By Jilawatan

Rai made her film debut in the 1997 Indian film, Iruvar. Over the next seven years, the actress’ talent and piercing looks grabbed international attention.

In Bend it Like Beckham’s Gurinder Chadha musical ode to Jane Austen and Bollywood — Bride and Prejudice — Rai secured her place as an intercontinental, intensely powerful actress.

As Steve Martin and his Pink Panther series moves past Beyonce, they have found a gem in Indian megastar Aishwarya Rai.SheKnows: Aishwarya, first off, how was working with Steve Martin versus the expectations of what you thought it would be like working with Steve Martin?

Aishwarya Rai: I never expect anything. I prefer to meet a person face to face and take it from there. Steve was warm and generous to work with. He is a true master at his craft — with such ease he became Inspector Jacques Clouseau. Steve was great fun!

By Jilawatan

Rai sprung to fame when she won the Miss World contest in 1994, which spawned a lucrative modelling and acting career. She made the transition to Hollywood with starring roles in Bride and Prejudice, Mistress of Spices, The Last Legion and more recently in Pink Panther 2 alongside Steve Martin.

She became the face of L’Oréal cosmetics in 2005 and is one of only two Indian film stars to have their waxwork image displayed at Madame Tussaud’s.

She formally became a member of Bollywood’s “royal family” when she married actor Abhishek Bachchan, the son of India’s most popular star Amitabh Bachchan.

Now she is set to join the ranks of Hollywood immortals and pop divas like Beyoncé Knowles, Elizabeth Taylor, and Diana Ross, who have all had “celebrity Barbies” modelled on them.

By Jilawatan

She’s a former Miss Universe, and one of the most popular Bollywood stars in India these days. She’s also one of the busiest, and often has to turn down western productions because of her hectic schedule. But one opportunity Aishwarya Rai wasn’t about to pass up was ”Pink Panther 2”. The 35-year-old beauty plays the romantic interest in the film, but of course, she’s not all that she seems. The film recently screened Out of Competition at the Berlin Film Festival. Rai along with Steve Martin and Jean Reno were in town to present the film. Gaynor Flynn reports.

You’re the beautiful bad girl in this film, how does it feel?

Well bad has never been so good.

What was your reaction when you first heard about the Pink Panther 2 role?

By Jilawatan

She was last seen with Steve Martin in Pink Panther 2 is now busy wrapping up films back home. CNN-IBN catches up with Aishwarya Rai in Hyderabad on the sets of Shankar’s new film and gets the former Miss World talking about her unconventional romantic films with hubby Abhishek Bachchan and working with Tamil star Rajinikanth.

Rajeev Masand: Ash, what’s interesting about the films that you are doing with your husband Abhishek after marriage is that none of them is a conventional, pure romantic film. Sarkar Raj – just when a hint of a relationship began – ended, and in Mani Ratnam’s Ravan, it’s almost a forbidden relationship. Is that much more fun than a typical romantic film – which you both have done before?

By Jilawatan

She was last seen with Steve Martin in Pink Panther 2 is now busy wrapping up films back home. CNN-IBN catches up with Aishwarya Rai in Hyderabad on the sets of Shankar’s new film and gets the former Miss World talking about her unconventional romantic films with hubby Abhishek Bachchan and working with Tamil star Rajinikanth.

: Ash, what’s interesting about the films that you are doing with your husband Abhishek after marriage is that none of them is a conventional, pure romantic film. Sarkar Raj – just when a hint of a relationship began – ended, and in Mani Ratnam’s Ravan, it’s almost a forbidden relationship. Is that much more fun than a typical romantic film – which you both have done before?

Aishwarya Rai: We’d love to do it several times, trust me, we’d love to. We’d love to do an intense romantic film the conventional way as well. (laughs) But we’re glad the directors are coming with subjects and characters and…

By Jilawatan

Former World beauty queen and famous actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan says that her character in ‘Ravana’ starring her husband Abhishek Bachchan isn’t that of our epic Ramayana’s Sita. In the same breath she admits, “Yes, I am playing a woman who has similarities with the Sita of ‘Ramayana’. Aish told this at the press conference of her new Hollywood flick ‘Pink Panther 2′. The actress has been shooting for ‘Ravana’ since Feb 17, and will continue till mid-March. When asked to elaborate her character in the movie, she refused to divulge more about ‘Ravan’. “However, it is an intense film set in today’s time and Mani Ratnam has given a totally new perspective to the art of storytelling,” she continued. She also emphasized that she had never played a conventional couple with her husband on-screen, apart from the film ‘Kuchh Naa Kaho’, though. She illustrated this by stating that neither in ‘Dhoom 2′ nor in ‘Sarkar Raj’ and nor in ‘Guru’, though the movie revolves around Abhishek.

By Jilawatan

On the promotional trail for her Hollywood flick Pink Panther 2, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan candidly told reporters at a press conference that her character in Mani Ratnam’s next release Ravana is not called Sita.

“The name of my character is not Sita. I am playing a woman who has similarities with the Sita of Ramayana,” she said but then refused to give further details about the production which also stars her husband Abhishek.

“I can’t give any details about Ravana at the moment. You will have to wait and watch. All I can say that it is an intense film set in today’s time and Mani has given a totally new perspective to the art of storytelling,” she said.

Ravana will be the fifth film where the husband–wife jodi will be shown on screen. When asked about her pairing opposite Abhishek, Aishwarya said they never played a conventional couple on-screen.

By Jilawatan

Although touted as Aishwarya Rai’s big one from Hollywood, Pink Panther 2 sank without a trace abroad. It’s a big bore of a movie. The producers didn’t even consider her good enough for the posters. And it is curtains for Aish Behenji..

By Jilawatan

For the Indian audience, this one did not work. Although touted as Aishwarya Rai’s big one from Hollywood, Pink Panther 2 (PP2) sank without a trace abroad. There was not even the slightest craze in India. Consider this: the press conference wore as deserted a look as the theatrical release.

Remember the lovable Peter Sellers with whom Pink Panther was almost synonymous? What Sellers did to construct a brand, Steve Martin sinks it all single-handedly. And he is ably supported by the supporting cast.

PP2 is a sequel to The Pink Panther (2006). Inspector Clouseau (Steve Martin) must team up with international detectives to catch a burglar The Tornado. At stake is Pope’s ring and of course the Pink Panther diamond. It is a foregone conclusion Clouseau will end up catching the burglar along with his bumbling act.

By Jilawatan

Where perpetually bumbling but ultimately brilliant French police Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin) goes, comical commotion follows. So it has been for more than four decades, and proves again in the modestly amusing sequel The Pink Panther 2. It has a few funny facets, but it is no jewel, which is the level of humor aimed for the same age demographics with The Pink Panther 2: subteen.