Most beautiful woman, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is celebrating her 49th birthday. Aishwarya is a Bollywood actress and winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant. She was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009.
Birth and family
Aishwarya Rai was born on 1 November 1973, in Mangalore, Karnataka. Her father, Krishnaraj, who died on 18 March 2017, was an Army biologist, while her mother, Vrinda is a housewife. She has one elder brother, Aditya Rai, who is an engineer in the merchant navy.
Education
Aishwarya Rai did her intermediate schooling at Jai Hind College for a year. She then joined DG Ruparel College in Matunga, securing 90 percent in the HSC exams. She is trained in classical dance and music for five years during her teens. Her favourite subject was zoology, and she initially considered a career in medicine.
Modelling
While in college, Rai did a few modelling jobs. she entered the Miss India pageant, in which she was placed second. Aishwarya was crowned Miss World 1994, after which she began receiving offers to act in films. She made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam’s 1997 Tamil movie and had her first Hindi film release in ‘Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya’ that same year.
Films
Rai first commercial success was the Tamil romantic drama ‘Jeans’ in 1998. Apparently it was the most expensive Indian film at the time. She achieved wider success and won two Filmfare Awards for Best Actress for her performances in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s romantic dramas ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ in 1999 and ‘Devdas’ 2002. In 2003, she was the first Indian actress to be a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival.
Marriage
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan married actor Abhishek Bachchan in 2007 and the couple have one daughter Aaradhya Bachchan. Her off-screen roles include duties as a brand ambassador for several charity organisations and campaigns. She is a Goodwill Ambassador for the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS (UNAIDS).
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