Yes, we get that the Bachchans are big on tradition. The annual Diwali bash at Jalsa is practically written in stone, a regular, almost sacred fixture in the B-town party circuit over the decades. Now we can safely add the annual Maldives holiday to that list of Bachchan must-dos. Their vacation this year to bring in Pa’s birthday on October 11, was astoundingly similar to the holiday they had treated themselves to last year, on the occasion of Abhishek’s birthday. Same resort – check. Same powerboat – check. Same onboard group pic – check. Of course, the principal players were also the same, in marginally different versions of resort wear! Did they also stick to the same food and drink menu? We are inclined to think so!

The good news is the paps can put away their cameras and catch a snooze – no surprises in store when the Bachchans set off en famille on a mini-vacation.

It was pretty much an open secret that the family would be winging it to the Maldives for D-day, even though Amitabh himself tried to strew a few red herrings saying it would be work and only work for him.

However, even from the far-flung island resort, details miraculously emerged about all that transpired that wonderful night. We heard that Aishwarya, Shweta, and Abhishek were the main party planners who had gone to great effort to ensure a wonderful ‘secret’ celebration. We heard of the giant cake and the fireworks display on the beach as they brought in Pa’s birthday at night. We heard about the fun activities that they had planned for the following days, with water sports like jet-skiing, sailing and even a yacht party thrown in for good measure. It is truly so generous, these ‘secret’ snippets of whispered information about just how the family celebrated.

And just because we love the Bachchans and all their li’l touches of drama and style, we will also act suitably surprised. Others can act too, you know!