Sadiya Siddiqui: Aishwarya Rai ‘hid it really well’ after breakup with Salman Khan, recalls Shabd co-star Sadiya Siddiqui: ‘She always came fully prepared’ | Hindi Movie News
Sadiya Siddiqui has looked back on working with Aishwarya Rai in the 2005 film Shabd, recalling how the actor remained composed and professional despite going through one of the most turbulent phases of his personal life following his highly publicized break-up with salman khan.Talking to Siddharth Kannan, Sadiya said Aishwarya she never allowed her personal struggles to affect her work on set, describing her as thoroughly prepared and deeply committed to her craft.Aishwarya and Salman fell in love while shooting Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s blockbuster Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and soon became one of the most talked about couples in Bollywood, with speculations of marriage. However, in 2002, Aishwarya confirmed that the relationship was over, saying that Salman was finding it difficult to come to terms with the breakup. The controversy intensified in 2003 when actor Vivek Oberoi, who was briefly involved with Aishwarya, held a widely discussed press conference alleging that Salman had threatened him over the phone. Aishwarya later married Abhishek Bachchan in 2007, while Salman Khan remains single.
“He hid it very well”
When asked if she could feel Aishwarya’s emotional turmoil on the sets of Shabd, Sadiya said she never saw it reflected in the actor’s work.“Actually, I didn’t even have a scene with Aishwarya, so I never got close enough to know what was going on. I don’t know her personally at all,” he said.However, he added that from what he observed, Aishwarya maintained remarkable composure.“But from everything I observed, she hid it very well. She always came fully prepared, knew all her lines, had read the script thoroughly and worked with complete professionalism. I don’t think he let his personal life affect his work at all.”
“He was very professional”
Sadiya went on to praise Aishwarya’s preparation and dedication to her character.“I had read the script a couple of times and she was talking about how a scene should be played and the psychology of her character. I was very excited to meet her for the first time,” he recalled.Recalling her first impression of the actor, Sadiya said, “I still remember seeing her there in jeans and a shirt and thinking, ‘She’s so pretty.’ It was a lovely experience.”He added that Aishwarya looked “amazing” in Shabd and credited cinematographer Aseem Bajaj for capturing her beautifully on screen.
Sadiya remembers Sanjay Dutt unique action process
Sadiya, who also shared screen space with Sanjay Dutt in Shabd, recalled an interesting behind-the-scenes moment of their first scene together.“My first scene with Sanjay Dutt was in a kitchen. Before the shot, I asked him, ‘Shall we do the lines?’ Leena Yadav came to me and said, ‘Make your own lines.’ He doesn’t feel comfortable rehearsing.”He admitted that he was initially surprised, but soon realized that every actor has a different working style.“It was the first time I felt that. Some actors don’t open up easily with another actor. Maybe that’s how they work. I’m also a very private person. It takes me time to trust people, but once I’m on set, it’s my job. Some actors already know exactly how they want to act and prefer you to focus on your own preparation. The scene worked well in the end.”When asked about reports that Sanjay sometimes uses cue cards for his dialogues, Sadiya said, “Not in the scene I did with him. It certainly didn’t happen with me. Could it happen the other way? I don’t know.”
About Shabd
Released in 2005 and directed by Leena Yadav, Shabd starred Sanjay Dutt, Aishwarya Rai and Zayed Khan in the lead roles. The psychological drama revolved around a writer whose obsession with his fictional story begins to blur the lines between imagination and reality.
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