Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai, who was threatened and abused allegedly by actor Salman Khan in an audio tape, has decided not to react to the controversy "for the moment", her lawyer said on Friday.

Aishwarya's lawyer, Girish Kulkarni told said that he had spoken to the actress and they have decided "not to do anything for the moment" as she has been assured of a proper investigation into the matter.

The tape of the telephonic conversation, played by television channels on Thursday, carried a voice allegedly that of an inebriated Khan intimidating and abusing Aishwarya Rai to perform at an entertainment programme organised by fugitive gangster Abu Salem.

"The Chief Minister has already ordered an investigation, and it would, therefore, be not proper to make any comments right now," Kulkarni said.

Asked if the voice in the tape was that of the actress, Kulkarni said it was more of a one-sided conversation and refused to elaborate.

Questioned further about the authenticity of the tape, he said it came from the media and not from any government agency.

According to teh latest reports, crime branch had repeatedly warned actor Aishwarya Rai about Salman's underworld connections and had even asked her to desist from having any intimate relationship with the star.

The Mumbai police had started tapping phones of leading actors and film industry personalities following the killing of music baron Gulshan Kumar and that's when they learnt of Salman Khan's conversations with the underworld and also the former Miss World.

In the purported conversation with Aishwarya, Khan also boasted his links with underworld figures Dawood Ibrahim, Chhota Shakeel and Guru Satam and threatened that they would eliminate the actress and her family if he desired so. He also said he had advance information about the 1993 Mumbai blasts.

The Mumbai police have said that they would ascertain the veracity of the tape and then decide if any action could be taken against the actor.