No director understands the visual poetry of Aishwarya in red better than Sanjay Leela Bhansali. He utilized her as a canvas for the most extreme emotions.
The Moment: The introductory heist – Sunehri in a red bikini top and low-rise jeans. No director understands the visual poetry of Aishwarya
This was a shock to the Indian audience. Gone were the sarees and tears. Here was Aishwarya as a confident, cunning thief, dancing in the rain to “Crazy Kiya Re.” The red here is dangerous fun. She steals a mask, a kiss, and the entire movie from Hrithik Roshan for a few minutes. As the courtesan Chandramukhi, Aishwarya wears red as armor
Why it’s iconic: It proved she could do sexy without vulgarity. The red top became a pop-culture phenomenon, and the song remains one of the most replayed item numbers of the 2000s. As the courtesan Chandramukhi
As the courtesan Chandramukhi, Aishwarya wears red as armor. While Madhuri Dixit’s Paro wears white (purity), Aishwarya’s Chandramukhi wears deep burgundy and blood red.
Playing Dalbir Kaur, a woman fighting to free her brother from a Pakistani jail, Aishwarya removed all glamour. The only red in the film is the chaadar (shroud) she brings when she thinks her brother has died. The notable moment is when she drapes the red cloth on an empty chair. She does not scream; she simply collapses. The red fabric swallows her whole.
Based on the true story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, an abused wife who kills her husband. While the film is grim, the use of red is brutal. In the flashback of the abuse, Kiranjit (Aishwarya) wears a torn red salwar kameez splattered with actual (simulated) blood. The notable moment is the final verdict: she holds up her red-stained hands to the judge and says, "I am not a murderer. I am a survivor." For the first time, red is not beautiful or romantic; it is traumatic.