Aishwarya Rai at Cannes 2014: Beauty Queen Forever

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, considered by many as the most beautiful woman in the world, is an Indian model turned beauty queen. And a beauty queen turned Bollywood and Hollywood actor. For those who may have missed watching The Pink Panther 2 - she pl

ayed Sonia Solandres, the sexy villain in the film. She's also the face of the beauty brand, L'Oreal. Her visit to Cannes for the last decade or so to represent L'Oreal has captured the attention of the international and local media. Her sartorial style was embraced, analyzed and criticized by all. Every year, Aishwarya's choice of designer wear for Cannes becomes a subject of speculation within the fashion fraternity. This speculation begins much before she walks the red carpet at Cannes sporting clothes from world renowned designers like Versace or Roberto Cavalli. Aishwarya Rai is the ultimate glamour queen and her Cannes moments are tracked like an angiogram report by the media. And when the media frenzy dies over Aishwarya's appearance in Cannes, we are left asking the same question. Will Aishwarya Rai Bachchan return as an actor after her 3 years maternity leave? Will she wow us as an actor? Will Aishwarya Rai do films that will make fans proud? Let's take a look at Aishwarya's career in films. She has done over 40 films in Hindi, Bangla, English,Tamil and Telegu. She has played a village belle and an actress (Iruvar in Tamil) to Sita in Ravan, the modern adaptation of Ramayana(the great Indian epic) by Mani Ratnam (an Indian director). She has played the baddie and appeared alongside great actor-comedians like Steve Martin. That's quite an impressive resume for an actor. So what has stopped Aishwarya Rai from entering the house of great actors? I'm a big fan of Aishwarya's beauty. I remember watching her win the Miss World title in 1994 on national television and crying along with her. I felt proud to see her win. It was a great moment. It was a win for a nation starved of female icons from the beauty industry. Overnight, we had 2 international beauty pageant winners - Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen, who became Miss Universe that very year. My jubilation was short-lived though. I was distressed to learn that these girls were making their Bollywood debut. I didn't want my idols to fall and lose their face. I didn't want the ethereal Aishwarya Rai to experience failure. My teenage mind didn't understand that challenging oneself is the only way forward. So there was Aishwarya dancing around with the heroes, mouthing her dialogues, looking gorgeous as ever in those designer clothes. But was I the only one missing the act in the actor? Where was the intensity that is a trademark of acting greats like Meryl Streep or Kate Winslet? Why was she holding back, - what was she afraid of? An actor needs to forget the self and give life to a character. I didn't see that happen. Maybe once in Chokher Bali, where she played the abandoned young widow seeking revenge. Guess I wasn't alone. Because when I looked at my right in the theatre, I heard the guy next to me laugh each time she cried. And that happened too many times to count. Over the years, much to my relief, I saw Aishwarya grow as an actor. I did realize though that her growth was slower than her contemporaries. But I haven't given up on her yet. I believe someday she'll emerge as a phoenix and silence her detractors. And do better than a gorgeous hanger for designers like Roberto Cavalli. Let's hope to see Aishwarya Rai Bachchan challenge the actor in her.

Reader - when words fail to say it all......

There are films you love and films you loathe! And there are some which leave an indelible mark in your memory. You are left shaken by the immense power of an idea. My recent watch Reader is one such film. No wonder Kate Winslet won an Oscar for her role of a Nazi prison guard in the film. Based on a German novel of the same name, the film is a journey of love. A teenage boy falls in love with a women twice his age. He is too naive to understand the implications of this emotion and is unaware of the impact it will have on his life forever. We are suddenly made to feel that love is purely an abstract emotion. A force which has the power to completely change the way we live or act. There are these physical strings which pulls two people together. But, how do we let go of the invisible (read emotional) currents, which have the potential to make / break you? Micheal Berg's feelings for Hanna breaks him. He is unable to have a stable relationship with any one else. And Hanna's ultimate act of suicide, only adds to the emotional blizzard that Michael experiences. Kudos to the Director for making me a part of the lead character's turmoil. I almost experienced the tragedy first hand!

Emotional Atyachar worth taking!

Let me talk about Anurag Kashyap's Dev.D which i watched recently. It was a pleasant surprise to watch a realistic film, inspired and adapted from a pretty nihilistic story. The tale of lost love and the protagonist's fall from normalcy to becoming an alchoholic and his untimely demise is given a new twist. Here Dev Das ( played convincingly by Abhay Deol) is a man who makes his own choices. It is he who decides to let go of Paro. External forces are downplayed. I think today when the urban youth has all the freedom to take his / her decision, it is but natural to let go of the society-is-the-biggest-villain kind of a mindset. The lead actresses were a refreshing break and played their parts amazingly well. A must watch for all. I guess we are all amazzed at Kashyap's versatality. Who can expect that a man who does a Black Friday for his first full length feature film, will throw all caution to the wind and come up with a Dev.D! Kashyap your "emotional atyachar" is worth taking!

Jodha- Akbar Love in a different era!

Jodha-Akbar, the love story of the greatest Mughal emperor and the Rajput princess is lined up for release. Ashutosh Gowarikar is back and so is Aishwarya Rai after her brief sabbatical, courtesy marriage to one of the most in-demand bachelors in India. The film has several pluses, one the very beautiful cast(both Aishwarya and Hrithik are the 2 most good looking people in Bollywood). Then there is the music by the King of Background score AR Rahman. This is a period film and hence the audience will judge this historic love story based on the authenticity shown in every department of film-making. The matrimonial alliance of the Mughal kings was one of the tools of the used to tame the unruly Rajputs and bond with them. This was a political measure and had no romantic implications whatsoever. It will be interesting to see , how the director convinces the audience that a marriage of convenience can actually lead to love and romance in a century where battles and wars did most of the talking.

Have you seen The Break up?
It has Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn in the lead. It is such a treat to watch a couple bickering about the real issues in life. The difference in perspective of a man and a woman and how this difference can lead to miscommunication and to the ultimate outcome which is the collective nightmare of a man and a woman in love-the break up!

The new year 2008 has begun. Bollywood is playing it safe by concentrating on comedies. To start with there is Welcome which is an attempt at slap stick comedy. What's your take on Welcome ?

Guru- Impossible or I M Possible?

The purpose of cinema is also to inspire. Guru realizes this purpose. Mani Ratnam’s directorial venture with Abishek Bachhan and Aishwarya Rai Bachhan in the lead tells the saga of a school drop out who dreams and dares to achieve. The Ambani similarity only leads to increased viewer ship. For Abishek Bachhan this could simply be the role of a lifetime. Aishwarya moves beyond her wooden self and attempts to act. She succeeds in parts, especially as the older wife of the successful industrialist whose grit and determination at the time of his crisis, puts him back on the winning track. Rahman’s music is at its soulful best.