AISHWARYA RAI BACHCHAN'S BIOGRAPHY
Aishwarya was born to Krishnaraj Rai, an ex-army biologist and Vrinda Rai, a homemaker on 1st November 1973 in Mangalore, Karnataka. Unfortunately, Mr Rai passed away on 18th March 2017. She has one elder brother, Aditya Rai, a merchant navy who is married to Shrima Rai and has two sons with her. Aishwarya described her family as a very close knit one, where she was encouraged to speak up and share her thoughts and problems from a very early age. Aishwarya is a practicing Hindu and whenever given the time, one can expect to see her visit Hindu Temples during important religious dates as well as during the various milestones in her life.
Aishwarya was first introduced to Abhishek Bachchan by her co-star Bobby Deol on the sets of her first Bollywood movie, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya. They since remained friends and worked together in 5 movies, following which they ended up getting married on 20th April 2007. The wedding was a held at Prateeksha, one of the Bachchan residences among close family and friends. Media from all over the world reported the wedding whilst thousands of fans flocked to the venue with the hope of getting a glimpse of the couple. After the wedding, Aishwarya changed her name from Aishwarya Rai to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
Abhishek and Aishwarya have since been named the power couple as well as “Brangelina” of Bollywood, as well as being nicknamed “AbhiAsh”. Aishwarya gave birth to their daughter, Aaradhya Bachchan in Seven Hills Hospital on 16th November 2011. Despite strict security arrangements, the global media anticipated the birth whilst many bookies placed bets on the date of birth, with 11th November 2011 being a popular guess, as well as the gender of the baby. The Bachchans decided to keep the baby’s name a secret and only revealed it months later. Again, bookies placed many bets on the name too, knowing that they’d name her with the letter ‘A’, since that was revealed during the press conference on the day the baby was brought home. They decided to reveal the baby’s face on Aishwarya’s 39th birthday on 1st November 2012, the day she received the Ordre des arts et des Lettres award.
Aishwarya moved to Mumbai with her family at a very young age, where she attended Arya Vidya Mandir High School followed by Jai Hind College for one year. Aishwarya, who was always a bright student subsequently attended DG Ruparel College where she attained 90% in her HSC exams. She had an interest for zoology and initially wanted to study Medicine, but ended up applying for and securing a place to study Architecture at Raheja College. However, at this point Aishwarya started to rise to fame in the world of modelling so decided to a year’s break to complete her modelling assignments. However, she since became a big name in the industry and never returned to complete her degree.
From a young age, Aishwarya, was trained in Bharatnatyam and also learnt Hindustani classical and Carnatic music. Aishwarya once revealed that music played a big part in her childhood, as she loved watching Chayageet, whilst her mother would listen to old hindi music and her brother would play and record pop music. Watching movies, however, were limited to weekends, not because they were a taboo, but because her parents thought that their exposure to films, like chocolate or play time, should be moderated. She does admit, however, that she was always enthralled by the cinematic experiences movies provided her and also once quoted Casablanca to be her favourite movie.
Aishwarya’s first commercial was for Camlin pencils, when she was in 9th grade. When she was in college, one of her professors asked her to do a shoot for him, and it was after this shoot that Aishwarya started getting recognised in the modelling world. She then became a household name after her Pepsi ad opposite Aamir Khan in 1993, and her Garden Saree ads and Lakme ads.
Aishwarya’s first brush with pageantry came in 1991, when she won the international supermodel contest organised by Ford and ended up featuring in the American Vogue magazine. She then went on to participate in the 1994 Miss India pageant, but ended up as first runner up to Sushmita Sen despite having all odds in her favour. She was then sent to participate in the Miss World contest in Sun City, South Africa in the same year and ended up winning the Miss World crown as well as the Miss Photogenic title.
Aishwarya, who was flooded with film offers since she started modelling, decided to finally take them up after completing her Miss World duties. Her first movie, Iruvar (1997), was a Tamil movie, directed by renowned filmmaker Mani Ratnam. Many thought this was a very unconventional choice given her fame and appeal, but Aishwarya followed her heart instead and portrayed dual roles in the film. The movie was a critical success and and even went on to win the award for Best Film at the Belgrade International Film Festival. Her second film, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya was also her first Bollywood film. Although the films weren’t commercial successes, she ended up winning the Best Debut Award for the latter.
She went on to star in a big budget Tamil movie, Jeans (1998) and this time dubbed her own lines. The film was a commercial success and Aishwarya received a lot of praise for her acting skills. Jeans was also sent as India’s official entry to the Academy Awards that year, though it didn’t win the award. She also starred in Aa Ab Laut Chale the same year, though it didn’t impress at the box office.
