Published By: Gurpreet

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Turns a Year Older: Exploring Her Rise to Global Acclaim and Influence

Aishwarya has been an ambassador for several charity organisations, apart from being a regular at the Cannes Film Festival.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan turns 51 on November 1, 2024 and it would not be wrong to say that the actress, who was the Miss World 1994, is one of the most influential celebrities in India. Besides her acting, she is often referred to as "the most beautiful woman in the world". On her birthday, let’s explore how she rose from her early years to becoming a global face.

Film Career

After making her debut in Mani Ratnam's 1997 Tamil film Iruvar, she made her Hindi film debut in Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya. However, she is best remembered for her roles in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's dramas Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Devdas (2002). Her other successful films include Mohabbatein (2000), Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016), Dhoom 2 (2006), Guru (2007), Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022) among others.

International Projects

On the film front, she rose to international prominence when she appeared opposite Martin Henderson in Gurinder Chadha's British film Bride and Prejudice (2004). The film was a commercial success. In 2005, she starred in the lead role of Tilo in Paul Mayeda Berges's film The Mistress of Spices, an adaptation of the eponymous novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Aishwarya, in 2006, featured alongside Naveen Andrews and Miranda Richardson in Jag Mundhra's British drama Provoked. Her portrayal of real-life character Kiranjit Ahluwalia got her positive reviews. That same year, the actress shared screen space Ben Kingsley, Colin Firth and Thomas Sangster as the Indian warrior Mira in Doug Lefler's The Last Legion.

Her next and last international role was in the 2009 Harald Zwart’s The Pink Panther 2, alongside Steve Martin, Jean Reno and Emily Mortimer.

Global Charity Work

Aishwarya has been an ambassador for several charity organisations, and was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in 2012. In 2003, Aishwarya became the first Indian actress to be a juror at the Cannes Film Festival, and since then, has been a regular face at the festival. She is also the face of several leading brands from across the world.

Regular At Cannes

The Cannes Film Festival, which is known for its glamorous red carpet, has seen several iconic stars over the years. However, since years, Aishwarya Rai has been capturing the spotlight with her breathtaking looks, and has emerged to be an embodiment of elegance, grace, and style, be it her debut at the Cannes in 2002 while promoting her film Devdas to her black and white gown adorned with golden 3D flowers in 2024.