Aishwarya Rai’s birthday: Here are her 10 best performances

Iruvar: Many, including me, consider her first foray into heroine-guri to be her best. Playing what looked like a doppelganger of Jayalalitha, Aishwarya dazzled in this Mani Ratnam-helmed Tamil film. A rare instance of a performance where she could go beyond her physical beauty.

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam: Portraying a woman in love with a man she was not married to, Aishwarya’s entire demeanour oozed a distant passion. This film marked her coming of age as an actress. Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali had designed her look to match Vyjanthimala.

Kandukondain Kandukondain: Tabu and Aishwarya played sisters in Rajiv Menon’s Tamil film. In contrasting roles they both dazzled in unison.

Chokher Bali: Many think she was authentic in Rituparno Ghosh’s only Hindi film Raincoat. But I found her to be stilted as the bereft Bihari housewife. In Rituparno Ghosh’s Bengali screen adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s novel Aishwarya transformed into the widow who won’t be cowed down by tradition. The reined-in performance brought out hidden facets of Aishwarya’s personality.

Devdas: Many consider this to be her best performance to date. As the lovelorn Devdas’s love interest Aishwarya danced and emoted like there was no tomorrow. Many think Aishwarya’s Paro was far more flamboyant than Suchitra Sen in Bimal Roy’s Devdas.

Bride & Prejudice: In Gurinder Chadha’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel Pride and Prejudice Aishwarya was feisty and flirtatious. Methinks, Austen would have approved as much as Saratchandra Chatterjee if he were to see Ash’s Paro.

Guru: Some said she was playing Dhirubhai Ambani. As the strong supportive wife of the ambitious wannabe tycoon Aishwarya delivered a solid performance. Ratnam and Bhansali always bring out the best in her, don’t they?

Dhoom 2: As the stunning Sunehri the con- girl with the coolest dance moves on this side of Hrithik Roshan, Aishwaya had the audience whistling across the nation. This performance was all about ‘The Look’.

Jodhaa Akbar: Every inch the doughty Rajput queen, Aishwarya was a full manifestation of what director Ashutosh Gowariker imagined the character to be. She danced straight out of the history books.

Guzaarish: Somehow Aishwarya always plays off most effectively against Hrithik Roshan. Here she played the paraplegic artiste’s pleasure-point with passionate intensity. And then she took a long sabbatical which is about to end.