Abhishek Bachchan shares memories from first real-life meeting with Aishwarya Rai, praises her for Aaradhya's upbringing

Abhishek Bachchan recently shared memories of his first meeting with Aishwarya Rai during a film recce in Switzerland.

Actors Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan remain one of Bollywood’s most talked-about couples, yet they rarely speak publicly about their relationship. However, in a recent interview with Nayandeep Rakshit, Abhishek opened up about his first real-life meeting with Aishwarya and also praised her for playing a pivotal role in their daughter Aaradhya Bachchan’s upbringing.

Abhishek Bachchan credits Aishwarya Rai for Aaradhya's upbringing.

Abhishek Bachchan recalls first meeting with Aishwarya Rai

Abhishek recalled how, during a location recce for his father Amitabh Bachchan's film Mrityudaata, he was in Switzerland with director Mehul Kumar and their head of production, Shagun Vag. His mother, Jaya Bachchan, had sent him along since he had grown up and studied in a boarding school there, making him familiar with the locales. Coincidentally, around the same time, his close friend Bobby Deol was also in Switzerland, shooting for Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya, which starred Aishwarya Rai.

He added, "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. 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."

Abhishek Bachchan on Aaradhya's upbringing

Abhishek then spoke about their daughter Aaradhya being raised well despite being in the public eye and credited Aishwarya for it. He said, "I have to give the credit for 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. Mothers are wired differently. They prioritise their child above everything else. That’s why our go-to person in life is always our mum. It holds true for me even today."

Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai’s relationship

Abhishek and Aishwarya's relationship began to blossom during the mid-2000s, particularly while working together on films like Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, Kuch Naa Kaho, and eventually Guru, where their on-screen chemistry translated into real-life romance. The couple got engaged in January 2007 and tied the knot in a grand ceremony on 20 April 2007 in Mumbai. They welcomed their daughter Aaradhya in 2011.

Recently, there had been rumours about their separation; however, the couple has never addressed these publicly and have rather shut down the speculation subtly through public appearances together at various events.