Aishwarya Rai was born in Mangalore, Karnataka, on November 1, 1973. She relocated to Mumbai when her father, a merchant navy officer, moved to the city. Ash was four years old then. She originally wanted to study medicine but opted for architecture instead.

She started modelling when she was in the ninth standard; her first advertisement was for Camlin Industries. But she hit the spotlight after she appeared in a Pepsi commercial with Aamir Khan. Other offers followed -- including Palmolive soaps, Casio pagers, Philips, Sheetal (fashion store) and Prudent toothpaste. Modelling soon became a full-time job, and Ash decided to give her studies a break.

Bollywood sought her after she won the Ford Supermodel Contest in 1991. But she only accepted the Telugu film, Mamagaru, in which she made a special appearance. She also appeared in Vogue magazine.

Here, Ash models for a tailoring book.

Text: Shruti Mathur

Also Read: Celebrating Aishwarya

Email this page to a friend