Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was born on November 1, 1973, in Mangalore, Karnataka, India. Her early life included training in classical dance and music, and she initially considered a career in architecture before pursuing modeling. Her career breakthrough came in 1994 when she won the Miss World pageant, having previously placed second in the Miss India competition. This global recognition provided a platform for her transition into acting. She made her acting debut in 1997 with Mani Ratnam’s Tamil film ‘Iruvar’ and her Bollywood debut in ‘Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya’ the same year. While her initial Hindi film was not a commercial success, her performance in the Tamil romantic drama ‘Jeans’ (1998) earned her praise and was India’s official entry to the Academy Awards. A turning point in her career arrived with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ (1999), for which she received her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

Her career continued to flourish in the early 2000s, with notable performances in films like ‘Kandukondain Kandukondain’ (2000), a Tamil adaptation of ‘Sense and Sensibility’, and ‘Mohabbatein’ (2000), which was the highest-grossing film of its year. In 2002, she received her second Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Devdas’, a film that also gained international acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival. Rai Bachchan extended her reach beyond Indian cinema, starring in the British film ‘Bride and Prejudice’ (2004) and the Hollywood production ‘The Last Legion’ (2007). Her commercial successes also included ‘Dhoom 2’ (2006) and ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ (2008), where she played alongside Hrithik Roshan. In 2010, she starred in the commercially successful Tamil science-fiction film ‘Enthiran’ and received critical appreciation for her role in ‘Guzaarish’.

Beyond her acting career, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been a prominent brand endorser and has actively engaged in philanthropic work. She was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in 2012, focusing on raising awareness about HIV prevention in children. She has also supported various charity organizations, including the Eye Bank Association of India, to promote eye donation. After a sabbatical from acting, she made a comeback with ‘Jazbaa’ (2015) and has since continued to appear in films, including her recent acclaimed roles in the two-part Tamil period films ‘Ponniyin Selvan: I’ (2022) and ‘Ponniyin Selvan: II’ (2023), with ‘Ponniyin Selvan: I’ becoming her highest-grossing release. Her impact extends to her status as a global style icon, with her appearance and performances consistently drawing international attention and admiration.