Aiswarya Rai Does It Again

Well, that Aiswarya Rai is the most beautiful woman in Bollywood isn’t really rocket science, but when it comes to an international platform, this 32-year-old Mangalorian beauty is up against the likes of a super-hot Angelina Jolie or the bootylicious Beyonce.

But even this year, Aiswarya Rai Bachchan has made it to the ninth position in a 100 Most Beautiful Women of Today poll.

Ash was voted ninth in the poll listed in the July issue of Harpers and Queen. Hollywood beauty Hot Angelina Jolie topped the poll, followed by supermodel Christy Turlington, Queen Rania of Jordan, film director Sofia Coppola and celebrity chef Nigella Lawson.

Aiswarya Rai beat Beyonce Knowles, Scarlett Johansson, Liv Tyler and supermodel Gisele Bundchen for a place in the top 10. The list was compiled by 1,000 experts from the worlds of fashion, arts, media and plastic surgery.

After Hot Aiswarya Rai was named as the most beautiful woman in the world, an extremely humble Aiswarya Rai had then said in an interview to UK press, “I am really ok with the way I look. It’s fine. All this is transient.

I mean, it’s really, you know, it changes with time, and that’s the external.”

We asked four number one actresses of different eras to comment on Ash’s ongoing charisma even after marriage.

Vyjayanthimala: I have hardly interacted with Aiswarya Rai. The last time I met her was four years ago, during the Stardust Awards.

Aiswarya Rai was presenting the Role Model award to Hema Malini and I shared the stage with Hema and Ash. I keep reading about all these nominations and public poll, and I think Indian cinema has really grown up.

Aiswarya Rai is not just externally beautiful, she is an extremely well groomed person. It actually doesn’t matter whether she makes it to the top ten list every year or not, because she is an actress and with time she will have to make way for others.

But the fact remains that she will be loved by all for what she is. And one must remember Kahlil Gibran’s saying, “Beauty is not in the face, beauty is a light in the heart!”

Hema Malini: I like Ash because she is a lovely person and an extremely talented lady. I come across these questions often in my life about making it to the top ten in beauty. I think beauty lies in your mind.

After a certain age, your face becomes your biography and that’s when people come to know about your own being. Ash looks pretty and she is extremely generous. I remember how beautifully she did a citation on me for Stardust Awards.

Aiswarya Rai was busy with her international projects, but it was so sweet of her to make that much effort for me. Aiswarya Rai respects elders and she has positioned herself wonderfully.

I don’t think that one should rate beauty. Even in my time, media would rank me as number one but I never believed in these rat races. I think with such popularity, she now needs to take Indian cinema global and talk about women empowerment.

Madhuri Dixit: Oh! She is so gorgeous. I have worked with her in Devdas, and she is extremely dedicated towards her work. She is a very good dancer and we met last year during the Filmfare Awards.

In fact, she was generous enough to send medicines from her vanity van when she heard I was running temperature just before the show.

Aiswarya Rai has always been a nice human being and if someone is nice at heart, it shows in your face. I wish her loads of happiness and good luck.

Bollywood song-and-dance fails to attract audiences

Bollywood, India's prolific film sector, is experiencing a startling 40 per cent drop in revenues in 2007 compared to the same period the previous year.

Trade analysts say losses from films coming out in the first half of 2007 amount to an estimated $36 million US. About 45 of the 55 films that have made it to screens so far have bombed.

"Content in many films was not strong," said Taran Adarsh, an Indian film-sector analyst.

Considered Bollywood's biggest star couple, Abhishek Bachchan, right, and Aiswarya Rai are shown at last year's world premiere of their film Guru in Toronto.

Bollywood — which refers to India's movie industry based in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) — is the world's biggest film producer.

Adarsh said it's especially shocking to have plummeting sales this year given that Bollywood had a record year in 2006, with a quarter of the 200 films released recovering their costs.

Six films grossed almost a billion rupees ($26 million Cdn), compared to two this year.

Aiswarya Rai New: Mallika’s plans for a plain jane look for free

Mallika will soon be seen in upcoming films like Dasavathram, Fauj Main Mauj and Welcome as well as her second Hollywood venture called Unveiled.

Apart from this the sexy damsel is looking forward to work with Ronnie Screwala for free. If Mallika agrees to this film then she will be seen in a completely non glamorous role.

“She is sitting for script but she hasn’t finalised anything. But yes if she does like the script and role then she is ready to do it for free as she has said. However, nothing is yet final all at the stage of discussion,” agrees her spokesperson.