He's the "king" of Indian cricket. She's a glamorous Bollywood actress and former model. Newlyweds Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma are celebrity royalty and India is cock-a-hoop over their marriage.
"Officially India's First Couple," screamed the front page of Mumbai tabloid Mid-Day on Tuesday -- a day after the pair tied the knot at a private ceremony in Tuscany, Italy.
"Clean bowled!" read the Mumbai Mirror's headline, one of several newspapers to report the much-anticipated news using a cricket theme. Another publication wished them the best in their "new innings".
Kohli and Sharma, dubbed "Virushka" by local media, have generated the same sort of excitement and coverage in India as Britain's Prince Harry and fiance Meghan Markle have in the West.
Both 29, Kohli is India's cricket captain and one of the world's highest-paid athletes, while Sharma is an award-winning Hindi film star whose credits include the hit movies Sultan and PK.
"We don't have a more power-packed combination than this across Bollywood or the cricketing world. They can be called new-age royalty," said Indranil Das Blah, a marketing executive.
Monday's wedding ended weeks of speculation in the gossip pages of India's newspapers and on the airwaves of the country's excitable 24-hour news channels that the couple had recently got engaged.
But while messages of congratulations poured in from Bollywood and cricket stars, some pessimistic astrologers in India -- where many are superstitious -- struck a different chord by sounding a note of caution.
"While all seems to be perfect in their fairytale wedding, it might not be a very smooth sailing together for them in the years to come, predict astrologers," read an article in Mail Today, ominously.
Astrologers are concerned there may be "disharmony" and "disputes" in their marriage if they are unable to "maintain a balance between their personal and professional lives", it went on to say.
- South African honeymoon -
Kohli and Sharma started dating in 2013 after they met during the filming of a shampoo advert, and made their first public appearance a year later during a football match.
Indian newspapers have been gripped by their four-year relationship -- which included a reported break-up in early 2016 -- and rumours of their impending nuptials intensified recently when they appeared in a wedding commercial together.
Speculation then reached fever pitch when Kohli pulled out of India's limited-overs matches against Sri Lanka, and Sharma ducked out of her busy acting schedule in December before being spotted at Mumbai's international airport with her family.
The couple will host a reception in New Delhi for relatives on December 21, followed by a celebration in Mumbai on December 26 to be attended by Bollywood stars and cricketers.
They will then honeymoon in South Africa before setting up home in Mumbai, the cradle of India's multi-billion-dollar Hindi film industry.
Theirs is the latest in several marriages between Indian cricket players and movie stars over the years, from former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore to the recent Zaheer Khan-Sagarika Ghatge union.
None quite has the star appeal of "Virushka" though.
"Their brand value will definitely sky rocket. Companies will pay a premium to sign them up as it's a one-of-a-kind association," said Blah.
A 19th-century painting in Wiesbaden sees a massive visitor surge.
Fans spotted a direct link to the opening shot of The Fate of Ophelia.
Museum staff were completely caught off guard by the 'Swiftie' invasion.
They are now planning special tours to capitalise on the unexpected fame.
The question on everyone's mind: did Taylor Swift visit this place herself?
It is not every day a quiet German museum gets caught in a pop culture hurricane. But that is exactly what has happened at Museum Wiesbaden, where a painting of Shakespeare’s Ophelia has become a pilgrimage site. The reason? Taylor Swift’s latest music video for The Fate of Ophelia kicks off with a scene that looks ripped straight from their gallery wall. Suddenly, they have queues of fans where usually there is just quiet contemplation.
The Ophelia painting that Swifties say inspired The Fate of Ophelia becomes an overnight sensation Instagram/taylorswift
How did this Ophelia painting become so popular?
To be honest, it was simply hanging there. Friedrich Heyser’s work from about 1900. It is lovely, sure, but it was not a headline act. Then the video drops. And you see it immediately in the pose, the white dress, and the water lilies. It is practically a direct copy or, let us say, an homage. Fans on social media connected the dots in hours. Now the museum cannot believe its luck. Visitor numbers went from a few dozen admirers to hundreds, just over one weekend, like a whole new crowd for a century-old painting.
What has the museum said about the surprise attention?
They are thrilled, but a bit stunned. A spokesperson said it was a "shock" and they are having an "absolute Ophelia run." Can you blame them? One minute you are managing a classical collection, the next you are at the centre of a global fan phenomenon. They tried to reach Swift’s team, but they had no luck there. But they have leaned into it completely. Now they are organising a special "Ophelia reception" with guided tours. Smart move, right? It is a perfect storm of high art and pop star power, and they are riding the wave.
The big question: did Taylor Swift actually visit?
This is the real mystery, is not it? How did this specific painting, in this specific German museum, end up as the template for a mega-budget video? The staff are wondering the same thing. She was in Germany for the Eras tour last July. Did she slip in, incognito? Did a location scout send a photo? The museum thinks they would have noticed if Taylor Swift was wandering their halls. Who knows? It is the sort of stuff that feeds fan speculation for years. Whatever the facts, the painting's life has been irreversibly altered.
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