Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's five-year long hiatus from Bollywood seems like a mirage when you see her conduct herself with the same effortlessness and enthusiasm. The former Miss World returns to the silver screen with Sanjay Gupta's Jazbaa in which she is paired opposite internationally-renowned actor Irrfan.

When their diverse styles converged, there was bound to be 'magic' as the duo puts it. Their onscreen chemistry is understated and stems from the mutual respect they have for each other. We caught up with them to speak about how they're rooting for each other and why being parents gave them a better perspective of their characters in this film. Excerpts:

There seems to be a subtle hint of romance between your characters...

Irrfan:In today's cinema, the audience is looking for different dimensions. That's what attracted me towards our respective characters. There is something between the two of us, but it's not defined. Sometimes as an actor, you want to ignite the audience's imagination and they start imagining on your behalf. It's very interesting. There's a beautiful scene in the movie that I love.

Aishwarya:I remember how we shot that scene in just one take. Sanjay loves filming different takes but Irrfan said, 'When there's magic, it's best to retain it that way.' Later when we saw it, we were beaming. As he described it beautifully, our body language and stolen glances are communicating something more than the words that we exchange.I'm looking forward to more opportunities of working with Irrfan. I've always loved his work.

Is Aishwarya the most beautiful actress you've ever worked with?

Irrfan:Yes, she has a persona and you're intimidated when someone comes with that baggage, just like Angelina Jolie. But as an actor, you know your craft and you're also looking for that connection that will make you feel comfortable with the other person.

When we shot the first scene together, I could see how she was trying to make things comfortable for both of us. But things actually changed when I saw her with her daughter Aaradhya. She never came on set and was always in the trailer. I realised that Aishwarya was bringing Aaradhya every day as she didn't want her daughter to feel her absence. I was moved by that.

When Piku was about to release, we heard how Mr Amitabh Bachchan greeted Irrfan the first time they met on the shoot, saying, 'Finally we're working together.' What was your first interaction?

Aishwarya:When I heard the script from Sanjay, I already imagined Irrfan playing Yohan (his character in the film). When he told me that Irrfan had given his nod, I asked him, 'You're surena?' I felt immense joy.

Irrfan:The most important discussion that we had was after the first reading. I don't believe in doing small talk. When we finished the narration, her interpretation of characters was fantastic. She was relating to her character in an interesting way, it wasn'tfilmi. It wasn't about how she wanted to make this character bigger than the film or her image.

Aishwarya:While it was going to be just a reading, I started telling him what I felt. I felt comfortable telling him, 'I'm like this. What I feel, I say and I have to express immediately, otherwise it will just stay on'. In the past, I've expressed my views with filmmakers with whom I shared a certain rapport. Like Irrfan said, he doesn't believe in small talk. When you know you'll exchange something you believe in, you'll get a real response. I immediately started sharing and he was interested in listening. We had important and serious discussions, expressed exactly what we felt and needed to share vis-a-vis the script and direction of narrative.

Irrfan:It added to the story.

Aishwarya:You knew you are here doing something. That's always a very good thing. That's where we connected and shared a comfort level.

Sanjay is known for his male-centric movies, with a good dose of action, male bonding and the works. What was your reaction when he approached you forJazbaa?

Aishwarya:That's pretty much what made it interesting, unknown and intriguing. Like I said, when I heard this script from him, I saw this cast, and when I voiced my opinion, he expressed exactly what he had in mind. Then you see the movie in your head, this is the team, it's the way you view it.

Now, it's going to be intriguing as we see the final product because it's going to be as we joked, 'a Sanjay Gupta film'. At the end of the day, we were all there, just doing our scenes. Interestingly, for me at least, there weren't any preconceived notions. At no point on the sets were we thinking about it, though once in a while we'd tease him, 'You're feeling at home,na?' as he loved the dhuan in the face and the jacket flying, etc. Beyond that, we were just making a film. I don't think we were ever referring to what he has made before, or wondering otherwise.

Irrfan:I could see that Sanjay was trying, like every intelligent and smart director, to go beyond what he has created. He wanted to imbibe other things as well. In this film, you might see Sanjay in a new light, he's dealing with a very strong story. It's not just about action, glares and jackets - they are just avaran(decorations). He is dealing with strong emotions. I heard him say the other day, 'Yaar bahut mazaa aa raha hai. I'm cutting down the loudness of things'.



Aishwarya:Things he wants to say, not just upar ki kahani, but he wants to touch a point... which is what we could see, the way we were reacting to the subject.