Sukanya Verma

From the moment she stepped into the world of Hindi cinema, Aishwarya Rai was considered a big league player. This, thanks to her Miss World crown. Not relying on past merits though, the green-eyed beauty proved her mettle with a committed performance in Rahul Rawail's Aur Pyar Ho Gaya...

Although the film was a non-starter at the BO, Ash, as the beauty queen is fondly called, had arrived.

Big banners were never a problem. But both Shankar's Jeans and R K films' Aa Ab Laut Chalein sank without a trace.

But with her Scorpion determination and tenacity, Ash hit back with vengeance. Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Subhash Ghai's Taal proved to be smash hits.

Her beauty captured on celluloid made for some great viewing. Her histrionics added to that aura she managed to create for herself. Josh and Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai helped her carve a niche for herself.

Aishwarya Rai was a star. She had it all -- the look, the talent and the appeal.

But, just as the awards and the rave reviews started pouring in, Aishwarya, who was heralded as the next 'Bollywood Queen', vanished from the scene.

After her spate of successes, Aishwarya was clearly invincible. She could opt for those author backed roles, which would give her fans and the critics a taste of what she really was capable of.

Alas! For that has not been the case.

Instead, there were the eminently forgettable Albela and Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke.

Nandini (HDDCS), Mansi (Taal) or Shirley (Josh) were not in the news any longer.

All one heard was Aishwarya's escapades with alleged beau Salman Khan. The buzz was that Khan didn't approve of her doing too many films or getting overtly cosy with her co-stars. But senior film journalist Bharati S Pradhan says, "If you knew Ash personally, you would know that she's a strong woman. She won't allow terms to be dictated to her. But she's a human being and she's let her emotions take over for a while, so what!"

Professionally, Aishwarya has only a couple of big banners in hand -- Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas being the prime one.

In the third adaptation of Devdas, Ash plays Paro (played by Jamuna and Suchitra Sen in the earlier versions) opposite Shah Rukh Khan. Besides this, she has Radheshyam Seetaram and Hum Paanchi Ek Daal Ke with Sunil Shetty, which she signed over three years ago. She will also feature in the directorial debut of Ramesh Sippy's son Rohan, opposite Abhishek Bachchan.

For someone who showed tremendous promise, it's a pity that the Johars and the Barjatyas shy away from her. Aishwarya has been accused of being pricey and high handed. The result -- producers, wary of the consequences, prefer the much dependable and more viable Preity Zinta or Kariena Kapoor.

And while Ash has been lying low, contemporaries like Rani Mukherji and Preity Zinta have zoomed past. Newcomers like Kariena Kapoor and Amisha Patel now vie for the numero uno spot. This again, thanks to their excellent career strategies. Now there is another Beauty Queen in the fray -- Diya Mirza (an Ash look-a-like!?) who's trying her luck in tinsel town.

Where has Aishwarya Rai been?

The last we saw her was in a pretty pink number for a Coca-Cola commercial with Hrithik Roshan. Or did we spot her earlier in the Nakshatra diamond jewelry campaign?

With Mohabbatein completing 50 weeks, Aishwarya's face finds itself plastered all over the city. But a point must be noted: Her's was only a special appearance.

According to Pradhan, Aishwarya is waiting to strike back. "It is true that this year hasn't been exciting for her, in terms of releases. But she's going to create a huge impact with her comeback in 2002. All her clones have come and gone, but none of them were really able to match up. She has a few aces up her sleeve... firstly, there's her own production with Arjun Rampal, who's hot property today. Then she also has Devdas. Though they may be the only two big films, they're enough for her to reassert herself.

Hopefully Devdas will change Ash's fortunes. Maybe it won't. She can probably then add an extra 's', 'a' or 'r' to her name. However, there's no denying that stars like Aishwarya Rai are rare. And precious.

As Pradhan puts it, " She can't be sidetracked for long. She's the most beautiful girl the industry has ever seen. You can't wish her away that easily."

With inputs from Vivek Fernandes
Also read:
A Touch of Ash
The Aishwarya Rai interview