Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is a prominent Indian actress who predominantly works in the Hindi and Tamil film industry. She is the winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant. She is considered one of the most popular and influential celebrities in India. She is the recipient of many accolades including two Filmfare Awards. In 2009, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri, and in 2012, she was the recipient of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France. Reportedly, she is regarded as “the most beautiful woman in the world.” She also appeared in Telugu, Bengali, and English-language films.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was born on Thursday, 1 November 1973 (age 49 years; as of 2022) in Mangalore, Karnataka, India. Her Zodiac sign is Scorpio. Soon after her family shifted from Mangalore to Mumbai, she joined Arya Vidya Mandir High School in Mumbai to attain her primary school education. Later, Rai completed her intermediate schooling at Jai Hind College for a year. Thereafter, she attained her Higher School Certificate (HSC) from DG Ruparel College in Matunga, where she secured 90 per cent marks. During her teenage days, she received training in classical music and dance for five years. Her passion towards dancing and music made her into the world of glamour, and at a very young age, she received lots of success in her modelling and acting career. Later, she was enrolled at Rachana Sansad Academy of Architecture to pursue a degree in Architecture; however, she gave up her studies to pursue a career in modelling.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 7″
Weight (approx.): 65 kg
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Hazel green-blue
Figure Measurements (approx.): 34-26-36
Family & Caste
Aishwarya Rai belongs to a Tuluva Bunt community.
Parents & Siblings
Her father’s name is Krishnaraj Rai, and he was an army biologist. Her mother’s name is Vrinda Rai, who is a homemaker. Her father died on 18 March 2017. She has an elder brother named Aditya Rai, and he is an engineer in the Merchant Navy.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with her parents and brother Aditya Rai
Husband & Children
On 20 April 2007, Aishwarya got married to Indian actor Abhishek Bachchan. She was in a relationship with Abhishek before getting married to him. The couple has a daughter named Aaradhya Bachchan who was born on 16 November 2011.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with her husband, Abhishek Bachchan and daughter, Aaradhya
According to some media sources, Abhishek Bachchan fell in love with Aishwarya Rai when he was filming the Hindi film Dhoom 2. On 14 January 2007, they got engaged, and this news was later confirmed by Amitabh Bachchan on social media. On 20 April 2007, they got married after following the traditional Hindu ceremonies and the rites of the Bunt community. Reportedly, they tied the knot in two ways; North Indian and Bengali. All the wedding functions were performed at Bachchan’s residence “Prateeksha” in Juhu, Mumbai. Soon after their marriage, they together attended the Cannes Film festival, and later, they were invited to The Oprah Winfrey Show on 28 September 2009. According to some media sources, they are considered a famous couple and often compared to Brangelina. Her father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan is a Bollywood superstar and her mother-in-law Jaya Bachchan is a popular veteran Indian actress.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with her parents-in-law
Relationships/Affairs
Earlier, she had an affair with model Rajeev Mulchandani.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with Rajeev Mulchandani
From 1999 to 2002, she was in a relationship with Bollywood actor Salman Khan. During this period, their relationship was often reported in the media. Soon after their breakup, Aishwarya talked about the end of their relationship in a media conversation. She said that Salman was verbally, physically, and emotionally abusive. She said,
Abuse (verbal, physical and emotional), infidelity and indignity.”
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with Salman Khan
Later, she was in a romantic relationship with the Indian actor Vivek Oberoi, with whom she ended her relationship in 2005.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with Vivek Oberoi
Religion/ Religious Views
She follows Hinduism.
Career
When she was in ninth class, she got an opportunity to act in a television commercial advertisement for Camlin Pencils. In 1993, she appeared in a television advertisement for Pepsi along with the Indian actors Aamir Khan and Mahima Chaudhry. Her dialogue – “Hi, I’m Sanjana,” in the Pepsi commercial made her instantly famous and gained her huge public recognition on television.
Aishwarya Rai in a still from the Pepsi advertisement in 1993
When she was eighteen years old, she won an international supermodel contest, which was organised by the Ford Motor Company. Soon after this win, she was featured in the American edition of Vogue. After winning the beauty contest, Aishwarya started working as a professional model and did numerous modelling assignments and television commercial advertisements. In a media interview, she narrated that before venturing into the field of modelling and acting, she wanted to build her career in medicine as Zoology was her favourite subject.
A childhood picture of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
In 1994, she participated in the Miss India beauty contest and became the first runner-up. Indian actress Sushmita Sen was declared the winner of this beauty contest. During this competition, Aishwarya earned five other sub-titles “Miss Catwalk,” “Miss Miraculous,” “Miss Photogenic,” “Miss Perfect Ten,” and “Miss Popular.”
