Mumbai, May 22 (IANS) She virtually lives out of a suitcase, thanks to her various commitments. But Aishwarya Rai has taken a break after returning from Cannes to spend time with her ailing father.

'It was something I had to do. I did it more for myself than for them,' Aishwarya told IANS before taking off to nearby Karjat to shoot for 'Action Replay'.

Aishwarya, who proved to be a head turner on the Cannes red carpet, reached here Monday and decided to break her journey to spend a day with her parents.

'It was a long spell. Shooting in Karjat for prolonged periods is not new to Aishwarya. For 'Jodhaa Akbar', she was stationed in Karjat for so long that it became her second home. But now circumstances have changed. After her father's illness, Aishwarya doesn't like to be away from Mumbai for prolonged periods,' said a source close to the actress.

'Even when she was shooting in the jungles of Kerala for Mani Ratnam, Aishwarya made sure she visited Mumbai to be with her father. Though she never lets it show in her work, being away from home is very difficult for her now and she would like to shoot as much as possible in Mumbai. Ironically, almost all her films are being shot outside the city,' added the source

Her father's health scare has bonded Aishwarya with others in the industry who are traumatised by terminal illness.

'Aishwarya kept track of Feroz Khan's health through Fardeen. When he passed away, she was deeply affected. At the prayer meeting Fardeen and Aishwarya exchanged notes,' said the source.

Aishwarya has teamed up with Akshay Kumar in Vipul Shah's 'Action Replay' and currently both are shooting for the film in Karjat.