Why Didn't Abhishek-Karisma Marry?

The relationship high point was reached on Amitabh Bachchan's 60th birthday party, when Jaya Bachchan called on stage 'my to-be daughter-in-law Karisma Kapoor'.

Key Points

Abhishek Bachchan dated Karisma Kapoor for six years.
Their engagement lasted only four months.
The reasons for their breakup are still unclear.

IMAGE: Karisma Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan in their 2002 film, Haan Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya.

While we have seen many love stories bloom in Bollywood, many have remained unfulfilled.

Dinesh Raheja looks at the many love stories that just didn't work out.

Abhishek Bachchan and Karisma Kapoor's love story, unfortunately, didn't work out.

When the descendants of Bollywood royalty -- the Kapoors and the Bachchans -- fell in love, it was like a romance ordained by the Hindi film world.

Over six years of dating, Abhishek Bachchan and Karisma Kapoor seemed particularly well-matched though she was already a star and he was a newcomer, expected to carry forward his father's acting legacy. What they had in common was their background seeped in the unique intricacies of the film world.

The relationship high point was reached on Amitabh Bachchan's 60th birthday party in October 2002, when Jaya Bachchan called on stage 'my to-be daughter-in-law Karisma Kapoor'. Karisma hugged Jaya as both families posed for pictures.

Abhishek Bachchan-Karisma Kapoor's engagement lasted only four months

IMAGE: Randhir Kapoor, Babita, Jaya Bachchan, Karisma Kapoor, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Navya Naveli Nanda at the Big B's 60th birthday. Photograph: The late Pradeep Bandekar/ Rediff

But it was not to be.

The engagement lasted only four months before it was called off for reasons that are still inconclusively speculated upon.

Abhishek admitted it was a difficult phase on Rendezvous With Simi Garewal but philosophised: 'Don't cry that it's over, smile that it happened.'

This exactly mirrors the advise his father got from his estranged lover, played by Raakhee, in Kabhi Kabhie: 'Tumhe kaun mana karta hai ke mujhe yaad mat karo? Magar haske, jaise main yaad karti hoon.'

Though 50 years old, this is wisdom that all those in unfulfilled relationships would do well to remember.

Karisma went on to marry the late Sanjay Kapur the very next year, in 2003, while Abhishek married Aishwarya Rai in 2007.

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff