When Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan finally tied the knot in the summer of 2007, the whole country watched with bated breath. Here was the most beautiful woman in the world getting married to the son of one of the biggest superstars in Bollywood.

But perhaps the ‘son of’ is where the problem began. From time to time Abhishek Bachchan has sauntered off the red carpet, pouting as the paparazzi scream for solo pictures of his wife. Leaving behind an exasperated Aishwarya as she struggles to decide if she should follow him or stay behind and enjoy the moment she has worked so hard for and truly deserves.

Earlier this year, reports of Aishwarya Rai and her daughter behind forced out of the family home emerged. Some blamed souring relations with her in-laws while others said it had to do with sister-in-law Shweta Bachchan separating from her husband and moving back home.

Interestingly, Jaya Bachchan once said in an old interview that her favourite thing about Aishwarya Rai is that despite being a big star she does not put herself in front.

A few years back when Aishwarya Rai was fresh off the success of her incredible role in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, the whole world praised her but the Bachchan’s maintained a stoic silence allegedly due to her intimate scenes with Ranbir Kapoor.

Earlier than that, reports emerged that Aishwarya Rai turned down the leading role opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Happy New Year so Abhishek Bachchan could play a supporting character in the film.

While many more such instances can be named, speculations of them separating reached an all-time high when both Shweta and Jaya Bachchan turned up in full force to support Navya Nanda walking the ramp for L’Oreal in Paris but failed to even acknowledge Aishwarya Rai’s far more spectacular moment.

Recent reports have pointed out that Abhishek Bachchan has suddenly stopped wearing his wedding ring and has been spotted without it in various recent public appearances. Some have suggested that the couple would never officially file for a divorce as has been the norm within the Bachchan family.

On her birthday earlier in Novmber, Abhishek Bachchan’s seemingly half-hearted wish drew ire from fans of the actress. Abhishek shared a monochromatic picture of Aishwarya Rai but kept the caption succinct with a simple “Happy Birthday!”

Notably, both Amitabh Bachchan and daughter Shweta Bachchan have been reported to have affairs. Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha’s affair has been the talk of the town for almost decades. Whereas, Shweta Bachchan has been linked with childhood friend and actor Hrithik Roshan in the past. However, neither of them divorced their spouses and continue to paint a rosy picture of the family.

While this may indicate that Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai are highly unlikely to file for a formal divorce and will probably just live separately, it’s also possible that Aishwarya Rai being independent and a star in her own right might just put her foot down.

Earlier this week at the premiere of The Archies marking Agastya Nanda’s Bollywood debut, the whole Bachchan family was in attendance. The show of solidarity that was possibly an effort to indicate that the family would brave the rumors turned out to expose the cracks in their relationship instead. The awkwardness in the air peeking through as they didn’t know how to behave around each other.

It remains to be seen what Aishwarya and Abhishek will decide to do with their lives moving forward but it appears that in the end it really will come down to how much the patriarchy really still exists.