Aishwarya Rai

From Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), their first film together, through the making of Devdas (2002) and the more recent Guzaarish (2010), Sanjay Leela Bhansali and his muse Aishwarya Rai Bachchan have shared a special relationship. And after bagging the Best Actress award for both those films, Aishwarya must now hope to complete a hat-trick with last Friday’s release?

Obviously proud of her performance as Sophia, a nurse to a quadriplegic who after vegetating for 14 long years files a petition in court for his mercy killing, Aishwarya arranged a special screening of Guzaarish for the Bachchans on the eve of the film’s release. Husband Abhishek flew down from Goa for a day where he is shooting for Players.

On Friday evening, Aishwarya requested for another screening, this time for her parents and the other Rais. It was to start at 10 pm so she could bring in her father Krishnaraj’s birthday at midnight. Mother Vrinda, brother Aditya and his wife and several other family members were present at Yashraj Studio, along with directors Subhash Ghai and David Dhawan. Also present were Shabana Azmi and Sonam Kapoor, the latter, too, back from the shoot of Players in Goa and waiting to resume work on Mausam.

Sonam, along with Ranbir Kapoor, had started off as Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s assistant director during Black (2005) before he launched them in Saawariya (2007). Today, she may be a star but for Bhansali she continues to be an AD. During the screening of the movie, Bhansali sent her scurrying around to see if the food had arrived, if the theatre was set and if the guests were ready. Sonam dutifully carried out his instructions with a “yes sir.” She even went to Aishwarya to enquire if they should start the film, and the two shared a quiet laugh over Sanjay. “It was really sweet,” says a source present at the screening. “During the interval, she chased after Sanjay sir telling him she loved the film. Only, she was told to hold her comments until the end of the film. Compliments also flowed in from Aishwarya’s family and her mother couldn’t stop crying.”