It has been three years since Aishwaraya’s film last graced the silver screen. But that doesn’t make any difference for her ardent and loyal fan base who are still crazy for her. She is also known as one of the most beautiful faces on earth and she keeps trending regularly on social media sites. Her journey into the world of acting was not easy despite her winning the Miss World pageant in 1994. A reason for it was that she had no family background or connections to the glamorous world of Bollywood. She is one among the handful of stars who do not need a movie release to be the talk of the town.
She was born on November 1, 1973, in Bangalore in a Tulu-speaking family. Her father was an army biologist. While her brother worked in the merchant navy. She completed her schooling at Arya Vidya Mandir and went to Jai Hind College. After that, she joined Ruparel College in Matunga. She learned classical dance and is trained in music. As a person, she wanted to become an architect and took admitted. But, gradually her focus shifted towards modelling and she had to give up studies. Aishwarya made her debut in the Tamil film ‘Iruvar’ in 1997 directed by Mani Ratnam and her Bollywood debut film was ‘Aur Pyaar ho Gaya ‘in 1997.
Her loyal fans are always waiting to get her new images and have a look at her new looks and updates. But, do you know that she was already famous before making her way into the film industry? Initially, she appeared in a Pepsi commercial during the 1990s and she left a strong mark among the minds of the audiences.
Her charisma, screen appeal, and beauty was striking aspect for the audiences. So, before entering the Miss India pageant in 1994, she was already popular. In the show, Jenna isi ka Naam hai, ex-miss India Meher Castelino revealed that she was declared the ‘face of 93’ on a Sunday midday and that was another achievement for her.
After winning the Miss World pageant, she entered into films but was viewed only as a glamorous aspect for films. Aishwarya managed to change this notion with her hard work and talent. She proved her potential with films like Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De chuke Sanam and Subhash Ghai’s Taal. She caught the attention for her versatile roles and impressive acting skills. She became a household name after becoming Miss World and then with her films. But, along with that, she is a renowned name in the fashion world and her Stardom is not dependent on acting.
In the 1990s new stars like Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukherjee, Karishma Kapoor, Salman Khan, and Madhuri Dixit made their mark. Aishwarya managed to steal the show by playing the character of a simple girl ‘Nandini’ and made a magical connection with the audience.
Earlier in an interview, Sanjay Leela Bhansali shared, “I remember we were at the screening of Raja Hindustani. After the film, she came up to me in the lobby, shook hands, and said, ‘Hi! I am Aishwarya Rai. I liked your work in Khamoshi.’ Our hands met, our eyes met. I saw a fire in her eyes. Those days I was looking for a girl to play Nandini. I said to myself, ‘Yahi toh hai meri Nandini (She is my Nandini)’. People had doubts whether she would deliver because she had a Miss World image and a Western face. But I thought why not tie her hair in a plait and give her a traditional look?”
Even though she mostly worked in Bollywood, she is also popular in the west even before Priyanka Chopra made her mark there. She was the first mainstream Indian actor to appear on David Letterman and Oprah. She went completely against her ‘beautiful’ image by her unique roles in films like Raincoat, Provoked, Devdas, and Jodhaa Akbar. She constantly represents India at International events on global platforms.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was honoured with the Padma Shri Award in 2009 and Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2012 by the French government. She was the first Indian actress to be a jury member at the Cannes film festival in the year 2003. Aishwarya has also worked as the UN goodwill Ambassador. She started dating Abhishek Bachchan during the shooting of the film Dhoom 2. The couple got married after some time in April 2007 and were blessed with a daughter Aaradhya in 2011.
She is also known for her calm and composed nature and takes up everything with grace. She likes to keep her personal life guarded against the public eye. Do you know Aishwarya even has a flower named after her? The Netherlands government named “Tulips at Keukenhof Gardens” after her. She has several big projects lined up and her fans are waiting to see on the silver screen soon.
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