RACE FOR time
In a tête-à-tête with Bazaar, AISHWARYA RAI BACHCHAN talks about her long-standing association with LONGINES
In her first appearance, fresh from giving birth to her firstborn, if it were possible, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan looks more resplendent than she ever has. With an afterglow of motherhood and her signature smile, she sits gracefully in a lime coloured Falguni & Shane Peacock anarkali, a refreshing change from the sea of dresses and gowns that swirl around her at the high-octane Dubai World Cup. “I try to dress as appropriately as I can for the occasion and not compromise the integrity of the event. So I thought what better an opportunity to wear this if not at the Dubai World Cup? It’s Dubai—if not here, then where?”
The ease with which she says this makes it evident Aishwarya is on home turf in Dubai, a place where her movies are eagerly awaited and her songs routinely heard in clubs. Representing Longines, which is associated with the Dubai World Cup, the richest horse racing event in the world held annually at the Meydan Racecourse, she smiles and acquiesces when people walk up to her to get their photographs clicked. “There are so many special days with Longines and so many experiences that have been new and unforgettable,” she says delicately twirling the new Longines’s Saint-imier timepiece on her wrist. “There was the Roland Garros earlier, a first for me. And now another first with the Dubai World Cup.”
Aishwarya’s association with the Swiss watchmaker goes back a long way (she’s in her 13th year as its Ambassadress of Elegance), and admits she has grown with the brand—when Longines became the 4th largest watchmaker in the world, parallely their brand ambassadress achieved a superstar status. “It’s really an incredible feat, and to hold that position is a wonderful achievement. The group continued to grow even in the times of recession, and that reflects the good faith that people have in Longines, recognising its history and the investment that the company has put into watchmaking. I am so proud to be associated with that.”