Sania Mirza marries Shoiab

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Denials and divorces in place, Shoaib Malik finally married tennis star Sania Mirza on Monday in her hometown of Hyderabad.

The wedding was held at 1 pm at the Taj Krishna, a private function with close family members as invitees. "Sania wore a red saree that her mother had worn 25 years ago for her own nikaah. Shoaib wore wearing a black sherwani which was made by Shantanu and Nikhil," said Sania's spokesperson, Rucha Nayak.

However, Hyderabad, and indeed the rest of India may be forgiven for feeling like they now know way more than they ever dared about Mirza's groom who is a Pakistani cricket. Over a series of press conferences and daily television and newspaper interviews, India has confronted Malik, his first wife, Ayesha Siddiqui, also a Hyderabad resident, and the details of their phone-wedding and quickie divorce. Malik reportedly married Siddiqui in 2002 in a telephonic ceremony.

The couple had dated for several months - whether they ever met or not depends on who you find more convincing. Malik claims he was cheated because the photos that were sent to him by his girlfriend were in fact of someone else altogether.

The identity of that woman remains secret, mercifully, in a story that has given over-exposure a whole new meaning. Siddiqui claims that Malik and she did meet, but with unhappy results. He was embarrassed by her weight, she alleges, and was ashamed of her. Either way, Siddiqui timed her revelations to Malik's arrival in Hyderabad earlier this month for his wedding to Mirza, at whose house he is staying.

After a public press conference where Mirza and Malik, like some unique two-headed creature, firmly nodded their denials about his first wedding, Malik divorced Siddiqui, with community elders mediating. His sentiments about the divorce were also in the public domain, with a unique press release that asked everyone to think of him as a younger brother and forgive him. Mirzas's mehendi is scheduled for Tuesday, followed by a sangeet on Wednesday (Malik and she have been rehearsing a dance performance, one wonders what song best describes their current state of mind and relationship), a lavish reception will be held on Thursday.

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