Mumbai, Nov 1, 2013: She was crowned the most beautiful woman in the world in 1994 and now, almost 20 years later, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is still the toast of town, in India and abroad. Beauty queen, actress, wife and mother - this is Aishwarya’s story.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is 40 not out today. As a birthday gift, we’re listing some little known facts that only a true fan would know.
1. Aishwarya’s first commercial was for Camlin pencils when she was only in standard IX.
2. As a young model, Aishwarya once had a close encounter with actress Rekha in a Mumbai grocery store. Rekha recognized Ash from her ads, tapped her on the shoulder and wished her all the best.
3. Aishwarya’s famous Pepsi ad co-starring Aamir Khan was shot in a single night during the Mumbai riots in 1992-93. Ash and Aamir are the only celebrities to have appeared in commercials for rival cola giants Coke and Pepsi.
4. Aishwarya’s favourite film is Casablanca, starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart.
5. She collects watches and hates jewellery!
6. A limited edition range of Barbie dolls inspired by Aishwarya was released in Britain in 2005. The dolls were sold out within minutes and are now considered collectibles.
7. Aishwarya was once rejected for a TV serial dubbing job before she became famous.
8. In 2005, Hugh Hefner tried and failed to create an Indian, no-nudity version of Playboy magazine featuring Aishwarya on the first cover.
9. Aishwarya and Aamir were invited to lunch with then US President George W Bush when he visited in India in 2006. Ash could not attend because she was filming Dhoom 2 in Brazil.
10. She once caused a day long traffic jam in Dubai where she was filming a soap commercial. Dubai’s roads were blocked with fans who wanted a glimpse of Ash.
Courtesy: NDTV