"The Most Beautiful Woman in the World"

Aishwarya Rai is the "Queen of Bollywood"

The reigning Queen of Bollywood Aishwarya Rai came into this world on November 1, 1973 in Mangalore, Karnataka, India. Born to Krishnaraj and Vrinda Rai, she has one sibling, brother Aditya. Measuring in at 5’7, Aishu, as she is affectionately called is fluent in English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Urdu.

Looking to start a career in architecture, she entered modeling as her part-time job. Blessed with beauty including her dazzling blue-green eyes, prestigious firms including Pepsi took her on. She was crowned Miss World in 1994 after placing runner-up in the Miss India competition. Still wanting to become an architect, she refused any offers for film roles. But soon the inevitable happened. After appearing in Vogue Magazine, India's top Bollywood directors were clamoring to have Ash as part of their star casts. Thus, in 1997 her relationship with the silver screen and celluloid began with Mani Rathnam’s critically acclaimed film ‘Iruvar’. Within the same year, she won the Best Female Debutante Award for her performance in Rahul Rawail’s ‘Aur Paar Ho Gaya’.

She became an instant favorite in Southern Indian cinema too; with her performance in the 1998 film ‘Jeans’, where she took on the double roles of Madhumita/Veishnavi. Her second Southern film, Kandukondain Kandukondain in 2000 also endeared her to the masses when she so brilliantly portrayed the character Meenakshi.