ACTOR
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
- Known for
- Devdas (2002), Ponniyin Selvan: Part One (2022), The Last Legion (2007), Mohabbatein (2000)
92 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an actor best known for Devdas, Ponniyin Selvan: Part One and The Last Legion.
All facts (92)
- #001
In 2004, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan became the first Bollywood and Indian female actor to have her own statue at Madame Tussauds in London.
- #002
She gained 20 kilos for Bride and Prejudice (2004) because she did not want her character to look like a supermodel and believed it would add a sense of realism to the character.
- #003
After their breakup, she refused to work with Salman Khan despite many offers.
- #004
On 11/16/11, she gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Aaradhya Bachchan, at the age of 38. The child's father is her husband, Abhishek Bachchan.
- #005
She is the most photographed woman in India.
- #006
In June 2004, she ran in the Olympic torch relay.
- #007
In April 2003, on the sets of Khakee (2004), she had an accident when a car driven by a stuntman went out of control, hit her, fell down a ditch and struck a cactus plant. She suffered a broken bone in one foot and serious cuts and was taken to hospital. The incident reignited the debate over low safety standards on Bollywood film sets.
- #008
She is the first female actor from India to have an agreement with the American Library Association and to also be made into a poster for schools and libraries across America.
- #009
The first film star she met was Rekha. At the time she was still in high school and working as a model. While she was in a grocery store with her mother, the person who touched Aishwarya's shoulder was none other than Rekha. Rekha recognized her from modelling advertisements. She complimented the young girl on her beautiful appearance and wished her good luck.
- #010
She loves collecting watches.
- #011
On 05.09.2006, while shooting a soap commercial in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, she caused traffic congestion all day. People would stop for hours just to catch a glimpse of her.
- #012
Oprah Winfrey was so impressed when she saw her interview on 60 Minutes (1968) that she invited her to be a guest on her show. On 25.04.2005, she became the first Indian and South Asian female actor to appear on The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986).
- #013
She is a trained classical dancer, a skill she learned by taking classical dance lessons for five years in her youth.
- #014
In 2003, she became the first Indian actor to serve on the jury at the 56th Cannes International Film Festival.
- #015
Aamir Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are the only stars to have advertised for both Coca Cola and Pepsi.
- #016
For the pre-wedding henna ceremony, about 15 kilos of henna were specially ordered from Sojat in Rajasthan.
- #017
In a poll conducted by "Hello" magazine, she was chosen as the number 1 most attractive woman of 2003, beating Nicole Kidman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Gwyneth Paltrow.
- #018
She prepared more than 50 music videos in only seven years.
- #019
The wedding ceremony lasted a total of three days. It was the most awaited and most talked-about wedding for years, and the press followed it like Princess Diana's wedding.
- #020
Roger Ebert said he considered Aishwarya Rai Bachchan the most beautiful actress in the world.
- #021
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan wanted to study medicine, but circumstances prevented it.
- #022
There are more than 17,000 websites dedicated to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
- #023
After Aishwarya Rai Bachchan won the Miss World title in 1994, the event's host, Richard Steinmetz, asked her out. She turned him down, feeling it was unprofessional.
- #024
While filming the music video for the song "Dola Re Dol" from Devdas (2002), the weight of the heavy earrings Aishwarya Rai Bachchan had to wear made her ears bleed, but she finished the performance.
- #025
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is the youngest actress to receive the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, from the Indian government for her contributions to cinema.
- #026
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was the first Bollywood star to appear in Rolling Stone magazine (issue 932, 10/2/03).
- #027
Although Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is adorned with jewellery in her music videos and films, she apparently does not much enjoy it.
- #028
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan turned down a small role as Briseis in Troy (2004).
- #029
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was considered for the role of Vesper Lynd in Casino Royale (2006).
- #030
On 2/1/05, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan became the first Indian actress to be interviewed on the programme 60 Minutes (1968).
- #031
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an ethnic Bunt, like Shilpa Shetty Kundra and Suniel Shetty. The Bunts are a South Indian community living in Mangalore who mostly speak Tulu, their native language.
- #032
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has a puppy named Sunshine, which Vivek Oberoi gave her as a gift.
