Aishwarya Rai Quotes

# “I'm just average woman with average concerns.”

# “Life will take its toll on all of us. We get injured, we get old. It's really sad to try to run away from these harsh realities of life. Looks are not everything. I am not going to look beautiful all the time.”

# “You give to the world your greatest gift when you're being yourself.”

# “I believe that as an actress all my fears and phobias exist till I sign on the dotted line for a film.”

# “I don't believe in proving a point to anybody. Nobody is that important.”

# “It's strange that Rakesh Roshan thinks I look older than Hrithik. In fact, he's approached me for all his home productions.”

# “I always knew I would be successful. So there was no element of surprise.”

# “I know for a fact that if there's a role which I am suited for, I'll be signed on. I'll never go begging.”

# “I only entered Miss India after pressure from friends and because I thought it would be a laugh.”

# “Comedy is difficult for an actor. But I think I have a good sense of humor and manage to make people laugh and make them happy.”

On donating her eyes after death : “People know me more because of my eyes. So, I decided to donate my eyes. But before that, I acquired all the information about the campaign. Within what time after death one has to donate eyes, and all other information. Only then I decided to donate my eyes. It's not that just for doing something, I donated my eyes. I found that useful so I did it. I like to do social service from my heart. Whatever is possible I do, but I don't speak of that. But I would like to give more time to it in the near future.”

# “Women in the industry have been exploited very often, but there are some actors who belive that the short cut to stardom is through nudity or exposure. Such success is, in fact, very short-lived.”

# “Ever since I went to the Cannes festival, the media overseas really encouraged me to consider the possibilities of working in the West. Then I got a call from some people who worked in the business in America, who asked me to first obviously get an agent so that they could have direct access because that's the way they work.”

# “About turning down the role opposite Jackie Chan in the movie-Time Breaker (2004), “I did not have the required dates as I was busy with the shows abroad. I had to turn down the film. I have no regrets because there is always a next time."”Indian cinema has begun to be recognized globally. And it's very important for us to make our presence felt at important events such as Cannes. I feel there should be more Indian representation at festivals. India is producing such a large cross section of films. We need to be part of world cinema, and we need to do that now.”

# “Someone asked me why I'm politically correct, even when people hit out so openly at me. But the truth is, I've never been brought up to behave any other way. I can't say anything hurtful about anyone. I just don't believe in saying mean things. I won't feel good doing that. It's strange why being well behaved is perceived as being too 'propah' and staid. This is the way I am. I'm amazed how many people feel good hitting out at me. They're welcome to do it. Earlier, they had more leeway to deny their indiscretions in print. But now on television they look pretty ridiculous denying what they say.”

# “About the sari on the Oprah show: "I thought I'd wear one on the show, and packed two of them, in case Oprah wanted to wear one too. As luck would have it, my flight was delayed and I reached minutes before the show went on air! So I had no time to change, which is a pity. Americans love the garment but have no clue how it's tied. Oprah is very respectful and appreciative of all cultures. She was very curious about the sari and I helped her put it on, on air! She has sent me an autographed picture saying, 'Next time we change the blouse.' She was very sweet.”

# “About being on the Oprah show: "Yes, I was extremely happy to be on her show. I absolutely admire her. I never thought I'd actually be meeting her -- and that too, on her show! It's so strange. But prior to our meeting, during my visit to the US for the premiere of Bride & Prejudice, I had some afternoons off and I watched Oprah. I thought how wonderful it would be to be on her show. And within a month, I was!" "I am not comfortable about kissing or nudity. I am clear about what I want. I'll work only with good directors who'll offer me two-dimensional roles. The director and the role are most important.”

# “About her long career in entertainment: "This is my tenth year now, so things have changed within this span of time - so drastically that when I look at the work done when I just joined, it's like, "Oh my God!" So much has changed in these ten years. You get to see how you're part of the process of change within the Indian film industry. That's all positive, that's all a good sign.”

# “Her advice to aspiring professionals: "My biggest concern is always the students who are working toward a certain career - when they limit themselves to just that one option. They need to know that the world is huge - it's an ocean, and there are so many options. It's not the end of the world if they don't get to pursue an apparent childhood dream. That's really important, because you find a lot of kids who believe that they want to become a doctor or an aeronautical engineer or something, and if they don't manage to make their degree, that's the end. They feel so defeated, which is very disheartening. It's sad to know that people let themselves be limited by these aspirations.”

