Akshay Kumar was shooting with Amitabh Bachchan hours before marrying Twinkle Khanna; borrowed makeup artist’s bike to reach wedding, reveals Suneel Darshan
There was a time when Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna apparently made a rather unusual deal. If Twinkle’s film Mela, starring Aamir Khan, failed at the box office, she would marry Akshay without putting it off any longer.The film did not make the impact expected, and eventually, Twinkle and Akshay decided to take the plunge. But even their wedding day unfolded like a scene straight out of a film.
Akshay Kumar was shooting just hours before his wedding
While most grooms would be busy preparing for one of the biggest days of their lives, Akshay Kumar had a film set to report to. The actor was shooting for Ek Rishta: The Bond of Love with Amitabh Bachchan, Rakhee Gulzar and the rest of the team at Natraj Studio.Filmmaker Suneel Darshan, who has worked with Akshay Kumar on around seven films, recently recalled the extraordinary evening in an interview with Minutes of Masala.According to Darshan, Akshay casually revealed that he was getting married that very evening and even invited him to attend the ceremony with his family.“It was just me and a few others. It was a private affair and they didn’t want to publicise it,” Darshan recalled.The shoot eventually wrapped at around 7:30 pm. And then came the most unexpected part.
From film set to wedding mandap on a borrowed bike
Akshay Kumar apparently wasted no time once the cameras stopped rolling. Darshan revealed that the actor borrowed his makeup artist’s motorcycle, put on a helmet and quietly slipped away from the studio.“He borrowed his makeup artist’s bike, put his helmet on and nobody could recognise him. He quickly reached home,” Darshan said.The image is almost cinematic – Akshay, one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, disappearing into the Mumbai night on a borrowed bike because he had a wedding to attend: his own.While Akshay rushed home, Darshan went back to change before heading to the intimate wedding. Unlike the lavish celebrity weddings that have become common over the years, Akshay and Twinkle deliberately kept their ceremony away from the spotlight.
Suneel Darshan recalls his disappointment with Twinkle Khanna
The filmmaker also opened up about his disagreement with Twinkle Khanna over her views on Mela. Darshan said he believed Twinkle was miscast in the film and that the casting did not work.“According to me, Twinkle was not fit for the role (in Mela). They got the casting wrong,” he said.Darshan further expressed his displeasure over what he described as Twinkle’s “unsavoury” remarks about the film and its director.“The director tried to make it with love but she said some unsavoury things against the film and the director, which is not right,” he said.He added that, in his view, Twinkle should have appreciated the opportunity, saying, “My point is the man, who was at the peak of his career, tried to work with a girl like you… you should be grateful.”Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna got married on January 17, 2001, in Mumbai in the presence of around 50 guests. The couple later welcomed two children, son Aarav and daughter Nitara.
