A beautiful face with a sharp mind is a rare combination. When the two are blended, a star is often born. Very few Bollywood actresses possess this quality but Aishwarya Rai is one who does. Her elegant almond-shaped eyes sparkling with intelligence have made her a dream girl to millions.
It is her patience, hard work and dedication which made her a fine actress. Many Miss Worlds and Miss Universes hit the silver screen but they did not succeed in becoming more than a simple beauty queen. But Aishwarya stuck to the idea that beauty is fleeting but personality is what endures. Her initial setbacks in Bollywood were enough to make her leave but she showed faith in herself and never gave up. And she soon became a star.
Aishwarya is undoubtedly a superstar for the new decade. She is the highest-paid actress in the Bollywood — she is actually more expensive than many male actors. What has impressed critics is her determination to be more than a beauty. Beauty has always ruled in the Bombay film industry. The presence of an actress in an Indian film was usually a secondary thing. All many Indian actresses had to do was sing in the rain or be kidnapped and motivate the hero to rescue her. Of course, Nargis, Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Smita Patil and Madhuri Dixit were exceptions.
To quote Raveena Tandon, “the credit for success or failure of a movie fell only on male actors and never was a finger pointed at the actress.” Aishwarya took her cue from Madhuri Dixit and Madhubala and blended their acting skills to become a most sought-after actress. She defied the golden rule of the Bollywood and carved her own niche. Many actresses refused to accept roles as sisters or mothers out of fear that they would be typecast. Juhi Chawla was frank enough to admit that she had refused such roles out of fear that she would be typecast. But Aishwarya took up the challenge in “Josh” and played the sister of Shah Rukh Khan. She received accolades for her performance and immediately after “Josh,” Sanjay Leela Bhansali cast her to play the role of Paro opposite Shah Rukh Khan in “Devdas” and the rest is history.
By taking the challenge, Aishwarya sent a message to Bollywood that she was willing to take risks and that she was versatile. Her versatility drew the attention of many Hollywood filmmakers. Her success in “Devdas” is not the zenith of her acting career. She has a large appetite and yearns to accept challenging roles. In a newspaper interview, she said that she wanted more challenging roles. She admits that beauty, costumes and make-up do not make a star. It is hard work, dedication and the desire to learn makes the difference. She said that she likes to live as the character she is playing and it is this exercise and discipline which helped her to feel like Paro and behave like Paro. Aishwarya admits that she has a long way to go and much to learn.
The future will be a challenge for Aishwarya as both directors and fans will expect a great deal from her. She will have to be choosy about her roles if she wants a place in Indian cinema history as one of the most successful actress of the 21st century.
Arab News Features 16 January 2003