Aishwarya Rai Movies
Aishwarya Rai's striking beauty might make her seem an obvious fit as a model, but the truth is that India's 1994 Miss World winner originally took up modeling as a part-time job to get her through school. She was studying to be an architect, but due to her obvious talent on-stage and in front of the camera, -- most notably in a wildly popular Pepsi campaign -- the starlet began accepting the movie offers that had been pouring in. Rai began her reign as Bollywood's favorite leading lady in the film Iruvar, following it up that same year with ...Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya. They both earned her critical praise and the latter brought her a Best Female Debutante Award. More awards would follow, including Best Actress by Filmfare and Zee Cine for 2000s Straight from the Heart. As the actress put more and more films under her belt, her position as India's darling cemented. Her role in 2002's Devdas was especially auspicious; the movie was the most successful in Bollywood history and received a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival -- the first Bollywood film to receive such an honor. The next year found Rai making still more headway for Bollywood when she became the first Indian member of the grand jury at Cannes.By 2004, Rai had appeared in well over 20 films in just seven years, and it was finally time for her to star in her first English-language film. The Hollywood/Bollywood crossover hit Bride and Prejudice reworked Jane Austen's classic love story Pride and Prejudice with the Bollywood film style, bringing together Eastern and Western actors, as well as themes. The film proved to be yet another successful example in Rai's history of helping to bring India's culture and film into the world spotlight, delighting fans all over the globe. Having sampled Hollywood, Rai was now ready to make a serious foray into American films. She signed on to star with Colin Firth and Ben Kingsley in 2007's historical epic The Last Legion as well as French director Coline Serreau's remake of her 2001 film Chaos, which would cast Rai alongside Meryl Streep. The actress had no intention of abandoning the cinema of her heritage, however, and simultaneously jumped on board with Indian movies like the The Heart of India and the historical romance Jodhaa Akbar -- in which she would play the title role of Mungal king Emperor Akbar's Hindu wife and queen.
By this time, Rai's success as an actress unwilling to compromise her love and devotion to her national background had made her the highest paid actress in Bollywood history. Her fame had also buffered her image as the face of India, helping bring the art of her home country into the world-consciousness through countless magazine covers in multiple countries, a listing in Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World Today," as well as Hello Magazine's "Most Attractive Women in the World" and Rolling Stone's "Hot List." Rai even joined actresses Catherine Deneuve and Andie MacDowell as a member of L'Oréal Cosmetics' Dream Team, acting as an ambassador around the world.
In 2007, Rai married fellow Bollywood superstar Abhishek Bachchan. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Inspired by the true story of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, Jag Mundhra's Provoked tells the tale of a battered wife pushed to the ultimate act of defiance. As a nineteen year old girl living in a small Punjab village with her overbearing sisters and their husbands, Kiranjit Ahluwalia (Aishwarya Rai) aspired to get a college education and see the world. Despite her ambitious plans, however, Kiranjit put her entire future on hold the moment she met handsome family friend Deepak (Naveen Andrews). Later, after a whirlwind romance, Kiranjit and Deepak married and prepared to move into Deepak's home in a quaint suburb of London. Kiranjit's storybook romance would quickly give way to a terrifying reality however when, over the course of the following decade, the loving bride suffered a relentless torrent of emotional and physical abuse of her tyrannical husband. Eventually pushed to her breaking point and desperately fearing for the safety of her children, Kiranjit killed Deepak and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison. Though Kiranjit was at first reluctant to share the details of her harrowing experience, she eventually became convinced that the only way to break the cycle of violence was to share her story with the world. Miranda Richardson, Rebecca Pidgeon, and Robbie Coltrane co-star in a docudrama that encourages viewers to take a closer look at the proliferation of domestic violence. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aishwarya Rai, Miranda Richardson, (more)
Mani Ratnam teams with Aishwarya Rai, a woman considered by some to be the most beautiful actress of her time, in the Bollywood musical Guru. The film concerns a man, Gurukant Desai, from an average village who, starting from very modest means, attempts to build a successful business in Bombay. His troubled private life includes with his frustrated wife, Sujata, who must adjust to being in a marriage she never really wanted. He must overcome a number of personal and professional problems in order to fulfill his ambitious dreams of success. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mithun Chakraborty, Abhishek Bachchan, (more)
Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai, and Abhishek Bachchan star in the action-packed sequel to director Sanjay Gadhvi's hi-tech 2004 hit concerning a malicious gang of Bombay bikers who terrorize the city and leave the citizens shaken with fear. Stalwart good guy Roshan shakes things up by eschewing his do-gooder persona to tackle the role of a ruthless villain, with Bride and Prejudice star Rai assumes the role of his cunning girlfriend. With 1,200 prints of the film released into theaters worldwide in November 2006, Dhoom 2 would ultimately earn the privilege of becoming the largest-scale release in Bollywood history to date. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, (more)
