- Aishwarya Rai's career is closely linked to director Mani Ratnam's films
- Brinda Master choreographed Aishwarya for the song Kannai Kattikolathey in Iruvar
- Aishwarya performed a challenging early morning shoot at 5 a.m. for Iruvar
Aishwarya Rai's career owes much to Mani Ratnam. From her debut film Iruvar to the Hindi film Guru, their collaboration has grown stronger with each project as the director explores the actor, highlighting her physical grace and acting prowess.
Choreographer and director Brinda Master, who has worked on Mani Ratnam films, shared her experience working with Aishwarya Rai in a conversation with O2India.
Reflecting on choreographing Aishwarya Rai for the song "Kannai Kattikolathey" in Iruvar, Brinda Master recalled how Aishwarya shot the song at 5 a.m. and "killed it."
"I still remember that one music piece—she just killed it. She came for the rehearsal, and I even dropped her back at the hotel; I was taking care of her. Then, when she came to the set, Mani Ratnam had scheduled the shot for 5 o'clock in the morning. It was still dark. She had to get up and get ready. She said, 'Aiyo, aiyo,' in Tamil: 'I am going to die. Oh my God, you people are torturing me like this.' But that one bit, that one music piece, that one shot—the way she performed! She is a fabulous dancer. All the boys, even Mohanlal, couldn't look anywhere else but at her," Brinda recalled.
Brinda Master also recalled her very first meeting with Aishwarya, way before she won the Miss World title.
"I met Aishwarya when I was performing at Filmfare. At that time, she wasn't even Miss World yet, I think. She had done an ad—the Pepsi ad—and all the boys were crazy about her. When we were rehearsing at Filmfare, she was still a model. She came to me and said, 'You danced very well.' I don't know whether she remembers. She said, 'You danced very well.' I was so happy. All the guys were feeling jealous: 'Oh, master, she praised you. She wasn't even looking at us,'" Brinda recalled.
About Iruvar
The film, inspired by the lives of M.G. Ramachandran, M. Karunanidhi, and J. Jayalalithaa, is set against the backdrop of cinema and politics in Tamil Nadu.
It stars Mohanlal with an ensemble supporting cast including Prakash Raj, Aishwarya Rai, Revathi, Gautami, Tabu, and Nassar.
The high-budget film featured an original soundtrack composed by A.R. Rahman, with cinematography by Santosh Sivan.