Aishwarya Rai

When actress Aishwarya Rai does decide to tie the knot, she says she will shout the news from rooftops. Rai denied recent newspaper reports of an impending marriage with popular actor Abhishek Bachchan.

“For now, could Abhishek and I be allowed to concentrate on our individual careers, please?'’ Rai was quoted as asking in the Mumbai Mirror newspaper. “I’ve absolutely no plans for marriage in the near future.'’

“When there is a marriage, I won’t hide it,'’ she said. “I’ll stand on the rooftops and talk about it.'’

The couple star in “Umrao Jaan'’ a remake of a Bollywood classic about a courtesan named Ameeran, or Umrao Jaan Ada, kidnapped from her home and sold to a brothel.

Rai plays the key role of Umrao Jaan. Abhishek Bachchan, Shabana Azmi and Sunil Shetty are also in the movie that releases later this week.

“Now people are setting dates for my marriage,'’ the newspaper quoted Rai as saying. “They might as well decide the venue, print the cards and invite me for my own wedding.'’

Mumbai, formerly called Bombay, is home to Bollywood, India’s prolific movie industry.