Aishwarya Rai as a young model

Mumbai models Ranjeev Mulchandani with Aishwarya Rai 

Josh Audio released party: TBT to April 2000

The Tulu speaking Bunt ladies; Shilpa Shetty and Aishwarya Rai. 

Ash's face and Shilpa's body, that would be an ideal woman for Bollywood! 

Aishwarya Rai's first ever Cine Blitz cover shoot with Sanjay Dutt!

 

Outtakes from a cover shoot Aishwarya Rai, 19, did with Sanjay Dutt, 34, back in November 1993! This was four years before cinema fame - when she was a top model in Mumbai and the famous Sanju - Pepsi girl. Hence one Sanju met another for Cine Blitz's cover shoot. 

In November 1993 - the month Aishwarya Rai and Sanjay Dutt famously posed together for their iconic CineBlitz magazine shoot - Aishwarya was 19 when she shot with the great phtographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha, and she turned 20 years old when the magazine came out (Rai was born November 1, 1973) while Sanjay Dutt was 34 years old (born July 29, 1959). 

This was exactly a year before Aishwarya Rai's world change - because a year later, on November 19, 1994, in South Africa, she was crowned Miss World.  

Key Details & Collaborations

• Age Gap: 14 years and 3 months.

• Total Films Together: 2 feature films.

• Hits: None. Neither of their on-screen pairings succeeded commercially at the box office.

• Flops:

  • Hum Kisise Kum Nahin (2002) – Directed by David Dhawan and co-starring Amitabh Bachchan and Ajay Devgn, this action-comedy underperformed significantly relative to its high budget. A terrible film by all accounts - a pointless plot with a decidedly unfunny script. The music was loud and awful - and the lyrics even worse. Yeh kya ho raha hai? - the question is repeated 25 times in one song. Lazy much?! 

  • Shabd (2005) – Directed by Leena Yadav, this psychological drama featured Sanjay as a struggling author and Aishwarya as his wife. It was a critical and commercial disaster at the box office.

• Last Collaboration: Shabd (2005), released on February 4, 2005.

Jaya Prada in jeans

Jaya Prada is the quintessential south Indian beauty. Satyajit Ray famously stated that she had the most perfect face. 

She looked great in traditional Indian attire, saris and her famed dance costumes. Rarely did we see a young, hip Jaya as the tiny lady - she's so short unlike her famous competitor Sridevi - in jeans and modern Western attire was a rare event. So these pics are so rare. 

An era before designers and stylists, this is what the stars actually wore back then. 

Aishwarya Rai: 90s centrefold

 Aishwarya Rai as a centrefold for Cine Blitz magazine. 

 

 She was a superstar from the get-go. While other actors and newcomers struggle to get their first cover - Aishwarya Rai made a clean sweep and was prominently featured in every single publication. The most photogenic woman on the planet in the 1990s, it was an easy sell. In fact, Aishwarya Rai probably sold more magazines than any other star of her time. 

Bhagyashree and Salman Khan: The young cast and crew of Maine Pyar Kiya

When Maine Pyar Kiya released at the end of 1989, it really was a youth-quake. The cast and crew were so young - and not pretending to be young. They got allllll the ingredients right. 

Wikipedia has demystyfied the age of actors and the cast and crew. This is a reminder that a young team getting together can and do create magic. 

The film wasn't just a movie - it was a movement. It captured a young zeitgeist. The Barjatya brilliance shone through. 

Maine Pyar Kiya was filmed primarily between 1988 and 1989 before its release on December 29, 1989.

Lead Cast

• Salman Khan (Prem Choudhary): Born December 27, 1965.

  • Age during shooting: 22 to 23 years old (he turned 24 two days before the film released).

• Bhagyashree (Suman): Born February 23, 1969.

  • Age during shooting: 19 to 20 years old.

Supporting Cast

• Mohnish Bahl (Jeevan): Born August 14, 1961.

  • Age during shooting: 26 to 27 years old.

• Pervaiz Sahani / Pervien Dastur (Seema): Born 1968.

  • Age during shooting: 20 to 21 years old.

• Alok Nath (Karan, Suman's father): Born July 10, 1956.

  • Age during shooting: 31 to 32 years old.

• Reema Lagoo (Kaushalya Choudhary, Prem's mother): Born June 21, 1958.

  • Age during shooting: 29 to 30 years old (playing Salman's mother while being only 7 years older than him).

• Rajeev Verma (Kishan Kumar Choudhary, Prem's father): Born June 28, 1949.

  • Age during shooting: 38 to 39 years old.

• Laxmikant Berde (Manohar): Born October 26, 1954.

  • Age during shooting: 33 to 34 years old.

Director Sooraj Barjatya (born February 22, 1965) was also only 23 to 24 years old while directing the film.

The colour and attainable wardrobe of Maine Pyar Kiya.

Madhuri Dixit in the 1980s in Bollywood

The stylist edit: Madhuri Dixit in the 1980s in Bollywood - Sridevi too. Look at the pattern of their blouse - it must have been trending!! 

