Abhishek Bachchan recalls meeting Aishwarya Rai for the first time on a film recce, praises her for Aaradhya's upbringing: ‘She's amazing, selfless'

Time of India

20 hours ago

Abhishek Bachchan
recently opened up about the first time he met his now-wife,
Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan, during a recent interview. The actor recalled their unexpected first meeting back in the late 1990s, when he was assisting on his father Amitabh Bachchan's film Mrityudaata and happened to visit the sets of Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya, which starred Bobby Deol and Aishwarya.
'I was on a recce for my father's film Mrityudaata with Mr. Mehul Kumar and our head of production, Shagun Vag, in Switzerland. My mother had sent me there because I'd grown up in Switzerland and studied in boarding school, so they felt I'd be familiar with the locales. Around the same time, I was very close to Bobby Deol, who was shooting Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya.
The day we were out on our recce, we happened to walk onto a set where Bobby was shooting a scene with Aishwarya.
I think it was at the Zanin train station, right next to Shtar. That was the first time I saw her in person. Of course, we'd all seen her during the Miss World phase, but this was the first real-life meeting. That evening, Bobby invited me to their hotel for dinner, and that's where we actually met for the first time,' Abhishek shared with Nayandeep Rakshit.
'I remember Mickey Contractor, who did her makeup and knew me since childhood, was there too.
Aishwarya tells me she couldn't understand a word I said because of my British boarding school accent,' he laughed.
'She does the heavy lifting with Aaradhya' — Abhishek praises Aishwarya as a mother
The conversation then turned to their daughter,
Aaradhya Bachchan
, and how she's been raised with grace despite being in the public eye. Abhishek was quick to credit Aishwarya for their daughter's values and upbringing.
'I have to give the credit of that entirely to her mother.
I get to go out and make my movies, and Aishwarya does the heavy lifting with Aaradhya. She's amazing. And selfless,' he said.
He reflected on the instinctive nature of motherhood, adding, 'Mothers are wired differently. They prioritize their child above everything else. That's why our go-to person in life is always our mom. It holds true for me even today.'
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Aaradhya is growing up away from social media, says Abhishek
Abhishek also revealed that Aaradhya, who turns 13 this year, is not on social media and doesn't even have a phone yet.
Despite growing up in a legendary film family, she remains grounded.
'She's been brought up to be a very conscientious girl. That's a testament to her as an individual,' he said proudly. 'She's turning out to be a wonderful little lady. She's the pride and joy of the family. We're blessed.'
Abhishek concluded by reflecting on what truly matters in life: family. 'With time, you realise that happiness is just coming home to a happy and healthy family. That's so important,' he said.