Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (née Rai; born November 1, 1973) is an Indian film actress best known for her roles in Hindi and Tamil films. She won the Miss World pageant in 1994 and went on to become one of India's most recognized and prominent personalities. Rai has earned various honors, including two Filmfare Awards, as well as the Padma Shri award from the Government of India in 2009 and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the Government of France in 2012. She has been dubbed "the most beautiful woman in the world" by the media.
Rai worked as a model while in college. After appearing in various television ads, she competed in the Miss India competition, finishing second. She was then won Miss World 1994, and she began receiving film offers. She made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam's 1997 Tamil film Iruvar, and her first Hindi film, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya, was released the same year. Her first commercial triumph was the Tamil love drama Jeans (1998), which at the time was the most costly Indian film. She rose to prominence after appearing in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's love dramas Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Devdas (2002), for which she received two Filmfare Awards for Best Actress.
Rai received critical acclaim for her roles in 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). 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) were Rai's commercial successes.
In 2007, Rai married actor Abhishek Bachchan; the couple has one daughter. Her off-screen responsibilities include serving as a brand ambassador for a number of charitable organizations and projects. She is a United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS) Goodwill Ambassador. She was the first Indian actress to serve on the Cannes Film Festival jury in 2003.
Early years
Rai was born on November 1, 1973, in Mangalore, Karnataka, to a Tulu-speaking Bunt family. Her father, Krishnaraj, was an Army biologist who died on March 18, 2017, and her mother, Vrinda, is a housewife. Aditya Rai, her elder brother, works as a merchant navy engineer. Rai's film Dil Ka Rishta (2003) was co-produced and co-written with her brother and mother. Rai attended the Arya Vidya Mandir High School in Mumbai when his family relocated there. Rai attended Jai Hind College for a year before enrolling at DG Ruparel College in Matunga, where she received a 90 percent in her HSC exams.
During her adolescence, she studied classical dance and music for five years. Her favorite subject was zoology, and she pondered a career in medicine at first. She then studied in Rachana Sansad Academy of Architecture, intending to become an architect, but eventually dropped out to pursue a career in modeling.
Career
(1991-1999) Modeling and acting breakthrough
Rai won a worldwide supermodel contest (organized by Ford) in 1991 and was later featured in the American edition of Vogue. Rai rose to prominence in 1993 after appearing in a Pepsi commercial alongside actors Aamir Khan and Mahima Chaudhry. Her single line in the commercial, "Hi, I'm Sanjana," made her instantly famous. She finished second in the Miss India pageant in 1994, behind Sushmita Sen, and was crowned Miss India World, as well as five other sub-titles, "Miss Catwalk", "Miss Miraculous", "Miss Photogenic", "Miss Perfect Ten" and "Miss Popular". Rai's obligations as the first runner-up included representing India in the rival Miss World Pageant, which was held that year in Sun City, South Africa, while Sen represented India at the Miss Universe pageant. She went on to win the title, as well as the "Miss Photogenic" award and the title of Miss World Continental Queen of Beauty Asia and Oceania. Following her victory in the pageant, Rai said of her wish to be an ambassador of peace during her one-year reign in London. Rai continued her modeling career till she became an actress.
Rai made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam's Tamil film Iruvar in 1997, a semi-biographical political drama starring Mohanlal, Prakash Raj, Tabu, and Revathi. The film was a critical triumph, winning Best Film at the Belgrade International Film Festival, among other accolades. Rai played Pushpavalli and Kalpana, both of whom were fictionalized portrayals of politician and former actress Jayalalithaa. Rohini, a Tamil actress, dubbed her dialogue in the film. She was cast as Ashi, a naive girl, in her first Bollywood film, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya, a romantic comedy opposite Bobby Deol, the same year. Both Iruvar and Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya were commercial flops, and critics panned Rai's acting abilities in both films. She did, however, win a Screen Award for Best Female Debut for the latter.
Jeans, a big-budget Tamil romantic drama directed by S. Shankar and Rai made an appearance alongside Prashanth. She portrayed Madhumita, a young woman who travels to the United States with her elderly grandmother to seek medical assistance. The film was a commercial success, and Rai received recognition for her acting and dance abilities. Savitha Reddy dubbed her dialogue in this film. Jeans was later chosen as India's official entry for the 1998 Academy Awards.
