Born in a traditional south Indian family on 1st November 1973 in Mangalore, Aishwarya Rai grew up in Mumbai. A good student, she aspired to make a career in medicine. But, modelling happened quite by chance for her in the ninth grade.
See also Aishwarya Rai profile.
Aishwarya Rai was cast in a Pepsi commercial and the rest as they say is history. The commercial became a huge hit and Ash, was on her way to instant stardom. Then in 1994, she won the Miss World crown gaining international stardom. Since then, she has become one of the highest paid stars in Bollywood. On 14 January 2007, "Aishwarya Rai" was engaged to Abhishek Bachchan another popular Bollywood star and the son of legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan.