Aishwarya Rai`s involvement with the temperamental Salman Khan had cost her dear, both personally and professionally. She lost out on many good projects and undeservedly earned the reputation of being unprofessional.

But all that seems to be a thing of the past. The timely intervention of "great friends" Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, Preity Zinta and, of course, Rani Mukherjee has helped her see her life and career in a new light. Ash`s renewed interest in her work has been reflected in her concentration on the sets of Devdas and Hum Kisise Kum Nahin, as well as in the films that she has signed of late with Yash Chopra, Aziz Mirza and Priyadarshan. Negotiations are also on with showman Subhash Ghai, while she has sent feelers to Shyam Benegal, expressing a desire to do an offbeat film with him.

That her fan following is intact was quite apparent during the recent Sahara event, where Ash got more taalis than Karisma Kapoor. No wonder she was heard telling a friend, "I have bounced back. Let the Kareenas of the industry be warned that the element responsible for my career going awry has been weeded out." Let`s hope so!