"I had never seen sets Jodhaa Akbar" - Aishwarya Bachchan
My appointment was scheduled at 5 pm, however, I got to meet her at 10 pm. But five hours was worth a wait to meet the former Miss World turned actress-now-turned Mrs. Bachchan.
You've
been
a
part
of
three
big
costume
dramas
-
Devdas,
Umrao
Jaan
and
now
Jodhaa
Akbar.
Can't
it
get
any
bigger
than
this?
(Laughs)
You
know,
the
person
I
really
pose
this
question
to,
is
Nitin
Chandrakant
Desai.
Though
he
didn't
work
on
Umrao
Jaan,
but
when
he
worked
on
Devdas,
the
sets
were
so
huge
and
incredible,
that
I
never
thought
it
could
get
any
bigger
than
that.
In
terms
of
scale,
here
we
were
working
on
a
movie
of
this
grandeur
and
magnitude,
Jodhaa
Akbar,
and
never
before,
had
I
seen
sets
and
the
backdrop
like
in
this
film.
It
transported
us
into
another
era.
You
said
in
your
earlier
interviews,
that
the
way
in
which
films
are
made
in
the
West,
are
completely
diverse
to
the
way
they
are
made
here.
But
that's
films.
What
about
your
audiences?
Are
they
any
different?
To
be
specific,
I
had
said
that
in
terms
of
the
start
date
and
the
end
date.
That's
the
way
the
overseas
films
are
scheduled
and
I'm
not
complaining.
In
the
West,
the
way
of
working
is
very
methodic.
Over
here,
it's
an
emotional
experience
and
a
family
gathering.
Everyone
is
very
accommodative.
As
far
as
the
audiences
are
concerned,
the
one
very
over-whelming
aspect
about
the
Indian
and
overseas
fans
is
that
their
love
for
Hindi
cinema
is
incomparable.
It
can't
be
defined
and
it's
there
to
be
experienced.
Is
it
physically
challenging
to
be
doing
stunts
like
fencing,
riding
on
elephants,
etc.
when
you
are
a
part
of
such
a
big
epic?
There
was
a
lot
to
do,
but
it
was
Akbar
(Hrithik)
who
had
to
go
through
the
challenges.
The
princess,
(that's
me),
had
to
do
very
little
sword
fighting
and
an
even
lesser
horse
riding,
but,
overall,
I
had
a
good
time
in
whatever
I
did.
Does
that
mean
you
are
adventurous?
Yes,
I
love
to
do
action.
My
first
taste
of
it
was
in
the
making
of
The
Last
Legion.
I
remember
when
I
read
the
script
of
Jodhaa
Akbar;
there
were
mentions
of
some
fight
sequences.
But
in
the
final
scripting,
the
scenes
were
cut
on
the
editing
table.
But
I
have
no
complaints
though
I
would've
loved
to
do
a
bit
more
action.
You
'provoked'
the
U.K
audiences
with
your
career's
best
performance
in
Provoked.
You
melt
your
audiences'
heart
every
time
they
visit
Madame
Tussauds.
What
are
you
going
to
do
next?
(Laughs)
My
fans
have
been
so
supportive
that
they've
allowed
me
to
realize
my
dream
when
I
started
out
in
cinema.
The
industry
has
been
very
generous
and
by
the
grace
of
God,
I've
been
spoilt
for
choice
in
terms
of
the
kind
of
the
offers
coming
my
way.
I
don't
know
whether
I've
been
wise
or
not
in
my
choices,
but
I
just
did
a
film
because
I
wanted
to
do
or
I
felt
like
or
both.
Provoked
was
a
very
vital
story
to
be
told
and
I'm
glad
that
my
fans
and
critics
have
appreciated
the
film
and
my
performance.
The
same
goes
with
Madame
Tussauds.
It's
my
audiences
love
and
support
that
has
got
me
in
there.
You
wished
Jodhaa
had
Abhishek
or
Akbar?
(Laughs)
I've
got
Abhishek,
so
Jodhaa
can
definitely
have
Akbar.
A.R.Rahman
in
Guru
and
now
in
Jodhaa
Akbar.
Two
different
eras,
one
music
maestro.
