The International Indian

Working in the British Asian film Bride & Prejudice - her first English assignment - was a challenge, Aishwarya Rai, one of Bollywood's most sought-after actresses, tells Jyothi Venkatesh

Aishwarya Rai needs no introduction. The actress has films like Iruvar (Tamil), Aur Pyar Ho Gaya, Aa Ab Laut Chale, Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, Kuch Na Kaho, Josh, Kandukonden Kandukonden (Tamil), Mohabbatein, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Taal, Hamare Dil Aap Ke Paas Hai, Dil Ka Rishta, Devdas, Chokher Bali (Bengali), Khakee and Kyon Ho Gaya Na, to name just a few, to her credit.

The former Miss World who has a slew of international endorsements in her resume, has a worlwide fan following. The world premiere of her 22nd film Bride & Prejudice, directed by Gurinder Chadha, was held in Britain on Monday.

In an exclusive interview, Aishwarya speaks about the film, her growth as an actress, the controversy about The Rising and "true friend" Vivek Oberoi.

Excerpts:

Tabloid: What made you accept Bride & Prejudice?
Aishwarya Rai: Though one listens to 10 different good scripts, it is not humanly possible to accept each and every one of them. The main reason I agreed to work in Bride & Prejudice is that, as an actor, I thought it would be a challenge.

I accepted Chokher Bali in which I had to work in a Bengali milieu, Bride & Prejudice is an international project and hence a new experience for me, and Kyon Ho Gaya Na which offered some relief after intense and serious roles in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas and Choker Bali.

Working in Bride & Prejudice, we had a blast. I could discover... learn a lot. It was an experience which I will cherish for a long time. I am working with Gurinder again in her next film Mistress of Spice.

I am glad my first English film is about an Indian family and has been adapted from Jane Austen's classic Pride & Prejudice.

Acting in an English film wasn't a song. I speak English every day but the way we speak here is quite different from the way the dialogue is rendered in the film. When you work in Hindi films, you emote, think and act as an Indian. In English, it has to be more natural and real.

Tabloid: Do you intend quitting acting in India and settling down abroad to work in Hollywood as well as Britain after the release of Bride & Prejudice?
AR: I love India and I am proud of being an Indian. I will never go away, leaving Indian filmmakers in the lurch, however lucrative or meaty offers I may get abroad. Even when I was in France, the L'Oreal guys asked me whether I was open to offers from French filmmakers.

I told them that I was ready to work in any French film provided I stumble upon a good script and the film does not have anything to do with nudity. In any case, every year I have two to three releases. I work 24/7. I do not think how much I have slept. I do not think of fatigue.

Tabloid: Did you enjoy doing a negative role in Khakee?
AR: Working in Khakee was an eye opener. I learnt something new after doing a role which was different from what a typical Bollywood heroine gets to do.

Tabloid: Did you have reservations about playing Jwala in The Rising?
AR: I declined the offer from Ketan Mehta to do The Rising. I was offered the role of Jwala but I wasn't quite happy with the role. I expressed my reservations when Ketan narrated the script to me.

He promised to change the script by reworking my role. I did not tell him to extend my role by increasing my screen time, I just told him to validate my role if he wanted me to be a part of the project.

Tabloid: You were accused of having asked for an exorbitant price just two days before the project was launched.
AR: It is wrong to blame me, I was terribly hurt by their behaviour. When I got feelers from the producer Bobby Bedi again, though it was actually going to be a vindication for me as an actor, I stayed out of the project.

They had already approached another actress to play the role which I was supposed to play. Also the fact remains that it was not Ketan, but Bobby himself, who had asked me to step into the role. I felt that there was no point at all in talking to the director.

Tabloid: Is it true that you had sent feelers to both Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Ketan Mehta to step into their projects after turning them down?
AR: It is absolute rubbish that I have been sending feelers to Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Ketan Mehta. Once I said no to their projects, why would I want to be in them? On the contrary, Ketan wanted me to come back. I have always done very few projects at a time.

Though I have slowed down my pace as an actor, the fact remains that last year I finished four films of mine. Now I am keen on doing only one film at a time instead of grabbing every offer that comes my way, whatever the price I am offered.

To me, quality is more important than quantity and also the work that I take up depends a lot on my comfort zone. I declined to work in Sanjay's Bajirao Mastani because I knew I would not be comfortable working in the film.

Tabloid: Were you approached for a Bond project? Would you be comfortable wearing skimpy outfits if the producers want to cast you in a glamorous project?
AR: The people connected with the Bond film had approached me some time back. I couldn't meet them at that stage because there was a lot of confusion about the requirements for the role. They told us that they were scripting the project and would get in touch with us once they were through with it. But they never did.

I have my own reservations about exposure. I'd be game to do a Bond film only if there is some dignity in what I set out to do.

Tabloid: Tell us about your experience of working in Chokher Bali.
AR: The whole experience was a journey in celluloid as far as I am concerned. The most difficult aspect of the character for me was to make whatever she did appear natural and not look like a gimmick. It was like walking on the edge of the sword. Acting in Chokher Bali as Binodini sent me on an introspective journey on my own. I empathised greatly with the women of that period.

Working in the film also contributed to my growth as a woman. After working in Chokher Bali, my perspective automatically became broader. Since we belong to the media, we tend to look at life from a larger than life perspective.

Tabloid: How satisfied are you as far as your growth in the industry is concerned?
AR: As an actor, I do not want to reach the zenith. Each time you play a character, you want to score with a performance. I can see my growth as a person as well as an actor with each and every film of mine. When I was acting in Iruvar, I was performing only with one character. I was more at ease when I was working in Kandukonden Kandukonden.

I remember I wasn't even given a thorough narration for Iruvar. At that stage of my career, I used to think that if offers come from big filmmakers, I was a rocking as an actor.

It was only after Josh that I started getting bound scripts before shooting, whether it was Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam or Aa Ab Laut Chale. With each film, I f