The greatest most perfect face in Bollywood history: Aishwarya Rai

 

Farooq Sheikh with Rekha in Umrao Jaan

During the release of the iconic film Umrao Jaan (released on January 2, 1981), Farooq Sheikh was 32 years old (born March 25, 1948) and Rekha was just 26 years old (born October 10, 1954)!!

But, no mistake, Rekha was the bigger star by far - and as holder of the title role, she carried that classic film. 

When bad wigs happen to good actresses

Famed character actress Shashikala in a bad wig, lenses for the cover of the now defunct Star & Style magazine.

Continuing the tradition of bad wigs in Bollywood - as posted earlier here with Madhuri, Urmila and Manisha in bad wigs. 

Meena Kumari in white

 

Rekha and Zeenat Aman

 Rekha and Zeenat Aman - when they crossed paths in the late 1980s - the two stars were polar opposites in style and famously appeared in Ram Balram together in 1980.  At the time of the film's theatrical release on November 28, 1980, Zeenat Aman was 29 years old (born November 19, 1951) and Rekha was 26 years old (born October 10, 1954). 

Aishwarya Rai in and as Umrao Jaan

Though the original Umrao Jaan with Rekha was... infinitely better, there's no denying, Aishwarya Rai was at her peak beauty in Umrao Jaan... 

Which is saying a lot considering how great she looked in Devdas, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Iruvan... etc etc. 

Aishwarya Rai in TIME magazine

 

Rekha: Iconic moments in her colourful life... but in black and white!

 

Rekha with Amitabh Bachchan 

Rekha as a leading lady at age 13! 

Rekha with her sisters and father, famed Gemini Ganesan 

Mekesh and Rekha
The ill-fated marriage from hell... 

38 years of Star & Style: Bollywood tabloid

For its time, these were some of the most controversial film magazine covers in India - the controversial Star & Style magazine that emerged from Mumbai in the 1950s - and ended abruptly. So many rare photos and interviews of iconic Indian stars, lost to the ages... 

Star and Style was launched in 1951 by media executive J.C. Jain and published under the Eve’s Weekly Group (Somani Group).

The magazine existed for nearly 40 years, running continuously from 1951 until 1989, when it ceased publication along with its sister outlet, Eve's Weekly.

Key Milestones & History

Period	Milestone
1951	Launch: Established as a biweekly film and lifestyle publication to compete directly with Filmfare.
1966–1989	The Golden Era: Edited by legendary journalist Gulshan Ewing. During this era, star columnist Devyani Chaubal penned the famous "Frankly Speaking" gossip column, making the magazine a household name across Bollywood.
1989	Closure: Ceased operation as part of the total shutdown of the Eve’s Weekly publishing group due to shifts in film journalism and market competition.

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Because Star and Style operated as a fortnightly (biweekly) magazine for the majority of its 38-year run, an estimated 900 to 1,000 individual issues were published over its existence.

Most Controversial Issues & Stories

Rather than a single isolated issue, the magazine's most scandalous runs were tied to star columnist Devyani Chaubal ("Devi"):

• The Dharmendra & Hema Malini Exposé: One of the most infamous moments occurred when Devyani Chaubal exposed the secret romance and private marriage arrangements between Dharmendra and Hema Malini. The coverage provoked an intense response in the industry; an outraged Dharmendra notoriously confronted journalists and chased Chaubal through a outdoor venue.

• The Rajesh Khanna Health & Retirement Claims: Star and Style printed sensational claims about superstar Rajesh Khanna, including cover stories claiming he was retiring at the absolute height of his career, as well as premature claims regarding his health.

• Rekha’s Unfiltered Interviews: In the late 1970s, Rekha gave candid interviews to Star and Style detailing her personal relationship with Vinod Mehra, generating significant gossip across film publications.

Most Popular Era

The magazine's peak popularity occurred during the 1970s through early 1980s, under the editorship of Gulshan Ewing. Driven by the rise of Hindi cinema’s first superstar (Rajesh Khanna) and the subsequent era of Amitabh Bachchan, Star and Style established itself as one of the top two film periodicals in India alongside Filmfare.

Who Was Featured on the Cover the Most?

While official publisher tallies were never archived, historical magazine distribution logs and retrospective collections show two stars tied for the highest frequency of covers:

1. Rajesh Khanna: As Devyani Chaubal’s primary subject and a dominant box-office draw during the late 60s and 70s, Khanna appeared on more Star and Style covers during that decade than any other actor.

2. Rekha & Sridevi: Among actresses, Rekha dominated the magazine's covers through the 1970s and 80s, followed closely by Sridevi, who became the magazine's premier cover subject throughout the mid-to-late 1980s leading up to the publication's final issues in 1989.

Aishwarya Rai in her Miss World red gown: of crown and glory

Aishwarya Rai on stage - the crown and glory of Miss World.

Below, Rai, preparing and at fittings. 

Back when she had a sense of humour, someone asked her what her beauty secret was and she joked on camera, "Makeup!". 

You can find the clip online. But really, Ash just had the most chiseled features.