Jazbaa to be directed by Sanjay Gupta.
By Tathagata Mitra
BANGALORE: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is to make her comeback to the silver screen after a four year long exile, in Sanjay Gupta’s next flick, ‘Jazbaa’.
Reports say Gupta’s ‘Jazbaa’ will be an action film closely following Angelina Jolie’s spy thriller Salt (2010). This means that not only is the former Miss World making her comeback to Bollywood, she is coming back with a bang.
Aishwarya was last seen opposite Hrithik Roshan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Guzaarish (2010) for which she received all-around acclaim and a Filmfare nomination for Best Actress.
There is no word on who is to be the male lead of her upcoming ‘Jazbaa’ but there is very much possibility that ‘Jazbaa’ might not have a male lead at all. Bollywood is opening up to women-centric films such as Kahaani, No One Killed Jessica, Heroine and Fashion. So it is very much possible that Ash’s comeback could be a solo act where the most beautiful woman in the world will have the entire attention to herself without having to depend on a male co-star. As it is she was supposed to lead Madhur Bhandarkar’s Heroine. However, due to her pregnancy she had to forego the role and it finally went to Kareena Kapoor.
Jolie’s Salt, on which Jazbaa is to be based, is an action thriller set in the backdrop of covert wars that go on between the CIA and foreign militant groups. So, it wouldn’t be surprising if ‘Jazbaa’ too centers on covert ops. As it is, covert ops seem to be the new trend in Bollywood, as we can see with films like Kahaani, Ek Tha Tiger, D-Day, and Agent Vinod.
In Salt, Jolie does a lot of action sequences, which includes car chases, action sequences with helicopters and even hardcore hand-to-hand combats.
Aishwarya will be no different as the sources claim she is going to undergo rigorous training before the film goes on the floors. Gupta has supposedly written a lot of action sequences and car chases for the script of his film. He has roped in known Hollywood action director Spiro Razatos to helm the action sequences in the film. Spiro has worked in films like Back to the Future (1985), Fast & Furious 6 (2013) and the more recently Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).
‘Jazbaa’ will go on the floors in January 2015.