Birthday Special: From demure Nandini of ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ to vindictive Nandini of ‘PS:1’, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s impressive portfolio

In a career spanning more than two decades and cutting across several genres and languages, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has managed to collect a rather impressive portfolio of films. She had gifted the audience with some rather memorable roles and iconic dance performances.

Although primarily known for her work in Bollywood, Rai has managed to craft a pan-Indian career. She has worked with several critically acclaimed directors across India. Not many actors can boast to be the muse of two modern-day auteurs, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Mani Ratnam. But Rai has managed this impossible feat.

On her birthday we present some of her most unforgettable on-screen outings.

‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’

This 1999 extravaganza marked many firsts. It was the first time Sanjay Leela Bhansali attempted a big-budgeted, larger-than-life movie. The movie (said to be an unofficial adaptation of Maitreyi Devi’s book ‘Na Hanyate’) also had what would go on to become the auteur’s signature film-making style - regal sets, star-crossed lovers, romantic tragedies and high-octane, dramatic denouements.

However this movie was also a turning point in Rai’s career. This is the film that catapulted her into superstardom overnight. It was also the movie which silenced naysayers who always poked fun at her lack of range as an actress. This SLB magnum opus also marked the start of Rai’s collaboration with the auteur.
Although the film was the very epitome of opulence, with lavish sets and ornate costumes, Rai’s nuanced performance kept her from becoming just another exquisite accessory to Bhansali’s luxurious set. She was a revelation as Nandini, a woman torn between longing for her lover and duty and gratitude towards her husband. Rai’s sensitive portrayal of a conservative woman who is confronted with the ultimate moral dilemma is still a treat for the eyes today. Nandini’s journey from being a lovelorn youngster who becomes almost deranged from unrequited love to the sombre woman who eventually resigns herself to her fate and puts her past behind her still feels very believable thanks to Rai’s on-point performance.

‘Devdas’

This marked the second collaboration between Rai and Bhansali. Although the focal point of the movie was Shah Rukh Khan’s Devdas, a headstrong and entitled zamindar brat who turns to alcohol to forget his estranged lover Paro a.k.a. Parvati (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan), Rai stole the show, every time she appeared.At times coquettish, at times melancholic, Rai’s Paro was breathtaking in every scene. Rai’s dance-off with Madhuri for the song ‘Dola Re’ still remains iconic today.

‘Jodhaa Akbar’

There just seems to be some special connection between Rai and period dramas. This Ashutosh Gowariker-directorial saw her step into the shoes of Jodhaa Bai, the Hindu wife of Mughal emperor Akbar (played by a brilliant and athletic Hrithik Roshan).

The movie remains iconic for several reasons. Gowariker did a magnificent job depicting the slow-burn, subtle yet passionate romance between Akbar and Jodhaa. Rai put up a phenomenal performance as the ethereally beautiful and stately Jodhaa who slowly comes to terms with her marriage to a husband of different faith and eventually learns to look past cultural barriers and appreciate him.

‘Dhoom 2’

Widely regarded as the best film of the ‘Dhoom’ franchise, this Sanjay Gadhvi film saw Rai don a raw, sexy avatar for the first time ever. Known for her subtle, demure roles, Rai shed inhibitions for this action thriller and donned a bikini for the first time on-screen. She played Sunehri, a ‘professional thief’ who dreams big and loves living life on the edge. Rai’s screen-presence and inherent magnetism kept Sunehri from being a standard flower pot, Rai’s Sunehri is a thief that is adept at stealing precious jewels as well as hearts. The film was also the first film which paired Rai opposite Hrithik Roshan. The lead pair’s crackling chemistry was much appreciated.

‘Guzaarish’

This 2010 film marked Rai’s third and final collaboration with Bhansali. The film saw her in the avatar of Sofia D’Souza, a nurse who is the nurse and confidante of Ethan Mascarenhas (Hrithik Roshan), a paraplegic magician. Rai was unforgettable as the no-nonsense nurse with a wry sense of humour who nurses (pun intended) a not-so-subtle affection towards her long-term employer.

‘PS:1’

This 2022 period drama film marked Rai’s return to the silver screen after four years. It also marked her reunion with her mentor Mani Ratnam, under whose guidance she had begun her acting journey in 1997 (through the Tamil movie ‘Iruvar’) after a decade. Collaborations between Ratnam and Rai had always been nothing short of spectacular and ‘Ponniyin Selvan: I’ was no different.

Rai’s performance as Nandini, a princess who is determined to wreak havoc on the Chola dynasty is nothing short of a tour-de-force. Rai becomes a living, breathing embodiment of the phrase “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” At times menacing , at times scheming, Nandini of ‘PS:1’ is quite possibly one of the most lethal characters to ever exist in movie history. Yet she is ‘more sinned against than sinning’ among those who are plotting the downfall of the Cholas as she is shown as a helpless witness to the brutal murder of her paramour. Rai manages to make Nandini’s arc convincing by bringing just the right combination of barely suppressed fury and pathos in her performance.