Manisha Koirala

When Manisha Koirala arrived with a bang in Bollywood, she was so staggeringly beautiful. A great actress... an ok dancer. She somehow had hit songs but she's more thespian than gizelle...

Bollywood's Ultimate Pair: Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan

 I read this about them in MOVIE magazine; "He gave her class, she gave him sex appeal; the magic of Rekha and Amitabh Bachchan on the big-screen. 

Aishwarya Rai in her first Hindi film: Aur Pyar Ho Gaya

Released on 15 August 1997, ie 29 years ago, Ash entered Bollywood with a musical bang, though it was a critical and commercial... whimper! 

Aishwarya Rai in the 90s was unbeatable (cough cough Sushmita at Miss India was... an aberration, albeit a splendidly eloquent one), as a popular model from her teens to topping the pageant world, Rai was accustomed to being looked at and fawned over from an early age. She also took the barbs and brickbats on her sharply honed chin and hid her hurt well, occasionally revealing in tell-all interviews when the criticism got to her -- reached peak volume during her second Cannes outing - more on that later.   

Her launch in Hindi films had all the right ingredients as she's never looked better on the big screen - which is saying something considering her Miss World credentials. She hit Bollywood with great expectations, all of 23, post her Miss World world tour, she had Neeta Lulla working on her clothes, Manmohan Singh lighting her like the dream she is in the movie (he famously made Sridevi look ethereal in Chandni years before), and the biggest flex of all, Ash's look, wardrobe, makeup, hair etc  was entirely styled by the great Mickey Contractor - if you don't know him, go down a Google search rabbit hole, and be amazed at his hand-craft skills.

Aur Pyar Ho Gaya is remembered today mainly as Aishwarya Rai's Bollywood entry point rather than for its box office success or critical acclaim. The music by the late, great Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and lyrics by Javed Akthar are impeccable. So many songs stand the test of time - and all so gloriously picturised on the telegenic pair. For her first film, Aishwarya's not bad but people expected her to be Madhuri from day one. Which was unfair to the (albeit confident) newcomer. As a rom com its.. fine. Its fine.

As a time capsule for contemporary fashion in the 90s, its textbook. Skip through most of the film, and just watch Ash. Totally worth it. 

Rekha in her career defining year: Khoobsurat

Released in January 1980, Rekha was the undisputed queen of Bollywood at the time. A career-defining year for Re as she absolutely stunned in Khoobsurat, Kalyug, Basera, Umrao Jaan and Silsila, all which came back-to-back. 

When you see her filmography in the early 1980s, she appeared in nearly a dozen movies each year. Sadly the quality of the films themselves was all over the place. Either she was exquisite or erratic. 

As a beauty, actor and dancer, Rekha is peerless - topped with a flawless voice and husky dialogue delivery where her Hindi and Urdu is perfection. 

In her vast filmography, many like to state that Umrao Jaan is her career-defining performance. A valid thesis can be made of that.

I propose the flawless, Khoobsurat. Legend has it Hrisihikesh Mukherjee made the film just for Re - and is closest character to the actress herself. 

I've seen the film... 148 times. It is glorious. Every single actor in the movie is so natural and wonderful. Particularly Ashok Kumar and his magical jugulabandi with Dina Pathak. 

 

Birth Anniversary of Sridevi: Indian Icon

 

Bless Sridevi - wherever she is. She would have turned 63 today, 13 August. 

See this Sridevi page - Sridevi

The largest website dedicated to the actress with daily updates. Yes, even now, 8 years after... 

Showtime with Sridevi

13 August 1963. An Indian legend was born - the great Sridevi.  

Birth anniversary of the legendary Indian actress and famed south Indian beautyu, Sridevi. 

Daily updates in teh largest Sridevi site at Sridevi

90s top stars: Aamir Khan, Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit

 

Devi, Sridevi. On the sets of Chandni

Thinking of Sridevi - its her birth anniversary tomorrow. August 13.

Rekha: A Bollywood Icon's Hollywood Influence: In Pictures

Rekha.. influenced by Elizabeth Taylor, Cher and Joan Collins in Dynasty. Those in the know, stylists especially, will see the exact reference. 

Aishwarya Rai in her best Tamil film

Aishwarya Rai in her best Tamil film: Kandukondain Kandukondain,

Well, if not best, perhaps most beloved and popular. She's also been very lucky with her constant collabs with A.R.Rehman in her first film till... her last! 

Rajiv Menon’s Kandukondain Kandukondain stands as a crowning achievement of turn-of-the-millennium Tamil cinema - a film where literary sophistication, visual splendour, and musical genius converge. As an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, Menon did not merely translate the classic novel to an Indian landscape; he enriched it, crafting a cinematic tapestry that feels both deeply rooted in Tamil culture and effortlessly universal. There are several notable critics who have stated that this is by far one of the greatest adaptions of an Austen novel - which is really saying something. It doesn't feel tired, dated, there's no sense of deja-vu... its spellbinding. 

