Provoked, the movie deals with a very serious issue and portraying the character of Kiranjit Ahluwalia needs great skill. No doubt, it was a challenging job for Aishwarya Rai but as an actress, she never confined herself in commercial movies. Along with typical Hindi commercial movies, she has done other kinds of movies like Raincoat and Chokher Bali.
For this movie, the main problem was that she is one of the most beautiful actresses of Indian cinema. Her cuteness does not suit the role of a battered wife. Still, she showed great interest after director Jagmohan Mundhra described her the character. She even cleared her former commitments by May 2005. I am quoting from the report published in Telegraph:
"It was Aishwarya who asked to see me," said Mundhra, who knows he will be accused by some of turning a serious issue into "cheap entertainment". "I related the storyline to her on March 8 last year. She said she would clear her diary and we were on the set by May 6."
Now, the million dollar question is why Aishwarya chose the role? Among many speculations, the major one is that her personal turmoil with Bollywood actor Salman Khan. Rumor has it that Salman Khan physically abused Aishwarya. After her appearance in an award show with a spotted eye, many people suspected it. In the beginning, Aishwarya Rai did not admit but later she admitted. One night Salman Khan even came into Aishwarya Rai’s apartment and threatened her family. Aishwarya Rai was far more fortunate than Kiranjit that her suffering was temporary. Still, she carries those scars and she understands what it feels to be abused.
No matter what media says, Aishwarya Rai has given a thumbs up performance in the movie. The critics liked it, and the audience has appreciated the movie. At the end of the day, I have to say Aishwarya Rai you ROCK!!!
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