Wish her a very happy birthday: Send her birthday gifts and wishes

After winning the Miss World title in 1994, this emerald-eyed beauty became “essential” in everyone’s life. She became so ubiquitous and popular that if extraterrestrial life existed, her fame and “pictures” would have definitely reached them! To say Aishwarya Rai is a phenomenon is an understatement but to say that she might attract the extraterrestrial (in question) to earth is never an overstatement! Till date, Aishwarya Rai is one of the most widely-searched keywords in several search engines and her photos are everywhere in the form of portraits, posters, screensavers and wallpapers of computers or mobile phones – not just in India, but also in UK and US! Post-1994, Aishwarya Rai became the symbol of beauty and symmetry; no wonder she adorns the walls of houses, clinics, workplaces, etc. to this day. All this explains why the famous Times magazine chose her as one of the 100 most influential people on earth. What is highly surprising is how she manages to take all this fame in her stride.

Blessed with extremely attractive looks, even as a tiny little attractive girl who went to Arya Vidya Mandir School in Mumbai, she had one choice for her career – modelling followed by acting! When she realized she is made to win beauty pageants, she entered Miss India contest and emerged #1 in all rounds except the questionnaire round, which saw her win the runner-up ribbon. As a consequence, she was granted entry only into Miss World 1994; else she would have definitely won Miss Universe that year. Nevertheless, it was won by another Indian, Sushmita Sen, yet another Indian pride.

When she decided to enter films, many thought it was not a good idea because she was like a goddess of beauty for them and they considered her entry into films an anticlimax! Debuting in Iruvar, a Tamil film, she left everyone mesmerized and within a few months, she repeated the effect – but in Hindi this time through Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya. Then came Jeans, which won her first best actress award (Filmfare South). The following year, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam happened and she won best actress award (Filmare Bollywood) again. Then numerous films and awards followed and she conquered the film industry. Taal, Josh, Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai, Mohabbatein, Devdas, Khakee, Raincoat, Umrao Jaan, Dhoom 2, Guru, Jodhaa Akbar and Sarkar Raj are some of the best Bollywood films in her career plus Kandukondein Kandukondein, her second film in Tamil and Choker Bali, her only Bengali film.

From superstar Rajinikanth to Hollywood’s super star Will Smith, everyone wanted to act with her. Hollywood was desperate to make her a part of its legacy, but Ash only did a handful of international productions – Bride & Prejudice, Mistress of Spices and The Last Legion. Now, she is acting Pink Panther 2. She rejected the offer of starring in Bond movies; indeed, Ash is way too big to be a Bond girl!

Aishwarya is now happily married to Abhishek Bachchan, legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan’s son. Presently, she is acting in Shankar’s Endhiran opposite Rajinikanth and in Mani Ratnam’s bilingual.

Truly, Aishwarya is a wonderful phenomenon. Her achievements are immense. Most importantly, she did a world of good to the status of a female child in India – a land of contradictions, where the female is worshipped yet abysmally ignored and even killed in the womb! But with the arrival of Aishwarya Rai, it changed a little bit. Today, we have parents (even in remote villages) who name their daughters "Aishwarya" and wish these baby girls become as famous as the legend called Aishwarya Rai!

Galatta salutes this beautiful angel and wishes her a happy birthday.

Check out the links below:

Aishwarya Rai’s photo gallery

Other celebrity photos