Average actors can also deliver. That is if they are truly inspired. Else the director is able to extract a certain emotion from them. This certainly applies to Aishwarya Rai, Sanjay Leela Bhansali`s Paro. For more people would agree that Ash is a bad actress with great beauty and screen presence.

Ask anyone who is faintly conscious of the craft of acting and he/she would agree that Ash is plastic and frigid with an immobile face and faulty dialogue delivery skills. Many even scoff at her "supposed" dancing skills! But with age on her side, the lady has a significant star pull across the country. Any film distributor will vouch for it. Many people who have seen the film liked Ash. Maybe it`s the rich costumes that have done the trick! The lady herself avers that "the quality of my work depends on the director - he has to be able to inspire me, to mould my character, and if he can do that, I deliver. I`d say my strength lies in the depth of my director`s conviction". For want of a better work, many would call it "spoon feeding" but we`ll let that be.

Sanjay Leela Bhasali enjoys a comfort level with Ash. Small wonder he repeated her after Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Ash is a director`s actress then. At least she looks the part in Devdas. We`ll leave the rest to the audience for the time being!