Aishwarya Rai

Alas! But it’s true. the so much anticipated Mani Ratnam’s movie “Raavan” was a major flop. It’s true that the movie was one of the most talked about film for Bollywood in 2010. But i guess this over-hype spoiled the fun and raised the fans expectation from the movie. Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, although one of the most loved couples and big stars, failed to weave their magic in the movie.

I, for one, know that the “Raavan” stars Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, and Abhishek Bachchan had worked their ass off for this film. They cancelled so many meetings, appointments and what not, so that they can give their 100 percent for the film. Despite the music guru A.R. Rahman magic and the awesome direction of Mani Ratnam, the movie failed to do well at Box Office or anywhere in world. If i had to blame one thing for the failure, i would say that it has to be the extra gimmicks and promotional crap that every crew member of “Raavana” had been doing for past 2-3 months. No doubt such gimmicks bring attention to a wide audience but when over-done, it also brings high expectations. Anyhow, i feel bad for the couple Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan. I know how heart broken they must have been to see the film do almost no business at all.

Such was the disappointment that an outraged fan lashes out his fury as he spits, “Abhishek is just not cut out for films. He is absolutely wooden. His movements are stiff, his face expressionless, his dialogue delivery flat. Not to mention his inability to dance or fight. He is neither goodlooking. Just being six feet tall doesn’t necessarily make one handsome. If not for his parents, Abhishek would have been working as a salesman in some merchant company, doing the rounds of Mumbai from morning to evening. Before he was getting films because of his father, now because of his wife. It is high time that such ‘ZERO-HEROES’ like him are completely thrown out of the film industry.” Oooomph! That was a little harsh i guess, blaming Abhishek for the failure. When a movie is not good, the whole cast and crew are responsible for it. It’s not right to play the blame game.

Amazingly, Reliance opened the film “Raavan” in some 2200 screens in 35 countries. That was a pretty big launch indeed. I am not sure how much the movie raked in, but many a movie halls claim that they didn’t see any house fulls after the first weekend. In fact at many halls, the movie didn’t even make it past the first week. I don’t know if these are rumors or not but i guess that’s what happened considering how much disappointed people really are.

I am pretty sure about one thing though. Aishwarya Rai is a beautiful talented actress. Abhishek Bachchan perhaps not as good as Aishwarya, but he still is in the top actors of the country. Mani Ratnam is a fantastic director as well. A.R. Rahman is a magician with music. So am pretty sure they all will strike back. It’s just one movie at the end of the day. They all will forget about it soon enough. But this definitely is the last time we heard about “Raavan”. I don’t think any “sequel” or “alternate ending” will be planned. Goodbye “Raavan”

Aishwarya n Abhishek

It’s the world premiere of Mani Ratnam’s movie “Raavan” and the lovely couple Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan arrives in London in style. Legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan with wife Jaya Bachchan also came along at the premiere along with the director Mani Ratnam and music guru A.R. Rehman!

The Bachchan’s family along with the cast and crew of “Raavan” arrived at British Film Institute Southbank complex next to the River Thames in central London where they were treated with red carpet with lots and lots of fans arriving to get a glimpse of the stars.

Aishwarya Rai looked resplendent and excruciatingly beautiful in a heavily embroidered Sabyasachi saree. The saree was pretty good, but Oh My God! The blouse was really really terrible. She walked the red carpet with husband Abhishek Bachchan wearing a long sleeve, high blouse with a boat neck that awkwardly revealed a lot of midriff through the sheer pallav of the sari. We didn’t get the point of combining a very modest neckline with a very immodest hemline making the blouse look like something you could wear to the gym for a workout. :lol .

Her blouse sleeves were covered with heavy white floral embroidery. Aishwarya Rai, accessorized with a black studded purse, diamond drop earrings and multiple rings in both her hands. Her hair was retro styled in a face slimming bouffant updo. Her make up was also pretty much retro style: Pink lip color, metallic eye shadow and thick black extended eye liner.

Shah Rukh Khan, wife Gauri and their two children joined the Bachchans on the occasion, adding considerable star power to the event at London’s BFI Southbank cinema.

Aishwarya & Abhishek

Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan are off on another trip! After flying to the south of France for the Cannes Film Festival and Paris for the French Open, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan came back to India for a few visits to Delhi and Hyderabad to promote her new movie “Raavan”.

