Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Interview

She is stunningly beautiful and hailed as the first lady of Bollywood. Considered an icon in Indian cinema, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ventured halfway around the world to play a supporting role in the upcoming Hollywood sequel to one of the world’s most famous movie franchises. Yet, Bachchan downplayed her role as Sonia in Pink Panther 2, telling Buzzine it was just another day in the office, and filming perfectly fit her schedule.

Production may have fit into her otherwise busy schedule, but Pink Panther 2 is a markedly different role for a lady who is considered royalty in India. The iconic former Miss World receives far more attention there than her “equivalents” do in Hollywood — such as Julia Roberts or Angelina Jolie. Further, while making a name as a legitimate A-list actress on her own terms, she married into India’s most powerful family — the Bachchans, who have greater influence in Indian culture and society than the Hollywood families of Douglas, Sheen, Coppola, and Arquette combined.

While her status throughout India is near diety-level, Bachchan told Buzzine she just wants to focus less on her stature on India and more on the eclectic cast of Pink Panther 2, which was quite international in flavor. In addition to the American lead, Steve Martin, Bachchan was joined by Brits Alfred Molina, Emily Mortimer and John Cleese, Frenchman Jean Reno, Cuban Andy Garcia, and Japanese Yuki Matsuzaki. “This was truly a team effort,” she said, adding everyone worked together to make Pink Panther 2 as entertaining as possible. “It was a great ensemble. While Steve Martin is always going to be a big presence, no one really had to carry the movie as an individual. I don’t want to give too much of my character away, but I can say that it was an amazing experience working on this movie!”

In humbly downplaying her seamless transition from Bollywood into Hollywood, which is currently infatuated with India, Bachchan hopes she will not be treated like nobility among American audiences. Instead, she just wants to entertain moviegoers, regardless of whether it is in India or the United States. “This is definitely a light role for me,” she told Buzzine. “It is not really one of my serious roles, like Mohabbatein or Devdas. There aren’t any intense action scenes or serious drama. It’s just a light comedy, perfect for families.”

For Bachchan, her experience working on Pink Panther 2 epitomizes how she sees herself as a working cinematic professional -– perfecting her craft, diversifying her experiences, staying true to her roots, and working well with like-minded acting professionals.

While she previously starred in four English-language films (in both England and the United States) in addition to her work in Hindi, Bengali and Tamil, Bachchan emphasized she is just being a good actress. “I think this talk is more for (fans),” Bachchan candidly Buzzine about all the hoopla surrounding the apparently disappearing line between Hollywood and Bollywood. “End of the day, I am just an actor. As an actor, it does not matter where we work, so long as we are acting.”

To that end, Bachchan is doing more than leading the Indian brigade from Bollywood to Hollywood. With Pink Panther 2 set for international release on February 6th, Bachchan is returning to her roots. In addition to working on a few Hindi films, she is also on set in one of India’s other big movie industries where she started her acting career –- the Tamil language-based Tollywood.

Even then, Bachchan stressed to Buzzine she is not trying too hard to push her career forward, but instead focusing on each project one at a time, and determining whether she can enhance her career accordingly. “It’s never about proactively looking for work,” Bachchan laughingly told this writer. “It’s not about taking work just because it is there. For me, it’s more about me being a good actor. Ultimately, it’s not about where the movie is (being shot), but whether it is good work. Working on Pink Panther 2 was not about the role. Luckily, the schedule worked out perfectly for me, but it was more about working with other great actors like Jean Reno, Alfred Molina, and Steve Martin. We all worked well together and cared more about putting together an entertaining movie than having any one of us stand out individually.”

Of course, no matter how much she downplays her acting and emphasizes the work of others, Bachchan will always be recognized for her superb individual talents and remarkable achievements.

In fact, on January 26th, known as Republic Day in India, Bachchan was awarded the Padma Shree — the highest honor bestowed upon a civilian by the government of the world’s largest democracy. The award recognized Bachchan as the face of Bollywood around the world.

When Buzzine asked Bachchan about the honor, she was notably humbled. While such honors are considered “normal” in her married family, the Padma Shree carried extra significance to her Rai heritage. “The honor truly meant a lot to my family back home,” she said with a sense of humility and excitement. “I want everyone to know how big of a deal this is for them. Something like this has never happened to them before. Of course, for the Bachchans, this award is a little more commonplace. It is kind of a ‘welcome’ into the Bachchan family.”

While she talks of her two families, Bachchan herself appears to be welcomed into a much bigger family.

No doubt, Pink Panther 2 will open more doors in Hollywood for Bachchan. While she awaits families here in the United States to open their arms to a movie about one of the world’s favorite “cats,” Bachchan does not have to wait for those same families to welcome her, as here in the United States, Bollywood’s first lady is already embraced.

On that note, Bachchan does make one confession to Buzzine: she is quite humbled by all the love and support us Americans have given her. “I do want everyone to know that I appreciate all the support,” she said.

So long as she continues to produce quality work, movie aficionados all around the world will continue to support everything she does, regardless of what country she works in.

Bachchan’s American fan-base may show its support for the first lady of Bollywood by watching Pink Panther 2, which opens nationwide on February 6th.