Ash on the year gone by

On the eve of her first wedding anniversary, Ash talks about her husband, family and work

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is in Miami where hubby Abhishek Bachchan is shooting. The couple celebrate their first wedding anniversary tomorrow. Ash looks back at the year gone by and talks about balancing personal and professional life. Read on...

How has marriage changed you?
I’ve found a wonderful new family. Both my families provide me with more than enough happiness and security. Though I didn’t plan such a marriage, I wouldn’t want it any other way. It’s been wonderful on both the personal and professional fronts. I remember when I got engaged and returned to the sets of Jodhaa-Akbar, there was no change at all; nobody paid any attention. They thought it was another rumour.

Love happened on the sets of your other costume drama, Umrao Jaan.
(laughs) Now that you remind me of it, of course. Abhishek and I came together through Umrao Jaan and Guru.

Abhishek says you were willing to let go of Pink Panther because his grandmother was critically ill.
She wasn’t just his dadi but mine too. I wanted to spend as much time with her as he did. Actors are greedy people. They like to do all sorts of roles that come their way. However, I’ve never been one to detach myself from reality. I’d not want my family life to take a backseat to my work. I genuinely love my husband, his parents and my own parents. I want to be with my new family and get to know them better because I got to know them so late in life. I also know my professional responsibilities. On returning from my honeymoon, I went straight to the location for Jodhaa-Akbar. We want to spend time together.

But we can’t let work suffer. When Pink Panther was offered, dadimaa was really unwell. During Jodhaa, I’d rush back to the hospital frequently. I was reluctant to take up Pink Panther. More so, because it was an international project.

What do you mean?
In India, the entertainment industry doesn’t only go by the commerce. We do operate from the heart. There’s room for domestic crises in our film industry. Overseas, one is under serious contracts. Though Abhishek encouraged me to take up Pink Panther, I made sure I left room in my contract for visits back home. I did want to experience Karwa Chauth and Diwali with family. I checked with my inter- national manager if I could come back if, God forbid, dadimaa were in an emergency.

Subash K. Jha