FPJ 96th Anniversary: Beauty Queens Persis Khambatta And Aishwarya Rai's Hollywood Legacy

This is the story of two beauty queens whose Hollywood careers were short-lived but who blazed a timeless trail for others with similar ambitions. It started when Miss India 1965, Persis Khambatta, landed in Los Angeles to try her luck in Hollywood. She had no entourage, no machinery. After mostly forgettable parts, she landed the role of a lifetime in 1979’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture. She became the first Indian presenter at the Academy Awards.

Years later, Miss World 1994 Aishwarya Rai arrived. Her Hollywood filmography would not be as prolific as her Bollywood career. However, she has created a big impression across the planet, thanks to her annual pilgrimage to Cannes, where she even earned the distinction of being the first Indian actress on the festival’s jury.