Bollywood stars Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan have been married in a small ceremony in Mumbai after dating for five years, ending months of media frenzy and speculation.

After the ceremony on Tuesday, Kapoor, 32, and Khan, 42, stepped onto a balcony and greeted waiting fans.

A few friends and family members attended the ceremony at Khan's house.

Kapoor's father the former actor Ranbir Kapoor and the sixties Bollywood actress Sharmila Tagore acted as witnesses, marriage registrar Surekha Ramesh said.

Khan is the son of the former Indian captain Mansur Ali Khan Patudi who married Tagore in 1969.

Kapoor is the granddaughter of actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor and niece of actor Rishi Kapoor. Both her parents and older sister have also been in the film industry.

Khan has two children from a previous marriage.

The couple had requested for the registry to be held at their residence and for the formalities they were charged $19.

Khan has acted in more than 40 movies and won acclaim for Omkara, a Bollywood version of William Shakespeare's Othello.

Kapoor has starred in nearly 50 films and won plaudits for her role in the upcoming movie titled Heroine.