Bollywood does not have to look far for its next script. A tale of warring dynasties, professional rivalry and social slights is being played out in the Hindi film industry’s back yard by the real-life characters of the big screen. The palpable friction between Amitabh Bachchan, 64, and Shahrukh Khan, 41, the two biggest stars in India, has been at the centre of a longrunning drama in Bollywood but industry watchers say the plot has thickened in recent weeks after the elder actor failed to invite his younger rival to his son’s wedding.

The omission of Khan and his wife from the guest list for last month’s wedding of Abhishek Bachchan, also a romantic lead, and Aishwarya Rai, the former Miss World turned actress, was the talk of Bollywood’s tight-knit social circles.

Although the three-day celebration was deliberately restricted to fewer than a hundred people because of the ill health of the groom’s grandmother, the Bachchans made a point of inviting certain actors and snubbing others.

Analysts say that the event has split Bollywood between those on the side of the Khans and the acolytes of the Bachchans, one of the most powerful families in India by virtue of their box-office dominance and political connections.

With the addition of Aishwarya, 33, to the fold, the family has become even more influential with studio producers and directors keen to cash in on the value of Brand Bachchan. “There seem to be two clear groups in Bollywood now – the Bachchans and the Khans,” Taran Adarsh, a trade analyst, said.

Among the chosen few at the Indian “wedding of the year” were Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty and Preity Zinta. Those shut out included Karisma Kapoor, who was once engaged to Abhishek, and Salman Khan, who had a tumultuous relationship with Aishwarya. Vivek Oberoi, another of the bride’s ex-boyfriends, was also cold-shouldered despite being a childhood friend of Abhishek, 31. Kareena Kapoor, who is related to the Bachchans by marriage, was missing because of her sister’s former association with the groom. The rest of her family joined the party. In interviews, Khan and Bachchan Sr laugh off any talk of a rivalry and even appear in films together, but behind the scenes they continue to take veiled digs at each other.

Last week, Khan invited Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor – all fellow noninvitees to the Bachchan wedding – to be part of the season finale of Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

The move was given more significance because Khan took over as host of the TV game show from Bachchan.

Star wars

— Bette Davis was the queen at Warner Brothers in the 1930s; Joan Crawford ruled at MGM. Their rivalry was depicted on screen in their 1962 film What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

— The sisters Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland competed for an Oscar in 1941. When Fontaine won she reputedly ignored her sister’s congratulations, so setting off a lifetime feud

— The director Lars von Trier fell out with his lead actress, Björk, on the set of Dancer in the Dark in 2000. He called her a “man woman” and accused her of trying to eat her costume

Source: Times archives

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