31 October,2023 01:50 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Pic/Instagram
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan won hearts when she wore the Miss World crown in 1994 bringing glory to the country. After a glorious win, she became a part of the Indian film industry with her prominent work in Hindi cinema. She quickly became one of the most influential and popular celebrities, not just in India, but across the world. She is among the most recognised faces in the West from India. Over the years, the actress has been a guest on popular international talk shows as well where she busted misconceptions about India that the West had.
Oprah Winfrey's show (2005)
In 2005, Aishwarya Rai was invited as the guest on Oprah Winfrey's talk show. She was asked by the curious host if kissing is common in Indian culture, to which she answered, "It's not really a familiar sight. People kiss, but it doesn't happen around the street corner. It's a more private expression of emotion, so I guess art imitates life and that comes across in our cinema."
Oprah asked Aishwarya about the most common misconception people have about her. She said that she found it odd when people assumed that because she spoke English, she must've been educated abroad. She said, "Why would people think that we don't study English? And that kind of took me aback and really shocked me."
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Oprah also asked the actress about the Indian culture of living with parents. The host also mentioned that in America 30-yea-olds would be kicked out by their parents in America. With a smile, the actress replied, "In India it's more about the family, about living together and remaining connected, and that's probably the most special thing."
The actor also spoke about the concept of arranged marriages. "Arranged marriages in urban India would be like a global dating service where the families study each other's backgrounds, and they bring couple together, and they get engaged and they date and if it works they get along wit the alliance, and if it doesn't work they fall out," she said.
Back then, Oprah had also asked Aishwarya if she would be open to an arrange marriage. "I will cross the bridge when I reach it."
Four years later, in 2009, Aishwarya came to show with her husband and actor Abhishek Bachchan. The couple tied the knot in 2007. And in 2012, when Oprah paid a visit to India, the Bachchans hosted her.
Oprah Winfrey's show (2009)
During the show, Oprah once again raised the question of Indian's living with their parents in adulthood. However this time it was Abhishek Bachchan's turn to respond. Speaking about India's culture, she asked the couple, "You live with your parents? How does that work?" Abhishek replied, "You live with your parents?" to which Oprah said that she doesn't. Abhishek then asked her, "How does that work?" The audience burst into laughter and applauded his response.
Late Show With David Letterman (2004)
Like Oprah, David Letterman also questioned Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on Indian culture when she appeared on his show ahead of the release of her film 'Bride and Prejudice' in 2004. On the show, Letterman questioned Rai about herself and India to better understand where she comes from. Amid the line of questioning, Letterman asked, "Do you live with your parents?' Aishwarya replied, "Yes" to which he further asked, "Is it common in India for older children to live with their parents?' Aishwarya's quick wit was at display as she retorted, "It's fine to live with your parents, because It's also common in India, we don't have to take appointments from the parents to meet for dinner."
Letterman also asked Rai Bachchan about why musicals are popular in Bollywood but not so much in the west. To this, she said, "That is definitely the Indian movie format. It has been so for a long time and it is what we have grown up on and people absolutely love it. I think it is also reflective of our culture which is celebration. So we have songs for every occasion, festival, weddings. It is kind of this whole thing of art imitates life and vice versa."
