Aish to share the red carpet this time

Earlier it was mentioned that actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and sizzling diva Sonam Kapoor were to walk the Cannes red carpet together, but the two ladies had a fight between them, and had also patched up soon and will be seen on the French Riviera this year along with another Indian babe, Freida Pinto. Aishwarya Rai who will finish a decade of demonstrating cosmetics brand L’Oreal at the most esteemed film festival this year was happy enough to have such amazing company.

Various countries have always had more than one presenter at Cannes and the actress feels pleased that India is at last getting the same position. The actress is happy that with Sonam Kapoor and Freida Pinto, being invited to the festival. In 2009, just days after Sonam Kapoor declared that she will be walking the Cannes red carpet as a L’Oreal spokeswoman, the company had announced it later. It was revealed that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was the strength behind the verdict and the younger divas had reacted by calling Aishwarya an aunt in open. It was learnt that Abhishek Bachchan engineered a treaty between his wife and Sonam Kapoor during a shooting schedule in New Zealand. Sonam Kapoor though flatly refuses the rumours saying that Aishwarya has always been nice to her.

And that they both studied at the same school and Aishwarya too worked with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam early in her career. And then there’s L’Oreal Paris, which was one of Bachchan bahu’s first endorsements too. She’s a sweet and personified human being and her hubby Abhishek Bachchan is an actor with whom Sonam have an quick action reaction. Sonam is still to pick out her dress for her maiden Cannes day out but assures to pull out all the ends to ensure a sizzling debut on the international red carpet. Sonam Kapoor has yet to get the journey so she has no idea what proceedings have been lined up for her in coming future. The actress stated that she’s never been to Cannes before so she is now looking forward to explore well.

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Aish enters Hollywood again

There’s a strong gupshup going on in the Bollywood film fraternity that the bold and the beautiful actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is set to do a film with Hollywood comedian Ben Stiller soon. Aishwarya Rai, who has worked with a number of international figures, had also did a photoshoot with Hollywood actress Kate Winslet recently…


On the other hand, actress Sonam Kapoor was said to be under consideration for a similar project with Ben Stiller. But she hasn’t signed on the dotted line yet. So, Aish will be seen in Hollywood films again.

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Sonam and Ash ‘s Controversy

Delhi 6 actress Sonam Kapoor called Mrs. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ‘Aunty’ which turned into big controversy because Ash worked with her father Anil Kapoor in the movie. But in media Sonam said that this issue has become very messy and she doesn’t want to discuss about this topic

Sonam has worked with Ash’s husband in Delhi 6 and she said Abhishek is her very good friend and she respect both Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan a lot. She added that she always respect Aishwarya and never have intention to hurt her. Because of this dirty controversy Sonam miss Cannes Film Festival as the face of L’Oreal in India.

Before Sonam, Aishwarya Rai was the face of L’Oreal but Ash said Sonam is young, charming girl and would be more appealing to the aged women. She said that Sonam doesn’t want to wank with Penelope Cruz, Kerry Washington and other famous personalities on the Cannes Red Carpet.

Ash-Sonam Controversy

Since the day, the two have been part of the same cosmetic brand Loreal.And since then, the Aishwarya Bachchan – Sonam Kapoor controversy refuses to die down too.

Both Ash and Sonam seem to be in no mood of calling it quits from the war of words. Just a few weeks back Sonam had taken a dig at Aishwarya by calling her 'Aunty Ji' as she had starred with her dad Anil Kapoor. Now, Aishwarya has hit back at her by calling her just another junior actress.

While inaugurating a beauty school for the cosmetic giant L'Oreal Aishwarya said that the issue had been blown up by the media. Aishwarya also said that there was no competition between her and Sonam and as the Saawariya girl was just another junior actress. She added that nowhere seniors need to compete with their juniors to prove themselves.

Sonam and Aishwarya have been engaged in a war of words ever since L'Oreal had chosen Sonam as the young face of their brand. Sonam had stated that she was the young face while Ash represented the older one.

