Birthday Special: 10 films that defined Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's acting career

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was born on November 1, 1973. There's no denying that the former Miss World and Bollywood diva is an eternal beauty and an important part of Bollywood. But there's more to her than just a pretty face. While there have been many actresses that came and passed by, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, on the other hand, is still active and slays like no other.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s first claim to fame was her 1994 win at the Miss World pageant and since then there has been no looking back. This gorgeous diva has stunned us with her entertaining performances on multiple occasions and today, as she rings in her 44th birthday, let's take a look at some of her best works, which mark her presence as an actor and the performances that fans still remember.

1. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

Sanjay Leela Bhansali has played an essential role in giving Aishwarya Rai Bachchan that important film when nothing was working right for her in Bollywood. Her first taste of Bollywood success came with Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, where Aishwarya was paired opposite Salman Khan and Ajay Devgn. 

2. Taal

After Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, it was Subhash Ghai's romantic musical Taal that gave Aishwarya Rai Bachchan further wings to fly. Paired against the very handsome Akshaye Khanna, Aishwarya played the role of a small town singer who manages to establish a successful career but doesn't forget her roots. Her mentor was played by Anil Kapoor. The film was a love traingle between Aishwarya, Akshaye and Anil Kapoor. 

3. Guru

Can we ever forget how beautiful Aishwarya Rai Bachchan looked in the classic song Barso Re from Guru? But not just her dance, Aishwarya's simplicity in the movie and the way she essayed her role was to die for. Giving her company in the Mani Ratnam movie was her real-life partner Abhishek Bachchan (they were not married then) who essayed the role of Reliance founder Dhirubhai Ambani onscreen. Aishwarya played the dutiful wife who stuck to her husband's side when he hit rock bottom.

4. Devdas

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan teamed up with Sanjay Leela Bhansali again in Devdas where she yet again proved her strong mettle of acting with the iconic character of Paro opposite Shah Rukh Khan and had even bagged some awards for that season.

5. Jodhaa Akbar

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan portrayed the role of a perfect Queen Jodhaa to Akbar (Hrithik Roshan) in Ashutosh Gowariker's historical drama, Jodhaa Akbar. The movie revealed a completely new side of Aishwarya, who outshone everyone with her Indian queen avatar and was lauded for her fierce performance.

6. Josh

Could we ever imagine Shah Rukh Khan-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan playing on-creen siblings to each other and that too, twins? Guess the answer is no. But they did in Mansoor Khan's Josh and it proved out to be one of her best movies and was thoroughly entertaining.

7. Dhoom 2

With Dhoom 2, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan disclosed her sizzling side to the audience. Playing the love interest of Hrithik Roshan, this beautiful thief called Sunehri impressed many. This movie also turned out to be a major boon for the leading lady, as her romance with husband Abhishek Bachchan (who played the role of a cop in the movie) had begun to blossom. But her onscreen kiss with Hrithik Roshan was more talked about.

8. Guzaarish

Though Guzaarish didn't create any havoc at the box office window, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was still lauded for her powerful performance and her look. Aishwarya was seen playing the role of a beautiful nurse and love interest to the fully paralyzed Hrithik Roshan.

9. Sarbjit

Sarbjit brought back Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to the big screen with a bang. She had done Sanjay Gupta's Jazbaa after her long break, but it was Sarbjit where she was appreciated more. She essayed the role of Sarbjit’s sister Dalbir Kaur in the movie and did complete justice to her role. This was also regarded as the bravest and one of the most challenging roles she's portrayed so far, as it was based on a real-life incident.

10. Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil showed how Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is still in the Bollywood game and can give any other actress a run for her money. Her versatile acting as the bold poetess and divorcee and her chemistry with Ranbir Kapoor charmed all in Karan Johar's ADHM.

Got any favourites among these Aishwarya Rai Bachchan movies? How about telling us in the comments section below?