In 2010, Rai was cast by Mani Ratnam in his bilingual modern-day adaptation of the Indian epic "Ramayana". Her role was that of Ragini (modeled on Sita, the heroine of "Ramayana"), a woman married to the superintendent of police, who is kidnapped by a bandit. The Hindi version ("Raavan") and the Tamil version ("Raavanan") of the film were shot simultaneously and Rai played the same role in both the film versions. The films received polarising reviews from film critics, as did Rai's performance. Kaveree Bamzai of "India Today" wrote, "Aishwarya's Sita is one of the best things in the film ... her performance is heartfelt—this is a performer who is at ease playing women, rather than girls". However, film critics Aniruddha Guha and Rajeev Masand criticised her character and noted, "She's left to scream and shriek and hiss." Commercially, "Raavanan" emerged as a success while "Raavan" flopped.