by Subhash K Jha

It's almost official. Though no one is speaking about it at the moment.

But here's the real reason why Aishwarya Rai opted out of Tarun Mansukhani's directorial debut to be replaced by Priyanka Chopra.

"It was a decision taken by the Bahu of the Bachchan family who happens to be an actress," says a source very close to the project.

"She will only do films that go with her new marital status. Aishwarya has always been very careful of her image. Even if you look at her in Dhoom 2 she wore the short skirts and the barbie-doll look without a trace of vulgarity.

Now she's being very particular about her roles and characters. In Mansukhani's film she has three men in her life, one of whom Abhishek, just happens to be her real-life husband.John Abraham is the other leading man.

There's a third man in the character's life, and a major leading man is being finalized for a guest appearance to play that role," says the source.

Aishwarya's loss has been Priyanka's gain. This is the first film Priyanka has signed in the last one year.

Currently shooting for the last song of Love Story 2050, the launch pad for producer Harry Baweja's son Harman, Priyanka refuses to speak on the Mansukhani project.

"I'm not allowed to say anything about that film.

Right now my complete focus is on finishing this song where I'm sporting this totally futuristic 2050 look, courtesy my stylist Anaita Shroff Adajania. The makeup takes hours. But the effort is worth it," laughs Priyanka as she gets into a huddle with her choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant for her next move.