Little to nothing is what I know of Ms. Rai. But, I must say that somehow "giggling habit" and "woman of substance" lend themselves to a dissonant description of the same person. Otherwise, go Aishwarya, keep reppin' India on the L'Oreal shelf of my local Walgreens!!!

I saw her on 60 minutes finally (well half of it anyway). I don't know if she's Emma Goldman, but she's really quite well spoken and intelligent, as far as I can tell. She certainly made David Letterman look like an idiot.

Not really a big fan when it comes to the "beauty" part, just not that into the look she's got. But, I think she's got strong screen-presence and is fairly intelligent...

A shot of substance is that she gets to fall in love with a [white] American again in "Mistress of Spices"... She's going to be in a Mira Nair stage-to-screen adaptation about the Taliban... And she's in "The Rising" (about the Mutiny that set the stage for this-here Mutiny;).

I think she'd be interesting in a Merchant-Ivory production, using those eyes to plod along with some kind of spartan melancholy...

I think she'd be interesting in a Merchant-Ivory production, using those eyes to plod along with some kind of spartan melancholy...

I lost respect for her after she dated Salman Khan.He battered her and still she hung on with him for a long time.Finally better sense prevailed and she moved on to boy toy Vivek.

"the same attention and the unbiased critical overview. It feels wonderful and comforting."

um, yeah right.

One of the only serious reviews, by Manola Dargis in the NY TIMES panned the movie on substance.

Whatever man. If y'all are happy being exoctified more power to you. I would just like the option of being left out of your wake.

Not too many guys were ga-ga over Jimmy Mistry being eye candy in a stupid movie. But y'all go ahead and really, do your thang. Maybe you know how to reverse the trend when the time is right. Right now whats being written is she's pretty and brown. Thats whats being written about her.

actually, i giggle quite a bit. rather than see it as detracting from what very little substance i have, i see it as a triumph over the negative forces that surround me. finding joy and being mindful are much harder goals to reach than say...writing my master's thesis. doing so was a joke, in comparison...but i guess it's a more "substantial" accomplishment to the mainstream.

george, you can lose respect for me too. here's a thought-- before you casually, cravenly dash off comments about people whom you don't know- try to remember that it's not your or our place to judge. we're all human, you're not perfect either. hate on her for her acting, her choice of roles, her outfits...not what she did with her heart.

Anna :
Ash was beaten on multiple ocassions and she still stuck around with Salman.She is unofrtunately a kind of role model for many young girls and what was the message she was sending them : It's ok for your boyfriend/husband to bash you!You should still stay with them .
I personally believe one incident of physical abuse is one too many.

I hope Dylan Mcdermott plays a native american like in the book Mistress of Spices.

because if not then this whole Ash thing is just the same old same old, but worse, because at least Mareclo Mastraintonio was around when Sophia Loren was around

its very easy to condemn people in abusive relationships and its easy to lionize them. its a very tough situation and women have it tough, i don't think most guys really know what a woman goes through, even the ones you think of as "naive"

ps I might be ignored but I'm ok with that

RE: the thread about movies and socialized linked here:

I saw a movie review about a documentary of soldiers in Iraq, and the review said the soldiers re-created scenes from Platoon and other movies as a way of enacting their present.

They were acting as they had seen people act in movies. Socilazation

finding joy and being mindful are much harder goals to reach than say...writing my master's thesis. doing so was a joke, in comparison...but i guess it's a more "substantial" accomplishment to the mainstream.

JEEZus, tell me about it. Grad school was a breeze compared to the hunt for elusive inner peace and plain ananda. As one who heartily laughs (and cackles), I associate giggling with pansiness, for lack of a better term. Must be the tomboy inside.

Parents create horrible legacies for their children when they yell and scream at and beat each other up. At least in America we can go to therapy and work through our problems. What about places, India for instance, where such counseling is usually taboo?

I personally believe one incident of physical abuse is one too many.

So you're blaming the victim, George? Domestic violence is a little more complex than asking the woman to have the moral fortitude to leave the relationship because she's a role model to others.

I know nothing about the specifics of their relationship--I'm just referring to the argument you made.

Ash could have taken a stand, reported the matter to the police and had him arrested.Instead she continued to support him publicly and hide the facts.
Of course I am sympathetic to the victim in this case, but by exposing such a coward , she could have made a big impact in India.She has a huge impact on many young women in India and her action in this case could have led to a positive example for other supporters of domestic abuse.

Couple of things:

1. I saw her 60 minutes video and she seemed a little coquetish, and superficial to me.... is it just me?

2. Also another thing, she seems to be getting just a BIT old...I mean, she doesn't look as good today as she did in Jeans...

