Aishwarya Rai

"Sexy in India is not considered positive. But, with today's crop of fresh faces in the modeling arena, being sexy is an asset." -Aishwarya Rai

biography

Aishwarya Rai was born in Mangalore, in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, on November 1st, 1973. Her father, a merchant navy officer, relocated the family to Mumbai (formerly Bombay) when Aishwarya was four years old. She excelled at academics as a child and chose science as her area of concentration, hoping for a career in medicine (zoology being her favorite subject at the time). Instead, Ash -- one of her nicknames -- opted for a career in architecture, and passed her college entrance interviews with flying colors.

brains and beauty

Aishwarya entered the world of modeling when she was in the 9th grade, appearing in an ad for Camlin Industries. Initially, she modeled part-time, while focusing on her studies. As more assignments started rolling in, Ash decided to take a break from architecture and concentrate on modeling.

Aishwarya became well known in India after she appeared in a Pepsi commercial. Other high-profile assignments quickly followed, including Palmolive, Casio pagers, Philips, Sheetal diva, and Prudent. What started off as a part-time activity quickly grew into a full-fledged career, as more companies hired the young beauty with the magnificent blue-green (and sometimes blue-gray) eyes.

In 1991, at the age of seventeen, Aishwarya was coaxed into entering the prestigious Ford Supermodel Contest by a friend. To her amazement, she won, and also took the Tulips Miss Super Vivacious prize, which was part of the same contest. Ash was spotted by famous photographer Steven Meisel, and was soon featured in Vogue magazine. Bollywood, the massive Indian film industry, quickly came calling, and she made her first film appearance in Mamagaru that same year.

taking the world be storm

Initially rejecting subsequent film offers, Ash still hoped to finish her studies as an architect, and be with her family. But her career plans were forever altered when she entered the Miss Femina World contest in 1994. The 20-year-old became the first runner-up, and was tipped to take the title at the upcoming Miss World pageant in Sun City, South Africa. She was crowned Miss World in 1994, was named Miss Catwalk, and was selected as having the Most Photogenic Face by the pageant's judges.

Aishwarya's stunning beauty, elegance and charm made her the darling of India. She became even more famous in her native country after winning the Miss World title, and was again approached by big names in India's movie industry to star in films.

queen of bollywood

Although she had little acting experience, she won over the critics and audiences alike in 1997's Iruvar (a.k.a. The Duo). For her role as Aishi in 1997's ...Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya, Aishu (another one of her nicknames) picked up India's Screen Best Female Debut award. In 1998, she took on the dual role of Madhumitha/Vaishnavi in Jeans, which also won the actress critical praise and much male adoration.

Aishwarya was selected as the spokesmodel for Longines watches in 1999, and continued to appear in Indian films. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her performance in 1999's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (a.k.a. Straight from the Heart).

In 2000, she starred as Meenakshi in Kandukondain Kandukondain (a.k.a. I Have Found It). That same year, she appeared in Mohabbatein (a.k.a. Love Stories) and won rave reviews for her performance as Preeti, a rape victim, in Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai. She was selected as Screen Weekly's Best Actress for 2000.

our dream girl

Her acting career has largely overshadowed her modeling work. In 2002, Ash was featured in no less than five Indian films, including 23rd March 1931: Shaheed and Shakti: The Power, where she appeared as the Dream Girl. Bollywood's Dream Girl could soon become the world's Dream Woman, should Aishwarya Rai decide to take on European or American cinema as her next conquest.