Bollywood wedding drama as woman who claims to be groom's lover slashes her wrists

The woman drove up to Bachchan's residence in the western city of Mumbai late on Thursday and slashed her left wrist with a blade in front of journalists covering the three-day wedding celebrations, police said.

She told reporters she wanted to kill herself because Bachchan - son of Bollywood icon Amitabh - had gone back on his promise of marrying her after having "physical relations" with her.

"Abhishek is not talking to me. He should talk to me," the woman, who gave her name as Jahnvi Kapoor, told reporters, her left wrist heavily bandaged.

Police said she was a struggling fashion model and TV channels reported she received 40 stitches.

She was arrested for attempting suicide, a punishable offence, said police officer Pradeep Shinde.

Police refused to register a complaint against Bachchan, saying the model had no proof of the relationship and could be playing out a publicity stunt.

Bachchan and Rai have been likened to Hollywood celebrity couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Bachchan, 31, is expected to ride a white horse leading his wedding procession when he will marry Rai in a Hindu marriage, a union that many say will create Bollywood's ultimate power couple.

Together with Rai, 33, a former Miss World, Bachchan's family - his mother Jaya is also a well-known Bollywood actress - will become a strong Indian brand, advertising gurus say.

Many fans slept on the pavement outside Bachchan's house to catch a glimpse of their favourite stars who dropped by to congratulate the couple.

"It's our idol's son's marriage. We don't need an invitation," said Manikchand Choksi, a young Bachchan fan who came from the northern city of Allahabad, the actor's hometown. "We think we are a part of the groom's side."

The celebrations have transfixed Bollywood and sent India's celebrity-crazy media into a feeding frenzy.

Rai and Bachchan, who got engaged in January, are guarding their privacy as fiercely as they guarded their short romance.

Guests - only those from the close Bachchan circle - have been asked to keep mum about wedding details. About 300 policemen have being deployed to guard the venue and prevent traffic jams.

Rai and Bachchan have worked together in at least five films, and both have been romantically linked in the past to other Bollywood stars.

Rai, who has acted in over 40 films, was crowned Miss World in 1994. Bachchan too has acted in about 40 films.