Aishwarya Rai

Aishwarya Rai is one of Bollywood's pre-eminent leading ladies. This Indian darling burst upon the world stage when her striking beauty, poise and commanding intelligence won her the Miss World crown in 1994. This former architecture major soon became one of India's most famous models landing a prestigious Pepsi campaign and appearing in Vogue Magazine. India's top Bollywood directors were soon lining up to work with Ash. Her film debut in Mani Rathnam's 'Iruvar' (1997) received critical acclaim and her performance in Rahul Rawail's '…Aur Paar Ho Gaya' (1997) garnered her the Best Female Debutante Award. In 2000 she was awarded Best Actress by FilmFare and Zee Cine for her work in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam", in that same year, nominated for Best SUPPORTING Actress for her special appearance in Aditya Chopra's MOHABBATEIN. In 2001 Ash was nominated for FilmFare's Best Actress Award for Satish Kaushik's "Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai".

Ash's star continued to rise in 2002 working again with Sajay Leela Bhansali in 'Devdas'. 'Devdas' is the most ambitious and most successful film in Bollywood history. It became the first Bollywood picture to ever receive a special screening at this year's Cannes Film Festival and broke box-office records in India and the United States. Daily Variety's (06/12/02) Derek Elley describes 'Devdas' as "some of the most sumptuous production values in Bollywood history…" Elley describes Ash as "almost Audrey Hepburn-like", Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann says "I loved her in Devdas" and Julia Roberts calls her "the world's most beautiful woman

even more exciting opportunities. Ash became the first Indian actor to be a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival. Ash is also the latest member of the elite L'Oreal Dream Team, joining beauties Catherine Deneuve & Andie MacDowell as their international ambassador. She graced the covers of India Today and the prestigious TIME Magazine. Time Magazine has also listed her on their list of the “100 Most Influential People in the World Today”. She has graced numerous covers worldwide including USA, UK, CHINA, RUSSIA, ISRAEL, UNITED EMERITES, ITALY, SPAIN and FRANCE. Ash was also listed on Rolling Stone Magazine's annual "Hot List", Hello Magazine’s Most Attractive Women in the World”, Stuff Magazine, FHM magazine, V-Life from Variety Magazine, GQ Magazine, New York Times Magazine, Harper’s & Queen and countless others.

2004 saw Aishwarya take on the leading role in her first English language film for Gurinder Chadha in “Bride & Prejudice”. She also became the first Indian female to be immortalized in wax at the world famous Madame Tussaud’s wax museum in London.
2005 started with appearances on “60 Minutes”, “David Letterman Show” and the most watched television program in the world the “Oprah Winfrey Show”; Aishwarya’s career continues to grow even stronger - she will soon be seen in Mistress of Spices for director Paul Berges, Jag Mundhra’s Provoked, Sanjay Gadhvi’s Dhoom 2 and legendary film producer Dino De Laurentiis’s Last Legion opposite Colin Firth and Sir Ben Kingsley. The Queen of Bollywood is already becoming the talk of tinseltown and is currently in negotiations on two major motion pictures.

Filmography 1997 : Iruvar by Mani Ratnam (in Tamil) (Telugu title: Iddaru)

1997 : Aur Pyar Ho Gaya by Rahul Rawail

1998 : Jeans by S. Shankar (in Tamil)

1999 : Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam by Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Filmfare Best Actress Award)

1999 : Aa Ab Laut Chalein by Rishi Kapoor

1999 : Taal by Subhash Ghai

2000 : Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai by Satish Kaushik

2000 : Mohabbatein by Aditya Chopra (cameo)

2000 : Dhai Akshar Prem Ke by Raj Kanwa

2000 : Josh by Mansoor Khan

2000 : Kandukondain Kandukondain by Rajiv Menon (in Tamil)

2000 : Sanam Tere Hain Hum by Jayant Paranji (special appearance)

2001 : Albela by Deepak Sareen

2002 : Devdas by Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Filmfare Best Actress Award)

2002 : Hum Kisise Kum Nahin by David Dhawan

2002 : Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam by K.S. Adiyaman (special appearance)

2002 : 23rd March 1931 : Shaheed by Guddu Dhanoa

2002 : Shakti (movie) by Krishna Vamshi (special appearance)

2003 : Kuch Na Kaho by Rohan Sippy

2002 : Nee Kidappen Njan Adippen: The Power by Krishna Vamshi

2003 : Dil Ka Rishta by Naresh Malhotra

2003 : Chokher Bali by Rituparno Ghosh (in Bengali)

