Prahlad Kakkar: Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Will Make Or Break Aishwarya Rai
Prahlad Kakkar's friendship with Aishwarya Rai dates back to 1993, when he introduced her as Sanju in a TV commercial. On the occasion of her 42nd birthday today, the ad guru opens up about who the real Aishwarya is - the person behind the persona.
Prahlad Kakkar's friendship with Aishwarya Rai dates back to 1993, when he introduced her as Sanju in a TV commercial. On the occasion of her 42nd birthday today, the ad guru opens up about who the real Aishwarya is - the person behind the persona. Excerpts from an exclusive chat:
It's just been a few weeks since Aishwarya's comeback film Jazbaa released. Where do you see her going from here?
She's going to make a much bigger comeback with her next film, which is for Karan Johar (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil). She is not the normal film industry type, she never was. She's a highly motivated, extremely single-minded, professional person. She stayed away from the glitz at the peak of her career after having a child, because she decided that she was going to be a hands-on mother. She didn't ever leave Aaradhya to an aaya, her own mother or mother-in-law. She never let the child out of her sight. At the peak of your career, it takes a lot to do this. No one gives that kind of focus, love and care to a child, not even mothers who are home all the time. She just said, 'See you later, alligator'.
Aishwarya has shed postpartum weight, but is motherhood still her topmost priority?
After turning full-time mother, she did put on weight. But now that her daughter can stand on her feet, Aishwarya has begun to move around. She has that bandwidth now. Depending on the banner and the story, she made her comeback. Aishwarya is aware it won't be easy, though. Fortunately, people were waiting for her to come back, they were not indifferent. And Jazbaa was not a bad film, but the next one (ADHM) will make or break her. She's working hard for it. And if with the avatar she is in, she explodes on the screen next year, her brand value will become infinite.
Image Source: gossipticket
Does that mean Aishwarya will be the most sought-after face for brand endorsements?
Aishwarya is playing mature parts comprising depth and beauty. If that succeeds, she'll be doing a hell lot of endorsements across the board. She's professional, exclusive and very particular about what she endorses. She's also done freebies for her pet subjects, and will continue to do so. But she has to be approached in the correct manner for that. She realises she's not just a commercial entity. She's a thinking person who happens to belong to the Hindi film industry. She's not their prototype!
Has she changed over the years as a person?
With her friends, and I'm privileged to be one, she hasn't changed. With her peers and industry people, she's formal and keeps a distance. Mr Bhansali (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) is one of those few industry people she is mighty comfortable with. And that is evident in her performances. He demands a performance from her. And he can do so if she allows him in that space of hers, which she does. And because she delivers the performance, he doesn't compromise on it. And so, her performances and looks in his films (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, 1999; Devdas, 2002; Guzaarish, 2010) are different from those in other people's films.
Image Source: bollydiva
Subhash Ghai did come close...
Yes, in terms of looks and feel, he did come close in Taal (1999), but there's a vast difference in the emotional depth and content of her performances in Bhansali's films and Taal. She trusts Sanjay fully. Aishwarya takes very long to trust people. She's very gaugy, very careful and politically correct about what she says. She realises that the industry carries a lot of biases, and can turn against its own. And the industry doesn't forgive easily either.
What makes her so cautious?
Very few know that Aishwarya has been a topper all through her academic life. She missed being a doctor by a hairline and took up architecture. She topped the first year and then films happened. She was weighing academics and films, but the pressure led her to the latter. She didn't know anyone and could never find a mentor she could implicitly trust and work with. But she started off well with Iruvar (1997) and Mani Ratnam. He gave her a platform and impetus that no one could. The film was hugely received and I wish they had dubbed it in Hindi. It was an amazing performance. Her second film, a commercial Hindi outing (Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya, 1997) was nothing compared to that.
Image Source: overblog
Aishwarya has often been criticised for the lack of depth in her performances...
As she progressed, people commented about a certain lack of depth and performance, and how she was only about beauty. But she surprised them with Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Taal. Everyone was blown away. Few people actually know that she is a Bharatanatyam exponent.
Her dancing skills were under the scanner when Madhuri Dixit and she had a face-off in Devdas...
