Abhishek Bachchan addresses divorce rumours with Aishwarya Rai, says ‘I have never done anything wrong’; psychotherapist decodes his strongly-worded response
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Abhishek Bachchan publicly and strongly refuted the continuous media "falsehood, manufactured rubbish" regarding his divorce speculations with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, affirming their happy family life and stating the rumors are baseless and malicious. He stressed the importance of media responsibility towards human beings and drew a strict boundary, declaring that any incorrect talk about his family is "off-limits" and will not be tolerated, though he will only clarify matters when he deems it necessary. He also praised Aishwarya's job in raising their mature daughter, Aaradhya, who is aware of rumors but has been taught not to believe everything she reads, and he dismissed the idea that marriage negatively affects an actor's fan base, citing his wife as an example. Psychotherapist Dhara Ghuntla noted that Bachchan's strong statement reflects an essential act of boundary setting to protect his personal and relational privacy against intrusive media speculation.
Abhishek also shared that he will not clarify everything until he feels like it. “What I feel like doing when I feel like doing. I have never done anything wrong. So, I don’t see why I need to go around clarifying stuff. There is no need for that. If there is something I feel which has gone out of hand, like if you are going to be talking about my family wrongly, I am going to correct you.”
Opening up about how well Aishwarya has brought up their 14-year-old daughter, Aaradhya, Abhishek said that while she may be aware of the rumours, she won’t believe anything from outside.
Abhishek said, “Aaradhya is a mature girl. And her mother has done a wonderful job… she is aware, but I don’t think it is a priority for her. She doesn’t have a phone. She’s 14. If her friends want to get in touch with her, they have to call her mother’s phone. That is something we decided a long time ago. She loves school. She won’t believe anything. I think her mother has taught her well enough not to believe everything she reads. Like my parents, we are completely honest with the family. There has never been an occasion where anybody has to question anybody.”
During the conversation, he also mentioned that, contrary to popular belief, he did not meet Aishwarya on the sets of Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke in 2000; he had met her for the first time over dinner with Bobby Deol, who is a “good friend”. Dismissing statements like marriage impacts fan following, Abhishek served some husband goals and shared, “My wife is an example. We are happily married. It’s our 18th year, and I have not seen that fan following. I think it’s something the media uses very conveniently to try and justify something.”
On how marriage tends to change people, he shared his viewpoint. “Marriage changes you. When your goals change, when your stories change, when your reasons change, your choices change too. Today, I am a father. I feel a certain responsibility to my entire family, so I choose accordingly. I think life changes you. Time, age, circumstance, everything changes you as it should. I don’t think an actor can be an island and just be narcissistic and a megalomaniac about everything. That’s where the rot would start. If you think you are the greatest, you will never want to improve, and you will become complacent. Situations in life would change, and your compulsions would change with that. That’s important.”
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Reflecting on the actor’s strong words, Dhara Ghuntla, a psychotherapist and independent practitioner affiliated with Sujay Hospital, 7 Hills Hospital, and Criticare Hospital, said they convey an essential act of “boundary setting” in response to repeated violations of informational and relational privacy. “By rejecting fabricated narratives, his response is aimed at restoring personal autonomy.”
According to Ghuntla, by firmly rejecting the false stories, “he is engaging in a protective coping strategy that helps preserve emotional stability and personal dignity”.
Public figures are especially vulnerable because their private experiences are repeatedly reframed through external narratives they cannot correct fast enough, she said. “This also highlights a broader issue: when the public normalises intrusive gossip, it reinforces patterns that can harm mental wellbeing, not just for celebrities but for anyone whose life becomes a subject of speculation.”