Rai made her debut in the melodrama Aa Ab Laut Chalen, directed by Rishi Kapoor, in 1999. The picture was a critical disappointment and performed poorly at the box office. Rai's portrayal of Pooja Walia, a traditional Indian woman residing in the United States, was met with criticism; according to Rediff.com, "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." In 1999, she also appeared in the love musical Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, which proved to be a watershed moment in her career. Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed the film, which was based on Maitreyi Devi's Bengali novel Na Hanyate and starring Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan. She portrayed Nandini, a Gujarati woman who is forced into marriage (with Devgan's character) despite her feelings for another guy (Khan). Bhansali cast Rai after meeting her at a film screening and being captivated by her eyes. Rai "reveals an unquestionable felicity for acting," according to Khalid Mohamed of Bombay Talkies, and possesses "that impossible combination of breathtaking beauty and brains." Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was a commercial success, and Rai was nominated for a Filmfare Award for Best Actress.
Rai then starred in Subhash Ghai's musical romance drama Taal as Mansi, an aspiring singer, with Akshay Khanna and Anil Kapoor. A Rediff writer lauded her acting and dancing abilities in the film, writing, "Taal will again enhance her reputation as an actress while in no way detracting from her image as a traffic-stopper." Taal was a domestic commercial success, and it was significant for being the first Indian picture to enter the top 20 at the American box office. Rai was nominated for a second time for Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards that year.
(2000-2008) Established actress
Rai appeared in Kandukondain Kandukondain, a Tamil adaptation of Jane Austen's classic Sense and Sensibility, in 2000. The film was directed by Rajiv Menon and starring Mammooty, Tabu, and Ajith Kumar. Rai was cast as Meenakshi, Tabu's younger sister (based on Marianne Dashwood's portrayal). The film was a critical and commercial success, and Rai received great feedback from critics, with one reviewer writing, "Attacking her role with just the right dollop of innocence, Rai does full justice to her part, and matches up perfectly to Tabu."
Rai then appeared in the action drama Josh starring Shah Rukh Khan and Chandrachur Singh. Shirley Dias, Khan's character's twin sister, falls in love with his arch enemy's brother (played by Singh). Rai's casting as Khan's sister was thought strange at the time, but director Mansoor Khan praised it as "perfect." Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, Josh was a commercial success. Rai's next film was Satish Kaushik's social drama Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai, in which she played a rape victim. The film, which co-starred Anil Kapoor and Sonali Bendre, was highly welcomed by reviewers and performed well at the box office. Sukanya Verma, a film critic, praised Rai's decision to star in the film, saying that she "conveys the turmoil and pain of a rape victim well, but it is her transition from an emotional wreck trying to put the broken pieces of her life back together that is amazing." Rai's performance in the film earned her a third Filmfare nomination for Best Actress.
Rai took on a supporting part in Aditya Chopra's musical love movie Mohabbatein after starring in the box office debacle Dhai Akshar Prem Ke.
Rai portrayed Megha Shankar, the character's daughter who commits herself after understanding her father will not accept her romance with one of his students (played by Shah Rukh Khan). Mohabbatein was the highest-grossing picture of the year, thanks to rave acclaim from critics, and Rai was nominated for a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. The next year, she co-starred in the romantic comedy Albela with Govinda and Jackie Shroff. When the film was released, both it and Rai's performance received generally unfavorable reviews; Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama slammed the film and called Rai "plastic in some scenes."
Following her appearance in David Dhawan's slapstick comedy Hum Kisise Kum Nahin, Rai co-starred in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's historical romance drama Devdas, an adaptation of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same name. She portrayed the character of Paro (Parvati), the protagonist's (Khan's) love interest. The film premiered at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival and was named one of Time's "10 Best Films of the Millennium" in 2002. With approximately 840 million (US$11 million) in income, Devdas became a significant international success. Alan Morrison, reviewing for Empire, commended the three leads' performances, writing, "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 garnered a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the BAFTA Awards. In India, the film received ten Filmfare Awards, including Rai's second Best Actress honor. She also appeared in the 2002 British television show From India With Love, alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Preity Zinta. It drew nearly 100,000 spectators to two outdoor grounds, Manchester's Old Trafford and London's Hyde Park.
