Aishwarya Rai Bachchan at 53: Three decades of building an advertising legacy

As the actress celebrates her birthday tomorrow, e4m revisits Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s remarkable three-decade journey from a familiar face in 1990s advertising to a global luxury brand ambassador

by Shalinee Mishra
Published: Oct 31, 2026 8:56 AM | 6 min read

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, turning 53 on November 1, has maintained a prominent presence in Indian advertising and entertainment for over three decades, transitioning from a 1990s television star to a global luxury brand ambassador.
Her advertising career began with early endorsements in the 1990s, notably with Pepsi, and she became a household name through various personal care and lifestyle campaigns during India's economic liberalization.
Rai Bachchan's film career includes significant roles in critically acclaimed films, with notable successes like "Devdas" and the "Ponniyin Selvan" franchise, which has solidified her status in both Indian and international cinema.
She has established long-term brand partnerships, including over two decades with L’Oréal Paris and Longines, and continues to engage in purpose-driven campaigns, emphasizing mindfulness and self-worth in her recent advertising endeavors.

Long before ‘pan-India appeal’ or ‘global brand ambassador’ became standard marketing buzzwords in Indian boardrooms, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan ruled the ad world. As the actor and global icon turns 53 on November 1, her career remains one of the most compelling case studies in Indian advertising and entertainment: how to transition from a viral 1990s television face into a multi-decade, cross-border luxury powerhouse without diluting brand recall.

In an industry where celebrity endorsement lifecycles are shrinking due to digital overexposure, Rai Bachchan has maintained high-value equity by doing the exact opposite, practising strategic scarcity on screen while anchoring long-term, high-trust brand partnerships.

The 90s Ad Boom: Before the Crown and the Camera

Rai Bachchan’s relationship with Indian consumers began not in a cinema hall, but on television sets and in print magazines during the early days of India’s economic liberalisation.

Her earliest brush with advertising came as a 9th-grade student in a print and TV commercial for Camlin Pencils. By the early-to-mid 1990s, she had become a fixture in Indian households across personal care and lifestyle categories. From a Colgate Gel commercial (1995) that memorably wove in her childhood photographs to mass-market FMCG staples like Lakmé (1994), Cinthol Talc, Palmolive, and Fair & Lovely (alongside Mahima Chaudhary), she was the definitive face of aspirational 90s India.

Her true commercial breakthrough arrived in 1993 during the height of the cola wars in India. Appearing alongside Aamir Khan and Mahima Chaudhary in Pepsi’s iconic TVC, her four-word delivery—"Hi, I’m Sanjana. Got another Pepsi?"—turned her into an overnight sensation a year before she won the Miss World 1994 crown. She followed this up with heritage Indian campaigns, including Titan’s Diwali and Titan Quartz films, and a 1996 ethnic and bridal wear TVC for Sheetal Luxury Retail, directed by Kunal Kapoor.

Cinematic Stature: Balancing Art, Scale, and Box Office

When Rai Bachchan transitioned to cinema with Mani Ratnam’s Tamil political drama Iruvar (1997), her brand value found a permanent anchor in strong, author-backed storytelling. Over the next two and a half decades, she built a filmography that bridged regional, mainstream Hindi, and international cinema:

The Breakthrough Era (1999–2002): She cemented her commercial and critical standing with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Subhash Ghai’s Taal (1999)—the latter becoming the first Indian film to break into the top-20 listing at the North American box office. In 2002, Bhansali’s magnum opus Devdas received a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival, propelling her into the international spotlight and winning her two Filmfare Best Actress trophies across this period.

Reinventing the Archetype (2003–2010): Refusing to be boxed into conventional glamour, she took on Rituparno Ghosh’s Chokher Bali (2003) and Raincoat (2004), stepped into high-octane slickness with Dhoom 2 (2006), and delivered back-to-back critical and commercial triumphs in Guru (2007), Jodhaa Akbar (2008), and the Tamil sci-fi blockbuster Enthiran (2010).

The₹500-Crore Modern Resurgence: After selective outings like Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016), she reunited with Mani Ratnam for the two-part historical epic Ponniyin Selvan: I (2022) and Ponniyin Selvan: II (2023). Her dual portrayal of Nandini and Oomai Rani anchored the franchise, with the first installment grossing over ₹500 crore worldwide—ranking as the highest-grossing release of her career.

Global & National Honours: Beyond box-office metrics, she became the first Indian actor to serve on the Cannes Film Festival Jury (2003), was named among TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People (2004), received the Padma Shri (2009) from the Government of India, and was awarded France’s Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2012).

The 2000s to 2026: From Mass Appeal to "Intentional Luxury"

For brand marketers, Rai Bachchan’s biggest differentiator is longevity. While most celebrity contracts churn every 18 to 24 months, her portfolio is defined by decadal partnerships:

The 2000s Mass & Couple Equity: In the early 2000s, she pivoted seamlessly to rival beverage giant Coca-Cola, headlining the memorable internet-chatting and "Dil Se" campaigns alongside Hrithik Roshan. Following her marriage to Abhishek Bachchan, the duo became a sought-after "power couple" for brands, starring in Lux soap commercials (2009) and the long-running TTK Prestige "Jo Biwi Se Kare Pyaar" kitchen appliance campaigns.

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Global Beauty & Swiss Precision: Joining L’Oréal Paris in 2003, she has represented the French beauty giant for over 23 years at the Cannes Film Festival and Paris Fashion Week, fronting flagship lines like Total Repair 5. Simultaneously, she held one of the longest-running global ambassadorships for Swiss watchmaker Longines (representing their "Elegance is an Attitude" positioning for over two decades) and anchored trust-heavy domestic retail expansion for Kalyan Jewellers.

Purpose-Driven Public Service: One of her most enduring non-commercial campaigns remains her pro-bono PSA for the Eye Bank Association of India, where she used her most famous physical feature—her eyes—to drive nationwide awareness around eye donation.

Recent Campaigns (2025–2026): The Current Playbook

Even in 2025 and 2026, Rai Bachchan’s advertising choices reflect a sharp focus on mindfulness, self-worth, and global luxury:

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JW Marriott’s "Stay in the Moment" (June – October 2026): In June 2026, Marriott International appointed Rai Bachchan as the Global Brand Ambassador for its luxury hospitality flagship, JW Marriott. Tailored to tap into India’s booming outbound and domestic luxury travel market, the partnership rolled out a major campaign film in October 2026 shot at JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu. Anchored by the line, "What makes a moment a moment is when you stay in it," the campaign leverages her composed, grounded persona to position mindfulness and presence as the ultimate modern luxury.

L’Oréal Paris "Lessons of Worth" & Total Repair 5 (2025–2026): Continuing her two-decade run with L’Oréal Paris, she recently headlined the McCann India-conceptualised "Lessons of Worth" campaign, addressing digital validation and self-worth for younger demographics ("The only like that truly matters is the one you give yourself"), alongside a renewed 2026 push for the Total Repair 5 haircare range.

As brand marketers increasingly debate the merits of fleeting viral creators versus legacy superstars, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s three-decade trajectory offers a clear takeaway: trends and platforms shift every year, but poise, mystery, and long-term brand loyalty remain recession-proof.