By Jilawatan

We are all waiting for the Ash-Abhi starrer Ravana with baited breath. This will be the first movie starring the couple since Guru, and as luck would have it, even this one is directed by Mani Ratnam. What few people know is that while Ash was always to be a part of Ravana, Abhishek wasn’t the first choice for the role of Rama.

It was instead, one actor who Ash has had a slightly terse relationship with – Shah Rukh Khan. After Mani Ratnam cast Ash, he told her that he intended to ask Shah Rukh to play opposite her. Since vibes between them have been better lately, Ash agreed.

Ratnam then approached Shah Rukh, who was only too happy to agree. He told reporters the sequence of events recently. “Yes Mani sir had spoken to me. Actually there were two reasons I said yes to him. I had given up on Idiots or they had thrown me out of it, anyway you want to look at it.

By Jilawatan

The lukewarm response to her recent Hollywood release Pink Panther-II has had Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (35) conceding her position as the most popular face of Bollywood.

In the West to the new international craze 24-year-old Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), who according to reliable sources has been signed for two films — one with Woody Allen and the second with Julian Schnabel.

Freida, who is said to have earned over two million pounds, overtaking Bollywood beauties like Aishwarya, Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif is also, according to a world film distributor, being wooed to walk the red carpet at Cannes in May 2009.

On the Bollywood front, Kareena Kapoor (28) has nudged Aishwarya Rai Bachchan out of the Filmfare Top-10 Power list.

But a producer from Chennai confirms that Ash is still the highest paid Indian heroine and has reportedly been paid a fee of Rs six crore for Shankar’s Robot, where she is cast opposite Rajnikant.

By Jilawatan

The lukewarm response to her recent Hollywood release Pink Panther-II has had Aishwarya Rai Bachchan(35) conceding her position.

As the most popular face of Bollywood in the West to the new international craze 24-year-old Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) who according to reliable sources has been signed for two films-one with Woody Allen and the second with Julian Schnabel.

Freida, who is said to have earned over two million pounds, overtaking Bollywood beauties like Aishwarya, Kareena Kapoor and Katrina Kaif is also, according to a world film distributor being wooed to walk the red carpet at Cannes in May 2009.

On the Bollywood front, Kareena Kapoor (28) has nudged Aishwarya Rai Bachchan out of the Filmfare Top-10 Power list. But a producer from Chennai confirms that Ash is still the highest paid Indian actress and has reportedly been paid a fee of Rs six crore for Shankar’s Robot where she is cast opposite Rajnikant.