Ash refuses to dance with SRK

She snubbed King Khan at an awards function recently, arguing that she will dance to this song with no one but Abhishek and Amitabh Bachchan

Last week, Aishwarya did the unthinkable. At an awards function she refused to dance with SRK to Kajra Re. Says an eyewitness, "Shah Rukh had planned a gig around Bollywood heroines over the years and he wanted it to conclude with Aishwarya's performance.

He had planned to dance with her to Kajra Re. But Ash refused. Her argument was that Kajre re was a family song and that she performed the number in Bunty aur Babli only with her father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan and husband Abhishek and that she will not dance to that song with anyone else.

No amount of persuasion from the organisers helped her change her mind. Finally, Shah Rukh had to scrap this plan."

In the past Aishwarya has never been intimidated by any of the three Khans, even if it meant heavy professional losses for her. When she turned down Mangal Pandey, Aamir Khan apparently stopped all communication with her. Thereafter, the only time Ash shared screen space with him was for a fleeting cameo in Dharmesh Darshan's Mela.

Her experience with Salman of course was another story. Ash sent out a press release in 2003 stating she would never work with him again. The release stated, "For the sake of my well-being, sanity, my dignity and the self-respect of my family, I will not work with Salman Khan anymore.

I maintained a dignified silence but he attacked the dignity of my family and me with irresponsible rumour mongering. I stood by him, enduring alcoholism, misbehaviour, and in turn I was at the receiving end of abuse, infidelity and indignity."

With Shah Rukh, Aishwarya's rapport can at best be described as chequered. During Devdas they bonded superbly. But later, Ash was ousted from Chalte Chalte and replaced by Rani Mukerji after Salman disrupted the first schedule of the film.

Over the years, SRK and Ash were beginning to share a comfort level. But after the latest episode, one wonders if the Devdas duo will ever see eye to eye again.