By Subhash K. Jha, IANS

Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai is more exasperated than amused by stories of her impending marriage with "Umrao Jaan" co-star Abhishek Bachchan.

"Who's doing all these marriage soap operas on my life? I don't know. Maybe you can enlighten me. One TV channel got seriously imaginative. They actually put together film clippings, voice-overs and background music to do a marriage story on Abhishek and me. Full marks for imagination," Aishwarya told IANS in an interview.

"But when you bring someone's old and seriously ailing family member into your soap opera (the report on STAR News had a voice impersonating Abhishek's grandmother Teji Bachchan), then you're offending more than just good taste. It's not nice to drag old and ill family members into a story just to prove a preposterous point."

Taking a deep breath, Aishwarya continued, "I've absolutely no marriage plans in the near future. Earlier, there was that whole media 'tamasha' about my horoscope. I thought that was the end of the marriage episode in the ongoing soap opera of my life.

"But it just goes on and on. Now fertile sections of the media are setting dates for my marriage. They might as well decide the venue, print the cards and invite me for my own wedding."

Maybe the whole world wants her to get married?

"I'm glad that they feel so strongly about it. But I've to feel the urge to marry and the time has to be right before I can oblige my well-wishers."

Laughing heartily at her own joke, the screen queen calmed down.

"When there's a marriage, I won't hide it. I'll stand on rooftops and talk about it. For now, could Abhishek and I just be allowed to concentrate on our individual careers?"