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 This former Miss World with the captivating
blue-green eyes has captured the hearts and
imagination of millions of not only India but world
over.
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.
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 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.
Aishwarya's first Hindi
film was Aur Pyar Ho Gaya. She has won Filmfare award
for best actress in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Her recent
appearance in Dhoom 2 was highly appreciated. Her last
film Guru was a big hit.
Besides doing Bollywood
films, Aishwarya Rai continues to explore international
cinema. Brand ambassador of
L'Oreal
and Longines watches, Aishwarya divides her time between
acting and her modeling assignments. She recently got
married to Abhishek Bachchan. |
