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Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai has captivated millions with her timeless beauty and elegance — and she has left the same lasting impact on her co-stars too. In a recent conversation with Siddharth Kannan, actor Zayed Khan, who shared screen space with Aishwarya in Shabd, opened up about his admiration for her ever since she won the Miss World crown and shared what it was like to work alongside the stunning actress.

Zayed Khan Says Shabd Was Ahead of Its Time

Looking back at his film choices, Zayed reflected on how many of his projects were ahead of their time, given his penchant for unconventional roles.

Speaking about Shabd, he shared that the film had a powerful, slice-of-life story but arrived at a time when audiences weren’t ready for such themes. He said viewers who watch the film today often say, “Oh my God, that’s scary.”

On Being a Fan and Co-Star of Aishwarya Rai

Zayed fondly recalled his experience of working with Aishwarya, saying, “Aish was such a professional and beautiful lady. I was a fan of Aish when she became Miss World. I used to have a picture of her in my locker room. I used to think, ‘This woman is a really gorgeous woman.’ So when I heard the script and they said that Aish is in the film, I was like, ‘Woah, where do I sign?’ I had a beautiful experience working with her. She is such a wonderful co-star to be with because she really knows how to play with you.”

He further praised her dedication on set, adding, “Sometimes you just see actors take so much time and then come, and there’ll be drama. The actual work suffers while everything else is taken care of. With Aish, I thought it would be so difficult to get over my fan moment, but she just came in and said, ‘Hi, do you want to do rehearsals together?’ I was like, this is too cool. She was a natural filter. God bless her.”

About Shabd

Directed by Leena Yadav and produced by Pritish Nandy Communications, Shabd starred Sanjay Dutt, Aishwarya Rai, and Zayed Khan in lead roles. The story revolves around a reclusive, award-winning writer (Sanjay) who suffers from writer’s block and uses his wife (Aishwarya) as inspiration for his novel, asking her to get close to another man (Zayed).

As fiction and reality blur, the plot takes a dark turn. Although Shabd was praised for its bold concept and powerful performances — especially Aishwarya’s layered act — it did not fare well at the box office.