At the heart of this romantic masterpiece is Aishwarya Rai, whose portrayal of Meenakshi remains one of the most radiant performances of her career. Rai captures the raw, unfiltered emotionality of a young woman consumed by poetry, music, and idealistic love. Her performance balances exuberant passion with heartbreaking vulnerability as her romantic illusions crumble against harsh reality. 

Visually, Rai is ethereal; the camera frames her with sublime grace, from the rain-soaked mansions of Karaikudi to the bustling streets of Chennai. 

Rai’s dancing elevates the film into legendary status. In "Konjum Mainakkale," her fluid movements and incandescent charm turn a joy-filled track into an iconic visual setpiece, while her classical artistry in "Kannamoochi Yaenada" underscores her profound mastery of expression and rhythm. 

Complementing her presence is a powerhouse ensemble cast - Tabu brings grounded maturity as Sowmya, while Mammootty, Ajith Kumar, and Abbas deliver brilliantly nuanced performances that give every romantic arc distinct narrative weight.

Tying it all together is A.R. Rahman’s transcendent soundtrack, a composition where classical Carnatic ragas seamlessly blend with modern orchestral arrangements. 

Every frame of Kandukondain Kandukondain breathes technical precision, warmth, and artistic harmony, solidifying its status as arguably the most flawless Tamil cinematic landmark of its era.

Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan in Dhai Akshar Prem Ke

Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan in Dhai Akshar Prem Ke

Gorgeous songs, gorgeous couple, the film was...just ok. 

Aishwarya Rai at 3.20: Dhoom again.

A magical gorgeous duo in Bollywood; Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan.

Aishwarya Rai styled by Neeta Lulla

 

Without naming names, Aishwarya Rai stated that early on, the modeling industry, wasn't always a welcoming or kind field - especially in competative Mumbai in the 1990s. They mistook her friendliness as fallacy, her ambition to make it, met with she fakes it. Well, where are her competing models today - and look where Ash is. BTW Ash when she strut in, in this Neeta Lulla design for example, I mean... the competition just petered away....

She always stated that when she was in Miss India or Miss World, she never had the best body nor did she hit the gym like a demon possessed. She just had that un-getable, un-buyable "it" factor.  There have been plenty of light-eyed, light skinned models and actresses to emerge from the glamour and entertainment industry, who has reached her heights? 

Aishwarya Rai's first film appearance: Iruvar: Tamil Classic by Mani Ratnam

 

In Mani Ratnam’s political epic Iruvar (1997), a 23-year-old Aishwarya Rai delivered what remains one of the most astonishing debuts in Indian cinema history. Stepping into a complex dual role, fresh off her Miss World win - the ethereal, innocent village bride Pushpavalli and the ambitious, modern actress Kalpana - she announced herself not just as a breathtaking face, but as a performer of rare poise, dignity, and instinct.

To hold her own opposite titans like Mohanlal and Prakash Raj in a first feature would intimidate most, yet Rai’s screen presence was remarkably composed. She grounded Pushpavalli with quiet, tender vulnerability and infused Kalpana with sharp, mesmerizing confidence. Her eyes conveyed a profound emotional maturity well beyond her years, ensuring the dual roles felt distinct, deliberate, and deeply human rather than a mere gimmick.

As a classically trained Bharatanatyam dancer, her movement on screen was sheer poetry. In iconic compositions like “Vennila Vennila" elegantly choreographed by legends including Saroj Khan, Sundaram, and Brinda - Rai moved with fluid precision, effortless rhythm, and magnetic grace. Paired with A.R. Rahman’s hauntingly perfect score, every song sequence became a timeless visual movement.

Iruvar showcases Mani Ratnam at the absolute height of his directorial powers - a masterclass in visual composition, larger-than-life character arcs, and atmospheric storytelling. Though audiences and the box office underappreciated the film upon its initial release, time has rightfully restored its legacy. 

Today, Iruvar stands universally acclaimed as one of Ratnam’s finest masterpieces. At its core lies Aishwarya Rai’s luminous debut - although the director clearly stated to her well in advance, that he wasn't presenting a film to showcase teh debut of a star, but telling a story for which she was a huge part of. A performance that remains an enduring benchmark for elegance, artistic discipline, and sheer cinematic brilliance, no wonder Ratnam has offered her as many films as he has. Funny how her luminous beauty is so naturally projected unlike other directors who go limp presenting her eyes, features, dances, costumes... and failiing to showcase the performer that Ash truly is. 

Aishwarya Rai in Dil ka Rishta

 

Aishwarya Rai in Dil ka Rishta. There's an entire sub genre of film where Aishwarya Rai looks incredible in incredibly awful movies... Its... a long list.

Generally hate screengrabs but oh wow, Ash looks so gorgeous in this orange sari look. 

Fake AI Pic of Aishwarya Rai trending

Dazzling. Pity its a fake. Ya know the real Aishwarya Rai in early 2000s had sharper features and yet an innate softness about her.