After years of divorce rumours and relentless online chatter around his marriage, actor Abhishek Bachchan has finally addressed his relationship with wife, actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.

In a recent interview with YouTuber-actor Lilly Singh, he emphasized that their bond has always been rooted in a “partnership”, even calling “severe ego” a defining aspect of how they function as a couple.

“Through our courtship, our engagement, and our marriage, it was always about partnership. There was no discussion like, ‘I will bring the food, and you take care of the house’. It flows very naturally. For me, I think it comes from severe ego,” he shared.

Explaining what “ego” means to him, he said, “I say ego because I am not the kind of person who believes somebody else has to give up or stop running for me to win that race. And that is my mental structure. I don’t want to be in a partnership or marriage where my wife has to stop doing something because I have to feel manly about myself. And thankfully, my wife is not someone who thinks like that either.”

Reflecting on the dynamic of success in their relationship, he noted that it was never unfamiliar territory. “When my parents got married, my mother was a bigger star than my father was. So, it wasn’t an unnatural thing,” he said.

Speaking about their early days, when Abhishek was paired opposite Aishwarya in his second film, Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke (2000), he shared, “We weren’t in a relationship together (then). We were just buddies. We were always friends.”

He reiterated the importance of partnership in their relationship, adding, “It was always about a partnership. I have known Aishwarya from the start of my career… So, there is no competition at home (about) who has to be the man, who has to be the woman.”

Speaking about raising their daughter, Aaradhya Bachchan, Abhishek shared that both he and Aishwarya lead by example when it comes to parenting.

“We try to be the best example for Aaradhya. Instead of telling her this is right, or this is wrong, we show her what to do by being that,” he explained, adding, “In that sense, it has never been like I have to teach her self-defence. If you have seen my wife, she can take care of herself.”

He also admitted, “I think fathers are lousy teachers because our emotions get in the way and we don’t have that sensitivity chip that women do.”