Heart and Craft

Motherhood hasn't changed her one bit. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan still follows her heart while choosing films.

- Neha S.Bajpai

It is a balmy November evening in New Delhi. Basking in the success of her latest box-office hit Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is busy hopping venues, stirring up a frenzy in a celebrity-starved national capital.

In town to inaugurate the new Longines boutique at the Mall of India, she doesn’t seem the one who can be rushed. Dressed in a royal blue silk gown with capped sleeves, Aishwarya glides through the crowds, tirelessly waving and pausing for selfies among loud cheers.

“I hate jerky conversations and hurried appearances. I like giving time to whatever I do and expect the same from others,” says Aishwarya, as we settle down in one of the cozy meeting rooms at the Taj Palace Hotel. How easy is it to go slow and steady in a business where dreams vanish in a heartbeat, and one has to make hay while the sun shines? “I have always followed my heart. I come from an academic background and choosing movies as a career was a serious decision for me. I could have started my journey with a glamorous role but I chose Iruvar as my first film. I could have done the usual song, dance and looked glamorous, but I didn’t want the film to be all about me. I was excited to work with Mani Ratnam on an unconventional debut,” she says.

A political drama inspired by Tamil bigwigs M.G. Ramachandran and M. Karunanidhi, Iruvar fell flat at the box-office, but was appreciated by critics for her stellar performance. Over the past two decades, Aishwarya has acted in more than 40 films, including some Hollywood projects like The Pink Panther 2, Provoked and The Mistress of Spices. More than the movies, it is Aishwarya’s global appeal as the ambassador of several international brands that has made her one of the most talked-about Indian celebrities across the world.