The Most Beautiful Woman in the World

[dangermousie]

(Or at least seriously in the running) is Aishwarya Rai, a Bollywood superstar, and the star of the upcoming Hollywood sword-and-sandals epic (opposite Colin Firth, no less), "The Last Legion."

If you are not a Bollywood afficionado, you might have seen her in Bride & Prejudice or on talk shows. Neither has done her justice, look-wise. For one, she gained 20 pounds for B&P, and for another, she looks much better in traditional Indian clothes. And she looks the best in the movies of Sanjay Leela Bhansali (a noted Bollywood director, whose muse Aishwarya was for a time, and who directed the mega-blockbusters "Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam" and "Devdas" with her).

Behind the cut are some gorgeous pictures. I am a straight girl, but damn!



She has never looked better than Paro in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's adaptation of Devdas (with Shah Rukh Khan), a story of doomed love, alcoholism, and some exquisite angst:









No wonder Devdas went mad for her:







Yes, no Aishwarya in this one, but I simply love Shah Rukh Khan who plays Devdas, so too bad :)


I love the fairy tale look of this:



Gettin' down 'n' dirty in Shakti:


Looking beautiful as a lovelorn amnesiac in a delightfully over top melodrama of Dil Ka Rishta with Arjun Rampal:




Widow in Chokher Bali:


All wrapped up in the musical extravaganza Taal:


Naive, headstrong daughter of the family in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's smash Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam with Salman Khan:






Devoted wife in the uneven and by Bolly standards explicit Shabd:


In one of her earliest movies, Tamil version of Sense & Sensibility (Kandukodain Kandukodain), playing the headstrong Marianne:


Discovering love (and sogginess) in the charming, adorable Kuch Na Kaho: (with Abhishek Bachchan)


A lost, secretive housewife in the art-house, emotionally devastating Raincoat: (with Ajay Devgan)

Comments

[life-on-queen.livejournal.com]

I thought she looked great in B&P. In spite of living twenty minutes from the largest Indian market outside of India, I'm at a loss when it comes to Bollywood.

[koalathebear.livejournal.com]

Me, too. I thought she looked so beautiful. 'Fat' didn't even cross my mind! Alas I can't see any of the images. My Beijing connection has an allergy to some people's photobucket accounts.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Ohhh :( Sorry...

Is the images a problem for anyone else?

She isn't fat in B&P (and since she is a Bolly not a HW star, she is never skinny, boney nightmare a lot of Western actresses are) but I think she looks a lot more elegant in her Indian movies...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh, she did look wonderful in B&P. I just don't think I've seen anyone more beautiful than the way she looked in Devdas :)

I am a Bolly afficionado (if you are interested, I can link you to a huge recs for Boly newbies post) but it's not everyone's cup of tea.

[elvensapphire.livejournal.com]

I remember seeing her on television and thinking how incredibly gorgeous she is. It's almost ungodly. She's breathtaking. And hey, I'm a straight girl, too - but that doesn't stop me from girl crushing! ;D You can't deny it when someone is exquisite like that.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes, indeed! And I also love the fact that she is an incredibly fluid and graceful dancer. *sigh* Some girls have all the luck :)

[elvensapphire.livejournal.com]

I love that she's curvy and beautiful, and I'm sure that just adds to her sensuality as a dancer. She looks like a woman and not a blond stick, like so many of our Western actresses. Sigh. Hollywood should take a cue from that!

[kaseido.livejournal.com]

Ok, Devdas just went onto my Netflix queue - *g*

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Heeee. She isn't the only beauty in the movie. The courtesan, Chandramukhi, the other woman in Devdas' life, is played by the very beautiful Madhuri Dixit:

[kaseido.livejournal.com]

just...wow.

I think I'm on the verge of a huge obsession.

Netflix threw a recommendation for Asoka at me, so I grabbed that too...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Asoka is an excellent, excellent movie.

And here is the pic of the actress playing Kaurwaki:

[kaseido.livejournal.com]

*whimper*

you're killing me!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Heee. My pleasure. Kaurwaki above (the female lead in "Asoka") is played by Kareena Kapoor, one of my all-time favorite BW actresses.

[kaseido.livejournal.com]

icon love, too!

[wasabi-girl1.livejournal.com]

I'm happy there are still Ash fans out there. I always hear from people who think she's over-rated, but I love love love her! :D

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I don't think she is the best thing in the universe, or whatever. But she is amazingly beautiful and graceful, and a very good actress with the right director, and what more could one ask?

[wasabi-girl1.livejournal.com]

Exactly, she's not even in my top 4 actresses, but I just think she gets way too much flak, for no reason!

[rajni.livejournal.com]

I am a straight girl, but damn! Seriously, particularly in Devdas!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yup!

ash

[(Anonymous)]

I have to agree.She is indeed beautiful and talented. She has clearly brought limelight and fame to Bollywood. Large share of credit goes to stunning aishwarya rai.