Although it has been quite a while since speculations started swirling regarding a potential rift between the Bachchans, no member of the family has addressed the matter so far. The rumours gained strength after Aishwarya Rai and her daughter, Aaradhya, arrived separately for the wedding of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, and not with the Bachchans. Although the mother-daughter duo was later spotted with Abhishek Bachchan, not even a single photo emerged from the event showing them with the other members of the Bachchan family, adding more fuel to the gossip.
One of the major reasons the speculation keeps growing is that the global star has seldom been seen with her mother-in-law, Jaya Bachchan, in recent times. While the two once shared a close bond and were frequently photographed together, they haven’t made a joint appearance in quite a while. In the midst of all this, an old video has grabbed the attention of netizens wherein Jaya, during an award function, heaped praise on Aishwarya, who was then Abhishek’s fiancée, and welcomed her into the Bachchan household wholeheartedly.
While accepting the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007, Jaya Bachchan said, “I had been offered this award earlier, but I didn’t accept it because I felt like the time wasn’t right. Today I’m going to be a mother-in-law again to a beautiful, lovely girl. She has great values, great dignity, and a lovely smile.” Moved by Jaya’s heartwarming words, Aishwarya teared up but maintained the ethereal smile that her soon-to-be mother-in-law was referring to.
The legendary actor added, “I welcome you to the family; I love you. So I thought it would be the right time to accept this award. I’d like to say this to Almighty: humko mann ki shakti dena, mann vijay kare. Jhooth se durr rahe aur sachh ka mann bhare. Thank you so much.”
