Is Aishwarya Rai Actually Beautiful?
Is Aishwarya Rai actually beautiful? Sometimes I can't really tell anymore. Maybe the question should actually be, Is Aishwarya Rai the most beautiful woman in the world? And then my answer would still be the same, " I can't really tell anymore." Because I live Hindi Popular cinema, I live Bollywood, day in and day out and Aishwarya Rai is there, everywhere, all the time. She is so close that actually I am not sure I can even see her anymore, or I should say that, I don't really have a proper perspective. What I am talking about here is the face of Aishwarya. I'm not talking about her movies or a fans perceived notions of her personality, or her acting skill. I am asking about a totally superficial impression of the face, her face, which has now become a brand, iconic, and superstar. Ash has been called by her press, "The most beautiful woman in the world." and with a steady determination she has aspired to live up to the title. In many ways she has lived up to it. I say, I don't know If Ash is the most beautiful woman in the world, because at this point, that is just a given. Of course she is, but then hasn't she always been?
Soon Aishwarya will be breaking into "Western Territories" and the world of Hollywood. I really wonder what the reaction will be? I would actually love to have a fresh perspective on the face of Aishwarya Rai. Could you imagine having lived in a world where you have never seen the face of Aishwarya Rai and then suddenly, say tomorrow for that matter, all of a sudden, there she is, splashed on the covers of magazines, on your television, and in your movies? What do you think would be your reaction? My point is, I don't know what that would be like, but this is what is just about to happen to tens of millions of Americans in the coming weeks as Aishwarya hits the United States to promote her new film, Pride and Prejudice and venture into the mythical area of cross-over between Hollywood and Bollywood.
Of course Aishwarya is beautiful. And in fact she may just actually at this point in time hold the title of "Most beautiful woman in the world". Because who actually has the glamour to compete? The only real glamour in entertainment rests in the womb of Bollywood as it has disappeared from Hollywood and Europe decades ago. And as real glamour no longer really exists in the West, is there really room there for an Aishwarya Rai? Is the breakthrough of Ash in Hollywood going to be an exercise of throwing pearls before swine? Somehow I fear that it will. I fear that the American public will not "get" Aishwarya Rai, in fact I know they won't. America has no room for the concept of, the fantasy of, "the most beautiful face in the world" and all the purity and iconic untouchability that type of phrase conjures, which is sad. It speaks of the loss of innocence the West has subjected itself to. In the age of jaded irony that is American entertainment, it is my guess that Aishwarya Rai, the queen of Bollywood, will be the breath of fresh air, that goes unnoticed.
