I was studying to be an architect; I wasn`t plotting to join the movies. Films were just another career option. I took acting up with the same schoolgirl enthusiasm I had for examinations. Acting is a job and I take it very seriously." ----Aishwarya Rai quoted, as she was an architecture student before she entered modeling as her part-time job. With her green-gray eyes, she was already approached by big names in India`s film industry, where they offered her starring roles. She rejected the film offers since she aimed to be an architect. However, fate had other things in store for her after she was crowned Miss World 1994. In the 1994 Miss India Contest Rai placed second behind Sushmita Sen and went on to win the Miss World title. This Indian darling burst upon the orld stage when her striking beauty, poise and commanding intelligence won her the Miss World crown.

Aishwarya Rai is one of Bollywood`s pre-eminent leading ladies. She has achieved iconic status all over South Asia. Aishwarya Rai was born in Mangalore, India to Krishnaraj Rai, a marine engineer, and Vrinda Rai, a writer on 1 November 1973. She was born into a traditional south Indian Family. Her ancestors are from the Bunt community of Mangalore. Her family later relocated to Mumbai. Aishwarya Rai has one elder brother, Aditya Rai who is a film producer. Her engagement to Abhishek Bachchan was announced on January 14, 2007, after much speculation concerning their relationship. They married on April 20, 2007 in a private ceremony held at the Bachchans` bungalow Prateeksha The event was heavily covered by the media.

She has done her schooling from Arya Vidya Mandir at Santacruz, Mumbai and then joined Ruparel College, Mumbai. Aishwarya Rai speaks Hindi, English, Kannada, Marathi and Tamil though her mother tongue is Tulu, a Dravidian language.

Aishwarya debuted in Mani Ratnam`s Tamil language film, `Iruvar` (1997). With the film `Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya` she was introduced to Bollywood. But the film did not do well at the box office. However, she was awarded the Filmfare Best Actress Award South for her third project, a Tamil-language film, Jeans (1998) by S. Shankar. The film was a critical and commercial success. Aishwarya then appeared in many Bollywood films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Taal (1999); a few successful films of her career, for which her performance was glorified. She was awarded the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her role in the former. In 2000 she had a supporting role in the hit film Mohabbatein and also in another hit film Josh. Aishwarya Rai stormed into the Indian movie industry, where she has proven herself a brilliant & genuine actress.

On 2002 Aishwarya Rai appeared in the `Devdas` Produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali with superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit. The film was a major box-office success. She was awarded the Filmfare Best Actress Award. The film also attracted overseas attentions. And the film received a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival. It was during this time that she acquire the attention of the West as an Indian actress and went on to appear in a few Hollywood projects.

As her name gained popularity in the West, she appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 2003. Aishwarya Rai was chosen by Time magazine in 2004 as one of the World`s "100 Most Influential People". She was the subject of a 60 Minutes profile. A month later she appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman. She was also featured on Oprah`s "Women Across the Globe" segment. She acted in the critically acclaimed and commercial success Bengali film an adaptation of one of Rabindranath Tagore`s novels by the same name, Chokher Bali in 2003.

In October 2004, a wax figure of Aishwarya Rai became on display in London`s Madame Tussaud`s wax museum which indeed a prestigeous one. In the same month, her first foreign film `Bride and Prejudice`was released. The film was an Indian version of Jane Austen`s classic novel Pride and Prejudice. The film did well commercially in the U.K but not in India. Her next overseas venture, The Mistress of Spices, was not commercially successful though critically acclaimed.

In between her overseas acting schedule, she appeared in the Indian film `Bunty Aur Babli` in a hugely popular seven minute dance sequence for the song "Kajra Re". The dance sequence paired Rai with Abhishek Bachchan who, two years later became her husband and with Amitabh Bachchan her would be Father-in-law.

At the end of the year 2006, she had two releases: Umrao Jaan and Dhoom 2. Umrao Jaan did not hit the box office of India; however, her role in Dhoom 2, a sequel to the 2004 hit movie Dhoom brought her great attention. It became a hit commercially too. Both of these films also co-starred, Abhishek Bachchan.

Aishwarya Rai has been a regular at the Cannes Film Festival since 2002, and was a member of the Jury at Cannes in the year 2003. She appeared at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, as representative of Indian culture, on behalf of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in New Delhi.

In 2007, Mani Ratnam`s `Guru` starring Aishwarya Rai and her would be husband Abhisek Bachchan premiered in Toronto. The film, based on the life of successful Indian businessman Dhirubhai Ambani, was both commercially and critically very successful. Her most recent film, "Provoked", was critically acclaimed all over the world based on the book "Circle of Light" where she portrays a real life character. The film did well commercially in the UK. At the end of April 2007 her first American film, The Last Legion, was released in Russia and the Netherlands. The film is expected to open in North American theaters in August 2007.

Aishwarya Rai is the Queen Moon of the Glamworld. The Queen of Bollywood is the first Indian actress to be on the jury of the Cannes International Film Festival. This highest paid actress is already becoming the talk of town. She is the first Bollywood star to appear in Rolling Stone magazine. A tulip produced in 2005 was named for her. She is active in various charities and often visits orphanages. On donating her eyes after death - "People know me more because of my eyes. So, I decided to donate my eyes. But before that, I acquired all the information about the campaign. Within what time after death one has to donate eyes, and all other information. Only then I decided to donate my eyes. It`s not that just for doing something, I donated my eyes. I found that useful so I did it. I like to do social service from my heart. Whatever is possible I do, but I don`t speak of that. But I would like to give more time to it in the near future."-- Aishwarya Rai quoted.