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"She is the oldest bride Jodhpur has ever seen," Ghosh said
of the 41-year-old actress. "This is how they dress in the West, isn't it?" she added,
commenting on the infamous Versace gown held together with
safety pins worn by Hurley at a 1994 film premiere, which shows
off her breasts in a way that would not be possible in a sari. The residents of Jodhpur were not aware of Elizabeth
Hurley's existence until she decided to take over the grand
palace on a hill overlooking this dusty, chaotic city on
Wednesday for three days to celebrate her marriage to Indian
businessman Arun Nayar. But a consensus has quickly formed among locals in the last
few days: she is beautiful, but isn't she a bit old to be an
Indian bride? And what is she famous for? Indian women are commonly married off in their teens to a
man of their parents' choosing, and are a cause of despair if
they are still a spinster at 30. India also has its own parallel universe of celebrities,
mainly from the massive Bollywood entertainment industry and
most of whom are unrecognizable to even the most avid reader of
Western celebrity tabloids. Likewise, only the biggest Western
stars seep into the Indian consciousness. "Can you tell me even a single hit movie she's been in?"
asked one of the hotel staff looking after Hurley for the next
few days, who wanted his name withheld for his job's sake. "Is she an artist?" wondered a man in a city camera shop
when asked if he knew of Hurley. Hurley is best known as a model, for once being the partner
of actor
Hugh Grant and for performances in movies such as
Bedazzled, for which she often receives unflattering reviews. Rathi Raxit, who owns an electrical store in the city, said
he was not fond of English movies. "I prefer comedy Hindi
movies," he explained, echoing a widespread preference here. Locals are indeed excited about a big celebrity wedding at
the palace, but not Hurley's nuptials. Bollywood's hottest couple, actors
Abhishek Bachchan and
Aishwarya Rai, had looked at the Umaid Bhawan Palace as a
possible venue for their wedding, according to media reports. Like Hurley, 33-year-old Rai, a former
Miss World, has also
raised eyebrows for being older than her fiancée. But even if India is only just getting to know Hurley, she
may endear herself with locals who understand the need for
lavish, attention-grabbing wedding celebrations. Marriage remains a fundamental rite of passage and symbol
of a family's status in India. Even the humblest family will
save up to make sure their children are paraded regally around
the neighborhood by lantern-bearers and a brass band. In India's fiercely hierarchical society, most people are
expected to marry a partner from the same background, caste and
religion, so Nayar's marriage to a white, non-Indian and
non-Hindu woman has also attracted curious comment.
"An Anglo-Indian wedding has never happened here before,"
said Durgsingh Rathort, another bridal shop worker.
But no one thought to criticize the arrangement - in India,
the rich can make their own rules.
(Additional reporting by Tanushree Punwani)
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"Is it this old woman who's
getting married?" asked Kastury Ghosh, a bridal shop manager in
the west Indian city of Jodhpur, as she peered over her glasses
at a picture of 
