Aishwarya Rai Bachchan walked the red carpet at the Red Sea Film Festival 2025 last night. He also had a brief conversation with Hollywood actress Dakota Johnson. But the highlight was their opening day session at the film festival. In an insightful conversation, the Ponniyin Selvan: I actress talks about how she doesn’t get insecure about doing less films and gives priority to her family.
Talking about how motherhood defines her life as well as her career, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan said, “I am so busy taking care of Aaradhya, being with Abhishek that I don’t become insecure if I don’t sign a film. Insecurities have never been a driving force for me.”
She further explained, “I don’t tend to be insecure. I think it’s a very real aspect of who I am. Insecurities have never been a driving force, which a lot of the voices around can try and get into your head and inspire choices sometimes. It’s something I’ve never been. It’s also a clarity.”
Aishwarya remembered what Mani Ratnam told her before signing her for her debut film Iruvar. She said, “All my career choices, unknowingly but now looking back, I made from the beginning, because I mean if I came from a competition it was about ‘what’s the big launch when I get into films’. And I remember Mani Ratnam saying to me, ‘Iruvar is not really a launch film. It’s a film. It’s a story. It’s not about launching Aishwarya.’ And I said ‘Wow, this is the movie I want to do.’ Because this is the film I want to be a part of.”
He also brought back memories of anticipation among the audience for his next film after Devdas. He said, “I remember after Devdas, it felt like a climax, right? People were like, ‘So what’s the next big film after that?’ Because how much bigger can it be than Devdas? And I did Chokher Bali with Rituparno Ghosh. I was like, ‘Wow! What a beautiful story. This is the film I want to do. So, in that sense, it’s not predictable. Or perhaps, this is the path that needs to be taken, I don’t know. But after coming this far in my journey, I am grateful. I have all your love, I have all your support, I have an industry of talents.
The actress credits Mani Ratnam for her formative years. Aishwarya said, “I was very fortunate to work with my guru. I realized that this was where I would get the opportunity to learn an art that I was not trained for.” He concluded by saying, “My attitude is still one of humility. I think, ‘Oh my God, I haven’t touched the tip of the iceberg.’ There is a lot to do in the world of artistry and cinema.
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