The actress made her debut in 1997 with Mani Ratnam's critically acclaimed film, 'Iruvar'. The rest - as they say - is history!
When Aishwarya Rai (Bachchan) won the Miss World pageant in 1994, it was not only a turning point in her career, but also the beginning of a new era. Well, it was "the Aishwarya era" where every individual, regardless of gender, remained mesmerized by her beauty. She soon made her foray into Bollywood, and within a short period, emerged as one of the country's most beloved celebrities. From 1997 to 2010, she appeared in several critically and commercially successful films, such as 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam', 'Taal', 'Mohabbatein', 'Devdas', 'Chokher Bali', 'Dhoom 2', 'Raavan', 'Jodha Akbar', and 'Enthiran' among others.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in a still from ‘Devdas’
However, Aishwarya's impact has never been limited to her on-screen roles. Since 2010, after the release of 'Guzaarish', she has been part of fewer than 10 films, and yet she reigns supreme in the hearts of millions. Speaking about the actress, Sanjay Leela Bhansali (who directed her in 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam', 'Devdas', and 'Guzaarish') said, "There's something in her eyes. That's the most important aspect of her. They are not 'normal'. They are so powerful that even if you don't give her dialogue, they emote."
(Credit: aishwaryaraibachchan_arb)
What's interesting is that the actress, while growing up, never actually wanted to pursue a career in showbiz. Today, on the occasion of her 51st birthday, let's learn about her early aspirations in this article.
Aishwarya Rai was born in Mangalore (Karnataka), and her family later moved to Mumbai due to her father's job transfer. She studied at the Arya Vidya Mandir High School, and had her intermediate schooling at Jai Hind College for a year, before enrolling at D. G. Ruparel College in Matunga. In fact, she secured 90 percent in the Higher Secondary (School) Certificate (HSC) exams.
She was a brilliant student and was always committed to maintaining a good academic standard. In her words, "I've always got a first rank except for my seventh-grade mid-term when I stood second. When I came to the 10th grade, my seniors, my juniors, everybody thought I'd top the ICSE board exams. But I came seventh or eighth in class and that was a huge ego blow."
Her favorite subject in school was zoology. And hence, she initially aspired to become a doctor. As the 'Devdas' actress later shared in an interview, "No one in my immediate family or even in extended family has ever belonged to showbiz. So actually, we are more academically oriented. So, it was always about completing education, getting a degree, and going to professional school. The dream was medicine, to actually become a doctor."
It was while studying in her junior college that Aishwarya was advised by her professor, who was also a photojournalist, to do a fashion feature. In her words, "While I was in junior college, there was a professor of mine, and she was also a photojournalist, while she was a professor of English literature. She requested I do this one fashion feature for her and I just did it for her. I never went to the conventional root of having a portfolio and going and looking for a job or having an agent or an agency, I was just a student doing this one feature for a professor. But she was the one who told everybody about this girl called Aishwarya, and I had calls pouring in. I was virtually invited into the industry with very good assignments."
aishwarya rai, from maniratnam's iruvar (1997) pic.twitter.com/FRoHLyBd63
— Films and Stuffs (@filmsandstuffs) October 15, 2024
(Credit: Films and Stuffs)
Rai had become incredibly famous even before she won the Miss World 1994 pageant. And after her grand victory, there was simply no looking back for her. She made her acting debut in 1997 with the Tamil film 'Iruvar', and had her Hindi film debut with 'Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya' later that year.
Happy Birthday, Aishwarya!
