Aishwarya makes a flying visit to IIFA

Dubai, June 15: Bollywood actor Aishwarya Rai made a flying visit to Dubai on the first day of the IIFA Weekend attending the premiers of her forthcoming film ''Provoked'' and showcasing her next venture ''Umrao Jaan'' directed by J P Dutta which will be released soon.

She said she was visiting Dubai after ten years.

The premiere last night was attended by Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan with wife Jaya, Hrithik Roshan, A R Rehman and Aishwarya herself at the Grand Cineplex. The press conference for ''Umrao Jaan'' was held later in the night after which Ash flew out to Chennai to participate in the shooting of Maniratnam's ''Guru''.

''I am thankful to Mani Ratnam for giving me a day off to attend the premiere of my film,'' Aishwarya said.

Jag Mundhra's ''Provoked'' was screened at Cannes Film Festival last month. Aishwarya plays Kiranjit Ahluwalia, the battered Punjabi woman in U K who killed her husband in 1989. While in the J P Dutta's film, she plays the protagonist Umrao Jaan.

After Taj Mahal and Mughal-e-Azam, J P Dutta's Umrao Jaan may be released in Pakistan too. When asked about the prospect of the film releasing in Pakistan, Mr Dutta said he had received inquiries from there. ''My father was born in a village near Lahore. It would be befitting to him to have Umrao Jaan scripted by him releasing in that country,'' he added.

Speaking to mediapersons, Aishwarya said it was through the medium of cinema that she got to experience lives of different characters. ''For me, it is important to be the character rather than think of whether the role is glamorous or de-glamourised'', she said.

Talking about ''Provoked'', Aishwarya said it was an important film for her as it was based on a real life character suffering at the hands of her husband.

''We were conscious of the responsibility of telling a true story.

We as actors are ready to be criticised, written about and analysed and it was a way of life for us. But not for Kiranjit. It was important for us that she feels comfortable with the fact of telling her story to the world. I was overwhelmed when after the Cannes screening where she was present, she commented saying that she felt she was re-living her life while watching the film'', Aishwarya said.

When asked about her co-actors, she said she had worked with Naveen Andrews who plays her husband, in 'Bride and Prejudice'. ''We were familiar with each other while enacting scenes in 'Provoked.' Similarly, Nandita Das was a faboulous actress and I am glad I discovered her as a person too. It is important for actors to click as professionals which shows on screen as well,'' she said.

Aishwarya said director Jag Mundhra had done a commendable job by striking a fine balance between the language of cinema and documenting a true story. Set in London, 'Provoked' is the traumatic story of Kiranjit , a battered housewife and mother of two children.

Unable to bear the brutality of her alcoholic husband, she takes revenge by setting him on fire. Charged with first degree murder, Kiranjit is sentenced to life imprisonment. While in prison she befriends her cellmate a wealthy woman Veronica Scott who helps her in the re-trial.

When asked why he was making 'Umrao Jaan' with Aishwarya when the film starring Rekha had won a national award and critical acclaim, J P Dutta said 'Umrao Jaan' has been made thrice earlier and 'Devdas' 11 times in Indian cinema.

'The novel is the same and it is upto the director to perceive the novel and interpret it. The story remains the same but the adaptation is different keeping with generational changes'', he added.

Mr Dutta said his father O P Dutta had written the script of 'Umrao Jaan' way back in 1952 and started the film starring Nimmi.

But he shelved it because there was another film titled 'Zindagi Aur Toofan' based on the life of Umrao Jaan. Shabana Azmi who plays Umrao Jaan's mother, a role played by her own mother Shaukat Azmi in Rekha's film, says J P Dutta's film is in the mainstream cinema mould. ''It is the epitomy of ada and pure classical dance form'', she said.

When asked whether she was unnerved playing a role already immortalized by Rekha, Aishwarya said she was not unnerved. ''I was asked this same question during Devdas. Films are made on individual perception'', she added.

J P Dutta said he has made films on guns and violence all his life. ''My journey in life has been very painful and that has been reflected in my films. Romance is the last thing I can think about while making films. Now, I am making 'Umrao Jaan' which is a romantic film because of my father who said Umrao Jaan was his favourite character in Urdu literature and wanted it to be portrayed perfectly. He felt only Aishwarya Rai could do justice to the role'', he added.

UNI