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan – Miss India 1994 first runner-up
In the same year, she won the title of Miss World, which was held in Sun City, South Africa. Soon after winning the title, Aishwarya expressed her desire on the stage. She said,
I dream for peace for this world, and my desire to be an ambassador of peace during her one-year reign in London”
In the same discussion, she narrated that she wanted to pursue a career in modelling until she became an actress.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan – Miss World 1994
Films
She made her acting debut in 1997 with Mani Ratnam’s Tamil film Iruvar. The film received positive reviews from critics. In the same year, she made her Bollywood debut with Rahul Rawail’s film Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya in which she played the lead role of Ashi Kailashnath opposite Indian actor Bobby Deol.
Her 1999 film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was considered a significant turning point in her career. This film was an adaptation of Maitreyi Devi’s Bengali novel Na Hanyate. This film became a huge commercial hit for which Aishwarya received a Filmfare Award for Best Actress.
She then appeared in the film Taal, which was directed by Subhash Ghai. In this film, she played the role of Mansi, an aspiring singer. She appeared alongside Indian actors Akshaye Khanna and Anil Kapoor. A Rediff reviewer appreciated her acting and dancing skills in one of his articles. He wrote,
Taal will again enhance her reputation as an actress while in no way detracting from her image as a traffic-stopper.”
Taal became a commercial hit, and soon after its release, it became the first Indian film to feature in the top 20 listings at the American box office. Aishwarya Rai was nominated for the Best Actress award at the Filmfare Awards ceremony. In 2000, she marked her debut in the Tamil film industry with the film Kandukondain Kandukondain. This film was an adaptation of the novel Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. The film was directed by Rajiv Menon. Aishwarya appeared in the film alongside Mammooty, Tabu, and Ajith Kumar in the main roles. Her role in the film was summarised by The Indian Express newspaper, which mentioned,
Attacking her role with just the perfect dollop of innocence, Rai does full justice to her part, and matches up perfectly to Tabu.”
She then appeared in the film Josh alongside Indian actors Shah Rukh Khan and Chandrachur Singh. Thereafter, she played the role of a rape victim in Satish Kaushik’s social drama Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai alongside Indian actors Anil Kapoor and Sonali Bendre. She earned the third Best Actress nomination at Filmfare for her performance in the film Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai. In 2002, she appeared in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Devdas, which was an adaptation of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel. She worked alongside Indian actors Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit in the film. In the film, she played the character of Paro (Parvati). Soon after its release, the film was featured at Cannes Film Festival and was listed among the “10 Best Films of the Millennium” by Time Magazine. Her looks in the film were praised by Alan Morrison in his article in Empire magazine. He wrote,
Rai proves she has the acting talent to back up her flawless looks.”
In the same year, she was one of the participants in the show ‘From India With Love in the UK,’ which was organised in Manchester’s Old Trafford and London’s Hyde Park. She performed in the show along with veteran Indian actors Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Preity Zinta. In 2003, Aishwarya Rai worked in the film Dil ka Rishta, which was produced by her brother and was co-written by her mother. Indian actor Arjun Rampal played the male lead role in the film.
In the same year, she appeared in the film Kuch Naa Kaho alongside Abhishek Bachchan. The film was directed by Rohan Sippy. In 2004, she played a lead role in the British film Bride and Prejudice opposite Martin Henderson. The film was directed by Gurinder Chadha. In the same year, she appeared in the film Raincoat alongside Indian actor Ajay Devgn. The film was an adaption of O. Henry’s romantic novel ‘The Gift of the Magi.’ Soon after its release, the film earned the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. In 2005, she hit the headlines with her item number “Kajra Re” in the film Bunty Aur Babli in which she danced alongside Abhishek Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan. In 2006, she appeared in two films, one in J. P. Dutta’s Umrao Jaan and another in Yash Raj Films’ Dhoom 2. Rai’s performance in Umrao Jaan was critically acclaimed by BBC in an online article. BBC claimed,
While only Rai could emulate the grace and poise of Rekha, she doesn’t quite capture the intensity of Umrao’s abiding melancholy”, adding that “Rai’s incandescent beauty and artistry [..] does indeed keep the audience watching, though not necessarily emotionally engaged.”
In 2006, she appeared in the British drama film Provoked alongside Naveen Andrews and Miranda Richardson. The film was directed by Jag Mundhra, and the film was based on the real-life story of a non-resident Indian, Kiranjit Ahluwalia, who killed her husband after suffering years of domestic abuse. Indu Mirani wrote in DNA that Rai’s performance in the film was one of her best performances. Indu cited,
Aishwarya Rai plays the battered wife in what is undoubtedly one of her best performances to date. Rai convincingly goes through the various stages of shock, bewilderment, remorse and finally vindication.”
