul Sharma's wedding will take place on November 26 at a hotel on NH8 in Delhi, a source tells us. The wedding will be a “private and closely guarded“ affair with only the couple's close friends and family. The couple will also host a reception on November 27 at a private farmhouse at West End Greens, the place where Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput also got married. The celebrations will continue in Mumbai as Asin is expected to host a reception in the city on either November 28 or 29 (date not finalised yet). Preparations for the wedding have already started with the couple's active participation.

Asin is on cloud nine. Her businessman beau Rahul Sharma apparently has a birthday surprise in store for her. The actress turns a year older on October 26 and her fiancé will reportedly whisk her off to an unknown destination to ring in her special day. An insider said, “Rahul has it all planned. However, Asin has been kept in the dark because he wants the birthday break to be a big surprise for her.“

Meanwhile, Mallika Sherawat will reportedly ring in her birthday on October 24 in Paris this year. Once again sources inform that Mallika's French boyfriend is planning a big bash for the Bollywood actress in the French capital.

We were the first to tell you about Asin's plans to marry businessman Rahul Sharma. We have now exclusively learnt of the details of the ring that Rahul presented Asin with, when he proposed to her for the first time about a year ago. While Rahul and Asin have yet not been engaged in a formal family way, Rahul decided to surprise her a year ago when he went down on his knees much like the Westerners do and proposed to his lady love. He made this even more special by gifting her with a 20 carat solitaire (specially imported from Belgium), that he personally got designed from one of their common designer friends. As per our confirmed source, the ring is currently valued at Rs 6 crore. It has a monogram of the couple 'AR' (A for Asin and R for Rahul) under the diamond and the band of the ring, that is also made of diamonds, carries a personal message from Rahul to Asin engraved on it. Both families of Rahul and Asin have been waiting for Asin's professional commitments to get over and now that they are over, the formal celebrations are expected to soon begin.

Asin, 29, is marrying Rahul Sharma, 36, a Delhi based first generation entrepreneur, who is six feet two inches in height, has done an engineering and then been to Harvard. He has two older sisters who are both married and his parents, who retired as principals of schools, were both teachers and now live with him in Delhi. Asin is a selfmade girl and always wanted to marry a man who was, too. Rahul is down-to-earth, principled and correct and unlike Asin who likes to take her time before coming to a decision, he is instinctive and a quick decision maker. ASIN OPENS UP FOR THE FIRST TIME ABOUT HIM. EXCERPTS:

All Is Well took over two years to make. Did that delay your plans of marriage?
Honestly, at the beginning of 2012, I had three films in hand - Bol Bachchan, Housefull 2 and Khiladi 786 - but it wasn't exciting me so much as an actress, so I had decided to not act any more after finishing these three. I had several self imposed restrictions, for instance I don't do bikini scenes, don't wear skimpy clothes, don't do physical intimacy onscreen. I come from the Southern most part of India and had worked in the South and then made the shift to Mumbai. I had no grandfather, Godfather or even a satellite connection with the film industry. I didn't even have a star boyfriend to keep me in the news. And therefore honestly, it's quite miraculous I have done the films that I did. I have always said that I came into this field not because I needed the money and nor did I chase fame that was a bonus. What I liked was acting and working in films. After Khiladi 786, I was on a break when Umesh Shukla wanted to come and narrate All Is Well to me. I could not say a no to him as he had made one of my favourite films OMG Oh My God and I was keen to meet the maker of it. So we met. I had done 24 films till then and everyone felt that I should do 25 films before I took a break. I asked Umesh, 'What kind of a film would you like to make?' And he said, 'I would like to make entertaining films that makes sense to people. People say leave your brains behind and see the film. But why leave your brains at home? It's an organ that is a part of your body, please bring it with you when you come for the film.' I liked that. All Is Well was a simple family film talking about relationships, giving a sweet message. It didn't involve me to shake my booty and Bhushan Kumar called me to tell me that the film would be completed in 45 days flat. I said to myself, 'Wah it's a quickie!' And I said a yes. But it turned out to be the longest quickie of my career as it took more than two years to finish it.

Talking about your marriage, when will you be getting married to Rahul Sharma?
Rahul and I have been together for almost four years. I will get married by the end of the year.

