Exclusive pics of Aishwarya shooting for Jazbaa

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was spotted shooting for Sanjay Gupta's upcoming thriller, Jazbaa, by Mirror lensman Raju Shelar at the Asiatic Society Library in Fort on Sunday. In the sequence, the actress is seen hurriedly getting out of a car to make a frantic phone call. Adding to the emotions was the growing heat and the gathered swarm of onlookers.

A crowd of over 5,000 stargazers converged to watch Aishwarya in action. And the melee, paired with the blazing sun, made filming an ordeal. "We've been shooting 12 hours at a stretch all week long but it was only indoors. This was the first scene in her comeback film that was shot at a public place and the humidity was unbearable," revealed a source from the location.

Aishwarya's day had begun at 7.30 am with a sequence shot under the Marine Drive flyover. They finally wrapped up at the library around 4 pm. The director posted a picture of his footprint embossed into the road: "The tar road melts under our feet... Imagine the heat we are shooting in!"

Initially, the crew was to shoot with Ash on Marine Drive on April 13. But due to ongoing Indian Premier League, the Mumbai Police advised them against an outdoor shoot at a time when cricket frenzy was at its peak. "We beefed up security and the area was locked down but still the crowds went crazy. I can understand today why the cops denied us permission when Mumbai Indians took on the Kings XI Punjab at the Wankhade Stadium," adds the source.

The director and his leading lady will unveil the poster of the film at the Cannes Film Festival, when Aishwarya makes an annual appearance on the French Riviera. "We're on a one month break now," exults the source.