The designated venue for our meeting is Yash Raj Studios, where Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is in the midst of a photo-shoot for L’Oreal, the international cosmetic company with which her association has lasted more than seven years. Her recent ad for Lux along with hubby Abhishek has created quite a buzz both for the fact that it is their first ad together and looks very good. It pegs the star couple worth at Rs 25 crore. But as the actress points out, she has always taken her endorsement duties very seriously. “It has never been something I do on the side or as something to be done for two hours between other things. I try and make each one special, and so most of my associations have been for a long tenure—it’s been 10 years with Lux, seven, I think, with L’Oreal, and almost eight or nine years with Nakshatra (at the time their term ended I went with De Beers) . Coke and Pepsi alternated but they were all long tenures too. Now that I am back from shoots, I am in talks with some companies for the future.”

This commitment to work has held her in good stead with filmmakers. Not surprisingly, for most part of her years in the film industry, Aishwarya has been counted among the top-rung actresses. Recalling her climb to the top, she says, “Everyone has been willing to embrace my madness because I push. I push to try out things. I push to break convention. When I started out, I would draw up my own contract and fake that I had a lawyer doing it. I am sure all the established people in the business were indulging me because it made sense to them. I am glad they allowed me to make a few changes in terms of the conditions that we girls worked with, be it in the modelling world or in Bollywood.”

The ‘madness’, perhaps, is the reason why nothing has changed for her as an actress even after marriage. Be it Ashutosh Gowariker, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Mani Ratnam, Vipul Shah or Shankar, she remains the first choice for several top-league directors. In fact, the actor stars in both the Hindi and Tamil versions of Mani Ratnam’s Raavan, which according to her has been quite an adventure. She admits that it is a happy feeling to be back with her favourite directors. “What makes me smile is the interesting cyclic pattern of my life. When Mani approached me, I was like, wow, this is like being back to when I started. He was my first director (Iruvar). Of course, we worked again in Guru but just for the sake of looking at it as a post-marriage phase, it is the same directors all over again. Starting with Mani, I am working again with Shankar, with Sanjay and then Subhashji has been asking me… Rohan (Sippy) too has been talking to me about work and so it is unbelievable and incredible how things are falling in a similar pattern.”

Several other developments like the consistent work-life balancing act are part of this new phase of her life. By admission, she puts in long hours considering that after work there are several family commitments that need attention. The balance, between personal and professional, she says has come about not on instruction but because it was “quietly ingrained in my upbringing.”

“Earlier one would just continue round-the-clock, but now there is a cut-off hour at work because both Abhishek and I like to spend time with family. After marriage you become that much closer to your parents and I am very glad that I am in the same city. It is wonderful also that the family I married into is so particular about family values. We are professionals in the same world and understand how crazy our schedules are, so we all work hard to make time together. And it’s the same with work- once committed, I would not shortchange anybody.”

The trajectory of the roles she has taken on, though varied, is much a continuation of the unconventional choices made early on in her career. There’s Raavan that has her playing Sita, Guzaarish wherein she plays a caretaker nurse to Hrithik’s paraplaegic patient, Action Replay in the fantasy genre and Endhiran -a clear acknowledgement of her acting prowess.

“Directors approaching me with work are definitely proving that there is a lot more to do and explore. And all within the parameters of a narrative that one would call interesting commercial cinema. I have, however, always strived to pick on interesting roles that came my way. Josh for instance. It was unconventional because I was willing to play sister to the superstar. I was a newcomer at the time but I did it because it was an opportunity to work with Mansoor Khan. Besides, I wanted to enjoy the story rather than get trapped by convention. I am thankful that some of the movies I chose have been huge box-office success, and some were not but allowed me to explore and enjoy my learning curve as an actor.”

Considering she was among the few to take that gigantic leap to Hollywood, it is only fitting that Aishwarya often features in international power and beauty lists. She admits to being flattered but says that it is not the fulcrum of her existence. And while her Hollywood films have not enjoyed the success her Hindi films have, they have given her a strong visibility almost of an ambassador, if you will, on platforms such as the Cannes Film Festival. More recently,she was on Oprah Winfrey’s show for the second time, on this occasion accompanied by Abhishek. She describes the experience as fun. “Oprah’s an absolute inspiration. When you meet her she’s a regular, fun person. Abhishek and she hit it off wonderfully. She was very generous in according us the honour of acknowledging us among the most recognized couples. There was an Indian contingent there among the audience, which made Abhishek and me feel like it was another wedding reception.”

Speaking of her international foray, she says, “The identity has been Hollywood but it really has been about working overseas. I am grateful for the opportunities that came my way. Post the titles I was virtually like the Indian representative. People at home have given me that kind of place and love so there is no question of feeling the need to move away. It perhaps made me more rooted. I accepted projects that worked with my schedule of films back home. People keep asking me if I won’t be working overseas after Pink Panther. Actually nothing has changed. It has always been one step at a time for me. I have committed myself to work here and very gladly so and therefore it’s not a question of substituting one for the other. At the very outset, I chose to go over to the south when I agreed to work with Mani in Iruvar. Even then it was not that I wasn’t getting work in Hindi films.”

On home turf, she may now formally be called Padma Shri Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, an honour of which she’s extremely proud. “When you win something like a Youth Icon Award it is a reflection of the support you garner and it’s wonderful to know you have that kind of support. The Padma Shri felt super-special, especially when Shobhana pointed out to me that I was, after her, the youngest actor to receive it. She said, ‘Hey that’s quite a cool thing’. And I was like, ‘Yeah, I am quite cool’. These are little asides you kind of just thrill yourself with. But at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, it was very humbling and special to have your entire family there. I definitely felt privileged.”