Aishwarya received praises for her portrayal of a struggling married woman inWorld Famous Lover (2020), a woman who strives to bring her deceased husband's body back inKa Pae Ranasingam (2020), an NRI inRepublic (2021) and a cop inThittam Irandu (2021).[9]
Aishwarya Rajesh was born on 10 January 1990 in aTelugu family inChennai (then Madras).[10][11][12] Her fatherRajesh was a Telugu film actor[13][14] who died when she was still young.[15] Her mother Nagamani was a dancer.[16] Her grandfather Amarnath was also a Telugu film actor,[14] while her auntSri Lakshmi, is a Telugu comedian with over 500 films to her credit.[15] She is the youngest of four siblings, whose two elder brothers died during her teenage years.[12]
Aishwarya grew up in Chennai, and she described her background as "lower middle class."[12] She studied in Shrine Vailankanni, Chennai, Sree Vidyanikethan International School, Tirupati, andHoly Angels Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School, Chennai.[17] In 1995, she performed as a child actress in the Telugu filmRambantu.[18]
She studied atEthiraj College for Women, Chennai and graduated with aB.Com degree.[19] She started to learn dancing since she needed to choreograph a stage show for a student cultural festival. This opened an opportunity for her to enter the reality showMaanada Mayilada onKalaignar TV. She won the show's third season and got offered roles in films after this TV appearance.[15]
In the early stages of her career, Aishwarya also worked as an anchor on the sets of the TV showAsathapovathu Yaaru.[20] In 2010, she was cast inAvargalum Ivargalum (2011) although the low-key filmIndrasena (2010) was released first.[21][22][23] Her first big hit was the critically acclaimedAttakathi in 2012, where she was cast as Amudha, a simple village girl, byPa. Ranjith in his debut as a director. In 2014, she was seen alongsideVijay Sethupathi in two films,Rummy, andPannaiyarum Padminiyum, released within two weeks. While the first film was a village drama set in the 1980s, the latter was based on a short film of the same name, and revolved around an old man and his vintage carPremier Padmini.[24][25] Critics praised her performances, especially inRummy.[26]Hindustan Times wrote that she was "extremely promising"[27] while film criticBaradwaj Rangan noted that she was "expressive", calling her "a tonic for nerves frayed by the alabaster automatons we usually get as heroines".[28][29] Later that year, she appeared in a song sequence inR. Parthiepan'sKathai Thiraikathai Vasanam Iyakkam and as the female lead inThirudan Police.[30] In April 2014, she began filming forSeenu Ramasamy'sIdam Porul Yaeval, but the film remains unreleased as of May 2020.[31]
Aishwarya's career marked a turning point with her first release of 2015,Kaaka Muttai. Initially, she was very hesitant to play a mother role at such an early stage in her career, but, after seeking advice from herPannaiyarum Padminiyum co-star Vijay Sethupathi and after gaining interest in the script herself, she decided to be part of the film. Her portrayal of a slum dweller and mother of two children was lauded unanimously by critics:Baradwaj Rangan wrote, "it features stunning performances from everyone...especially Aishwarya Rajesh, who plays the kids' mother with a world-weariness that belies her years".[32] Other reviewers stated that she played her role "with extraordinary ease"[33] and that she "leaves you awe-struck".[34] Her performance earned her several accolades includingTamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress and her firstFilmfare Award for Best Actress – Tamil nomination.[35] That year, she also made her stage debut, playingCinderella from the same-titled fairytale that was adapted as a "musical dance drama".[36][37]
Critical acclaim, success and recognition (2016–2022)
Following the success ofKaaka Muttai, Aishwarya had eight film releases in 2016, of whichAarathu Sinam,Hello Naan Pei Pesuren,Manithan andDharma Durai were commercially successful. While,Kuttrame Thandanai,Kadalai,Parandhu Sella Vaa andMo were box office averages. S. Saraswath took note of her "remarkable performance" as a farm labourer inDharma Durai opposite Vijay Sethupathi.[38] InKuttrame Thandanai, she played a modern woman oppositeVidharth. A critic fromThe New Indian Express stated, "Aishwarya yet again proves that the length of the role doesn’t matter. As Shweta with gray shades to her character, she may have got less screen space but leaves her impact."[39]