And now the actress is off again! This time she is going to London for the premiere of Raavan with her hubby Abhishek Bachchan. In Paris Ash took in the tennis matches at the French Open and enjoyed spending time with her parents. But after her trip to Europe it was time to get down to business in India and Ash returned to start promoting Raavan in different cities.

Monday night the actress came back to Mumbai from Hyderabad and our photogs were of course there to snap pics of the working beauty! Aishwarya landed at Mumbai airport looking as fresh as ever in a gorgeous green Sabyasachi outfit with golden high heels and a matching purse. But no rest for this busy belle as the team of Raavan is now off to London to promote the flick.

“With team Raavan at the airport about to board a flight to London. Always feels good to be around mani and all. England here we come!” Abhishek tweeted Tuesday morning. “Lack of sleep does funny things to the mind! Thankfully a 9 hour flight should take care of that,” he added. Hopefully Ash gets some sleep as well, they both need it if they are going to take on fans in London who we’re sure are excited to see Raavan!

I think i need some break from my work and got to sleep as well. Coz i sure as hell, am gonna see Raavan, first day but not the first show

Aishwarya Rai

This is a better follow up of the yesterday’s news about the surprise visit of Aishwarya’s at the Relaince web world where Abhishek Bachchan was promoting the upcoming film Raavan.

A surprise visit by Aishwarya Rai added high octane glamour to a press event Saturday evening to promote Mani Ratnam’s upcoming film “Raavan”. She was not scheduled to be at the event at Cinemax, Versova, Mumbai because her travel plans were uncertain. She was in Paris earlier this week, where she wowed the world at large in a Elie Saab gown at a charity dinner organized by Longines, the international watch brand that she endorses.

Aishwarya’s surprise appearance delighted silly her husband and Raavan co-star Abhishek Bachchan, leaving the 34-year-old grinning like a proud teenager on his first date for the rest of the evening.

Abhishek had spent the entire day plugging ‘Raavan’ on the streets of Mumbai with co-stars Ravi Kishen and Ajay Gehi.

Aishwarya was back to basics at the event in Versova, wearing black skinny jeans and red-and-black long sleeve top, with handkerchief hem and a string bow detail on the waist. She accessorized with black T strap heels, stud earrings, multiple bangles in both her arms and a metallic strap Longines (naturally) watch in her right arm. Her shoulder length, medium brown colored hair draped her shoulders. She wore red lip gloss, thick black eyeliner and multiple coats of mascara.

Aishwarya looked completely relaxed by her husband’s side, and ever so more beautiful because of it.

Aishwarya Rai, did talked to her fans about Raavan over the radio. The movie is scheduled to be premiered on 18th June. Seriously awaiting the movie launch now

Aishwarya Rai

Aishwarya Rai has been shooting in forests of India for the upcoming movie “Raavan”. Shooting in such natural scenarios is never easy for any person, whether they be an actor or an actress or even there body double/stunt man. Anyways, let’s not drift off from the topic. I just wanted to create the environment where you understand “how difficult acting in forests” is!

Like the whole world, South Indian star Vikram is all smitten by co star Aishwarya Rai. Seriously, who isn’t? Aishwarya Rai plays the demure and vulnerable role based on Sita in both the Hindi and Tamil versions of the movie “Raavan” and she plays her character with grace and effortlessness. Vikram sums it up beautifully as he cites, “It’s strange that every Miss World and Miss Universe enters movies. But who has had the lingering impact of Aishwarya’s? She has some kind of an enduring aura. Over the years she has really evolved as an actor.”

Vikram recounts how Ash endured wounds, insect bites, fever and agonising pain in the rough terrain of the Indian forests. Despite her feebleness, she refused to take the help of any body double. Aishwarya Rai’s double whammy: Vikram further showers praise on the former Miss World and quips, “I had to do two characters. But she had to play the same character twice, in two languages, one after another. For example, if she had to climb a rock with me, she’d do it climb down and then do it again with Abhishek.”

Vikram also said “Overall, the filming of Raavan was very tough as the locations were deep inside the wilderness where it wasn’t, at times, possible to drive. It was like going to war. The terrain was so treacherous. Every scene was risky. If it wasn’t raining we were near waterfalls so always wet and susceptible to fall ill.”

Ofcourse Vikram was impressed a lot by Aishwarya Rai. But when it came to dancing, he had just one thing to say. He recalls how good a dancer she is. He hails her dancing skills to be as good, if not better, than the legendary Madhuri Dixit. Speaking of the experience in Raavan, he says. “It was really nice to see her dance. I just forgot my own steps and kept staring.”

