By Jilawatan

She is complimented as being “the most beautiful woman in the world” in the same breath as she is criticized for being a “plastic face who can’t act”. But that doesn’t deter Aishwarya Rai Bachchan much. With big-ticket international projects such as Bride & Prejudice, The Mistress of Spices, The Last Legion and The Pink Panther 2, she has already become the most popular face of Indian cinema globally. Early this year, she was awarded the Padmashree, and was also invited to accept the second-highest Order Of France, Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, which she refused to collect as she didn’t want to leave the bedside of her ailing father. When she made an appearance at Cannes with “hardly recognized” husband Abhishek in tow, it made quite a story back home. But, Ash handled it with elan, having metamorphosed into the perfect bahu, who made the right sounds about pa, ma and hubby. Clearly, a beauty with brains!