The 2007 wedding of Bollywood stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan was one of the most talked-about celebrity events of its time — richly publicised yet tightly guarded. But behind the glamour, a controversial clash between the media and the couple’s security personnel has resurfaced in recent recollections by veteran photographers.
According to senior journalist Hina Kumawati and paparazzo Varinder Chawla, media photographers were positioned outside the Bachchan residence Prateeksha for days, hoping to capture the couple’s arrival and wedding moments. While most outlets printed the same exclusive photograph due to restricted access, the situation behind the scenes was far more chaotic.
Chawla vividly recalled how security guards misbehaved with photographers, claiming they were kicked and struck with guns when they tried to approach the wedding procession. The security, reportedly linked to late politician Amar Singh, allegedly blocked media sight lines, parked vehicles to obstruct photographers, and forcibly prevented shots — which many shutterbugs say resulted in physical altercations.
“The security personnel stationed there misbehaved with us. We were beaten up,”Chawla said, adding that the photographers were not only pushed but hit with guns during the commotion.The backlash from the incident led to an unusual protest by photographers: a media ban on the entire Bachchan family. According to accounts, photographers refused to take pictures of Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek, Aishwarya or other family members at public events, either lowering their cameras or pointing them away as a sign of protest against how they had been treated.
This silent strike reportedly lasted for months, complicating publicity for the Bachchans and forcing the family to address the issue personally. Eventually, Amitabh Bachchan invited media representatives to a meeting at the JW Marriott hotel and sought to resolve the differences, leading to the lifting of the ban.
The extreme media frenzy around the wedding — with fans camping outside the Bachchan home and local police called in to control crowds — happens to coincide with how paparazzi culture in India expanded significantly around the same time. That lone wedding photo, taken by Chawla and widely circulated, is often credited as one of the defining moments in the rise of celebrity photography in the country.Despite the tensions, the Bachchans maintained that the wedding was intended to be a private affair, and Amitabh Bachchan apologised to reporters for any inconvenience caused during the coverage.