Rai appeared in two romantic dramas in 2003: her brother's producing debut Dil Ka Rishta, in which she co-starred with Arjun Rampal, and Rohan Sippy's Kuch Naa Kaho, in which she co-starred with Abhishek Bachchan. Neither of these films was a critical or economic success. Later, she was recognized for her performance in Rituparno Ghosh's independent Bengali film Chokher Bali, an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's novel of the same name. She played Binodini, an emotionally manipulative widow grappling with her sexual impulses in early twentieth-century Bengal. The film was a critical triumph, and Rai received praise for her portrayal; Variety's Derek Elley wrote, "Rai dominates the film with her delicately sensual presence and physical grace." The picture was a commercial success.
Rai returned to mainstream Hindi film after the success of Chokher Bali with Rajkumar Santoshi's Khakee (2004), an action thriller starring Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan, and Tusshar Kapoor. Rai played Mahalakshmi, a gun moll, in the film, which follows five constables as they investigate a terrorist incident. Rai was inadvertently hit by a running automobile while filming Khakee, resulting in a fracture of her left foot. The picture had a middling critical and commercial success upon its initial release. Kyun!, her next film, is a romantic comedy. Rai portrayed Diya Malhotra, a university student who develops a one-sided crush on her buddy Arjun Khanna (played by Vivek Oberoi). Critics gave the film mixed to excellent reviews, but it was a commercial failure.
Rai received international acclaim in 2004 for her starring part in Gurinder Chadha's British film Bride and Prejudice, a Bollywood-style rendition of Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice, with Martin Henderson. The New York Times described Rai's performance as "radiantly beautiful but inert," while Rolling Stone stated that "she is a world-class hottie with talent to match, as she proves in her first English-speaking role." Bride and Prejudice was a commercial success, grossing $24 million worldwide against a production budget of $7 million. Rai then worked again with director Rituparno Ghosh on the 2004 romance drama Raincoat, an adaptation of O. Henry's The Gift of the Magi got the National Film Award for Best Hindi Feature Film. Critics lauded the film but also criticized Rai's role, which garnered her a Filmfare nomination for Best Actress. The film was dubbed a "chamber-sized gem" by Variety's Derek Elley, who praised Rai for "hunning her usual immaculate makeup and duds, and looking more like a broken, malfunctioning doll." However, The Hindu's Gautaman Bhaskaran thought Rai "looks quite plain seems 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 then co-starred in the 2005 adult drama Shabd, opposite Sanjay Dutt and Zayed Khan, about an author who gets his wife to pursue an illicit connection with a younger guy in order to research his next novel. The film received mostly unfavorable reviews and was a commercial flop. "For the umpteenth time, Ms. Rai looks drop-dead gorgeous. And that's about it. She's like that picture postcard you get when what you're really waiting for is a letter. It's very beautiful to look at, but it's of no use because it says nothing," the Times of India concluded. The film earned terrible reviews from reviewers and was a commercial flop. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw called Rai's acting "annoying" and said she "wafts and simpers" throughout the film. Rai's lone successful attempt in 2005 was a cameo in Shaad Ali's crime comedy Bunty Aur Babli, in which she sang the popular item number "Kajra Re."
In 2006, Rai had two films released: J. Umrao Jaan by P. Dutta and Dhoom 2 by Yash Raj Films. The former, based on Mirza Hadi Ruswa's Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada (1905), portrays the story of a doomed courtesan in nineteenth-century Lucknow. Rai played the title character, who was notably portrayed by Rekha in the first cinematic adaptation of the novel. While comparing the film to its prior version, critics panned both the film and Rai's performance. "While only Rai could emulate the grace and poise of Rekha, she doesn't quite capture the intensity of Umrao's abiding melancholy," the BBC noted, adding that "Rai's incandescent beauty and artistry does indeed keep the audience watching, though not necessarily emotionally engaged." In the Sanjay Gadhvi-directed adventure film Dhoom 2, Rai portrayed Sunehri, a petty thief who helps the police catch an elusive criminal; Despite earning mixed-to-positive critical reviews, Dhoom 2 was Rai's first significant economic triumph since Devdas; the film was dubbed a blockbuster and became the highest grossing Indian film of 2006, grossing more than 1.11 billion (US$14 million). Sunehri enters the film nearly 50 minutes after its opening in a disguise. In no time, she is wearing the flimsiest of clothes. Once she opens her mouth—and she does it two minutes after appearing in the film—she spoils the image." Nonetheless, her performance earned her a sixth Filmfare Award nomination in the Best Actress category.
