When Aishwarya Rai Bachchan reflected on her early days in Tamil cinema: ‘I wasn’t made to feel like an outsider’

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Aishwarya Rai further reflected on the seamless transition from Iruvar to Jeans, crediting the team for making her journey smoother. “I think this was the best unit I could progress to, having come from Iruvar’s unit, having come from there into Jeans, this was definitely a growing experience and extremely satisfying as an artiste. I have Shankar and the entire unit of Jeans to thank immensely, for one, making me feel so comfortable in Tamil and having helped me gain so much confidence, which I wasn’t all there with yet, having done only one film before. So for this, I have them to thank. And of course, even the entire cast of Jeans. And the role given to me, again, I have to thank them for that, because it is well-rounded, it is complete, it has got both facets of the girl who I probably am, so it helped me interpret the character beautifully.”

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Jeans went on to become a major commercial success and was notable for being the most expensive Indian film at the time. It also showcased Aishwarya’s versatility and was chosen as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards in 1998.