Station Bollywood

“Are Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor married?” has been the most asked question ever since the rumours that Bollywood's newest couple have sealed their whirlwind romance with a secret wedding was out…but Saif has denied it! Actor Saif Ali Khan has finally set media speculation to rest by saying actress Kareena Kapoor and he "would certainly be getting married in the next three to four years." The two have been going steady for some time now.

The couple has been very public about their closeness but rumours of a nikah started days after Kareena was seen wearing what looked like a diamond engagement ring.

Saif made no bones about his feelings when he had Kareena's name tattooed on his arm. But when asked about the wedding rumours, the actor said such rumours will only upset both families.

"Right now, we have our individual careers to look out for. Please, allow us to concentrate on our careers. I'm especially worried about how such rumours would affect Kareena's career. At this juncture of her career, the last thing she needs is to have people eagerly marrying her off," he said.

"The fact is I'm seriously involved and, yes, the relationship would come to a logical conclusion, namely, marriage. But when it does, we'll announce it properly. Kareena is the woman I want to marry and will marry," Saif declared.

Asked whether the actor and Kareena have undergone a secret "nikaah" (marriage) ceremony Wednesday afternoon, Saif said it was absolutely untrue.

Kareena, on her part, categorically said in an interview that took place on Tuesday, ''I am not getting married for the next five years.''

"All I will say is it's absolutely untrue. There's been far too much speculation and fabrication about our relationship. It's annoying me. I'm sure it's annoying people as well. Far too much attention is being paid to our relationship. Rumours about our marriage are at the limit. Both our families are very upset by them," said Saif.

A section of the media reported that marriage was on the cards for the most talked-about duo in showbiz. The reports have been taken with a pinch of salt by Kareena's parents, who feel that such a premature announcement can affect her career, which has taken off in a big way after the success of "Jab We Met". Meanwhile, industry sources insisted that a wedding had taken place. They said that the Khan family had witnessed the nikaah, but the Kapoor family has been kept out of it.

So, when do the two plan to tie the knot? "We'll certainly be getting married. But not for the next three to four years," Saif said.

Despite rumours of Kareena and Saif Ali Khan being an ‘item’ , the two seemed least concerned about the media or public gaze as they recently stepped out together along with friends. Kareena and Saif were spotted at a restaurant over the weekend enjoying each other’s company. And despite the fact that they were with friends, both of them were not shy of showing their affection for the other. Saif was seen constantly hugging and complimenting Kareena.

Kareena and Saif began bonding while shooting for their forthcoming Yash Raj film Tashan together. At the restaurant a source claims that although Kareena and Saif interacted with the others, they were mostly involved with each other. Their friends too understood their need for privacy and left them alone for most part. In fact they behaved like a normal couple having a casual outing and both were dressed comfortably and casually in jeans and tees.

The actor admitted that he had in the past consulted his astrologer, Pandit Suvashitraj, about his future, but on a flippant note. "I'm greatly disturbed by the amount of information he seems to have accumulated about my personal life. Even I'm not aware of the 'nikaah'. I spoke to him Friday morning after the story appeared. He said his words had been twisted. And he flatly denied having made any statement on my marriage plans. I don't think I'll be speaking to him again."

Saif was apparently shooting for director Kunal Kohli at 12.30 p.m. Wednesday when he was supposed to be getting married to Kareena. "I've the perfect alibi," he laughed.

When asked about the statement made by the actor's mother that he did not inform his family when he married for the first time, Saif admitted to doing so. "That's true. In a million years, I wouldn't do that to my family again."

Are some people spreading the rumours about the marriage to actually harm Kareena's career? "I never thought of it that way," said Saif. Meanwhile Kareena is eager to do films with big directors and stars, after finally bagging a Yash Raj film; the actress has now set her sights on working opposite Shahrukh Khan in Robot. Kareena is an ardent SRK fan and claims that she shared good on-screen chemistry with him in their film Asoka. Since then she has been waiting for another chance to work with SRK, they were earlier supposed to do Ramgopal Varma’s film Time Machine together, but apparently that did not work out. Now she is going all out to vie for the female lead role in South director Shankar’s film Robot. Reportedly Kareena even went to SRK’s home Mannat recently to personally let him know that she is interested in doing Robot opposite him. Shahrukh has already been finalized to work in Robot which is supposedly a science fiction film. Kareena seems hell bent on working with top directors and stars and she is going all out to ensure that she is considered in the big league.

"I don't think rumours of marriage would damage her career. But getting married definitely would. As long as the truth is known, there's no harm done. And the truth is these marriage rumours are utter rubbish. We aren't married. We aren't even living together. Unfortunately, I don't get to see Kareena half as much as I'd like to," he said.