For Aishwarya Raj Bhakuni, acting is much more than playing a character on screen. It is also a way to understand emotions, explore different personalities and sometimes find an escape from the challenges of everyday life. The actor, who is currently playing Aradhya, fondly called Aaru, in O Humnava Tum Dena Saath Mera, says that balancing her personal and professional worlds has taught her to understand herself better.
Talking about how acting fits into her life, Aishwarya shares, “My personal life has always been quite chaotic, so, ironically, acting has become my escape from my personal life. When I go to work, I get to step into another world. I get to live as Aaru, and then I get to come back and live as Aishwarya. In a strange way, both these lives give me an escape from each other. So for me, acting isn’t just a profession. Sometimes it is also where I find my peace.”
Working long hours on set means that the actress often spends most of her day experiencing the emotions of another person. She believes that finding simple ways to reconnect with herself is important after work. “Cooking helps me a lot. Meditation helps me come back to myself, and talking to my very close friends also helps. After spending 12–13 hours living someone else’s emotions, sometimes I just need something that reminds me of who I am outside the character,” she says.
Aishwarya also credits meditation and spirituality for helping her deal with the unpredictable nature of the entertainment industry. According to her, the profession comes with its share of highs and lows, and it is important not to let either define you completely. “Spirituality has taught me not to get too attached to either the highs or the lows. I try to accept what comes, learn from it and keep moving. It gives me perspective when everything around me feels overwhelming,” she says.
While the industry has helped her become more confident, Aishwarya feels that self-awareness came first. Over time, she has learnt to recognise her strengths, understand her insecurities and become more careful about the things she is willing to compromise on. “I think it has made me more self-aware first, and that has eventually made me more confident. The industry constantly puts you in situations where you have to understand yourself. Over the years, I have become much clearer about who I am, what I stand for and what I will or will not compromise on,” she explains.
Her experiences have also taught her to be more careful about trusting people. The actress admits that she was once someone who believed that being genuine with others would always mean receiving the same treatment in return. However, life has given her a more realistic understanding of relationships. “I was very trusting. I believed that if I was genuine with people, they would automatically be genuine with me. Life taught me that unfortunately, that’s not always true. There are people who will lie, people who will pretend, and people who will take advantage of your goodness,” she shares.
However, Aishwarya does not believe that difficult experiences should make a person lose their kindness. Instead, she feels that it is important to learn from them and understand where to draw the line. “I don’t want my younger self to become cynical because of that, but I would want her to become wiser. Stay kind, but don’t be naïve. Keep the goodness in your heart, but protect yourself from the vultures who may try to take advantage of it,” she says.
The actress also believes that the way people behave during their successful phases says a lot about their character. Having experienced periods when work was not coming her way, she makes a conscious effort to remember those days and remain grounded. “I remember the days when I had no work. I remember the difficult phases and the times when things weren’t going my way. I constantly remind myself that nothing is permanent. The only constant in this world is change,” she says.
She further adds, “The way you behave with people when you’re successful matters, because those are the same people you may have to stand beside when life isn’t going your way. For me, success should never make you forget your humanity.”
For Aishwarya, the lessons she has learnt through acting extend beyond her own life. Playing characters with different personalities, particularly those with grey shades, has made her more empathetic towards people. She feels that there is often a reason behind someone’s behaviour, even when their actions are difficult to understand.
Speaking about her character Aradhya in Tum Dena Saath Mera, she says, “The more I understand her, the more I understand where her insecurity, jealousy and constant comparison come from. It has made me realise that very few people become ‘villains’ for no reason. There is usually a story behind their behaviour.”
According to Aishwarya, understanding a character’s emotional journey helps her look beyond the obvious and approach the role with greater depth. The same understanding has also influenced how she views people outside her work.
When asked about the advice that has stayed with her throughout her career, the actress points to the importance of good behaviour and professionalism. “Your good nature, good behaviour and professionalism will always go a long way. The moment fame brings arrogance into you, that is often the beginning of your downfall. I truly believe that how you treat people when you have power says much more about you than how you behave when you need something from them,” she says.
