Abhishek and I do talk babies: Aishwarya

Rajeev Masand: We saw you most recently in Pink Panther and I have to say you looked like you had great fun making that movie. We will not give away much about the film but what a surprise that role turned out to be!

Aishwarya Rai: I am glad you have that to say about the film. We had a blast doing that film. I have grown up watching Pink Panther. So people who know about it, know the genre. One knows what a joyride these films are. I have always regarded Pink Panther as innocent comedy. I put it in the Laurel and Hardy kind of humour for this time and age. It was a wonderful team and we had no-brainer of a role for all of us. And that is the spirit with which we did it. It was not a major acting piece, I mean it wasn't like I had to think how to get into the skin of the character.

Rajeev Masand: You play a character called Sonia Solandres. Now her nationality is a little ambigous. What I want to ask you is that Hollywood is finding roles for Indian actors but is there space for Indian characters? Is that going to take a little while then?

Aishwarya Rai: Interestingly, the English films that I have done - Bride and Prejudice and Mistress of Spices have had a very obvious Indian background so that is different. When it comes to Provoked, it is again the story of an Indian origin. In The Last Legion they had written in the character because Meera does not exist in the novel. So they had created this character and then brought in this whole Indian tilt. So slowly they brought in the fact that Meera's forefathers may have been from Kerala. So I was glad that there is an Indian origin in that role too. In Pink Panther they just left it ambigous so I was like is Sonia Solandres from Goa? Or she is from Europe or she is meant to be Spanish?

This time we went to Madrid and there they have taken it for granted that she is from Spain. But the makers said it wasn't necessary to know (her nationality). But I wanted to know because I had to know if I had to work with the accent coach. They were fine with my accent but there was no specific stress on it. They said we would like to leave her mysterious. In fact even in the film my character just drops into the film. So the idea was that no one knows where she has come from. She is just an author and we leave her like that.

Rajeev Masand: Frieda Pinto is perhaps the only other actress who has had this much buzz around her in the West. Do you think it is easier for her because she is not a star in this country? One has to pretty much start from the scratch there so someone like you would really have to think about whether you want to disappoint a huge population that doesn't want to see you playing a bit role in an American film.

Aishwarya Rai: I have already been down that road and there have been such discussions. With Pink Panther's first promo there were already episodes dedicated to how I am barely a blink-and-a-miss in the promo. So I was like no one said these things when I did Khaki or Mohabbatein. So why are you suddenly doing that here? I have already been facing this. From my first press conference for Bride and Prejudice I was told "So, she went there and now what? She is coming back!" But I was like I never went and that is what I have been saying since the beginning.

I am very glad for Freida. She has been part of a film that has brought immense pride to the entire team and to a lot of our talent. I think we all should not get into these discussions. We really need to develop this healthy attitude of just patting people on the back.

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Rajeev Masand: Forbes magazine recently declared you as the most bankable Indian star in Hollywood. You are number 387 on a list of 1,411 global actors and this is above Aamir, Shah Rukh, Hrithik and Irfan Khan. I want to ask you that do you find it ironic within India that actresses are never considered bankable as the actors?

Aishwarya Rai: From the time that I joined the industry it is almost like you are forewarned about this perception. So I was left to wonder whether I was supposed to accept it as a pre-conceived idea, do I work with this notion or do I just work? And I have chosen the latter. I have just done my work over the years. I don't believe I have been treated differently and I always teased the few actresses who have been friendly with me that we all ought to love each other because every time one of us pushes the envelope it does well for the entire gender in terms of fees, roles or being regarded as a team member.

Rajeev Masand: What are some of the changes that you chose to make in terms of your pace of work or perhaps volume of work since marriage?

Aishwarya Rai: I got married bang in the middle of a film. Five years ago you would asked me this question I would have never imagined this would have happened. I would have said I would wrap-up my work, take a couple of months off, pamper myself and then gotten married. But there I go bang in the middle of a historical piece (Jodha Akbar).

Rajeev Masand: Did the makers of the film freak out when they heard about the marriage?