It was in 1999 that Aishwarya emerged as a successful actress with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Subhash Ghai’s Taal. Both movies were critical and commercial successes and Taal was the first Indian movie to feature in the top 20’s at the American box office. Aishwarya garnered a lot of praise for either movie, and while Taal gave her a second Filmfare Award nomination, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam have her the award.
Aishwarya then went on to act in Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000), another Tamil film which was based on Jane Austen’s Sense and and Sensibility. Aishwarya was praised for her role once again though many people questioned her choice after her two previous huge successes. Looking back, people now realise that Aishwarya only strengthened her filmography with these choices.
She gave more notable performances in Josh, Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai, Dhai Akshar Prem Ke (which was her first movie opposite her now husband Abhishek Bachchan) and Mohabbatein (which also starred her now father in law Amitabh Bachchan). It was after Devdas (2002) and its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival the same year that she gained international recognition. Aishwarya gained a lot of praise and recognition for her portrayal of Paro. In fact, the film is treasured as one of the best movies ever made in Bollywood. Devdas featured in Time magazine as one of the 10 best movies of the millennium and was a huge commercial and critical success. Devdas was India’s official entry for the Academy Awards that year, and it also gained a nomination in the foreign language film category at the BAFTA Awards. Aishwarya gained her second Filmfare Award for this film.
Aishwarya then starred in her brother’s production Dil Ka Rishta (2003), which was written by her mother and the movie and it’s soundtrack created a lot of buzz among the audience. She then acted in her second movie opposite Abhishek Bachchan, Kuch Naa Kaho (2003). Her next movie that year was Chokher Bali, a Bengali film helmed by Rituparno Ghosh, she gained critical acclaim once again.
Her next film was the much anticipated Khakhee (2004), which also starred Amitabh Bachchan, Alshay Kumar and Ajay Devgan. It was during the making of the song ‘Dil Dooba’ in this movie that a car accidentally rammed into her and fractured her foot. The film did moderately well at the box office and Aishwarya gained a lot of applaud for unexpectedly portraying a negative role during the peak of her career. 2004 was also the year during which she made her Hollywood debut in Gurinder Chadha’s Bride and Predice, which was based on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. She started opposite Martin Henderson and her portrayal of Lalita Bakshi (the Indian version of Elizabeth Bennet) gained her a lot of appraisal and strengthened her global appeal. The movie ended up making over thrice its budget at the box office and is still one of the movies you are sure to find in almost every British school’s library. Aishwarya the continued her pattern of choosing unconventional roles through Rituparno Ghosh’s Raincoat opposite Ajay Devgan. The movie was shot in just 16 days and was very well received critically. This movie earned her her next Filmfare nomination.
In 2005 Aishwarya starred in Shabd opposite Sanjay Dutt and Zayed Khan. This film had a very unusual plot, as did her next Hollywood venture The Mistress of Spices. 2005 was also the year during which Aishwarya appeared alongside her future father in law and husband in the iconic song Kajra Re from Bunty Aur Babli.
Aishwarya went on to act in two Bollywood movies in 2006, either of which co-starred Abhishek Bachchan. The first was Umrao Jaan, based on Mirza Hadi Ruswa’s novel Umrao Jaan Ada. Directed by J P Dutta, the big budget film was heavily criticised to its previous adaptation starring Rekha but many members of the audience still look back at this movie as one of the heavyweights in Aishwarya’s career. Her 2nd movie that year was Dhoom 2. This movie saw a trimmed down version of Aishwarya in a never before seen avatar, and the movie was a huge box office success. Aishwarya also starred in her third Hollywood venture Provoked that year. The movie was based on the life of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, a non-resident India who sets her husband on fire following years of domestic abuse. Aishwarya garnered a lot of praise for her strong performance in the film.
2007 saw Aishwarya’s last Bollywood release before she got married. She starred opposite Abhishek Bachchan in Guru, which was loosely based on the life of Dhirubai Ambani, where she played the protagonist’s wife. Her performance was greatly appreciated and the movie did extremely well at the global box office. It was during the night of the New York premiere of this film that Abhishek proposed to her using a prop ring from the same ring on the balcony of their hotel. Aishwarya’s 4th Hollywood release, The Last Legion alongside Ben Kingsley and Colin Firth also released that year.
In 2008, Aishwarya’s next big budget period drama, Jodhaa Akbar co-starring Hritik Roshan released. Jodhaa Akbar was both a commercial and critical success and set the benchmark for period movies alongside Devdas in Bollywood. Aishwarya later acted alongside her father in law and husband in Ram Gopa Verma’s Sarkar Raj, the second part of the Sarkar series and the movie performed very well at the box office whilst also gaining critical appraisal.
In 2009, Aishwarya’s 5th (and at the time this biography was written, also her final) Hollywood venture released. The Pink Panther 2 was a sequel to the every so popular The Pink Panther. She starred alongside Steve Martin and the film did moderately at the box office.