How did you meet Rahul?
My story is eerily similar to the story of my film Ghajini. Just like my character Sanjana in the film faffs and makes up the story of being linked to Sanjay Singhania, that I met him first at the Mumbai airport, and that he said a hi and I said hi and how he came and sat next to me and then said I love you. My story is eerily similar to that. Rahul and I first met at the private airport of Mumbai as I was going to another country for work with Akshay Kumar for the promotions of Housefull 2. Now, I have just walked in and Akshay takes these early morning flights. So there was Akshay, me and this person who was just a stranger not connected to the film. So I wished everybody good morning and then there is this guy standing next to Akshay who he introduced me to as his friend Rahul. We exchanged 'hi's and went into the flight. All big stars have their friends accompanying them, so I assumed he was that friend. Eventually, as the day unfolded, during the day I have realised who he was. I realised that it was actually, his flight, his tournament we were going for, he was sponsoring us and basically everything was happening because of him. I liked the quality. He was very simple and down-to-earth and that quality stuck with me. And then Akshay tells me the same day, 'I think you two will be good for each other.' I was like, 'What? Where is this coming from? Akshay is a very good friend, one of my favourite co-stars and can joke with me, so I thought this one was also one of his random jokes. Akshay is family for us and some how, has a good sense of people so he sensed that similarity between Rahul and me. Of course I didn't know what Rahul's side (Rahul and Akshay are best friends) was as that may have also been the reason why Akshay was pursuing it.

How long did it take to convert your first meeting into a relationship?
So after our first meeting, we had spoken a few times over the phone and then Rahul was somehow convinced that I was the girl for him, so on one of the times, he asked me if he could meet my parents. He said, 'I have clarity that you are the girl for me and I want to meet them and make my intentions clear.' I found that extremely gentlemanly, to meet my parents upright right at the initial time. We had just spoken 2-3 times, that too thanks to Akshay. Anyways, Rahul came and met my parents and expressed his intention to them. He is very sorted and knows his mind clearly. And he tells them, 'I would like your daughter's hand in marriage.' And they said, 'Okay, but let's ask her what she wants.' I said, 'I want some time.' So with their permission, we started to get to know each other.

You are not an intuitive person and would like to think through all your decisions. What attracted you to Rahul?
Yes unless I am not convinced about it, I will not do it in life and that applies to everything I do. My expectation of a life partner is a guy who is self-made. Because I am a self made person, so if someone is a self made person, I would appreciate that about him and Rahul is. He started his business at such a young age and has reached the place he has. No amount of money would appeal to me, but achievement on your own merit would. He has that drive, ambition and passion. And I have always said that integrity and strength of character is of utmost importance to me and he has it and like how. Also he is level headed, mature and along with all of that, the fact that he is so grounded, and simple. He is very correct in doing things the right way.

Is he romantic?
Yes, he is romantic but he is not very verbally expressive. Neither of us are cheesy. He is not very overtly expressive and is very underplayed as a person. So he does a lot of things, big things but he does it subtly. He is never like I am the man. He has clarity of thought, vision and an opinion. His decisions are thought of but he arrives at them quickly. Also, he is very family oriented with strong roots.

You waited for All Is Well to release to announce your marriage. Did it bother him?
No, he is very chilled and cool and his only policy in life is whatever makes you happy, do that even if it does not include me and that is the footnote also. He is very selfless and outstandingly secure and I feel that's pure love, the rest is selfishness. He has no 'I' in him, it's all about 'You' with him. Throughout the relationship, his sole concern is my happiness. People profess love but a lot of times, it is actually selfishness. I have always believed that love is what helps you develop into the best person you are, it's a selfless emotion but people usually follow the corrupted version. The true version is when the other person is happy. When he came home to meet mum and dad, he was not like I like her so I want to marry her. Even then he said, 'It's her choice. Now you figure out, you make a decision, I am here.' To find that kind of non selfish love is very rare.

You managed to keep this relationship a secret for this long.
My relationship is not a secret, it's just private. And there is a difference between what is a secret and what is private. Both of us are extremely low profile and we don't like to flaunt anything, be it our relationship or anything else.

He is a vegetarian and you are a fish eating Malayali. So will the fish be comfortable in your life?
Actually, I am not a fish fanatic unless it is made in a certain way. Most of the time, my parents and I would eat very light vegetarian food. But also honestly, Rahul doesn't care. He will eat whatever he wants to eat and I will eat whatever I want to.