Rai appeared in Mani Ratnam's 2007 social drama Guru as the wife of Abhishek Bachchan's character. Guru, a dramatized biography of billionaire Dhirubhai Ambani, portrays the narrative of an ignorant guy who builds a worldwide organization from the ground up. The film received critical acclaim worldwide and was a box-office success. Her character was seen as a "ornament" by Richard Corliss of Time, although Raja Sen of Rediff hailed it as "arguably her finest performance, visible especially when she takes over the film's climax." Rai won her eighth Best Actress nomination at Filmfare for her work in the film. Rai then appeared in Jag Mundhra's independent British drama Provoked, opposite Naveen Andrews and Miranda Richardson, as Kiranjit Ahluwalia, a non-resident Indian who murders her husband after years of domestic violence. Rai's performance received largely positive feedback. "Aishwarya Rai plays the battered wife in what is undeniably one of her best performances to date," DNA critic Indu Mirani stated, "Rai convincingly goes through the various stages of shock, bewilderment, remorse, and finally vindication." The film was well-received internationally and was a minor commercial success in the United Kingdom. The same year, Rai co-starred in Doug Lefler's epic picture The Last Legion with Ben Kingsley, Colin Firth, and Thomas Sangster as the Indian warrior Mira.
After a string of underperforming films, both critically and economically, Rai found critical and box-office success with Ashutosh Gowariker's period love epic Jodhaa Akbar (2008). The film tells the somewhat fictitious story of the Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar (played by Hrithik Roshan) and the Rajput princess Jodha Bai (played by Rai). According to Rajeev Masand, "Rai is wonderfully restrained and uses her eyes expertly to communicate so much, making this one of her finest outings on screen." The film grossed $1.12 billion (US$14 million) and earned Rai a nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards event. She then co-starred in Ram Gopal Verma's political drama Sarkar Raj, a sequel to the 2005 box-office success Sarkar, with her husband, Abhishek Bachchan, and her father-in-law, Amitabh Bachchan. Rai plays Anita Rajan, the CEO of an international power company who wants to build a plant in rural Maharashtra. The film was a critical and commercial success, with the three leads receiving plaudits for their performances.
Career changes and a sabbatical (2009-2016)
Rai's next part was in Harald Zwart's 2009 spy comedy The Pink Panther 2. Rai played Sonia Solandres, a seductive criminology expert, opposite Steve Martin, Jean Reno, and Emily Mortimer. The sequel, like its predecessor, earned scathing reviews from critics but grossed a respectable $34 million at the American box office. "Rai is breathtaking in Bollywood films, where they devote a great deal of expertise to admiring beauty," wrote Roger Ebert, "but here she's underutilized and too much in the background"; USA Today described her expressions as "wooden" and added, "She looks gorgeous, but her expression rarely changes."
Mani Ratnam cast Rai in his Tamil film, Ramayana, a multilingual modern-day retelling of the Indian epic Ramayana, in 2010. Her character was Ragini (based on the Ramayana heroine Sita), a woman married to the superintendent of police who is kidnapped by a bandit. The Tamil (Raavanan) and Hindi (Raavan) versions of the film were shot concurrently, and Rai performed the same part in both. She returned to Tamil film after a 10-year absence with Raavanan. Raavanan, the Tamil adaptation, was a tremendous commercial success, whilst Raavan, the Hindi version, was a commercial flop. Film critics were divided on the flicks, as was Rai's performance. According to India Today's Kaveree Bamzai, "Rai's Sita is one of the best things in the film... her performance is heartfelt—this is a performer who is at ease playing women, rather than girls." However, film critics Aniruddha Guha and Rajeev Masand criticized her character, noting, "She's left to scream and shriek and hiss." Rai's next part was in the science fiction Tamil film Enthiran (2010), which was directed by S. Shankar. She was cast as Sana, a college student and Rajinikanth's character's lover. Enthiran was the most expensive Indian film production at the time of its release and went on to become one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. She then starred in Vipul Shah's Action Replayy as Mala, an obnoxious brat, with Akshay Kumar, Aditya Roy Kapoor, and Neha Dhupia.