Aishwarya Rai, along with Indian actors Abhishek Bachchan, Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Ritesh Deshmukh, and Madhuri Dixit appeared in a stage production named “Unforgettable World Tour” from July 2008 to August 2008. Soon after her marriage, she took the responsibility functional and administrative operations of a company named ABCL owned by Amitabh Bachchan, her father-in-law. Later, the company was renamed AB Corp. Ltd., which along with Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. founded Unforgettable production. In 2008, she appeared in the romantic drama film Jodhaa Akbar, which was directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. In the same year, she was cast in the film Sarkar Raj alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan. The film was the sequel of the 2005 film Sarkar. In 2009, she appeared in a spy comedy film The Pink Panther 2 alongside Steve Martin, Jean Reno, and Emily Mortimer. In the film, she played the role of Sonia Solandres, and the film was directed by Harald Zwart. In 2010, she appeared in the Tamil and bilingual modern-day adaption of the Indian epic Ramayana. In the same year, she worked in Vipul Shah’s Action Replayy alongside Akshay Kumar, Aditya Roy Kapoor, and Neha Dhupia. She then took a five years break from the film industry, and then she made her comeback in 2015 with the film Jazbaa alongside Shabana Azmi and Irrfan Khan. The film was the remake of the Korean thriller movie Seven Days (2007).
In 2016, she was cast in the film Sarbjit, which was directed by Omung Kumar, and the film premiered at the 69th Cannes Film Festival in the same year. In the same year, she played the role of a poet named Saba in the romantic drama film Ae Dil Hai Mushkil alongside Anushka Sharma and Ranbir Kapoor. The film was produced by Karan Johar. In 2018, she appeared in the comedy-drama movie Fanney Khan in which she played the role of a singer. In 2022, she appeared in Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: I.
On 12 July 2020, Aishwarya Rai tested positive for COVID-19 along with her daughter, Aradhya Bachchan. According to some media sources, they were hospitalized on 17 July. Later, they recovered and were discharged from the hospital on 27 July 2020.
Controversies
- In 1996, she sued the Star and Style magazine for an amount of 20 million to publish that actress Raveena Tandon had caught her and Akshay Kumar in a compromising position at the poolside of a 5-star hotel.
- She had a controversial relationship with Salman Khan from 1999 to 2001. After the break-up, she said that she faced abuse from Salman Khan verbally, physically, and emotionally.
- In 2005, after the casting couch sting operation of Shakti Kapoor, he said that Aishwarya Rai had traded sexual favors for a spot in the films of Subhash Ghai. He later apologised for his words and said he was speaking in a wave of anger.
- In December 2021, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned the actress for her alleged involvement in “The Panama Papers” case, which was first reported in media in 2016 after which the agency started investigating alleged forex violations. The agency had also asked the Bachchan family to explain their foreign remittances since 2004 under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme (LRS) of the Reserve Bank of India. On 21 December 2021, she appeared before the agency and recorded her statement. The ED officials probed her role as a director in an offshore company One British Virgin Islands-based company that was set up in 2005 and dissolved in 2008.
Awards, Honours, Achievements
- In 2009, she received Padma Shri from the Government of India.
- In 2012, she was honoured with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France.
- Reportedly, several young women across the globe consider her their style icon due to Aishwarya’s physical appearance and performances in the films.
- According to an online survey done by India Today in 2011, over seventeen thousand websites were dedicated to Aishwarya Rai.
- In 2008, Verve magazine listed her among the country’s most powerful women.
- In 2002, Aishwarya Rai was listed among the top five Indian movie stars by Forbes.
- In 2003, she was voted “the most attractive woman of 2003” in a survey conducted by Hello! magazine in the UK. In the same year, Rolling Stone magazine featured her in its annual “Hot List.” In 2003, Aishwarya Rai was featured on the cover of Time magazine’s Ais edition.
- In 2004, Aishwarya Rai was chosen as the world’s most influential person by Time Magazine.
- In 2013, the Cannes International Film Festival appointed Aishwarya Rai as its jury member, and upon this, she became the first Indian actress to get the same honour.
- Aishwarya Rai’s wax figure was displayed in Madame Tussaud’s wax museum in London in October 2004. She became the sixth Indian and the second Bollywood personality after Amitabh Bachchan to receive this honour.
- In 2007, the Madame Tussaud’s Museum displayed her same wax figure in Times Square in New York.
- In 2005, in the Netherlands, a Tulip was named after Aishwarya Rai.
- In 2006, Aishwarya Rai was ranked third in the list of “Asia’s Sexiest Women” by Eastern Eye, a UK magazine. In 2009, she was ranked eighth by the same magazine.