Aishwarya Rai: Ashu (Ashutosh Gowarikar) and me shared this wonderful expression. But they never let me feel that and never said anything either. Though, I must confess that I did wonder about it. But they never had me feel that in any point in time. As soon as I was back it was the first thing I did. I remember I came back from my honeymoon and went to Karjat (Maharashtra) to shoot. I arrived at the wee hours and went straight for my shoot. So that was a very busy time. After that was Sarkar Raj, which I had committed way before marriage. So we got into that and it was all family so we got to spend time together. Pink Panther came soon after, but during the time that I had decided to take time off.

But Abhishek encouraged me because it was Pink Panther. He said do it because I would have a good time doing it. I knew my cousins, Shweta di's kids would also have a good time watching it. So it was such a joy to see family having a good time watching a simple sweet film like this. Maybe tomorrow our kids might have a good laugh watching it. We thought let us just do it.

It wasn't too demanding on schedule or my time. Abhishek was also busy filming so I did it. But yes, after that I did take time out. For the first time in my career I did not work for 10 months. I only realised it when I first shot for Robot. When I started again it was surreal for me because I had not shot for so long. And ever since then I have packed in so much that it has never stopped.

Rajeev Masand: What is interesting about the films that you are doing with your husband Abhishek Bachchan after marriage is that none of them are the conventional pure romantic films. In Sarkar Raj, just when a hint of a relationship began it ended, and in Mani Ratnam's Ravan, it's almost a forbidden relationship. Is that much more fun than a typical romantic film, which you both have done before?

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Aishwarya Rai: We'd love to do it several times, trust me, we'd love to. We'd love to do an intense romantic film the conventional way as well (laughs). But we're glad the directors are coming with subjects and characters and...

Rajeev Masand: ...don’t just want to capitalise (on your relationship?)

Aishwarya Rai: Which is wonderful, especially at the time when we were just getting married. People weren't going the conventional route with us. It's wonderful because even we as actors, over the years, have been gravitating towards experiences as characters in a lot of movies. I really appreciate and admire that about Abhishek that he has the guts to take the risks irrespective of how or what kind of a course it may chart in a hero's life.

Rajeev Masand: You guys talk babies? You must be.

Aishwarya Rai: You are coming home now, aren’t you! Of course, babies, motherhood obviously. God willing it is an absolute gift. God bless when it is meant to be and of course we are looking forward to it and we will definitely cherish the experience.

Rajeev Masand: You have been shooting for Mani Ratnam’s film Ravan and it is interesting that you chose to make your debut with a Ratnam film too. Iruvar was a very unconventional film. Does he know you best as a filmmaker?

Aishwarya Rai: With Mani we have a different kind of soft spot because I faced the camera as an actor for the first time with him. Like we were joking that the first word I said on screen was in Tamil which means I want to speak. And he was joking that ever since then you haven’t stopped. In that sense it is definitely very special. Another wonderful thing he said while doing Iruvar was that “I am making a movie but this is not a launch pad. I am not launching you.” And I said that is why I am here. There were a lot of launch pads for me but I was hoping to dispel a lot of myths when I started. I tried to create my own story along the way and that is what I have been doing ever since. It was a wonderful school to start at and I have enjoyed working with him ever since.

Rajeev Masand: You are shooting in Hyderabad for Shankar's film Robot opposite Rajinikanth. When I spoke with you before you started shooting, you were very excited about working with him. So what is it like now that you've shot a fair bit?

Aishwarya Rai: Firstly because we've all grown up watching Rajinikanth films and all those moves – it's been exciting, everyone around me was excited about me working with him. So that got infectious. The first time he made a subtle move – the kind that we see on television or in spoofs – I almost let out a chuckle and thought, 'Oh my God! I have seen this moment right here. I just saw a Rajini moment!' I was beeming throughout.

Rajeev Masand: We are in the midst of a global economic recession. As an actor do you feel the pinch?

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Aishwarya Rai: It is an everyday conversation. It is there. We all are professionals and we all take home a salary so you obviously experience the change. But it is not just about the salary factor, it is also about production. It is how much you can invest on your product and that definitely becomes a huge concern. And that is something which we are discussing in our everyday talk.

