Young Aishwarya Rai as a model for Ritu Beri

The staggering beauty of young Aishwayra Rai in the 90s in Mumbai as the top model of her, if not all, time.  

Aishwarya Rai's saucy shoot from the 90s

 

Considered one of Aishwarya Rai's most controversial and daring shoots, from her early days as a model. This take on a popular Versace look is... well... 

Look, in the early days, you couldn't take a bad picture of Aishwarya Rai if you tried. So everyone experimented with styles with her - to see if she could pull it off. BTW this outfit was from teh personal wardrobe of Rai... 

Aishwarya Rai as a young model

Mumbai models Ranjeev Mulchandani with Aishwarya Rai 

Ajay Devgan with Aishwarya Rai over the years

 

An underrated screen pairing; Ajay Devgan with Aishwarya Rai.

They have worked together in four films (primarily as co-stars, with Ajay often in a supporting or key role alongside her).

Movie Name	Year	Director	Verdict (Hit/Flop)
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam	1999	Sanjay Leela Bhansali	Blockbuster (one of the highest-grossing films of 1999)
Hum Kisise Kum Nahin	2002	David Dhawan	Average (performed average despite star cast)
Khakee	2004	Rajkumar Santoshi	Above Average (decent collections, multi-starrer action thriller)
Raincoat	2004	Rituparno Ghosh	Flop (critically acclaimed but poor box office)

Quick Notes:

• Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was their biggest commercial success together. Ajay played the mature husband (Vanraj) to Aishwarya's Nandini, with Salman Khan as the love interest. It was a major hit with iconic music and performances.
• The other three were multi-starrers or niche dramas where they shared screen time but weren't the only leads.
• Raincoat is often praised as one of their best acting showcases (a subtle, emotional chamber drama), though it flopped commercially.

Aishwarya Rai in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)

The flawless and photogenic Aishwarya Rai, 26, in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999). 

Released on 18 June 1999, Ash reigned Bollywood quickly, just five years after her Miss World win. 

 

 

Young Aishwarya Rai as a supermodel was unbeatable

 

Aishwarya Rai in her first Hindi film Aur Pyar Ho Gaya

 

Aishwarya Rai in her first Hindi film Aur Pyar Ho Gaya 

Young Aishwarya Rai in denim shorts: Supermodel in Mumbai

Young Aishwarya Rai during her modeling days. 

Aishwarya Rai in Gladrags: 90s sizzling cover girl

Sanjay Dutt and Aishwarya Rai's first cover with Cine Blitz: November 1993

Sanjay Dutt and Aishwarya Rai's first cover with Cine Blitz: November 1993. shot by the late great Gautam Rajadhyaksa. 

Ash was 19 when she shot this - still in college and already a name in the modeling industry! This is long before Miss World and five years before her film debut.

Aishwarya Rai in Taal

Subash Ghai thought he found the perfect muse in Madhuri Dixit - but really, it was the perfection of Aishwarya Rai in Taal. It's all been downhill after... 

 

 

Beauty Queens from India: Aishwarya Rai, Sushmita Sen, Diana Hayden and Yukta Mookhey

Sushmita Sen won the Miss Universe 1994, while Aishwarya Rai was Miss World, then in 1997 Diana Hayden (who also won multiple subtitles including Miss Photogenic) and then in 1999, the tallest of them all... Yukta Mookhey. 

Young Aishwarya Rai as a model during her University days

Young Aishwarya Rai as a model during her University days 

Aishwarya Rai styled by Neeta Lulla

 

Young Aishwarya Rai's earliest catalogue modeling shots from the 90s

Young Aishwarya Rai's earliest catalogue modeling shots from the 90s

Sanjay Dutt and Juhi Chawla strike a pose for MOVIE magazine's fashion special

 

Young Aishwarya Rai as a model: Beyond compare

The clothes give the 90s era away, but that face is timeless. The divine Aishwarya Rai. 

A Stardust Exclusive; Karishma Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Urmila, Pooja Bhatt

The questionable hair accessories aside, this was peak 90s glamour by the young belles of Bollywood. Stardust somehow managed to get the top young actresses of their time--this is clearly before managers and PR teams--to strike a pose for the coveted Stardust annual. 

It would be brilliant to get all these ladies together again for a shot --but seems improbable if not impossible. There are some bridges burned here that... cannot be mended. If you know your film feud history, you know exactly why. 

Stardust, once the all-powerful Bollywood behemoth is a whimper of what it was. The natty cat with the sharp claws is merely a feeble fading kitten. alas. Although some stars must be rejoicing. The scandals were epic back in the day. 

Aishwarya Rai and Akshay Khanna in Aa Ab Laut Chalen (1999)

Shot in 1998, released in Jan of 1999, Aishwarya Rai could not be more dazzlingly beautiful on the big screen. 

Aishwarya Rai and Akshay Khanna in Aa Ab Laut Chalen (1999)