Not Ash, its Kat to become Barbie doll

Bollywood beauty Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has declined to be immortalised as a Barbie doll due to her professional commitments.

It was earlier reported that representatives of the 35-year-old actress were in negotiations with Barbie's manufacturer Mattel, who planned to give the iconic doll a Bollywood face. But the deal did not take off.

Since 1994 when Aishwarya won the Miss World title, the company has made numerous attempts to make a celebrity doll modelled on the Indian beauty. However, she could never get time for their endeavour, due to her professional commitments, she said.

Yet again on the doll's 50th anniversary, Aishwarya was approached to appear decked up as a celebrity Barbie.

"Mattel was keen to have the actress walk the ramp on Lakme Fashion Week 'Barbie dolled up' in a winning design as Single Likeness Barbie, which would be unveiled and auctioned for a charity of her choice," said a statement issued by Aishwarya's spokesperson.

However, the actress opted out due to her prior commitments as she did not want to cause inconvenience to the film-makers she was working with by taking time out for the event.

Ash's bhabhi ready for Bollywood!

The first 'bahu' of Bollywood, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, may have competition back home from sis-in-law Shrima Rai, who won first runners-up at the Mrs India contest. We speak to the lady...

How did Mrs India happen?
I was busy with investment consulting for Standard Chartered, when I decided to send my portfolio to Gladrags. I was shortlisted and here I am.

All your family was there except Aishwarya. Why?
All my family was there to support me. Pa-in-law and mom-in-law were nervous, but Aditya was the most nervous! Ash could not come as she was busy shooting for her film, but that didn’t stop her from calling and messaging me.

Did you get some modelling tips from her?
Ash is a pro at walkign the ramp and has won pageants too. She shared some tips with me regarding the walk and expressions, but the one important thing she told me was that I should forget about everything and just enjoy the experience. And that actually helped me a lot.

Tell us about your chemistry with the Rai family. How did you meet Aditya?
Aditya and I are distantly related and met at a party hosted by a common aunt. We hit it off instantly and soon decided to marry. After the marriage, we stayed with his family for three years and that was when I bonded with Aishwarya too. Aishwarya has always been this bubbly girl.

Did she discuss her personal relationships at home?
Like any other person, she did discuss her personal stories too. But, it wouldn't be correct for me to comment now. She’s happily settled with Abhishek and I'm happy for her.

What do you like best about Abhi-Ash?
They are one of the cutest couples I have ever known. They are so close that they complete each others’ sentences. It's absolute fun to watch them narrate their experiences, of a shoot or anything else. They both add so much humour to it that by the end of it we're in splits. They also tease each other like kids.

Are you open to movie or modelling offers?
I haven’t been approached so far, but yes, I'm open to such offers.

Any directors you would like to work with?
Mira Nair, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Rituparna Ghosh, Karan Johar... I like their work and everyone of them has a different vision and it would be a dream to explore them all!

Who are the actors you really admire in Bollywood?
I would start with Ash, then Rani, Kangana, Abhishek, Shah Rukh Khan, Amit Uncle and Aamir Khan!

Gunning for hubby: Ash

Mumbai: Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan gets miffed when people say she is more inclined to work with her hubby Abhishek Bachchan these days. She hits back at people making such comments, but adds that she had always enjoyed working with Abhishek right from the days of Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke (2000) - their first film together.


"I'm doing films with others too. I have an Akshay Kumar film (by Vipul Shah) coming up. I'm doing Endhiran with Rajnikanth. I'm quite open to good films but yes we have been getting a lot of offers to star together and I'm thoroughly enjoying working with him. We have a good connection," Ash says.

The Bachchan bahu adds: "I have always enjoyed Abhi's company and I'm very comfortable with him. In fact right from our first film, then Kuch Na Kaho and then many more, I could feel that we have a connection. I'm grateful to the audience for liking us too."

Aishwarya and Abhishek have also starred in films like Guru, Umrao Jaan, Sarkar Raj, Dhoom:2 and are also starring in Mani Ratnam's Raavan, Abhinay Deo's yet untitled film and Rajiv Menon's Sur, which is a remake of Abhimaan.

"It is really great that people want to cast us together," she says with her trademark million dollar smile.

We also quizzed the former Miss World about how she feels when her hubby dies in a film like Sarkar Raj or is beaten up badly in Delhi 6. Does it make her eyes wet?

"I was ok with the scene in Delhi 6, but in Sarkar Raj I got very disturbed when he 'dies'. I was doing the scene with him and I remember screaming out and breaking down into tears in that scene. Life and cinema had blurred for me at that moment. It was very unnerving. I didn't know what had happened to me, the set was so quiet. It was an overwhelming experience," she ends.

Aishwarya “undergoes training to sing classical “

Aishwarya Rai undergoes training to sing classical Indian. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is a thoroughly professional actress and she is ready to go the extra-mile to get under the skin of her character. For her upcoming movie, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will undergo training in Indian classical singing. According to news reports, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is going to play the character of Sita in Mani Ratnam’s movie, Raavan. The movie is based on famous Indian epic, Ramayana. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will be playing the character of Sita and hubby Abhishek Bachchan will play the character of Ram and Govinda will play the role of Hanuman.

In real life, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is quite a good singer but not good enough to sing classical songs. For her role, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan wants to sing all the songs by herself. She will take lessons from a guru.