Aishwarya Rai shared the screen with Amitabh Bachchan long before she became his daughter-in-law. In the 2004 romantic film ‘Kyun! Ho Gaya Na…’, she starred opposite Vivek Oberoi, while Big B played a small but memorable role—as her uncle and the head of an orphanage. Although the film brought together some of the biggest names in Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan had then revealed that he wasn’t too pleased about his part.‘It is just a cameo!’ said Big BIn an old interview with Rediff before the film’s release, Amitabh Bachchan spoke openly about how he felt regarding his role. He said, “It is just a cameo! I play a man in charge of an orphanage. I also play Aishwarya’s uncle. I felt so bad about it.”The legendary actor revealed that he wasn’t too happy with the limited scope of his character. However, he still found one thing that made the experience enjoyable. “One thing I liked about my role was it gave me chance to interact with kids. After Mr Natwarlal, this is the first time I get to do that. So playing Ms Rai’s uncle became bearable.”Working with Aishwarya RaiDespite the small role, Amitabh had only kind words when asked about Aishwarya Rai as a co-star. “Ah, she’s exceptionally beautiful. According to me and Jaya, she looks wonderful in KHGN. I feel she needs to do more mature subjects now.”He was further asked if Aishwarya was one of his favourite co-stars, and he replied in his usual charming way, “All my co-stars are my favourites. You don’t have to take me to task because I like Ms Rai. Who doesn’t? I get along with everybody. Those I don’t get along with, I do not work with. With her around, there is joy, laughter, fun and a good working atmosphere.”What about Vivek Oberoi?When asked about his experience working with Vivek Oberoi, Amitabh gave a short and simple answer: “He’s fine. We were together in Coorg for a 20-day schedule. That was it. My work was over.”From onscreen uncle to real-life father in-lawAt the time of ‘Kyun! Ho Gaya Na…’, Aishwarya was not yet connected to the Bachchan family. She was reportedly dating Vivek Oberoi, her co-star in the film. Their relationship made headlines and was often discussed by all their fans.Later, Aishwarya married Abhishek Bachchan in 2007, three years after the film’s release. The couple became one of Bollywood’s most talked-about pairs and welcomed their daughter Aaradhya in 2011.
