​From spending years in the Merchant Navy to co-producing Aishwarya Rai’s ‘Dil Ka Rishta’, Aditya Rai has charted a life far removed from Bollywood’s limelight.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been a familiar face to audiences for decades, but not everyone in her family has embraced the limelight. Her elder brother, Aditya Rai, has largely remained away from public attention, choosing a life that is markedly different from that of his superstar sister.A recent Raksha Bandhan picture brought Aditya back into the spotlight after the family photograph featuring him, Aishwarya and other members of the Rai family surfaced online. The rare glimpse of the siblings together prompted renewed interest in Aditya and his relatively private journey.

Aditya Rai’s life before entering the film world

Aditya is the elder child of Krishnaraj and Vrinda Rai and grew up with Aishwarya after the family moved to Mumbai during her childhood. While Aishwarya eventually entered modelling and went on to establish herself as an actor, Aditya followed a very different professional path.He is reportedly an engineer and spent years working in the Merchant Navy. His association with the film industry came much later and was not initially something he had planned as a career.

How Aishwarya’s brother became associated with ‘Dil Ka Rishta’

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s elder brother Aditya Rai has lived largely away from the spotlight, despite briefly venturing into filmmaking and co-producing ‘Dil Ka Rishta’.​

Aditya’s most notable connection with Bollywood came through the 2003 romantic drama ‘Dil Ka Rishta’. The film, directed by Naresh Malhotra, featured Aishwarya Rai in the lead alongside Arjun Rampal and Priyanshu Chatterjee.Aditya served as one of the film’s co-producers. Their mother, Vrinda Rai, was also associated with the project and has been identified in several reports as one of the writers involved with the film.Despite producing the movie, Aditya did not go on to establish a lasting career in the Hindi film industry.

From sailing the seas to exploring filmmaking

Aditya had spoken about his unusual route into film production in a 2003 interview with Rediff. After working as a seaman for around five years, he returned to Mumbai while preparing for an examination.During this period, he began accompanying Aishwarya to film studios. Spending time around actors, technicians and film sets gradually sparked his curiosity about the business.“I had time on my hands while studying for an exam. I used to go around studios accompanying her [Aishwarya] and got keenly interested,” he recalled.His visits to studios eventually led to a meeting with filmmaker Shabbir Boxwala. Boxwala had previously worked with director Rajiv Rai on films including ‘Gupt’ and ‘Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat’.The association soon developed into a production venture. Aditya and Boxwala joined hands with restaurateur Suresh Bhandary to establish Target Films. The production company subsequently backed ‘Dil Ka Rishta’, which featured Aishwarya as its leading lady.While the experience gave Aditya an opportunity to explore the workings of the film business, he ultimately did not remain in the industry.

Aditya Rai is married to influencer Shrima Rai

Aditya Rai poses with his wife Shrima Rai, sons Vihaan and Shivansh, and mother Vrinda Rai in a rare family moment.

Away from his professional association with Bollywood, Aditya has built a family life that has largely remained private. He is married to Shrima Rai, a content creator and beauty and lifestyle influencer.Unlike her husband, Shrima is active on social media, where she shares content around beauty, fashion, travel and family. Her online presence has also occasionally brought attention to the Rai family.Aditya and Shrima have two sons, Vihaan and Shivansh.

Raksha Bandhan picture gives fans a rare family glimpse

The recent Raksha Bandhan photograph offered fans an unusual look at Aishwarya with her family away from the glamour of public appearances.Aishwarya was seen dressed in a white ethnic ensemble, while Aditya wore an off-white collared T-shirt paired with blue checked trousers. Their mother, Vrinda Rai, posed with the younger members of the family, while Shrima was also seen in the frame.Aishwarya’s daughter Aaradhya was part of the gathering as well.The picture has since drawn attention because such candid family moments involving Aishwarya and her elder brother are rarely seen publicly. While Aishwarya has spent much of her adult life under intense media scrutiny, Aditya has consistently preferred to keep his distance from the spotlight.