She’s a woman who is often described as the ‘world’s most beautiful lady.’ Model, actress, celebrity brand ambassador and the daughter-in-law of India’s biggest ever superstar, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is today probably one of the most recognized Indian faces across the world.
Her Childhood and Early Days
Born in Mangalore on November 1, 1973, Aishwarya Rai shifted to Mumbai with her parents when she was a young girl. She grew up in the Maximum City with dreams of being an architect. But with her stunning good looks, a career in modeling seemed a natural choice.
She entered the Miss India contest in 1994 and later walked away with the Miss World crown. It was this win that opened the doors of the movie world for Aishwarya Rai. In addition, she bagged bigger and better modeling assignments. The actress married Abhishek Bachchan in 2007 in one of India’s most discussed weddings.
Her Achievements in the Glamour World
With her success, Aishwarya Rai soon became the face of well known brands like Pepsi, Coke, Longines and L’Oreal. Her face graced the covers of top magazines like Vogue and Hello. With her increasing international exposure, Aishwarya Rai has also been invited to the sets of famous talk show hosts like David Letterman and Oprah Winfrey.
Aishwarya Rai faced considerable success in her bid to become India’s first crossover star. She has done several international movie projects which include Bride and Prejudice, Mistress of Spices, The Last Legion and Pink Panther 2.
None of these movies were big successes, but they helped cement Aishwarya Rai’s reputation as a global star.
As far as Indian movies are concerned, the actress made her debut with the Mani Ratnam movie – Iruvar. The movie was a critical success and Rai was appreciated for her performance. Her notable movies include Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Taal, Devdas, Chokher Bali, Umrao Jaan, Guru and Raavan. Not all of them were commercial successes and Aishwarya Rai’s performance too received mixed responses.
Despite criticism for some of her roles, the actress remains one of the most popular faces on the Indian screen and has an enviable of work. She has won the Filmfare Award twice and she won recognition from the Government of India when she was awarded the Padma Shri in 2009.
She is also the second Bollywood star to have her wax figure on display at Madame Tussaud’s. The first, of course, was her father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has maintained her mystique even after years in the glamour world. And that’s certainly an achievement in a world where fame is often very fickle.