Aishwarya attended the Arya Vidya Mandir at Santacruz, Mumbai, then entered Ruparel College, Matunga, Mumbai. She was an A student and was on track to become an architect. Rai's native language is Tulu; she also speaks English, Hindi, Urdu, Marathi, Tamil, and Kannada.

Aishwarya began modeling on the side while studying architecture. In the 1994 Miss India contest, she placed second behind Sushmita Sen, and went on to win the Miss World title that same year and the Miss Photogenic award. After the one year reign as Miss World in London, she then worked as a professional model, in advertising and Indian fashion magazines.

The first film Aishwarya Rai acted in was a Tamil movie Iruvar in (1997), directed by Mani Ratnam. Her first Hindi film was Aur Pyar Ho Gaya opposite Bobby Deol. Her breakthrough performance came in 1999 with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. Later standout successes include Taal and Devdas. Besides Hindi language, Bollywood films, Rai has also acted in Tamil films such as Jeans and Kandukondain Kandukondain and the Bengali film Chokher Bali, and appeared in a Telugu film Ravoyi Chandamama. Since 2004 Rai has also been appearing in an increasing number of English language films.

In 2002, Aishwarya appeared with Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit in the lavishly produced Devdas, which was a huge hit. The film attracted overseas attention as well, receiving a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival and being nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film in the United States, garnering international attention for Aishwarya.

Latest News

# Court extends date in case against Aishwarya and Hrithik Indore, A court here today extended the date to January four in a case filed against Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai and actor Hrithik Roshan for allegedly performing an obscene scene in the film Dhoom-2. The case was filed in the court of judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) R K Batham by the advocate Shailendra Dwivedi under section 292 (vulgarity) and 509 (derogatory to women) of the IPC.The court today extended the date in the case to January four for recording statement of the complainant.

# Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan to marry in February? Amidst all the speculation, comes another rumour that Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan are all set to tie the knot in February next year. According to industry circles, family pundits and astrologers have cleared the marriage after observing certain worships required to overcome all other obstructions as indicated in their horoscopes...... Read More

# Aishwarya, riding high indeed! Now that her problems with the customs department have ended, there are joyful tidings for Aishwarya Rai. She's back in Jaipur shooting with Hrithik Roshan for Ashutosh Gowariker's Jodha-Akbar. "It's going great!" Ash exults from Jaipur as she prepares for the day's shoot. So has she done any horse riding and sword-fighting as yet? "None of the above. But I rode an elephant for a scene. And his name was Lakhi. ........ Read More

# The land of Kama Sutra chokes on a kiss Bollywood heart-throbs Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai are accused of encouraging obscenity in the blockbuster Dhoom 2. KISSING can be a crime in India and can get you into trouble. The country's most famous actress and most well-known female politician have discovered that while society is modernising at breakneck speed, kissing is not permitted.. ........ Read More

# Aishwarya Rai: I'm told that I belong to another era It looks like costume dramas and Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai are meant for each other. After "Devdas" and "Umrao Jaan", she will now be seen in Ashutosh Gowariker's "Jodha-Akbar". She has been a part of so many films that require elaborate sets and costumes, including Rituprano Ghosh's "Chokher Bali" and Mani Ratnam's forthcoming opus "Guru", which is also a period film of sorts opening as it does in the 1950s... ........ Read More

# Aishwarya Rai right in trying Hollywood Aishwarya Rai is back to Bollywood after her stint in Hollywood. Over the past few years we saw her in a lot of desi centric characters in Hollywood. And in this exercise, Aishwarya Rai has achieved something which no Indian actor/actress has achieved in the past. A huge fan following and a name which is beyond the desi audience......... Read More