"Liz who?" ask locals in Indian city

By Jonathan Allen

JODHPUR, India (Reuters) - "Is it this old woman who's getting married?" asked Kastury Ghosh, a bridal shop manager in the west Indian city of Jodhpur, as she peered over her glasses at a picture of Elizabeth Hurley.

"She is the oldest bride Jodhpur has ever seen," Ghosh said of the 41-year-old actress.

"This is how they dress in the West, isn't it?" she added, commenting on the infamous Versace gown held together with safety pins worn by Hurley at a 1994 film premiere, which shows off her breasts in a way that would not be possible in a sari.

The residents of Jodhpur were not aware of Elizabeth Hurley's existence until she decided to take over the grand palace on a hill overlooking this dusty, chaotic city on Wednesday for three days to celebrate her marriage to Indian businessman Arun Nayar.

But a consensus has quickly formed among locals in the last few days: she is beautiful, but isn't she a bit old to be an Indian bride? And what is she famous for?

Indian women are commonly married off in their teens to a man of their parents' choosing, and are a cause of despair if they are still a spinster at 30.

India also has its own parallel universe of celebrities, mainly from the massive Bollywood entertainment industry and most of whom are unrecognisable to even the most avid reader of Western celebrity tabloids. Likewise, only the biggest Western stars seep into the Indian consciousness.

"Can you tell me even a single hit movie she's been in?" asked one of the hotel staff looking after Hurley for the next few days, who wanted his name withheld for his job's sake.