Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (; Rai; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress who is primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films. Rai won the Miss World 1994 pageant and later established herself as one of the most-popular and influential celebrities in India. She has received numerous accolades for her acting, including two Filmfare Awards. In 2004, ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world. In 2009, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri and in 2012, the Government of France awarded her with the Order of Arts and Letters. She has often been called "the most beautiful woman in the world" by segments of the media.

While in college, Rai modelled and appeared in several television commercials, and entered the Miss India pageant, in which she was placed second. She was then crowned Miss World 1994, made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam's 1997 Tamil film ''Iruvar'' and had her Hindi film debut in ''Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya'' that year. Her first commercial success was the Tamil romantic drama ''Jeans'' (1998), which at the time was the most expensive Indian film. She achieved wider success and won two Filmfare Awards for Best Actress for her performances in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's romantic dramas ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'' (1999) and ''Devdas'' (2002).

Rai garnered critical appreciation for portraying a passionate artist in ''Kandukondain Kandukondain'' (2000), a seductive widow in ''Chokher Bali'' (2003), an unhappily married woman in ''Raincoat'' (2004), Kiranjit Ahluwalia in ''Provoked'' (2006), and a nurse in Bhansali's ''Guzaarish'' (2010). Her greatest commercial successes have been the romantic dramas ''Mohabbatein'' (2000) and ''Ae Dil Hai Mushkil'' (2016), the adventure film ''Dhoom 2'' (2006), the biographical drama ''Guru'' (2007), the science-fiction film ''Enthiran'' (2010), and the period films ''Jodhaa Akbar'' (2008), ''Ponniyin Selvan: I'' (2022) and ''Ponniyin Selvan: II'' (2023).

Rai's off-screen roles include being an ambassador for several charity organisations and supporting philanthropic causes through her namesake foundation. She was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in 2012. She has also participated in stage shows and is an investor and prominent brand endorser. In 2003, she was the first Indian actress to be a juror at the Cannes Film Festival. She married the actor Abhishek Bachchan in 2007, with whom she has a daughter. Provided by Wikipedia