Why Brinda Master questioned Mani Ratnam over Aishwarya Rai’s role in Ponniyin Selvan: ‘I was feeling extremely bad’

Speaking to O2India, Brinda said, “There were no songs for Aishwarya Rai in both PS-1 and PS-2. I was feeling extremely bad about it. I even asked Mani sir why Aishwarya didn’t have a song in the film, because she is such a great dancer. I couldn’t meet her during the shoot, but people told me that for each role she would come fully prepared. Since it was a period drama in Tamil, she would always do her homework before arriving on set.”

Brinda eventually met Aishwarya at a party after the shoot had wrapped, and the moment left a lasting impression on her.

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“I finally met her at a party once the film was over. She was there with her daughter Aaradhya Bachchan. Aishwarya introduced me to her and said, ‘She was my first choreographer as an actor.’ I was so surprised because I thought she might have forgotten me or changed as a person over the years. But she was exactly the same as I had always known her,” Brinda recalled.

She added that Aishwarya’s screen presence made her the perfect choice for the character of Nandini in Ponniyin Selvan. “She is so beautiful that you simply cannot imagine anyone else playing Nandini,” she said.

Brinda also remembered working with the actor on the film Kandukondain Kandukondain and praised her quick grasp of choreography and dedication to her craft.

“We had just one day to shoot a song for the film. Aishwarya couldn’t attend the rehearsals and came directly to the shoot. But she picked up the steps so quickly and performed them with perfection. Only she could do that,” Brinda said.

Praising her further, the choreographer added that Aishwarya’s attention to detail makes a huge difference during filming. “She practises every word of every song in every language so carefully. That makes it so much easier for editors to match the lip-sync later. She is extremely beautiful and incredibly dedicated. I can keep praising her.”