A rare family moment
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan celebrated Raksha Bandhan with her brother Aditya Rai and her family on September 1. A photograph of the gathering, shared by her sister-in-law Shrima Rai, offered fans a rare look at the actress away from the spotlight. The image shows Aishwarya alongside Aditya, Shrima, Aishwarya's daughter Aaradhya Bachchan, their mother Vrinda Rai and the family's younger members.
In the picture, Aishwarya wears a white ethnic outfit with her hair left open and sunglasses resting on her head. Aaradhya and her maternal cousins are seen hugging their grandmother. According to Lokmat Times, fans have paid particular attention to the photograph amid years of speculation about Aishwarya's relationship with her brother and his family, with rumours of an alleged distance occasionally surfacing on social media.
The photo also renewed interest in Aditya Rai, who has largely stayed out of the public eye. The Times of India described his life as markedly different from his sister's, and the publication offered a detailed look at his background.
Aditya Rai's path away from the limelight
Aditya is the elder child of Krishnaraj and Vrinda Rai and grew up with Aishwarya after the family moved to Mumbai during her childhood, as reported by The Times of India. While Aishwarya entered modelling and acting, Aditya pursued a different career, reportedly training as an engineer and spending years working in the Merchant Navy.
His entry into the film world came later and was not initially planned. According to a 2003 interview with Rediff, cited by The Times of India, Aditya said: "I had time on my hands while studying for an exam. I used to go around studios accompanying her [Aishwarya] and got keenly interested." He had worked as a seaman for around five years before returning to Mumbai while preparing for an examination, and it was during this period that he began accompanying Aishwarya to film studios.
Those visits eventually led to a meeting with filmmaker Shabbir Boxwala, and together with restaurateur Suresh Bhandary, the three established Target Films, which went on to back the 2003 film 'Dil Ka Rishta'. Directed by Naresh Malhotra, the romantic drama starred Aishwarya Rai in the lead alongside Arjun Rampal and Priyanshu Chatterjee, and Aditya served as one of its co-producers. Their mother, Vrinda Rai, was also associated with the project and has been identified in several reports as one of its writers, according to The Times of India.
Despite this venture, Aditya did not build a lasting career in film production. He is married to Shrima Rai, a content creator and beauty and lifestyle influencer, and the couple have two sons, Vihaan and Shivansh.
Social media attention and past incidents
Shrima Rai's social media activity has previously drawn attention from Aishwarya's fans, Lokmat Times reported. In November 2024, she faced trolling after sharing a picture of flowers she had received from Shweta Bachchan Nanda and her husband Nikhil Nanda on her birthday. The post came amid intense online speculation about Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan's relationship. Netizens accused both Shrima and Shweta of deliberately trying to make Aishwarya feel left out, and fans questioned why Shrima rarely shared pictures with Aishwarya or Aaradhya.
Aishwarya, meanwhile, has maintained a low profile on the professional front. Her last big-screen appearance was in Mani Ratnam's 'Ponniyin Selvan II' in 2023, where she played the dual roles of Nandini and Mandakini. She attended the Cannes Film Festival this year and was lauded for her choice of dresses and styling, Lokmat Times reported.
This article is based on reporting from Lokmat Times and The Times of