Sunil Dutt with Nutan at Filmfare Awards

The sober and timeless elegance of vintage Bollywood stars at Filmfare awards night. 

Aishwarya Rai during the Miss India pageant back in 1994!

 

Sridevi: Sri putri: Janhvi Kapoor turns a year older

Sridevi: Sri putri: Janhvi Kapoor turns a year older! Now and then images of Sridevi with her first-born. 

Happy Birthday to Janvhi! 

 

Aishwarya Rai, Mani Ratnam, Abhishek Bachchan at Guru premiere

2007, dazzling Aishwarya Rai at the American premiere of Guru with mentor, film director/producer Mani Ratnam and co-star, and then fiancé, Abhishek Bachchan. 

A woman in love is a thing of beauty... 
 

Aishwarya Rai's first appearance at Cannes

Aishwarya Rai, 29, at Cannes back in 2002. 

This baby blue sparkling salwaar kameez was such a rage. 
 

The stylist edit: Rekha. Meenakshi

 

The stylist edit: Rekha. Meenakshi 

Whatever was trending in fashion, makeup or accessories, Rekha did it first. FYI! 

 

Young Aishwarya Rai

 

Young Aishwarya Rai, circa age23-24. The official portrait, which later ended up being a cover story in Cine Blitz in 1997.

Bemoaning the closure of Cine Blitz, which used to have the most glamorous covers in the 1980s and early 1990s. 

Weak stewardship, social media and the rise of insta' fame and news killed the once coveted magazine. 

Alas... 

Aishwarya Rai's Femina cover

Ash is Back! 

If only. A tbt to earlier edition of Femina - one of the last few magazines surviving the economic media turmoil as magazines shut shop left, right and centre. 

This 90s edition showcases young Ash pre-Bollywood, but post Miss World and her global tour with her crown. 

 

Aishwarya Rai

 

Young Aishwarya Rai in her first shelved Hindi film: Indian

 Aishwarya Rai, 24, in the shelved film Indian. The movie with Sunny Deol that never saw the light of day... 

Aishwarya Rai

Calling all Aishwarya Rai fans; is this look from Khakee or Kyun! Ho gaya na...? 

 

Girl Interrupted: Divya Bharti vs Sridevi

Born on 25 February 1974, Divya Bharti would have turned 52 today. She was styled to look like Sridevi-lite. Whether it was her, the industry, the people around her, the reference was follow the blue print of past icons. And she did it well. 

Many state, had she not died at the age of 19 --shockingly young--she would have been a top tier actress without doubt. 

Divya Bharti's death was the first shocking Bollywood news we remember. Sridevi's is the last. 

Aishwarya Rai in Dil ka Rishta

Dil Ka Rishta, a Hindi film, musical-romantic-drama [ah Bollywood, why be one genre when you can be three?!], led by Aishwarya Rai, Arjun Rampal, and Priyanshu Chatterjee was released on January 17, 2003. With hit music by Nadeem Shravan and Rai looking ever-so-dreamy, there was tremendous buzz around the film. 

Aishwarya Rai was 29 years old during the film's release, principal involvement and production. The movie was co-produced by the Rai family and famously written by Rai's mother Vrinda. The film had a budget of around ₹8.25 crore, was shot extensively in South Africa and Mumbai, and collected approximately ₹14.6 crore worldwide. Initially written off as a flop, the film more than recovered on investment. 

In 2003, Aishwarya Rai had three film releases; Dil Ka Rishta (January 2003, Hindi) Chokher Bali (a Bengali film, a modest budget sleeper hit + critical success) and Kuch Naa Kaho (another Hindi musical-romantic-drama, also broke even). 

The year she turned 30, Aishwarya Rai was already a Bonafide superstar who could lead a film, and more importantly, open a film and justify the title of being the highest paid Indian actress of the year. 

Aishwarya Rai in Khakhee (2004)

Aishwarya Rai in Khakhee (2004). A fantastic film with novel twists and turns, an all-star cast with only Aishwarya Rai as the leading lady... one of Ash's better performances despite a relatively short screentime. 

The right script and an able director, Rai has been unstoppable. Trouble now is most young, contemporary directors are in awe of her - her epic beauty and fame and the unmistakable star wattage that makes her one of the few female superstars in India. But a director cannot be intimidated or eclipsed by that same aura. 

Its a problem and a fate that is familiar to Bollywood watchers. Both Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi faced the same when the captain of the ship was so in awe of the leading lady, their films and performances suffered. When a young director meets the dazzling leading lady, they can't ask for a retake, correct them, edit them... The jaw drop of agreeing to everything a star does, that imbalance of ego and id makes for a lesser movie. 

When a senior director or filmmaker works with Ash, she famously becomes a student and following the direction (hello!) of the maker, her performance and look is elevated. All her performances with makers of note Mani Ratnam, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Mansoor Khan, Yash/Adi Chopra.... are better as they don't fear asking Rai to re-do a scene, song or step.

 

Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan: Bollywood's definitive power couple

Through thick and thin, good times and bad, this famed third generation of Bachchans have been powering through despite an onslaught of naysayers and foolish gossip. 

Aishwarya Rai in Taal

 Aishwarya Rai in Taal 

Aishwarya Rai in the Tamil film Jeans (1998): Epic costumes for the former Miss World

 Aishwarya Rai in the Tamil film Jeans (1998): Epic costumes for the former Miss World 

Aishwarya Rai and Vivek Oberoi in Kyun! Ho Gaya Na... (2004)

Aishwarya Rai and Vivek Oberoi in Kyun! Ho Gaya Na... (2004). 

A misstep in more ways than I can count, but the songs sung by Sadhana Sargam were divine. And enduring... 

Vivek Oberoi's overconfidence was bulging away - on screen, on belly, on bloated face. At a time when the muscle men were taking over box-office, to be an unfit leading man on the big screen was one of several reasons the fame faded away.... 

Aishwarya Rai in Kuch Naa Kaho (2003)

Aishwarya Rai in Kuch Naa Kaho (2003). The songs and dances in the film are so lovely. 

Aishwarya Rai in Kyun! Ho Gaya Na... (2004)

Aishwarya Rai in Kyun! Ho Gaya Na... (2004)

Despite initial reports the film had flopped, the film more than broke even despite a wayward and essentially pointless screenplay... What was the point of this love story?! Love is inevitable when the lead cast was in a relationship behind the scenes?! 

Some great songs, Aishwarya Rai still looking dazzling... even with some much-talked about curls (again for NO reason!).... 

 

Aishwarya Rai and Shahrukh Khan in Josh: Six film appearances in the year 2000

Now, Aishwarya Rai appears in a film once every few years, but back in the year 2000, Ash appeared in six films! 

A rarely seen still of Aishwarya Rai with Shahrukh Khan in Josh. A Goan, Bollywood-ised version of West Side Story

Mansoor Khan is such a gifted film maker with a near spotless record. 

 

Release Date	Film Title	Language	Role	Hit/Flop
9 June 2000	Josh	Hindi	Shirley Dias	Hit
June 2000	Kandukondain Kandukondain	Tamil	Meenakshi	Superhit
25 August 2000	Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai	Hindi	Preeti Vyas	Hit
29 September 2000	Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke	Hindi	Sahiba Grewal	Average
27 October 2000	Mohabbatein	Hindi	Megha Shankar	Superhit
December 2000	Mela	Hindi	Champakali	Flop

Aishwarya Rai poses for a Diamond brand

 Aishwarya Rai poses for a Diamond brand 

Aishwarya Rai in Dhai Akshar Prem Ke (2000)

 

Aishwarya Rai in Dhai Akshar Prem Ke (2000)