Is Aishwarya just a soulless mannequin?
By Kshama Rao ©2004 Bollyvista.com

She is almost there, now in Rolland Joffe’s ‘The Invaders’. Gurinder Chaddha has signed her for her new film. Big money is being invested in her. But will Aishwarya Rai be able to deliver?

A few months ago when Aishwarya Rai's home co-production 'Dil Ka Rishta' released along with Bipasha Basu's sexy 'Jism', a distributor, comparing the two films' initial business at the box office, remarked, "The black beauty has won over the white beauty."

Cut to the reviews Aishwarya got for her film. Critics politely anointed her with descriptions like 'eye-candy', 'gorgeous' and 'stunning' but stopped short of commenting on her acting abilities. The handwriting on the wall was clear. Even the ex-Miss World couldn't save the film.

Flashback to last year when her outing as Devdas', Paro won her rave reviews not only on Indian soil but on foreign land as well. So what is it about the light-eyed star? Does Aishwarya Rai 'act' only in Sanjay Leela Bhansali films? From her debut film 'Aur Pyar Ho Gaya' to 'Aa Ab Laut Chalen', 'Josh', 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam', 'Taal', 'Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke', 'Albela', 'Mohabattein', 'Hum Kissise Kam Nahin', 'Devdas' and 'Dil Ka Rishta', apart from Bhansali's two films which even got her popular film awards, the actress hardly has any performance which she can truly own.

Maybe, it's only Bhansali who's capable of bringing the best out of her. Or is it that only he can successfully make her look beyond her 'false eyelashes and preening pout' model image? It could be that she's a director's actress and spontaneity is just not one of her strong points.

Says Indu Mirani, editor, Box Office, "She is not a naturally gifted actress. She's a director's actress. Prior to 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam', she was so bad. I think Sanjay Leela Bhansali can really make her forget herself, forget whom she is and perform. So you can see the time and effort spent on her by the director in films like 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' and 'Devdas'. Give her a good director and I feel she can deliver."


Reiterates Maithili Rao, a veteran film critic, "It's very rare that she comes out of her 'model' image. Why even in 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' and 'Devdas', I don't think she did anything much. See, what happens in Sanjay Leela Bhansali films is that everything is in a heightened state - the emotions, the ambience, the lighting, the drama, the pitch so much so that you feel Aishwarya Rai is acting but she's not. More than an actress, I think she is a model who's too conscious of her looks. Even in 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam', she just couldn't bring out the ecstasy of first love, while in the second half all she had to do was look morose when she's married off to Ajay Devgan. I don't think emoting is one of her strong points. She finds it very difficult to convey strong and complex emotions. It shows. In 'Taal' too, she came across to me more like a mannequin."

Film critic Deepa Gahlot agrees with Rao. She too feels that Aishwarya Rai didn't really act even in 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' and 'Devdas'. "The only film I think she acted in was Mansoor Khan's 'Josh'. In the rest she just dresses up and looks pretty."

And that's a point many of them who didn't wish to be quoted observed: she's a great model who can still set the ramp on fire but has to go a long way before she can be labeled an actress. She just doesn't have the ability to reach out to her audience. To them she still continues to be the light-eyed Miss World. Looking stunning in a film and having the most cynical of film critics go wobbly in their knees is one thing and to carry off a strong role is another, unless of course the director is willing to wield the baton harder.

Says Yash Chopra who produced 'Mohabbatein' in which she acted, "She acted very well in 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' though one can't deny Sanjay Leela Bhansali's contribution to her performance. Since I haven't directed her it's really difficult for me to comment much on her acting abilities."

In fact quite a few filmmakers who have worked with her either refused to 'come on the line' or preferred to be diplomatic with their 'no comments'. Raj Kanwar, who's worked with her in 'Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke', however maintains that Aishwarya is one of the finest actresses of the country. Says he, "I have worked with actresses from Sridevi to Aishwarya and I can confidently say that she's one of the best we have. Apart from Bhansali's films, I think she acted very well in 'Taal' and even in my film, where she gave a good performance. She knows how to understand a character. Besides, when films fail it's not right to blame or doubt her abilities as an actress."

Gurinder Chadha's recent venture, 'Bride and Prejudice', which recently consumed a lot of media space, writes in her mail to us, that Aishwarya Rai is a very skillful performer. "I thought she was great in her first film and the south version of Sense and Sensibility she did with Tabu. She has great performance skills and a lot of intelligence. I know with me and my style of working she will give a blinding performance."

So then it's left to the likes of a Bhansali or a Khan or a Chadha to coax one of the country's most beautiful heroines to also successfully carry off the tag of 'best actress'.

- India News Feature Service

Why are they singling Aishwarya out? Yeah, so what? She can't act. Neither can 99% of the actresses in the industry!

i think because aishwariya thinks she is all that..

It's such a cliche to bring down someone who has reached the top. Will people ever get out of doing that? Why bring her down so much - she doesn't even earn as much as some major male stars with dubious talents.