Abhishek Bachchan shares how fatherhood changed him with Aaradhya. He remembers the Peppa Pig moment where she taught him equality through questions, and he never butted his head again after that. With Aishwarya Rai, they lead by example – there are no fixed roles. Married in 2007, born in 2011.
Over the years, Abhishek Bachchan has spoken publicly about how fatherhood has changed him, from his beliefs to the way he sees the world. Recently, he reflected back on his experience, admitting that watching his daughter Aaradhya grow has given him a deeper understanding of life.
He added that her endless questions often made him discover things about himself that he had never noticed before.
Abhishek Bachchan recalls a fond memory with Aaradhya
During a recent conversation with Lilly Singh, Abhishek shared an intimate memory from Aaradhya’s early childhood, a memory that still brings a smile to his face. “We were watching TV when she was a kid, and she was being tortured by Peppa Pig. I said, ‘Hey, Aaradhya…’ You know how kids are, they’re like zombies. I said, ‘Aaradhya, can you just get Daddy a glass of water?’ She looked at me like, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Can you give me a glass of water?’ She said, ‘Why?’ And I said, ‘Because I asked you to.’”
‘It’s normal, isn’t it? I’m the father, bring me a glass of water. She got up and went and brought me a glass of water very nicely. I said to her: Thank you, and I kissed her, and she sat down.
Abhishek Bachchan shares a parenting lesson from Aaradhya
The actor went on to describe how the simple exchange quickly took a fun yet insightful turn. “After half an hour she said ‘Daddy?’ I said ‘Yes?’ She asked ‘Can you give me a glass of water?’ And I’m like ‘Go get it yourself.’ And she said ‘Why? If you can ask me, why can’t I ask you?’ I didn’t have an answer for that.
And I was like, she’s right. I mean I can’t outrank her. She’s right. If she can get me a glass of water, why can’t I get it for her? I never encountered it after that.
It makes a lot of sense.”
Abhishek Bachchan talks about equality in parenting Aishwarya Rai
Speaking further about his parenting style, Bachchan mentioned that he and Aishwarya prefer a balanced approach based on partnership rather than specific parental roles. “In my house, as parents, both of us try to be the best example for Aaradhya instead of telling her what is right and what is wrong.
We believe in showing what to do by being ourselves. It was never like, “Okay, I’ll teach her self-defense.” If I see my wife, she can take care of herself. It was never broken down like, “I’ll teach her self-defense, and you teach her to be compassionate.”
“No, it’s not like that.”He added: “It is simply about living a good, responsible life with your values and morals. Your child sees that, emulates it, and in this way, you have prepared him.”
So there is no competition at home about who should be the man and who should be the woman. When it comes to children, we both believe that you should be a role model, not try to teach them what is right and wrong. Because what is right for us may not be right for them. Generations change.
“Our world is very different, and our children’s world will be even more different.”
Family life of Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai
Abhishek and Aishwarya married in April 2007 in an intimate ceremony held at their residence in Mumbai. The couple welcomed their daughter Aaradhya Bachchan on November 16, 2011.