When Sonam Kapoor Stirred Controversy Over Calling 36-Year-Old Aishwarya Rai ‘Aunty From Another Generation’ | Throwback Tales

Sonam Kapoor is known for her unfiltered personality and outspoken style, which often landed her in the middle of controversies. One such instance occurred when she called Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ‘Aunty’. Back in 2009, the actress was an emerging star carving a niche for herself in the film industry. During that phase, Sonam was signed as the new face of a beauty brand that was previously endorsed by Aishwarya. The sudden change led to disappointment by the Devdas actress and she was reportedly unhappy with it. The situation worsened when Sonam referred Aishwarya as ‘aunty from another generation’ while she was answering the replacement question during an interview. At that time, Rai was just 36 years old. The remark sparked widespread disappointment among Rai’s fans, which led to heavy backlash against Sonam.

Later, Sonam Kapoor justified her words and said that Aishwarya worked with her father, Anil Kapoor, in movies, which is the reason behind her calling the star ‘aunty’. In her statement to Hindustan Times, Sonam said, “Aish has worked with my dad, so I have to call her aunty, na!” She said it in a light-hearted tone, but still her remarks were considered problematic and insensitive, with a bit of age shaming. After facing huge flak, Kapoor dismissed the controversy as ‘gossip’. She then said, “It's all gossip. I never said any of that. I don't want to remark on it anymore. A lot has been printed and said and it's all turned into very untidy and filthy, and I don't wish to get into it anymore. I really respect Abhishek as a person and had one of my best experiences working in Delhi 6. Aishwarya Rai is Aishwarya Rai. I never said that. I would address her in a deferential way, but I would never call her aunty.”

Also read: DYK Aishwarya Rai Was Replaced In Rani Mukerji And Shah Rukh Khan's Chalte Chalte? Reason Has Salman Khan Connection

The controversy around their feud didn’t end there. In 2011, it was reported that Sonam and Aishwarya had to walk a ramp together at the Cannes Film Festival. Reports then claimed that Rai refused to work with Sonam. Not only that, Aishwarya even threatened to withdraw from the event if they were made to appear together.