(Cuts in) Seeing Aishwarya and Madhuri together was a feast. They could have dominated each other had any of them been a lesser dancer. The film was about dance and pageantry. They matched each other step for step, look for look. And in terms of sheer visual feasting, I don't think a better film has been made. Yes, there have been better cinematic versions of Devdas, but this one was a casting genius. And 'Dola Re Dola'? The song is historic. It won't ever die. No one besides Madhuri and Aish could have ever done that! You can understand how powerful a dancer Aishwarya is from the way her song 'Kajra Re' turned Bunty Aur Babli's (2005) fate around. It saved the film. I was in the hall and people were sinking into their seats and suddenly when the song played, everyone woke up!
Image Source: vebiddo
During her time away from films, was Aishwarya ever in two minds about ending her sabbatical?
She was never itching or in two minds to make a comeback. She is different, she took four years off completely. She just switched off. Whatever was offered to her, she said, 'Okay, I'll tell you when I'm ready'. She has no regrets. When she was ready, she made her comeback. She didn't take that step till she felt that the child doesn't need her all the time.
Do you feel filmmakers have seldom tapped into her acting talent because they're so charmed by her beauty?
Not charmed, they are intimidated! And mind you, Aishwarya is much better looking in person than on camera. When she enters a room, everyone is just gaping. Same is the case on her sets. Directors are so much in awe of her that even when she gives a bad take, they don't ask for another one. You're not doing her a favour by doing that. Bhansali is the only one who asks for 50 and 100 takes till he gets what he's looking for. He forces her to reach inside herself and get that performance out. And it's because of this that they fight so much, but give their best with each other. She's a director's actor. You have to demand it from her. She has to look a million dollars and the performance has to be million dollars as well.
When does she intend to start your film?
That may or may not happen. You know how the industry is. There are many slips between the cup and the lip. It's a great role, I've written it for her. But she'll do it only when she's ready. She knows exactly what she wants and when. One day, I am hoping she will be ready for my film. It's not an easy role. It has a graph from 19 to 38 where she plays a mother to two kids and perhaps a divorcee, too. She knows the story backwards. If she doesn't want to make the effort for it, because it's a demanding film or because she doesn't want to look 19 or thinks she can't look 19, then she won't do it. She's mulling over it.
Is there anyone else who can play the part?
There are many people who can play the part. But I have a sentiment and I think Aishwarya has the depth to play the part. If she loses a lot of weight and starts looking like her pre-maternal self, it would be great.
Thumbnail Image Source: adroo & bollydiva
It's just been a few weeks since Aishwarya's comeback film Jazbaa released. Where do you see her going from here?
She's going to make a much bigger comeback with her next film, which is for Karan Johar (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil). She is not the normal film industry type, she never was. She's a highly motivated, extremely single-minded, professional person. She stayed away from the glitz at the peak of her career after having a child, because she decided that she was going to be a hands-on mother. She didn't ever leave Aaradhya to an aaya, her own mother or mother-in-law. She never let the child out of her sight. At the peak of your career, it takes a lot to do this. No one gives that kind of focus, love and care to a child, not even mothers who are home all the time. She just said, 'See you later, alligator'.
Aishwarya has shed postpartum weight, but is motherhood still her topmost priority?
After turning full-time mother, she did put on weight. But now that her daughter can stand on her feet, Aishwarya has begun to move around. She has that bandwidth now. Depending on the banner and the story, she made her comeback. Aishwarya is aware it won't be easy, though. Fortunately, people were waiting for her to come back, they were not indifferent. And Jazbaa was not a bad film, but the next one (ADHM) will make or break her. She's working hard for it. And if with the avatar she is in, she explodes on the screen next year, her brand value will become infinite.
Does that mean Aishwarya will be the most sought-after face for brand endorsements?
Aishwarya is playing mature parts comprising depth and beauty. If that succeeds, she'll be doing a hell lot of endorsements across the board. She's professional, exclusive and very particular about what she endorses. She's also done freebies for her pet subjects, and will continue to do so. But she has to be approached in the correct manner for that. She realises she's not just a commercial entity. She's a thinking person who happens to belong to the Hindi film industry. She's not their prototype!
Has she changed over the years as a person?
