Knot not yet for Arun, Liz Hurley

But the most important aspect has been ignored: Nayar isn’t yet divorced from his erstwhile wife, Italian socialite Valentina Pedroni. Since he had married Pedroni in Italy first—before their Indian wedding in Mumbai—their marriage requires three years to be annulled, only one has passed until now. Interestingly, Pedroni is currently here in Mumbai visiting friends.

But at the Devigarh Fort hotel, Udaipur, festivities are on in full swing. A private party, ensconced in secrecy, continues despite hopeful British paparazzi just outside the environs. Hurley’s mother, Angela, son Damien and a host of friends from England are here.

Nayar has invited just a handful of his friends—only twelve of them are present, each belonging to the creme de la creme of Mumbai’s high society. These are Parmeshwar and Adi Godrej, Nawaz and Gautam Singhania, Anju and Farhad Taraporvala, Haseena and Mahesh Jethmalani, Aarti and Kailash Surendrenath and Farah and Riyad Oomerbhoy.

Last night, as they arrived, the guests were treated to a splendid kaftan and kurta party at the palatial hotel. It was a part Moroccan-part Indian theme party with rangoli on the floors, hosted by Nayar’s brother Nikki and his wife Samantha. Today, lunch is chaat and cocktails by the poolside. A black-tie dinner follows at night, before the group flies back to Mumbai on Sunday.

‘‘There’s nothing new in this. A big party out of Mumbai doesn’t mean a marriage. Arun and Nikki have been having parties like this forever,’’ says a source close to the brothers. ‘‘It’s only now that Mumbai society has gotten involved and Arun has suddenly become a commodity.’’

Meanwhile, Hurley seems to be quite keen on a wedding. In her first and only interview to an Indian publication, she told L’Officiel fashion magazine that she loves Indian fashion, Bollywood and Indian weddings—Nayar’s father was remarried recently.

‘‘I loved getting up so many nights in a row,’’ she had said. She had also said that she would like to have another child.

But one of Pedroni’s friends tells us: ‘‘Valentina is desperate for a divorce, Arun just isn’t serious about it.’’ Hurley and the British paparazzi may just have to hold their nuptial dreams for a while.