Aishwarya Rai, a major movie star in India, is expecting a baby with husband and Bollywood actor-producer Abhishek Bachchan. Rai’s father-in-law — Amitabh Bachchan, a prominent Indian actor — confirmed the news earlier today on Twitter.
While Rai may be less familiar to American audiences, her pregnancy qualifies as mega celebrity news in the international community, and especially among fans of Indian cinema. Rai, 37, has long been considered one of the premier actresses in Bollywood, winning two Filmfare Awards (the Hindi equivalent of the Oscars) and starring in several commercially lucrative films. Her credits include “Taal,” “Bride & Prejudice” and Hollywood fare like “The Last Legion” and “Pink Panther 2.” During a “60 Minutes” profile and in other media outlets, she has been dubbed “the most beautiful woman in the world” and won the Miss World pageant back in 1994.Rai and Bachchan married in 2007. This will be the couple’s first child.