Aishwarya Rai at Cannes 2014: Beauty Queen Forever

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, considered by many as the most beautiful woman in the world, is an Indian model turned beauty queen. And a beauty queen turned Bollywood and Hollywood actor. For those who may have missed watching The Pink Panther 2 - she pl

ayed Sonia Solandres, the sexy villain in the film. She's also the face of the beauty brand, L'Oreal. Her visit to Cannes for the last decade or so to represent L'Oreal has captured the attention of the international and local media. Her sartorial style was embraced, analyzed and criticized by all. Every year, Aishwarya's choice of designer wear for Cannes becomes a subject of speculation within the fashion fraternity. This speculation begins much before she walks the red carpet at Cannes sporting clothes from world renowned designers like Versace or Roberto Cavalli. Aishwarya Rai is the ultimate glamour queen and her Cannes moments are tracked like an angiogram report by the media. And when the media frenzy dies over Aishwarya's appearance in Cannes, we are left asking the same question. Will Aishwarya Rai Bachchan return as an actor after her 3 years maternity leave? Will she wow us as an actor? Will Aishwarya Rai do films that will make fans proud? Let's take a look at Aishwarya's career in films. She has done over 40 films in Hindi, Bangla, English,Tamil and Telegu. She has played a village belle and an actress (Iruvar in Tamil) to Sita in Ravan, the modern adaptation of Ramayana(the great Indian epic) by Mani Ratnam (an Indian director). She has played the baddie and appeared alongside great actor-comedians like Steve Martin. That's quite an impressive resume for an actor. So what has stopped Aishwarya Rai from entering the house of great actors? I'm a big fan of Aishwarya's beauty. I remember watching her win the Miss World title in 1994 on national television and crying along with her. I felt proud to see her win. It was a great moment. It was a win for a nation starved of female icons from the beauty industry. Overnight, we had 2 international beauty pageant winners - Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen, who became Miss Universe that very year. My jubilation was short-lived though. I was distressed to learn that these girls were making their Bollywood debut. I didn't want my idols to fall and lose their face. I didn't want the ethereal Aishwarya Rai to experience failure. My teenage mind didn't understand that challenging oneself is the only way forward. So there was Aishwarya dancing around with the heroes, mouthing her dialogues, looking gorgeous as ever in those designer clothes. But was I the only one missing the act in the actor? Where was the intensity that is a trademark of acting greats like Meryl Streep or Kate Winslet? Why was she holding back, - what was she afraid of? An actor needs to forget the self and give life to a character. I didn't see that happen. Maybe once in Chokher Bali, where she played the abandoned young widow seeking revenge. Guess I wasn't alone. Because when I looked at my right in the theatre, I heard the guy next to me laugh each time she cried. And that happened too many times to count. Over the years, much to my relief, I saw Aishwarya grow as an actor. I did realize though that her growth was slower than her contemporaries. But I haven't given up on her yet. I believe someday she'll emerge as a phoenix and silence her detractors. And do better than a gorgeous hanger for designers like Roberto Cavalli. Let's hope to see Aishwarya Rai Bachchan challenge the actor in her.