The gorgeous Aishwarya Rai Bachchan turns a year older on November 1. In a conversation with us, she looks back on the years and films gone by, and expresses her wishes for the future. Excerpts from our chat:
So, it’s your 16th birthday?
[Bursts out laughing] Your lenses need to be changed! I know how old I am and I don’t need to pretend to be younger… I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all my well-wishers. I am so thankful to them for giving so much love to me and to my daughter.
You have a unique place in people’s hearts. How aware are you of this?
I’d be blind not to see it. I feel it all the time. As for my sense of responsibility, I thank my parents for bringing me up with the right values. I was aware of my responsibilities from the day I became part of the entertainment industry. I’d like to pass on my values to Aaradhya. I never had to be told the dos and don’ts.
You’re considered the epitome of beauty. Does that get boring?
People pay me a compliment by calling me beautiful and I say, ‘Thank you very much’. But I have to be considered beautiful from the inside. That’s my definition of beauty. If I am called beautiful for who I am, then I truly treasure it. Fortunately, even when my beauty is mentioned, my performances are not ignored. I don’t feel my looks have overshadowed my work.
In your film career, do you recall any truly stressful moments from your shoots?
When Madhuri Dixit and I were dancing to Dola Re Dola in Devdas! There was so much pressure on us about outperforming one another that we purposely messed up the first shot! Then we looked at one another and said, “That’s done. Now let’s get on with the dancing.”
So, what are your thoughts on your birthday?
Thank you for everything. The accolades, the comeback, the Padma Shri, my daughter and husband… I never took the comfortable route. When I made unusual choices with directors like Rituparno Ghosh, people said I was going off the mainstream route. But today those films, like Raincoat and Chokher Bali, are mentioned the most.
And what’s the one birthday wish
I’d want Rituparno Ghosh back. I can’t tell you how much I miss him. He was treasured and revered in Bengal and if he were here, he would have been celebrated in Hindi cinema.
