Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: My choices were meant to bring about change in perception

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s role as Saba in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is still revered. Her chemistry with Ranbir Kapoor in the film had become the talk of the town. Talking about the same, she said to a leading Indian daily, “It’s so liberating to have played Saba, not for the obvious reasons. I knew I was playing a character integral to the narrative and yet the character was not the obvious leading lady, which was a first. Again, I was fearlessly making that choice. People could have reacted with: Does that mean you are now going to play character roles? That as a conversation could have started. And even today I’m saying it. But the reactions were different; I was lauded for doing that part. And Karan Johar said, “I wouldn’t have had Saba without you.””

Adding further, she said, “Even though I have never announced it, a lot of my choices from the ‘90s until now were meant to bring about change in perception and open avenues for all of us. Today it’s good to see actors make choices across the board and not being slotted. At the time when I was doing it, I was shaking up the regular.”

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan will be next seen in Fanne Khan alongside Anil Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao. Talking about the film, she said, “Today, when I’m doing Fanne Khan, again, it’s not a full blown part but the idea of the role is strong.”

Fanne Khan is slated to release on July 13, 2018.