Happy birthday, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: Remembering her most iconic interviews
What's the story
Former Miss World and one of the leading actors of Bollywood, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan turned 49 on Tuesday. In her distinguished career, she has fronted several critically and commercially acclaimed movies. The blue-eyed beauty is known as much for her elegance as for her oratorical skills, and we have witnessed her gift of gab on several occasions. Let's take a look at some instances.
#1
When she told Oprah Winfrey what Indians thought of Americans
Through her work in Hollywood movies such as Bride and Prejudice and Provoked, she is well-known globally. In 2004, she was interviewed by American actor-producer-host Oprah Winfrey, who asked her a few questions about how Indians perceived America and its culture. When Winfrey asked, "Do they think we get [many] divorces?", Rai Bachchan replied with supreme sass, "Ah, well that could be a discussion."
#2
When she spoke about being confident and self-assured
In an old interview with Filmfare, she stressed on the importance of being comfortable in one's skin and being self-assured. Extending a piece of advice for women, she said, "Be your best friend. You need to be brutally honest with yourself. Have a deep sense of conviction...whatever your choices. Believe in the strength of 'no' because 'yes' is just the easiest way around."
#3
Her response to David Letterman won many hearts
When Rai Bachchan spoke to David Letterman in 2005 while promoting Bride and Prejudice, he proposed an awkward question, "Do you still stay with your parents, and is it normal in India?" "It's fine to live with your parents because it's also common in India [for us not] to take appointments from the parents to meet for dinner," retorted the Jodha Akbar actor quickly.
#4
Actor hasn't shied away from calling a spade a spade
Rai Bachchan also deserves accolades for speaking fiercely against the physical abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of her ex-boyfriend and colleague Salman Khan. Speaking about their public spat, she once said, "I stood by him enduring alcoholism, misbehavior in worse phases, and in turn, I was at the receiving end of his abuse (verbal, physical, emotional), infidelity and indignity. "