Ashwariya The Sensational

Born in the steamy southern climes of Karnataka, this former model and Miss World 1994 shares a strained relationship with journalists for one reason alone: Salman Khan, the ex-boyfriend who just won't quit

The much-chronicled relationship, born on the sets of the blockbuster hit Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, has served as a focus for the agitations of conservative Hindu politicians (Salman Khan is Muslim; Aishwarya is Hindu). But the majority of the scandal has arisen from Khan's questionable treatment of her. Her black eye at a televised awards ceremony (attained, she claimed, through a fall) provoked whispers of domestic violence.

 Some claim that the negative attention has lost her roles, but fresh from her triumph in Devdas, Aishwarya can afford to scoff at the idea: "It's sad that I'm being projected as unprofessional and calculating. Filmmakers who have signed me know that the only healing factor in my life is my work. This is a male-dominated industry and I guess it has been difficult for many to digest a woman holding her own with dignity. Nevertheless, there's somebody up there who's with me."