Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan anniversary: 14 reasons why they are the perfect Bollywood couple

There are power couples and then there are Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan, the starry couple from Bollywood who enjoy a huge fandom. They are not only at the top of their fields but also are among the richest and most successful celebs in India. Although the couple are quite low-key about their personal life on social media, fans are always delighted to see thier photo on the social media feed. As they celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary amid coronavirus lockdown in Mumbai, here’s are 14 reasons why this couple are rock solid ...

1. Former Miss World and actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and actor Abhishek Bachchan got married in 2007 in Mumbai in a highly private ceremony attended by close family members and select close friends. Back then, their nuptials were billed as the ultimate Bollywood royalty wedding and their union also spelt the importance of a brand-building exercise done right.

2. While the couple aren’t too vocal about their personal relationship, it’s believed that Bachchan proposed to his then-girlfriend Aishwarya on a balcony in New York in freezing cold. Romeo would have been impressed.

3. Their wedding was a closed-door affair, barring the reception that included Bollywood guests. In 2007, the industry became divided into the have and the have-nots over who got the invites to the bash and who was left out from the much-scrutinised social gig of the year.

4. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan has mostly painted a portrait of domestic bliss. In an interview in 2009 with Gulf News, Rai Bachchan had revealed how her husband played an instrumental role in her decided to play a role in Hollywood film ‘Pink Panther’ and how they spent some time together in Boston during its filming. “I remember when Pink Panther was offered to me two years back, I was making the transition from being single to being a married woman and I was busy shifting my home from Bandra to Juhu. So I was not sure whether I should take it up. But Abhishek was like, ‘don’t be silly. How can you turn down something like Pink Panther? .. He said: ‘Your nieces will love you in it and our children might enjoy it someday too.”

5. Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan got acquainted with each other on the sets of Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke, which released two decades ago. Three years later, they worked together in another romantic drama ‘Kuch Naa Kaho’ in 2003 and were friends before getting hitched.

6. Bollywood folklore has it that Abhishek Bachchan fell in love with his wife on the sets of the period epic ‘Umrao Jaan’. While the movie was a colossal disaster at the box-office, their relationship proved to be flop-proof.

7. During an interactive session at the India Today East Conclave in 2018, Bachchan regaled his fans about how he met his wife. “Things took a serious turn during ‘Umrao Jaan’. After that, I proposed to her and then we got married and now we have a beautiful daughter, Aaradhya,” said Bachchan during that time. In another interview with the English daily, he said: “I’ve never asked who fell in love first, actually. I’ll have to ask her that. But the moment we got together we knew this was it.”

8. While Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Abhishek have worked in at least six Bollywood films together, our absolute favourite is their film ‘Guru’, directed by Mani Ratnam. In this blockbuster that chronicled the life of a rag-to-riches businessman’s journey, they played an on-screen couple.

9. It’s always fun to watch the two promote their films together. In a conference back in 2010 to promote their film ‘Raavan’, this journalist observed that this couple had immense respect for each other. “We don’t rate each other [as actors]. We just like working with each other as co-actors … Abhishek is a very free actor. He breaks himself free. He works as a team member and doesn’t act as a male lead or anything,” said Rai Bachchan at that time. Her actor-husband chipped in: “We don’t criticise our performances. As a wife, Aishwarya has always been equally and completely supportive and more than that as a co-actor, she does everything to make it go right. She does not ever compromise even on her co-star’s work.”

10. Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan were in talks to act together in director Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Gulaab Jamun’. But the project got shelved.

11.Workwise, Abhishek was last seen in The Big Bull where he played the character based on stockbroker Harshad Mehta. He will be soon seen in a social comedy, Dasvi. Meanwhile, Aishwarya's next release is the Tamil film, Ponniyin Selvan, directed by Mani Ratnam.

12. Over the years, this couple — who celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary today on April 20 — has given us vacation goals. Their decadent holidays to exotic beach locations like Maldives has been chronicled through images posted by them.

13. They also happen to be proud parents of a nine-year-old daughter Aaradhya and this adorable family is all about unconditional love.

14. A cynic who has seen several celebrity relationships go bust may argue that marriages among famous people are unlikely to last, but these two who now have a young daughter Aaradhya has proved us wrong. Here’s to Bollywood marriages that don’t crack under spotlight or pressure. Take a bow, you two.