Aishwarya Bachchan

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ( Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. The winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant, she has established herself as one of the most popular celebrities in India. Rai has received numerous accolades, including two Filmfare Awards, and was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009 and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France in 2012. She has often been cited in the media as "the most beautiful woman in the world".

While in college, Rai did a few modelling jobs. Following appearances in several television commercials, she entered the Miss India pageant, in which she placed second. She was then crowned Miss World 1994, after which she began receiving offers to act in film. She made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam's 1997 Tamil film ''Iruvar'' and had her first Hindi film release in ''Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya'' that same year. Her first commercial success was the Tamil romantic drama '' Jeans'' (1998), which was the most expensive Indian film at the time. She achieved wider success and won two Filmfare Awards for Best Actress for her performances in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's romantic dramas ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'' (1999) and ''Devdas'' (2002).

Rai garnered critical appreciation for portraying a passionate artist in the Tamil romance film ''Kandukondain Kandukondain'' (2000), Tagore's heroine, Binodini, in the Bengali film '' Chokher Bali'' (2003), a depressed woman in the drama ''Raincoat'' (2004), Kiranjit Ahluwalia in the British drama film '' Provoked'' (2006), and a nurse in Bhansali's drama '' Guzaarish'' (2010). Rai's greatest commercial successes have been the romantic drama ''Mohabbatein'' (2000), the adventure film ''Dhoom 2'' (2006), the drama ''Guru'' (2007), the period film ''Jodhaa Akbar'' (2008), the science fiction film ''Enthiran'' (2010), the romantic drama ''Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'' (2016), and the period film '' Ponniyin Selvan: I'' (2022).

Rai married actor Abhishek Bachchan in 2007; the couple have one daughter. Her off-screen roles include duties as a brand ambassador for several charity organisations and campaigns. She is a Goodwill Ambassador for the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS). In 2003, she was the first Indian actress to be a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival.

Early life

Rai was born on 1 November 1973 into a Tulu-speaking Bunt family in Mangalore, Karnataka. Her father, Krishnaraj, who died on 18 March 2017, was an Army biologist, while her mother, Vrinda, is a housewife. She has one elder brother, Aditya Rai, who is an engineer in the merchant navy. Rai's movie ''Dil Ka Rishta'' (2003) was co-produced by her brother and co-written by her mother. The family moved to Mumbai, where Rai attended the Arya Vidya Mandir High School. Rai did her intermediate schooling at Jai Hind College for a year, and then joined DG Ruparel College in Matunga, securing 90 percent in the HSC exams.

She trained in classical dance and music for five years during her teens. Her favourite subject was zoology, and she initially considered a career in medicine. Then, with plans to become an architect, she enrolled at Rachana Sansad Academy of Architecture, but later gave up her education to pursue a career in modelling.

Career

Modelling work and acting breakthrough (1991–2001)

In 1991, Rai won an international supermodel contest (organised by Ford) and was eventually featured in the American edition of ''Vogue''. In 1993, Rai gained huge public recognition for her appearance in a Pepsi commercial with actors Aamir Khan and Mahima Chaudhry. The single line – "Hi, I'm Sanjana," of her dialogue in the commercial made her instantly famous. In the 1994 ''Miss India'' pageant, she won second place, behind Sushmita Sen, and was crowned ''Miss India World'', also winning five other sub-titles, "Miss Catwalk", "Miss Miraculous", "Miss Photogenic", "Miss Perfect Ten" and "Miss Popular". With Sen representing India at the Miss Universe pageant, Rai's duties as the first runner-up included representing India in the rival Miss World Pageant, held that year in Sun City, South Africa. She went on to win the crown where she also won the "Miss Photogenic" award and Miss World Continental Queen of Beauty − Asia and Oceania. After winning the pageant, Rai spoke of her dream for peace for this world, and her desire to be an ambassador of peace during her one-year reign in London. Rai continued to pursue a career as a model until she became an actress.

Rai made her acting debut in 1997 with Mani Ratnam's Tamil film ''Iruvar'', a semi-biographical political drama, featuring Mohanlal, Prakash Raj, Tabu and Revathi. The film was a critical success and among other awards, won the Best Film award at the Belgrade International Film Festival. Rai featured as Pushpavalli and Kalpana – dual roles; the latter was a fictionalised portrayal of politician and former actress Jayalalithaa. Her dialogue in the film was dubbed by Tamil actress Rohini. That same year, she was cast as Ashi, a naive teenager in her first Bollywood film – ''Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya'', a romantic comedy opposite Bobby Deol. Both ''Iruvar'' and ''Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya'' were commercial failures and reviewers were critical of Rai's acting ability in both the films. However, for the latter, she won a Screen Award for Best Female Debut.

