Born     Aishwarya Rai
1 November 1973 (age 37)[1]
Mangalore, Karnataka, India
Residence     Mumbai, Maharashtra, India[2]
Other names     Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Occupation     actor, model
Years active     1991–present
Spouse     Abhishek Bachchan (2007–



Aishwarya Rai in 2010

Early life

Rai was born into a Tulu-speaking Bunt family in Mangalore, Karnataka.[8] Her father, Krishnaraj, was a marine biologist, while her mother, Brindya, is a housewife.[1] She has one elder brother, Aditya Rai, who is an engineer in the merchant navy. He co-produced one of her movies, Dil Ka Rishta (2003).[9]
The family moved to Mumbai, where Rai attended the Arya Vidya Mandir High School.[1] Rai did her intermediate schooling at Jai Hind College for a year,[10] and then joined DG Ruparel College[11] in Matunga, securing 90 percent in the HSC exams.[1][12] She trained in classical dance and music for five years during her teens.[12] Her favourite subject was zoology, so she initially considered a career in medicine.[12] With plans to become an architect, she enrolled at Raheja College, but later gave up her education to pursue a career in modelling.[10]

 Modelling career

One of her earliest modelling assignment was, when she was in the ninth grade, for Camlin Pencils.[12] One of her professors at Jai Hind College took pictures of her which were published in a fashion magazine.[13] In 1991 Rai took part in the Ford Supermodel Contest and also appeared in Vogue Magazine.[11] She has been on the cover of Vogue three times.[14]
Rai became popular after appearing in a Pepsi commercial with actor Aamir Khan.[12] She modelled for Longines watches, Coca-Cola,[15] Lakmé Cosmetics, Casio pager, Philips, Palmolive,[13] Lux, and Fuji films.[16] She continued to model while pursuing her studies in architecture.[1][13] She was named the official brand ambassador for De Beers diamonds in India.[16]
In the 1994 Miss India contest, she won second place, behind Sushmita Sen, and was crowned Miss India World.[17] She went on to win the Miss World[18] title the same year, where she also won the Miss Photogenic award.[19] After winning the pageant, she gave up her studies and spent one year reigning as Miss World in London.[17] Rai continued to pursue a career as a model until she became an actress.[2

Film career

Early career (1997–98)
Rai made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam's Tamil biopic film Iruvar (1997), where she worked alongside Mohanlal.[21] The film was a critical success and won many awards, including Best Film award at the Belgrade International Film Festival,[22] and two National Film Awards.[22] Rai appeared in dual roles, one of which was a depiction of political leader and former actress J. Jayalalithaa.[23] Rai made her Bollywood debut in the film in Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya, opposite Bobby Deol, which released the same year; the film was unsuccessful at the box office.[24] Her third project, Jeans (1998), a high-budget Tamil film directed by S. Shankar, was a commercial success. The film included the song "Poovukkul", written by Vairamuthu, in which Rai's character is compared to the seven wonders of the world and described as the eighth.[25][26] The film was India's official entry to the Academy Awards in that year.[27]

Aishwarya Rai

Aishwarya Rai

 Aishwarya Rai

 Aishwarya Rai

 Aishwarya Rai