By all accounts, the wedding was a modest affair: a simple ceremony with only close family in attendance, followed by a vegetarian lunch.

But to tens of millions of south Asian men, the sense of betrayal was so great that it was as if they had been jilted at the altar. Madhuri Dixit, the reigning diva of Hindi cinema for much of the 90s, had married another.

"To say that Ms Dixit has broken every male heart in the country - not to mention Pakistan and the south Asian diaspora - is to render prosaic an attachment so profound that it is at once real and imaginary, intimate and public," said an unashamedly gushing lead editorial in the Times of India on Saturday.

What really hurt, the leader comment went on to say, was that Dixit had chosen to marry an ordinary mortal - an Indian doctor living in Los Angeles - rather than a fellow Bollywood actor.

Dixit's reign as Bollywood's biggest star began in the 80s, and for several years she was the only actress who could command the same fee as male stars. She was given top billing on several pictures, and was considered so bankable that directors often paired her with lesser-known - and younger - heroes.

Remarkably photogenic and possessed of an exquisite smile and a great sense of comedic timing, Dixit literally danced her way into the hearts of millions with her 1989 film Tezaab (Acid), about the Bombay underworld.

A science graduate from a middle-class Bombay family, she is better educated - and by all accounts, better-behaved - than many of her tantrum-throwing counterparts on the film scene.

Her matrimonial prospects have been the subject of feverish speculation for years. Although her age is a closely guarded secret, she is probably at least 35, and unlike her contemporaries in Bombay, has never been known to have a romantic attachment.

But each year she escaped India's scorching summer to holiday in the US, where her two sisters and a brother live. Each summer there were rumours her family was scouting for an eligible groom among the Brahmins from Dixit's home state Maharashtra. Each summer she returned alone.

Then last week her publicist announced that the actress had married a Los Angles surgeon, Shriram Nene, on October 17. The couple met a month ago through Dixit's brother, who is also a doctor, and were married after astrological consultations.

Unlike other stars, who have disappeared from the screen after marriage, Dixit intends to carry on working, according to her publicist. She has two films due for release.

But her star has been on the wane in recent years, eclipsed by a younger, hipper and more athletic generation of actresses. Dixit has complained that she is not getting the roles that once came her way. She turned down a number of smaller parts in films that went on to become hits.

Her most popular picture was the 1994 Hum Aapka Hain Kaun (Who Am I to You?), a wedding picture with 17 songs, which brought the feel-good family picture back to Indian screens.

She was an inspiration to the Indian celebrity artist MF Husain, who queued, over-sized paintbrush in hand, to see Hum Aapka Hain Kaun dozens of times, and painted a series of ga-ga portraits of her as various Hindu deities. The two also made a movie together.

She was equally beloved by Pakistani fans, who used to joke that they would willingly give up their claim on the disputed territory of Kashmir in return for Madhuri.