Since this thread deals with actresses in the western world, what better opportunity than now to explore Aishwarya Rai’s arrival as The Next Big Thing in Hollywood? Ever since Time magazine featured Ash on the cover this week, Desis and Ash worshiping foreign pageant freaks worldwide have been gasping in glee. Word is out that our very own Ash is the coveted Next Big Thing
Will Aishwarya be the next Penelope Cruz? Considering that Penelope was marketed as the’next’ Sophia Loren before she arrived here, how will the American media label the former Miss World turned Bollywood megastar? It depends. Right now, Penelope is not really famous for anything other than being on Tom Cruise’s right arm.
She was once a talented actress whose brilliance really showed more in her Spanish films, although her performances in American films like’Vanilla Sky’(2001)(based on the original Spanish version’Abre Los Ojos’ Open your eyes), ’Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’(2002), and’Blow’(2001) her best one yet as a Venezuelan coke whoe.I
t’s a must see performance* were critically acclaimed. She did good but she wasn’t like the voluptuous Sophia Loren to which she was expected to be & often compared to. On top of that, her star aura is overshadowed by her much more famous, megalomaniac of a boyfriend, Tom Cruise. So is it a Mission Impossible for Ash? The good thing is Salman Khan(megalomaniac par excellence) is out of the picture. She can work anywhere & with anyone she chooses to. She’s a free woman in a free world & for that I’m thankful.
Another imported beauty in which Aishwarya shares an affinity to is Italian actress, Monica Bellucci. Like Monica she is considered an icon to all her countrymen. Monica is hot property, as we all know. Her starring roles in big budget American films like’The Matrix’(2003) trilogy, and’Tears of the Sun’(2003), as well as critically praised performances in the French film’Irréversible’(2002), and my most favorite Monica Bellucci movie, ’Malena’(2000). One thing is sure and that would be her star is increasingly rising. Miss Bellucci sits at the throne where Sophia Loren and Juliet Binoche once were. Plus now that Catherine Zeta Jones won an Oscar and is an A-List US actress, maybe Monica will get her biggest break yet, because two factors work in her favor - One, she’s a girl with an accent. American audiences love the mystique of beautiful, foreign women with accents, and two, she’s willing to do roles that are controversial & demanding like’Irréversible’. Ash would have to do quite a lot & work with some very influential & hip directors(Are you listening Quintin Tarantino?) if she ever wants to journey into Monica’s realm of fame.
And last but not least, Salma Hayek. The impossibly gorgeous Mexican spitfire. She blazed on American screens with’Desperado’(1995) but she has long been a staple of femininity in Mexican cinema. She’s done a string of small art house films that established her as an actress that takes chances, she’s also dated Ben Afleck before Ben got with J-Lo. Since then, she was seeing super hottie Edward Norton, and is now seeing the even more FYNE Josh Lucas. Lucky gal, Salma is. And if her life couldn’t get any better, she got nominated in the 2003 Oscars for her stunning performance in’Frida’(2002). Now THAT is a tough act to follow. Are you listening, Ash? Gora boyfriends, and independent directors. Make a list, jaldi
Hollywood is a busy town, with busy, busy, people. Work ethics in the LA entertainment industry are a lot more strict than they are in the Mumbai filmi world. So if Ash is gonna run with the big dogs, then she better WORK. But I have full faith in my homegirl. People always have to put her down and say she’s all looks with no talent. I think this is unfair. Its not her fault that all she’s been offered is glam doll roles. She’s getting rave reviews by American & foreign press for her vivid performance in Chokher Bali. She is supposedly’plain jane’ in that role donning no makeup & the director, Rituprano Ghosh even insisted that she wear dark brown contact lenses to darken her beautiful green eyes.
Sadly, I find that Ash’s biggest detractors are her very own countrymen. We Indians are too hard on our stars that try to make a go in foreign lands. Look at it this way, if Ash was really a horrible actress, why is Roland Joffe, Gurinder Chadha, Robert Deniro & Meryl Streep willing to work with her?
And Why on earth would Julia Roberts, America’s biggest female star say that’Aishwarya is the most beautiful woman in the world!’ in Rolling Stones magazine?
Kyon, people? Why do we want to see our movie stars fail?
It’s because .perhaps, she is near perfect. Maybe it’s because Ash is one of the few Indian actresses we have that decided not to exploit her body wearing the least bit of clothes like today’s bimbos, Lara Dutta, Priyanka Chopra, Mallika Sherawat, Celina Jaitley, Neha Dhupia, and Bipasha Basu.
*Here is this week’s Time magazine exposé on the future of Bollywood. There’s an Ash interview & even a Ram Gopal Varma interview. Aamir Khan gets interviewed in it. as well->>
https://time.com/time/asia/covers/501031027/*
I believe that Ash can come out the winner no matter what. She has the ability to be a survivor. After all, she’s a Scorpio. So are Julia Roberts, Demi Moore, and the late, great Katherine Hepburn. The key is versatility. Great actresses are not only known for the variety of roles they play, but also on HOW WELL they PLAY them. And in Hollywood, it’s all about playing the game in a focused & determined way. Good luck, Ash. I hope you bask in the warm California sun(with 50 SPF sunblock, of course & a hot oil conditioning head wrap) and hire yourself a trainer because even 40 year olds like Demi Moore have flat, muscled abs in Hollywood(how else can she keep up with her 25 year old boyfriend, Ashton Kutcher?). Better start now at 29 so you won’t have to worry about it when you’re Halle Berry’s age(37) which, incidentally, looks HOT for a 37 year old. Go Halle:) Oh and Ash, please don’t ever do anything you don’t feel comfortable with and finally, please don’t forget to smile. WE LOVE YOU!