With rumours of Aishwarya’s alleged separation from Abhishek swirling once again, here’s taking a look at previous signs of trouble in paradise we missed

Intentionally or not, Abhishek Bachchan’s social media activity has added fuel to the already reignited rumours of his reported separation from Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Author Heena Khandelwal’s Instagram post, speaking about the complex reality of love and divorce seemingly found an audience in Abhishek. The proof? A ‘like’ from the actor.

Abhishek Bachchan likes post on divorce(Instagram)
While this is of course no verbal confirmation of any relationship turmoil he may be going through with his wife of 17 years, it has seamlessly sparked a renewed interest in where things stand between the two.

From Aishwarya showing up separately from the Bachchans for Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s wedding right back to the reports of her allegedly having ‘moved out’ of Jalsa, let’s take a look at all the signs which hinted at things not being hunky dory between the couple.

Aishwarya arrives separately for the Ambani wedding

Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant tied the knot on July 12 in the presence of industry heavyweights from across all sectors. Also present to bless the union, were Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan who arrived in tow with son Abhishek, daughter Shweta Bachchan Nanda and grandchildren Navya Naveli Nanda and Agastya Nanda. Also surprisingly present, was their son-in-law, industrialist Nikhil Nanda, who has always preferred to keep a low profile. Dressed in Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla ensembles, the party of 7 made for quite the dashing picture. However, Aishwarya and daughter Aaradhya Bachchan’s conspicuous absence from the shot stuck out like a sore thumb.

The fact that the mother-daughter duo showed up separately, moments later, made the whole situation look even more odd.

No show of support from Big B

Amitabh recently made the news and for a rather…odd reason. The veteran actor took to his Instagram handle to share a glimpse of Kamaal R Khan’s next project, wishing him the very best. The post had many believing that senior Bachchan’s account had in all likelihood been hacked, but that was not the case. In hindsight, Big B has been known to have a voracious appetite for social media. He uses it to commemorate his professional achievements, personal musings as well as cheer on his family and friends. But never Aishwarya. Despite, the Bachchan bahu having a stellar few months at the movies with Mani Ratnam’s blockbuster Ponniyin Selvan franchise releasing in quick succession, there came, not a word of appreciation or acknowledgment from her father-in-law.

Does Aishwarya not live with the Bachchans anymore?

This is arguably the biggest question mark when it comes to speculations about the status of Abhishek and Aishwarya’s relationship. For context, Big B and Jaya own a spread of 5 high-profile properties in Mumbai’s posh Juhu locality. These include Jalsa, Pratiksha, Janak, Vatsa and Ammu. The family has always used Jalsa as their primary property with Pratiksha having been bequeathed to Shweta in 2023. As per reports, Aishwarya has moved out of the property into one of the adjacent ones. That being said, the Bachchans and Aishwarya are still ‘living together’, just not with each other.

Cannes is now a mother-daughter affair

Aishwarya’s name and the annual Cannes Film Festival go hand-in-hand. The actor, one of the foremost names of international repute from India when it comes to the world of showbiz, has marked her presence at the coveted event year on year since 2002. A supportive husband, Abhishek accompanied Aishwarya to Cannes a mere month after their wedding in April 2007.

While Abhishek kept up the tempo for a while, there eventually came a point past which Cannes has now entirely become a ritual, near-exclusive for Aishwarya and Aaradhya. The last time Abhishek made it to Cannes was in 2022, a short, uneventful appearance.

Dwindling celebrations with the Bachchans

Social media, like it or not, often becomes a rather transparent reflection of one’s life when things start to go awry. Aishwarya and Aaradhya were very much a part of the Bachchan family celebrations, having celebrated New Years and the likes together. However, Christmas for the past 2 years as well as Aaradhya’s birthday, have been spent by the mother-daughter duo with Aishwarya’s mother, Brindya Rai.

That being said, no official confirmation of either a separation or divorce has come through from official sources. Do you think all is good between Abhishek and Aishwarya?