Did 'Bachchan bahu' status overshadow Aishwarya Rai's individuality, identity?

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's journey took a drastic turn when she married Abhishek Bachchan. The high-profile wedding captured the hearts of fans, but it also led to questions about her identity and the weight of the "Bachchan" name.

3 things you need to know

• The love story between Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan blossomed on the sets of Mani Ratnam's film Guru (2007). 
   
• The couple made their relationship official three months after the film's release by tying the knot (April 20, 2007)
   
• They have a daughter named Aaradhya.

An identity beyond the name

In an earlier interview, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was asked if she ever felt that the "Bachchan" surname somehow overshadowed her identity as "Aishwarya Rai." She expressed that such questions seemed drawn out and lacked relevance in her life. Aishwarya went on to say, "This question is a bit too drawn out there to have any kind of relevance in my life. Even all these terms get coined for glorious reading. It just makes it sound a little more dramatic than it is in terms of 'Bachchan Bahu.' I'm just a regular girl. I'm Aishwarya Rai, who got married to Abhishek Bachchan. So, that's my name today," she said.

(Aishwarya Rai with Bachchan family | Image: Amitabh Bachchan Instagram)

'It's all perception'

Aishwarya Rai said that it's all "perception" and she thinks that such talks are generated because of the fact that all the family members of the Bachchan family have been in the public eye. She further added that she understands that people within the family have earned recognition on the public platform and work hard to retain their dignity.

(Aishwarya Rai with Bachchan family | Image: Amitabh Bachchan Instagram)

She said, “It’s all perception and I guess it kind of generates the talk because of the fact that the members of this family have definitely been in the public eye so I guess thereby the relevance of the surname."

"People within the family have earned recognition on the public platform and deservedly so the name is given its place and people work hard to retain its dignity and that’s the functioning of a family. But we are a family. Abhishek and I loved each other and we got our parents blessings and we got married. We weren’t looking to make a statement,” she added.