A young courtesan kidnapped from her home and sold into slavery ultimately transcends her grim fate in director J.P. Dutta's adaptation of author Mirza Haadi Ruswa's classic 1905 novel. Previously adapted for the screen to great acclaim in 1981, Ruswa's novel tells the story of a middle class girl kidnapped by a habitual offender who had been imprisoned for ten years as a result of her father's damning testimony. Determined to curse his accuser with a fate worse than death, the vengeful ex-convict spirited the man's daughter away and sold the young girl - then known as Amiran - to a brothel in Lucknow. Subsequently given the name Umrao, raised in the lap of luxury, and trained to be a great entertainer, the young girl would grow up to become one of the most beautiful and popular entertainers of her time. Yet despite all of her success, something was missing in the life of the girl now known as Umrao. Though fortune seemed to smile down on her against all odds, Umrao soon fell in love with the powerful Nawab Sultan and longed to start a family with the influential figure despite the fact that their love seemed doomed from the onset. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shabana Azmi, Sunil Shetty, (more)
Director Paul Mayeda Berges adapts author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni magic realist tale about an enchanting Indian orphan who has leaned to harness the magical properties of spices. Orphaned by regional strife in her homeland of India, Tilo (Aishwarya Rai) is subsequently kidnapped by a vicious gang of bandits. A daring escape is quick to follow, and soon after washing up on mysterious shores the traumatized girl is sheltered by a benevolent old woman (Zohra Segal) who reveals to her the remarkable powers of common spices. Later, after moving to Oakland, California and opening her own spice shop, Tilo is compelled to follow three strict stipulations is she is to retain her ability to harness these magnificent powers: she must never use the powers for her own gain, she can never venture outside of her store, and she must never make contact with the skin of another person. When a handsome architect (Dylan McDermott) crashes his motorcycle just outside of the shop and the kindly proprietor rushes to his aid, the instant chemistry between the pair soon finds Tilo's resolve put to the ultimate test. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aishwarya Rai, Dylan McDermott, (more)
A pair of attractive small-town misfits become a modern-day Bonnie and Clyde team in this Bollywood blend of comedy, romance, action, and music. Rakesh (Abhishek Bachchan) is a small town schemer with big dreams; born and raised in Fursatganj, Rakesh is certain he's cut out for bigger and better things, and isn't above breaking the law to get what he wants. Vimmi (Rani Mukherjee) comes from a similarly stifling small town, Pankinagar, and thinks of herself as the most beautiful and exciting woman around. Sure she has a career as a model or actress ahead of her, Vimmi heads out for the big city, and along the way she meets Rakesh. Rakesh and Vimmi soon become friends and then lovers, but Rakesh's propensity for getting into trouble soon makes itself known, and before long the couple is wanted by the law. Nicknamed Bunty and Babli by the press, Rakesh and Vimmi are starting to gain the fame and wealth they've always wanted, but Dashrath Singh (Amitabh Bachchan), a ruthless cop with no sense of mercy, is following their path, determined to put them behind bars. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee, (more)
Love blossoms in the most unlikely of places in director Rohan Sippy's feature debut. A carefree bachelor who is in no hurry to marry, Raj (Abhishek Bachchan) finds himself the pawn of an overzealous Cupid upon attending his cousin's wedding in India. Though Namarata (Aishwarya Rai) has soon laid out a series of potential mates for Raj, her plan backfires when she learns that it isn't her suggestions that Raj is interested in, but Namarata herself. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachchan, (more)
- 2003
Bengali filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh directs the costume melodrama Chokher Bali: A Passion Play, based on the 1902 novel by Rabindranath Tagore. Set in the early 1900s, the film draws parallels between the British colonization of Bengal and the domestic situation of a Calcutta household. Hindi-speaking movie star Aishawarya Rai plays the lead role of Binodini, a young widow who arrives at the home of Westernized patriarch Mahendra (Prosenjit Chatterjee). While working as a caretaker for his mother Rajlakshmi (Lily Chakraborty), she becomes close personal friends with his wife Ashalata (Raima Sen). Eventually, Binodini's duplicitous actions shake up the entire household. Rai and Sen's voices have been dubbed into Bengali. Chokher Bali was nominated for the Golden Leopard at the 2003 Locarno International Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lily Chakraborty, Prosenjit Chatterjee, (more)
- 2002
Directed by Guddu Dhanoa, this film chronicles the life and eventual martyrdom of Indian revolutionary Bhagat Singh. Singh (Bobby Deol), who grew up in an impoverished neighborhood, didn't truly grasp the concept of freedom fighting until his uncle was forced to flee from the British military. The carnage inflicted by the British upon a local village caused Singh to vow to spend his life fighting agasint them. While attending college, an eager Singh joins the non-cooperation movement originated by Mahatma Gahndi in 1921, but becomes disillusioned. After deciding that action was required, Singh leaves his mother and joins the revolutionary party of Chandrashekhar Azad (Sunny Deol). After participating in the oftentimes violent boycott movement, both Singh and Azad are arrested by British authorities on March 23rd, 1931.
