In 1999, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan played the role of Nandini in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. The Salman Khan starrer became a hit and the character is still etched in the hearts of the audience. In her upcoming film Ponniyin Selvan: Part Two, her role is once again called Nandini. Ask her if she has a special connect with the character name and she shares, “What a coincidence, even Nandini in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was very memorable. She lives in people’s hearts and I am so thankful that I got to play Nandini, then too, and she’s remained special to the audience and of course to me. That movie was with Sanjay Leela Bhansali ji. And today, of course, with Mani Garu (Ratnam) I got to play Nandini in Ponniyin Selvan. That’s tremendously a blessing to have gotten a chance to play such strong, layered women and characters that touched the lives of so many women out there. There is a relatability, and I am grateful for that.”
Recently, Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan’s daughter Aaradhya had moved Delhi High Court against YouTube channels for reporting fake news about her health. When asked, at the trailer launch of Ponniyin Selvan: Part Two today, whether such irrelevant, viral, news content does hurt one emotionally, she said, “It’s so nice that a member from the media only is recognising that it does exist. So, that gives us a great hope that you are obviously not going to perpetuate that, you are not going to encourage that and thank you very much for your wise recognition of the negative impact of false writing or unnecessary writing which is insensitive and unnecessary. So, thank you so much for your support, for the sentiment that you share and for your wisdom for recognising that.”
