When it comes to A-listers like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, privacy has always been a cherished commodity for obvious and not-so-obvious reasons

Trust Captain Sahab to pull out tricks from his sleeves.
Distracted by all those half-pant clad gentlemen kicking a ball around, we were just getting the hang of Waka waka when off went Mahendra Singh Dhoni -- suddenly dropping the big M-bomb on us unsuspecting fans. While he married Sakshi Singh Rawat in a closed-door ceremony, the nation -- like a deer blinded by headlights -- stood confused and hurt. We decipher the Da Vinci code behind celebs' preference for hush-hush weddings.


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Private Actu00a0
Dhoni and Sakshi aren't the only ones who kept the media and fans hanging outside their house for tits and bits. Tennis star Sania Mirza's marriage to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik was an equally covert affair and was only punctuated by the Ayesha Siddiqui-episode and the slugfest that followed. Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra's wedding last November in Khandala was also attended by only close friends and the photographs, which later surfaced, were the only thing that fans could take a peek at.

"Since most of them are under the arclights 24x7, they take the glare in their stride. But everybody wants to protect the sanctity of the occasion when it comes to a once-in-a-lifetime affair like marriages," says sports agent Latika Khaneja, the Jerry Maguire of Indian cricket who handles cricketers like Virender Sehwag, Ashish Nehra, Gautam Gambhir and Dinesh Karthik among others.

Self defenceu00a0
It might not always be the desire to spend D-day with only loved ones that lead to low-key weddings. Issues related to safety also figure high on the list. "Personally I feel it is a personal choice whether someone wants an out- in-the-open ceremony or an only-family-and-friends wedding. But yes, security is an issue," says actor Ronit Roy. "But when a high-profiler like Dhoni marries in a normal way, security is always a prime concern. From top politicians to film stars, there can be a large number of attendees, imagine what would happen if a
distraught female fan comes in," adds Roy, who also runs Ace Security Agency and his list of clients include actors Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan among others.u00a0
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Paise ka panga
And then there are other worries like evading income tax problems. "A large amount of money spent on some of the high-profile weddings is unaccounted for. That is one of the reasons why things are kept under wraps," says a source in the income tax department in Mumbai. Add to that the mischief-mongers and rivals who wait for a chance to create trouble. Wedding industry consultant Meher Sarid, who handled weddings of celebs like Vikram Chatwal, Kavish Khurana and Farah Khan, says: "From liquor license to noise pollution -- anybody can come up with a mischievous excuse to cause trouble. Someone might just be looking a chance to settle a score or wet his beak."u00a0
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Nazar lag sakti hai
Numerology and faith in astrology play a big role when it comes to having a publicised matrimonial ceremony. For some, it boils down to avoiding the evil eye of others. There are many for whom publicity spells 'nazar lag sakti hai'. "Yes, celeb weddings are sometimes a closed-door affair because of the belief that the publicity might evoke negative energies," says celeb numerologist Sanjay B Jumaani, who has been handling high-profile clients ranging from cricketers Irfan Pathan, Anil Kumble, and Dinesh Karthik to Bollywood stars like Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor and Suniel Shetty among others.

Secret marriages are as old as the hills. Take a look at some of the hush-hush weddings
Amitabh and Jaya
After Zanjeer, Bachchan was becoming big and the crowd of admirers outside his house was growing. The top-secret marriage was thus held at a friend's place in Skylark building at Malabar Hills. There were only five baratis and the only guests invited were the Ranjans and the Gandhis (represented by Sanjay Gandhi).
Madhuri Dixit and Sriram Nene
It was only after tying the knot and honeymooning in Hawaii that Madhuri Dixit made her marriage to Los Angeles-based cardiac surgeon Dr Sriram Nene public. The simple ceremony took place at her brother Ajit Dixit's LA house and was attended by family members.u00a0
Sanjay Dutt and Manyata
Sanju Baba tied the knot with Manyata at Taj Exotica in Goa. Again the ceremony was kept so secret that it was attended by only close friendsu00a0-- Suniel Shetty, Nitin Manmohan and Bunty Walia. Even sister Priya Dutt was unaware when the rumours started floating.
Rhea Pillai-Leander Paes
The tennis ace and Rhea were quite open about their relationship and were seen hanging out together but tying the knot was kept under wraps and was only known to close friends and family.u00a0
Sachin and Anjali Tendulkar
The master blaster had announced his marriage in 1994 but kept his love story very private until he got married one year later. Thankfully, Sachin posed with his newly-wedded wife for an army of shutterbugs after the ceremony.