Bollywood glamour queen Aishwarya Rai -

celebrating her first wedding anniversary with hubby Abhishek

Bachchan in Miami Sunday - describes her marriage as a “unique and

beautiful experience”.

“When I went back on the sets after marriage, there was no change at

all. There has been a normal flow before and after marriage. Everyone

wants to know how marriage has changed my life. Nothing has

changed at all. Life has been one smooth flow,” Aishwarya told IANS

in a telephone interview from Miami.

“And though I didn’t plan such a marriage, I wouldn’t want it any other

way. It has been wonderful on both the personal and professional

fronts,” she added.

The actress, who starred in epic romance “Jodhaa Akbar” and

completed Hollywood film “Pink Panther” in the past year, says she

did not become choosy after marriage.

“I’ve been working selectively since ‘Devdas’. I’m glad I’ve been

choosing discreetly according to how much time I’ve on hand. That

doesn’t change now.

“I’ve committed myself to a couple of films now. I really don’t know

if I’m going to get more selective, because I never do more than three

films a year. Let’s see

A: (Laughs) Now that you remind me of it, of course. And if you add

“Guru” to it, Abhishek and I came together through these.

Q: Where do you go now? Will you be working selectively?

A: When have I not been working selectively? I’ve been working

selectively since “Devdas”. I’m glad I’ve been choosing discreetly

according to how much time I’ve on hand. That doesn’t change now.

I’ve committed myself to a couple of films now. I really don’t know if

I’m going to get more selective, because I never do more than three

films a year. Let’s see what the future holds. So many films I’ve let go

because of the time factor.

Q: Abhishek told me you were willing to let go of “Pink Panther”

because his grandmother (Teji Bachchan who died in December 2007)

was critically ill.

A: (Falls silent) Firstly, she was not just his grandmother, but mine

too. So I wanted to spend as much time with her as he did. Of course,

actors are greedy people. They like to do all sorts of roles that come

their way. However, I’ve never been one to detach myself from reality.

I’d not want my family life to take a backseat to my work. I genuinely

love my husband, his parents who are now my parents, and my own

parents. I want to be with my new family, get to know them better

because I got to know them so late in life.

However, I also know my professional responsibilities. When I came

from my honeymoon, I went straight to the location for “Jodhaa

Akbar”. I’m lucky to be married into a family, which is the epitome of

professionalism. Of course, we want to spend time together, but we

can’t let work suffer. When “Pink Panther” was offered, grandma

became really unwell. During “Jodhaa Akbar” I’d rush back to hospital

as frequently as I could. I was reluctant. More so because this was an

international project.

Q: What do you mean?

A: Well, in India the entertainment industry doesn’t only go by the

commerce. We do operate from the heart. There’s room for domestic

crisis in our film industry. Overseas, one is under serious contracts.

Even though Abhishek encouraged me to take up “Pink Panther”, I

made sure I left room in my contract for visits back home because I did

want to experience Karwa Chauth and Diwali. Then I checked with my

international manager to make sure that I could come back if, god

forbid, grandma was in an emergency.