Sridevi

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Aishwarya Rai in Devdas

Aishwarya Rai in Taal

Released on August 13, 1999 (FYI on Sridevi's birthday!), Taal (and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam released just two months before) catapulted Aishwarya Rai to another league after a few false starts, hype and hooplah (although Iruvar, despite its box office state is a masterpiece).

There's been no looking back for the superstar since then.

Sunil Shetty and Aishwarya Rai

Sunil Shetty and Aishwarya Rai 

The striking resemblance between Rekha and Aishwarya Rai....

How are these two not related?!

The lips, the sharp nose, the eye shape (if not colour)....


Icons of Bollywood beauty; Aishwarya Rai and Rekha 

Aishwarya Rai in and as Umrao Jaan

Aishwarya Rai in and as Umrao Jaan.

A title role...

But... as glorious as she looked in the film, the movie was deeply flawed in execution.

We said it before its release, during the movie and after its abysmal run at the box-office (and the critical drumming it got0, there is no need to touch a faultless classic that originall released in 1981.

It failed spectacularly in every single measure; music, lyrics, performance, narrative, depth, dialogue, cinematography, the singers were lesser, the actors were not on par... even the costumes were inaccurate albeit shimmering and pretty....

And yet, we've seen it several times just to see "the first and second most beautiful woman in the world; Aishawrya Rai."

TBT: Aishwarya Rai

Aishwarya Rai arriving with Jaya Bachchan and Shweta Nanda at the funeral of Sridevi. One of the darkest days in Bollywood.

Aishwarya Rai and the Taj Mahal

A still from the film Jeans; Aishwarya Rai in Agra by the Taj Mahal.

TBT to 1998