Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Born in Mangalore, Karnataka, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, an architecture student, began her career as a part-time model, and at age 17 won the Ford Supermodel Contest which led to commercials and her first Bollywood film, Mamagaru in 1991. Continuing to focus on a career in architecture, she rejected many film offers, but that changed when she was crowned as the winner of Miss World in 1994. Putting her studies on hold, she carved out a career in the film industry.