Aishwarya Rai turns 47 this year and continues to remain an epitome of beauty and grace. The former Miss World is not just a noted Bollywood actor but is a known name in Hollywood as well. Besides being one of the most-talked about celebrities on the Cannes red carpet every year, Aishwarya also has quite a few Hollywood films as well to talk about.
Here are some of the films the actor starred in or could have starred in had she not turned down lucrative offers to work with top international stars.
Hollywood projects
Aishwarya made her Hollywood debut with Gurinder Chadha’s romantic drama Bride and Prejudice and hit the bull’s eye with her first-ever English project. The film was a hit among the audience as well as the critics for the Bollywood-style adaptation of Jane Austen’s 1813 novel. With a mix of English and Bollywood cast including Martin Henderson, Naveen Andrews, Namrata Shirodkar, Sonali Kulkarni, the film not just reached out to the English speaking audience but was noted by the Indian audience as well.
Aishwarya’s tragic drama Provoked was minus the glamour and the fun seen in her first Hollywood film and showed the vulnerable side of the actor. Aishwarya played the central character in Jag Mundhra’s film and touched the hearts of her fans with her powerful performance of a woman languishing in jail for the murder of her husband.Aishwarya not just made headlines for her Hollywood ventures but was also in news for rejecting some of the biggest offers of her life. She had turned down Brad Pitt-starrer Troy for not being comfortable filming certain scenes. The role finally went to Rose Byrne. Brad had even said once that he would like to work with her sometime.
Not just Brad, Will Smith also regretted not being able to work with Aishwarya. He had offered her projects like Hitch, Seven Pounds and Tonight He Comes but couldn’t get her on board. The actor had to turn down an opportunity to work in Tonight He Comes and opted to not attend the reading season due to family commitments. Will had said about Aishwarya during his visit to India, “I really wanted to work with her… She has this powerful energy where she doesn’t have to say anything, do anything, she can just stand there. Anything she’s making, I’ll be there.”
Not just Brad, Will Smith also regretted not being able to work with Aishwarya. He had offered her projects like Hitch, Seven Pounds and Tonight He Comes but couldn’t get her on board. The actor had to turn down an opportunity to work in Tonight He Comes and opted to not attend the reading season due to family commitments. Will had said about Aishwarya during his visit to India, “I really wanted to work with her… She has this powerful energy where she doesn’t have to say anything, do anything, she can just stand there. Anything she’s making, I’ll be there.”
