Director Gautham Ramachandran's Gargi is one of Tamil cinema's most celebrated films of recent times. The film is most memorable for the sensitive way in which Gautham treated its subject matter, concerning sexual abuse, and for the performances by Sai Pallavi and RS Shivaji. In fact, Sai Pallavi was not the first choice of Gautham to play the lead role in the film.

Recently, Aishwarya Lekshmi revealed that she was offered a chance to play the same role in Gargi. Speaking to Galatta Plus, Aishwarya said that she chose not to star in Gautham Ramachandran's film in the said role for a specific reason. "Initially, the first time it was narrated to me before COVID, I said no. Then, in three years, it came back," Aishwarya Lekshmi said.

Aishwarya was then asked why she said no to the role. In response, the actor said, "Because I thought it needed a bigger heroine. Even when Gautham wanted me to do Gargi, my previous manager was very upset when I said no to it."

Aishwarya Lekshmi explained that she wanted Gautham to do the film with a bigger actress as compared to her for the sake of his career. At the same time, she added that if the film came to her at this phase of her career, she would "jump and do that film".

However, it is worth noting that Aishwarya Lekshmi plays a cameo role as a news reporter in the 2022 film. Kaali Venkat portrays the role of a defence lawyer in the drama. The story follows a security officer (RS Shivaji) who is accused of sexual abuse. When society starts mocking her, the old man's daughter makes it a point to fight to secure justice for her father.