Aishwarya Rai is the darling of Bollywood. And she also enjoys the title of the global face of India. She has five international films under her belt and more coming her way.

Her first big role was in Pride and Prejudice. It was made by Gurinder Chadha and her husband Paul Mayeda Berges . When Paul was asked why they cast Ash as the lead, he said, “Aishwarya is an actor first and foremost because she wants to play roles which will challenge her and enable her to grow by showing new complexities. Of course, she’s a star because she is someone who has an extra quality, an ability to light up in front of the camera in a way that is unexplainable. And she fit in perfectly in Lalita’s character.”

Her next role was in Mistress of Spices, a project by the same team.” Everyone knows about Ash’s beauty, but where she shines in Mistress… is in her character’s inner beauty. She wanted to play the role of Tilo as simple and non-glamorous because that is who Tilo is a character that only thinks about others, never herself. I was immensely impressed that Ash understood that right away and really got inside the character,” Paul explains his choice again.

In 2002, her tryst with Cannes film festival began with the screening of Devdas and in 2003 she was a jury member. At the same time, she got herself a likeness in Madam Tussouds in London. She also appeared on Oprah Winfrey’ s chat show where she famously taught Oprah to tie a Sari.

In 2007, she impressed critics with her role in Jagmohan Mundhra’s Provoked. “She was just perfect for the role of Kiranjeet in my movie,” said Mundhra. For Ash, “It was a challenge to act in this movie. I but let myself sink into Kiranjeet’s character and feel the way she felt for so many years,”.

In 2007, she tasted success in India with her roles in Dhoom 2, Guru, Jodhaa Akbar and Sarkar Raj. Her next Hollywood film, The Last Legion however did not do well.

Her next Hollywood pic was in Pink Panther. “Pink Panther was fun! It was a wonderful experience and the cast and crew were great people to work with. The genre of the film is quite enjoyable. And the best part of the story is that it fit my schedule perfectly well,” said Ash, also defending her what critics have called, “two-bit role” in the film.” It is, of course, a Steve Martin film.”