Wrong to link cleft palate condition with superstition: Aishwarya

Mumbai: Actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who is a supporter of Smile Train India foundation, has said it is unfortunate that people connect cleft palate condition with superstition.

Aishwarya was addressing the media on the birth anniversary of her father Krishnaraj Rai to announce a campaign with NGO Smile Train India, to create renewed awareness about cleft lip and palate, here on Tuesday.

"It's the right of every human being to be able to smile every waking day of their life. Here in Smile Train, medical facts are shared with people all around the world that, it is possible to correct the cleft palate with surgery," she said.

"If a child is born with cleft palate condition... people don't realise that it has a treatment."

"We would like to thank the media as they are able to put across our message to every corner of the country," she said.

One in 700 hundred children are born with clefts in India and Smile Train foundation works in 110 plus cities and 160 plus partner hospitals to treat cleft surgeries so, I would like to thank to all surgeons who are doing this fantastic jobs, she said.

Aishwarya will be next seen onscreen in Anurag Kashyap's 'Gulab Jamun' opposite her actor husband Abhishek Bachchan.

Abhishek and Aishwarya were last seen together in Mani Ratnam's 2010 Hindi epic adventure 'Raavan'.