Newly-crowned Miss World Aishwarya Rai rides on chariot, fans scream ‘Gullu, Gullu’. Watch throwback video

A video of Aishwarya Rai, from when she had just won the Miss World 1994 title, has surfaced online. In the clip, she stepped out of her car and walked towards a chariot, amid hordes of fans cheering for her. She waved to everyone as she climbed the chariot. Fireworks lit up the sky to celebrate her victory.

Police officers were deployed to keep the surging crowd in check. A bunch of people chanted, “We want Aishwarya!” Later in the video, people could be heard shouting her nickname, “Gullu, Gullu!” She continued to smile and wave.

In 1994, Aishwarya was crowned Miss World. Two decades later, she was honoured by the pageant’s organisers for being a ‘beauty with a purpose’ and supporting humanitarian causes. She was joined on the stage by her husband Abhishek Bachchan, daughter Aaradhya and mother Vrinda Rai.

After winning the Miss World 1994 title, Aishwarya entered the film industry in 1997 with the Tamil political drama Iruvar. The same year, she made her Bollywood debut with Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya opposite Bobby Deol. Since then, she has starred in hits such as Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Josh, Mohabbatein, Devdas, Guru and Jodhaa Akbar. She has also starred in international projects including The Last Legion and The Pink Panther 2.

Also see: Watch Aishwarya Rai tear up during Miss World 1994 crowning, speak of looking beyond nationalities in winning answer

However, over the last few years, Aishwarya has been appearing in fewer projects. Her last film was Fanney Khan, co-starring Anil Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao, which released in 2018. She is set to make her comeback with Ponniyin Selvan, in which she reportedly features in a double role.

Ponniyin Selvan is based on Kalki Krishnamurthy’s Tamil historical fiction novel, which chronicles the story of the early days of Chola emperor Rajaraja Chola I. The first instalment of the two-part film will be out next summer.