Ash:'I am blessed with the best husband in the wor

'I am blessed with the best husband in the world'

'I am blessed with the best husband in the world'

She received the country's appreciation inthe form of a Padma Shri. She has giggled her way through The Letterman Show and draped Oprah Winfrey in a sari. She has been described on CBS 60 Minutes as a 'Greek goddess with the soul of an Indian'. Creator of a thousand dreams, veteran of over 40 films, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, 35, speaks her mind to Shirin Mehta.

Verve's undisputed power cover girl, India's highest paid, most in-demand actor; international face of the country; recipient of a myriad film awards and the big daddy of them all, a Padma Shri, reminds me of a little girl on a Ferris wheel -- spinning ever upwards, almost out of control in the frenzy of her life.

Today, she is closeted in her vanity van at N D Studio in Karjat with make-up artist, Ojas. She is busy putting on a face, which to me seems so unnecessary!

Earlier, fresh countenanced, tired-eyed but oh so beautiful, she had made flash decisions on gowns (no saris); colours (out with that dull mauve) and silhouettes. The world's most beautiful woman (so says Julia Roberts!) standing there in black tights and silver-and-white tee, could have slipped into anything and looked like a million bucks.

She is small, slim and grave-eyed and I remember reading that these, her most outstanding feature, have been donated already to science. She was not in the best of moods, struggling to control diva-esque tendencies -- probably triggered by yet another unnecessary controversy, this time at Cannes, hanging over her head like a cloud of bad hair.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is ready to shoot but only on her own terms. And, no, she has too much on her mind today to commit to a chat.

The wind blows dry and hot on director Vipul Shah's set of Action Replayy, featuring a re-creation of South Bombay in the hip 1970s. Being India's foremost leading lady is hard work.

Juggling schedules, make-up, costumes, cover shoot, camera roll -- and they haven't even started yet; the shoot scheduled to finish at 5 am and lead Akshay Kumar, nowhere in sight. (And, did I mention, there's no time here for an interview!) I realise later, when she does manage to squeeze in a conversation, that the country's most glamorous celebrity works her trim butt off -- and she truly believes in what she is doing.

And this could be key to understanding Aishwarya and her reality. She is an idea, a dream that somehow fits into society's fantasies about itself. But it is hard to overestimate her significance in the reels of Bollywood culture. She is famous and not just in this country, of all women perhaps only less so than Sonia Gandhi herself and daughter Priyanka.

Rediffnews

yep, for sure i think she is blessed because she married a person who truly loves her and understands her and is always her pillar of support... i love how abhi always stands by her and giving her encouragement... he truly is a wonderful husband... 😛

^I agree! Whenever you see the duo together, do can see they love each other immensely! He blessed to have and she's blesses to have him!