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The Bachchans seemed to have mastered the art of combining business with pleasure, what with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who is in New York to attend the premiere of her latest international film, Pink Panther 2, having hubby, Abhishek for company. The Bachchans will also be bringing in Abhishek's birthday (February 5) there.
Aishwarya said, "We have a series of premieres lined up beginning with the one in New York on February 3. From there, it's a crazy whirlwind trip that will take me to several countries and continents from Paris to Berlin to Moscow to Madrid. Abhishek is with me in New York. But he won't be able to accompany me for my other premieres because he has to be in India for the promotion of Delhi 6. The final destination of my 15-day trip will take me to the screening of the film at the Berlin film festival. Then I get back to resume Mani Ratnam's film."
However, Aishwarya's big day on the international platform is gloomy. A section of the press has been writing about how minuscule Aishwarya's role is in Pink Panther 2. Aishwarya reasoned, "It's a bit silly and exhausting to even talk about the length of my role based on what is seen in the trailers. Did anyone question my role in Khakee, when there was only one shot of me in the promo? Isn't that a very myopic view of contemporary acting? And I thought I had transcended this footage fetish in my first film Iruvar (1997)."
Aishwarya makes it crystal clear that footage is not a burning issue for her. She elaborated, "The choices I have made in my career aren't just about footage but an opportunity to work with actors, directors and technicians who enrich my life. I didn't work in Pink Panther 2 only because it was an international project. It was a wonderful experience working with a stalwart like Steve Martin and the rest of the cast and crew.
Of course, Pink Panther is a Steve Martin vehicle. Is that s o m e - thing to question? All the rest of the wonderful cast including Jean Reno and Andy Garcia play supporting roles. I treasure the experience of working in Pink Panther 2. Why spoil it by questioning how much footage I have? So many Indian actors have worked in international ensemble casts."
Jodha Akbar
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