With her friends, and I'm privileged to be one, she hasn't changed. With her peers and industry people, she's formal and keeps a distance. Mr Bhansali (Sanjay Leela Bhansali) is one of those few industry people she is mighty comfortable with. And that is evident in her performances. He demands a performance from her. And he can do so if she allows him in that space of hers, which she does. And because she delivers the performance, he doesn't compromise on it. And so, her performances and looks in his films (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, 1999; Devdas, 2002; Guzaarish, 2010) are different from those in other people's films.
Subhash Ghai did come close...
Yes, in terms of looks and feel, he did come close in Taal (1999), but there's a vast difference in the emotional depth and content of her performances in Bhansali's films and Taal. She trusts Sanjay fully. Aishwarya takes very long to trust people. She's very gaugy, very careful and politically correct about what she says. She realises that the industry carries a lot of biases, and can turn against its own. And the industry doesn't forgive easily either.
What makes her so cautious?
Very few know that Aishwarya has been a topper all through her academic life. She missed being a doctor by a hairline and took up architecture. She topped the first year and then films happened. She was weighing academics and films, but the pressure led her to the latter. She didn't know anyone and could never find a mentor she could implicitly trust and work with. But she started off well with Iruvar (1997) and Mani Ratnam. He gave her a platform and impetus that no one could. The film was hugely received and I wish they had dubbed it in Hindi. It was an amazing performance. Her second film, a commercial Hindi outing (Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya, 1997) was nothing compared to that.
Aishwarya has often been criticised for the lack of depth in her performances...
As she progressed, people commented about a certain lack of depth and performance, and how she was only about beauty. But she surprised them with Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Taal. Everyone was blown away. Few people actually know that she is a Bharatanatyam exponent.
Her dancing skills were under the scanner when Madhuri Dixit and she had a face-off in Devdas...
(Cuts in) Seeing Aishwarya and Madhuri together was a feast. They could have dominated each other had any of them been a lesser dancer. The film was about dance and pageantry. They matched each other step for step, look for look. And in terms of sheer visual feasting, I don't think a better film has been made. Yes, there have been better cinematic versions of Devdas, but this one was a casting genius. And 'Dola Re Dola'? The song is historic. It won't ever die. No one besides Madhuri and Aish could have ever done that! You can understand how powerful a dancer Aishwarya is from the way her song 'Kajra Re' turned Bunty Aur Babli's (2005) fate around. It saved the film. I was in the hall and people were sinking into their seats and suddenly when the song played, everyone woke up!
During her time away from films, was Aishwarya ever in two minds about ending her sabbatical?
She was never itching or in two minds to make a comeback. She is different, she took four years off completely. She just switched off. Whatever was offered to her, she said, 'Okay, I'll tell you when I'm ready'. She has no regrets. When she was ready, she made her comeback. She didn't take that step till she felt that the child doesn't need her all the time.
Do you feel filmmakers have seldom tapped into her acting talent because they're so charmed by her beauty?
Not charmed, they are intimidated! And mind you, Aishwarya is much better looking in person than on camera. When she enters a room, everyone is just gaping. Same is the case on her sets. Directors are so much in awe of her that even when she gives a bad take, they don't ask for another one. You're not doing her a favour by doing that. Bhansali is the only one who asks for 50 and 100 takes till he gets what he's looking for. He forces her to reach inside herself and get that performance out. And it's because of this that they fight so much, but give their best with each other. She's a director's actor. You have to demand it from her. She has to look a million dollars and the performance has to be million dollars as well.
When does she intend to start your film?
That may or may not happen. You know how the industry is. There are many slips between the cup and the lip. It's a great role, I've written it for her. But she'll do it only when she's ready. She knows exactly what she wants and when. One day, I am hoping she will be ready for my film. It's not an easy role. It has a graph from 19 to 38 where she plays a mother to two kids and perhaps a divorcee, too. She knows the story backwards. If she doesn't want to make the effort for it, because it's a demanding film or because she doesn't want to look 19 or thinks she can't look 19, then she won't do it. She's mulling over it.
Is there anyone else who can play the part?
There are many people who can play the part. But I have a sentiment and I think Aishwarya has the depth to play the part. If she loses a lot of weight and starts looking like her pre-maternal self, it would be great.
Thumbnail Image Source: adroo & bollydiva