Rajeev Masand: As an actor has there been pressure to take a pay cut because several actors have spoken about how they have been asked to take one?

Aishwarya Rai: It is not only about pressures, it has now almost become natural. It is discussed because you recognise the nature of the system. But having said that I think we are still very blessed. We are very fortunate to be where we are and so we shouldn’t be complaining. There are so many more people who have really felt the pinch. We probably are where we were two years ago. So we shouldn’t be complaining.

Rajeev Masand: Several of your colleagues have invested in IPL teams. Is that something that you and Abhishek have thought of?

Aishwarya Rai: We have not thought or discussed it at all.

Rajeev Masand: Are you a cricket buff?

Aishwarya Rai: I enjoy it like anybody else but I am not obsessive about it. I mean I will not quit shooting to go watch a match but of course I enjoy it. It is the sport of our nation.

Rajeev Masand: We live in a country where sadly a large chunk of the population is still obsessed with fairness vis-à-vis beauty. It is something you spoke about very articulately on the Tyra Banks show recently. You slammed anti-fairness creams completely.

Aishwarya Rai: This is where you come up with headlines man! I wasn’t looking to slam it or any such thing. I think it is important for people to be comfortable in their skin. In my nation I have been regarded as fair skin, maybe in the Western world I will be regarded as wheatish. Who is going to get into these shade cards? I mean at the end of the day you just have to be comfortable in your skin and not prove some kind of a point.

On my part I am with a cosmetic giant and I am a brand ambassador but I do believe that to each his own. I am not slamming or running down the existence of these products because the fact that they exist means there is a market for them. But on my part I decidedly did not, have not and will not endorse them because I need to believe in it. And I wouldn’t want people to believe that that is the secret to confidence.

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Rajeev Masand: You recently were awarded with the Padma Shri. It is a great honour.

Aishwarya Rai: It is an absolute privilege and honour. It is something that I never dreamt about. Am just so thankful to the government for according me with that recognition and I accept it with all humility because it holds a very special place in my life. It is an incredible appreciation of my journey so far. Today, in fact my father-in-law said that we welcome one more into the family. Personally, also it is a very special experience. I will always cherish it.

Rajeev Masand: Was this feeling of joy and pride dampened by the gossip that came in the wake of the fact that the family is close to Amar Singh?

Aishwarya Rai: I didn’t hear that. I am sorry I have been so busy working that I missed this little thing. But I don’t know, I mean this takes me back to the same thing that why is it so difficult for people to appreciate someone. In that case who do I know in France for them to have accorded that Knighthood to me a year ago. And I still haven’t been able to give them a date because I have been so busy. Will you all then say that I got it because I go to Cannes every year? This is trivial talk.

Rajeev Masand: Does that upset you?

Aishwarya Rai: Like I said it has been the flip side of the coin that has existed for years in the charter. But it happens. I have experienced and seen it. Like I said the recent example being Rahman winning the Oscars. There were episodes on people saying “how much meaning do these awards hold for Indians. For us Indian awards are far more important.” Why can’t we just appreciate people? In that case I can’t focus on people who choke on saying wonderful. I just feel sorry for these personalities.

Rajeev Masand: There has been talk about you contesting elections from a Samajwadi Party ticket.

Aishwarya Rai: (Looks up in disgust) My expression can hold true for all such questions (laughs).

Rajeev Masand: I know you have said no to that but has politics crossed your mind? You are a youth icon, you have a voice that people listen to. Have you thought of using that in a way that could be positive and influence people?

Aishwarya Rai: Is that a suggestion?

Rajeev Masand: It is a question.

Aishwarya Rai: Politics, I don’t know. I haven’t thought about any such thing at this point in time. I keep saying I don’t know what the future holds but at this point I definitely haven’t thought about it. To use your voice effectively and the platform that we enjoy by virtue of being a public personality, that is something I have been inclined towards using this blessing effectively for a long time. And I do see that growing with more time in my hands in the future.

Rajeev Masand: Thank you so much for talking to us and looking forward to seeing lots more from you.

Aishwarya Rai: Thank you so much Rajeev.