Umrao Jaan seems like a way station for Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai on her path to international success. So says the New York Times, hoping she does not suffer for her art as much as her character does.

"Oh, the price of being beautiful. "Umrao Jaan" - a retelling of a historical Indian tale covered in a 1981 Bollywood classic - might also be a commentary on its star," says the influential American daily in a rare review of a Bollywood film.

"Rai, often hailed as the queen of Bollywood, has for many a global allure, calling to mind that of Brigitte Bardot or Sophia Loren. But you hope Rai does not suffer for her art as much as her character does," adds reviewer Andy Webster.

Recounting the many misfortunes of Umrao, he says, "The whims of men can be terrible to live by, but too many scenes exploit Rai's tearful, screen-engulfing eyes.

"Bathos and weak dubbing don't help. But the actress's presence is undeniable. Rai has Western films coming; "Umrao Jaan" seems like a way station on her path to international success."

All this critical acclaim comes as breather for Ash who has been accused of choosing wrong films most of the time. But unlike Umrao Jaan, Dhoom 2 has been a big bash for Aishwarya Rai.

The actress not only got in shape to wear the trendy bikins but also got to spend some quality time with Abhishek Bachchan.

Recounts Uday Chopra, who plays Ali in the film, "Dhoom 2 had been a lot of hard work. While shooting at Carnival in Rio we were all exhausted after shooting continuously for a month. One day at 2 AM, we were just sitting around glumly, waiting for the lights to be set up for the next shot when I got this idea.

I plugged in my Ipod to the speakers and just blasted the song 'Kajra re'. What followed was unbelievable. Each and every person got up almost automatically and began dancing.

In fact, Abhishek and Ash actually perform the entire track. They both went on to the stage and we had the entire Rio crowd dancing and clapping for us for putting up this impromptu show."

The film also stars Hrithik Roshan and Bipasha Basu in the lead roles.