When the Bachchan family surprised Aishwarya Rai with a surprise roka. Video resurfaces

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan's wedding in 2007 was one of Bollywood's most closely watched celebrity weddings. But before the grand celebrations, there was a much more spontaneous family moment that Aishwarya herself had barely seen coming – a surprise roka (a pre-engagement ceremony involving immediate families) at her home.In an old interview with Filmfare, Aishwarya recalled how quickly things unfolded after Abhishek proposed to her. The actor said she was unfamiliar with the roka tradition and initially had no idea what was happening when the Bachchan family announced they were on their way to her house.“I didn't even know there's something called a 'roka' ceremony,” Aishwarya said during a chat show appearance. Coming from a South Indian family, she explained that the custom was unfamiliar to her. “We are South Indians, so I don't know what a roka is, and suddenly there's this call from their house to ours: 'We are coming,'”she recalled. What followed was equally unexpected. Aishwarya recalled Abhishek calling her in a hurry and telling her that the family was already on its way. “We are all coming, and I can't stop Dad. We are on our way, this evening. We are coming to your place,” Abhishek told her, according to Aishwarya's recollection. Her reaction was immediate: “Oh my God!”The situation became even more unusual because Aishwarya's father, Krishnaraj Rai, was out of town. As the families gathered, he joined the ceremony over a phone call. “So, this roka is happening with a call to my father, who is out of town,” Aishwarya recalled. Her mother, Brindya Rai, was equally caught off guard. By the time Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan and other members of the Bachchan family arrived, Aishwarya and her mother were still trying to process what was happening. “Mum is here, we are here. They've all arrived home, they are emotional and all,” she said.Aishwarya then remembered turning to her mother with a question that summed up her confusion: “Mom, okay... is this... is this an engagement? Like, what just happened?”Watch the old video here:Aishwarya Rai recalled how her engagement to Abhishek Bachchan happened so unexpectedly. She revealed that the Bachchan family arrived at her home without waiting for her father, who was out of town, and the roka ceremony was completed with him joining over a phone call. pic.twitter.com/t8bjqF975r— Himanshu Yadav (@HimashuYadav07) August 25, 2026The unplanned ceremony nevertheless marked an important moment in Aishwarya and Abhishek's relationship, effectively formalising their engagement before their wedding.By then, the two actors had already worked together on films including Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke, Kuch Naa Kaho, Umrao Jaan, Guru and Dhoom 2. Their relationship had gradually become the subject of intense public interest, and their wedding on April 20, 2007, became one of the year's biggest celebrity events.The couple later welcomed their daughter, Aaradhya, in 2011.- EndsPublished On: Aug 25, 2026 18:56 IST