Aishwarya Rai

Is there a leaked photo of Aishwarya Rai with her daughter Beti B on Twitter? A photo of Rai holding a baby and smiling warmly flooded the social networking site tonight and was passed on by thousands of fans who excitedly proclaimed it to be a photo of Aishwarya and her daughter. They also "confirmed" that Beti B had been named Abhilasha, which is a rumor that has been debunked by Amitabh Bachchan but which refuses to go away.

Unlike so many of the pictures of Aishwarya and Beti B that have shown up online since the star gave birth three months ago, this picture is not a fake. It hasn't be photoshopped and it really is Aishwarya in the photo.

But Amitabh and Abhishek swore they'd never release a photo of Beti B, so how is it possible that one has found its way to Twitter?

Well of course the answer is obvious: the baby in the photo isn't Beti B at all. At least it should be obvious to anyone who's seen the picture—the child in the photo is much older than Beti B, and Aishwarya Rai appears much younger (and more slender) in it than she does now.

So who is she holding in the picture? It's actually her brother's son, Vihaan. In fact a few Twitter users have pointed that out but to no avail—the world wants to believe that the gorgeous photo is of mother and daughter, rather than of aunt and nephew. Twitter may be a great communication tool but at times it's a horrible incubator of rumors and lies, and this is one excellent (although somewhat benign) example of that.

Says Amrita Pandey - Senior Vice President, International Distribution and Syndication, UTV Motion Pictures - "Guzaarish continues to be a film widely picked up by non-traditional international markets also besides the traditional ones. The film has been loved by audiences across the world and we are glad newer markets are showing keen interest in the film. Because of its cinematic value, even after a year of its release the response from new audiences is heartening. We are also talking to a leading European distributor to have Guzaarish released in France. This will be a first-time ever Bollywood acquisition from France." She further adds, "Latin America as a new market is a focus for us. The Indian population is limited in Peru, which makes it even more significant an achievement to have managed a release for the film there. We're looking forward to the Guzaarish release in Peru."

Here are the posters.

Aishwarya Rai features on the cover of this month's issue of Elegant Living Magazine, a US-based lifestyle publication based in Calabasas, California. The question is: does Aishwarya know?

When the cover first came to light yesterday it was surprising, because it seemed unlikely that Aishwarya would have had taken the time to pose for a magazine cover, especially given how reclusive she's been since Beti B was born. And then the questions began: was the photo taken before or after she gave birth? Or was it taken before she even became pregnant? While Aishwarya always looks lovely, the picture of her on the cover depicts a much younger, slimmer Aishwarya than has been seen the last few years.

And as it turns out, the photo (in which Aishwarya wears a white suit and lowcut blouse with what is frankly a ridiculous feathered hat) is quite old. A quick reverse Google image search shows that the portrait of Aishwarya has appeared on dozens of websites over the past couple of years.

So why did Elegant Living bother featuring Aishwarya Rai if they weren't even interested enough to get a more recent photo of her? The magazine cover touts this as their special issue on India, so perhaps they decided to entice readers by featuring the only Indian celebrity most Americans have even heard of on their cover?

The cover is insulting to Aishwarya's fans, who have been desperate to catch a glimpse of her (and her daughter) ever since she gave birth. To feature Aishwarya on the front of the magazine using such an old image seems like nothing more than a ploy to gain a few extra readers.