What began with her winning the Miss World pageant in 1994 eventually led her to become one of Bollywood’s most celebrated actresses. She has proven her versatility by working with a diverse range of filmmakers, including Mani Ratnam, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Aditya Chopra, and Rituparno Ghosh. Recently, producer Shailendra Singh, known for backing films like Firaaq, Phir Milenge and Page 3, opened up about how Aishwarya did her first-ever advertisements with him for just Rs 5,000. Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, he revealed, “I spotted Aishwarya when she was 18 or 19 at Marine Drive, if I recall. She was just 18 or 19 and she did our first three advertisements for just Rs 5,000.