Aishwarya Rai Bachchan started her acting career with Tamil film Iruvar (1997) where she played dual characters. The multi-starrer was directed by celebrated filmmaker Mani Ratnam. After debuting with Iruvar, Aish made a crossover to Bollywood and became one of the leading heroines of Hindi cinema in no time. Things have changed a lot over the past 22 years, but one thing has remained constant is Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s admiration for her first director Mani Ratnam who launched her in showbiz.
After several years, the former beauty queen is joining forces with Mani Ratnam once again. Aish, who last worked with the filmmaker on Raavan (2010), plays a pivotal role in his next Tamil directorial Ponniyin Selvan. While the makers are yet to confirm the role that Aish plays in the film, rumours are rife that she might be seen as the lead antagonist in the silver screen adaptation of the historical Tamil novel by Kalki Krishnamurthy. If reports are to be believed, Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi and Amitabh Bachchan will also be part of the high-profile film.
When Aishwarya was asked about her character in Ponniyin Selvan, she said, “All I can say is that I’m doing the film. I am on this journey with Mani, and it will be an honour to be a part of anything he chooses to do.”
The actress goes on to add, “I don’t think it will be fair to override his wishes and speak about the project. Even though there is warmth in our professional relationship today, it’s his wish to share details with the world whenever he chooses to.”
To slide into the skin of her character in the magnum opus, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will train in the Tamil language. Ask her if that be difficult and she says “Working with him (Mani) is like going back to school, and whatever you are saying goes with the territory,” she concludes.
More details on the project are awaited.
Alia Bhatt at the Red Sea Film Festival where she spoke about the scale of Alpha Getty Images 
