When Aishwarya Rai spoke to Oprah Winfrey about sex before marriage two years before getting married to Abhishek Bachchan, said, "It isn’t the good thing to do"

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, one of India’s most beloved stars, captured global attention long before many of her contemporaries. Her appearances on The Oprah Winfrey Show in the early 2000s are iconic, as they allowed her to bring Indian culture into Western conversation, offering insight into traditions that were often misunderstood. In 2005, Aishwarya was invited to Oprah’s show, where she took the opportunity to address some of the prevalent stereotypes about India while also offering her perspective on topics that resonated deeply with Western audiences.

One of the most talked-about moments during the interview occurred when Oprah asked Aishwarya about public displays of affection, a topic that often puzzles many in the West. In her typical graceful manner, Aishwarya clarified the cultural differences, stating, “It’s not really a familiar sight. People kiss, but it doesn’t happen around the street corner. It’s a more private expression of emotion, so I guess art imitates life, and that comes across in our cinema.”

The conversation then shifted to a topic that Oprah, as well as many of the audience members, likely found particularly intriguing: premarital sex. Oprah asked whether it was common in India or considered taboo. Aishwarya responded with a simple, yet profound statement: “Broadly speaking, it isn’t the good thing to do.”

In addition to discussing intimate topics, Aishwarya also addressed some of the misconceptions that people had about India, particularly regarding language and family life. She shared that it was often assumed that Indians were not fluent in English, a stereotype that seemed to surprise her. She recounted how people would ask if she had studied abroad to learn the language, responding, “Why would people think that we don’t study English? That really shocked me.”