Guzaarish, Rai's final film of 2010, was her third collaboration with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actor Hrithik Roshan. The film follows Ethan Mascarenas, a former magician (played by Roshan) with quadriplegia who, after years of hardship, files a euthanasia petition. Rai played Mascarenas' nurse, Sophia D'Souza, who is tortured by her alcoholic husband. Rai committed to the film before reading the screenplay because of her previous association with Bhansali. Despite its box office failure, Guzaarish received favorable critical reception. The Telegraph called it "one of Rai's best performances," and The Times of India said, "Rai is a stunning picture of fire and grace, walking away with certain scenes by her sheer vitality." Rai was cast as the protagonist of Madhur Bhandarkar's social drama Heroine in 2011, but she was replaced by actress Kareena Kapoor, the original choice for the role, due to her pregnancy.
Rai returned to film acting after a five-year hiatus with Sanjay Gupta's drama-thriller Jazbaa, co-starring Shabana Azmi and Irrfan Khan. The film, an adaptation of the Korean thriller Seven Days (2007), starred Rai as Anuradha Verma, a criminal lawyer who is obliged to represent a rapist in exchange for the safety of her daughter. Mid-Day's Shubha Shetty-Saha criticized the film's excessive and intrusive melodrama, although she thought Rai "looks the part and even does a fairly decent job, barring certain emotional scenes where she clearly goes over the top." The picture did poorly at the box office.
Rai appeared in Omung Kumar's biographical play Sarbjit in 2016. The film is based on the life of Indian farmer Sarabjit Singh, who was convicted of terrorism by a Pakistani court, and how his sister Dalbir Kaur battled for his freedom with tenacity. Rai portrayed Sarabjit Singh's (played by Randeep Hooda) sister. The film premiered at the 69th Cannes Film Festival, where reviewers gave it mixed reviews. Few reviewers thought Rai was "miscast" since she didn't look or sound like a Sikh woman. Her Punjabi accent and over-the-top acting in a few parts were widely panned, yet some critics noted how much she stood out in the film's quieter scenes. According to Rajeev Masand, "she's required to scream, shout, and weep copiously to express her anguish; the shrillness does her no favors. In quieter moments - like one in which Dalbir can't bear to part with her stillborn baby - the actress shines." Nonetheless, her role earned her tenth Filmfare Award nomination for Best Actress. Despite a production budget of $150 million (US$1.9 million), the picture grossed over 440 million (US$5.5 million) globally.
Success with sporadic work (2016-present)
Rai's final 2016 release was Karan Johar's musical romance drama Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, in which she co-starred with Anushka Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor as Saba, a poet. Despite having limited screen time, Rai garnered great feedback for her performance. Variety's Joe Leydon wrote that she "seems to have wandered in from another movie, one where emotions are conveyed in subtler and more affecting fashion. When she takes her leave from Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, you may wish you could go with her." The film became one of her biggest commercial successes, grossing over 2 billion rupees (US$25 million). In the unimpressive comedy-drama Fanney Khan (2018), Rai plays a singer kidnapped by a problematic parent two years later. A remake of the Belgian film Everyone's Famous! Anil Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao co-starred in the film, which was released in 2000. Mint critic Uday Bhatia deemed Rai "too unruffled a screen presence to convincingly sell the kind of silliness this film requires."