Ash did not take this dig at her age kindly and made sure Sonam missed the opportunity to walk the Red Carpet with other beauties of the world during the Cannes Film Festival.

Sonam is just another junior actress says Aishwarya

The war of words between Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor still seems to be going strong. A few weeks back, Sonam Kapoor had apparently offended Aishwarya by calling her `Aunty ji`. And now, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has hit back at her by calling her ‘

Image by SpreePiX - Berlin via Flickr

just another junior actress’.

According to the news, while inaugurating a beauty school for the cosmetic giant L`Oreal, Aishwarya said that the issue has been blown up by the media. Ash also mentioned that there was no competition between her and Sonam Kapoor as she was ‘just another junior actress’ and there isn’t a need for seniors to compete with the juniors to prove themselves.

Both the actresses have not been on positive terms ever since Sonam became the young face of cosmetic giant L`Oreal, while Aishwarya Rai Bachchan represented older women for the same brand. Aishwarya will be seen in Action Replay with bollywood king Akshay Kumar.

Ash faces Competition from Young gals

Image via Wikipedia

It is no ordinary competition. One is a one film wonder and other an iconic star actress. Other two films old. Slumdog-sweetheart Freida Pinto, Aishwarya Rai and Sonam Kapoor are inadvertently crossing paths.

Brand Endorsement is a big source of income for bollywood actors and they leave no stone unturned to bag more of them.

It is being said that a big brand that has Ash representing them overseas and Sonam in the Indian market, is also signing Freida Pinto as another of their international models. If this is true, then Freida will be walking the red carpet at all major international film festivals next year with Aishwarya.

Freida has also bagged films with Hollywood biggies Julian Schnabel and Woody Allen and is also expected to be on the jury of some of the biggest film festivals in 2010. Sonam on the other hand may be the face of yet another watch brand for the Indian market.

Aishwarya revived lost friendships

Karan Johar’s birthday bash turned out to be an occasion for Bollywood’s many warring factions to congregate and iron out their differences. It’s not everyday one sees the likes of Ash, Abhishek Bachchan , Shahrukh Khan , Vivek Oberoi , Kareena Kapoor , Karisma Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor under the same roof.

Aishwarya and Shahrukh Khan’s cold war is legendary. It began in those days when she was dropped from Chalte Chalte after her feud with Salman spilled over on the film’s sets. Since then, Ash and SRK hadn’t been on talking terms. But K-Jo’s birthday was an occasion to make peace. Not only did Ash and SRK bond once again, reports say SRK apologized to Ash for having wronged her.

However, one of the most surprising patch-up at the bash was between the Bachchans and the Kapoors. We all know how cold the Bachchans have been towards the Kapoors ever since Abhishek’s broken engagement with Karishma. And on Karan Johar’s birthday party, Aishwarya and Kareena Kapoor bonded like pakki sahelis. They chatted, laughed, and even danced together. Abhishek Bachchan, too, rekindled his lost friendship with Kareena Kapoor.

At the party, Aishwarya also met Sonam Kapoor and reportedly chatted with her about the recent Cannes controversy. Vivek Oberoi also came to the party, but kept at a distance from Ash. Salman Khan was invited but did not turn up. Many hatchets were buried deep at Karan Johar’s birthday earlier this week.

Aish has no right to crush Sonam’s dream

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has no right to crush Sonam Kapoor’s dream. There should be healthy rivalry always. Actually, Aishwarya Rai didn’t like the idea of Sonam Kapoor becoming the brand ambassador of L’Oreal.

At the same time, Sonam Kapoor accidentally said some words, which went against Aishwarya. Meanwhile, L’Oreal has rejected these “rumors”. L’Oreal says, “It was company’s decision not to send Sonam Kapoor to the Cannes Film Festival. There would be a lot more chances for Sonam to attend Film Festivals in Europe.”

L’Oreal has tried to clear the mess in its statement, but I think, it’s Aishwarya Rai only, who pressurized the company not to send Sonam to the Cannes. Anyhow, it’s not fair.