In the 1998 big-budget Tamil romantic drama '' Jeans'' directed by S. Shankar, Rai appeared alongside Prashanth. She played Madhumita, a young woman who accompanies her ailing grandmother to the United States to seek medical attention. A commercial success, the film earned Rai praise for her acting and dancing skills. Unlike in ''Iruvar'', Rai practised and dubbed for her own lines in Tamil for the film. ''Jeans'' was later submitted as India's official entry to the Academy Awards for 1998.

Rai's first role in 1999 was in the melodrama ''Aa Ab Laut Chalen'', directed by Rishi Kapoor. The film was a critical failure and had a below average performance at the box office. Rai's portrayal of Pooja Walia, a traditional Indian woman living in the United States, met with negative reviews; ''Rediff.com'' published, "Rai sports a plastic smile and never gets a scene where she can portray any depth. All she does is cry and smile and look pretty". Also in 1999, she starred in the romantic musical ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'', which became a significant turning point in her career. The film, an adaptation of Maitreyi Devi's Bengali novel '' Na Hanyate'', was directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and co-starred Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan. She played Nandini, a Gujarati woman who is forced into wedlock (with Devgan's character) despite being in love with another man (played by Khan). Bhansali cast Rai after he met her at the screening of a film and was impressed with her eyes. Khalid Mohamed of ''Bombay Talkies'' wrote that Rai "reveals an unquestionable felicity for acting" and has "that impossible combination of breathtaking beauty and brains". ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'' emerged as a commercial success and won Rai a Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

Rai next took up the leading role of Mansi, an aspiring singer, in Subhash Ghai's musical romantic drama '' Taal''; alongside Akshay Khanna and Anil Kapoor. A reviewer for ''Rediff'' praised her acting and dancing prowess in the film and wrote that "''Taal'' will again enhance her reputation as an actress while in no way detracting from her image as a traffic-stopper". A domestic commercial success, ''Taal'' was notable for being the first Indian film to feature in the top 20 listing at the American box office. Rai received a second Best Actress nomination that year at the Filmfare Awards ceremony.

In 2000, Rai starred in ''Kandukondain Kandukondain'', a Tamil language adaptation of Jane Austen's novel ''Sense and Sensibility''. Directed by Rajiv Menon, the film also starred Mammooty, Tabu and Ajith Kumar in prominent roles. Rai was cast as Meenakshi (based on the character of Marianne Dashwood), the younger sister of Tabu's character. The film was a critical and commercial success and earned Rai positive comments from critics; a review carried by ''The Indian Express'' summarized, "Attacking her role with just the perfect dollop of innocence, Rai does full justice to her part, and matches up perfectly to Tabu."

Rai next starred alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Chandrachur Singh in the action drama ''Josh''. She portrayed Shirley Dias, the twin sister of Khan's character who falls in love with his arch enemy's brother (played by Singh). The casting of Rai as Khan's sister was considered an unusual pairing at the time; director Mansoor Khan, however, described it as "perfect". Despite earning mixed reviews from film critics, ''Josh'' emerged as a commercial success. Satish Kaushik's social drama ''Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai'' was Rai's next release; she played a rape victim in the film. Co-starring Anil Kapoor and Sonali Bendre, the film was well received by critics and did well at the box office. Film critic Sukanya Verma praised Rai's decision to star in the film and added that she "conveys the turmoil and pain of a rape victim well. But it is her transition from an emotional wreck trying to gather the broken pieces of her life back together that is amazing." Rai's performance in the film eventually earned a third Best Actress nomination at Filmfare.

Following a leading role in the box-office flop ''Dhai Akshar Prem Ke'', Rai took on a supporting role in Aditya Chopra's musical romantic drama ''Mohabbatein''. Rai played Megha Shankar, the daughter of Amitabh Bachchan's character who commits suicide after realizing that her father will not accept her romance with one of his students (played by Shah Rukh Khan). Receiving highly positive reviews from critics, ''Mohabbatein'' emerged as the highest-grossing film of the year and earned Rai a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. The following year, she starred alongside Govinda and Jackie Shroff in the romantic comedy '' Albela''. Upon release, both the film and her performance received mostly negative reviews; Taran Adarsh of ''Bollywood Hungama'' criticized the film and mentioned Rai as "plastic in some scenes".

