Rumours about Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan parting ways have barely died down, when there is more speculation about the duo doing the rounds.

It is said that when Mani Ratnam wanted to shoot certain portion of Guru in Mumbai, as per the requirement of the script, both Ash and Abhishek refused to shoot in the city. “Mani Sir wanted to shoot certain portion of his film in Mumbai. He needed about ten days for the shoot,� says our source. However, it came as a bolt from the blue when both his stars politely refused to shoot in Mumbai.


“They are apprehensive of mediapersons and photographers hounding them for soundbytes and photographs, and want to avoid the situation,� adds our source. Since the time the media started writing stories about Abhishek and Ash, the two have been trying to keep a low profile. They avoid public appearances and try to shoot for most of their films away from Mumbai.

Incidentally, this attitude of theirs goes back a long way, to the time when the two were shooting for J P Dutta’s Umrao Jaan in Jodhpur. “The song and other indoor sequences of the film could have been shot easily in Mumbai. But Ash and Abhishek asked J P Dutta to complete the entire film in one schedule in Jodhpur,â€? says our source.

Sanjay Gadhvi’s Dhoom 2 has also been also shot in Brazil. “Ash and Hrithik have some scenes and dance sequences in Mumbai, but all her scenes with Abhishek were shot in Brazil. That is how they have been avoiding getting clicked together,â€? says our source.