Mr Bond, Kiss my Ash: Rai says she won't have sex on screen

Ash sets terms for Bond flick : HindustanTimes.com. The latest development as filed by our Nevada bureau chief.

By James Donb

MGM GRAND, LAS VEGAS: Irish actor Pierce Brosnan, who plays James Bond in the 007 series, is rejoiced after Indian screen goddess Aishwarya Rai suggested producers find a body double for the inevitable steamy sex scene.

He said he was happy just acting against Ms Rai, as the latter, a really serious actress, is known to live her character and get serious. Mr Brosnan is married and has children from Kelly Shaye-Smith.

Miss Rai, in an interview to an Indian news agency, had said she was ready to act in the next Bond film if she was not made to do the sex scene, where James Bond always uses a third object, ice cube being the most regular accessory. No going all the way on screen.

Miss Rai is vulnerable to common cold, her publicist told a newspaper. But a source in the Mumbai film industry said Ms Rai did not want to show too much skin. Last time she did was at the Cannes film festival and people could see beyond her skin, the accumulation of fat had her dress gasping for breath.

Anyway, Mr Brosnan expressed relief at the news. He uses a satellite phone, and his service provider charges some really big amount (he did not want to disclose) for every minute, incoming or outgoing. It would be relevant here to note that Salman Khan, a Bollywood actor, calls up Aishwarya’s co-stars over 40 times in one night, if the actress gets “close” to the said co-star.

But our Hollywood sources have confirmed that Mr Brosnan would have felt ticklish doing a steamy scene with Ms Rai, especially after Halle Berry who’s nearly skinny.

The recent controversy has however freshly reminded people in India about the existence of Ms Rai. Public memory is said to have a short span in India where one Saarc summit wipes the bloodstains of 100 massacres off the mindsapce.

Her refusal to do a sex scene with Pierce Brosnan has brought her back into news, though just a couple of newspapers agreed to waste two columns.

One question has never been answered: Eon Productions, the producers of the Bond movies based on Ian Fleming’s detective, has never accepted that they are even talking to Ms Rai.

“Bond producer Barbara Broccoli is said to be keen to cast a Bollywood actress to increase Bond's appeal in Asia,” reports say. And the reports add that two other beauty queens Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta were also being considered. The other two have not rejected the possibility of sex scenes with Brosnan, which is a good news for the two beauty queen-turned-actresses.