It was meant to be an event where L’Oreal would shine in all its light as apart from Ash, Eva and Michelle, the star of the film, Penelope Cruz was also going to be at the premiere.

Still, the truth has to come out and whatever it might be, Aishwarya would stay in the tinsel town for a few years as the leading lady, but Sonam Kapoor has more time. She’s here to stay for a long time. So there must not be any rivalry between the two stars.

Aishwarya Rai and Sonam Kapoor fights at Cannes

When it comes to Aishwarya Rai, Cannes and controversy go hand-in-hand. While Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is at Cannes year after year in her capacity as the international brand ambassador for a cosmetic giant, Sonam Kapoor was added to the list of ambassadors this year and promised by the company that she would be walking the croisette in the company of the dream team of Aishwarya, Eva Longoria and Michelle Yeoh.

“Being on the same platform as Aishwarya, for me, is a big deal in itself." However when Aishwarya, who considers Cannes her turf, found out that she would be sharing limelight with Sonam she was hopping mad.

Aishwarya Rai's deal with the company is clear: she is the international face while Sonam would represent the Indian face. Faced with Aishwarya’s determined stand the company had no option but to inform that she would no longer be walking the red carpet in Cannes during the premiere of Pedro Almodovar’s latest film Broken Embraces starring Penelope Cruz, another ambassador for the brand.

Vismay Shama, India head of the brand, refused to throw light on the matter. He said, “We will release an official statement afterwards. Till then you will have to wait.”

But sources confirm that the young actress Sonam Kapoor, who starred with Abhishek Bachchan in Dilli 6, is crushed at the missed opportunity. Faced with Aishwarya's determined stand the company had no option but to inform Sonam that she would no longer be walking the red carpet in Cannes.

Queen of Endorsements

Abhishek Bachchan (via last.fm)

Ashwairya Rai Bachchan may have given up as the face of big brands like Coca-Cola, Loreal Skin Whitening Cream and Nakshatra Diamond jewellery in India, but Aishwarya Rai is still riding high on successful and long-standing International endorsements.

Aishwarya has completed nearly a decade of endorsing Swiss luxury watch brand Longines and Iternational soap Lux. She has also been the brand ambassador of global haircare brand L'Oreal since 2003.

Aishwarya was never a big or major endorser of Indian products. She has an impressive list of international brands to her name and that's because she is not just an actress who can be judged on hits and flops, but the fact that she is a representative of the Indian woman and is an ambassador of the country.Even representatives of the brands that Aishwarya endorses feel she adds a new dimension to their products.


Let's explore the reasons why is Ash so big a brand herself...People across the world love Bollywood films and they go housefull. Wherever we have travelled (with Aishwarya) the response has been overwhelming. She is a global face and we would like to continue this association as long as possible. For Aishwarya, who has made her presence felt internationally through English language films like 'Bride and Prejudice', 'Mistress of Spices', 'Provoked' and 'Pink Panther 2', signing films and endorsements has been a very selective affair. Noted ad-man Prahlad Kakkar says Aishwarya is sought by well-known brands because she is more than just an actress and is often perceived as an ambassador of India.



Katrina is shining but Ash never fades away from scene!!!

A lot had been said about Aishwarya's dipping popularity as Bollywood's reigning endorsement queen when 24-year-old Katrina Kaif replaced her as the face of Nakshatra jewellery last year. And speculation was rife about the reason behind the replacement, with some saying that Katrina was roped in to add more youthfullness to the brand. But it was apparently Aishwarya who decided to dissociate herself from the brand.There was a lot of buzz when Katrina stepped in as the brand ambassador for Nakshatra. But it wasn't that Aishwarya was dethroned, because the brand was branching out into different accessories.Ash had earlier signed De Beers for their brand Nakshatra. Later De Beers sold this brand to the Gitanjali group and they started branching out into accessories like hairbands, clips, etc. That's when she decided to disassociate herself from the brand and later it went to Katrina.

