Aishwarya Rai

Here is an interview with indian beauty Aishwarya Rai. in the interview carried out by indiatimes.com, Aishwarya talks about some personal and more professional things including rumours about her marriage. Read it.

Astrologers love ’speculating’ on Aishwarya Rai’s love and marriage?

“Frankly, i didn’t know astrology could be so entertaining. it certainly made for great half hour specials. Even we were tuning into all that stuff - like,’ hey, what’s all this about?’ it was good viewing.”

There’s so much talk about your ‘marriage’. When’s D-day anyway?

“Look, i do want to marry. When the announcement comes from me officially, you and the world will know about it. There’s nothing to hide - i believe in it. it’s a beautiful institution. i leave it to God. My family and my man’s family will be the deciding factor as to when how and when you will know about it.”

At one time you were so west-focused - the foreign media loving you totally - but of late you seem to be making more news in desiland… ?

“No! Somewhere i’ve been misrepresented or misunderstood. Right from the time of my doing my first English film. in all my interviews, from the time i began Bride & Prejudice, i’ve always said i’d do an English film in the same way i did a Tamil or Bengali film. i’m based in india. As actors we’re gypsies; so we go where work takes us in physical terms. And over the past ten years my family has witnessed that; i’ve hardly been home. Not necessarily because i started English films. Some members of the media have got this wrong or it’s got lost in translation in the written word. i’ve not gone away because i’m working in English films, i am doing it because opportunity knocked at my door to do so. i’ve always been available and have evidently worked in many Hindi films consistently.

“i am what i am because of my indian audience. i’ve done Bengali, Tamil and English films because i’ve been fortunate to have films come by me rather than me looking out for them. You don’t do varied cinema because you are no longer into your cinema. You don’t do a Raincoat because you’re no longer a commercial actor. i want to break all these myths. Directors can’t slot me as a typical kind of actor. They see me in varied roles.

Preity Zinta has been quoted as saying that irrespective of what others may say, only one indian star gets recognized on the Cannes red carpet - and that’s Ash. Comment?

“She’s a dear friend and it was very sweet of her to say that. i appreciate it.”

But wouldn’t that discount the appearance of say, a Mallika Sherawat, who’d shared glory on the same carpet?

“Not at all. Mallika was invited there as a member of a team of the movie ‘The Myth’ - that was the reason for her being there; because she was a core member of the film. She had every right to be there as a representative of her project.”

For the Mani Rathnam film Lajjo weren’t you the first choice before Kareena? The tabloids were speculating that post the Mangal Panday experience, Aamir wasn’t keen you do the project?

“i leave it to Manisir to comment; but the fact is that he had spoken to me of Lajjo. Later, he discussed Guru and i told him i’d do any film with him because such is my relation with him. ‘You’re my first director, my guru’, i said. So what ever he asked i’d be happy to do. He told me we’d be doing Lajjo later, after Guru; it was ‘yes’ from me and here i am in Guru. i don’t know what happened with Lajjo - i just heard of it. That’s it. And knowing Mani, i’m sure he has the right reasons for it. He’s just so clear-headed.”