Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: “I’ve worked on my own terms”

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an industry veteran with rarely a misstep, and she recently revealed she did it all by staying true to herself.

In an interview with Indian Express, Bachchan discussed how she ensured she was paid what she was worth, “From the time I started, I’m grateful for the producers I’ve worked with, but right from the beginning, I’ve worked on my own terms. I don’t think I ever brought up pay parity. I was never compared to anybody, even from my modelling days, in the little bit work that I did. I still remember that I did very few shows on the ramp. I bring that as an example because I remember that I was a student and I could hardly attend rehearsals but I had a natural sway to my walk. This was a bit of a debate, because I was obviously getting the pay scale of a top model and if you have to define height, I’m 5’7”, I’m not somebody who is hitting the gym, I was not attending rehearsals. They said you’re doing your job and you’re fine, you’re getting paid for what you’re delivering and what you’re commanding. I’m grateful that there were people who got that because I’m not just shooting the breeze and negotiating. Fortunately, I got to work with some great talent but I had to walk away from a lot of work as well.”

Speaking on how she seems to manage both her career and personal life with ease, Bachchan shared, “The trick is that it is seeming effortless. It is a lot of hard work, like it is for every working woman or every working mother. But the choices are what we make. When it comes to work, we have to find pleasure within that. When it comes to the kid, it’s all pleasure, there is so much love in that space.”

Bachchan next film is Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Gulab Jamun’ with husband Abhishek Bachchan.