When Ranbir Kapoor opened up about his close bond with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at 15: 'She will always be the girl who hung out with me on my father's set'

The 2016 musical romantic drama 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' featured Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in lead roles, and the film's soulful narration resonated with many. However, Ranbir and Aishwarya’s on-screen pairing stood out as one of the most discussed topics in showbiz.
During an old interview with the Times of India, Ranbir opened up about his bond with Aishwarya.
The 'Animal' actor spoke about meeting Aishwarya on the set of a film directed by his father, Rishi Kapoor. It was for the 1999 movie 'Aa Ab Laut Chalen', directed by Rishi, in which Aishwarya played the lead role alongside Akshaye Khanna and Rajesh Khanna.

Ranbir shared that he had a special connection with the 'Iruvar' actress, who treated him like a peer. “I knew Aishwarya since I was a child, as I was an assistant on my father's film Aa Ab Laut Chalen. I was only 15 then and in Class X, but Aishwarya and I struck up a friendship. We would chat about her and her life, and she would treat me as her equal. She treated me like a friend and not like a child, and she was very kind to me.”
He revealed that even after years, while sharing screen space with her in 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil', his perception of Aishwarya remained unchanged. “Even now, she is exactly the way she was then. Nothing has changed about her. Apart from her beauty and the achievements that the world already knows, to me, she will always be the girl who hung out with me on my father's set,” he added.

On the work front, Ranbir Kapoor was last seen in the box office hit 'Animal', directed by Sandeep Reddy Vanga, and he will soon begin work on its sequel, 'Animal Park'. He is currently gearing up for the release of Nitesh Tiwari’s 'Ramayana', alongside Sai Pallavi and Yash. He will also begin shooting for 'Love & War', directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, in which he will share screen space with Vicky Kaushal and Alia Bhatt.
Meanwhile, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was last seen in Mani Ratnam’s 'Ponniyin Selvan 2'.