When she was approached to promote L'Oreal's skin whitening cream, the beauty queen-turned-actress refused as she didn't want to endorse such a product especially in India, where one's skin colour is an issue.Then was it passed on to Sonam Kapoor.

Aishwarya, who celebrated her second wedding anniversary with actor husband Abhishek Bachchan /a>on April 20th, also had personal reasons to withdraw her association with Coca-Cola, one of the biggest brands she was endorsing in India. Aishwarya was never asked to leave endorsing a product, it was always her own decision. When she left Coca-Cola, it was a decision taken only after she was going to marry Abhishek because the Bachchans no longer believe in promoting and endorsing aerated drinks.

Whether it is films or endorsements, She is and will be very selective about her work. She take up work which suits her and fits in her schedule. Aishwarya is definite on this.Aishwarya taking home whopping Rs.1 billion from advertising assignments annually...we can't assert more that she is the Queen of Endorsements.

Ashwairya's down slide on endorsements front

Ashwairya Rai Bachchan ,Ashwairya Rai ,Ashwairya, Ash, Katrina
Kaif, Sonam Kapoor, Nakhshatra Jewellary, Loreal's fairness
cream,Kareena Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Asin , Fairever Fruit,
Mirinda. Genelia, Fair and Lovely , Rani, Preity Zinta, Fanta ,
Cadbury Perk


Brand wars is certainly the newest thing among bollywood heroines
today, as the female leads have been vying with each other to clinch
international brand contracts. If Ash turned down Loreal's fairness
cream, Sonam Kapoor got it.

So what if brands think Aishwarya Rai is too old to be a youth icon?
With more companies looking for newer models with a greater reach to
sell their product, it's offers pouring in for young and hot actresses
in the country today.


Endorsements are not a competition. Nobody loses an endorsement. It is
just that sometimes the technicalities don't work out between the
endorser and the brand. At the end of the day, an endorser is asked to
endorse a product because one's image looks best suited to the brand.

This is the second time this year that Katrina has overtaken Aishwarya
in terms of popularity and endorsements. Earlier, Katrina replaced her
as the Bollywood star with the maximum number of downloads and
searches on the Internet

What’s more interesting is the big bucks that the brand has offered to
get Katrina on-board. According to sources, the amount paid to Kat is
much more than what was offered to Ash when she was signed in 2004.
With this deal in her kitty, the 24-year-old babe has become one of
the strongest contenders for being in top three slots as far as
endorsement deals are concerned.



The other beauties ruling the charts are bootylicious Kareena Kapoor
and Deepika Padukone, who have been grabbing on a variety of deals
right, left and centre. And Asin has now become brand ambassador for
Fairever Fruit and Mirinda. Genelia, it may be recalled, endorsed Fair
and Lovely in the early days of her career and has now replaced Rani
and Preity Zinta as Fanta and Cadbury Perk's brand ambassadors.

Ash shares comfort zone with all actors

They are the hottest real-life couple and have worked together in an array of movies from long. They shared screen-space for the first time
in Dhai Akshar Prem Ke and went to do many more till Guru. Post-marriage, they are doing some three movies together and thus rumors that Ash now only wants to work with her husband, were near to true.

But, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has come out and frankly admitted that she is happy to work with any actor.

Well, we know that isn't true too, and that there is a long list of actors and actresses she will never work with. There is of course Salman Khan and Shah Rukh topping the list, and according the latest buzz, she recently refused to do a commercial with Sonam Kapoor.

Ash did say that she is happy working with Abhishek together on screen, as she loves working with him. Currently, the duo are shooting for Mani Ratnam's Ravana.

As of now Ash has made her point as she will be seen opposite Hrithik in an Sanjay Leela Bhansali titled Guzarish and also opposite Akshay Kumar in a Vipul Shah film. The film opposite Akki may be titled Action Replay and it is the story of a man ageing backwards. Have we heard that somewhere recently?

On a more romantic note, Ash said it was difficult for her to see Abhishek die in the last scene of Sarkar Raaj, even if it is just on screen.

Well, the two are very much in love…no points for guessing on that!!!