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 her personal life following her highly publicised breakup with Salman Khan.Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, Sadiya said Aishwarya 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 Bollywood’s most talked-about couples, with speculation about marriage doing the rounds. However, in 2002, Aishwarya confirmed that the relationship had ended, saying Salman was finding it difficult to come to terms with the breakup. The controversy escalated in 2003 when actor Vivek Oberoi, who was briefly linked to 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 unmarried.
‘She hid it really well’
Asked whether she could sense Aishwarya’s emotional turmoil on the sets of Shabd, Sadiya said she never saw it reflect in the actor’s work.“Actually, I didn’t have a single scene with Aishwarya, so I never got close enough to know what she was going through. I don’t know her personally at all,” she said.However, she added that from what she observed, Aishwarya maintained remarkable composure.“But from whatever I observed, she hid it really well. She always came fully prepared, knew all her lines, had read the script thoroughly and worked with complete professionalism. I don’t think she allowed her personal life to affect her work at all.”
‘She was extremely professional’
Sadiya went on to praise Aishwarya’s preparation and dedication to her character.“She had read the script a couple of times and would discuss how a scene should be played and the psychology of her character. I was very excited to meet her for the first time,” she recalled.Remembering her first impression of the actor, Sadiya said, “I still remember seeing her standing there in jeans and a shirt and thinking, ‘She’s really pretty.’ It was a lovely experience.”She added that Aishwarya looked “amazing” in Shabd and credited cinematographer Aseem Bajaj for capturing her beautifully on screen.
Sadiya recalls Sanjay Dutt ‘s unique acting process
Sadiya, who also shared screen space with Sanjay Dutt in Shabd, recalled an interesting behind-the-scenes moment from 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, ‘You do your own lines. He’s not comfortable rehearsing.'”She admitted she was initially surprised but soon realised that every actor has a different working style.“It was the first time I’d heard that. Some actors just don’t open up easily with another actor. Maybe that’s simply 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 perform and prefer that you 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 otherwise? 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.
