20 years of Aitraaz: Revisiting Priyanka Chopra's iconic femme fatale role

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It's been 20 years since we saw one of the boldest femme fatale films on the big screen. Yes, we are referring to Abbas Mustan's Aitraaz, which starred Priyanka Chopra Jonas in a prominently negative role alongside Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor Khan. Interestingly, Aitraaz is also the film that dared to clash with Yash Chopra's Veer-Zaara at the box office, featuring Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta in titular roles.

Aitraaz plot overview

Great reviews welcomed the release of Aitraaz on November 12, 2004, which tells the story of a man who faces sexual harassment allegations from his female boss. Critics highly praised Priyanka's performance. Based on the 1994 film Disclosure, this film gained a lot of attention for its daring treatment of the topic of sexual harassment and was a huge financial success, making Rs. 260 million at the box office on a budget of Rs. 80 million.

In the film, Akshay Kumar plays the role of Raj Malhotra, a prosperous businessman who is blessed with a beautiful wife, Priya, played by Kareena Kapoor Khan. Just when Raj believes things are looking up, his ex-girlfriend Sonia (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), who is now the boss's wife, reappears in his life and develops feelings for him. She claims he raped her after he turned down her sexual advances. With the backing of his wife Priya, he swiftly reverses the situation and initiates a sexual harassment lawsuit against Sonia.

Inspiration behind the storyline of Aitraaz

Abbas-Mustan got the idea for the film after reading about NBA player Kobe Bryant's sexual assault case in the news. A fan accused the late sports personality of rape. They explained that the strange title of the film was appropriate given the subject matter, claiming that the word "aitraaz" was both colloquial and appropriate. Shiraz Ahmed and Shyam Goel wrote the screenplay.

Aitraaz would mark the third film collaboration between Akshay and Priyanka, following the triumphant Andaaz (2003) and Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004).

Challenging roles

Kareena played Priya, a supporting wife who goes to great lengths to defend her husband Akshay, who was cast as Raj, a working man accused of rape at his workplace. The directors stated that they intended for the actor to downplay his role, as they were casting him against his typical action hero type. Abbas Mustan, renowned for his sleek thrillers and captivating villains, cast Priyanka in her first antagonistic role. Her character marries a business titan more than twice her age who accuses her ex-lover of rape in order to get revenge. The contentious subject of sexual harassment made Priyanka Chopra nervous about playing such a strong character, but Abbas-Mastan and Subhash Ghai managed to get her to agree to star. The same pair directed the 2002 thriller Humraaz, but she declined the lead role.

Akshay's portrayal of a "new-age metrosexual" guy was consistently "realistic." Speaking about his character's flaws and qualities, the actor said that he is not afraid to show his feelings and does not feel emasculated by his situation. His character is associated with a quiet dignity and heroism. He is not one to struggle for praise and stands firm in his beliefs.

Kareena said in an interview with The Tribune that she felt her role might resonate with Indian women. She explained that she stands by Raj in his moment of distress and helplessness, like every Indian woman would.

Priyanka described her character Sonia as charming and focused, emphasising that her philosophy is to achieve her goals at any cost. Nothing can come between her desires and herself; she knows with absolute certainty. As a result of her traditionally conservative background, Priyanka struggled to accept her "man-eater role." She found it difficult to play an extremely negative character and needed to give herself an hour of mental preparation before each scene.

"In the world of women, you either play by their rules or else..." reads the tagline of the film's first look poster, which critics praised.

Diwali release and competition with other major films

The launch of Aitraaz took place on November 12, 2004, during the joyous Diwali weekend. Interestingly, it coincided with the release of Veer-Zaara, the coloured adaptation of Mughal-e-Azam, and Naach. Opening to decent reviews everywhere else, the film did quite well in major cities. Its weekend performance was second only to that of Yash Chopra's Veer-Zaara.

In India, the film made over ₹45 million in its opening weekend and ₹76 million in its first week of domestic box office earnings, as reported by Box Office India. Aitraaz became the ninth highest-grossing Bollywood film of the year after its run, earning over ₹278 million at the box office.

Shrimathi (2011) was the Kannada remake of the film, which featured Upendra, Priyanka Trivedi, and Celina Jaitley.

Critical reception for Aitraaz was very positive, with many praising the film's directing, score, and performances, especially Priyanka's. Its fearless handling of sexual harassment garnered attention. Claiming similarities to the American picture Disclosure (1994), multiple critics panned the film.