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| She rules the hearts of millions and is touted as one of the most beautiful actresses ever to grace Indian cinema. Aishwarya Rai, who turns 33 today, returns to the marquee after a long hiatus - playing a courtesan in 'Umrao Jaan' and an oomph girl in 'Dhoom 2'. MSN India traces the life of India's first ever international star! |
| Ash gets crowned |
| Born in Mangalore, Ash later moved to Mumbai where she attended the Arya Vidya Mandir and then entered Ruparel College. While studying architecture, Aishwarya was crowned Miss World. Since winning the Miss World title, she has become one of Bollywood's most popular stars |
| Aishwarya Rai |
| Instead of entering mainstream Bollywood, Ash chose to debut in Mani Ratnam's critically acclaimed Tamil film, 'Iruvar' opposite Mohanlal and Tabu in which she played a dual role. However, Ash's much-awaited Bollywood debut - 'Aur pyaar ho gaya' proved to be a dull affair both with the critics and at the box office |
| Ash in 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' |
| Her first major Bollywood hit came a few years later in 1999 with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.' The following year, she appeared in the extremely successful 'Mohabbatein' |
| Aishwarya Rai in 'Devdas' |
| Ash's star continued to rise in 2002 when she worked again with Sajay Leela Bhansali in 'Devdas'. 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 |
| Ash's achievements |
| 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 like Catherine Deneuve & Andie MacDowell as their international ambassador |
| Aishwarya Rai |
| Time Magazine has also included her on their list of the "100 Most Influential People in the World Today". Ash was also listed on Rolling Stone Magazine's annual "Hot List", Hello Magazine's Most Attractive Women in the World", and other hot lists of Stuff Magazine, FHM magazine, V-Life from Variety Magazine, GQ Magazine, New York Times Magazine and Harper's & Queen. She also became the first Indian female to be immortalized in wax at the world famous Madame Tussaud's wax museum in London |
| Aishwarya Rai in 'Bride and Prejudice' |
| 2004 saw Aishwarya take on a leading role in her first English language film for Gurinder Chadha in 'Bride & Prejudice,' while 2005 started with appearances on '60 Minutes,' 'David Letterman Show' and the most watched television program in the world the 'Oprah Winfrey Show' |
| Ash's awards |
| Ash was awarded the Filmfare Best Actress Award for 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' in 2000 She won the same award for 'Devdas' in 2002 Ash has been nominated four times in the Best Actress category and once in the Best Supporting Actress category at the Filmfare Awards. She has also won three IIFA Awards, three Z-Gold Awards, four Star Screen Awards, an EU's Global Diversity Award, three Zee Cine Awards and a Rajiv Gandhi Award. When the IFFA awards took place in Amsterdam, Aishwarya had a breed of tulip named after her as well. |
| Best of Ash |
| 1997 - Iruvar as Pushpa/Kalpana 1998 - Jeans as Madhumitha/Vaishnavi 1999 - Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam as Pooja Walia 1999 - Taal as Mansi 2000 - Kandukondain Kandukondain as Meenakshi Bala |
| Best of Ash |
| 2000 - Josh as Shirley 2000 - Mohabbatein as Megha 2002 - Devdas as Paro 2002 - Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin as Komal Rastogi 2003 - Chokher Bali as Binodhini |
| Best of Ash |
| 2004 - Bride & Prejudice as Lalitha Bakshi 2004 - Raincoat as Neerja 2004 - Khakee as Mahalakshmi 2005 - Bunty Aur Babli in cameo |
| Best of Ash |
| 2005 - Shabd as Antara Vashist 2005 - Mistress of Spices as Tilo 2006 - Provoked as Kiranjit Alluwalia |
| Ash in 'Umrao Jaan' |
| Aishwarya, Whose last Hindi release, 'Shabd,' sank without a trace at the box office, is hoping to hit the bull's eye with 'Umrao Jaan,' 'Dhoom 2' and Mani Rathnam's 'Guru'. While 'Umrao Jaan' releases on Friday, 'Dhoom 2' is set for a Nov 24 release and 'Guru' in December. We at MSN India wish Ash the very best, and hope she continues doing great work! |
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