AISHWARYA weds ABHISHEK^^Party time^^

She was born on November 1, 1973. Her pet name is Aishu and her mother tongue is Tulu. She belongs to the South Indian Bunt community. Little Ash loved haggling over vegetable prices. 'Chayageet' on DD was her favourite programme. She has learnt Hindustani and Carnatic music and trained in Bharatnatyam dance. Zoology was her favourite subject in school. She was most disappointed when she could not secure the first position in standard ten. Her first modelling assignment was for Camlin industries in standard nine. Her best friend is Zirak Marker, now a psychiatrist. They studied together in Jaihind college. Her husky voice saying, 'I am Sanju' in the 30-second Pepsi ad with Aamir Khan made her a mega model The ad was shot in a single night, during the infamous Bombay riots. Ad guru Prahlad Kakkar says, "It took her 19 takes and tears to get the sexiness right." She lost out to Sushmita Sen at the Miss Femina India pageant but at the Miss World pageant 1994, she bagged the Miss Catwalk and Miss Photogenic titles with the crown. Her victory at the Miss World 1994 pageant had even Pakistan celebrating with us. The blockbuster trio of 'Taal', 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' and 'Devdas' created cinematic hysteria which Ash will never be able to live down. She is the first Indian actor to be selected as member of the Cannes Film Festival jury with Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbegh and Hollywood actor Meg Ryan. If Devdas had director Baz Luhrmann ('Moulin Rouge') besotted by her, then art house filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh calls her 'a miniature painting'. If Julia Roberts calls her 'the most beautiful woman', Parvez Musharraf has pleaded that she shouldn't act in anti-Pak films. Her wax apparition stands next to Amitabh Bachchan's at Madame Tussuads' London. When she pledged her grey green eyes to the eye bank, hundreds fol lowed suit. In the restaurant scene in 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' with Ajay Devagn, she actually bit on 12 chillies. For 'Kuch Na Kaho', Rohan Sippy took 20 retakes for a scene in which Ash had to slip down a 40-feet mud slide. Not once did she complain. Her favourite film is 'Casablanca' and Raj Kapoor-Nargis is her best screen pair. Is crazy about Happy cologne by Clinique. Black is her favourite colour. Was featured on the cover of Time Asia magazine. Subhash Ghai calls her the first Indian crossover star- 'an Indian soul with western packaging'. More than 176, 000 unofficial websites exist in her name.

Ash she said it "I have had my share of attention from childhood. So I have never sought to grab it. If you notice my body language, I always have one shoulder raised. It means I'm taking things in, listening to what others have to say, rather than shouting for attention…." "B(e) positive is not just about a blood group. It is also about being positive about life…" "I need to reach inside myself and draw on my experiences and translate them in front of the camera…" "Life does teach you what sad ness is. 'Devdas' was an intense experience, something we are not in touch with in our day to day life. Usually we glide the emotional waves, joy, anger, sorrow. We do not, as a rule, search deep to experience such intense emotions."

Ash he likes it!

Adman Prahlad Kakkar gives insights on bride of the year Ash is still the mid- dle class girl who breaks into Tulu every time she meets a Manglorean

First glimpse: I remember the first time I saw her; she had come straight from college to my office for a mouthwash commercial. She was wearing a dirty pair of jeans, chappals, hair tied up with a cloth jhola. Later when I saw her through the cam era wearing a pink shalwar kameez, her hair left open, climbing down the staircase, I was stunned. Subse quently, we fea tured her for a soft-drink com mercial. Ash's two second appearance as Sanju catapulted her into national consciousness.

Few know that Ash missed the medical seat by one percent.