Today, she is closeted in her vanity van at N. D. Studio in Karjat with make-up artist, Ojas. She is busy putting on a face, which to me seems so unnecessary!

Earlier, fresh countenanced, tired-eyed but oh so beautiful, she had made flash decisions on gowns (no saris); colours (out with that dull mauve) and silhouettes. The world’s most beautiful woman (so says Julia Roberts!) standing there in black tights and silver-and-white tee, could have slipped into anything and looked like a million bucks.

She is small, slim and graveeyed and I remember reading that these, her most outstanding feature, have been donated already to science.

She was not in the best of moods, struggling to control diva- esque tendencies – probably triggered by yet another unnecessary controversy, this time at Cannes, hanging over her head like a cloud of bad hair.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is ready to shoot but only on her own terms. And, she has too much on her mind as she comes to chat.

“You just know when you are home!”
Abhishek and I have been close throughout our careers. Within a year of our being together, he proposed to me and it was an immediate yes.

In Toronto, we had the premiere of Guru and there was a screening and a press interaction in New York and we were supposed to take the flight back, when he proposed.

And he said he had a reason for that, he said he used to be in New York at that very spot thinking about the possibility of us being together. It was not about the frills but about the personal emotion deep within.”

“My marriage was a glorious, fabulous, wonderful, superlative personal experience.”
And having said that, the circumstances were unimaginable. I never thought I would get married in the middle of a film. You imagine you would complete your work, indulge yourself. In movies, they show this entire preparation time and the irony was that I was doing that in Jodhaa Akbar.

Ashu (director Ashutosh Gowariker) would keep saying that your craft, your kala, is preparing you for this wonderful real life moment.

So, I was the bride in my work and its wonderful how my life has made me smile so many times and made me wonder at incidents where something is going on in your life and there is an interesting parallel on your work front.

“Abhishek and I have the ability to keep things real.”
Which is great and keeps our relationship what it is – an incredible friendship…we are brutally frank with each other, we are brutally frank about our life, we both have an incredible sense of humour and we have the ability to laugh with each other, at ourselves and with life and I think that is special.

“It starts with, I as an actor should want to do what I am doing, otherwise I will be cheating my work.”
If I am not comfortable doing what I am doing, the camera picks up every little thing, you cannot lie to the camera.

I have been fairly radical throughout my career in terms of trying to break out of the predictable journey of a leading lady. Early on, I took up mature roles and started working in regional cinema.

It was recognized that I had a dancing prowess and I could have been the next dancing superstar but I chose subjects where the directors wanted to create a slightly different character.

“The truth is, I did not go seeking to make an inroad into Hollywood or move there.”
The entire international interest in me started when Devdas went to Cannes. Coincidentally, Gurinder (Chadha) was meeting me with two script ideas at the same time. So naturally she became my first choice. It was suddenly perceived that Aishwarya has made this decision to go to Hollywood.

I said that I am open to cinema, just as I was when I did Iruvar, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. When I joined films finally, it was after Miss World and films were already coming my way.

I have virtually been invited here and to date scripts come my way and by the grace of God, I am spoilt for choice. That is the same way I choose my English films.

I am sure people have wondered why I have said no to biggies like Will Smith, Michael Douglas, Rush Hour 3 or Troy. But, I had committed my time to Indian films.

“A day off is totally husband time and family time.”
When we were in Chennai shooting for Guru, we went with Abhishek’s friends from college time, to the theatre and we watched movies back to back, just that one evening we went from one theatre to the next in this multiplex

Abhishek and I love music and I have an incredibly full iPod now thanks to him. I have never been pseudo enough to say I like only English music and popular tracks of the time but also old classics and Hindi music of earlier times.

We also genuinely love watching movies. But most of all, we just love spending time together. Both of us are very talkative and we have to give each other time to speak before piping in.

“Professionally what was wonderful was being bestowed with the Padma Shri.”
People from the fraternity said you are the youngest from the industry to have received it thus far. I owe it to my parents and I devote it to them. It was very special when my in-laws said we welcome the fifth Padma Shri into the family.

And I am blessed with the best husband in the world because it reflects on his strength that he can stand by his woman on a public platform at every given opportunity and applaud her.

With a tight film schedule ahead, the actor will face the year with the cylinders that drive her, on full blast. While her achievements have been large, one wonders, what next?

With fresh faces bombarding the movie going public’s sensibility; will Aishwarya now appeal to a more mature audience? Not an older audience minds you, just a more mature one…. While the choices she makes today may be more critical than ever before, destiny’s child is not worrying any.

Today, she is closeted in her vanity van at N. D. Studio in Karjat with make-up artist, Ojas. She is busy putting on a face, which to me seems so unnecessary!