Ponniyin Selvan: I, a Tamil ensemble period film based on Kalki Krishnamurthy's epic novel of the same name, reunited Rai with Mani Ratnam in 2022. She portrayed Nandini, a devious Chola queen. According to Haricharan Pudipeddi of the Hindustan Times, Rai's performance is the greatest of the ensemble cast, while Sonil Dedhia of News 18 says she is "wonderfully restrained and uses her eyes expertly to communicate so much." The film grossed about 5 billion (US$63 million) globally, making it one of the highest-grossing Tamil films of all time. Rai will return in the sequel Ponniyin Selvan: II.
Work done away from the camera
Rai, along with Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji, Akshaye Khanna, and Twinkle Khanna, took part in the Magnificent Five world tour in 1999. She was named Longines Ambassador of Elegance the same year. Craze 2001, a series of performances performed in the United States with Anil Kapoor, Aamir Khan, Preity Zinta, and Gracy Singh, was Rai's first world tour in 2001. Due to the 11 September 2001 attacks, the event was canceled early, and the team planned to return to India as soon as possible. However, the programs were a success in Canada. She was the first Indian actress to serve on the Cannes Film Festival jury in 2003. In the same year, she joined Andie MacDowell, Eva Longoria, and Penélope Cruz as a worldwide brand ambassador for L'Oréal. Rai serves as the brand ambassador for The Eye Bank Association of India's national campaign to promote eye donation in India. In 2005, she became a brand ambassador for Pulse Polio, a Government of India initiative launched in 1994 to eradicate polio in India. In the same year, Rai was named spokesperson for the International Year of Microcredit, with the purpose of promoting awareness of the primary goals and priorities of the United Nations' poverty-reduction activities.
Rai appeared among other Bollywood celebs at the HELP! The Telethon Concert is a fundraising event for the victims of the 2004 tsunami earthquake. In 2008, she and other members of the Bachchan family established a special school for impoverished girls in Daulatpur village, Uttar Pradesh. The Bachchan family is funding the construction, and the school will be named after Rai. Rai, her husband Abhishek Bachchan, her father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan, and actors Preity Zinta, Ritesh Deshmukh, and Madhuri Dixit appeared in the "Unforgettable World Tour" stage play from July to August 2008. The first leg took in the United States, Canada, Trinidad, and London, England. Rai is also active in the functional and administrative activities of her father-in-law's company, ABCL, which was renamed AB Corp. Ltd. Together with Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. The Unforgettable production was created by Ltd. She featured at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Melbourne, along with several other Bollywood actors. The performance celebrated Indian culture in the run-up to India's hosting of the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
Rai is the United Nations Microcredit Spokesperson. She is a member of PETA India. She vowed to donate her eyes to the Eye Bank Association of India and starred in an eye donation public awareness film. Rai established the Aishwarya Rai Foundation in November 2004 to assist poor individuals in India. Rai was named the first Goodwill Ambassador for Smile Train, an international charity that provides free Cleft lip and palate surgery to deserving youngsters. Her work with Smile Train will focus on 76 other impoverished countries around the world, not only India. Rai attended a ceremony in New York in September 2012 to honor the International Day of Peace, alongside UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and famed Hollywood actor Michael Douglas. Later that week, she was named the new international Goodwill Ambassador for UNAIDS, the joint United Nations AIDS and HIV program. She will promote global awareness about preventing HIV infection in children and expanding access to antiretroviral treatment.
Private life
Rai began dating Bollywood actor Salman Khan in 1999, and their relationship was widely publicized till the pair divorced in 2002. Rai claimed Khan's "abuse (verbal, physical, and emotional), infidelity, and indignity" as grounds for quitting the relationship. She later had a romantic relationship with actor Vivek Oberoi, which ended in 2005.
Despite their appearances in Dhai Akshar Prem Ke (in which her then-boyfriend, Salman Khan, made a brief cameo) and Kuch Naa Kaho, Abhishek Bachchan fell in love with Rai while filming Dhoom 2. Their engagement was announced on January 14, 2007, and his father, Amitabh Bachchan, later confirmed it. The pair married on April 20, 2007, according to traditional Hindu traditions of her Bunt clan. Ceremonies in North India and Bengali were also held. The wedding took place in a private ceremony at Amitabh Bachchan's "Prateeksha" mansion in Juhu, Mumbai. They have been referred to as a supercouple in the Indian media. Rai is very close to her family and resided in Bandra, Mumbai, with them until her marriage.
