Aishwarya Rai Bachchan appeared in several English language movies in 2000’s like the The Mistress of Spices, Bride & Prejudice,Provoked, The Last Legion and The Pink Panther 2. Along with these movies, Aishwarya Rai had a brilliant opportunity to star in Troy, in 2004.
Brad Pitt told IANS “Given a chance, I would like to work with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, because she’s a versatile actor. She is one of the most popular actresses of Bollywood, who has achieved huge acclaim in the west for her style, beauty and acting. I think we missed an opportunity to be cast together for Troy.”
Troy was not the only movie that Aishwarya had turned down, she has also turned down Hitch, Seven Pounds and Tonight He Comes. In a 2008 interview to IANS, she said that she did not turn down the film because she wanted to celebrate Karwa Chauth back home. “That’s what they wrote in the US press… that I preferred to return to Mumbai to ‘starve’ myself for a religious occasion than to meet Smith for the film. That’s completely incorrect. “The script reading for The Seven Pounds was just after Diwali when Dadimaa (Teji Bachchan)’s health dipped drastically. So I didn’t make that trip out to LA for the reading session with Will. Is that wrong? Not to me. I’d any day put family over career.” About turning down Tonight He Comes, she had said, “That’s true. I had to say no to Will for Tonight He Comes. I feel awful about it, but I’ve my priorities very straight. Yes, family always comes first.” she had said
Even Will Smith expressed regret when Aishwarya Rai turned down a project with him. He says “I really wanted to work with her… She has this powerful energy where she doesn’t have to say anything, do anything, she can just stand there. Anything she’s making, I’ll be there.”