I would have preferred that that Madhuri Dixit or Rekha make this breakthrough....

If anyone agrees or finds me dispicable please respond...because I am very curious to know about poeple's opinion about #2....

I'll give mine.....haha I do it all the time

I think guys are scared of Ash hooking up in hollywood roles and not having any desi men in the mix. I think its a legit fear on our part. So I think most of the negative talk about her is coming from that angle. Because its just a coincidence that I think she can't act, or that she's not the best representative.

Tell you the truth, the shoe can be on the other foot, its all about the whims of the context. SOME Black women can be as uptight and you find yourself wondering what got up their bonnet, but....whats up their bonnet is the feeling of being victimized.

Men aren't good at admitting it, but I think its just straight up fear. Legit in my opinion

Aishwarya could be smart and articulate but I haven't seen that side of her yet. In every interview I've seen, she comes off sounding very superficial and reharsed. Rehearsed bugs me.

To be fair to her, I've heard her work ethic is (was) impeccable: always on time to sets, listens to directors, no tantrums, no attitude etc. But unfortunately, she is in a profession where you need to have some talent - I think she is a little too programmed to be a good actress. Even her dance moves are too measured to be spontaneous.

I wouldn't mind if she made it big in Hollywood (very unlikely), but I would be happier if it were someone more talented that was "representing" India... like an A.R.Rahman maybe.

If Jimmy Mistry can bone white chicks in "The Guru", I don't see why Aishwarya can't do the same with white guys in any new movie. Enough double standards and enough objectification and pedestaling of Indian women.

She was moti in Jeans. She has lost some weight since then, which made the part about her readily eating so much food (as shown in the 60 minutes interview) so unbelievable.

As for her putative ditzyness....so what if she giggles. Anyone who has seen her give interviews must know she is probably in the top 1% among top models when it comes to intelligence and eloquence.

Salman probably beat her when he saw how nasty she looks in real life.

http://www.santabanta.com/wallpapers/gallery1.asp?catid=4462

This is still with alot of makeup.

Salman probably beat her when he saw how nasty she looks in real life.

right, because a lack of beauty always justify domestic violence. stop being an ass. not only is that declaration nonsensical, it's just wrong.

and seriously, enough with the hate. she's beautiful. millions of people think so. SM didn't coin "TMBWITW", julia roberts did. say she ain't your cup of tea, but enough with everything else. you have a right to your opinion and i think we're all aware of it at this point. aish is ugly, to you. fine. great. may you be the mother of a hundred sons. but the line i quoted at the top of this comment is beyond uncalled for, no matter what you think of her outsides.

anna-

girlfriend, you obviously can't take a joke without getting your knickers in a knot. i think being one of the few girls on this site makes you feel like you're hot stuff. also, i don't know why you're calling me a woman (saying i should be a mother of 100 sons), since i've repeatedly said i'm a gay desi MAN.

girlfriend, you obviously can't take a joke without getting your knickers in a knot.

well then, call me a south asian sister and call it a day. they thought kumar doing something in a dream sequence was wrong, i thought what you said was wrong. we all have our limits.

insult me all you like with your "hotstuff" bullshit. you were out of line and i called you on it. the yoni ki baat crew stuck to their guns and so will i.

as for the "mother of 100 sons" bit, i guess the "not being able to take a joke" concept goes both ways, eh? oh, are you going to say that you couldn't tell that was a joke? b/c i couldn't tell YOU were joking either.

preferring ass doesn't mean you get to be one. 'nuff said.

Whatever thrill you get from being rude to people on this website will do you no good in the real world where 99% don't give a damn about you or your opinion. Stop being so combative and maybe you'll find a boyfriend someday.

You know the only problem with the Jimmy Mistry did it so its all the same thing is;

Indian men do not run hollywood. Sure in india and at family parties we get all annoying up in your grill, but you know who's holding onto the objectification card out here?

Not indian men.

So its not really the same thing, because no one really was too into Jimmy Mistry and Naveen Andrews was at least as good a potential leading man as Martin Hendersen (and thats being charitable).

So yeah, its not the same thing at all. I am all for indian women being hot. I do not want to suffer the fate that Asian men have suffered because of it though (sorry to the asian men out there, but its sorta true)

What a great blog! Thanks so much for sharing your insights (to all of the authors).

I think Aish is an absolute beauty. And yes, she did make Letterman look like an idiot, much to my happiness! :)

I wonder why people continue to express surprise when non-whites are "so well spoken and articulate". As a Black woman I've heard this WAYYY too many times and it's annoying as heck. So what, only white folks are supposed to be articulate??

success generates jealousy. Ash is a victim of her success. Otherwise she is a good rep for india