Actor Abhishek Bachchan said that contrary to public perception, his mother, veteran actor Jaya Bachchan, is very sweet and the embodiment of love. In recent years, the veteran actor has developed a reputation for being stern in public, and her viral interactions with the paparazzi haven't helped. In an interview with Zoom Entertainment, Abhishek said that he hasn't watched those videos, which often involve his mother snapping at photographers. He did, however, talk about the role she has played in raising him, and also addressed his own relationship with his daughter, Aaradhya. He said, "Contrary to public opinion, my mother is not strict. She's the one you go running to when you're hurt as a kid. She's particular, but my mom. See, for me, my father means what he does to me. In that father-son dynamic, any son will very reluctantly admit that their hero is their father and they want to be like their father. But your mother is 'maa', and I've always said that the word 'maa' encapsulates pure love." Abhishek continued, "When I was a child, my father unfortunately was hardly around, because he was so busy working. There were weeks on end where we wouldn't see him, but he was in the next room. He'd come back from shooting after we'd gone to sleep, and he used to leave before we woke up. That's how hard they used to work. And the person who never allowed me and my sister to feel that void was my mother, and that can only be done through love. Today, I'm a father, and I see the way my daughter reacts to me. She's my buddy, she's my friend. But anything goes wrong, the first person she's looking for is her mom." Abhishek is married to actor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Aaradhya was born in 2011. Jaya was most recently seen in director Karan Johar's new film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.
