Emotional Abhishek Bachchan hugs, kisses Jaya Bachchan after Best Actor win; gives shoutout to 'absent' Aishwarya Rai

Aishwarya Rai and Aaradhya Bachchan might have skipped the event, but Abhishek Bachchan gave a huge shout out to them while accepting his Best Actor Award.

It was a memorable evening for Abhishek Bachchan at the 70th Filmfare Award ceremony, where he took the stage to pay a tribute to his father, Amitabh Bachchan, on his 83rd birthday and also received the Best Actor award. The glittery event saw him sharing warm moments with his mother, Jaya Bachchan, and sister, Shweta Bachchan, though fans couldn’t help but notice the absence of his wife, Aishwarya Rai.

Abhishek’s outing with family sans Aishwarya

Abhishek Bachchan attended the award ceremony with his mother Jaya and sister Shweta.

During the ceremony, Abhishek delivered a tribute to his father by taking the stage for a lively medley of some of Big B’s most iconic songs spanning decades. His performance filled the audience with nostalgia, making his mother, Jaya, emotional.

In fact, taking a pause from his performance, Abhishek got down from the stage to go to his mother. He went down to a visibly emotional Jaya and danced with her, and then gave her a warm hug. He gave her a tender kiss on her head before escorting her back to her seat.

However, fans on social media were curious about the absence of his wife, Aishwarya Rai, and daughter, Aaradhya, from the event.

One wrote, “This is one never ending debate that has no conclusion”, with another sharing, “Ash will next be seen at the Ambani annual day. She has become a recluse now and steps out only 4 times a year for - Cannes, Ganesh Chaturthi, L’Oréal ramp walk and school annual day…. We don’t know their personal details but It’s pretty obvious that Ash and Jaya/Shwetha don’t get along. So here Jaya, Shwetha and Navya were present so Ash and Aaradhya were not.”

Another social media user wrote, “It’s so weird that his wife and daughter don’t show up but sis and niece do . Ash wishes AB and Big B on insta but no posts for rest of the family . Ash must be really hurt or felt betrayed . She was otherwise so involved and invested DIL and wife.”

Abhishek’s shout out to Aishwarya

Meanwhile, Abhishek gave a huge shout out to his wife and daughter while accepting his first-ever Best Actor Award in a Leading Role (Male). Abhishek had tears in his eyes when he accepted the award and said, “This year marks 25 years in the film industry, and I cannot remember how many times I’ve practised a speech for this award. This has been a dream, and I’m just so touched and humbled. Receiving it in front of my family makes it even more special.”

“To Aishwarya and Aaradhya, thank you for allowing me to go out and follow my dreams. I hope that by winning this award, they see that their sacrifices have been one of the main reasons I stand here today. I want to dedicate this award to two very special people. This film is about a father and a daughter, and I want to dedicate it to my hero, my father, and to my other hero, my daughter. Thank you so much, I cannot express what this means to me,” he added.