Aishwarya was an architecture student before she entered modeling as her part-time job. She was best known for her Pepsi commercial with Mahima Chaudhry. With her green-grey eyes, she was already approached by big names in India's film industry, where they offered her starring roles. She rejected the film offers since she aimed to be an architect. However, fate had other things in store for her after she was crowned Miss World 1994. Soon after her winning, again she received offers to star in movies. In Southern India, she was best known for her role as Madhumita/Veishnavi in Jeans and as Meenakshi in I Have Found It. She won the Filmfare Award for best actress for her performance in Straight from the Heart 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.


Wanted to study medicine, but circumstances prevented her. Dated Salman Khan. Runner up, Miss India 1994 Daughter of Vrinda Rai In April 2003, she suffered an accident on the sets of Khakee (2004) when a car driven by a stuntman got out of control, hit her, took her down a crevice, and slammed her into a cactus plant. She broke a bone in one foot and suffered severe cuts, and she was rushed to a hospital. The incident rekindled the discussion about poor safety standards on Bollywood film sets. Has made over 50 music videos in only seven years. Created a frenzy at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival when she arrived at the premiere of her film _Devdas (2002)_ in a coach and wearing a beautiful yellow-orange-embroidered sari. Loves collecting watches. Was the face of Coca Cola South Asia as well as the Middle East. Has achieved iconic status all over South Asia. In a poll conducted by Hello magazine, she was voted the number-one attractive woman of 2003, beating actresses such as Nicole Kidman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Gwyneth Paltrow. The first Bollywood star to appear in Rolling Stone magazine (Issue 932, October 2, 2003) Is an ethnic Bunt, like fellow actors Shilpa Shetty and Sunil Shetty. The Bunts are a South Indian community from Mangalore who mainly speak Tulu, which is Aishwarya's mother tongue. Turned down the role of Mastani in the film _Bajirao Mastani (2005)_. Is fluent in the languages English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, and Urdu. Aamir Khan and Aishwarya Rai are the only stars to advertise for both Coca Cola and Pepsi. Shahrukh Khan recommended her to play Kaurwaki in the film Asoka (2001). But the director wanted to cast someone who hadn't already been paired with Shahrukh as a leading lady. Sued the magazine Star and Style for a sum of Rs 20 million (2 crore) for printing an article claiming that actress Raveena Tandon had caught her and Akshay Kumar in a compromising position at the poolside of a five- star hotel. Is a trained classical dancer. She learnt classical dance and music for five years while in her teens. Won the title of Miss Photogenic in the 1994 Miss World Pageant. Is good friends with actress Preity Zinta. Was listed in Time magazine as one of 100 most influential people in the world (The 2004 TIME 100). Turned down a role in San wa (2005) due to her touring schedule. The role was eventually given to Mallika Sherawat. Has over 17,000 Web sites dedicated to her. On January 2nd, 2005, she became the first Indian actress to be interviewed on "60 Minutes" (1968). A tulip produced in 2005 was named for her. When Oprah Winfrey saw Aishwarya's interview on "60 Minutes" (1968), she was so fascinated by her that she got a hold of Ash and invited her to be a guest on her show. On April 25, 2005, Aishwarya became the first Indian and South Asian actress to be featured on _"Oprah Winfrey Show, The" (1986)_. Director Andy Tennant offered her a small part in _Hitch (2005)_, but she was busy filming Bride and Prejudice at the time. In the summer of 2005, Mattel released limited-edition Barbie dolls inspired by Aishwarya and her costumes. They were released only in Britain and sold out within minutes. These dolls are now considered rare collectibles among fans. Was voted number 12 on VH1's 50 Sexiest Actresses of the Last 20 Years. (December 2005) Was voted as E's 7th sexiest celebrity in the world Was originally signed on to play the part of Simmi in Bluffmaster! (2005), but was replaced without any notice by Priyanka Chopra. Director Rohan Sippy then gave Aishwarya a "special thanks" in the end credits as an apology. When President George W. Bush visited India in March 2006, he invited Aishwarya, along with Aamir Khan, to a luncheon. Aishwarya could not attend because she was in Brazil at the time filming for Dhoom:2 (2006). Turned down the lead in Corporate (2006) because she didn't have any dates available for filming. The role was given to Bipasha Basu. Performed to an audience of 85,000 in Melbourne, Australia at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games with 800 backup dancers. (March 2006) When Karan Johar asked Aishwarya on his talk show which film she wishes she could have been a part of, she responded _Khamoshi: The Musical (1996)_. Featured in People Magazine as one of the 100 Most Beautiful People in the World. (Issue May,8,2006) Got her education at Arya Vidya Mandir and DG Ruparel College, both in Bombay, India. She was also accepted into Raheja College of Architecture in Bombay, but never went. Listed as number 3 of 'Top Bollywood Actresses' of 2006. (rediff.com, 8-25- 2006) Listed #3 by UK magazine Eastern Eye one of "Asia's Sexiest Women" (Sept/ 2006). She was the first choice for the role of Jane Smith in Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), but she turned it down due to filming conflicts. Her Pepsi ad with Aamir Khan was shot in one night during the infamous Bombay riots. Came in #1 in BollySpice.com Magazine's list of "Top 10 Actresses of 2006". In January 2007, she announced that she has accepted a marriage proposal from current boyfriend, actor Abhishek Bachchan. In 2005, Hugh M. Hefner attempted to create and Indian version of Playboy for India, which would feature South Asian women and Indian pop culture articles, but no nudity. He wanted to have Aishwarya on the cover of the first issue. The magazine was rejected. Was invited in 2005 to be a presenter at The 77th Annual Academy Awards (2005) (TV), but was unable to attend because she was busy filming for The Mistress of Spices (2005). Her favorite Western designer is Giorgio Armani. Whenever she is in London, clothes are taken to her hotel for her to choose from. Has appeared on more magazine covers worldwide than any other Bollywood or Indian star. Was considered for the part of Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale (2006). About 15 kilos of henna was special ordered from Sojat in Rajasthan for the henna ceremony before her wedding. Her wedding ceremony lasted a total of three days. It was the most awaited and talked about wedding in years and the press followed it like Princess Diana's wedding. Turned down the role of Neha in Dostana (2008) because she felt that her real life marriage to Abhishek Bachchan wouldn't work well for their characters. The youngest actress to receive the Padmi Shri award, the fourth highest civilian honor, from the Government of India for her contribution to cinema. Aishwarya is the first goodwill ambassador for Smile Train, a charity that works worldwide for children with cleft lip.