Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in 2026

Wearing Manish Malhotra, after years, possibly a decade, of the most frightening sartorial selects, at long last Aishwarya Rai Bachchan seems to be returning to form. Slowly, painstakingly... 
 

Aishwarya Rai in 2013

 Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, arriving at an event hosted for Hugh Jackman. 

Rekha in Umrao Jaan: Perfection

 

More at Instagram

Aishwarya Rai with Shahrukh Khan on the sets of Mohabatein (2000)

Just three years into the film world, Aishwarya Rai was already a top star in brief cameo in the Shahrukh Khan/Amitabh Bachchan led Mohabbatein (2000). 

A film I had a problem with from the get-go as, if you know Hindi, there is no word as Mohabbatein. Written and directed by Aditya Chopra who is a true cinema buff, who made one of my all time favourite films DDLJ and a movie I hated passionately, Befikre. Sadly in fact, from DDLJ onwards, its been diminishing returns, his films have had more glamour, glitz and high production values, but the poetry has been bumper-car sticker lite, not as profound as intended, which always befuddled; when you have acccess to Javed Akhtar, Gulzar and Honey Irani...cough cough... why not tap into the natural resources of great writing and profound thinking that only age can bring in?! 

When Mohabbatein first came out - my mother, a Hindi teacher at Kendriya Vidyalaya - first looked at the word and went... what??!!  A sign of the haan-ji-sir-ji culture of Mumbai film industry, in his entireeeeee team, no one had the courage to bring it up to the boss-man, that the word ain't right?! 

Anyhoo, but nothing succeeds like success as of course this movie was a smash hit and made tonnes of money - think nine times the budget... so who argues with a crore-maker when we are hazaar-critics. 

The picture; well, Ash was 26 during the making of the film, her co-star 34. King Khan 

This on set pic, Khan holding the cig is the dead give-away, sparked rumours of the alleged affair between the two which created chaos in her personal life, the storied chaos of the Salman Khan alliance that sold a lot of tabloids and earned the keep of many a hack. Doubt there was any truth to it other than Ash's fandom of SRK and Khan's famed affection for all his co-stars, but Indian tabloids rarely let facts get in the way of a good newsstand selling (fiction) story. Which reminds me, the images of a kiss between Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai (a cheeky one so relax!), allegedly earned the photographer top dollar, well, top Ruppee as it was a Cine Blitz exclusive.  

Rai looked glorious in the movie - truly a vision and backed with iconic songs, two scenes and a wardrobe that is still being emulated to date, she proved that its not the length of the role but its impact that matters. 

We long to watch Rai and Khan in a film again. Sadly, we think those days are done. But one never knows... we can manifest it to happen with a Netflix budget or something... 

As a film, it felt... fluffy. Essentially a launch pad for six newcomers, a life changing career move that.. sadly they couldn't sustain. Mohabatein was a summer, easy-breezy-blockbuster - that released in October! Delayed productions as Rai fell ill in between... The film requires very little thought and its candy and gelato colour scheme just made for fun viewing, not profundity. Which no one is really looking for in a Bollywood musical of large-scale production. 

Fan of parts of the movie... others are so skippable. Always wondered how they brought all those Canadian maple leaves to India... Some sad sack had to carry that from continent to continent.... 

Rekha in Utsav (1984): The Indian Goddess of Eros in the 1980s

 

Rekha, 28, during the making of the film Utsav which released in December 1984. Her portrayal of the courtesan Vasantsena in the 1984 erotic drama is often praised as one of her standout performances from that period. 

The costumes for the historical, possibly mythological drama, were designed by Jayoo Patwardhan and Nachiket Patwardhan (credited for art direction and costumes; they handled the elaborate period looks). Rekha's iconic and sensual outfits in the film were particularly acclaimed and contributed to its visual appeal.

The film was shot primarily in 1982–83 (about 1–2 years of principal photography and related work in locations like Kolkebail, Karnataka, plus studio scenes in Bombay). Post-production (including an English version) extended into 1984, with the full process spanning roughly 2 years before release.

Utsav released on December 21, 1984 in India; some sources note an earlier censor certificate in August 1984, but the theatrical release was December).

The film won several notable awards, including a National Film Award: Best Art Direction (Nachiket Patwardhan and Jayoo Patwardhan) at the 32nd National Film Awards; two Filmfare Awards (at the 33rd Filmfare Awards): Best Lyricist (Vasant Dev for "Mann Kyun Behka") and Best Female Playback Singer (Anuradha Paudwal for "Mere Man Baje Mridang"). 

Additional recognition includes Rekha winning the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award for Best Actress (Hindi).

Amitabh Bahchcan, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai

Before she was a Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai with Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan at the audio launch of... Dhai Akshay Prem Ke... I think. 
 

Aishwarya Rai

Every photographer's dream, Ash. 
 

