Aishwarya Rai

* 1994 Awarded the Miss World title
* 1997 First Bollywood film "Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya" directed by Rahul Rawail
* 1997 Made film debut in Mani Ratnam’s critically acclaimed Tamil language film, "Iruvar" in which she played a double-role
* 1998 Starred in the critically successful, "Jeans" by S. Shankar
* 2002 Garnered international attention for the lavishly produced "Devdas," which was a major box-office success; film received a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival
* 2003 Was the first Indian actress to be invited to sit on the jury at the Cannes Film Festival
* 2004 Chosen by TIME Magazine’s Asian Edition as one of Asia’s "100 Most Influential People"
* 2005 Made her U.S. film debut in Gurinder Chadha’s "Bride and Prejudice" a Bollywood update of Jane Austen’s classic tale
* 2006 Appeared in "Mistress of Spices," from the novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
* 2007 Played an abused wife in Jag Mundhra’s indie film "Provoked"
* Appeared in the popular Indian films "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" (1999) and "Mohabbatein" (2000)
* Will star opposite Sir Ben Kingsley and Colin Firth in "The Last Legion," an epic set in a crumbling Roman empire (lensed 2006)


Biography


Aishwarya Rai’s striking beauty might make her seem an obvious fit as a model, but the truth is that India’s 1994 Miss World winner originally took up modeling as a part-time job to get her through school. She was studying to be an architect, but due to her obvious talent on-stage and in front of the camera, -- most notably in a wildly popular Pepsi campaign -- the starlet began accepting the movie offers that had been pouring in. Rai began her reign as Bollywood’s favorite leading lady in the film Iruvar, following it up that same year with ...Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya. They both earned her critical praise and the latter brought her a Best Female Debutante Award. More awards would follow, including Best Actress by Filmfare and Zee Cine for 2000s Straight from the Heart. As the actress put more and more films under her belt, her position as India’s darling cemented. Her role in 2002’s Devdas was especially auspicious; the movie was the most successful in Bollywood history and received a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival -- the first Bollywood film to receive such an honor. The next year found Rai making still more headway for Bollywood when she became the first Indian member of the grand jury at Cannes.

By 2004, Rai had appeared in well over 20 films in just seven years, and it was finally time for her to star in her first English-language film. The Hollywood/ Bollywood crossover hit Bride and Prejudice reworked Jane Austen’s classic love story Pride and Prejudice with the Bollywood film style, bringing together Eastern and Western actors, as well as themes. The film proved to be yet another successful example in Rai’s history of helping to bring India’s culture and film into the world spotlight, delighting fans all over the globe. Having sampled Hollywood, Rai was now ready to make a serious foray into American films. She signed on to star with Colin Firth and Ben Kingsley in 2007’s historical epic The Last Legion as well as French director Coline Serreau’s remake of her 2001 film Chaos, which would cast Rai alongside Meryl Streep.


Film

* Guru (2007)
* Provoked (2007)
* The Last Legion (2007)
* Dhoom 2 (2006)
* Umrao Jaan (2006)
* The Mistress of Spices (2006)
* Bride and Prejudice (2005)
* Saamna (2005)
* Shabd (2005)
* Khakee (2004)
* Kyun! Ho Gaya Na Pyar (2004)
* Raincoat (2004)
* Devdas (2003)
* Kuch Naa Kaho (2003)
* Shakti - The Power (2002)
* Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai (2000)
* I Have Found It (2000)
* Josh (2000)
* Mela (2000)
* Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)
* Taal (1999)
* Jeans (1998)
* Iruvar (1997)
* Chokher Bali: A Passion Play
* Heart of India