Aishwarya Rai seems to be at peace with herself and the world, at long last. Well, the reason is not far to seek. She has just managed to shake off her lover-turned-tormentor Salman Khan, who had literally been terrorizing the poor girl. And the effect is showing, already. Recently, Ash was ‘caught' in a totally relaxed mood on the sets of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas.

She seems to have been bitten by the travel bug, too. At the drop of a hat as it were, she gets away from the din and bustle of Bollywood.For instance, the wedding of Sahara boss Subrata Roy's son saw Ash having a nice time, with her friend Rani Mukherjee in tow. So ‘liberated' seems Ash these days that she even made an earnest attempt to make up with her one-time arch rival, Manisha Koirala! She has also developed an understandable empathy with Parvati, the character she is playing in Devdas. Ironically, the role has come to her at a time when Miss Rai needs to delve deeply into the psyche of a lovelorn woman. The identification with Paro seems almost complete.

But then, there is a flip side. Paro had to, willy-nilly, tie the nuptial knot with a man much older than her. Not only that. Fortunes fluctuated and the harsh realities of life found Paro wistfully longing for her first love. Hope, Paro's fate doesn't overtake that of Ash. Meanwhile, the doe-eyed beauty is enjoying every minute of her new-found and hard-earned freedom. Enjoy yourself, Ash.