Happy Birthday Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: 5 Times the Former Miss World Made Powerful Statements

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is a bona fide movie star, one who has not only impressed the audience through her phenomenal and versatile acting talent but also inspired them by taking time to speak beyond her work and her ability to entertain. It has been this continuation of her well-known ability to never hold back her opinions and offer words of empowerment to the masses of people that set Aishwarya apart from her peers.

Not just this, Aishwarya, often called the most beautiful woman in the world, has time and again proved she is more than what that tag has made her out to be. On multiple occasions, the actress has shown that her appearance doesn’t define her personality. The showbiz world has created unrealistic expectations for women, and Aishwarya refuses to let other women buy into those standards.

As the global star turns 48 today, here are some of the many notable ways in which the incredible Aishwarya has continuously inspired us all with her fearlessness and unabashedness:

When she flaunted post-baby figure at Cannes

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had clapped back at her haters, who criticised her post-pregnancy weight gain when she confidently took over the Cannes red carpet in a gold and white sari in 2012. Netizens had trolled the former Miss World for not bouncing right back to her pre-pregnancy body following the birth of her daughter Aaradyha, who she shares with actor Abhishek Bachchan. The actress, however, remained unfazed, telling reporters at Cannes, “I can’t complain about being busy with the baby because hectic is always being redefined in my life. It was easy to come tonight because I’m not making any films."

When she dared to wear lavender-blue lip colour

Aishwarya often opts for fresh-faced looks with a bold lip or a killer cat eye or dramatic eyeliner. Such was the case when the Bollywood diva appeared at the 2016 Cannes red carpet wearing head-turning lavender-blue lip colour. The actress’ daring look had left the fashion fraternity divided like never before. But the actress was once again unbothered by the flak, even as she said she had no qualms in sporting the colour and was cool about it.

When she schooled Oprah Winfrey about Indian culture on latter’s own talk show

Aishwarya had made her first appearance as a guest on Oprah Winfrey’s show back in 2005 and most of her conversation was dedicated to busting stereotypes surrounding India. She had deftly fielded questions on a range of topics right from sexuality to arranged marriages and perceptions of American women in India.

When Oprah had questioned Aishwarya about ‘sex out of marriage’ and whether it was taboo in India, the global star said, “Broadly speaking, it isn’t the good thing to do." She was also asked about some of the most common misconceptions she faced as an Indian. Aishwarya said it had to do with her ability to speak in English and the fact that she lived with her parents. She said people would often ask her if she had studied abroad as she was fluent in English. “Why would people think that we don’t study English? And that kind of took me aback and really shocked me," she confessed.

Travelling for work along with daughter

Aishwarya has often been dubbed as “an overprotective" mother for having her daughter by her side always. The actress always takes Aaradhya when she travels abroad for her work commitments and the duo is mostly seen hand-in-hand in public. However, the former beauty queen has a rather emotional reason for always carrying Aaradhya by her side. “Aaradhya has seen it (the limelight) since birth and I would like to think she is used to it. At one point when we were walking, she was in a great mood, even as people clicked pictures. But when Aaradhya saw these people (photographers) coming, she just wanted to stop in her tracks and squat on the floor. I knew it was time for me to pick her up… It is just a protective instinct, I keep her close," Aishwarya had said in an interview.

When she fired back at David Letterman

During a 2005 appearance on the Late Show with David Letterman, Aishwarya had left the American television host speechless with her savage response. The actor had gone on the show to promote her film Bride and Prejudice, directed by Gurinder Chadha. As the two got talking about Aishwarya’s career and Indian culture, the most epic moment arrived when Letterman asked her whether she still lived with her parents.

Letterman asked Aishwarya, “Do you live with your parents, is that true? And, is it common in India for children to live with their parents?" And pat came a reply from the actress. “It is fine to live with your parents because it is also common in India that we don’t have to make appointments with our parents for dinner," Aishwarya said, leaving Letterman flustered.

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