Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: From Nandini to Paro, a look at her iconic movie characters over the years

Paro from Devdas

One of the greatest love stories ever written, Devdas has been adapted into cinema thrice, and the 2002 film by Sanjay Leela Bhansali featuring Shah Ruh Khan, Aishwarya Rai and Madhuri Dixit remains a classic. Aishwarya as Paro plays the childhood love of Devdas (Shah Rukh) and showcases the undying love that they have for each other. Aishwarya looks beautiful and does justice to the highly emotional role.

Sunehri from Dhoom 2

Aishwarya’s role in Dhoom 2 was a treat to her fans as this was a never-seen-before avatar of the actress. She plays Sunehri, a confident thief who is not scared of anything. Audiences loved the chemistry that she and Hrithik Roshan shared on screen. And who could forget her in the song, 'Crazy Kiya Re'?

Jodhaa Bai from Jodhaa Akbar

The much-loved duo of Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai returned for Ashutosh Gowarikar’s period drama film, Jodhaa Akbar. Aishwarya played Jodhaa Bai, who maintains her Rajputana dignity and culture in the Muslim dynasty. Aishwarya stayed true to the character and put across an effortless performance, while acing the action and sword sequences.

Dalbir Kaur from Sarbjit

Aishwarya plays Dalbir Kaur in Omung Kumar’s directorial based on the life of Sarbjit, an Indian imprisoned in Pakistan. The gut-wrenching tale showcases Aishwarya as Sarbjit’s sister and her struggle to get justice for her brother. Her physical transformation and body language made us believe in the character and upped the emotional quotient of the film.

Megha Sarkar from Mohabbatein

Who can forget the angelic Aishwarya and her tragic tale from the romantic drama Mohabbatein? She plays Megha Sarkar, daughter of Narayan Shankar (Amitabh Bachchan), a stern father who is against her decision to get married to Raj Aaryan (Shah Rukh Khan). Aishwarya's ease at portraying Megha and her interactions with Shah Rukh's character in the film were a big hit.

Nandini from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

Aishwarya plays a Gujarati girl who goes in search of her long-lost love (Salman Khan) along with her husband (Ajay Devgn) on the streets of London in Sanjay Leela Bhansali epic romantic drama, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. It is one of her most iconic characters to date. Aishwarya bagged the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance in the film.