Anurag-Kalki now man & wife

For a change, Anurag Kashyap, the new-age creator of gritty celluloid realism, seemed to bask in the mushy Band Baaja Baaraat set-up that he normally abhors in his films.

Anurag married long- time sweetheart, actress Kalki Koechlin, in a private ceremony on Saturday evening in Kalhatty, a small town near Ooty.

The ceremony was a blend of north and south Indian customs since Kalki hails from Puducherry and Anurag from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. The wedding took place according to south Indian rituals, followed by a north Indian- style baaraat.

"They wedded in south Indian style under an auspicious mango tree, which is over 100 years old. The wedding started at 10.30am according to the mahurat and was over before 1pm," said a source at the wedding.

Kalki looked very much the excited young bride in an off- white saree embellished with red-and-gold zari work. Anurag teamed an off- white kurta with lungi.

"After Anurag tied the mangalsutra around Kalki's neck, there was a traditional south Indian vegetarian lunch. Kalki's mother had personally overseen preparations of the lavish lunch, which was served on banana leaves. A barbecue- cocktail party was organised for the guests in the evening," said the source.

The select list of around 40 guests included Udaan director Vikramaditya Motwane and his wife Ishika, writer Piyush Mishra, and Vikas Behl, ex- boss of UTV Spotboy. Anurag's 10-year-old daughter Aaliya was there too, with his brother Abhinav Kashyap, who directed the blockbuster Dabangg last year. The parents and a few close friends of the bride and the groom were also present.

"The couple wanted the wedding to be a private affair but they plan to throw a party for industry friends and colleagues in Mumbai later. Right now, they want to take a short break and also plan their honeymoon," said the source.

Anurag introduced Kalki in his 2009 hit DevD. The film was a modern- day reinterpretation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's evergreen Devdas, and Kalki's avatar as the new- age Chandramukhi won her popular acclaim and awards.

Romance blossomed on the sets of DevD and the couple started living together a couple of years back. Earlier this year, they exchanged rings to get engaged in a private function and also chose April 30 as an auspicious day for the marriage.

This is Anurag's second marriage. He was earlier married to film editor Aarti Bajaj with whom he has a daughter, Aaliya.

After his separation from Aarti, Anurag went into depression and it was Kalki who helped him overcome the woes.

In various interviews, Anurag has often said Kalki has been a positive influence in his life and has transformed him in many ways, including inspiring him to lose oodles of weight.

Kalki will be next seen in hubby's latest directorial feature, That Girl In Yellow Boots, besides Shaitaan, directed by debutant Bijoy Nambiar and produced by Anurag.

She also has a mainstream biggie coming up by way of Zoya Akhtar's Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, which co- stars Hrithik Roshan, Katrina Kaif, Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar.

While on Anurag, even as That Girl In Yellow Boots readies for release after winning acclaim in the global festival circuit, he has announced a new project, Gangs Of Wasseypur.

Two other projects, Mumbai Cutting and Bombay Velvet, are also in the pipeline.