Happy Birthday Aishwarya Rai Bachchan!

The DIVA turns 40

Early Life:
Aishwarya was born in Mangalore, in the South Indian state of Karnataka, to Krishnaraj Rai, a marine engineer, and Vrinda Rai, a writer. Her ancestors are from the Bunt community of Mangalore. Rai has one elder brother, Aditya Rai. She attended the Arya Vidya Mandir at Santacruz, Mumbai, then entered Jai Hind College, Churchgate, Mumbai for one year and then moved to Ruparel College, Matunga, Mumbai to finish her HSC. She was an excellent student and was on track to become an architect.

The Queen's tryst with Showbiz begins :
Leading brands like Titan,Fuji films,Pepsi,Lakme wasted no time and signed her on.Within no time she was a supermodel.Many remember first spotting her in a Pepsi Ad alongside Aamir Khan uttering the "Hi!I am Sanju" line.Top line directors,right from Yash Chopra to Mani Ratnam all had approached her for their films.But she chose to participate in the Miss India contest instead.She had won the Miss Catwalk, Miss Photogenic and the important Miss Perfect 10 among the other titles in the pageant. She eventually went on to win the Miss World Crown.And now she chose FILMS!She chose to make her debut in a rather unconventional film with Mani Ratnam's 'Iruvar'.

The Silver Screen Goddess:
Iruvar though not was not a huge commercial success but was tremendously well received by the critics and so was her performance in the dual role.Her first commercial success came with 'Jeans' which not only became the highest grossing film of the year but also was India's Official entry to the Oscars.And then came 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' where left the entire nation mesmerized with her irresistible beauty,stupendous performance and jaw-dropping display of her exceptional dancing skills.She swept all the awards that year.And this was just the start.It was only her reign since then.Be it the heartbroken pop sensation 'Manasi' in Taal,the enchanting and hopelessly pining Paro in 'Devdas,the naive and effervescent 'Meenu' Kandukondein Kandukondein,the feisty yet gentle Rajput Princess 'Jodhaa' or the fiery,complex and passionately loving 'Sophia' in 'Guzaarish' she brought authenticity and nailed all her characters to perfection and did it with elan.And these are only some from her illustrious body of work.Not only in the commercial blockbusters but she received tremendous acclaim for her exceptional performances in offbeat films like 'Chokher Bali' and 'Raincoat'.And has thereby proved her versatility over the years.
We truly miss her onscreen.Here's hoping her return is much sooner than we think!

The Dancing Swan:
She is one of the greatest dancers to have graced Indian cinema.Not only she is extremely expressive and graceful but can perform on almost any kind of dance form which includes Mujra,Garba,Hip-Hop,Club,Flamenco etc.

Aishwarya Rai is someone who has left an indelible impression on our minds.One of the few and and most successful Indian actors to have made a mark worldwide.Now she is a wife and doting mother of a beautiful girl whom she refers to as 'Angel'.

So here's wishing the most beautiful woman in the world a very very happy birthday!!!!May she have a great great year ahead.And may she keep entertaining and enchanting us for more and more years.

Some of the images from Sujata's Amazing Birthday Post were of great help.Thank you,Sujata!

Happy Birthday Aishwarya Rai Bachchan