Keeping it Real

Life has been kind to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. In addition to her legion of honours (Miss World, the Padma Shri, the unforgettable compliment from Julia Roberts, innumerable Filmfare and Screen awards), the recent IIFA awards saw her winning two citations, ‘Actress of the Decade’ and ‘International Face of India’. It’s not too difficult to see why millions are enamoured by Aishwarya. Her luminous skin, huge green eyes and incredible self-confidence, all the factors contribute to her enchanting beauty.
Aishwarya had a chat with an international magazine recently during her visit to the Royal Ascot in London. Excerpts:


What do you think of the fashions you’ve seen here at Ascot?
Well it’s my first time at Ascot and it’s wonderful! The two aspects I always hear about are the presence of the royal family, and of course, the hats! So I was concerned I wouldn’t have time to put an outfit and a hat together in time. But we got it bang on.

Have you met Frieda Pinto? She’s tagged as India’s ‘next big thing’.
I haven’t had a chance to meet her but congratulations to her!
It seems in India people think of you as a real goddess. That must feel very surreal?
I just see me. It’s very humbling. The kind of love and adoration that your people give you is truly overwhelming and also it’s very personal.
You had a very ‘normal’ upbringing not like your husband, who grew up in a very high-profile family…
Inspite of him being born into a world of fame and film, something we have in common is that we have a very real atmosphere at home. To me it hasn’t felt like a huge change. It seems very normal and grounded.

You married two years ago. How did it change your life?
I’d be lying if I said there was no change. There was a new family who I immediately embraced as my own, and at the same time for me it was all very hectic in terms of scheduling. My husband and I both married in the middle of filming so it was straight back to work while adapting to this new phase in our lives.
Were you intimidated marrying into such a famous family?
I definitely knew the family very well. But was I intimidated at all? No, because my experience of celebrity and fame is that once you’ve experienced it, it can’t be any different. It was almost natural.

And you both work in the same industry, which must help…
We have freed ourselves as actors as my mother and father in-law did in the past. We enjoy our world, our jobs, but we also love spending time at home. We both are real foodies.
Did you have a crush on Abhishek from afar before you met?
No, but what’s strange is that we knew each other as teenagers, but we didn’t meet until I was making my first movie. He came to the location I was filming in and he and his crew joined us for dinner, and that is how we first met. We had different situations at the time but what was wonderful is that different people around us really believed we should be together.
Do you see children in your future?
Of course. We are a normal couple who love each other. It’s like five years ago I was asked if I saw marriage in my future, and I said, ‘of course!’ And now it’s children and again, ‘of course’.
Your mother-in-law Jaya went into politics after acting. Is this something you would consider?
I have never considered it but I think beliefs are something everybody can use. Some of us are blessed with opportunity where being a celebrity you have a larger and more receptive audience out there. So that is why I think it is only natural to lend your voice to generate impetus to help various causes.