Well, i think he just became one of the many million fans that Aishwarya Rai already has. Yeah, it’s easy to express your feelings when you already are star but i still am a bigger fan of Aishwarya’s than guys like Vikram would ever be. He he he he! Anyways, keep visiting our website AishwaryaWeb.com for regular news, updates on Aishwarya Rai. Your feedbacks and comments are always welcome!

Aishwarya Rai

I am guessing our regular members here on this site are pretty familiar with Mani Ratnam’s movie “Raavan”. Aishwarya Rai finally appeared on photocall with her husband, Abhishek Bachchan. Abhi of course has a vital role to play in the movie, so it’s good he finally showed up at Cannes. Abhishek plays the role of the protagonist in Mani Ratnam’s modern day take on the ancient Indian epic – The Ramayan. Or so it is believed. No one is sure yet about the actual story line. Anyways….

As for Aishwarya Rai’s dress up, she wore a form hugging LBD with an off shoulder bateau neckline and short sleeves. Her hair were set in lose curls with a middle parting. Accessorized with black towering T-strap heels and light diamond and gold jewelry. She supported a light day makeup. Nothing fancy doing this time. But she’s got a great pair of legs and her stunning facial beauty does all the magic. The Oooomph factor is probably much more than what one can handle. I have started to make no sense now….Losing my breath and senses now. LOL

Alright, these are the images from the Photocall of Mani Ratnam’s “Raavan” on May 17th’ 2010 at Salon Diane at The Majestic in Cannes, France. Any comments??

]]> http://www.aishwaryaweb.com/aishwarya-rai/aishwarya-rai-at-raavan-photocall-at-cannes-film-fest-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.aishwaryaweb.com/aishwarya-rai/aishwarya-rai-interview-at-cannes-for-raavan/ http://www.aishwaryaweb.com/aishwarya-rai/aishwarya-rai-interview-at-cannes-for-raavan/#comments Thu, 27 May 2010 02:49:50 +0000 AishwaryaWeb http://www.aishwaryaweb.com/?p=691 Hello again all you Aishwarya Rai fans. I feel so happy being among you, our regular and new readers from across the world. Just keep in those comments coming, really makes me feel good and motivates me to write more and more about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

As i mentioned in the last post regarding her “Tournee” Photocall at 63rd Cannes Film Festival’ 2010, Aishwarya wore an Emilio Pucci dress. The same day she was interviewed by NDTV for her upcoming film “Raavan”.

Anupama Chopra, who is the Consulting Editor, Films at NDTV, interviewed Aishwarya Rai, probably right after the photocall. It’s an interview where Aishwarya Rai talks about Cannes a little but then follows about her challenging role in the upcoming Mani Ratnam’s movie “Raavan”. Aishwarya looks an absolute dream girl and i really love her expressions in the interview. She has developed this accent of a kind ad Ash has just perfected the way she has to speak and how to face a camera and interviewer while the shoot. She is just fabulous.

Alright, so let’s see the video then my friends. Here you go:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Don’t forget to chat with me about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and leave your comments regarding the same. Have a great day you all!!!!!

Aishwarya Rai

“I understand a bit of Tamil and speak a bit of it. For me, it is very important that I understand the meaning of my dialogues before I deliver them. I can’t just mug up the dialogues. So for Raavan, I made sure I knew what I was saying and yes, I have improved a lot on the language and I am confident about doing more Tamil stuff in future,” Aishwarya said.

“After Raavan, it was like – Come on! Bring on Robot (now Endhiran),” she told reporters at the music launch of Raavan here Saturday.

Raavan is Ratnam’s much-awaited project and also stars Abhishek Bachchan, southern superstar Vikram and Bhojpuri star Ravi Kishan. The movie has been simultaneously shot in Hindi and Tamil, with a slightly different cast.

Aishwarya plays Ragini, a classical dance teacher. The first look into the movie shows her dancing gracefully in a song where she has been picturised getting cosy with Vikram, who plays her husband in the Hindi version of the film.

One mention of how beautiful the dance moves looked, and Aishwarya said: “Aww…Thank you so much.” Talking about her role, she said: “This was an extremely challenging role for me. To shoot it in Hindi and Tamil at the same time was quite a task. But the experience was so wonderful that if Mani sir asks me, I am ready to do it all over again.”