Are
you
disappointed
somehow
when
you
hear
that
Jodhaa
Akbar's
music
isn't
living
up
to
it's
expectations,
or
do
you
think
that
it
will
pick
up
after
the
film's
release?
The
case
with
Rahman's
music
is
that
it
grows
on
you
and
it
stays
with
you
for
a
very
long
time.
That's
him.
The
special
factor
about
a
movie
like
Jodhaa
Akbar
and
a
filmmaker
like
Ashutosh
Gowariker
is
that
he
is
not
compromising
in
terms
of
trying
to
make
music
that
would
just
be
a
trend
or
something
that
would
necessarily
be
dubbed
as
popular.
He
had
absolute
clarity
in
the
fact
that
he
was
here
making
music
for
an
epic
romance
and
not
a
historical
film.
As
you
rightly
pointed
out,
when
you
watch
the
movie,
you
will
relate
to
his
choices
as
to
why
he
chose
those
tunes
and
lyrics
for
the
music
of
this
film.
Ashutosh
Gowariker's
Lagaan
went
to
the
Oscars.
Where
would
you
wish
Jodhaa
Akbar
to
lead?
To
the
hearts
of
my
audiences.
Period
costume
dramas
haven't
really
worked
at
the
Box
Office,
as
far
as
the
figures
are
concerned.
Are
you
at
all
afraid
of
failure?
Movies
like
Jodhaa
Akbar
don't
get
made
every
day
and
I'm
thankful
that
a
director
like
Ashutosh,
who
is
also
the
producer
of
the
film,
had
the
conviction
to
follow
his
dream
and
make
the
movie
rather
than
succumb
to
these
doubts,
fears
and
apprehensions.
The
beauty
of
cinema
is
that
it's
there
forever
to
be
embraced
at
whichever
point
in
time,
by
the
audiences.
Nobody
has
a
place
in
this
industry
who
is
afraid.
Everyone
just
enjoys
cinema
and
respects
it
too.
This
is
your
first
UTV
film
ever
since
you've
become
an
actress.
How
does
that
feel
and
were
you
aware
of
it?
Wow!
That's
something
I
didn't
know.
Oh
my
God!
Ronnie
Screwvala
and
me
have
interacted
so
many
times
that
I've
never
made
a
note
of
this
fact.
I'm
glad
that
it
has
finally
happened.
There
were
so
many
ideas
we
have
discussed
and
kudos
to
Ronnie
for
supporting
the
movies,
he
has
been
a
part
of,
for
all
these
years.
He
has
backed
and
has
been
a
part
of
the
current
big
movement
that
we
are
seeing
and
experiencing
in
Hindi
cinema
and
to
be
a
part
of
his
production
is
simply
an
honour.
What
was
your
experience
like
working
with
Hrithik?
Working
with
Hrithik
was
wonderful
but
I
wouldn't
use
the
word
'was'
because
during
the
music
launch
he
was
saying,
"We
shouldn't
be
meeting
up
after
couple
of
years
and
saying
-
'That
is
the
way
it
was.'
So
yes…
I'd
like
both
of
us
to
share
screen
space
again.
He
is
also
very
focused,
committed
and
very
healthy
in
terms
of
his
food
habits.
I'm
also
glad
that
we
both
have
worked
back
to
back
in
two
different
types
of
films
-
Dhoom
2
and
now
Jodhaa
Akbar.
What
was
so
different
in
the
costumes
you've
put
on
in
Umrao
Jaan
and
now
in
Jodhaa
Akbar?
Or
do
you
think
that
you've
started
off
from
where
you
left?
I'm
glad
you've
at
least
asked
this
and
cared
to
observe
the
costumes.
Yes,
both
the
films
you've
mentioned
are
set
in
another
period.
The
backdrops
are
very
different.
From
being
a
courtesan
to
a
Rajput
Princess,
the
journey
was
very
diverse
in
terms
of
the
look,
the
make-up,
the
hair
and
the
costumes.
In
Jodhaa
Akbar,
I've
really
darkened
my
hair
and
have
got
light
brown
hair.
I've
also
put
on
dark
lenses.
My
costumes
in
Jodhaa
Akbar
are
heavy,
bright
and
colourful
as
compared
to
Umrao
Jaan.
Any
message
for
your
fans?
Believe
you
me,
Love
conquers
all.