People cannot hate someone they don't even know! People can never truly "hate" Aishwarya because there is no reason strong enough to explain their vitriol against her, so they just FIND reasons to villify her, many of which have no solid basis because they are just their hallucinations. These are all the reasons I can think of.
1) Looks: Women hate her because they cannot look like her and men hate her because they cannot have her. Tell a superficial girl X that girl Y is much prettier, she wouldn't take it well and would not like to be friends with girl Y because she would get an inferiority complex. So she choses to keep the girl Y away and develops dislike/jealousy towards her. Now imagine how such girls would react to a lady who has been forever called the most beautiful woman in the world and who actually looks like she was born to live up to the title. Right! 100x the dislike/jealousy. And then there would be denials of her beauty to satisfy their egos - That she is not really pretty, or looks like a bird, or attributions of her flawless looks to plastic surgery.
Like Shobhaa De says here - "It is like a vicious, orchestrated campaign against a woman who generates a huge amount of jealousy just for looking the way she does."
When you see the thread where her recent double chin pics were showcased, some people here were so happy... just because she doesn't look her usual stunning best. See my point?!
2) Acting: That she does not act well, when she can express wonderfully and act well. She is a Padmashree/Kalaratna awardee. Majority of the critics praise her for her performances in her movies. Even in crap movies like Action Replayy, she manages to get a few good reviews at least! She is one actor who did not stick to her comfort zone unlike the majority of commercial heroines - even if she does not excel at each and every genre - she's always tried to explore newer avenues and never stuck to the "safe route". I agree, she has her strong points and weak points; every actor does. She has her share of bad performances and cringeworthy movies, but at the same time she has given brilliant performances and acted in some great movies! It is the mark of every passionate actor. No actor has a flawless record of only great movies or great performances. And along with her acting, when you see her gyrate gracefully to music, it is such a treat to watch! She even left Madhuri behind in Dola Re! Her body of work is so great; she has in her resume some of the best movies Bollywood has ever produced in her time.
3) Position: The fact that 25 years ago Aishwarya was just another middle class girl like (most of) us. Now she is an international icon and the biggest female superstar India has ever produced and most importantly she has done all this the right way without kissing ass of any big Khan or sucking up to a big production house and without belonging to any camp. Without badmouthing or backstabbing anyone. Never washed her dirty-linen in public. Never encouraged rumour mongering. Keeping her dignity intact. She came and she conquered. All with her hardwork, dedication and professionalism. Some people cannot digest this and hence spew venom.
4) Personal Life: Her boyfriends. Someone here said she behaves like a sati savitri "despite sleeping with her boyfriends." First off, you do not know whether she was involved in a physical relationship with them. Secondly, she didn't have one-night-stands that she has to feel as if she has committed a sin. She had LONG-standing relationships with them. She is a mature, sensible adult. It is not a WRONG thing that she has to be made to feel guilty about. People are so determined to pull her down that they link her with her own father in law even at the risk of sounding creepy and downright disgusting.
When the truth is she had failed relationships with two men before (totally normal considering the fact that those two were absolute losers who deserved to be dumped) and is now most happily married to a gem of a guy like Abhishek. It's been more than 5 years and I have not heard a single negative rumour about them and they appear very much in love!
5) Personality: That she is fake! Her smile is fake. Her laugh is fake. Everything about her is fake! That she has become a brand that she built with her fakeness. If that was the case, why don't any of the other starlets fake it and become even 10% as big as her? Her beauty is not fake. Her talent is not fake. Her hardwork is not fake. What does a fake smile mean anyway? Is she smiling all the time for no reason? No. She could be smiling because she is a happy person and has a positive attitute to life! Fake laugh? Her giggles are annoying to most people. And even Ash knows that. Shobhaa De (rudely) asked her to stop giggling on NATIONAL television! She did not stop. Because that is not something under her control. Even if it is, she could just chuckle a little instead of giggling so that she can do away with the criticism for her laugh. But she does not. She still laughs the way like it naturally comes to her. She is being herself and you judge her for that?
(I know about this in particular, because some people have said my laugh is funny. When someone cracks a joke, they start laughing along with me but they all laugh longer because my laugh makes them even laugh more.. even if my friends try to cover up by saying it's me who doesn't laugh much. I used to believe them initially but eventually figured out the truth. The purpose of me telling this is that she inspired me to live life the way it is meant to be. To embrace oneself just the way one is. Just because someone points out fingers at me, I am not going to compromise the way I live my life).
6) Perfection: She has always been a perfectionist!
She never cheated on her boyfriends, never backstabbed her friends, never was a homewrecker, never got involved in cat fights, never gave it back to people who took every opportunity to pull her down, never took shortcuts to stardom, never stopped working hard, never stopped being who she is, never begged for roles, I can just go on and on. She has always taken the the morally right path and never compromised on her principles, no matter how low the opposition party stooped to.
Overall, she has always been a picture of perfection. She has the looks, the brains, the talent, the success, the happiness and an abundant amount of goodwill. She is not desperate or insecure or afraid. She has never hurt anyone either. She has always lived life on her own terms and will continue living so.
I think Simi Garewal summed it up quite well - "Ash is as beautiful inside as she is outside. It's difficult for people to digest that. So they conveniently conclude the sweet exterior hides a devious inner life."
Vidya Balan (when she was no big star) - "Aishwarya Rai banged on my door, walked right in and said "Thought I should drop in and say Hi." I was blown away by her warmth. There was no need for her to have done that. She is Aishwarya Rai for god's sake! But the beauty of her is that she is so level-headed and normal. I just love Ash. Her dignity in the face of adversity is exemplary. If I can possess even a fraction of her poise I'd consider myself lucky." - And each and every single person of all those hundreds and thousands of normal people who met her have only good things to say about how genuine as a person she is and how warm and nice she was to them. And people here say she is fake and cold when they don't even KNOW her... sigh! Kajol slaps/abuses her fans. Oh wow, she is so... so real. If Ash is nice to strangers, that is impossible right, so she MUST be faking it!