# “It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice.”

# “Life is a stage, and we are all characters. So play your part and play it well!”

# “On why she participated in the Miss World Pageant in 1994: "For me, it went beyond being a beauty queen. For me, it was about being the 20-year-old girl from India on international platform and a lot of people actually would assume that I wasn't even educated in India because of the way I'd speak. And they'd be like, 'Have you studied in India? Do you actually speak English out there?' and, I was like, 'This is so interesting that so many people know so little about my country.' and this is exactly what I wanted to do when I set out on this little mission in my head.”

# “Good films are good films regardless of being made in India or abroad. I believe a great story transcends cultural lines and language barriers.”

# “I choose films with characters that I feel are relative to a woman's growth for me. In The Last Legion, I play a warrior. This was a first for me and it was a fantastic experience. I would like very much to do more action films. As for the right direction, I make my choices and always move forward one step at a time.”

# “On her character in “Mistress of Spices (2005)’: "I have related to each character I have performed thus far, including Tilo. I am very sensitive to moods and one's inward feelings and emotions. I am a true people person and people watcher. I look forward to meeting interesting people and understanding their experiences in life.”

# “On her character in Dhoom:2 (2006): "It's the kind of character I have never essayed before. Sunehiri, my character in the film, is distinctly different from any other character you have seen me play. That's what makes her exciting to me. For the first time in my life I went through a bit of a fitness regime. Contrary to popular belief, right since modeling, to the (Miss World) title, to films, I have never been a fitness freak or exercised.”

# “About director J.P. Dutta: "J P Dutta is a committed taskmaster. I have danced to songs before. But he always added to choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant's steps, and that was quite challenging. He would shoot an entire mukhda in one shot. To do all the songs at that level required remaining focused at all times. In that moment, I felt I became Umrao Jaan. It was interesting to deliver a performance that shows her passionate but tragic story. The film is also reflective of the art that was at its zenith in that era. The sex trade was called the performing arts then and not prostitution.”

# “On Umrao Jaan (2006) being her first Urdu language film: "Since our generation speaks English, we are not very fluent in Hindi, leave alone Urdu. I loved those dialogs and the experience to work and know about that era. For me, it was a study of Urdu on the sets under the guidance of JP and Javed saab.”

# “About Rekha: "Rekha is very inspiring. It is not necessarily relative to just one performance, but her entire career, the span of characters that she has essayed, the performances that she has delivered itself is extremely inspiring. I am inspired by her performance. But I cannot ape her.”

# “On her role in Umrao Jaan (2006) :"Playing Umrao Jaan was a demanding emotional journey. When a story takes that course, it is following an entire arc; it goes through all the possible emotions. The process was satisfying, inspiring and challenging. It forced me to deliver the best in every moment.”

# “On being compared to Rekha in the original version of Umrao Jaan (1981): "For me, as an actor, it's a special experience to get the opportunity to play Umrao Jaan who has been already iconised on our celluloid. When I played Paro in Devdas, I went through the same area of questioning about how my role will be compared with the ones played earlier.”

# “My reason for choosing a film is not to impress people. I don't choose films for the box office.”

# “The audiences feel I am part of their life so they worry about me. I think that is very sweet of them and I tell them that when I will marry I will announce it. When I get married, you'll know.”

# “On celebrating her 33rd birthday: "I am just not the birthday bash kind. My day will start with a visit to the Siddhivinayak temple with my family, something I do every year. There will be no loud parties... my birthday is a very private affair. Concidering I have to leave for Dubai tomorrow, it will be over early too. Only family and friends will be there.”(November 1, 2006)

# “On the rumors that her black eye was the result of abuse by Salman Khan: "For some perverse reason, no one wants to believe me, that I fell down the stairs. First the media calls me the woman of the millennium, a woman of substance. Then how can the same media make me out to be such a doormat? I'm a self-respecting woman, I don't take nonsense from anyone. No one tries caveman tactics on me. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger can fall and get hurt, so why should I be any different?”

# “I have never deliberately driven attention to the fact that I am working in Hollywood films. I have categorically stated that I am working in different kinds of films, be it British, Hindi, Tamil or Bengali. It's all about doing films, which are my passion.”

# “On attending the dinner for Time Magazines 100 Most Influential People of the Year in 2005: "I am surprised at my life's turn of events. Six of us were asked to raise the toast for the evening. And I raised it for my parents and for my fans, without whom I wouldn't have reached where I am today.”

# Upon hearing that Julia Roberts had said that Aishwarya was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen: "That was embarrassing; at first I didn't believe she said that. I thought it was a rumor started by a journalist. But it's sweet. She's an incredible actor and she seems like a wonderful person, so all you can do is say, Thank you.”

