Ash back on Bollywood screens after 18 months

Aishwarya Rai will be seen in the Hollywood film Pink Panther 2 which comes to India in the summer. But Ash isn't the lead actress in it. So how long will fans of her Bollywood films have to wait to see the beauty set the screen on fire again?

Ash had two releases in 2008: Jodhaa Akbar and Sarkar Raj. Both the films did well at the box office and Ash's performance was appreciated in both. Jodhaa Akbar released in February while Sarkar Raj released in June 2008. Ash, who is currently in New York for the premiere of Pink Panther 2, will return to India after a fortnight to resume filming for Mani Ratnam's Raavan.

Mani Ratnam's Raavan which is set to release at the end of 2009 is most likely to be Ash's next Hindi release after Sarkar Raj in June 2008. The film also stars Abhishek Bachchan, Vikram, Govinda and Manisha Koirala. The film is a modern day re-telling of the Ramayana. Ash will play Sita, a contemporary accomplished Carnatic musician while Vikram is Rama and Abhishek is Raavan. Ash is also shooting for the Tamil version of the film, Ashokavanam, which will release at the same time as Raavan. Both the films have been shot in the interiors of South India.

After Raavan and Ashokavanam, Ash's next release is Shankar's sci-fi special-effects laden thriller Endhiran with Rajnikanth. The film has been shot in the exotic locales of Peru and Brazil in South America and Goa in India. Ash will be seen in colourful costumes in this film. The plot of the film revolves around Ash and Rajnikanth who is a couple. The twist in the story is that Rajnikanth invents a robot called Endhiran who also falls in love with Ash. The film will release in April 2010.

By the time the films release, Ash's Indian fans would have waited for well over a year to see their favourite actress back on their Bollywood screen again.

Abhi on a weight loss spree

Raavan happens to be Abhishek Bachchan’s third movie with Mani Ratnam. And the actor seems to go that extra mile for the moviemaker everytime.

In both Yuva and Guru, he worked hard to achieve the perfect look for the character. Abhishek’s role in the films was quite appreciated, so we guess all that work did pay off.

And now, the actor is at it again. For his role in Raavan, Abhishek is on a strict diet and has been travelling, shooting for the movie, along with a personal trainer, Sameer Jora.

A source tells us, “Abhishek is on a no carb diet. And he’s made sure that if he won’t have carbs then other people in the unit won’t either. So he doesn’t let anyone have any sweets. But, he did eat a ladoo on the sly once.”

Tight schedule for Ash in 2009

It is going to be a very busy year for Aishwarya Rai. She not only has Mani Ratnam's gruelling "Ravan" with husband Abhishek Bachchan to complete, she also begins work on Sanjay Leela Bhansali's next movie, with Hrithik Roshan, to be shot in Goa.

But before that she goes into filmmaker Vipul Shah's next film with Akshay Kumar in the lead. Both Vipul and Akshay, who are co-producing the film, were very keen to get Aishwarya for what they describe as a genre-breaking drama.

Aishwarya has also signed up Excel Entertainment's untitled thriller to be directed by Abhinay Deo, who is currently busy shooting his directorial debut "Delhi Belly".

For the film, Aishwarya will once again team up with hubby Abhishek.

Confirming the news, Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment said: "It would be a very stylish thriller to be shot entirely in Greece, Thailand, Istanbul and London.

"My director Abhinay Deo and I want a particular look for the film. We're trying to get the DOP (director of photography) of the new Nike international commercial. If not, there's Jason West who shot our 'Rock On!'. He can capture that subtle sleek look which the subject demands. We want the film's visual quality to be something never experienced by our audience."

The film would be Aishwarya's second with Abhishek after "Ravan".