Confidence comes from within
After winning Miss World Aishwarya slowly but successfully made the transition from modelling to acting. Initially, she received flak for her acting abilities with people calling her plastic. But she persevered and soon emerged as a top actress. So much so, that she was the first Bollywood actress from the Indian film industry to become a part of the prestigious Cannes Film Festival jury. She is now India’s unofficial ambassador to the festival. She is also the first actress to appear in Rolling Stones magazine.
Make the world a better place
The green-eyed beauty became the brand ambassador of Eye Bank Association of India. She was the first Bolly actress to pledge her eyes and spread awareness about the importance of eye donation.
Big is beautiful
She was criticised for failing to lose the weight she had gained post motherhood. People went so far as to say that being a Bollywood actress, ‘it is her duty to look good and fit’. But Aishwarya was in no hurry to drop the extra pounds and return to her svelte figure. On the contrary she proudly showed off her curves when she walked the red carpet at Cannes six months after the birth of her daughter. In an interview she was quoted saying, “This is reality, this is who I am. I am a mother, and this (weight gain) can happen and it happened with me, and that’s fine! I’ve never been the one who endorsed size-0 anyways.” A major solace for several mothers who are pressurised to lose the baby weight within six months of giving birth!
Baby comes first
A caring mother, Aishwarya refused to do films for five years giving her whole attention to her daughter Aaradhya. Motherhood, she had said was her top priority and she wanted to enjoy it. “Being a mum, I love it. It is bliss,” she had said in an interview. Not only that, the hands-on mom has been taking her daughter to all the important events. When Aaradhya was only six months old, she accompanied her mother to the Cannes Film Festival. Even when she started shooting for her comeback film Jazbaa Aaradhya would accompany her and a customised vanity van was made for the little girl to play.
Live life on your own terms
Though Aishwarya was missing from the silver screen for five years, there was no dearth of offers. From Karan Johar to Aditya Chopra to Mani Ratnam, several directors were wooing her to make a comeback with their film. However, Aish had the confidence to say no to Karan and Aditya when she decided to return to films. Instead, she chose Sanjay Gupta’s gritty flick Jazbaa. And if that’s not enough, she has the guts to play a mother on screen in her comeback film, which few actresses would have had agreed to.
( with inputs from bollywoodlife )