In 2001, Rai appeared in her first world tour, which was ''Craze 2001'', a series of concerts that was performed across the US alongside Anil Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Preity Zinta and Gracy Singh. The show faced early cancellation due to the 11 September 2001 attacks, and the team prepared to return to India as soon as possible. However, the shows continued successfully in Canada.

''Devdas'' and critical recognition (2002–2006)

After featuring in David Dhawan's slapstick comedy film ''Hum Kisise Kum Nahin'', Rai appeared alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period romantic drama ''Devdas'', an adaptation of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same name. She played the role of Paro (Parvati), the love interest of the protagonist (played by Khan). The film was screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival and was featured by ''Time'' in their listing of the "10 Best Films of the Millennium". ''Devdas'' emerged as a major international success with revenues of over . Alan Morrison, writing for ''Empire'', praised the performances of the three leads and wrote, "Rai proves she has the acting talent to back up her flawless looks". ''Devdas'' was chosen as India's official entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and received a nomination at the BAFTA Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. In India, the film won 10 Filmfare Awards, including a second Best Actress award for Rai. Also in 2002, she participated in the show ''From India With Love'' in the UK, along with Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta. It took place at two outdoor venues, Manchester's Old Trafford and London's Hyde Park, with over 100,000 spectators.

In 2003, Rai featured in two romantic dramas — her brother's production début ''Dil Ka Rishta'', alongside Arjun Rampal, and Rohan Sippy's '' Kuch Naa Kaho'', alongside Abhishek Bachchan. Neither of these films fared well critically or commercially. She was later noted for her starring role in Rituparno Ghosh's independent Bengali film '' Chokher Bali'', an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's novel of the same name. She portrayed the character of Binodini, an emotionally manipulative widow, struggling with her sexual desires in early-20th century Bengal. The film was a major critical success and Rai earned positive notice for her performance; Derek Elley of ''Variety'' noted, "Rai dominates the film with her delicately sensual presence and physical grace". Commercially, the film was a sleeper hit.

After the success of ''Chokher Bali'', Rai returned to mainstream Hindi film with Rajkumar Santoshi's '' Khakee'' (2004), an action thriller featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan and Tusshar Kapoor. The film tells the story of five constables embroiled in a mystery surrounding a terrorist attack; Rai's role was that of Mahalakshmi, a gun moll. While filming for ''Khakee'', Rai was accidentally hit by a running car, which resulted in the fracture of her left foot. Upon release, the film was a moderate critical and commercial success. In her next release, the romantic comedy '' Kyun! Ho Gaya Na...'', Rai played Diya Malhotra, a university student who develops a one-sided attraction toward her friend Arjun Khanna (played by Vivek Oberoi). The film received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, but was commercially unsuccessful.

Rai garnered international recognition in 2004 for her starring role opposite Martin Henderson in Gurinder Chadha's British film '' Bride and Prejudice'', a Bollywood-style adaptation of Jane Austen's novel '' Pride and Prejudice''. International film critics expressed mixed views on Rai's performance as the Punjabi version of Elizabeth Bennet; a review carried by ''The New York Times'' mentioned her as "radiantly beautiful but inert", while ''Rolling Stone'' noted that "she is a world-class hottie with talent to match, as she proves in her first English-speaking role." With a worldwide gross of $24 million against a production budget of $7 million, ''Bride and Prejudice'' proved to be a commercial success. Rai next collaborated with director Rituparno Ghosh for the second time on the 2004 relationship drama ''Raincoat'', an adaptation of O. Henry's ''The Gift of the Magi'', which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. Critics praised the film and also noted the lack of glamour in Rai's role, which earned her a Best Actress nomination at Filmfare. Derek Elley of ''Variety'' called the film a "chamber-sized gem" and mentioned Rai for " unning her usual immaculate makeup and duds, and looking more like a broken, malfunctioning doll." On the contrary, Gautaman Bhaskaran of ''The Hindu'' thought that Rai "looks quite plain ndseems to have made an earnest effort to emote, using less of her body and limbs and more of her face, and eyes in particular."

Rai next co-starred alongside Sanjay Dutt and Zayed Khan in the 2005 adult drama ''Shabd'', which tells the story of an author who convinces his wife to pursue an illicit relationship with a younger man in research for his next book. The film received predominantly negative reviews and proved to be a commercial failure. ''The Times of India'' concluded, "For the umpteenth time, Ms. Rai looks drop-dead gorgeous. And that's about it. She is like that picture postcard you get when what you were actually waiting for is a letter. It's very beautiful to look at, but is of no use because it says nothing." The same year, Rai took on the lead role of Tilo in Paul Mayeda Berges

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