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By Nsim Team

Aishwarya Rai, now called Aishwarya Rai Bachchan after her marriage, is an Indian model and actress. She first shot to international fame after winning the Miss World 1994 pageant. After modeling for a few years, she ventured into the film industry as an actress. Through her beauty and acting talent, she has made a respectable position for herself in the Hindi film industry. Holding two Filmfare Awards and also the Padma Shri from the Government of India, she has been named by the Indian and international media as "the most beautiful woman in the world". She entered into the film industry with hardly any acting experience, but with each year of experience, and with the guidance of the seasoned directors, she has emerged as one of the finest actresses of Bollywood. Rai made her movie debut in Mani Ratnam’s Tamil film ‘Iruvar,’ and after two years she caught the attention of Bollywood with the movie ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’. Although several of her films did not do well commercially and she has been criticized for her performance in some of her movies, she has to her credit brilliant performances in films like ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’, ‘Devdas’, ‘Jodha Akbar’, ‘Chokher Bali’, and ‘Raincoat.’ She was the first Indian actress to be a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival.

CHILDHOOD & EARLY LIFE

Aishwarya Rai was born on November 1, 1973, into a Tulu speaking family in Mangalore, Karnataka, to Krishnaraj and Brinda Rai. Her father was an Army biologist who died on March 18, 2017. Her elder brother, Aditya Rai, is in the merchant navy.When the family moved to Mumbai, Rai attended the Arya Vidya Mandir High School. She then went to Jai Hind College for a year, and later joined DG Ruparel College in Matunga. She secured 90 percent in the intermediate exams.During her teens, she learnt classical dance and music for five years. Initially she aspired to become an architect, and enrolled at Rachana Sansad Academy of Architecture. However, she gave up her studies to pursue a career in modeling.          

CAREER

• In 1993, Aishwarya Rai shot to fame in the modeling industry for her appearance in a Pepsi advertisement with actor Aamir Khan. The breakthrough in her career came in 1994, when she won the second place in the Miss India pageant, and was crowned Miss India World. She then represented India in the Miss World Pageant, and won the crown.
• In 1997, she made her acting debut with Mani Ratnam's Tamil film ‘Iruvar’. She portrayed both Pushpavalli and Kalpana. The same year, she did her debut Bollywood film ‘Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya’.
• In 1998, she appeared in a Tamil film ‘Jeans’. The film was a commercial success, and she earned praise for her acting and dancing skills. Rai’s first successful Hindi film was Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s romantic drama ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ in 1999, opposite Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan. She was praised for her beauty and acting skills, and it pushed her acting career in the right direction.
• Her next hit was Subhash Ghai's ‘Taal’ in 1999, where she was featured along with Akshaye Khanna and Anil Kapoor. She was praised for her acting and dancing prowess. In 2000, she starred in a Tamil film ‘Kandukondain Kandukondain’, for which she earned positive comments for her powerful acting.
• In 2000, she did ‘Josh’ alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Chandrachur Singh. The film earned mixed reviews, but emerged commercially successful. After her film ‘Dhai Akshar Prem Ke’ opposite Abhishek Bachchan flopped in 2000, she appeared in a supporting role in ‘Mohabbatein’ in the same year.
• After another flop film, ‘Hum Kisise Kum Nahin’, Rai’s next hit film was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's love-saga ‘Devdas’ in 2002, opposite Shahrukh Khan. The film was screened at the Cannes Film Festival. Rai’s acting talent and perfect looks gained acclaims.
• In 2003, her acting skills and her sensual presence were once again praised in Rituparno Ghosh's Bengali film ‘Chokher Bali’, based on Rabindranath Tagore's novel of the same name. Commercially, too, the film was a hit.
• In 2004, she returned to Hindi films with ‘Khakee’, an action thriller. She played the role of a gun moll. The film received moderate critical and commercial success. In the same year, she was featured in ‘Kyun! Ho Gaya Na...’ opposite Vivek Oberoi. The film failed commercially.
• In late 2004, Aishwarya Rai earned international acclaim for her role in Gurinder Chadha's British film ‘Bride and Prejudice’. The film was a commercial success. Her next hit Hindi film was Rituparno Ghosh’s ‘Raincoat’. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. She was praised for looking unglamorous, yet emoting with her face and eyes, in particular.
• In 2005, she featured in ‘Shabd’, where she was praised for her ‘drop-dead gorgeous’ looks. Her only successful venture that year was a special appearance in ‘Bunty Aur Babli’, in which she featured in the item number ‘Kajra Re.’
• In 2006, she had two film releases—‘Umrao Jaan’ and ‘Dhoom 2’. While Rai’s role in Umrao Jaan was critically acclaimed, ‘Dhoom 2’ was her first major commercial success since Devdas. She also starred in the British drama film ‘Provoked’, for which she earned positive comments for her performance.
• In 2007, she was featured in Mani Ratnam's ‘Guru’. The film gained international acclaim, and was a success. Rai was highly praised for her finest performance. After a series of unsuccessful films, she gained a success in ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ in 2008. She was praised for her wonderful performance. In the same year, she starred with husband Abhishek, and father-in-law, Amitabh Bachchan, in ‘Sarkar Raj’.
• In 2009, she featured in ‘The Pink Panther 2’, where she portrayed a criminology expert. In 2010, Rai starred in Mani Ratnam’s bilingual modern-day adaptation of Ramayana, called ‘Raavan’. Her performance was praised as “heartfelt”.
• Her next role was opposite south Indian superstar Rajinikanth in the science fiction Tamil film ‘Enthiran’ in 2010. It was a successful film. She appeared in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s drama ‘Guzaarish’. Although the film flopped, critics described her performance as her best. After this film, she took a break from Bollywood due to her pregnancy.
• In 2015, she made a comeback with ‘Jazbaa’. According to critics, the film scored only because of Rai’s performance. In 2016, she appeared in the biographical movie ‘Sarbjit’; however, her performance was largely criticized. Rai's last release in 2016 was Karan Johar's ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’, for which she received positive comments for her performance.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

MAJOR WORKS

Some of Aishwarya Rai’s major works in which her acting skills were praised are ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’, ‘Taal’ and ‘Devdas.’ Two of her films with Bengali director Rituparno Ghosh—‘Chokher Bali’ and ‘Raincoat’—earned her applaud from the critics. Her performance in ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ too was critically acclaimed.