Word wars and loaded remarks are nothing new in Bollywood, but some episodes stick in public memory long after the noise dies down. One such moment involves Sonam Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai, when an early-career Sonam used a word for Aishwarya that quickly landed her in trouble. The single word in question was 'aunty', and what followed was an uproar that spilled from social media into interview after interview.
How It All Began
The episode dates back to 2009, when Sonam Kapoor had only just stepped into Bollywood. Around that time she was signed as the new face of a famous international beauty brand. What made it interesting was that the very same brand had, for several years, had Aishwarya Rai as its main ambassador. The buzz back then was that the company now wanted to push a younger, fresher face in place of Aishwarya. That was the spark for everything that followed.
The Remark That Set Off the Storm
When the media asked Sonam Kapoor about the switch and about Aishwarya Rai, her answer caught everyone off guard. Sonam described Aishwarya as a "second-generation aunty". The startling part was the maths: at the time Aishwarya was only 36 and Sonam was 25 — a gap of just 11 years. Despite that small difference, calling an actress like Aishwarya an 'aunty' did not sit well with people at all.
Sonam's Unusual Explanation
As the controversy snowballed and the trolling began, Sonam offered an offbeat logic to defend her words. In an interview she said, "Aishwarya Rai has worked with my father Anil Kapoor in films. By that connection she belongs to the second generation for our family, so I would have to call her aunty, wouldn't I!"
The argument convinced no one. Fans piled on Sonam across social media. They pointed out that Sonam herself had shared the screen with far more senior stars such as Salman Khan, who happens to be her father's friend. In their eyes, calling Aishwarya an 'aunty' was simply proof of Sonam's brazen attitude.
Aishwarya's Silence Won Hearts
Amid all the din, the person who earned the most praise was Aishwarya Rai, for her composure. She never hit back at the 'aunty' jibe, nor did she fire off a sharp reply. She kept complete silence over the matter and refused to react to any of it.
Sonam Eventually Took Her Words Back
With trolling coming from every direction and the controversy refusing to die, Sonam Kapoor later distanced herself from the remark altogether. Flatly denying it in another interview, she said, "These are all just rumours and gossip. I never said anything of the sort. My words were misrepresented. I have great respect for Aishwarya Rai and I would never call her aunty."
When Sonam Became Aishwarya's Shield
Over time the bitterness between the two faded, and a glimpse of that thaw appeared years later. In 2016, when Aishwarya Rai walked the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival wearing purple lipstick, she faced a wave of criticism. It was Sonam Kapoor who then openly stood up for her. Sonam said that the whole point of fashion is to be talked about, that what Aishwarya did was excellent, and that she looked absolutely beautiful in that look.