Shreya Ghoshal - "I met Aishwarya several times and she is just wonderful. Extremely polite and charming."
Madhuri Dixit - "Ash was generous enough to send medicines from her vanity van when she heard I was running temperature just before the show. She has always been a nice human being and if someone is nice at heart, it shows in your face. I wish her loads of happiness and good luck." - In an age of bitter cat fights between actresses, Ash didn't have to send medicines to Mad. Y'know, a sick Mad wouldn't perform well on stage, so Ash would get to steal even more spotlight! But nah, Aishwarya refuses to be insecure and take advantage of an opponent's weakness! Ever heard of such an instance? Nah. Ash MUST be fake, right?
Ashutosh Gowariker - "Aishwarya is the most professional actress I've worked with. She never brings any guests to the sets, or even her cell phone for that matter."
Katrina Kaif - "I think Aishwarya is extremely talented. I like the way she conducts herself. I enjoy her movies and I think she is an icon of Indian cinema. I respect Aishwarya for what she is. I think Aishwarya is cool." - THIS coming from someone who was dating Ash's ex, Salman at that time. She actually respects and thinks Ash is cool. No girlfriend would sing praises of her boyfriend's ex, especially if the ex had accused her lover of infidelity, physical abuse, mental torture and more! No way... Kat is lying. Of course Ash's accusations about Salman are fake. Everybody out there is out to trap Salman the saint and use him!
Rakhi Sawant - "Aishwarya Rai is one living person I admire the most."
Emily Mortimer - "She is so beautiful, it makes you want to hate her. But you just can't because she is such a nice person!"
Shankar (director of Jeans, Robot) - "When we were shooting for Endhiran in South America, terrifying insects bit her and she got wounded. Had it been any other actress, they would have refused to act. But Aishwarya Rai without bearing this menace acted throughout the song. Her hard work has made her a beauty."
Sushmita Sen - "I am proud of Aishwarya. She has given every Indian a reason to be proud. I think there is definitely a very huge price to pay when you are as beautiful as Aishwarya Rai is. There is huge price to pay when your entire projection has always been that of perfection. So even if the poor girl does something, as sneeze in public, it's news, and it's bad news. I can sneeze in public and get away with it, and it will not make news or it will not be a bad news. So I really wish that media would give Aishwarya Rai a break because I think a girl goes through a lot of pressure all the time from everybody from the Madame Tussauds, to the world press, to English movies etc. It just like that the world is expected out of Aishwarya Rai. I've seen Ash working very hard on the film sets, I can't do it."
Karan Johar - "I remember when I was working on Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, I offered the role to nine actresses, and Aishwarya was the only one who had the politeness to call me back and explain to me why she wouldn't be able to do the film. I was exceptionally touched by her professionalism, and that's the first thing that comes to mind when I think of her, just what a professional she is."
Divya Dutta (co-star, Umrao Jaan) - "I always imagined her to be snooty. But one day when I was sitting quietly in a corner, she came up to me and inquired after my health. She is a caring person and shares a brilliant rapport with everyone,"
Sanobar (Ash's stunt double) - "Aishwarya is dignified, unassuming and caring. I remember when we were shooting for Dhoom 2 in Durban and bomb blasts happened in Mumbai, she insisted that I call my fiance, Prakash, and inquire about his whereabouts. She even offered me her phone. She has always acknowledged my work. And unlike other actresses she never blows her own trumpet about her stunts."
^^ I can post a lot more of such quotes. All these aforementioned people have nothing to gain from praising her! Even if 10% of what they said is true, Ash would qualify for a great human being.
But oh well. Mahatma Gandhi has detractors, Sachin Tendulkar does, A R Rahman does. Why would Ash be spared?
I guess there are loads of people who can't believe that she has reached the top in the right way and will leave no stone unturned in bringing her down. It's not Ash's problem if she makes other actors and their fans insecure. It's THEIR problem. Ash has better things to concentrate on - her daughter, her husband, her family, her friends, her career, and her charities.
Although, the majority of India, from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, loves her. That is the very reason she remained hugely popular 5 years after marriage and still does. Don't get misguided by people on India-Forums. They are not a reflection of what the real India thinks. Most people here are fans of other actors. Most fans of other actresses don't like her because they know Ash is big competition to their favourite. Fans of other male actors like the Khans hate her because she was the only one who had the balls to go against them and still came out a winner.
We are not in Ash's stilettoes, so why judge her even when you don't know who did what and why... she is not your sister, not your daughter, not your wife, not your mom, not your friend or enemy... she is just another human being whom you don't even know. It is okay to dislike somebody instinctively but don't go on the verge of hating them when they haven't even harmed you.
Ash has a beautiful life and it makes no difference to her existence if some people with low self-esteem hate her... the more you hate her, the more she stares in your face with those big, beautiful eyes and that luminous smile which says... "Say what you want to... think what you want to... because frankly, I don't give a damn."
Beauty, brains, talent, dignity... she had it all in abundance to become a bona fide superstar. Add hardwork and professionalism to that... you become an icon. And to be able to do it consistently for decades together... you become a legend. She has already become the former two... and is on fast track mode to become the latter. No one can stop her but herself, at her own will. She is one of a kind.
P.S. Not many people are going to like my long post because being pro-Ash here is a big crime! Chant something anti-Ash and you gain so many "friends/likes" instantly.
P.P.S. And welcome to I-F. Hope you have a nice time here!
Members Lounge
CID
18