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Taal actress Jividha Sharma recalls working with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, revealing the former Miss World was...
Read More Actress Jividha Sharma, who shared screen space with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Subhash Ghai’s 1999 hit Taal, has revisited her experience working with the former Miss World during the early years of their respective careers. In a recent interview with Lallantop, Jividha candidly spoke about the assumptions she had before meeting Aishwarya, and how the actress completely shattered those preconceived notions through her humility, discipline, and work ethic. In 1999, Taal wasn’t just a milestone in Aishwarya Rai’s career—it was also the first major project for Jividha Sharma, who was making her Bollywood debut.
At the time, Aishwarya was just beginning to build her career in films, following her Miss World win in 1994 and her debut roles in Iruvar and Aur Pyaar Hogaya in 1997. By the time she stepped into Taal, she had already begun to attract widespread attention, with expectations running high. With fame, however, came rumors—especially about her supposed attitude.
“People had said she has an attitude because of the Miss World title and all that," Jividha recalled. “So even I went in with that impression. But when I actually met her and spent time with her on set, I realized she was nothing like that.
She’s very simple, very grounded—a genuinely good person." The actress was quick to highlight Aishwarya’s professionalism on set. “She was extremely hardworking.
We had several scenes together, and I observed that she was totally focused. She didn’t take her role lightly, even though she already had that big title attached to her name. She would keep rehearsing her scenes, especially dance steps, until she got them perfect.
" A trained classical dancer, Aishwarya’s commitment to nailing her performances wasn’t lost on her co-star. “Despite being trained in Kathak and having all those credentials, she didn’t take anything for granted. She never acted like she knew it all.
If a step didn’t look right, she would do it again and again. She wouldn’t give up until it was flawless. That really inspired me.
I genuinely liked her and even wanted to be like her at that point." Jividha also offered a glimpse into their dynamic off-camera, revealing that both actresses would often be accompanied by their mothers during shoots. “We mostly talked about our scenes, but sometimes she would ask about my mom.
She used to bring her mother along as well. There was a comfort in that, like we were both protected and supported." Though much of their joint screen time was later edited out from the final cut of Taal due to the film’s runtime, the time spent together made a lasting impression on Jividha.
“We had a lot of scenes together, but many of them were chopped. Still, the experience of working with her was memorable for me," she said. After her appearance in Taal, Jividha went on to lead in Kuku Kohli’s Yeh Dil Aashiqanaa in 2002, which became a commercial success and earned nearly Rs 9 crore at the box office.
She then transitioned into regional cinema, working in Tamil, Telugu, and Punjabi films like Mini Punjab, Dil Sada Luteya Gaya, and The Lion of Punjab. In 2016, she returned to Bollywood with a role in Ashutosh Gowariker’s Mohenjo Daro, starring Hrithik Roshan and Pooja Hegde, where she portrayed the character Rami. Aishwarya, meanwhile, continued her meteoric rise in Bollywood, with performances in films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas, Jodhaa Akbar, and Guru, earning acclaim both in India and internationally.
Her journey from beauty queen to acclaimed actress was far from accidental—it was marked by the very qualities Jividha praised: discipline, grace, and unwavering dedication to her craft. Reflecting on their early days on Taal, Jividha concluded, “Sometimes you hear things about people that make you cautious, but Aishwarya was nothing like the image people had painted. She was kind, focused, and inspiring.
She let her work speak for her, and that’s something I’ll always remember.".
