Katrina did not replace me

Finally Aishwarya has spoken out. At a recent press meet, Ash sought to clear the air about Katrina Kaif replacing her as the brand ambassador of a diamond jewellery brand."I would like to say this loud and clear; I chose not to renew my contract with the jewellery brand. I had a contract with another brand under which that particular jewellers came. Once they parted ways, I decided not to endorse them anymore" she said.While Aishwarya might have set the record straight and refuted any catfights with Katrina, their alleged tiff reached a new high when Katrina bagged the Barbie deal that was reportedly coming Aishwarya's way. Unlike others, marriage doesn’t seem to have slowed her down. “Earlier, it was tough for a heroine to get work after marriage. Their so-called brand value would depreciate. That didn’t happen with me, as I've always aspired to push the envelope,” she explains.But she does not take the credit for this alone. “I have to thank the professionals I’ve worked with. They were not regressive and changed with times,” she says. And unlike other contemporaries, Ash always seems pretty secure and confident of her career. “And why not?” she asks going on to add that, “Throughout my career I’ve never said things like, ‘I’m not ready for marriage now’, or ‘marriage will happen only after five or six years’. When I was ready for marriage, everybody knew. I’ve never given escapist quotes.” But now that she is married into the first family of Bollywood, doesn’t she want to take it slow? “I have a secret pride, you know. I’ve always wanted to work after marriage and I couldn’t see why that should change after I tied the knot,” says Ash, while adding immediately, “Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not a hardcore feminist. I’m a humanist.” Spoken like a queen bee.