Aishwarya Rai Thoughts

I should be accused of bias, but worldwide currently Pa [Amitabh Bachchan] is absolutely iconic, he is celebrated, he is respected. He definitely is deservedly iconic, and I say this without any bias, and if I am accused of it so be it.

By virtue of my job, I am traveling. You get to spend very little time with your family. We hardly get to meet each other except on the one odd day we really get to spend time, have dinner together. And that is rare, and we cherish it.

Weight gain can happen at any point in time, and it is something that you are dealing with anyway, and it is OK. It is ridiculous to have this dictate your very being because I have always said that it is not the outside that defines who you are.

With each film, I get more and more involved and it is more and more time-consuming. Also, I like to break myths and peoples preconceived ideas. My characters have always stood for something, have always had an opinion, although they've never really rebelled.

Aishwarya, my parents daughter, has been brought up with enough values inculcated where I will use my discretion in my choices. At the same time, I recognize I am an actor, I am an artist, and if I feel the need to be liberated and do the kind of work I need to do, I will.

The more you are blessed with experience, the fuller and the more enriched you are in your craft.

Life will take its toll on all of us. We get injured, we get old. It's really sad to try to run away from these harsh realities of life. Looks are not everything. I am not going to look beautiful all the time.

I've always been the kind of person that if I take on anything professionally it means commitment to me, so you take it on if you can commit to it and if you know you can accommodate and give your best to it and that's what you do, and I have always done that throughout my life - before marriage, after marriage, before motherhood, after motherhood.

My biggest concern is always the students who are working toward a certain career - when they limit themselves to just that one option. They need to know that the world is huge - it's an ocean, and there are so many options. It's not the end of the world if they don't get to pursue an apparent childhood dream.

I was studying to be an architect, I wasn't plotting to join the movies. Films were just another career option. I took acting up with the same schoolgirl enthusiasm I had for examinations. Acting is a job and I take it very seriously.