Ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar, who lives next door to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s mother, recently weighed in on the actor’s relationship with husband, actor Abhishek Bachchan. Speaking to Vickey Lalwani, Prahlad, who lives in the same building as Aishwarya’s mother, Vrinda Rai, clarified that the actor continues to stay with the Bachchan family and visits her mother often because the latter is unwell.

Prahlad said, “I don’t think there is any truth (to the separation rumours). I live in the same building, and I know how much time Ash spends in the building, and there’s a valid reason for that. Her mother is unwell. She drops her daughter at school, and she has to pick her up at 1 pm, so she has three hours to kill. She spends those three hours with her mother. Then she picks up her daughter and goes home.”

When asked about rumours of a rift between Aishwarya and her mother-in-law, actor-politician Jaya Bachchan, and sister-in-law, author Shweta Bachchan, Prahlad dismissed it with a quip: “So what? She is the bahu of the house, and she still runs the house.”

Prahlad also noted that the actor-couple have chosen to not comment on the speculation: “If you notice, neither Abhishek nor Aishwarya has given a comment on this. Why should they? Tum bhaunkte raho. She has always kept her dignity, and journalists hated her for that.”