Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to Perform for Fund Raising for Uttarkhand Flood Victims

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is set to perform in a stage show in India, to raise funds for Uttarkhand, the flood-affected northern state. The natural disaster claimed several thousand lives and forced the country to look for loans worth $400m from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB), according to The Hindu.

Local reports say the 39-year-old former Miss World will perform on 15 August, Indian Independence Day, and she will be joined on stage by husband Abhishek Bachchan. A source told Indian newspaper Mid-Day the award-winning actress would dance to "a medley of patriotic songs".

Interestingly, the organisers for the event remained unknown, although it is believed a television channel is playing a key role in putting the show together. Money generated from the telecast is also expected to be donated to organisations working to help victims.

"The ad revenue generated during the telecast will be channelled to not-for-profit bodies that are working to restore normalcy in the hilly region. The stars and all those associated with the on-ground event for the performances have done it gratis to espouse the Uttarakhand cause," the source added.

According to a report in The Times of India, several other Bollywood actors will also be participating in the seven-hour event, including actresses Madhuri Dixit, Neha Dhupia, Bipasha Basu, Kajol and actors Abhay Deol, Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor and John Abraham.

Legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's father-in-law, is also expected to participate. The star tweeted mid-week, after shooting a promo spot for the event, saying: "Worked on the Uttarakhand Telethon song and poem by Prasoon Joshi .. and SEL music - thats ShankarEhsanLoy and not the Benz model".

The Uttarakhand fund raising performance will mark Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's third stage performance since the birth of her daughter Aaradhya in November two years ago. Her last stage performance was in Vancouver on the last day of the three-day Times of India Film Awards (TOIFA) event in April.