Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's birthday: Interesting facts about the Ponniyin Selvan actor you probably didn't know

On the occasion of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's 49th birthday, here is a compilation of lesser-known facts about the most beautiful woman in the world.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Ponniyin Selvan-1

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been a well-known celebrity since she took home the Miss World crown in 1994. The diva, known as “the most beautiful woman in the world”, equally demonstrated her acting talent in movies like Iruvar, Guru, Jodhaa Akbar, and Enthiran. Aishwarya Rai, who turned 49 today, regularly represented Indian cinema on stages all around the world throughout her career. Additionally, she has received various accolades for her roles in more than 40 movies. Every fan should be aware of these facts about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, which range from her first commercial to the story of her romantic proposal.

• When Aishwarya Rai appeared in a Camlin Pencils advertisement, she was a ninth-grader.
• Her nickname is Gullu.
• Aishwarya Rai's 1993 Pepsi ad with Aamir Khan was praised by many, and she quickly rose to fame. This was reportedly filmed in a single night during the riots in Mumbai in 1992–1993. She is the only actor to have advertised both Pepsi and Coca-Cola.
• Aishwarya Rai made her acting debut in the 1997's Tamil film Iruvar, directed by Mani Ratnam. The same year, she co-starred with Bobby Deol in Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya.

• Aishwarya Rai met Mani Ratnam through Rajiv Menon. She stated in an interview, “Rajiv and I had collaborated on a lot of commercials, and during one of the shoots, he played some of Roja's music for us. I fell in love with the songs even before the release at that point. I believed Rajiv to be lying when he said that I was being contacted for a film because he was aware of how much I admired Ratnam.”
• Shankar's 1998 Tamil film Jeans, which featured her, alongside Prashanth, set a record for cost in Indian cinema at the time.
• Aishwarya Rai was training in classical dance for more than five years when she was a teenager.
• Aishwarya Rai, who co-starred in Robot/Enthiran with superstar Rajinikanth, regards him as her favourite actor.

• She was the first woman to have a statue at Madame Tussaud's. After her father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan, she was the second Indian actor to have a wax sculpture of herself there.
• Aishwarya Rai was the first Indian to be invited to the Oprah Winfrey show.
• Aishwarya Rai didn't become an actress because she won the Miss World title. She didn't initially choose modelling or acting as her career. Her favourite subject was zoology, and her goals were to become a doctor. Later, she abandoned the plan and opted to study architecture at Mumbai's Rachana Sansad Academy of Architecture.
• In 2003, Aishwarya Rai became the first Indian actor to serve on the jury at the Cannes Film Festival, paving the way for Indian cinema on a global scale.

• Former US President George Bush reportedly invited only one Indian actor to a luncheon thus far, and she is Aishwarya.
• Veteran Bollywood actor Rekha approached Aishwarya as she was shopping with her mother in a supermarket because she had noticed her work in one of her commercials before she was well-known.
• Her 2002 movie Devdas, in which she featured alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit, was named one of Time's top 10 movies of the millennium.
• Are you aware that Aishwarya Rai was offered the role of Tina, played by Rani Mukerji in Karan Johar's Kuch Kuch Hota Hai?
• Aishwarya and Rani Mukerji had a close friendship, which eventually fell apart. The actress was signed up to appear in the Chalte Chalte movie with Shah Rukh Khan, but Rani replaced her.

• American publisher Hugh Hefner approached Aishwarya in 2005 about collaborating on a no-nudity version of the “renowned” Playboy magazine. However, the actress declined the offer.
• Few people are aware that the actress keeps every news article written about her.
• She works a fair amount in philanthropy and is the face of numerous charitable organisations.
• Aishwarya swears by aromatherapy and sees it as one of the best methods to unwind after a demanding day.
• Aishwarya represents the Joint United Nations Programme on AIDS as a Goodwill Ambassador (UNAIDS).

• In 2005, the famous Keukenhof garden in the Netherlands dedicated a particular type of tulips after Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The tulips, according to Hans Van Driem, managing director of the Netherlands Board of Tourism, are a celebration of Rai Bachchan's beauty.
• In 2010, Aishwarya Rai took a five-year break from films.
• In 2012, she was awarded The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France.
• Aishwarya Rai describes herself as a "non-fussy eater" with a love for Indian cuisine. She's an avid foodie, but sticks to a balanced diet and abstains from processed foods.
• Abhishek Bachchan made his proposal to his then-girlfriend public when they appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show after their wedding. He was quoted as saying: “When I was filming in New York, I used to stand on the balcony of my hotel room and think, ‘Wouldn't it be lovely if we were together, married, one day?’ I then took her to the same balcony and proposed to her there.” Even the engagement ring she wore in Guru, the film in which they both co-starred when they fell in love, was a gift from Bachchan to her.

• Aishwarya Rai discussed her ‘mentor’ Mani Ratnam in several interviews. That was how she felt when they first met, and it's how she feels right now. She stated: “At the time, listening to him was like sitting in front of a teacher. I just felt it was the ideal setting for me to begin my career as an actor. I have never received any training before. My family has never had any connections to the movie business. When I first met Mani, I was nose diving into it and understood that this was where I needed to start. I had a vague sense of belonging.”

• Aishwarya Rai stated her desire to direct a film back in 2019. “But I've never made the effort to work on it. I should be pondering it seriously right about now,” she added.

• One of Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan-1's biggest pluses was Aishwarya Rai's return to Tamil cinema. She was last spotted in a Tamil film 12 years ago, in Rajinikanth's sci-fi movie, Enthiran. The comeback of Aishwarya to Tamil cinema was keenly awaited by fans.

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