Aishwarya Rai who turned 51 on November 1 continues to reign supreme as the queen of people's hearts. The actor was last seen in Mani Ratnam's 'Ponniyin Selvan 2' in 2023. Though she did not have any new releases in 2024, the actor made headlines this year for her personal life, with many speculating that her marriage with Abhishek Bachchan is over.
While most of her films have been hugely popular, it would be interesting to recall that the iconic beauty had once acted alongside with veteran superstar Mammootty in the Tamil film 'Kandukondain Kandukondain'. The movie, which hit theatres in 2000 ,was directed by celebrated filmmaker Rajiv Menon known for his work as a cinematographer and his first directorial 'Minsara Kanivu'.

'Kandukondain Kandukondain', the director's sophomore work, featured a stellar cast with Aishwarya Rai and Mammootty as the lead pair along with Tabu and Ajith Kumar. The film went on to become a commercial success for its interesting storyline and women-oriented theme. Aishwarya Rai played Meenakshi, a passionate singer-dancer and younger sister to Soumya (Tabu) in the film. Mammootty essayed the role of Major Bala, whose career is cut short after a tragic incident during a war in Sri Lanka. Though Meenakshi is supportive of Bala, who is her family friend, and helps him overcome the alcoholism post the tragedy, she only has friendly feelings towards him unlike Bala who is in love with her. However, when she is cheated by her boyfriend, she realises Bala's love. The scene where Meenakshi proposes to Bala is one of the most celebrated moments in the film, which is elevated by Mammootty and Aishwarya Rai's chemistry. The film's Telugu version is titled 'Priyuralu Pilichindi'. There were rumours that Manju Warrier was one of the original choices to play Meenakshi in the film, but later the role was offered to Aishwarya Rai.

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