Madhuri Dixit-Nene in Devdas (2002)

Madhuri Dixit-Nene, 35, in Devdas (2002)
 

Stunning Rekha at the premiere of Ram Balram in 1980

Rekha, 26, attends the grand premiere of Ram Balram - a throwback to November 28, 1980. 

That blouse, that sari, the accessories, that makeup - this could be 2026, not a shot from 46 years ago!! 

 

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Armani at the Oscars: TBT to 2011

Throwback to Feb 27, 2011, legendary beauty, the iconic Indian actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, 37,  wearing Armani arrives on the red carpet for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards show, Hollywood, California, U.S. - OSCARS 2011. 

Aishwarya Rai in and as Umrao Jaan

Aishwarya Rai, 33, in and as Umrao Jaan, J.P.Dutta's long, elegiac... bore. 

The character of Umrao Jaan spans various ages in the story (from young to mature), but Aishwarya's real-life age aligned with her portraying the adult courtesan phase. Ash delivered a graceful, dance-heavy performance in the film, often praised for her beauty and poise, even if the movie itself received mostly poor reviews. 

Rekha: Guiness record for the most covers in India: And the End of Film Glossy: Print Media Circles the Drain

 

As we publish these words, 90% of all Indian film magazines have gone down the drain; G magazine, Showtime, tinsel town, Gr8, Star & Style, Film World, MOVIE magazine, and the behemoths Cine Blitz and even the seemingly unshakable Stardust that originally launched in 1971, has shut shop.

The rise of digital media, gossip websites, and social media led to the decline of many print film glossies.

Notable Bollywood (Hindi film industry)-focused film magazines that have ceased publication or closed down over the years inclue;

• FilmIndia — A pioneering English-language monthly magazine founded in 1935 by Baburao Patel, known for its sharp film reviews and critiques. It ceased publication in 1961.
• PicturePost — A popular pocket-sized Hindi/English film magazine from earlier decades, famous among commuters for its movie stills and news; it went out of circulation long ago and is now a collector's item.
• Madhuri — A long-running Hindi fortnightly/weekly magazine focused on Hindi cinema, starting in the 1920s–1930s; it continued into the late 1980s before being renamed or discontinued.
• Stardust — One of the most influential gossip and Bollywood news magazines (English and Hindi editions), launched in 1971. It dominated in the 1970s–1990s but eventually shut down in print form (though its name has been associated with awards/events sporadically).
• Cine Blitz — A glossy Bollywood gossip and lifestyle magazine (often in English), popular in the 1980s–1990s for bold coverage; it closed down years ago amid the shift to online media.
• Star & Style — A prominent film magazine from the same era as Stardust and Cine Blitz, known for star interviews and glamour; it ceased publication.
• Showtime — Another glossy Bollywood magazine from the 1980s era that folded.
• Cinema Cinema — Various short-lived or niche Bollywood film titles from the 1980s–1970s that shut down.

Many others from the Urdu film magazine ecosystem (e.g., Shama, Nigar, or smaller ones) also closed by the late 1980s–2000s, though they were more broadly cinema-oriented.
Surviving titles like Filmfare, clinging on for dear life and Screen (now largely digital or limited) outlasted most, but the golden era of print Bollywood magazines largely ended by the early 2000s and the simultaneous rise of Social Media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and so on. With no more gatekeeps in film "journalism", the tabloid culture died in print but like insidious cancer cells, spread like wildfire online.
Which brings me to Rekha.
Unless there's a sudden resurgance of print media, Rekha holds the Guiness record of appearing in more magazine covers than any leading lady, in the history of Indian cinema.
The photogenic actress and famed beauty has appeared on the cover of every film magazine in India - several times over. She loved doing photoshoots with talented photographers, experimenting with fashion, makeup and hair to project an ultimate glamorous image, Rekha has posed, preened and pouted for so many magazine covers, we do not have a count for it. She's done more Filmfare covers, Cine Blitz, Stardust covers than any film star, bar none.
And as most film magazines have gone with the wind, she'll continue to hold the record. Contemporary film stars no longer have the star wattage of yesteryear ones, celebrity today is a fickle mantle; the audience gets bored of one star quickly. Rekha held the nation in her palm with her antics on screen - and off! Apart from appearing exquisitely on film, she also provided quotable quotes like no other star.
Fickle audiences on newsstands wanted something new and novel and the chameleon actress changed her style, wigs, makeup to ensure the audience never got bored of the same. Long before stylists, brand ambassadorship and the cottage industry in contemporary Indian fashion that's become this billion rupee behemoth. Rekha was mixing her foreign imported furs with classic, traditional temple jewellery.
Rifle through Pinterest or Instagram and find covers from the 1970s-2000s with Rekha on the cover and, collating them all into a chronological list will be a study of where contemporary fashion was in glamorous Bombay to glitzy Mumbai. Rekha obviously amped it up a bit more than what high society deemed necessary, but she was the blueprint of celebiryt fashion and makeup for decades.