Abhishek Bachchan saw the stardom of his parents Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan while growing up. While he carved his own path as he made his debut with ‘Refugee’ in 2000, he’s been in the industry for 26 years now and been amidst fame. Not to mention, he also went on to marry a global star like Aishwarya Rai. While many may feel if Abhishek has ever been insecure of Aishwarya’s stardom and popularity, the actor steered clear on it in a recent interview. He credited his upbringing for shaping his perspective on relationships, emphasising the importance of equality and partnership.Reflecting on his childhood, Abhishek shared in an interview with Lilly Singh, “I had that at home as well, to get that out of the way. When my parents got married, my mother was the much bigger star than my father was. So it was not an unnatural thing. I wasn’t brought up to think that you have to be the dominant one; it was always about partnership.”He explained that the idea of equality in relationships was deeply ingrained in him from an early age. Speaking about his bond with Aishwarya, Abhishek recalled that their relationship evolved naturally from a long-standing friendship. He said, “I have known Aishwarya from the start of my career. The second film I did was with her, and she is the one actress that I have worked with the most. We weren’t in a relationship then, we were buddies, we were always friends.”He said that this strong foundation made their transition into a romantic relationship seamless, with their marriage built on mutual respect rather than traditional roles. “When we finally did come together, and throughout our courtship, engagement, and marriage, it was always about partnership. It was never, ‘I am going to bring the food and you take care of the house.’ It’s not even discussed, it flows very naturally.”Abhishek also spoke about his sense of self and how he defines ego, not as dominance, but as something earned through personal effort and integrity. “I am not somebody who wants to win because somebody else laid down and let me walk over them. I was brought up with the belief that you have to earn your wins. My father didn’t launch me. Till date, he hasn’t made a film for me. In fact, I produced a film for him. Whatever I am today, at least I can say that I did it my way, on my own merit.”He made it clear that he does not subscribe to the idea of one partner dimming their light for the other. “I have never been a person who believes that somebody has to give up or stop running for me to win the race. I don’t want to be in a partnership, in a marriage, where my wife has to stop doing something for me to feel more like a man about myself. Thankfully, my wife is someone who doesn’t think that way either.”Talking about parenting their daughter Aaradhya Bachchan, Abhishek said both he and Aishwarya focus on leading by example rather than imposing lessons.“In my home, as parents, both of us try to be the best example for Aaradhya instead of telling her what is right and what is wrong. We believe in showing what to do by being that ourselves. It’s never been like, ‘Okay, I’ll teach her self-defence.’ If you’ve seen my wife, she can take care of herself. It’s never been divided like, ‘I’ll teach her self-defence, you teach her to be empathetic.’ No, it’s not that.”Elaborating further, he added, “It’s simply about leading a good, responsible life with your values and morals. Your child sees that, emulates it, and in that way, you’ve equipped them. So there’s no competition at home about who has to be the man or who has to be the woman. When it comes to children, we both believe you have to lead by example, not try to teach them what is right and wrong. Because what’s right for us might not be right for them. Generations change. Our world is very different, and our children’s world is going to be even more different.” Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan tied the knot in April 2007 in an intimate ceremony at their Mumbai residence. They welcomed their daughter Aaradhya on November 16, 2011.
