Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on Aaradhya, paparazzi's 'tamasha' and her biography |Maleficent 2

Paparazzi, yes, we can, on a human level, engage in requesting humanity. You know, requesting some semblance of sanity around children. I'm in a normal world, walking out and going to my car when full fun is going on around you. I saw her smile. I saw her eyes light up. In this age of Pranasa, it's not that difficult for an actor or an actress to be relevant. But today I have somebody who has stayed relevant over the last 25 years, if I'm not wrong. So, welcoming Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in a conversation with Thinkvilla. Hi. You know, the way this film came to you is a story in itself. Do you think it was God sent? Well, it certainly made me feel that. Either it was God sent or some kind of divine decision. Because it was so sudden and unthought of and quick. And everybody was fighting within that window of time. I mean, it was all kind of being, again, coerced into just do it. You know, just make it happen. I had just seen, I mean, imagine, I was in Cannes when they came there with it. And I hadn't, for whatever reasons, managed to see the movie back then. And over the years, whatever, I have not seen the movie. After all these years, I happened to see Maleficent on that Sunday or Monday off. The week where, like today at the press call, I'm hearing him say that on Monday morning they thought of it. On Monday or Sunday night, I ended up seeing that movie with Aradhya. And even AB was there. Surprise! Because he's always out and travelling work-wise. So we're like, okay, let's watch Maleficent. And then we end up liking it. We end up liking her character. We're like, oh, and I'm also going, oh, she's actually wonderful. Because we all discovered that on this day. And then two days later, I'm putting Aradhya to bed. And I'm putting my alarm on for the next morning. Mommy is checking on alarm for wake up for school or every day. Just kind of just putting that. This message comes on and says Maleficent. And I'm like, so obviously, I'm like, wait, what am I reading? I said Maleficent. You know, it's a message from Archana. And I'm going Maleficent. And there's this email and she's like, check email. And I'm like, and I said it aloud. So when Aradhya goes, what? Maleficent? You're doing Maleficent? And we knew the promo was kind of out and coming about. We were like, you know, the English version. And I'm like, no, no, no, the film's already done. This is some kind of voiceover or whatever. Wait, I'll address it later. But, you know, immediately, we're all smiling. And even she's like, oh, wow. And I'm like, no, no, it's not the movie. It's a voiceover. But we'll consider it. Let's have a look at it. But I saw her smile. I saw her eyes light up. And I was like, OK, this is some kind of divine coercing into possibly doing it. Because, you know, the moment I saw her bright eyed and beady eyed about it, you kind of think, OK, we'll just check on it, consider it. And then it all had to be done really quickly. I was traveling the following week to Paris and all of that. And they had to do it within this window of time. We had to shoot the promo within that window of time. I was like, oh, my God, will everybody be available? I kind of want to do it with these professionals. We have to make it happen. But everything divinely fell into place. And it happened. You know, tell me something in the movie, Angelina's character, she talks like your character also in Hindi. She talks about nafrat and anger. What is it? We've never really seen you get angry. What is it that can get you instantly angry? One thing that you would never tolerate? That needn't be one thing. There could be a couple of things. What is it that you know? I think the list of the wrongs, whatever wrongs you want to list are the ones that will be intolerable as a human being, I mean, as a sensitive, caring human being. So there are many to list there. I don't think we want to take the conversation there because that'll be another one. I also want to know what was your first interaction with Angelina Jolie like? How do I break this down very simply? Have I met her? Actually, no, I missed meeting her in, I think she had come to South Africa for one of our award functions. And it was, I think, for Hamdil Dechu Ke Sanam when she and Shah Rukh were presenting my Best Actress Award. So I missed meeting her then. And we just, I've not had a conversation with her. We've just kind of clocked each other in Cannes when she was doing, they had come to promote Kung Fu Panda. And yeah, it was nice seeing her at the time and acknowledging her work as an audience. But no great conversations to talk home about to make this more glorious or more colourful than it should be. Because that's the honest truth. Would I like to meet her? It'll be wonderful