Nepal's top leadership to attend Manisha Koirala's wedding

Will Bollywood star Manisha Koirala's high-profile wedding tomorrow be a platform for Nepal's top politicians to sink their differences?

The list of guests to Koirala's wedding include President Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Maoist chief Prachanda and former King Gyanendra.

The 41-year-old Bollywood star, best known for her films like Saudagar, Dil Se and Bombay, is set to tie the knot with businessman Samrat Dahal, seven years younger to her, in a traditional ceremony near the Nepalese capital.

The wedding ceremony will be a low-key affair with 150 guests and close family friends attending the event, which will be off-limits for the media.

Invites have been sent to President Yadav, Prime Minister Nepal, Prachanda and other senior political leaders on the occasion. Former King Gyanendra and his spouse Komal Shah have also been invited for the wedding.

Maoists chief Prachanda led a decade long insurgency in the country, which resulted in the abolition of 240-year-old monarchy and ended the regime of King Gyanendra.

Recently, Prachnda also demanded removal of Prime Minister Nepal and led a massive campaign against him.

All these top leaders have never appeared on a same stage.

From Bollywood, Manisha's friend Govinda and others are expected to attend the ceremony.

Grand daughter of first elected Prime Minister of Nepal B P Koirala, Manisha and Dahal, 34, will marry in a Swayambar at the luxurious Gokarna Forest Resort, some 10kms east of the capital, according to family sources.

Dahal, who comes from a business family of Kathmandu, has just returned from the US after completing Masters Degree in Microbiology.

However, the reception, to be held at Hotel Soaltee Crowne Plaza in Kathmandu will be grand and 3,000 cards have been distributed for the same.

The marriage, which comes two months after the demise of Girija Prasad Koirala, will bring happiness to the Koirala family and Manisha's parents Prakash and Sushila Koirala will host all the ceremonies.

Manisha and Dahal have been seeing each other over the past year and their wedding date was fixed by an astrologer a few months ago.

The actress has evaded marriage over the years and broke off two engagements in the past.

She was reportedly engaged to ex-Australian ambassador to Nepal Crispin Conroy in 2001, but broke up with him soon.

Last year too, the grapevine was abuzz that Manisha will wed American speaker and author Christopher Dorris, but that relationship too ended.