Aishwarya Rai was born in Mangalore, in the South Indian state of Karnataka, to Krishnaraj Rai, a marine engineer, and Vrinda Rai, a writer. Her ancestors are from the Bunt community of Mangalore. Her family later relocated to Mumbai. Rai has one brother, Aditya Rai, who is three years older than she is. Aditya is a film producer, and has occasionally produced films in which Rai acted.
She was crowned Miss World in 1994, and in 2000 was voted Most Beautiful Miss World of All Time. Her fans ranked her as "The Most Beautiful Woman in the World" in a Hello! Magazine poll. She has been interviewed on 60 Minutes, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Early Show, etc. and was introduced by David Letterman as "the biggest movie star in the world". Maxim magazine currently features her in their Girls of Maxim gallery