Aishwarya Rai touches Mani Ratnam's feet after he reveals why 'she’s absolutely right' for Ponniyin Selvan. Watch

Aishwarya Rai was overwhelmed, when she heard filmmaker Mani Ratnam praising her and saying that each time he approached her for a role, it was because of her talent. Upon hearing the appreciation, Aishwarya walked across the stage to touch Mani Ratnam's feet. Aishwarya and Mani were present together at a recent promotional event for their upcoming film, Ponniyin Selvan II. The entire cast of the film, including Vikram, Sobhita Dhulipala and Trisha were present at the event. (Also read: Aishwarya Rai on playing Nandini again after 23 years)

Made in two parts, Ponniyin Selvan is an adaptation of Kalki Krishnamurthy's 1955 Tamil novel. The film chronicles the story of the early days of Arulmozhivarman (essayed by Jayam Ravi), who is said to be one of the most powerful kings and eventually became the great Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola I. The first part released in September last year, and was appreciated by critics and audiences alike.

Asked if he considered Aishwarya as a lucky charm for his films, Mani said, "Filmmakers are very, very selfish people, absolutely heartless, and selfish. The only thing they care for is the film. How much ever I love her (Aishwarya), I will ask her only if I think she is right for the role. Every time I have asked her, it is because I have believed that she was absolutely right for the role and she has been nice enough to say yes. So, she is not just a lucky charm for me, it is her talent and her personality that was right to portray this character."

Soon after, Aishwarya got up from her seat and walked across the stage to touch Mani Ratnam's feet. Mani got up to greet her, when she touched his feet. Responding to his answer, Aishwarya also added, "He is certainly not one to sit and think about luck." She also said that the answer gave her ‘the most special moment ever’. Prior to Ponniyin Selvan, Aishwarya and Mani have worked together in Iruvar, Raavanan, and Guru.

Ponniyin Selvan II also features Karthi, Vikram, Jayam Ravi, Trisha, Aishwarya Lekshmi, Shobhita Dhulipala, and Prakash Raj. The film is set for a theatrical release on Friday, April 28. Apart from Tamil, the film will also be released in Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam dubbed versions.