- #033
A tulip produced in 2005 was named after Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
- #034
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's wedding invitations were decorated with two interlocking A's and delivered with a box of chocolate cream. Inside the invitation was a poem about new beginnings written by Amitabh Bachchan's father, the famous poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan.
- #035
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is the first goodwill ambassador of Smile Train, a charity that works for children with cleft lips worldwide.
- #036
For her 34th birthday, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan went to see Beyoncé at a concert in Mumbai.
- #037
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan can speak English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Urdu well.
- #038
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has gained a cult following in Pakistan.
- #039
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan became the face of Coca-Cola for South Asia as well as the Middle East.
- #040
When President George W. Bush visited India in March 2006, he invited Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to a lunch along with Aamir Khan. She could not attend because she was in Brazil shooting Dhoom 2 (2006).
- #041
Before she became famous, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan auditioned to dub a television series and was rejected.
- #042
In 2005 she was invited to host the 77th Annual Academy Awards (2005), but could not attend because she was busy filming The Mistress of Spices (2005).
- #043
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan works actively with various charities and frequently visits orphanages.
- #044
In December 2005, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ranked 12th on VH1's list of the 50 Sexiest Female Actors of the Last 20 Years.
- #045
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has appeared on more magazine covers worldwide than any other Bollywood or Indian star.
- #046
In 2005, Hugh Hefner tried to create an Indian version of "Playboy" for India that would feature South Asian women and articles on Indian popular culture but no nudity. He wanted Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on the cover of the first issue. The magazine was rejected.
- #047
Director Brett Ratner is a fan of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and wanted her to appear in his film Rush Hour 3 (2007), but she turned the offer down.
- #048
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has won more than 100 awards since 1994, when she was 20 years old.
- #049
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was named one of the world's 100 most influential people in "Time" magazine (2004 TIME 100).
- #050
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was originally signed to play the role of Simmi in Bluffmaster (2005), but was replaced by Priyanka Chopra Jonas without any notice. Director Rohan Sippy later gave her a "special thanks" in the end title sequence as an apology.
- #051
In 2003, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan became the second Indian actress to appear on the cover of 'Time' magazine. The first was Parveen Babi in 1976.
- #052
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan appeared as one of the World's 100 Most Beautiful People in the 5/8/06 issue of "People" magazine.
- #053
In March 2006, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan performed for an audience of 85,000 at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Australia, with 800 backup dancers.
- #054
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's wax statue at Madame Tussauds in London was borrowed for six weeks by the museum in New York. The statue was taken to New York and unveiled on 15.08.07, making her the first Indian actress at the museum's American branch.
- #055
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan won the Miss Photogenic title at the 1994 Miss World pageant.
- #056
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is the sister of Aditya Rai.
- #057
When Aishwarya Rai Bachchan arrived at the premiere of Devdas (2002) at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival in a horse-drawn carriage, wearing a beautiful sari with yellow and orange embroidery, she caused a sensation.
- #058
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan turned down the role of Anna in the film Barsaat (2005).
- #059
In February 2009, Forbes listed Aishwarya Rai Bachchan as Hollywood's most bankable Indian star, ranking her 387th among 1,411 actors.
- #060
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has appeared in seven films with her current husband, Abhishek Bachchan, more than with any other actor.
- #061
In October 2011, a second wax figure of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was added to Madame Tussauds in Blackpool, England, due to her popularity. The new figure was inspired by her Cannes look in an Elie Saab dress, whereas the earlier figure had been draped in a sari. It was made specifically for Blackpool's new Bollywood world tour.
- #062
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan released "Aishwarya's Greatest Hits," a DVD containing 50 of her music videos to date.
- #063
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan scored 90% in her HSC at Ruparel College in Mumbai.
- #064
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan turned down the role of Mastani in Bajirao Mastani (2015).
- #065
Director Andy Tennant offered Aishwarya Rai Bachchan a small role in Hitch (2005), but she was busy filming Bride and Prejudice (2004) at the time.
- #066
Shah Rukh Khan recommended Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to play Kaurwaki in Asoka (2001), but the director wanted to cast someone who had not yet been paired with Shah Rukh as the lead.
- #067
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was ranked 3rd by the British magazine "Eastern Eye" in its "Asia's Sexiest Women" list (September 2006).
