Aishwarya Rai is used to being the darling of the masses. After the Miss World crown she literally had the world at her feet. And when she got the same treatment from Bollywood, she accepted it as her due. Not for Ash the derision Sushmita Sen faced after Dastak failed. No. What's sauce for Miss World was not sauce for Miss Universe. Ash's debut into the filmworld was also a flop -- Iruvar -- but that barely created a ripple in her jam-packed calendar. She has so many films on hand that her next two years are already blocked.

Says Aishwarya, "People think I am not giving interviews because it is some kind of strategy. But I have no strategy, I have no time to consider, let alone plan, one." So, she leaves everything in God's hands. Just before she steps out of her house, she quickly does a prayer and jumps into the car.

The first thing that strikes you about this starlet -- up close and personal -- is that she is much smaller than she appears on screen. With her face scrubbed clean (on the orders of Mickey Contractor who has to do her make-up for a shoot), there are no traces of a beauty queen. That is until you look into her mesmerising green eyes. Then it falls into place. India's most photographed and photogenic eyes, Ash's eyes can change from a cat-eyed green to a stormy grey , in minutes.

But right now, fielding questions, they are a calm shade of green. It is common knowledge that she refused Dharmesh Darshan's Raja Hindustani. Any regrets? After all, the film has put Karisma Kapoor in the top bracket. Today, Karisma charges Rs 1.15 crore per film while Ash is in the Rs 75 lakh slot. "That offer came before Miss India. And I would not trade becoming Miss World for anything," she says.

But that experience has given Ash an edge. With her model's training, Ash is always perfectly groomed. No image overhaul was necessary for her, unlike Karisma who has needed a make-up and wardrobe revamp to be a hit.

She has also not entered Bollywood as a complete newcomer. In fact, even here she has an edge. "After Miss World, nothing is new. I am not looking for glamour and fame. I have already have that. The stardom that I had as Miss World cannot be substituted by being No One in Bollywood," she says. Not that she needs to worry about that. With Iruvar, Mani Ratnam could not do for Ash what he managed to do for Manisha Koirala with Bombay. But Ash does not want her name mentioned in the same breath as Manisha's. The two heroines have made several snide comments about each other but this time, Ash prefers to stay mum. "My upbringing has taught me that it is better not to react," she says. She is equally reticient about her film Indian. Cast opposite Sunny Deol, the fate of the film is unknown.

Again, Ash chooses to remain unperturbed. "I don't look at how much money a film makes but how much I can get out of it," she says. But the industry cares. All eyes are focussed on Aur Pyar Ho Gaya, releasing next Friday. This time, her co-star is the other brother -- "They are both so similar, it is quite scary," says Ash -- Bobby Deol. With the music of the film (composed by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan) already making it to the Top Ten, the buzz on the film is positive. And Ash's performance has received rave reviews.

But she is not sitting pretty. At the moment she is eager to learn as much as she can. "I am a director's actor," she says. And that shows. All the pictures she has signed so far have been with director-dominated banners. There is Rishi Kapoor's Aa Ab Laut Chalen, Mansoor Khan'sJosh and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's next film.

For the time being, modelling is on the backburner. Her contracts have ended and she is not signing anything new. "Let's see if I take on anything. If I do, I will be selective," says Ash. And being selective has been a wise move.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.