Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Opens Up On Her Remarkable Journey With Mani Ratnam: 'I Am Very Grateful...'

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Aishwarya Rai Bachchan graced the IIFA Utsavam 2024 Awards in Abu Dhabi along with her daughter Aaradhya. She looked ethereal and gorgeous in a black and golden Manish Malhotra outfit.

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While speaking to the media, she talked about the mother-daughter bond and opened up about her association with acclaimed filmmaker Mani Ratnam. She said, "There is no book to go for...We are all human beings. We sit together and advise each other."

Aishwarya also got candid about her bond with Mani Ratnam and said it was an honour for her that he asked her to play Nandini in 'Ponniyin Selvan'

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The stunning actor made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam's 1997 Tamil film 'Iruvar '. She shared her long-term association with him, "I can't even speak about his evolution as a maker because I have always respected him. So from the beginning, I just say I am very grateful that I got to work with him for my first movie. I was so honoured that he asked me to be his Nandini in 'Ponniyin Selvan'."

'Ponniyin Selvan 2', is the sequel to the 2022 film. Actor Kamal Haasan has lent his voice to the film's narration. Oscar-winning music composer AR Rahman composed the music for the film. Actors Vikram, Karthi, Jayam Ravi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Sobhita Dhulipala, Prakash Raj, Jayaram, Prabhu, R Sarathkumar, Parthiban, and Vikram Prabhu reprised their roles in the second instalment of the epic drama that narrates the story of the Chola Dynasty.

'Ponniyin Selvan II' has been nominated in 13 categories at IIFA Utsavam 2024 .

Talking about Aishwarya's look, for the event, she opted for a floor-length black jacket with gold embroidery.

In the pictures shared on the official Instagram handle of IIFA Utsavam, she can be seen enjoying the gala night with her daughter.

The new edition of the International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) is taking place in the Arab city from September 27 to September 29.

The three-day celebration has kicked off with IIFA Utsavam, an event dedicated to the southern film industries--Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada.

On the second day, stars including Shah Rukh Khan, Vicky Kaushal and Karan Johar will come on stage to entertain the audience with their hosting stint at the IIFA Awards night.

Interestingly, the second day will see Rekha returning to the IIFA stage after a long time. Shahid Kapoor, Kriti Sanon, Ananya Panday, Janhvi Kapoor and Vicky will also be adding charm to the gala night with their performances.

IIFA 2024 will be concluded on September 29 with the exclusive, invitation-only IIFA Rocks. Artists such as Honey Singh, Shilpa Rao and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy will perform live for the audience.