~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bobby Deol, Sunny Deol, (more)
A rare attempt to marry the widely appealing standards of commercial cinema with the decidedly darker elements of realistic cinema, director Krishna Vamsi's bleak drama explores the horrific results of a marriage haunted by violence and dishonesty. A Canadian Indian orphan who resides with her two uncles, Nandini (Karishma Kapoor) is quickly caving in to her uncles' constant requests to find an appropriate suitor and marry. An unexpected proposal from orphan friend Shekhar (Sanjay Kapoor) soon results in marital bliss, and, as the years pass, the couple has a child named Raja (Jai Gidwani) and everything seems perfect. When Shekhar is troubled by televised reports of turmoil in India, pangs of guilt force him to reveal to his wife that, although he does indeed have a family, they are a family at constant war and he had escaped their bloody feud in order to make a better life for himself. Revealing little to no specific details to his unassuming wife, the family is soon packing their bags for India and a visit to Shekhar's mysterious family. Troubled by the constant attempts on Shekhar's life and the violent actions of her dangerous father-in-law Narsimha (Nana Patekar), Nandini is determined to return to Canada despite the desperate pleas of Shekhar's mother. When Shekhar is brutally murdered and Nandini attempts to escape India with Raja in tow, Narsimha proves that he is willing to undertake drastic measures in order to ensure that his sole remaining heir remain by his side as the unending battle rages around them. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nana Patekar, Karishma Kapoor, (more)
- 2002
Set in the early 1900s, this film follows a young man named Devdas (Shah Rukh Khan) on his way home to India after having spent the past ten years in London. As the news reaches Devdas and his ex-love Paro's (Aishwarya Rai) respective households, the family matriarchs remember when the young couple were still children. When Devdas' mother found out the two wanted to get married, she refused to give her consent, and in doing so, set off a sequence of events which would lead Devdas into alcoholism. Though Paro has agreed to an arranged marriage with a wealthy landowner, she still loves Devdas, and is determined to lure him away from his constant drinking. Devdas is based on a classic Indian novel by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhye, and is the third feature directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shah Rukh Khan, Madhuri Dixit, (more)
- 2000
I Have Found It, Rajiv Menon's second feature, is an updated "Kollywood" (Southern India's Tamil-language version of Bollywood) take on Jane Austen's classic novel Sense and Sensibility. Tabu stars as Sowmya, the practical but pessimistic, levelheaded older sister, while former Miss World Aishwarya Rai (who also starred in the British Bollywood-style Austen adaptation, Bride and Prejudice) plays her romantically idealistic younger sister, Meenakshi. Sowmya has had a run of bad luck with potential suitors. This culminates in an embarrassing case of mistaken identity when Manohar (Ajith), a young filmmaker, arrives at her family home intending to ask permission to use it as a shooting location, and is mistaken for a prospective groom. Impressed with the young man's directness, Sowmya accepts his "proposal." Manohar finds himself drawn to the beautiful, depressive woman he's inadvertently humiliated, but insists on completing his first film before legitimately proposing to marry her. He has Sowmya pick his title ("Speed!"), but has a great deal of trouble finding support for his proposed suspense flick. For her part, Meenakshi is waiting for the perfect man to arrive and sweep her off her feet. She only tolerates the attentions of Major Bala (Mammootty), an older gentleman who lost his leg in battle, and owns a nearby flower plantation. He serendipitously encourages her to study music, but she falls for the younger, slicker Srikanth (Abbas), who quotes her favorite poetry, but disappears when his banking business runs into trouble. Acclaimed composer A.R. Rahman (Lagaan) did the music for the film. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aishwarya Rai
