Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who made her acting debut with Mani Ratnam (Iruvar), is all set to work with him again. After Guru and Raavan, the actress has been roped in for his directorial namely Ponniyin Selvan, which is touted to be a dream project of his. The period film has a stellar cast but Ash's character here might just evoke interest in you a bit. The beauty will play a grey character, that might be considered as an antagonist of the film, if we go by the latest reports. But do you know her name will be 'Nandini' AGAIN? (Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam's iconic reference here!) Vikram Prabhu, Karthi, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Keerthy Suresh Come Together for Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan?.

It is not always that we get to see the stunning actress in such unexpected roles. Yes, we did see her nasty side a bit in Akshay Kumar starrer Khakee but that was just for a few last moments of the film. So, let's not consider that as her best. This, on the other hand, has her in the character which is greedy for power and is kind of manipulative. Definitely, something she has not experimented with till date.

As per the reports in Midday, a source told, "Aishwarya will be seen as Nandini, the wife of Periya Pazhuvettaraiyar, who served as the chancellor and treasurer of the Chola kingdom. Her character is written as a mysterious, power-hungry woman who manipulates her husband to plan the downfall of the Chola empire because she has been wronged by them."

Speaking a bit about the other characters, Mohan Babu is set to play her husband in this film that is based on a novel with the same name. Vikram Prabhu, Keerthy Suresh, Karthi are the prime characters in the film.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 16, 2019 12:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).