Aishwarya Rai, one of the biggest stars in India and often considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, is set to breakthrough as a huge star in America and around the world with Columbia Pictures’ uproarious comedy “The Pink Panther 2.” The Bollywood superstar joins the film’s international cast, led by lead actor Steve Martin.
“The Pink Panther 2,” the sequel to the 2006 worldwide hit, brings back intrepid-if-bumbling French police detective, Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Martin). When legendary treasures from around the world are stolen, including the priceless Pink Panther Diamond, Chief Inspector Dreyfus (John Cleese) is forced to assign Clouseau to a team of international detectives and experts charged with catching the thief and retrieving the stolen artifacts.
Rai plays Sonia, the surprise addition to the dream team as an intriguing expert on the life of master thief known only as The Tornado, the number one suspect in the high-stakes theft. “Since Clouseau and his dream team are on the lookout for the Tornado, they perceive Sonia as someone who would have valuable knowledge,” Rai describes her character. “She thereby slides in and becomes one of them – a welcome member of the team. It’s neat and smooth.”
“Aishwarya,” smiles co-star Jean Reno, “the green eyes, the beauty! Wow. The surprise is that she has a big sense of humor, always laughing, which is fantastic for a beautiful woman. And she is always ready to act.”
“You’ll see her in person, and you say, ‘Wow, that’s a really beautiful girl,” observes producer Robert Simonds, “and then you look at the monitor and she’s translucent. I can’t imagine anybody who we would have had play Sonia other than her. She is so charming, intelligent, funny and powerful – she lights up the whole frame.”
Reinforcing that the Clouseau series of films are an international phenomenon, Rai emphasizes that this film “is familiar terrain; people know The Pink Panther in India. In fact, when I was cast, there was a spontaneous reaction from people where they were just happy for me to be a part of this film.”
Did the Indian movie star find shooting an American film in Paris and Boston very different from moviemaking at home in India? “No, I have never looked at it as different. I think each experience remains individual depending on the director and the core team members that make the movie—irrespective of the language it’s being made in.”
Aishwarya Rai is one of Bollywood’s pre-eminent leading ladies. This Indian darling burst upon the world stage when her striking beauty, poise and commanding intelligence won her the Miss World crown in 1994. At 5’7” this former architecture major soon became one of India’s most famous models and actresses.
In 2003, Rai became the first Indian actor to be a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival. Time Magazine has also included her on their list of the “100 Most Influential People in the World Today.”
Opening soon across the Philippines, “The Pink Panther 2” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.