# I am not comfortable about kissing or nudity. I've never said I'd never kiss, or whatever on screen. I've always maintained I'd cross that bridge when I come to it. Again, I'm accused of playing it safe. The truth is, I don't know what tomorrow holds. So I can't make a close ended principle about it.”

# “Her thoughts on modern women versus the queens of the era of Jodhaa Akbar (2008): I consider myself lucky to be born in today's era where a woman has far more freedom to exercise her rights. It took them ages to get ready for one appearance, and imagine staying behind curtains all day long.”

# “On being voted the most bankable Bollywood star in Hollywood: Wow! Me the most bankable Bollywood star in Hollywood? Thank you! I must confess that any acknowledgment of hard work makes me feel content. In all humility I want to thank all those who feel I'm bankable.”

# “God has given me plenty of reasons to smile and I feel it's time to spread it around. There are a lot of children out there who so desperately need help, but can't receive timely care because their families cannot afford this surgery or are ill-educated about this condition.”

# “My family is my strength and my weakness.”

# “Sexy in India is not considered positive. But, with today's crop of fresh faces in the modelling arena, being sexy is an asset.”

# “I don't want to win any brownie points for giving good copy to the press. I've been extremely dignified and well-behaved while dealing with journalists. So many journalists who have interacted with me have come away pleasantly surprised.”

# “I was more excited than scared, at the opportunity to work in an English movie.”

# “I was studying to be an architect, I wasn't plotting to join the movies. Films were just another career option. I took acting up with the same schoolgirl enthusiasm I had for examinations. Acting is a job and I take it very seriously.”

# “Okay, let's take statistics. How many interviews have I given you in the last six years? Just five or six? Doesn't that say something? I hate to sound immodest, but this dates back to my personality since the age of 13. I've always got attention, which at times has been quite unwarranted.”

# “Salman Khan's like a baby. We're always sparring on the sets. If he gives me attitude, I give him loads of it in return.”

# “I definitely don't have a chip on my shoulder.”

# “Someone said to me this week that you are a Greek goddess with the soul of an Indian. What is the finest complement you have ever received? The one that touched you the most.”

# “Life will take its toll on all of us. We get injured, we get old. It`s really sad to try to run away from these harsh realities of life. Looks are not everything. I am not going to look beautiful all the time.”

# “I have related to each character I have performed thus far, including Tilo. I am very sensitive to moods and one's inward feelings and emotions. I am a true people person and people watcher. I look forward to meeting interesting people and understanding their experiences in life.”

# “If I’d done Raja Hindustani, I wouldn’t have become Miss India or Miss World. So you see, you win some, you lose some.”

# “If I make some heroines insecure and they react violently, I can’t be blamed for it. I’ve been a sitting target for very many but I have never hit back at the viciousness. I don’t seek revenge. I don’t react. I merely act.”

# “If I look into the mirror 20 times a day, it is a part of my job. Please don’t call me vain for that.”“I am not the kind to be splashed across the magazines… there’s a certain way in which I mould my sentences, the way I choose my words, I like that to come through. When you’re misrepresented, it hurts.”

# “Am I happy? Happiness is a relative term. It’s the way you like to perceive it. Happiness plays a lot of hide and seek with me. But happiness and I are good friends.”

# “I don’t think I have ever been called a bimbette or an air head. Even when I joined films, much was made about my being a student of architecture. During my tenure as Miss World, I was looked upon as a cultural ambassador for India rather than just someone who had won a beauty contest. Sometimes I feel I’m still wearing the crown.”

# “I have a ferocious work ethic. I’m like the Terminator. I won’t stop till I win. I’m driven. Be it about my costumes, my scripts…everything must be perfect.”

# “Sorry to sound persecuted but I have been at the receiving end ever since I can remember. It was said that I’m snooty, a cold fish. I’ve even been called manipulative. Sweeping statements were made in the press that I was lousy in my screen tests, that I’d never make it. When my films flopped it was said that I had proved unlucky for filmmkers like Mani Ratnam and Shankar. All that hurt a lot.”

# “Today everyone is open about cosmetic enhancements. No one bats an eyelid before going in for nips, tucks and liposuctions… Having said that let me admit, it’s a problem when beauty becomes an obsession with some and they mess around with what’s naturally endowed.”

# “Sure, I want my knight in shining armour. No let‘s reverse that. Maybe I’ll rescue Mr Charming from a sizzling temptress. And the camera will zoom in as we ride into the golden sunset. Ha! How’s that for a happy ending?.”