Aishwarya Rai Bachchan started her acting career with the Tamil film Iruvar which was directed by Mani Ratnam. While she is mainly known for her performances in Hindi movies, the actress has also featured in Tamil films like Jeans, Kandukondain Kandukondain, Raavanan, and Enthiran.
Now, after 12 years Aishwarya is all set to make her comeback in the Tamil film industry with Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan. The shooting of the period drama is currently going on in Madhya Pradesh, India, and the actress’ look from the film got leaked recently.
A picture of Aishwarya is doing the rounds of social media in which she is seen sporting a royal avatar. The actress will be seen playing a double role in it. She will portray the characters of Nandhini and Mandakini Devi.
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Ponniyin Selvan is an adaptation of Kalki Krishnamurthy's 1955 novel of the same name. The movie also stars Vikram, Trisha, Karthi, Jayaram, Jayam Ravi, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Prabhu, Sarathkumar, Vikram Prabhu, and Sobhita Dhulipala.
The film will release in two parts and the first part is slated to hit the big screens in 2022.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was last seen in the 2018 release Fanney Khan in which she had an extended cameo. The actress currently has no Hindi films lined up but there were reports that she might be seen in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s series Heeramandi. However, there’s no official announcement about it.
The actress defended her claim that acting demands more than desk jobs in a recent interview.
She said office workers can "chill out" during work hours, unlike film stars.
Fans and working professionals called her comments privileged and out of touch.
The backlash started after her appearance on Amazon Prime's Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle.
Critics pointed out the financial gap and support systems actors have compared to regular employees.
Kajol probably didn't expect this reaction when she sat down with Twinkle Khanna on Two Much. But her comments about actors working harder than people with 9-to-5 jobs have blown up, and not in a good way.
Fans slam Kajol after she says actors work harder than regular employees sparking online outrage Getty Images
The comments that started it all
Kajol was speaking out about her earlier comments on Two Much with Kajol & Twinkle on Amazon Prime, where she said actors work harder than most people. This time she was explaining why she thinks that.
She told The Hollywood Reporter India that her days are full of shoots, events, and very early flights. One day involved waking at 5 AM to catch a flight to Jaipur for a 3 PM event.
But it was her take on regular jobs that got people talking. She claimed desk workers don't need to be "100% present" and can take breaks, "chill out," and relax while working. She kept coming back to the unending scrutiny actors face like the feeling of always being watched or something as simple as how you cross your legs or who's snapping a picture in the background becomes a constant calculation. You have to be switched on, she insisted, all the time.
The internet, frankly, was having none of it. YouTube and Reddit exploded with responses. "For the kind of remuneration actors are paid, they shouldn't have a problem working 12 hours a day for 4 days a week," one user wrote. Another pointed out that films typically take 3-4 months to shoot, while regular jobs run year-round.
The responses got more pointed. "Vanity mein naps or massages bhi toh hum lete hain," a Reddit user commented, referencing the comfort of vanity vans. Someone else joked: "If you work poorly, you get fired. If you act poorly, you get a Filmfare award."
The bluntest response yet? "Respectfully, Kajol, shut up."
Nobody denies acting is demanding. Long hours, public pressure, and constant judgement are very real. But comparing it to regular employment ignores some major differences.
Most people work 12 months a year with two weeks' holiday if they're lucky. They don't have spot boys fetching drinks or vanity vans for rest breaks. One netizen nailed it: "A working parent's schedule is continuous, every single day, with no wrap-up party or off-season."
Online erupts as Kajol defends claim that acting demands more than everyday 9-to-5 workGetty Images
There's also the money. While her fee for a single film is probably more than most people earn in a year, she says that doesn’t make the work easy. Still, it does provide a comfort that regular employees don’t have. Kajol has not yet replied to the backlash.
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