By: Smitha Nambiar

Aishwarya Rai popularly recognized as Ash has captured the hearts and imagination of millions of admirers across the globe. If men love her, women envy this damsel with captivating blue-green eyes.

Ash is one of the few actresses to be immortalised in wax at the 'Madam Tussaud's Museum'. This is a great honour as she is the second Indian film star after Amitabh Bachchan to have her wax model made for display at the London museum.

Aishwarya has been actively involved in social activities too. Her advertisement with Amitabh requesting people to have their children vaccinated against Polio resulted in people flocking at hospitals and health centres to get their children vaccinated. In fact, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, the President of India felicitated Ash, along with Amitabh to recognise their noble efforts. Ash is also the ambassador of the Eye Bank Association Of India. Her advertisement on donating eyes was so effective that even Om Puri, veteran Bollywood actor was inspired to donate his eyes.

What sets Rai apart from other beauties in Bollywood is an extraordinary elegance, combined with poise and a fine-tuned intelligence.

The journey for this simple South Indian girl has been extremely eventful and simply mind-blowing!

Ash: Journey from childhood to youth

Aishwarya Rai, or Aishu as she is fondly known was born in Mangalore on November 1, 1973 and is the youngest child of Vrinda and Krishnaraj Rai. Her elder brother, Aditya is three years older than her. When Ash was about four years old, her family relocated to Bombay. Her father worked as a merchant navy officer. Aishwarya did her schooling at Arya Vidya Mandir. By the time she reached high school, little schoolboys proposed everlasting love and marriage to her. At home, she received cards and telephone calls from admirers!

Academically, she did very well and chose the science stream at DG Ruparel College, one of the best colleges in the city. Though she wanted to do medicine, she had to choose architecture instead.

Ash's modelling history

Ash's first modelling assignment was for Camlin Industries while in the Ninth standard. Later, one of her professors, who also worked as a freelance photographer asked her to pose for him. The pictures provoked a flood of interest from the modelling industry. Ash then decided to take a break from architecture and concentrate on modelling. This suave looking beauty stole advertisements for many prestigious firms. However, it was the ads on 'Garden Sari' and 'Pepsi' that brought her into limelight. She later appeared in the 'Vogue' magazine as well.

Ash becomes Miss World

Ash became the first runner up in the 1994 Miss India contest and flew to Sun City, South Africa to participate in the 1994 Miss World contest where she became one of the leading contenders for the top slot. She won the photogenic award before going on to win the Miss World title at the contest.

For her homecoming in December 1994 with the Miss World crown firmly on her head, thousands of Indians thronged the airport and lined the streets around her horse driven cavalcade. Ash had come home to a royal welcome!

Ash enters the film world

Her film debut in Mani Ratnam's Iruvar (1997) received critical acclaim and her performance in Rahul Rawail's Aur Paar Ho Gaya (1997) garnered her the Best Female Debutante Award. In 2000, she was awarded Best Actress by Film Fare and Zee Cine for her work in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. In the year 2002, she once again worked with Sanjay in Devdas, which became the first Bollywood picture to receive a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival and broke box-office records in India and the United States. She also received critical plaudits for her sensitive portrayal of a rape victim in Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai.

Some of her recent films include Raincoat with Ajay Devgan, Khakee with Bollywood mega-star Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan and Kyun Ho Gaya Na opposite lover-boy Vivek Oberoi.

From Bollywood to Hollywood

Aishwarya recently completed filming on her western debut Bride And Prejudice opposite actor Martin Henderson (The Ring) and directed by Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham). The year 2005 will see Ash in Coline Serreau's Chaos with Meryl Streep and Roland Joffe's Singularity.

Ash is also the latest member of the elite L'Oreal Dream Team, joining beauties Catherine Deneuve and Andie MacDowell as the International ambassador. 'Time Magazine' has also listed her on their list of the "100 Most Influential People in the World Today".

Aishwarya Rai in an interview had narrated an incident when she visited an orphanage-one of the children told her that that her warmth over shines her physical beauty. Perhaps that's' true and Aishwarya is surely the star of the week.

Aishwarya Rai's Photo Gallery