- In 2008, her eyes were listed as the sexiest on the Sexiest Body Parts list of E!: Entertainment, an American television channel.
- Aishwarya Rai was invited to Martha Stewart’s show Martha and The Tyra Banks Show in 2009. In the same year, she was voted as one of India’s most popular icons in a survey conducted by the Daily News and Analysis, an Indian newspaper.
- In 2011, Aishwarya Rai, along with her husband, Abhishek Bachchan, made an appearance at the 83rd Academy Awards. Indian media often describes them as a super couple.
Car Collection
Aishwarya Rai owns an Audi A8 car.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan poses with her Audi A8 car
Expensive Things/Valuables
She loves to wear luxury watches, and one of her favourite ones is from Dolce Vita collection, which is priced at Rs 9 lakhs.
Facts/Trivia
- Her fans often call her by the nicknames Aish or Ash; however, she dislikes being called as such. She is often spotted discouraging her fans to call her names other than “Aishwarya” in various media talks. According to her, such nicknames spoil her actual name.
- Her mother was the co-writer of one of her hit films Dil Ka Rishta in 2003. This film was co-produced by her brother.
- A popular American actress Julia Roberts once said: “Aishwarya Rai is the most beautiful woman in the world.”
- Because of the heavy earrings worn during the shoot of the song Dola Re Dola of the film Devdas (2002), she suffered from ear bleeding.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the song ‘Dola Re Dola’
- In 2002, after the success of the Devdas film, Mattel released the Aishwarya Rai Barbie Dolls limited edition in the U.K.
Aishwarya Rai Barbie Doll
- Aishwarya Rai was the second Indian actress after Parveen Babi to appear on the TIME magazine cover page.
- Apart from being an actress, she often appears as a model on television and advertises the top Indian brands including Titan Watches, Longines watches, L’Oréal, Coca-Cola, Lakmé Cosmetics, Casio pager, Philips, Palmolive, Lux, Fuji films, Nakshatra Diamond Jewellery, and Kalyan Jewellers.
- She suffered from severe cuts during the Khakee (2004) film shooting due to the out of control stuntman car.
- In 2004, she became the first Indian actress to have her wax statue at Madame Tussauds Museum in London.
- The same year, Time magazine voted her among the 100 Most Influential People in the World.
- In 2005, Aishwarya was initially signed for the role of Simmi in the film Bluffmaster, but the director of the film Rohan Sippy replaced that role by Priyanka Chopra without any notice to her. After the film completion, he added a special thanks message for her as an apology in the end credits.
- She is the founder of Aishwarya Rai Foundation that helps to support needy people in India.
- In the Netherlands, a variety of Tulip flower is named Aishwarya Rai.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan – Tulip flower
- She along with her family runs a production company, Target Films.
- She is the supporter of PETA India, Polio Campaign, and Eye Bank Association of India (EBAI).
- In 2009, she became the first South Asian and Indian actress to appear in the Oprah Winfrey Show.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Oprah Winfrey Show
- Aishwarya Rai is a non-vegetarian, and her favourite food is Chicken Curry.
- Her favourite actors are Raj Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan, and her favourite actress is Nargis.
- She likes to watch films, and her favourite Hollywood film is Casablanca (1942).
- Aishwarya also likes to collect watches, and she has a large collection of them.
- Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Mani Ratnam are her all-time favourite directors.
- She likes to read during her free time, and her favourite book is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
- White, Black, and Blue are her favourite colours.
- She loves to wear dresses designed by Giorgio Armani.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan with Giorgio Armani
- Aishwarya Rai has a fear of cockroaches.
- She also loves to spend her holidays in Dubai, France, and South Africa.
- Aishwarya has two home addresses; one is Jalsa, B/2, Kapol Housing Society, VL Mehta Road, Juhu, Mumbai and other is a villa in Sanctuary Falls in Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai.
- She gets paid 9 to 10 crore per film, and her net worth is around $35 million.
- After her husband, Abhishek Bachchan, and father-in-law, Amitabh Bachchan had been tested positive for COVID-19 on 11 July 2020, Aishwarya, and her 8-year-old daughter, Aaradhya, had also tested positive on 12 July 2020.
Aishwarya and Aaradhya have also tested COVID-19 positive. They will be self quarantining at home. The BMC has been updated of their situation and are doing the needful.The rest of the family including my Mother have tested negative. Thank you all for your wishes and prayers 🙏🏽
— Abhishek 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧 (@juniorbachchan) July 12, 2020
- In May 2022, a modelling bill of the actress that dates back to 23 May 2022 surfaced on the internet. The invoice shows that the actress received Rs. 1500 for a magazine shoot.
Aishwarya Rai’s modelling bill of Rs. 1500 that dates back to 1992
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