Ever since she was crowned Miss World in 1994, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been a household name in India. While she was being referred to as “the most beautiful woman in the world,” the star also proved her acting prowess with iconic films like Guru (2007), Jodhaa Akbar (2008), and Enthiran (2010). Over the years, Rai Bachchan has also represented Indian cinema on global platforms on numerous occasions. With over 40 films and numerous accolades to her name, the 47-year-old often makes headlines, but is known to keep her private life on the down-low. From her romantic proposal story to her first-ever advertisement, here are ten interesting facts about Aishwarya Rai Bachchan that every fan should know.
1. Aishwarya was only in the 9th grade when she starred in her first-ever commercial
Before her rise to fame in the '90s, Rai Bachchan did her first commercial when she was still in school, for Camlin pencils. However, it was a popular advertisement for Pepsi back in 1993—co-starring Aamir Khan—that put her in the spotlight.
2. The actor was offered numerous films before she was crowned Miss World
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Contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t Rai Bachchan’s win at the pageant that drove her into acting. In an interview with Vogue, the star revealed, “I’m often cited as the person who established the beauty pageant-to-films route, but that was not the case with me. I had at least four film offers [before the pageants]. In fact, I decided to participate in Miss India to step back from the film industry for a bit. If I hadn’t taken part in Miss India, Raja Hindustani [1996] would have been my first film.”
3. Rai Bachchan initially wanted to pursue medicine
Modelling and acting weren’t the Bollywood icons first career choices. She initially wanted to pursue a career in medicine, and her favourite subject was zoology. Later, she dropped the idea to study architecture instead, at the Rachana Sansad Academy of Architecture in Mumbai.
4. The actor wants to venture into direction someday
Back in 2019, when reports of the star’s wishes to direct a film made the rounds, she commented, “I do want to direct a movie someday. There’s been chatter. But I have never set time and energy to work on it. Now, I should be seriously thinking about it. My colleagues have always teased me and said, ‘Why don’t you turn into a producer or director and make a film of your own?’ So, maybe, a few years down the line, I should be able to live up to it.”
5. She was the first Indian actor to be on the Cannes Film Festival jury
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Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has been a trailblazer for Indian cinema on a global platform, becoming the first-ever Indian actor to be on the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2003. Additionally, she was the second Indian actor, after father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan, to have a wax statue of herself at Madame Tussaud's.
6. The star has the cutest—and most unexpected—nickname
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Often referred to as ‘Aish’ by close friends in the industry, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan also has been given a cute nickname by her family. The star’s sister-in-law, Shrima Rai, once revealed on her Instagram stories that Rai Bachchan’s stardom is never a topic at home, and that she is just the much-loved ‘Gullu maami’ to her two nephews.
7. Aishwarya loves aromatherapy…
“I swear by aromatherapy,” Aishwarya Rai Bachchan once confessed in an interview, saying that she counted it as one of the best ways to wind down after a long day. She also went on to reveal her favourite essential oils: “Spa treatments with aromatic oils like sandalwood are great for soothing your skin; chamomile or lavender is great to relieve stress, anxiety, and insomnia; eucalyptus or lemongrass keep infections at bay, and rosemary endows one with calm and clarity.”
8. …And she's not a fan of dieting
Rai Bachchan calls herself a ‘non-fussy eater’ who has a soft spot for Indian food. In an interview with Vogue, Abhishek Bachchan once revealed, “We're both terrible with diets. We can't exercise with any discipline,” to which she fondly added, “He just embraces life. I couldn't be with a guy who kept counting calories.” Although the actor is not strict with her diet, she sticks to eating healthy, avoiding processed foods.
9. The actor has the most romantic proposal story
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The news of Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan’s engagement back in 2007 swept through the nation like a storm. During their post-wedding appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Abhishek Bachchan revealed to the world how he proposed to his then-girlfriend. “I was filming in New York for a movie, and I used to stand on my balcony of my hotel room and wish that one day… wouldn't it be nice if I was together with [Aishwarya], married? So I took her to the very same balcony, and I asked her to marry me.” Bachchan even gifted her the same ring she wore in Guru, the movie that the duo were co-starring in when they fell in love.
10. The Bollywood icon has a flower named after her
A special variety of tulips in the famous Keukenhof garden in the Netherlands was named after Aishwarya Rai Bachchan back in 2005. The managing director of the Netherlands board of tourism, Hans Van Driem, said the tulips were a celebration of Rai Bachchan’s beauty.
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