Aishwarya Rai was against working with ‘crook’ producer accused of being a ‘wife-beater’, but Amitabh Bachchan ‘knew him very well’: Prahlad Kakkar

Aishwarya Rai was never in favour of working with a producer accused of physical violence, as she felt very strongly about the matter, revealed ad guru Prahlad Kakkar.

By: Entertainment Desk

New Delhi | September 18, 2025 01:31 PM IST

3 min read

Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan tied the knot in 2007. (Express Archive)

Ad guru Prahlad Kakkar was supposed to make his directorial debut with a film starring Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, and featuring a narration from Amitabh Bachchan. However, the project failed to materialise for various reasons. In an interview, Prahlad described the film’s producer as a ‘crook’, and said that Aishwarya was always wary about working with him, as he had been accused of physical violence. In the same interview, Prahlad also spoke about Aishwarya herself having allegedly suffered abuse at the hands of her former partner, Salman Khan.

Chatting with journalist Vickey Lalwani, Prahlad was asked about his would-be directorial debut, and why it never took off. He said, “Because Gaurang Doshi was a crook. He wasn’t serious about making the film. Aish didn’t like him at all, because he had a reputation for being a wife-beater. She’s very clear about things like that. Abhishek felt that this guy wasn’t serious about taking it through. Eventually it fell through because he didn’t take it forward.”

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He continued, “Abhishek and Aishwarya were supposed to play the main leads, and Mr Bachchan was playing the narrator of the film. He was in negotiations with this guy, because he knew him very well. They had worked together on Aankhen. But he suddenly had to leave the country because he was asked (to appear before) the cops. And that was the end of the project. He hasn’t come back.”

The film was titled Happy Anniversary. In a 2013 interview, Prahlad described it as “a take on marriage, a funny-bitter take. It’s not dark, it’s funny, and very relatable.” Aishwarya and Abhishek have worked together on numerous films over the years, before and after they tied the knot in 2007.

In the same interview, Prahlad Kakkar also spoke about Aishwarya Rai’s own reported experience with physical violence. “The break-up was a huge relief. He was very physical with her. He was very obsessive. How do you deal with somebody who is very obsessive?” Prahlad said. Asked if Aishwarya shared some of the details of her altercations with Salman, Prahlad said, “No. But I know. I was living in the same building! He would make scenes in the foyer. He would bang his head on the wall. The relationship had ended long before it ended. It was a relief for everybody; her parents, her, everybody. She wasn’t upset about the break-up. She was upset about being completely… Everybody took Salman’s side and not hers.”

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