Happy birthday, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan! Here are five of her underappreciated performances that deserve more recognition.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is without a doubt one of Bollywood's most popular and influential actresses. The diva, who won the Miss World pageant in 1994, made her film debut in Mani Ratnam's 1997 film Iruvar. In the same year, she made her Bollywood debut with the film Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya. The actress has appeared in numerous Bollywood and Tamil films over the course of her 25-year career. While Aishwarya is one of India's biggest stars and has given remarkable performances in films, a few of her performances have not received the attention they deserve. As the actress celebrates her 49th birthday today, let's take a look at some of her underappreciated performances that deserve more recognition.

Raincoat

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Ajay Devgn co-starred in this 2004 National Award-winning film. Ash plays Neerja, a married woman who meets her ex-lover Manoj and is reminded of old feelings. They meet after years apart and lie to each other about their current lives.

 

Provoked

Provoked is a dark story loosely based on the life of Kiranjit Ahluwalia, a woman who unintentionally killed her abusive husband. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan plays the protagonist Kiranjit, and her performance takes us on an emotional rollercoaster.

 

Chokher Bali

A film adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's 1903 novel of the same name delves into a complex and unusual love story. Binodini, played by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, is a young widow who moves in with an aunt and her two sons shortly after her husband's death. Mahendra, one of the aunt's sons, is a married man who begins an affair with her, and this is when things become complicated.

 

Shabd

Despite a poor box office performance, this psychological thriller was well received by fans, thanks to its compelling story and outstanding performances by the cast. Aishwarya plays Antra, the wife of a failing writer who begins to believe that whatever he writes down begins to manifest in the real world. What began as a fictional story based on his wife becomes his worst nightmare.

 

Raavanan

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan made her long-awaited return to Tamil cinema with Raavanan. As retaliation for his sister's death, a Naxalite leader kidnaps the investigating officer's wife. Aishwarya plays the wife, who makes numerous attempts to flee while her husband pursues her.

 

Have you seen any of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's films? What are you waiting for if not? Add them to your watchlist right now!