Significantly, for the first time since she set her smouldering grey-green eyes on Bollywood, Aishwarya is being applauded and discussed purely for her acting abilities. Not for her alleged marriage plans with co-star Salman Khan which, of course, she has studiously denied. ``I really wish people would talk about my professional life in the same way they are choosing to talk about my personal life...'' she said in a recent interview.

But whatever the reason, the former Miss World has come a long way from being `sexy Sanju' who left Aamir Khan speechless in a Pepsi ad half a decade ago. Noticed more in the early days for her similarity to leading model Lisa Ray, Aishwaryadidn't really face a dearth of assignments -- though education and a career in architecture seemed to be her sole priority then. The glow of the klieg lights, however, changed all that in a flash.

And the Miss World title in 1994 brought in its wake a steady stream of film offers as a fringe benefit. With directors like Yash Chopra and Rajiv Rai -- who had been wooing her even before the world claimed her -- it wasn't whether she would take the plunge; it was when she would do it. Just a year before she won the coveted crown, Aishwarya had only one thing to say: ``I am not sure I want to join films.''

Maybe it was the arrival of Sushmita Sen on the Hindi film scene that made Aishwarya look for the right time to launch herself. After losing the Miss India title to her, Aishwarya, it would seem, was taking no chances.

Although Dastak failed to ring bells at the box-office, Sushmita established herself as more than just a pretty face. Something Aishwarya had yet to do.Furthermore, her very public skirmishwith Manisha Koirala over model Ranjiv Mulchandani worked against her image. While Aishwarya chose to maintain a tight-lipped silence, not even opening her mouth to defend herself against ugly allegations, Manisha literally went to the cleaners with the issue, painting her out to be the vamp.

Modelling, meanwhile, continued. Perhaps it was the lure of working with Mani Rathnam, or the challenge of a double role that did it, but the woman who embodied ``every man's fantasy'' finally deemed it fit to grace the silver screen with her presence in the Tamil film, Iruvar. Inspired by the life of film star-turned-politician M.G. Ramachandran, Rai's reel-life portrayal of the AIADMK chief Jayalalitha failed to translate into box-office glory.

As it turned out Aishwarya's Hindi debut, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya, was equally disastrous. Irrespective of director Rahul Rawail, it was written off by critics and audiences alike -- and so was Aishwarya, who earned herself the label of a `non-actress'.

Amazingly, thefilm industry decided that she deserved a dozen other chances. Offers kept pouring in, despite Iruvar and despite Jeans - probably one of the biggest disasters of the decade. This, along with Aishwarya's drastic errors in judgement did nothing for her. Refusing offers such as Sooraj Barjatya's Hum Saath Saath Hain -- for lack of dates -- and Rani Mukherjee's role in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai seemed to be part of destiny's grand plan working against her.

Along came `star maker' Subhash Ghai with the offer of Taal which, fortunately for her, Aishwarya jumped at. Apart from the usual hype and hoopla surrounding all Ghai's films, there was also the controversy over Mahima Choudhary's alleged fall-out with her godfather, facilitating Aishwarya's inclusion in the project.

Rushes of the film reveal that Aishwarya has outdone herself. Ghai himself cannot stop talking about her. ``For years we have had no actress who can dance like Vyjayantimala, Sridevi or Madhuri. Now... you will seethe difference between Aishwarya and all the other actresses around. She is just superb. Mark my words,'' he raved in an interview.

But before Taal came Hum Dil..., where Aishwarya's portrayal of Nandini is singularly defined by dogged grit. That, potently combined with unbridled passion, makes her a remarkable character -- one audiences aren't likely to forget for some time. Her almost unnaturally delicate face reaches out from the screen drawing you into her tumultuous life -- leading you through every nook and cranny of her emotional landscape.

And yet, ironically, her act of breathing life into the intense Nandini in the film appears to have been propelled more by steely determination than sheer spontaneity. Coming as it does on the back of her nondescript record, Hum Dil... perhaps marks the beginning of this statuesque ice-maiden's transformation into an entrancing screen goddess.

Deepa Deosthalee