Does he have a favourite film of yours?
After we started dating, one of his sisters said to me, “I saw Ghajini and came back and told Rahul, 'This is a film about you'.“ He was in the same state of life that Aamir's character (Sanjay Singhania) was at that point in time. He was trying to build his company into the biggest mobile company in India Air Voice Mobile with orange brand colour. He was even driving the same car as Aamir in real life. And can you imagine it's eerie that Rahul built Micromax mobile and his brand colour too is orange. The only difference being that he did not have that girl in his life. So his sister told Rahul, 'Aisi wali ladki le aa.' Rahul apparently went and saw the film post that. And then his sister tells me, 'We had told him to get a girl like that. We didn't know he will bring that girl only. We could not have been happier'

So A R Murugadoss, who has written and directed both the Ghajinis, is the real culprit?
Yes and I told him, 'What pen have you used to write this story with? Please write a happier ending though in your third version (as in the first two, my character dies).' Even in my dreams I could not have imagined that it would come so true in my real life.

Where will you be based post marriage?
I will be based out of Cochin as I have my home there, Delhi where Rahul lives and has his HO and Mumbai where Rahul and I both have homes. Rahul anyways travels almost a fortnight a month.

Are you going to continue with films post marriage?
I have been working from the age of 14 and as of now, I am not taking up anything and will definitely take a break from films.

Do you plan to play a role in business post marriage?
I have not really thought of it, but no, not as of now. Right now, I am looking forward to experiencing this phase in life of marriage.

Any plans of becoming a mother?
I have not really thought of motherhood or that far ahead but it will be a natural succession.





NO SMOKING, NO NON-VEG
The 'no smoking' rule applies to the sets of many TV shows, since the sets are made of wood and there's always the chance that they could catch fire if someone throws a cigarette. So me producers want non-vegetarian food and cigarettes as far away from the sets as possible. Himanshu Soni, currently seen in Neeli Chhatri Waale, says, “Our producer has a rule that nobody can bring or order non-veg food. The rule book says anybody caught eating non-veg food has to pay a fine of  Rs 200. There was an artiste on the show who had brought non-veg food and ended up paying the fine. We also asked him to give us a party and order veg food for us. I am a vegetarian, so I don't face such issues, but non-vegetarians sometimes get hassled. Perhaps some of the actors have their food in their vanity vans.“ The same rule applies to the sets of shows like Diya Aur Baati Hum, Ek Rishta Aisa Bhi (which went off air on February 13) and Mere Rang Mein Rangne Waali.

KEEP YOUR PHONE ON SILENT
It's really irritating when a phone rings in the middle of an important meeting, right? It turns out, directors feel the same way if something like that happens while they are shooting a dramatic scene. Ravindra Gautam, who is currently directing the upcoming show Begusarai, says, “I have this rule on my new show that nobody's phone should ring while the scene is being filmed. If it does happen, the person is supposed to pay a fine of  Rs 500. If the phone rings loudly, it disturbs everyone and sometimes, if we are shooting an intense scene, it ends up disrupting the entire mood. So, I have created this rule. In fact, even I have ended up paying the fine a couple of times! When I was directing Madhubala ­ Ek Ishq Ek Junoon, I remember Vivian Dsena and Drashti Dhami also had to pay fines because their phones would ring during the shoot. It's because of this rule that actors and other crew members have started keeping their phones on silent mode or leaving their phones with someone.“

It seems that this rule is applicable on the sets of other shows as well, including Humsafars, which went off air on February 20. Payal Rohatgi, who is a part of Humsafars, says, “I am very particular about keeping my phone on silent, but once it happened that my phone rang loudly, while a shot was being taken. It so happened that Sangram (her beau) had said that he would call me in five minutes and during that time, when I was waiting for his call, I forgot to keep the phone on silent mode. It rang in the middle of a shot and I was quite embarrassed. I treated the entire unit, which comprises 120 members, to ice creams. The place where we shoot is near an ice cream factory, and there's nothing else available.“

JUMPED TO A CONCLUSION? PAY UP!
We're all guilty of leaping to conclusions and later trying to get out of them with the excuse, 'I felt like it was the right thing'. But what if there was a fine on jumping to conclusions? Something similar exists on the sets of Mere Rang Mein Rangne Waali.Samridh Bawa, who plays LD on the show, says, “On the sets, our director has created this rule that no one is allowed to say 'Sir, mujhe aisa laga' ya `maine aisa socha'. If we utter this phrase, we have to pay a fine of `10. Our director says, `If you have any doubts, come and clear them. Don't assume things'. In fact, I have already deposited `100 with my director, because I have a habit of saying these words.Pranali (Ghogare, his co-star in the show), has already paid Rs 150 for the same. This rule even applies to our director, who has to pay `50 if he utters these words. He has paid the fine a couple of times. We have a box kept on the sets and the fines are stored in it. Jab bahut saara jama ho jaayega, we will have a huge party with that money.“