at some point in time. Let's see what's meant to be. I think she's done a wonderful job with the way she's brought Maleficent to life and endeared her to the audience and even her body of work. What a variety. I think as an actor, it's wonderful that she's had and she's chosen and opted to do such a great variety of characters and work. And that's fun as a female actor from another part of the world. I obviously appreciate the fact that she's had such varied experiences. There's this constant debate about the paparazzi culture that is growing and growing and growing in India today. Recently, Gauri Khan in an interview said that Abram has told her that he doesn't want to go outdoors and wants to play indoor because he doesn't want to get clicked by the photographers. And even Kareena said in an interview very recently to me that Taimur even doesn't like clicking selfies with us because he's like, no, Amma, no pictures. So do you think that this is affecting the kids and their formative years? Also, how do you protect Aaradhya from all this? Protect is the key word that I think it's natural. It's a natural instinct of every parent. There's no going away from that. That is who we are. And we'll always be till I keep saying our last, my last breath or our last breath on this planet. So that is, that's a given. Having said that, this is a given. I mean, however much we might want to discuss it, let's face our reality. It's not going away. This is the way of our chosen life. This is part of our industry. This is part of, it's like, you know, several years ago, people used to discuss brickbats or reviews. This is there. There will be opinions. So you choose to walk away. I had said this back then. Paparazzi, yes, we can, on a human level, engage in requesting humanity, you know, requesting some semblance of sanity around children. Because, you know, if they're too loud, we can say, please, guys, tone it down. Because you don't want to scare kids because you're not going to go away and we are not going to disappear from the face of the earth. So the only way out, I feel, is by actually engaging and talking and conversing and hoping to, at some moment in that frenzy, hopefully be able to connect with some kind of a humane side in people. Sometimes you succeed, many a times you don't, and you kind of go with the turf. We have to accept that, I mean, phones, photographs, you've got, I mean, paparazzi, everybody is paparazzi. That is true. Today, thanks to smartphones, everybody is. Now, is technology going to disappear from the face of this earth? No. So we all have to figure out our ways. And it's uncomfortable. It isn't comfortable. I think intruding on privacy was, will always be an extremely uncomfortable situation. But I think we all have to figure it out. We on this side, the photographers on that side, you still have to figure it out. How are you going to get your picture without it becoming completely nuts? And we have to figure out a way, which we probably never will, to try and live with it. Sometimes you comply, sometimes you behave like it's not even happening around you. And you just kind of behave like we are, I'm in a normal world, walking out and going to my car when full fun is going on around you. And I have always spoken to my daughter. Throughout, from small, I try and, weirdly, I guess, to us, keep it real and normal for her. But I'm always hoping and thinking, for us, it's probably weird, because we have lived in a world when it wasn't there. She's born into a world where it's only been there. So I try and make it normal for her within that. And it's tough explaining it, because to us, it's just not normal. But I'm still trying to. And I see it, fortunately. I'm able to, so far, keep a twinkle in her eye. And I make it funny. I kind of do some kind of sense of humor within there. And yeah, there are days when she'll be like, oh God, why? And I'll be like, yeah, they're there. What do you do? Yeah, it's there. You know, you kind of just brush it aside because it's there. It's going on. And then I'm like, but we are talking, na? We'll talk about what we're talking. How does it matter what's going on outside the car or within the car or outside an airport? We are still chatting, discussing whatever we were and we get on with it. So I keep it real with her. Lastly, there's a side to you which a lot of people don't get to see behind the cameras. Is there a plan to put a biography in place? You ask me this. Oh, I thought too. Every time he meets me, he tells me. He's trying to introduce the idea, saying, just do it, is what you're trying to tell me. Is there a film or a book? Is there a plan? Do you have an idea? But would you be okay with it? One step at a time. Thank you so much. It was a lovely conversation. Pleasure, pleasure. Thank you. Hi, guys. If you like this, watch this interview with Nandeep on Pinkvilla.