Aishwarya Rai in Jazbaa and her other top performances you better not miss

With Jazbaa, Aishwarya Rai returns to the big screen after a hiatus. In this Sanjay Gupta film, a remake of the Korean Seven Days, she plays an ace lawyer who must defend an accused man and save her child who’s been kidnapped. She’s got plenty of scope to show off her acting skills in this one. Here are previous films in which she’s done just that:

Raincoat

This Rituparno Ghosh film, loosely based on O Henry’s The Gift of the Magi, won all-round praise. One of the highlights of the film was Aishwarya Rai’s top class performance as Neeru, a carefree village girl who gives up her love to have an arranged marriage and moves to Kolkata to live a life of unspeakable sadness and hardship. She shed her glamour to pull off the role to perfection, relying on restraint, rather than excess.

 Provoked

In this film, Aishwarya Rai brought to the big screen the true story of Kiranjeet Ahluwalia, a Punjabi woman who married and moved to London and was then subjected to such horrific domestic violence by her husband that she was provoked to kill him. She excelled, transforming from the young, joyful bride, to the terrified woman and then one who finds the courage to fight.

Jodhaa Akbar

This period drama by Ashutosh Gowariker was the perfect showcase for Aishwarya Rai’s resplendent beauty. She plays Jodhaa, Princess of Amer, who is married off to Akbar for political convenience. From showing her resentment over the marriage to learning to love Akbar, Ash excelled in a nuanced performance.

 Devdas                   

Aishwarya Rai looked ethereal in this extravagant retelling of the tragic love story by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and proved she was more than just a beautiful face. Critics and audiences loved her as the unhappy Paro.

Raavan

Mani Ratnam’s contemporary interpretation of the Ramayan evoked mixed responses, but Aishwarya Rai as Ragini Sharma, a police officer’s wife who is kidnapped by a bandit, was in superb form. Climbing slippery rocks, crashing into the water below, dragging herself through thick forests, she did it all.

Guru

In this Mani Ratnam film, loosely based on the life of Dhirubhai Ambani, it was its lead actor, Abhishek Bachchan, who walked away with the applause. Aishwarya Rai, as his wife, Sujata, matched him in every scene – bringing a new maturity to her performances.

Guzaarish                 

The Sanjay Leela Bhansali film, high on aesthetics, wowed some and disappointed others. But there was no denying that Hrithik Roshan was splendid as a quadriplegic magician who opts for euthanasia. Aishwarya Rai also excelled as his long-time nurse, Sofia, who falls in love with her patient.

Mohabbatein

The film, a musical, was a commercial hit and a romance in the good old Bollywood tradition. A young Shah Rukh Khan impresses and so does Aishwarya Rai as Megha, the love of his life, in sequences told in flashback.

Dhoom 2

Aishwarya Rai, broke away from her doe-eyed roles, to play an uber-glamorous conwoman in this action thriller. Her hot bod was a talking point and she pulled off a performance to match.

Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam

This intense love triangle was a great vehicle for Aishwarya Rai’s histrionic talents. She plays Nandini, a young woman torn between two men. The performance won her a Best Actress Award.

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Watch: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan stuns us as a badass lawyer in ‘Jazbaa’ trailer