Aishwarya Rai's Reaction to Being Called 'Aishwarya Rai Bachchan' Goes Viral Amid Jaya Bachchan Name Row

An old video of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is making waves on social media amid the ongoing controversy involving her mother-in-law, Jaya Bachchan. The video captures Aishwarya’s surprised reaction to being addressed with “Bachchan” as her surname, a topic that has sparked renewed interest due to recent parliamentary events.

Aishwarya Rai with her husband Abhishek Bachchan and his parents Jaya Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan at a film premiere in Mumbai.

The controversy began when Jaya Bachchan, a Samajwadi Party MP, expressed her dissatisfaction in Parliament after being addressed by her husband’s name, “Jaya Amitabh Bachchan.” During a session, Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh used this name, prompting Jaya to clarify that “Jaya Bachchan” would suffice. Singh responded by stating that her name was officially listed with Amitabh as the middle name. The issue was reignited when Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar addressed her using the same full name during the ongoing monsoon session. Jaya remarked, “Sir, I hope you know the meaning of Amitabh. I mean, I am proud of the association with my marriage and my husband and of his achievements. But this is a new drama started by you all. This did not use to happen before.” Dhankhar replied that there was a provision to change her name on the election certificate.

In the resurfaced video, Aishwarya Rai appears visibly taken aback when an interviewer introduces her as “Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.” With surprise evident on her face, she says, “Ohoo… the titles… My god! Just regular Aishwarya, the way you have known me.” When asked if “Rai Bachchan” had become her official surname, she gracefully responds, “Aishwarya Rai as it has been professionally known who got married to Abhishek Bachchan. So, obviously, Aishwarya Bachchan. Make what you want to out of it,” flashing her trademark smile.

Aishwarya Rai, a celebrated actor and former Miss World, married Abhishek Bachchan, son of Amitabh and Jaya Bachchan, in 2007. The couple has a daughter, Aaradhya.

Speculations about potential family tensions in the Bachchan household have been circulating, particularly after Aishwarya and Aaradhya posed separately for the media at Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s recent wedding, while Abhishek and the rest of the Bachchan family appeared together. This incident has added fuel to the public’s curiosity about the dynamics within the Bachchan family.