Earlier, fresh countenanced, tired-eyed but oh so beautiful, she had made flash decisions on gowns (no saris); colours (out with that dull mauve) and silhouettes. The world’s most beautiful woman (so says Julia Roberts!) standing there in black tights and silver-and-white tee, could have slipped into anything and looked like a million bucks.

She is small, slim and graveeyed and I remember reading that these, her most outstanding feature, have been donated already to science.

She was not in the best of moods, struggling to control diva- esque tendencies – probably triggered by yet another unnecessary controversy, this time at Cannes, hanging over her head like a cloud of bad hair.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is ready to shoot but only on her own terms. And, she has too much on her mind as she comes to chat.

“You just know when you are home!”
Abhishek and I have been close throughout our careers. Within a year of our being together, he proposed to me and it was an immediate yes.

In Toronto, we had the premiere of Guru and there was a screening and a press interaction in New York and we were supposed to take the flight back, when he proposed.

And he said he had a reason for that, he said he used to be in New York at that very spot thinking about the possibility of us being together. It was not about the frills but about the personal emotion deep within.”

“My marriage was a glorious, fabulous, wonderful, superlative personal experience.”
And having said that, the circumstances were unimaginable. I never thought I would get married in the middle of a film. You imagine you would complete your work, indulge yourself. In movies, they show this entire preparation time and the irony was that I was doing that in Jodhaa Akbar.

Ashu (director Ashutosh Gowariker) would keep saying that your craft, your kala, is preparing you for this wonderful real life moment.

So, I was the bride in my work and its wonderful how my life has made me smile so many times and made me wonder at incidents where something is going on in your life and there is an interesting parallel on your work front.

“Abhishek and I have the ability to keep things real.”
Which is great and keeps our relationship what it is – an incredible friendship…we are brutally frank with each other, we are brutally frank about our life, we both have an incredible sense of humour and we have the ability to laugh with each other, at ourselves and with life and I think that is special.

“It starts with, I as an actor should want to do what I am doing, otherwise I will be cheating my work.”
If I am not comfortable doing what I am doing, the camera picks up every little thing, you cannot lie to the camera.

I have been fairly radical throughout my career in terms of trying to break out of the predictable journey of a leading lady. Early on, I took up mature roles and started working in regional cinema.

It was recognized that I had a dancing prowess and I could have been the next dancing superstar but I chose subjects where the directors wanted to create a slightly different character.

“The truth is, I did not go seeking to make an inroad into Hollywood or move there.”
The entire international interest in me started when Devdas went to Cannes. Coincidentally, Gurinder (Chadha) was meeting me with two script ideas at the same time. So naturally she became my first choice. It was suddenly perceived that Aishwarya has made this decision to go to Hollywood.

I said that I am open to cinema, just as I was when I did Iruvar, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. When I joined films finally, it was after Miss World and films were already coming my way.

I have virtually been invited here and to date scripts come my way and by the grace of God, I am spoilt for choice. That is the same way I choose my English films.

I am sure people have wondered why I have said no to biggies like Will Smith, Michael Douglas, Rush Hour 3 or Troy. But, I had committed my time to Indian films.

“A day off is totally husband time and family time.”
When we were in Chennai shooting for Guru, we went with Abhishek’s friends from college time, to the theatre and we watched movies back to back, just that one evening we went from one theatre to the next in this multiplex

Abhishek and I love music and I have an incredibly full iPod now thanks to him. I have never been pseudo enough to say I like only English music and popular tracks of the time but also old classics and Hindi music of earlier times.

We also genuinely love watching movies. But most of all, we just love spending time together. Both of us are very talkative and we have to give each other time to speak before piping in.

“Professionally what was wonderful was being bestowed with the Padma Shri.”
People from the fraternity said you are the youngest from the industry to have received it thus far. I owe it to my parents and I devote it to them. It was very special when my in-laws said we welcome the fifth Padma Shri into the family.

And I am blessed with the best husband in the world because it reflects on his strength that he can stand by his woman on a public platform at every given opportunity and applaud her.

With a tight film schedule ahead, the actor will face the year with the cylinders that drive her, on full blast. While her achievements have been large, one wonders, what next?

With fresh faces bombarding the movie going public’s sensibility; will Aishwarya now appeal to a more mature audience? Not an older audience minds you, just a more mature one…. While the choices she makes today may be more critical than ever before, destiny’s child is not worrying any.

Following her trip to Tinsel Town and the release of ‘Pink Panther 2′, Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan is back in Bollywood with a heavy duty call sheet in hand. The actress, who was recently felicitated with the prestigious Padma Shri award in Delhi, is set to resume shooting in Mumbai for Vipul Shah’s ‘Action Replay’.

