20 years on, Aishwarya Still Has The Jazbaa!

It’s Cannes season, and for days now our social media feeds have been packed with pictures of beautiful actresses walking the red carpet. Of the several members of Bollywood that are attending this major event, it’s interesting who has got the most of our attention.

Aishwarya Rai, who is attending Cannes with Sarabjit’s crew, is being closely followed by Indian and foreign media alike. It’s interesting that Aishwarya, who till last year hadn’t done a movie in five years, is still as popular in an event such as this.

Well it’s interesting but definitely not strange. Though it now seems like ages ago but for the longest of time, Aishwarya was the strongest link we had with foreign cinema and media. Her beauty, which allowed her to enter the film industry, didn’t only win our hearts but produced admirers the world over.

But it wasn’t just her beauty that has helped build a 20-year long career and made her into one of the biggest celebrities. It has been acting skills as well. Her 10 Filmfare nominations are a proof of that.

Let’s trace her remarkable career:

Top of the World

 In 1994, the 21-year-old Miss Aishwarya Rai won the Miss World paegant and gained everybody's attention. Though, she had been modelling before then and had also appeared in a popular Pepsi advertisement, it was this moment which really changed her career.

Early films

Most of the actors, who don't come from film families, are bound to struggle before they get any success. But then again, Aishwarya isn't like most actors. Though she went back to modelling after her Miss World truimph, soon opportunities started coming. Her first film was the Tamil film Irruvar which was directed by Mani Ratnam. She made her Bollywood debut opposite Bobby Deol  in Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya, which won her a Star Screen Award. 

Breakthrough Year 

Though by now, Aishwarya had already enjoyed a fair deal of success but it was the year 1999 which elevated to superstardom. Her two Bollywood releases -- Taal and Hum Dil Chuke Sanam -- were highly successful and made her a household name. For Hum Dil Chuke Sanam, she won her first Filmfare award.

B-town's A-list actress

Over the course of next 10 years, Aishwarya became one of the biggest names in the industry. Like every other actor, she did appear in forgettable movie here and there. But such was the momentum of the success and her on-screen persona that she kept on appearing in memorable movies and producing stunning performances.

Hollywood Connection

During the height of her career, Aishwarya had grown popular in foreign cinema, especially Hollywood. She had the major roles in films like Bride and Prejudice, The Last Legion and The Pink Panther 2.

Comeback

After taking a break from acting for 5 years, Aishwarya appeared in Jazbaa opposite Irrfan Khan. But the film wasn't the success that everybody hoped it to be. Sarbjit is her follow-up to Jazbaa, where she will play the role of a sister fighting for the freedom of her brother. If the trailer is to be believed, the film and her performance would both be worth watching. Also this year, she will appear in Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, along with Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma.