Actor Abhishek Bachchan said he never wanted his wife, actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, to give up her career to satisfy his sense of masculinity.
Speaking to YouTuber Lilly Singh, Abhishek reflected on his career, marriage and personal values.
“I don't want to be in a partnership, in a marriage, where my wife has to stop doing something because I need to feel more of a man about myself. And thankfully my wife is not somebody who thinks like that either,” he said in a recent interview.
Reflecting on the relationship he shares with Aishwarya, Abhishek added, “I have known Aishwarya from the start of my career. The second film I did was with her, and she is the one actress that I have worked with the most. We weren’t in a relationship then, we were buddies, we were always friends.”
Abhishek also opened up about his sense of self. “I don’t want to win because someone else stepped aside. I was raised to believe that you earn your success. My father did not launch me and has not made a film for me to date. In fact, I produced a film for him. Whatever I am today, I can say I have achieved it on my own merit,” he said, referring to his father, Bollywood veteran Amitabh Bachchan.
The 50-year-old actor also shared his thoughts on parenting, stressing the importance of leading by example. “Just live a good, responsible life with strong values and your child will observe and emulate that. There’s no competition at home about who has to be the man or the woman,” he said.
Abhishek and Aishwarya, who fell in love on the sets of Sanjay Gadhvi’s 2006 action thriller Dhoom 2, tied the knot in a traditional Hindu ceremony on April 20, 2007. Their daughter, Aaradhya, was born on November 16, 2011.
On the work front, Abhishek is set to star in the Shah Rukh Khan-led actioner King.