Rai is a Hindu who is very pious. Abhishek Bachchan escorted her to the Cannes Film Festival shortly after their marriage, and afterwards to The Oprah Winfrey Show, where she appeared on September 28, 2009. They were regarded as a couple more famous than Brangelina.
Rai gave birth to a daughter on November 16, 2011. Rai is popularly referred to as "Ash" and "Aish" by fans and the media, but she has remarked that she dislikes being called so. She has asked people not to call her anything other than "Aishwarya" because she does not want to "spoil a good name."
Rai and her kid were reported to have tested positive with COVID-19 on July 12, 2020. They were hospitalized on July 17, according to reports. Rai and her kid were released from the hospital on July 27, 2020.
In the news
Influence and reception
Rai Bachchan is one of India's most well-known celebrities. Despite persistent public conjecture, she keeps her private life private. Her physical looks and performances have elevated her to the status of a fashion symbol for young ladies. According to India Today, there are over 17,000 websites dedicated to her. Verve magazine named her on its list of the country's most powerful women. Forbes ranked Rai one of the top five Indian movie stars in 2001. Hello! magazine in the United Kingdom held a reader survey. She was named "the most attractive woman of 2003" by People magazine. Rai made Rolling Stone magazine's annual "Hot List" that same year. Time named her one of the world's most influential people in 2004, and she appeared on the cover of its 2003 Asia edition.
Rai is the first Indian actress to serve on the Cannes Film Festival jury. Rai's wax figure was unveiled in London's Madame Tussaud's wax museum in October 2004. She was the sixth Indian and the second Bollywood icon to get this honor, following her father-in-law, Amitabh Bachchan. The same figure was on display in New York's Madame Tussaud's Museum in Times Square in 2007. Rai's green-blue eyes, lush lips, curves, and feminine demeanor have been noted by the media as her most distinguishing physical traits.
On 2 January 2005, she was the topic of a 60 Minutes profile, which stated that she was "the world's most beautiful woman," "at least according to thousands of Web sites, Internet polls, and even Julia Roberts." A tulip named "Aishwarya Rai" was named for her in the Netherlands the same year. Mattel also made a limited edition of Barbie dolls of Rai in the United Kingdom in 2005. Rai was named first on the list of "Hottest Women in India" by the British magazine Maxim.
Rai has featured on Late Show with David Letterman and was the first Bollywood celebrity to appear on Oprah's "Women Across the Globe" segment. She was voted ninth on Harpers and Queen's list of the "Most Beautiful Women in the World" in 2005. Rai was named one of the "World's Most Beautiful People" by People Magazine in May 2006. She was placed third in the UK magazine Eastern Eye's list of "Asia's Sexiest Women" in 2006, and eighth in 2009. In 2008, the American television network E!On their Sexiest Body Parts list, Entertainment named Rai's eyes the sexiest. She appeared on Martha Stewart's Martha and The Tyra Banks Show in 2009. In the same year, Forbes ranked Rai 387th out of 1,411 actors on their list of Hollywood's most bankable stars. She is the list's highest-ranked Indian actor.
She was named one of India's most popular symbols in a poll held by the daily Daily News and Analysis in 2009. She and her husband, Abhishek, attended the 83rd Academy Awards. On September 28, 2009, Rai appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show with her husband, Abhishek Bachchan. She is the only Indian celebrity to have appeared twice on The Oprah Winfrey Show. In Indian media, they have been dubbed a "supercouple."
She was voted second in The Times of India's list of the 50 most desirable women in 2010, and ninth in 2011. She received a lot of negative press in 2011 for failing to decrease her post-pregnancy weight, which is reportedly "required" of a prominent figure. However, she silenced her detractors by strolling the red carpet for the 11th time at the "AmfAR Cinema Against Aids" event at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. Later that year, Rai appeared in the issue of New York Magazine's list of "Forty Women That Women Find Beautiful," where she was ranked 21st, with New York Magazine stating, "She may be the "world's most beautiful woman," but what we really love is that she never feels fragile onscreen." Rai was rated the world's eleventh most admired person in 2018 by market research firm YouGov.
