Aishwarya Rai desperate for a hit

Aishwarya Rai desperate for a hit
Manipulates Producers

Gets Vidya Balan chucked out of RAHGEER

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For Aishwarya Rai fans it is not great news. Her first 2006 release Paul M Berges’ The Mistress of Spices did not do well (it had an average of 50 per cent collections in multiplexes). The film also bombed in UK.
Considering that Ash spent most of last year trying to cement her career globally, signing films like Provoked, The Last Legion and The Mistress of Spices, among others, this is somewhat a setback. She also neglected Bollywood during that period.
Last year she was in the news only for her item act Kajra re in Bunty Aur Babli. Her acting in Shabd, failed to set the cash register ringing at the box office. This year she will fight it out on desi turf with Dhoom 2, Umrao Jaan and Guru. She will also shoot for Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa-Akbar and Ketan Mehta’s Laxmibai. This could well be Ash’s make or break year in Bollywood.

Sources in the industry say she is desperate to come back. That is also why she is signing mainstream films right and left. She wants her throne back - the one she was on after Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Taal and Devdas clicked.

However, she faces stiff competition. While Ash has been focusing on the international scene Rani Mukerji has romped home with hits like Hum Tum, Veer-Zaara, Black and Bunty Aur Babli. Others like Bipasha Basu, Priyanka Chopra, Kareena Kapoor and even Preity Zinta have found their niche.

Aishwarya’s last Bollywood success was the average grosser Khakee in 2004. Since then all her films - Kyun Ho Gaya Na (August 2004), Balle Balle From Amritsar To La (October 2004), Raincoat (December 2004) and Shabd (February 2005) failed. And she is not getting any younger. At 32, Ash has to deliver to stay in the race.

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The three Hindi projects she has lined up for release (provided Guru also releases this year) are her return ticket. Each film has her playing different roles. Dhoom 2 - where she is paired with Hrithik — has her in a glamorous role and Umrao Jaan is a period film (she plays Rekha’s role in the remake of Muzaffar Ali’s film) and so is Guru. We all know how she convinced Bhansali to grab Paro's role from Kareena Kapoor and how she convinced JP Dutta to give her the role of Umrao Jaan from Priyanka Chopra who had already been signed. Now Aishwarya called up her old friend Rituparno Ghosh and then asked him to replace Vidya Balan with her in the film Rahgeer. Aishwarya now knows that she cannot pick up a commercial film as a solo lead and hence got Balan chucked out from the film.

Ash’s supporters, however, refuse to believe that it is a crucial year for her. “One Kajra re was talked about more than any of Rani’s films,” says a fan. Also, Ash still commands a staggeringly high fee - Rs 2 crore per film.

That Rani doesn’t have too many releases this year apart from Karan Johar’s Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna and Ravi Chopra’s Babul could also work in Ash favour. Rai may have some good offers internationally but out here in Bollywood success of films play an important role especially when you are a high priced heroine.

Ex-Miss World Rai is having such a bad time in Bollywood getting movies that she has now started calling up leading producers and directors asking them for work. If not, Ash will have to be content playing India’s pretty global face.

Aishwarya Rai 08

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