2003 : Khakee by Rajkumar Santoshi

2004 : Kyun...! Ho Gaya Na by Samir Karnik

2004 : Bride and Prejudice by Gurinder Chadha (in English)

2004 : Raincoat by Rituparno Ghosh

2005 : Shabd by Leena Yadav

2005 : Bunty Aur Babli by Shaad Ali (special appearance)

2005 : The Heart of India by Ganapathy Bharat (in English)

2005 : Mistress of Spices by Paul Mayeda Berges (in English)

2006 : Provoked by Jagmohan Mundhra (in English) (filming)

2006 : Dhoom 2 by Sanjay Gadhvi (filming)

2006 : Umrao Jaan by J.P. Dutta (filming)

2006 : Singularity by Roland Joffé (in English)

2006 : Akbar-Jodha by Ashutosh Gowariker (pre-production)

2006 : The Last Legion by Doug Lefler (in English)

2006: "Chaos" by Coline Serreau (in English)

2006 : Indie Pop by Miko Reyes (pre-production)

2006 : Guru by Mani Ratnam (announced)

Aishwarya Rai : Biography

Aishwarya Rai was born in the South indian state of Karnataka in Manglore on 1st Nov 1973. She was younger of the two siblings, her brother being 3 years elder. When she was about 4 years old, her family moved to Bombay permanently. Her father worked as a merchant navy officer. Aishwarya did her schooling at Arya Vidya Mandir, Santacruz. Academically, she did very well and earned her position as the head girl of her school. Ash chose the science stream while at DG Ruparel College, her favorite subject being Zoology. Aishwarya wanted to do medicine, but circumstances didn't let her. Instead she chose Architecture and passed the interview at Raheja College with flying colors. By this time, Aishwarya had started getting modelling assignments. She then decided to take a break from architecture and concentrate on modelling. This green-blue eyed beauty stole ads for many prestigious firms, the ones which brought her into the limelight were the garden sari and the pepsi ad. Crowned Miss femina '94 runner up, she was a hot favorite to win the miss world title, which she did ! Her beauty and charm made her India's darling. She bagged Filmfare Award for best actress for her performance in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) as Ajay Devgan's wife who is in love with another man. She also won rave reviews for her performance as a rape victim in Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai (2000). In 2003 she bagged another filmfare award for best actress for the role of paro, she portrays in film Devdas. She had a well publicised affair with Salman Khan which lasted 2 years. Apparently his endless tantrums traumatized her enough to give a press conference in spring 2003 where she declared that she would never work with him again for personal reasons. In April 2003, she suffered an accident on the sets of Khakee (2003). She broke a bone in one foot and suffered severe cuts. The incident rekindled the discussion about poor safety standards on Bollywood film sets. Aishwarya's bagged a parallel role opposite 'Meryl Streep' in French director 'Coline Serreau's' Chaos. 2003 has been her annus mirabilis. On the jury at Cannes, the international festival circuit with Chokher Bali, the crossover sets of Bride And Prejudice, the cover of Time magazine. And now she's all set to waltz into Hollywood. The film trade traditionally treats its heroines as completely interchangeable assets. Aishwarya Rai is the only Indian woman in world's Top 10 looking women.

Aishwarya Rai: Movies

Mohabbatein ( Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Uday Chopra, Jugal Hansraj, Jimmy Shergill, Shamita Shetty, Kim Sharma, Preeti Jhangiani, Aishwarya Rai), Shabd ( Aishwarya Rai, Sanjay Dutt, Zayed Khan), Khakee ( Amitabh Bachchan, Ajay Devgan, Akshay Kumar, Tusshar Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai), Raincoat ( Aishwarya Rai, Ajay Devgan), Kyon, Ho Gaya Na ( Aishwarya Rai, Vivek Oberoi, Amitabh Bachchan), Bride and Prejudice ( Aishwarya Rai, Martin Hendersen, Namrata Shirodkar, Meghna Kothari, Peeya Rai Choudhary, Naveen Andrews, Anupam Kher), Chokher Bali ( Aishwarya Rai, Raima Sen), Kuch Naa Kaho ( Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai), Dil Ka Rishta ( Aishwarya Rai, Arjun Rampal, Priyanshu Chatterjee), Devdaas ( Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit), Hum Kisise Kum Nahin ( Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt, Ajay Devgan, Aishwarya Rai), Albela ( Govinda, Aishwarya Rai, Jackie Shroff), Dhai Akshar Prem Ke ( Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai), Taal ( Aishwarya Rai, Akshaye Khanna, Anil Kapoor), Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai ( Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Sonali Bendre), Josh ( Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Priya Gill, Chandrachur Singh, Sharad Kapoor), Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam ( Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Ajay Devgan).


