Rumours of separation between Bollywood star couple Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan don’t seem to die down.
Ad guru Prahlad Kakkar, who watched Aishwarya from close quarters during her initial years in the industry, in a latest interview said there’s no truth to these rumours.
While the grapevine claims Aishwarya now lives with mother, leaving the Bachchan house, Prahlad Kakkar said Aishwarya occasionally visits her mother who isn’t keeping well.
What’s Happening
Prahlad Kakkar lives in the same building where Aishwarya’s mother stays in Mumbai. During an interview with Vickey Lalwani, he asserted that Aishwarya hasn’t left the Bachchan house. She spends three to four hours with her mother after dropping daughter Aaradhya at school.
“I don’t think there is any truth (to the rumours). I live in the same building, and I know how much time Ash spends in the building, and there’s a valid reason for that. Her mother is unwell. She drops her daughter to the school, and she has to pick her up at 1 pm, so she has three hours to kill. She spends those three hours with her mother. Then she picks up her daughter and goes home,” he said.
When asked about the rumoured rift between Aishwarya and her mother-in-law Jaya Bachchan and sister-in-law Shweta Bachchan, Prahlad said, “So what? She’s still the bahu of the house. She still runs the house.”
He continued, “Everyone is saying she’s escaping from her marriage and living with her mother. But she’s only visiting her mother in the mornings while her daughter is at school. She doesn’t come on Sundays. I knew she is very close with her mother and is very concerned about her. Sometimes, Abhishek also comes. So what’s the big deal? Why would he come if she was running away from him?”
Prahlad Kakkar also praised the couple for maintaining a dignified silence over the rumours. “She has always maintained her dignity, right through her career,” he said.
Background
Aishwarya and Abhishek’s personal lives have been under intense public scrutiny ever since rumours of a rift in their marriage emerged last year. However, they seemingly put the speculation to rest when they made a few joint appearances over the past few months.
In April this year, Aishwarya Bachchan attended her cousin’s wedding in Pune where she was accompanied by Abhishek and daughter Aaradhya. Several pictures and videos from the celebration went viral on social media.
Prior to this, the couple attended Aaradhya’s school function together. In December, they were spotted together at a star-studded wedding reception. They also celebrated Aaradhya’s birthday together.
Rumours of separation gained momentum when the couple made separate entries at a high-profile wedding last year. The buzz intensified further as Abhishek liked a social media post about grey divorce, a term used for the trend when couples aged 50 and older dissolve their marriages, often after decades of being together.
On the work front, Aishwarya was last seen in Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: II. She reprised her role of Nandini in the second instalment of the film. Abhishek was most recently seen in the Amazon Prime original Be Happy.