Endorsements
When Rai was in ninth grade, she made her first advertisement for Camlin test pencils. Rai rose to prominence after participating in a Pepsi commercial alongside superstar Aamir Khan. She is the only actress who has been a spokesperson for both Pepsi and Coca-Cola. She is one of the country's top brand ambassadors and one of the highest-paid Bollywood actresses. She has modeled for Titan Watches, Longines watches, L'Oréal, Coca-Cola, Lakmé Cosmetics, Casio pagers, Philips, Palmolive, Lux, Fuji films, Nakshatra Diamond Jewellery, and Kalyan Jewellers. In India, she was chosen the official brand ambassador for De Beers diamonds. According to World Watch Report, Rai is the second most popular watch brand ambassador in the world. The TTK Group hired Rai and her husband Abhishek Bachchan as brand ambassadors in 2013.
Honors and recognition
On March 31, 2009, the 12th President of India, Pratibha Patil, presented the Padma Shri Award to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at the Civil Investiture Ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.
In 2009, Rai was awarded the Padma Shri for her contributions to Indian cinema. As of April 2023, she is one of just four Indian actresses to have received this honor, the others being Tabu, Kajol, and Priyanka Chopra. Rai has also won two Filmfare prizes for Best Actress, for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Devdas (2002), out of 11 nominations, as well as numerous Screen Awards, IIFA Awards, and other prizes for her on-screen performances.
Rai was appointed to the jury of the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, making her the first Indian actress to represent her country on the festival's jury.
She finally accepted the second-highest Order of France, the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, in 2012. She had previously refused since her father was ill and she wanted her entire family to attend the prize ceremony.
| Bio | |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (after marriage) |
| Nickname | Ash, Gullu |
| Profession(s) | Actress and Model |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters- 170 cm in meters- 1.70 m in Feet Inches- 5' 7” |
| Weight (approx.) | in Kilograms- 56 kg in Pounds- 123 lbs |
| Figure Measurements (approx.) | 34-26-36 |
| Eye Colour | Hazel Green Blue |
| Hair Colour | Black |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 1 November 1973 |
| Age (as of 2022) | 49 Years |
| Birthplace | Mangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Zodiac sign | Scorpio |
| Signature |  |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| School | Arya Vidya Mandir, Mumbai |
| College | Jai Hind College, Mumbai D. G. Ruparel College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Mumbai |
| Educational Qualifications | College dropout |
| Debut | Film Debut: Iruvar (1997, Tamil film) Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya (1997, Bollywood film) |
| Family | Father- Krishnaraj Rai (Army biologist) Mother- Vrinda Rai (Homemaker) Brother- Aditya Rai (Engineer in merchant navy) Sister- N/A Father-in-law- Amitabh Bachchan (Actor) Mother-in-law- Jaya Bachchan (Actress) |
| Religion | Hindu |
| Address | Jalsa, B/2, Kapol Housing Society, VL Mehta Road, Juhu, Mumbai Villa in Sanctuary Falls in Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai |
| Hobbies | Knitting, collecting watches and reading |
| Favourites | |
| Food | Chicken Curry and Chocolates |
| Actor | Amitabh Bachchan and Raj Kapoor |
| Actress | Nargis |
| Film | Hollywood: Casablanca (1942) |
| Directors | Mani Ratnam and Sanjay Leela Bhansali |
| Book | The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho |
| Color | Black, Blue and White |
| Perfume | Happy by Clinique |
| Fashion Designer | Giorgio Armani |
| Travel Destination(s) | France, Dubai, and South Africa |
| Boys, Affairs and More | |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Husband | Abhishek Bachchan, Actor (2007-present) |
| Marriage Date | 20 April 2007 |
| Children | Son- N/A Daughter- Aaradhya (born in 2011) |
| Style Quotient | |
| Cars Collection | Audi A8 |
| Expensive Things/Valuables | She has a collection dof luxury watches including Dolce Vita collection (priced at Rs 9 lakhs) |
| Money Factor | |
| Salary (approx.) | 9-10 crore/film (INR) |
| Net Worth (approx.) | $35 million |
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