Romantic misunderstandings, unrequited love, and the gap between two very different cultures provide the backdrop for this romantic musical drama from India. Sameer (Salman Khan) is a gifted singer from Europe who has come to New Delhi to study Indian vocal techniques with Pandit Darbar (Vikram Gokhale). Darbar's beautiful daughter Nandini (Aishwarya Rai) makes a strong impression on Sameer, and soon he's head over heels in love. But everyone advises Sameer to stay away from the girl, and Nandini is set up in a marriage with Vanraj (Ajay Devgan), a successful lawyer. But Nandini isn't happy with her new husband, and Vanraj soon finds evidence that his wife has been corresponding with Sameer, who has since returned to Europe. A jealous Vanraj packs his bags and sets out to find the singer, wanting to know the nature of the relationship between him and Nandini. With top "Bollywood" star Salman Khan in the lead, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was a major box-office success in India, and was enthusiastically received in screenings at the 2000 Vancouver Film Festival and 2000 Seattle Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Salman Khan, Aishwarya Rai, (more)
- 1997
Director of the controversial blockbuster Bombay (1995), Mani Rathnam has come up with another entertaining film which threads between high art and soft soap opera. Struggling actor Anandan (Mohanlal) meets poet, screenwriter, and active politician Selvam (Prakash Raj), and a long friendship develops despite the constant shadow of rivalry. This Tamil-language film contains most of Rathnam's constant themes -- power, politics, love, and betrayal -- in the context of Indian politics which have been notoriously linked to cinema. The rise to fame of actor and cult-figure Anandan is loosely based on the life of legendary movie star M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), who became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in the 1970's and stayed in power for ten years. Rathnam parodies Indian politics as well as popular Bollywood cinema. In one particularly daring musical sequence, viewers are given traditional Indian song and dance as part of a film-within-a-film, then see it being shot on set and later fragmented into the real story. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mohanlal, Prakash Raj, (more)
Co-adapted by Tom Butterworth and Jez Butterworth from Valerio Massimo Manfredi's best-selling historical adventure novel, Doug Lefler's period epic The Last Legion unfurls in 470 A.D., just prior to the fall of the colossal Roman Empire. As the most recent in a long line of caesars, a young Roman child, Romulus (Thomas Sangster), is poised to inherit the throne -- until Germanic forces invade, lay siege to the city, and brutally murder his parents. At the last second, with his life hanging by a thread, Romulus receives the protection of military commander Aurelius (Colin Firth), who assembles a cadre of rebels, including Romulus, the boy's magician instructor, Ambrosinus (Sir Ben Kingsley), and the Indian female warrior Mira (Aishwarya Rai). After Romulus discovers an enchanted sword once claimed by Julius Caesar, the troupe heads out to the province of Britannia and Hadrian's Wall. There, the men will regroup with the Ninth Legion and plan one final triumphant stand against the barbarian invaders of Rome. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colin Firth, Ben Kingsley, (more)
The very British sensibilities of Jane Austen are introduced to the exotic flavors of the Bollywood musical in this romantic comedy with songs from the director of Bend It Like Beckham, Gurinder Chadha. Lalita Bakshi (Aishwarya Rai) is the lovely and eligible daughter of her socially ambitious mother and father (Nadira Babbar and Anupam Kher). Mother and father want to be sure that Lalita, the most beautiful of their four daughters, settles down with a man worthy of her, but she has proven resistant to matchmaking, announcing that she will choose her own husband, and will choose him for love. While mother is keen on the profoundly annoying Kholi (Nitin Chandra Ganatra), Lalita has had her head turned by a handsome vagabond from England, Johnny Wickham (Daniel Gilles). But while attending the wedding of a friend, Lalita meets Will Darcy (Martin Henderson), a college buddy of family friend Raj (Naveen Andrews) who is the son of a wealthy hotel magnate. Lalita finds that Will makes a strong impression on her -- she can't stand him, but she also can't get him out of her mind. Will feels the same way about her, and as they inadvertently chase one another over three continents, will morbid fascination grow into true love? Bride and Prejudice marked the first English-speaking role for Aishwarya Rai, who had firmly established herself as India's leading female star when this film was made. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aishwarya Rai, Martin Henderson, (more)
