Aishwarya Rai

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan speaks about her perfect life, marriage and career moves in an exclusive interview.

To an outsider, Bollywood movies largely remain a land where fantasy takes wing. But to an insider, there is much more to it than that.

Apart from the stereotypical image of an actress breaking into a saccharine, lyrical odyssey from time to time, viewers often have to make peace with impossibly perfect characters.

Even in the most adverse conditions, most movies have central characters who rarely step out of line. Ironically, the personal lives of the larger-than-life actors are nothing like their characters.

A failed marriage here, a clandestine affair there, a public spat with a frenemy in the sidelines - it’s all too common off camera.

But there’s one actress who has defied these odds and emerged as the quintessential Indian woman (on and off screen).

Say hello to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, a lady who has successfully managed to maintain her near-perfect persona both on screen and off. Except for a couple of failed relationships with Salman Khan and Viviek Oberoi, she has no chink in her armour.

A thriving career, A-list endorsements, a seemingly perfect marriage, a pitch-perfect performance as a doting daughter-in-law … her list of accomplishments is lengthy. When e+ caught up with her on the telephone, the recently-married Ash was riding unabashedly on the crest of her achievements.

Our question was, naturally: How did she manage to become the queen of multi-tasking? “You are a working girl, so you know how it [balancing career and personal life] works and how difficult it can be,” came the reply.

Choosing her words carefully, she continued, “Marriage is no doubt hectic and time-consuming. But it is immensely rewarding too. Abhishek and I love and respect each other dearly, so that helps,” she says.

Though her words clearly endorse the universal truth - that behind every marriage there is a tired woman - it is endearing to hear her speak candidly about her marital life.

“In every new venture there’s always a learning curve. But what worked in my favour was that there were no abrupt developments in my life. It was very smooth.”

Known for her generous use of the diplomatic card, Aishwarya, voted one of the most influential women in the world by Time Magazine, credits her success in juggling the professional and personal lives to the benevolence of Bollywood.

“The people around me have been very understanding and accommodating of my new responsibilities. No other industry, say in the West, would be this understanding,” she gushes.

We accept her words with a pinch of salt, considering that her latest co-star Hrithik Roshan was rumoured to have been miffed with her during the shooting of her latest film Jodhaa Akbar, when she turned up on the set with her husband in tow and was distracted all day.

But declining to touch upon such rumours, she says speculations has now become a way of life. From politics to starting her own production house to pregnancy, all she has to say is: “Never say never!”

Before things could end on such an ambivalent note, I asked her about her international projects and her cross-over celeb status.

“I hate the term cross-over celebrity (as people tend to assume cross-over refers only to Hollywood). It’s not just Hollywood movies that I have taken up over the years. My experience has been vast. If you look at my body of work, it covers a large spectrum of areas including Tamil and Bengali movies.”

With her professional and personal life going great guns, it is evident that Mrs Bachchan is happy to adopt the wait-and-watch policy when it comes to her forthcoming projects Pink Panther 2 with Steve Martin and Sarkaar Raj with her husband Abhishek Bachchan.

Not one to show any kind of nervousness at the outcome of her projects, Mrs Bachcan is happy to take one day at a time. “Right now, I am happy to go with the flow,” says Ash.