Meet The Stunning Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: Our August Cover Star

On a hot summer day in Paris, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan walked  into Hotel Raphael as a skittish fashion team prepared for a long day ahead. There was constant commotion in the streets that day as revellers looked for bars and pubs to watch France advance to the final of the FIFA World Cup 2018. Dressed in a demure black dress accessorised with oversized sunglasses, Rai Bachchan was the epitome of poise. Her radiant smile and calm demeanour instantly eased the nerves in the room and, in a short while, we were clicking some of the first shots of this photoshoot. She would smile every time the pho

 

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tographer asked her to change angles, confident of the light catching her sharp features and self-assured that every outfit we asked her to wear would seamlessly showcase her best moods. The tranquil air that rested around the actor was almost contagious, even the fussy haute couture outfits (sourced exclusively from the Paris Haute Couture Week 2018 showcase) seemed to relax around her and move along with her gestures. 

Rai Bachchan has been a strong woman throughout her career and she has juggled acting, motherhood, and her family with equal panache. The experience of this shoot with the actor served as an antithesis to her portrayal in popular media as an ice princess. She was warm and effusive, the shoot wrapped up almost effortlessly, and she had no qualms acquiescing to some of our most absurd requests. For instance, upon seeing the hotel bell boy walk past with a luggage trolley we had the most ludicrous idea: let’s position the actor in one of these. The image would be indicative of her busy lifestyle as an actor and as the global ambassador of India; the concept would serve as a nod to the international designers showcasing at the Paris Haute Couture Week. Upon hearing our request, she smiled in amusement, asked us what she’d be wearing, and quickly changed into the single-shoulder, layered Elie Saab outfit we handed to her. In the next instant, she was on the trolley, changing angles effortlessly in high heels, almost as if the curious spectators gathered around us didn’t exist. This experience explains why the actor is such a huge pull for international brands such as Longines and L’Oréal Paris and is one of the first representatives from Indian soils to have such a mass global appeal.

We started off the moodboarding for the shoot with Rai Bachchan in mind. Her ethereal charm seemed perfect for the pieces we wanted to feature. The silhouettes included first looks from the haute couture collections of  Zuhair Murad, Elie Saab, Giorgio Armani, and ASHI Studio, among others. We were excited and nervous at the same time to get exclusive access to these world-renowned designers and, in what we now refer to as a double whammy, Rai Bachchan agreed to be part of the shoot as well. A couple of months later, we were in Paris, stressing about everything from the clothes and accessories arriving in time to putting together a team of efficient individuals to pull off a project of this scale. An hour into laying out the clothes and accessories and walking around the venue to find favourable spots to shoot, Rai Bachchan was on set, right on time and beaming because it was bright and sunny. Rai Bachchan isn’t alone in her timeliness and pleasant persona, the Bachchan family is known for their affability, composure, and professionalism even when faced with an unruly crowd or an obnoxious interviewer.

The Parisian landscape played a major role in inspiring the colour palette and mood of the shoot and it helped to have Rai Bachchan, someone so well-acquainted with the lighting and conditions of the city, associated with it. As romantic Parisian cafés, known for their warm hospitality and outdoor seating areas, took a backseat during the course of this shoot, the pubs and bars screening the world cup came alive with noisy patrons. Rai Bachchan even captured the moment of France’s historical win a few days later from her hotel balcony (her Instagram page is testimony to the buzz on the streets). The electric atmosphere around the city translated into a charged atmosphere on sets, which in turn created memories we’re unwilling to part with for a long time.