Aishwarya gave 4 releases in 2010. The first was Raavanan/ Raavan, co-starring Abhishek. This was her third movie with Mani Ratnam and it was released in both Tamil and Hindi. Aishwarya’s performance was highly appreciated, and while the Tamil version was a success at the box office, the hindi version wasn’t. Her next film that year was Enthiran/ Robot, opposite South superstar Rajnikanth. The movie was the most expensive production to date and released in both Tamil and Hindi. The movie was a huge success at the box office and Aishwarya’s portrayal of Sana was well received. Her third release that year was Vipul Shah’s Action Replayy, her second film opposite Alshay Kumar. Her final release was Guzaarish, her third movie with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and also her third opposite Hritik Roshan. The movie did very well critically and Aishwarya’s portrayal of Sophia D’Souza was appreciated.
Followiing Guzaarish, Aishwarya took a few months to announce her next movie, Heroine at Cannes Film Festival in 2011. However, following her pregnancy she was replaced by Kareena Kapoor and the film went on to flop at the box office.
Aishwarya took a sabbatical following her daughter’s birth and didn’t release her next movie, Jazbaa till 2015. Jazbaa was a remake of the Korean drama-thriller Seven Days. It was helmed by Sanjay Gupta, where Aishwarya played the role of Anuradha Verma, a lawyer who fought to get her kidnapped daughter back. The film was average at the box office.
Her next movie was Omung Kumar’s Sarbjit, based on the real life story of Sarabjit Singh, who accidentally crossed the border and ended up in Pakistan’s jail, and his sister Dalbir Kaur’s endless fights to bring him back to India. She released the film at the Cannes Film Festival and her performance was largely well received and she earned her her 10th Filmfare nomination.
Aishwarya returned with Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil in 2016. She played the role of a poet and she received unanimous praise for her performance, despite her role being shorter than the other two leads. The movie ended up being a commercial success.
In 2017, Aishwarya did another extended cameo in Fanney Khan, a remake of the Belgian film Everybody’s Famous. She played the role of a pop star, and was even choreographed by Hollywood choreographer Frank Gatson. Her performance was well liked but left viewers longing for more.
In 2019, Aishwarya dubbed the hindi version of Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil. She was used as the face of the film in the trailer and her expression of Maleficent was greatly praised.
Aishwarya is now all set to star in Mani Ratnam’s big budget magnum opus, Ponnyin Selvan. She is set to begin preparing for her role during the end of 2019 and will portray the dual role of Nandini, the main antagonist of the story and her mother Mandakini.
Aishwarya’s first commercial was for Camlin Pencils when she was just in her 9th grade. She then appeared in the famous Pepsi commercial opposite Aamir Khan in 1993, which is still remembered as one of the best Indian television ads of all time. She also endorsed Cocoa Cola for a whileC and became the only actress to have endorsed both Pepsi and Coca Cola. Other early endorsements include Garden Sarees, Lakme, Fuji Films, Casio Pager, Palmolive, Philips and Sahara Airways. She was also named as the official brand ambassador for De Beers Diamonds – Nakshatra Jewellery, as well as for Lux. She was signed up as brand ambassador for luxury watch brand Longines in 1999, and continued to be their brand ambassador to date. This is one of her two longest runs as brand ambassador, with the second being L’Oréal Paris who named her their international brand ambassador in 2003. She endorsed Kalyan Jewellers for a few years, as well as TTK Prestige alongside her husband and financial reports of either brand have shown that she was successful in bringing in revenue for either brand. In 2019, Mondelez announced her as their brand ambassador for Cadbury Dark Chocolate. Aishwarya is one of the highest paid actresses in Bollywood and she has always shown to bring in success for every brand she is associated with.
Aishwarya has been associated with many charitable causes during her career, many of which aren’t even reported. She also opened her own charity organisation called The Aishwarya Rai Foundation in 2004.
In 1994, she became the brand ambassador for Pulse Polio, a polio eradication program. She also became the brand ambassador for the International Year of Microcredit, a program that was a part of the United Nations’ aims to alleviate poverty that same year. She then also associated with The Eye Bank Association of India and pledged to donate her eyes. She is also a supporter of PETA India. In 1999, she participated in the concert The Magnificent Five alongside Aamir Khan, Rani Mulherjee, Akshaye Khanna and Twinkle Khanna , profits of which were contributed to a charitable organisation.
She took part in another concert called HELP! Telethon Concert In 2005 to help the victims of the 2004 tsunami. In 2009, she became a brand ambassador for Smile Train, a charitable organisation which helps provide cleft lip surgeries to poor children. She is also associated with The Magic Bus charity. In 2012, she became the brand ambassador for UNAIDS.
Author – Tasnima Khan
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