Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, whose last release was Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016), will be seen as a pop star in Fanney Khan. While Anil Kapoor plays the lead role, it’s obvious from the trailer that he and Ash are not paired opposite each other. In fact, in the film, Anil’s daughter is an aspiring singer who’s shamed for her weight as well as physical appearance and looks up to her.
Although the light-eyed beauty was seen quite a bit in the trailer, apparently, she has limited screen time. Our source reveals, “Aishwarya has a short but interesting role in the movie. She’s barely in it for around 15-20 minutes, so it’s a special appearance. She shot for around 12-13 days with Anil and Rajkummar Rao. Two songs — a dance number and a love track — have been filmed on her.”
In Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, too, Ash’s role was of a similar length. “When Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and director Atul Manjrekar narrated the script to her, she was drawn to it because of the theme of fat shaming, which she feels, needs to be addressed,” our source informs.
Last time, we spoke to her, she had dropped hints about the same. She had told us, “I’m doing Fanney Khan because I like the larger idea. There’s a girl who looks up to this pop star, who is played by me. But sometimes, when we idolise someone, we forget that they, too, are real people. We shouldn’t judge them for their appearance. It’s frivolous. It’s important for me to come out and speak about such issues.”
Talking about the kind of roles she has picked, she had said, “I don’t care if it’s a character, a leading lady or a glamorous part. People forget I did Iruvar (1997) right at the beginning of my career. I played Shah Rukh (Khan)’s sister in our first film together (Josh, 2000). I never had any issues.”