According to the 36-year-old, her role was a discovery and a mystery. “Ragini is a strong woman and very relatable to the modern Indian woman. She speaks her mind. I say discovery because we kept discovering fantastic locations and got to see so many places. We used to trek every morning to be on the sets.

“The role remained a mystery because I was playing the leading lady and there I was with no make-up, no fancy clothes and all drenched in rain with mud all over. But that’s what Mani sir expects from us to keep it all as real as it can get,” she said.

Aishwarya says they used to give shots with “snakes a whisper away” and that they “must have donated blood to 300 leeches”. “All in all, it was an incredibly original experience. It was almost like being on a Fear Factor show,” she added. The movie, co-produced by Reliance BIG Pictures and Madras Talkies, is expected to release June 18.

Raavan

The same day when the news about the movie preview came out, Mani Ratnam addressed the media and said that he will e launching the music on 24th April’2010. Yesterday, he did release the music as promised. It wasn’t a simple release. The songs of  much awaited movie “Raavan” starting Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Vikram has been released. Mani Ratnam had held the release function in Mumbai where the king of music A.R. Rahman performed live. I don’t think Aishwarya Rai was present at the function but father in law, the legendary actor, Amitabh Bachchan and hubby Abhishek Bachchan was present at the music launch ceremony, as per some online resources. The couple had celebrated their Third Anniversary recently somewhere in United States and must have just come back to be on the music launch.

Anyways…. A.R. Rahman, as we all know, is a genius when it comes to music. And i am pretty confident that music of Raavan is going to be a superhit as well. A.R. Rahman will be creating magic for Tamil version of the movie as well. Apparently, the one of the best voices in India or for that matter, “the world”, Asha Bhosle has sung a song for the Tamil version.

Ok, so for the song. Raavan movie has 6 songs. Composed by oscar winner A.R. Rahman and lyrics by the very special Gulzar. Here is the list of all those six songs from the movie.

Ofcourse hoping all the songs are big hit. Already singing “Beera Beera” now. Can’t wait to get my hands on the CD

Raavan Poster

The cast and crew for the movie “Raavan” would be known by now to all our regular visitors. Since we have mentioned about Mani Ratnam’s Raavan around 10-15 times in last couple of months. Anyways, for the new visiotrs, Raavan is a movie by ace director Mani Ratnam. The lead stars are none other than Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan.

Mani Ratnam’s “Raavan” has been described as a ‘modern take’ on the Indian epic “Ramayana ” that tells the story of Rama and his wife Sita who is abducted by the demon R?kshasa king of Lanka, Ravana. Vikram stars opposite Abhi and Ash with Govinda, Ravi Kishan, Nikhil Dwivedi and Priyamani in supporting roles.

However the good news is that the much-awaited Raavan’s teaser has been finally revealed! Mani Ratnam has finally come up with a trailer and has brought out the first posters of the filmas well. The teaser looks fantastic with Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai diving into deep waters with a gorgeous back drop. The first look of Abhishek Bachchan taking a dive from top of a cliff into a river below and him riding a bike and Aiswarya Rai’s face with fear written all over is the visual in this trailer.

Apparently Mani Ratnam is still unsure about the ending of the movie, and has already thought of four possible endings for his film, which is being made in both Tamil and Hindi versions. The Tamil version apparently sees Vikram play Raavan, though Abhishek Bachhan is in the film as well. Govinda, in all possibility, plays the character of Hanuman in the film, and Aishwarya Rai would be playing Sita in both versions.

Music Company T- Series has acquired the Hindi audio rights of the film, which has music by global star AR Rahman. In words of T-Series, president of marketing media publishing (TV) Vinod Bhanushali “It is a magnum project which brings together the winning combination of Mani Ratnam and A R Rahman. The film’s star cast is also quite an attraction.”

As far as Tamil and Telugu audio rights are concern negotiations are going on, with Sony Music emerging as the front runners. As soon as the deal is firmed up, Raavanan audio launch in Tamil and Telugu will take place probably next month.

The audio launch for the movie is going to take place on 24th of April and by that time Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan are expected to return from their Third Marriage Anniversary celebrations as well.

Here’s the Raavan’s teaser video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The film would be hitting the theatres by 18th June, and that is definitely something to watch out for. I’m really excited to see the movie after this trailer. What do you think? Drop us your feedback.