When the Bachchan family was banned by the paparazzi post Abhishek Bachchan-Aishwarya Rai's wedding: 'The security kicked us, beat us with their guns and...'

Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai tied the knot on April 20, 2007. It was one of the most anticipated weddings of that time with massive media frenzy since there was no social media. But what went behind attempting to capture the ceremony? It was nothing less than a laborious task as per a conversation with some veterans of this profession with Hindi Rush.

Senior journalist Hina Kumawati revealed, “We stood outside the Bachchan house for nearly three days just to shoot Abhishek and Aishwarya’s wedding. When the baraat arrived, we didn’t get even a single glimpse of the ceremony. However, Varinder (paparazzo Varinder Chawla) managed to click Abhishek in his groom’s attire and Aishwarya dressed as the bride.”

“That’s when we realised that running with heavy cameras, setting up shots, and then clicking pictures wasn’t practical anymore. Meanwhile, Varinder managed to capture them on his phone, and that image went viral. Every newspaper and publication carried that picture. I don’t know if I am in a place to say this but that was the birth of paparazzi culture in India,” the journalist added.

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Varinder Chawla also narrated his side of the story and said, “The security personnel stationed there misbehaved with us. We were beaten up. It was Amar Singh’s security. They kicked us and even hit us with their guns. After that incident, photographers collectively decided to ban the Bachchan family from coverage at all public events.”

“Whenever Bachchan sahab attended an event and posed with his family, every photographer would tilt their cameras upward and refuse to click pictures. After this happened at a few events, the family realised something was wrong. Eventually, they invited us to the Marriott, spoke to us personally, and apologised. That’s when the ban was withdrawn,” Chawla further said.

Abhishek and Aishwarya have starred together in films like Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, Kuch Na Kaho, Bunty Aur Babli, Dhoom 2, Sarkar Raj, Umrao Jaan, Guru, and Raavan.