Meanwhile, she has her hands full with Mani Ratnam’s much awaited ‘Raavan’, opposite her hubby Abhishek. The movie is scheduled to be released in 2010, and is being shot simultaneously in Tamil under the title of ‘Ashokavanam’. Though the cast in the Tamil version differ slightly, the main characters are being essayed by the likes of Vikram, Govinda,Prithviraj Sukumaran, Prabhu Ganesan and Manisha Koirala. It’s being claimed that Raavan/ Ashokavanam is a modern day version of the Ramayana, with Ash as Sita.

From the past to the future, Ash’s next project is S. Shankar’s flamboyant ‘Endhiran’ with superstar Rajnikanth. The movie is being shot in exotic locales and is going to be loaded with sci-fi special effects. Ash’s being paid a cool Rs 6 crores for the film, making her the highest paid actress in India. As of now she’s also signed on for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next production with Hrithik Roshan. Also in the pipeline are Abhinay Deo’s next film to be produced by Farhan Akhtar, and Vishal Bharadwaj’s next directorial venture.

Last year it was dhak dhak girl Madhuri Dixit-Nene who received the prestigious award Padma Shri from the President of India and now this time around its going to be Aishwarya Rai Bachchan who would be honoured with this award.

Amitabh Bachchan speaks on this eve and feels proud of her bahu Aishwarya

“I would rush to be in time for the President’s Award Ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where Aishwarya will be honoured with the Padma Shri. It’s a moment of great pride for all of us.”

Further the legendry actor speaks, “She will become the 5th Padma Award in our household. My Father with the Padma Bhushan the first, then the Padma Shri for me, followed again by the Padma Bhushan to me some years later, Jaya’s Padma Shri and now Aishwarya’s. This must be a record for the country. 5 Padma Awards in one family. God has been very kind to us. The people of this land have been very kind to us. We are humbled and with bended knee and bowed heads acknowledge your affection and care and love.”

Padma Awards were announced on the eve of the Republic Day. Aishwarya is the youngest person to ever achieve this honour from the film fraternity. Apart from her even Akshay Kumar’s name was also announced for this recognition.

Mumbai, January 29: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Akshay Kumar are amidst the Padma Shri award recipients this year for their contributions to the art and cinema.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has definitely been the ‘global’ face of India for the past few years. Not only has she represented Bollywood abroad by working in cross-over cinema with international artists but has also been the brand ambassador of various international cosmetic giants. We are definitely not ignoring the brilliant performances the actor has rendered in Devdas, Provoked, Raincoat, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Guru and the most recent Jodhaa Akbar but its her international fame, addition in international desirability lists of women that grabs our attention the most and why shouldn’t it… after all Ash was called as the ‘most beautiful woman’ in the world by Julia Roberts.

Actor Akshay Kumar will too receive the award this year and his track record at the box office, according to many, made it possible. His dare-devilry too could be another reason for the actor to be the chosen one but did Aishwarya and Akshay deserve to be the only two film stars to have been selected for the nation’s highly coveted civilian award (the Padma Shri), for their contribution to arts and cinema? Especially when film personalities like Satyajit Ray, Nargis and Madhuri Dixit have been felicitated with this honour before?

“Ash and Akshay seemed a weird choice to me considering there are many more from cinema who deserve it than these two! I want to know how have they contributed to the Indian cinema! By doing brand endorsements and raking in huge amounts of money by doing international collaborations! Also why are the Olympic medalists missing from the list! Those athletes are more deserving than these two. It’s just appalling”, reacted a senior citizen.

“I guess the government wants to glamourize the awards like any other film award function thus they have chosen such people. I mean if they were serious they could have honoured talented actors who may not be big stars,” reacted a youngster.

“I think too much has been said about this issue. Just because Ash and Akki are famous does not mean they are not talented,” reverted a Bollywood insider.

With radio stations too playing fake speeches of Ash on their stations and making a mockery of the actress, looks like Ash and Akshay are in for a lot more criticism coming their way!

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. With her being given one of India’s biggest honours, Aishwarya has taken the count of the Padma awards to five in the Bachchan parivaar.

Amitabh’s father, Harvanshrai Bachchan received the Padma Bhushan the first. After that the Big B himself was given two Padma awards – the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan a couple of years later. And soon enough it was time for Jaya Bachchan to make the same walk as her husband and father in law had many years back to get her Padma Shri.

Speaking about his daughter in law’s award, Amitabh Bachchan says, “How do I feel ? How would anyone feel when (their) daughter wins accolade and distinction!”

Bachchan says the entire family will attend Aishwarya’s grand moment in the Ashoka Hall at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

This is not the first time that the Bachchans will be heading for the somber and dignified ceremony that is conducted by the President of India.

Aishwarya who was filming in Chennai till last evening for Mani Ratnam’s Ravana with hubby Abhishek Bachchan flew into Mumbai this morning.

Aishwarya is not the only Bollywood actor to be bestowed with the President’s honour. Akshay Kumar and yesteryear actress Helen have also been awarded the Padma Shri.