Rai was becoming an international star rather than simply a Bollywood one. In 2003, Rai was a member of the jury at Cannes. In 2004, she was chosen by TIME Magazine's Asian Edition as one of Asia's "100 Most Influential People." Rai was the subject of a 60 Minutes profile on January 2, 2005 - "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World." A month later she appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman, and on April 25, 2005, she was featured on Oprah's "Women Across the Globe" segment. A wax figure of Rai is on display in London's Madame Tussaud's wax museum.

Although frequently the subject of gossip column speculation about an imminent Hollywood career, it was only in 2004 that Rai finally acted in a foreign film. British director Gurinder Chadha hired her to play the heroine in Bride and Prejudice, a Hollywood-funded but Bollywood-ized version of Jane Austen's classic novel, Pride and Prejudice. The movie did well at the box office and Aishwarya's Hollywood profile rose a notch.

Rai is now said to be signed for another Hollywood movie, Rolland Joffe's project Singularity. She will star opposite Brendan Fraser.

She is in the cast for The Last Legion co-starring Colin Firth and Ben Kingsley.

She recently (summer of 2005) completed filming on director Jagmohan Mundhra's film Provoked. She is co-starring with Nandita Das. The film was shot mainly in Britain.

Profesion	Actress & Model
Nick Name	Aishu
Also Known As	Aish
Date of Birth	November 1, 1973
Zodiac Sign	Scorpio
Place of Birth	Mangalore, India
Height	5' 7"
Weight	122 lbs
Eyes	Blue-Green
Favorite Car	Mercedes
Favorite Film	Casablanca
Fluent in	English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil & Urdu
Food Habits	Not fussy about food at all.
She Loves	Honesty, Family, Friends, Dignity, strength of character, and Chocolates!
She Dislikes	Gossip, hypocrisy & Cockroaches.
Her Dream Man	Real!
Idea of Love	What her parents share
Worst Weakness	Willingness to take people at face value.
Best Strength	Self assurance
Best Quality	Genuineness! Nothing about her is plastic
Philosophy	It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice
Favorite Perfume	Sporty colognes for the day while working. Exotic, oriental and woody fragrances for the evenings
Turn On's	Razor sharp intelligence, witty repartees.
Idea of Sexy	A combo of vulnerability and intelligence.
She Admires	Strength of charector
She Bbelieves in	God above everything else and then herself
Family	Father: Krishnaraj Rai Mother: Vrinda Rai Brother: Aditya Rai
Favorite Compliment	A child at an orphanage told her that her warmth over shines her beauty. Also, that she is "REAL" inside and out.
Favorite Colors	White & Blue
Favorite Actor	A.B, Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor
Favorite Actress	Madhubala & Nargis
Education	Arya Vidya Mandir, Santacruz, Bombay, India
Academic Record	Excellent
College	DG Ruparel College, Matunga, Bombay, India
Message	Life’s a stage, and we’re all characters. So play your part and play it well!

Awards

2005	2005 Zee Cine Awards - Critics' Actress of the Year
2004	World's Most Attractive Woman - HELLO! Magazine
2003	Screen Best Actress Award Devdas
2003	Screen Jodi No.1 Award with Shahrukh Khan
2003	Zee Cine Best Actress Award Devdas
2003	True Indian Actress Award
2002	RACE Best Actress Award Devdas
2002	Rajiv Gandhi Award
2001	BWSX Fantasy Award for Best Supporting Actress Mohabbatein
2000	Screen Videocon Best Actress Award Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
2000	Filmfare Best Actress Award Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
2000	Stardust Millennium Best Actress Award Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
2000	Zee Lux Face of the Year
2000	Zee Cine Best Actress Award Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
2000	IIFA Best Actress Award Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
2000	Zee Gold Best Actress Award Taal
2000	Zee Gold Best Actress Critics Award Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
2000	Rupa Filmgoers Millennium Best Actress Award Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
2000	Priyadarshini International Best Actress Award Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
2000	Most Beautiful International Titleholder of All Times Gold medal winner
2000	Most Beautiful Miss World of All Times -received a perfect score of 9.911