Miss World Aishwarya Rai The Sexy Queen

Date of Birth

1 November 1973, Mangalore, Karnataka, India

Birth Name

Aishwarya Krishnaraj Rai

Nickname

Ash

Gullu

Height

5' 7" (1.70 m)

Mini Biography

Born into a traditional south Indian family, Aishwarya started modeling at a young age. This green-blue-eyed beauty appeared in advertisements for many prestigious firms; the ones that brought her into the limelight were the garden sari and the Pepsi ad. Crowned Miss India 1994 runner-up, she was a hot favorite in the run for miss world title, which she won, her beauty and charm made her India's darling. Ash stormed into the Indian movie industry, where she has proven herself a brilliant & genuine actress. Her performance in The Duo (1997) was critically acclaimed, and she won the Screen best female debutant award for her role in ...Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya (1997). She was adored in movies like Taal, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas, her item number in 'Bunty & Bubbly' had sent waves of rhythm across the nation. With her successful Bollywood movies & prestigious Hollywood projects lined up for release it is impossible to ignore this Indian diva in international scenes



Aishwarya was an architecture student before she entered modeling as her part-time job. She was best known for her Pepsi commercial withMahima 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 (1998) and as Meenakshi in I Have Found It (2000). She won the Filmfare Award for best actress for her performance in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) 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 (2000)..

Ash's star continued to rise in 2002 working again with Sajay Leela Bhansali in 'Devdas'. 'Devdas' is the most ambitious and most successful film in Bollywood history. It became the first Bollywood picture to ever receive a special screening at this year's Cannes Film Festival and broke box-office records in India and the United States.



2003 brought even more exciting opportunities. Ash became the first Indian actor to be a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival. She is also the latest member of the elite L'Oreal Dream Team, joining beauties Catherine Deneuve & Andie MacDowell as their international ambassador. She graced the covers of India Today and the prestigious TIME Magazine. Time Magazine has also listed her on their list of the "100 Most Influential People in the World Today". She has graced numerous covers worldwide including USA, UK, China, Russia, Israel, United Emerites, Italy, Spain and France. Ash was also listed on Rolling Stone Magazine's annual "Hot List", Hello Magazine's Most Attractive Women in the World", Stuff Magazine, FHM magazine, V-Life from Variety Magazine, GQ Magazine, New York Times Magazine, Harper's & Queen and countless others.



2004 saw Aishwarya take on the leading role in her first English language film for Gurinder Chadha in "Bride & Prejudice". She also became the first Indian female to be immortalized in wax at the world famous Madame Tussaud's wax museum in London.



With over 17,000 websites dedicated to her, Ash finally launched her "Official Website" www.AishwaryaWorld.com



2005 started with appearances on "60 Minutes", "David Letterman Show" and the most watched television program in the world the "Oprah Winfrey Show". Aishwarya's career continues to grow even stronger - she will soon be seen in Mistress of Spices for director Paul Berges, Jag Mundhra's Provoked, Sanjay Gadhvi's Dhoom 2 and legendary film producer Dino De Laurentiis's The Last Legion opposite Colin Firth and Sir Ben Kingsley. The Queen of Bollywood is already becoming the talk of tinseltown and is currently in negotiations on two major motion pictures.

Trade Mark

Her blue-green eyes

Personal Quotes

I'm just average woman with average concerns.

Life will take its toll on all of us. We get injured, we get old. It's really sad to try to run away from these harsh realities of life. Looks are not everything. I am not going to look beautiful all the time.

You give to the world your greatest gift when you're being yourself.

I believe that as an actress all my fears and phobias exist till I sign on the dotted line for a film.

I don't believe in proving a point to anybody. Nobody is that important.

It's strange that Rakesh Roshan thinks I look older than Hrithik. In fact, he's approached me for all his home productions.

I always knew I would be successful. So there was no element of surprise.

I know for a fact that if there's a role which I am suited for, I'll be signed on. I'll never go begging.

"I only entered Miss India after pressure from friends and because I thought it would be a laugh".

Comedy is difficult for an actor. But I think I have a good sense of humor and manage to make people laugh and make them happy.

On donating her eyes after death - "People know me more because of my eyes. So, I decided to donate my eyes. But before that, I acquired all the information about the campaign. Within what time after death one has to donate eyes, and all other information. Only then I decided to donate my eyes. It's not that just for doing something, I donated my eyes. I found that useful so I did it. I like to do social service from my heart. Whatever is possible I do, but I don't speak of that. But I would like to give more time to it in the near future."

Women in the industry have been exploited very often, but there are some actors who belive that the short cut to stardom is through nudity or exposure. Such success is, in fact, very short-lived.

On being voted the most bankable Bollywood star in Hollywood: Wow! Me the most bankable Bollywood star in Hollywood? Thank you! I must confess that any acknowledgment of hard work makes me feel content. In all humility I want to thank all those who feel I'm bankable.

God has given me plenty of reasons to smile and I feel it's time to spread it around. There are a lot of children out there who so desperately need help, but can't receive timely care because their families cannot afford this surgery or are ill-educated about this condition.