Biography

Mini Biography

Spouse

Abhishek Bachchan

(20 April 2007 - present)

Trade Mark

Her blue-green eyes

Trivia

Wanted to study medicine, but circumstances prevented her.

Miss World 1994.

Dated Salman Khan.

Was offered Rani Mukherjee's role in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998).

Runner up, Miss India 1994

Ambassador (spokesperson) for Longines watches since 1999.

Daughter of Vrinda Rai

Sister of Aditya Rai

In April 2003, she suffered an accident on the sets of Khakee (2004) when a car driven by a stuntman got out of control, hit her, took her down a crevice, and slammed her into a cactus plant. She broke a bone in one foot and suffered severe cuts, and she was rushed to a hospital. The incident rekindled the discussion about poor safety standards on Bollywood film sets.

The first Indian actress to be on the jury of the Cannes International Film Festival.

Has made over 50 music videos in only seven years.

Despite the fact that she is adorned with jewelry in her music videos and movies, she is apparently not too fond of it.

Created a frenzy at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival when she arrived at the premiere of her film _Devdas (2002)_ in a coach and wearing a beautiful yellow-orange-embroidered sari.

Was originally cast in the role of Jwala in the film _The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey (2005)_, but dropped out before filming started due to contract problems. The role was later given to Ameesha Patel.

Loves collecting watches.

Made her first commercial for Camlin pencils when she was in the 9th grade.

Was the face of Coca Cola South Asia as well as the Middle East.

Favorite subject in college was Zoology.

Has achieved iconic status all over South Asia.

Is featured in the 2004 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records.

In a poll conducted by Hello magazine, she was voted the number-one attractive woman of 2003, beating actresses such as Nicole Kidman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Gwyneth Paltrow.

In April 2003, L'Oréal signed her as its new international brand ambassador (spokesperson).

The first Bollywood star to appear in Rolling Stone magazine (Issue 932, October 2, 2003)

Gained 20 pounds for Bride & Prejudice (2004) because she didn't want her character to look like a supermodel and also felt that it would add a sense of realism to the character.

Is an ethnic Bunt, like fellow actors Shilpa Shetty and Sunil Shetty. The Bunts are a South Indian community from Mangalore who mainly speak Tulu, which is Aishwarya's mother tongue.

Turned down the lead in Munnabhai M.B.B.S. (2003). The role was given to Gracy Singh.

Turned down the role of Mastani in the film _Bajirao Mastani (2005)_.

The first movie star she ever met was Rekha. Aishwarya was still in high school at the time and was a model. While at a grocery store with her mother, Aishwarya was tapped on the shoulder by none other than Rekha herself. Rekha recognized Aishwarya from her modeling ads. She complimented the young Aishwarya on her good looks and wished her all the best.

Is fluent in the languages English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, and Urdu.

Was originally intended for the role of Priya in the film _Chalte Chalte (2003)_.

Aamir Khan and Aishwarya Rai are the only stars to advertise for both Coca Cola and Pepsi.

Before she was famous, she auditioned to do voice-dubbing for a television serial and was rejected.

Shah Rukh Khan recommended her to play Kaurwaki in the film Ashoka the Great (2001). But the director wanted to cast someone who hadn't already been paired with Shahrukh as a leading lady.

After winning the title of Miss World in 1994, the host of the event, Richard Steinmetz, actually asked Aishwarya out. But being a professional, she refused right away.

Sued the magazine Star and Style for a sum of Rs 20 million (2 crore) for printing an article claiming that actress Raveena Tandon had caught her and Akshay Kumar in a compromising position at the poolside of a five- star hotel.

During the filming of the song 'Dola Re Dola' from the movie _Devdas (2002)_, Aishwarya's ears were bleeding because to the heavy earrings she had to wear, but she continued to perform anyway.

Is a trained classical dancer. She learnt classical dance and music for five years while in her teens.

Has a puppy named Sunshine, which was given to her as a gift by friend Vivek Oberoi.

Won the title of Miss Photogenic in the 1994 Miss World Pageant.

Has won over 100 awards since 1994 when she was 20.

Is good friends with actress Preity Zinta.

Has gained a cult following in Pakistan.

Was listed in Time magazine as one of 100 most influential people in the world (The 2004 TIME 100).

Ran the Olympic-torch relay in June 2004.

Turned down a role in The Myth (2005) due to her touring schedule. The role was eventually given to Mallika Sherawat.

Has refused to work with Salman Khan after their break-up, in spite of several offers.

Has over 17,000 Web sites dedicated to her.

In 2004, Aishwarya became the first Bollywood and Indian actress to have her own statue at London's Madame Tussauds museum.

On January 2nd, 2005, she became the first Indian actress to be interviewed on "60 Minutes" (1968).

Voted #9 in Harpers and Queen magazine's list of the 100 most beautiful women of today. (Harpers and Queen, June 6, 2005)

A tulip produced in 2005 was named for her.

Member of the jury at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.

When Oprah Winfrey saw Aishwarya's interview on "60 Minutes" (1968), she was so fascinated by her that she got a hold of Ash and invited her to be a guest on her show. On April 25, 2005, Aishwarya became the first Indian and South Asian actress to be featured on _"Oprah Winfrey Show, The" (1986)_.

Turned down a small role as Breseis in the film Troy (2004).

Director Andy Tennant offered her a small part in _Hitch (2005)_, but she was busy filming Bride and Prejudice at the time.

Turned down the role of Anna in A Sublime Love Story: Barsaat (2005).

In the summer of 2005, Mattel released limited-edition Barbie dolls inspired by Aishwarya and her costumes. They were released only in Britain and sold out within minutes. These dolls are now considered rare collectibles among fans.

Her favourite film is Casablanca.

Was voted number 12 on VH1's 50 Sexiest Actresses of the Last 20 Years. (December 2005)

Roger Ebert has said he considers her the most beautiful actress in the world.

Was voted as E's 7th sexiest celebrity in the world

The first actress from India to get signed on with the American Library Association and also have a poster made of her for schools and library's all across America.