MUMBAI: As she readies for the release of her film Umrao Jaan, actress Aishwarya Rai on Thursday dismissed any comparison between her performance in the movie and that of Rekha in the original version by Muzaffar Ali.
"Comparisons have been made up by the media. But when I went to shoot the movie, I went with a clean slate of mind. I only followed the instructions given to me by my director," Rai said.
Asked whether she had drawn inspiration from Rekha's portrayal of the central character, Rai said "having watched the movie on television and the songs being part of film folklore, I did have a visual image of the character. But as far as content was concerned, I went in with a clean slate".
Terming the role as an "educating experience," she said "as someone who takes great pride in Indian culture, it was a great experience to learn about the kind of language, clothes and lifestyle that was prevalent in the times that the story is based in. It gave me a new insight into our culture."
The movie, which also stars Abhishek Bachchan and Shabana Azmi, will be released on November 3.
Asked why she and Abhishek had not been seen at promotional events together, she said "it is merely because of our schedules. There is no other reason."
| Aishwarya Rai (top) and Rekha |
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