Verve's undisputed power cover girl, India's highest paid, most in-demand actor; international face of the country; recipient of a myriad film awards and the big daddy of them all, a Padma Shri, reminds me of a little girl on a Ferris wheel - spinning ever upwards, almost out of control in the frenzy of her life.
Today, she is closeted in her vanity van at N. D. Studio in Karjat with make-up artist, Ojas. She is busy putting on a face, which to me seems so unnecessary!
Earlier, fresh countenanced, tired-eyed but oh so beautiful, she had made flash decisions on gowns (no saris); colours (out with that dull mauve) and silhouettes. The world's most beautiful woman (so says Julia Roberts!) standing there in black tights and silver-and-white tee, could have slipped into anything and looked like a million bucks.
She is small, slim and graveeyed and I remember reading that these, her most outstanding feature, have been donated already to science.
She was not in the best of moods, struggling to control diva- esque tendencies - probably triggered by yet another unnecessary controversy, this time at Cannes, hanging over her head like a cloud of bad hair.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is ready to shoot but only on her own terms. And, she has too much on her mind as she comes to chat.
"You just know when you are home!"
Abhishek and I have been close throughout our careers. Within a year of our being together, he proposed to me and it was an immediate yes.
In Toronto, we had the premiere of Guru and there was a screening and a press interaction in New York and we were supposed to take the flight back, when he proposed.
And he said he had a reason for that, he said he used to be in New York at that very spot thinking about the possibility of us being together. It was not about the frills but about the personal emotion deep within."
"My marriage was a glorious, fabulous, wonderful, superlative personal experience."
And having said that, the circumstances were unimaginable. I never thought I would get married in the middle of a film. You imagine you would complete your work, indulge yourself. In movies, they show this entire preparation time and the irony was that I was doing that in Jodhaa Akbar.
Ashu (director Ashutosh Gowariker) would keep saying that your craft, your kala, is preparing you for this wonderful real life moment.
So, I was the bride in my work and its wonderful how my life has made me smile so many times and made me wonder at incidents where something is going on in your life and there is an interesting parallel on your work front.
"Abhishek and I have the ability to keep things real."
Which is great and keeps our relationship what it is - an incredible friendship...we are brutally frank with each other, we are brutally frank about our life, we both have an incredible sense of humour and we have the ability to laugh with each other, at ourselves and with life and I think that is special.
"It starts with, I as an actor should want to do what I am doing, otherwise I will be cheating my work."
If I am not comfortable doing what I am doing, the camera picks up every little thing, you cannot lie to the camera.
I have been fairly radical throughout my career in terms of trying to break out of the predictable journey of a leading lady. Early on, I took up mature roles and started working in regional cinema.
It was recognized that I had a dancing prowess and I could have been the next dancing superstar but I chose subjects where the directors wanted to create a slightly different character.
"The truth is, I did not go seeking to make an inroad into Hollywood or move there."
The entire international interest in me started when Devdas went to Cannes. Coincidentally, Gurinder (Chadha) was meeting me with two script ideas at the same time. So naturally she became my first choice. It was suddenly perceived that Aishwarya has made this decision to go to Hollywood.
I said that I am open to cinema, just as I was when I did Iruvar, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. When I joined films finally, it was after Miss World and films were already coming my way.
I have virtually been invited here and to date scripts come my way and by the grace of God, I am spoilt for choice. That is the same way I choose my English films.
I am sure people have wondered why I have said no to biggies like Will Smith, Michael Douglas, Rush Hour 3 or Troy. But, I had committed my time to Indian films.
"A day off is totally husband time and family time."
When we were in Chennai shooting for Guru, we went with Abhishek's friends from college time, to the theatre and we watched movies back to back, just that one evening we went from one theatre to the next in this multiplex
Abhishek and I love music and I have an incredibly full iPod now thanks to him. I have never been pseudo enough to say I like only English music and popular tracks of the time but also old classics and Hindi music of earlier times.
We also genuinely love watching movies. But most of all, we just love spending time together. Both of us are very talkative and we have to give each other time to speak before piping in.
"Professionally what was wonderful was being bestowed with the Padma Shri."
People from the fraternity said you are the youngest from the industry to have received it thus far. I owe it to my parents and I devote it to them. It was very special when my in-laws said we welcome the fifth Padma Shri into the family.
And I am blessed with the best husband in the world because it reflects on his strength that he can stand by his woman on a public platform at every given opportunity and applaud her.
With a tight film schedule ahead, the actor will face the year with the cylinders that drive her, on full blast. While her achievements have been large, one wonders, what next?
With fresh faces bombarding the movie going public's sensibility; will Aishwarya now appeal to a more mature audience? Not an older audience minds you, just a more mature one.... While the choices she makes today may be more critical than ever before, destiny's child is not worrying any.
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