Abhishek Bachchan says his marriage to Aishwarya Rai has always been about a ‘partnership’: That comes from severe ego

Abhishek Bachchan opened up about the equation he shares with Aishwarya Rai, opening about the time they worked in a film for the first time.

Abhishek Bachchan has opened up about his equation with Aishwarya Rai, with whom he has been married for nearly two decades. The couple have acted in several movies and has a daughter named Aaradhya. In a new conversation with Lilly Singh, Abhishek opened up about how there was no competition about their careers, who was more successful between the two, from the very beginning of their bond.

Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai in a still from the film Guru.

What Abhishek said

During the conversation, Abhishek reflected on his career and marriage, and shared, “When my parents got married, my mother was the much bigger star than my father was. So it was not an unnatural thing. I wasn’t brought up to think that you have to be the dominant one; it was always about partnership. I have known Aishwarya from the start of my career. The second film I did was with her, and she is the one actress that I have worked with the most. We weren’t in a relationship then, we were buddies, we were always friends.”

He continued, “When we did finally come together through our courtship, engagement and then our marriage, it was always about a partnership. There has never been a discussion like, ‘I am going to bring the food and you take care of the house.’ It’s not even discussed; it flows very naturally. But that comes from severe ego, for me. I am not somebody who wants to win because someone else laid down and so you walk over. I was raised to believe that you earn your wins. My father did not launch me and has not made a film for me to date. In fact, I produced a film for him. I am glad. Whatever I am today, I can say I have achieved it on my own merit. The reason I say ego is I have never been the kind of person that somebody else has to give up or stop running for me to win that race.”

Abhishek and Aishwarya first met in the early 2000s and went on to collaborate on films such as Dhoom 2 and Guru. They got married in April 2007 and welcomed their daughter, Aaradhya, in 2011. Over the years, the couple has largely maintained privacy around their personal lives, choosing to address rumours only occasionally.

Aishwarya, Abhishek's films

Aishwarya's last film was Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan: II (2023). She is yet to announce her next project. Abhishek was last seen in Madhumita's Kaalidhar Laapata. The film also starred Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Daivik Bhagela. He will be next seen in Siddharth Anand's King alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Suhana Khan, among others.