Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Hyderabad: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is one of the most popular and respected actresses Indian cinema has ever seen. After winning the Miss World title in 1994, she became an overnight sensation. Her beauty, elegance, and screen presence created massive craze among audiences. Over the years, she delivered blockbuster films like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas, Guru, Jodhaa Akbar, and Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. With her glamour and talent, she became a global face for Indian cinema.
Despite her fame today, Aishwarya’s early days were very simple. Do you know how much she charged at the beginning of her career? Just Rs 5,000 for her first three advertisements. Yes, you read that right!
Producer Shailendra Singh, in an interview with Siddharth Kannan, revealed that he spotted Aishwarya when she was just 18 or 19 years old at Marine Drive. She came to meet him late in the evening with her parents.
He said Aishwarya first appeared as a background artist in a commercial shot at Mukesh Mills. Later, she did a Ghrit Kumari Hair Oil advertisement with Malvika Tiwari and another commercial with Arjun Rampal. All three ads together earned her only Rs 5,000 and this was during early 90s.
He said “I spotted Aishwarya when she was 18 or 19 at Marine Drive, if I recall. She came to meet Kunal Kapoor and me at 8:30 in the night with her parents. She was just 18 or 19 and she did our first three advertisements for just Rs 5,000. She was first, I think, an extra, tied to a pole in Mukesh Mills for a commercial. Then she did a Ghrit Kumari Hair Oil ad with Malvika Tiwari, and then she did another commercial with Arjun Rampal. This is how she started.”
Cut to 2025, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan stands among India’s highest-paid and wealthiest actresses, with an estimated net worth of around Rs 900 crore. She continues to rank among the top two richest actresses in the country, commanding fees of nearly Rs 10 crore per film and earning heavily through premium international brand endorsements, underscoring her lasting stardom and global influence.
During the same interview, Shailendra also spoke about Aishwarya’s past relationship with Salman Khan. He referred to their relationship as intense and emotional, describing it as a passionate love story. He praised Aishwarya for her dignity and said she has always carried herself with grace, even during difficult times.
Shailendra also revisited the infamous 2003 press conference involving Vivek Oberoi, where Vivek accused Salman of threatening him. This incident happened during the time Vivek was reportedly close to Aishwarya, adding fuel to one of Bollywood’s most talked-about controversies.
This post was last modified on January 30, 2026 3:05 pm