- #068
Will Smith wanted Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to play Mary Embrey in Hancock (2008), but she turned it down due to a scheduling conflict, so the role went to Charlize Theron.
- #069
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan turned down the role of Neha in Dostana (2008) because she felt her real-life marriage to Abhishek Bachchan would not work well for the characters.
- #070
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan turned down the lead in Munna Bhai M. B. B. S. (2003). The role was given to Gracy Singh.
- #071
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was educated at Arya Vidya Mandir and D. G. Ruparel College in Bombay, India. She was also accepted to Raheja College of Architecture in Bombay but never attended.
- #072
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan twice turned down the lead role in the Hindi version of Chandramukhi (2005).
- #073
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was the second Miss India 1994.
- #074
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan turned down her role in The Myth (2005) due to her tour schedule. The role was eventually given to Mallika Sherawat.
- #075
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is the daughter of Vrinda Rai.
- #076
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan won the prestigious V. Shantaram Award twice: in 2009 for Best Actress for Jodhaa Akbar (2008) and in 2003 for Best Actress for Devdas (2002). The V. Shantaram Award is voted on by members of the Directors' Guild.
- #077
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was initially cast as Jwala in Mangal Pandey (2005), but she left before filming began due to contract issues. The role was later given to Ameesha Patel.
- #078
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan turned down the role of Sandhya in Saamna (2006).
- #079
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan declined the lead role in Corporate (2006) because no suitable dates were available for the shoot. The role went to Bipasha Basu.
- #080
In mid-2001, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan began work on two films, "Radheshyam Seetaram" and "Hum Panchhi Ek Daal Ke". For unknown reasons, shooting on these films was halted in February 2002. The shoots were never completed and the films have since been shelved. The only material the public can see are photographs from the sets and promotional shoots.
- #081
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was cast for a small role in Lajja (2001), but was dropped because the film already had too many major stars.
- #082
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was considered for the role of Kalyani in Su (2005).
- #083
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was a jury member at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.
- #084
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was considered for the role of Priya in Krrish (2006).
- #085
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan starred in Kalpana Lajmi's political thriller "Singhasan", which was shelved in 2005.
- #086
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan turned down the role of Malvika Talwar in Baabul (2006).
- #087
Feroz Khan was planning a film titled "Nasha" about the problems drugs create in society. Khan was to produce and direct it. The film was to star Amitabh Bachchan, Khan, Fardeen Khan and Lopsang. After Amitabh fell ill, Feroz shelved the idea and decided to begin a remake of Kurbani.
- #088
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was to star in Vikram Bhatt's "Mulaqaat". Before shooting began, Rani Mukerji replaced her. The film was shelved a few days after shooting started.
- #089
In 2004, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was to make a Hollywood film with Zachary Coffin (an actor in India). The film was titled "Windfall" and was based on the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy. She was to play Jasmime Singh, an NRI who returns to India to look for her father. Her father was the manager of the factory on the night the tragedy occurred. The film was shelved after the announcement.
- #090
Producer/actor Arif Khan was to produce a film titled "Main Bana Chahti Hoon Aishwarya Rai". It was about a village girl who comes to Bombay and gets a chance to appear in a music video. She then struggles to become a heroine. Aishwarya objected to the film's title and asked for it to be changed. Arif then changed it to "Banke Rahoongi Aishwarya". This was in 2004.
- #091
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was to be paired with Ajay Devgn in a film to be produced by Amitabh Bachchan's production company ABCL. The project, then untitled, was to be based on a family-oriented subject in which Jaya Bachchan would play Ash's mother. Actor Vinod Khanna and Mrs Bachchan were reported to play a separated couple in the film. Produced by ABCL in partnership with Spice Team Entertainment, the film did not feature Amitabh Bachchan himself as an actor. Sharbani Deodhar was to direct. Amitabh Bachchan preferred not to play the lead opposite Jaya because the film's two older characters were not to be shown as married to each other. Vinod Khanna's name for the role was suggested only by Big B. The film was expected to release in September 2005. It was shot in Mumbai and London. The film was shelved after the announcement.
- #092
Shankar Panicker offered Aishwarya Rai Bachchan the lead in Mudhalavan, but she could not do it.
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