Aishwarya Rai began her acting career in 1991 with the Tamil film "Raja Hindustani," which earned her the Miss India World title that same year. Her breakthrough role came in 1996 with the Bollywood film "Iruvar," directed by Mani Ratnam. However, it was her performance in "Dil Chahta Hai" (2000) and "Devdas" (2002) that catapulted her to stardom.