biography
Aishwarya Bachchan (born Aishwarya Rai on 1 November 1973) is an internationally renowned Indian actress who is often acclaimed as the most beautiful woman in the world.
While pursuing her studies in architecture, Rai began modeling on the side. In the 1994 Miss India contest she won second place and went on to win the Miss World title that year {also winning the Miss Photogenic award}. She abandoned her studies after winning the pageant and spent one year reigning as Miss World in London. She then started working as a professional model and then moved on to her current profession as an actress.
Rai made her movie debut in Mani Ratnam's film Iruvar (1997). A few successful films of her career include Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), which earned the actress her first Filmfare Best Actress Award and Taal (1999), which gave her another nomination for Filmfare's Best Actress; her performances in both the films were lauded.
As her name gained popularity overseas, she was chosen by Time magazine in 2004 as one of the "World's 100 Most Influential People", and appeared on the cover of Time magazine, Asia Edition in 2003. She was the subject of a 60 Minutes profile on 2 January. A month later she appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman. She was also featured on Oprah's "Women Across the Globe" segment. In 2003, she acted in the critically acclaimed and commercial successful Bengali film, Chokher Bali, an adaptation of one of Rabindranath Tagore's novels by the same name.
Rai has been a regular at the Cannes Film Festival since 2002, and was a member of the jury there in the year 2003. In October 2004, a wax figure of Rai was put on display in London's Madame Tussaud's wax museum. She appeared at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, as part of a performance showcasing Indian art, on behalf of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in New Delhi. In between her overseas acting stints, she appeared in the film Bunty Aur Babli in a hugely popular seven minute dance sequence for the song Kajra Re.
After much speculation concerning their relationship, her engagement to Abhishek Bachchan {son of Amitabh Bachchan, a legendary Indian actor} was announced on January 14, 2007. They married on April 20, 2007 according to traditional Hindu rites of the South Indian Bunt community, to which Rai belongs. Token North Indian and Bengali ceremonies were also performed. The wedding took place in a private ceremony at the Bachchan residence Prateeksha in Juhu, Mumbai. Though the wedding was a private affair intended for the Bachchan and Rai family and friends, the involvement of the media made it a national extravaganza.
videos
Aishwarya on Oprahsome achievements
Miss World 1994
In the Most Beautiful Miss World of All Times received the highest score of 9.911 in 2000
First person to make their mark on the Dubai Studio City Wall of Fame
Placed seven on World’s 101 Sexiest Celebrity Bodies On Earth
Time magazine's 2003 cover
Only Bollywood star to appear in Rolling Stone magazine
First Indian actor to be a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival
Wax figure in London's Madame Tussauds Wax museum
Voted as the World’s Most Attractive Woman in 2003 by Hello Magazine readers {one of the most popular British magazines}. She got the place beating Nicole Kidman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Gwyneth Paltrow
No. 30 in Time magazine's issue of 100 Most Influential People of the Year, her second time in the list
Featured in the 2004 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records
Mattel, the largest toy producing company released Barbie dolls adorned with costumes of Aishwarya Rai in 2005
In the 2005 IIFA awards ceremony that took place in Amsterdam a new breed of tulip was named after her
British Govt’s Next Step World Diversity Champion Award in 2005
Global Diversity Award by the European Union in 2005
No. 12 on VH1's 50 Sexiest Actresses of the Last 20 Years
Only Bollywood personality to appear on CBS 60 mins, Oprah Winfrey, Good Morning America and The David Letterman Show
People Magazine, one of the most popular American weekly magazines included her in their list of 100 Most Beautiful People in the World in 2006
Voted No. 5 in the list of Sexiest Stars of 2006. She was the only woman in the Top 5
She is the first Indian actress to be signed on with the American Library Association. In addition, a poster with her picture on it has been made for schools and libraries all over USA
Voted Ninth Most Beautiful Woman in the World" for second year in a row in a survey conducted by Harpers & Queen in their list of the world’s 100 most beautiful women
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