What made Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan opt out of Rajeev Menon’s film on the life of Carnatic Classical exponent MS Subbulakshmi? Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi was the first musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna in India. The singer had also essayed the role of Meera in a Tamil film even before Indian Independence.

And Menon, who has worked with Aishwarya in the film 'Kandukondain Kandukondain' quite some time back, felt Ash fits the bill to play the role and so the filmmaker approached her with the subject. Ash wasn’t too keen and she refused the role as she felt that that was more of an art film and it did not have the ingredients to be converted into a blockbuster. Ash, after her motherhood and forced sabbatical, is keen to make a comeback with a film that could technically qualify as a super duper hit in today’s times.

Left with no choice, Menon then went to the girl from Kerala - Vidya Balan, who is a Tamil Brahmin from Pallakkad and who also follows classical music extremely well and makes her presence felt in almost every big musical event she can lay her leg into once she has time off her shoots and film promotions etc. Balan was clearly impressed by the fact that the film had been offered to her and jumped at the idea of even working in the film. She has given priority dates to Menon who is now casting the rest of Vidya's co-stars in the film on the legendary songstress from Tamil Nadu. Balan told friends that she was looking forward to play the role very ardently and her parents too are very excited that she would play the role of a singer that most of the people who follow Carnatic classical music worship.