Aishwarya's first two films of 2018,Lakshmi andSaamy Square had poor box office returns.[45][46] Her next three releasesChekka Chivantha Vaanam,Vada Chennai andKanaa were critical and commercial success, being among the year's highest grossing films.[47][48][49] InVada Chennai, she played a carrom player's wife oppositeDhanush.Sowmya Rajendran found her to be "delightful" and praised her chemistry with Dhanush.[50] Her career breakthrough came withKanaa, where she played an aspiring cricketer. She trained for several days before shooting the film.[51] M Suganth noted, "Aishwarya who appears sans makeup in most of the scenes, makes us buy Kausi and breathes life into the role."[52] Her performance earned her second Filmfare Best Actress – Tamil nomination and won her theFilmfare Critics Award for Best Actress – Tamil.[53] In 2019, she first appeared inVilambaram. She then reprised her role as a cricketer in the Telugu remakeKousalya Krishnamurthy, which marked her debut in Telugu films.[54] Suresh Kavirayani stated that she is terrific and fits the role.[55] Her other releases that year wereNamma Veettu Pillai,Mei andMismatch, all of which met with mixed to negative reviews.[56][57]
In her first film of 2020, she played a supporting character inVaanam Kottattum.[58] InWorld Famous Lover, she played a village girl oppositeVijay Deverakonda.[59] It was a box office failure but Janani K ofIndia Today noted, "Aishwarya single-handedly stole the show with her realistic performance as a naive Suvarna."[60] The film won her theSIIMA Critics Award for Best Actress – Telugu. She then played a woman who lost her husband in Dubai inKa Pae Ranasingam opposite Vijay Sethupathi. Regarding her performance, critic Manoj Kumar R noted, "Aishwarya is a revelation. She displays hopelessness, powerlessness, vulnerability, grit and determination with ease and impressive conviction".[61] The film earned her another Filmfare Best Actress – Tamil nomination and won her theSIIMA Award for Best Actress – Tamil.[62] In 2021, she played a police officer inThittam Irandu, a NRI rape victim inRepublic oppositeSai Dharam Tej and then appeared inBoomika andTuck Jagadish, none of which emerged a box office success.[63][64] ForThittam Irandu, she won theSIIMA Critics Award for Best Actress – Tamil andSaibal Chatterjee noted, "Her unwaveringly focused lead performance [..] ensures that the film's rough edges are smoothened out to a certain extent."[65][66] Her only release in 2022 wasDriver Jamuna, where she played the titular character.[67]
Aishwarya had six releases in 2023:The Great Indian Kitchen,Run Baby Run,Soppana Sundari,Farhana,Theera Kaadhal andPulimada.[68][69] InThe Great Indian Kitchen, she played a wife oppositeRahul Ravindran.[70] Several critics were appreciative of her performance and credited her for saving the Tamil version.[71] InFarhana, she played the titular Muslim woman working at a call centre. Gopinath Rajendran noted, "Aishwarya is film's biggest pillar. In one of her best roles in recent times, she shows her resilience in her actions rather than words."[72] The film earned her another nomination for Filmfare Best Actress – Tamil and won her second Filmfare Best Actress Critics – Tamil.[73] In 2024, Aishwarya appeared as the lead inDeAr oppositeG. V. Prakash Kumar and inHer, both of which received mixed reviews.[74][75] Then inARM, Aishwarya played a warrior's lover oppositeTovino Thomas.[76] Anandu Suresh ofThe Indian Express stated that she "leaves a mark" despite her character lacking depth.[77] The film was a commercial success at the box office.[78]
In her first film of 2025, Aishwarya played an ex-police officer's wife oppositeVenkatesh, inSankranthiki Vasthunam.[79] The film emerged as a blockbuster.[80] T. Maruthi Acharya noted, "Aishwarya steals the spotlight with her natural, impactful performance."[81]
S. Subhakeerthana ofThe Indian Express noted, "Aishwarya Rajesh's carefully thought-out and prudent choices reflect on her filmography."[82] For the actress performance inKaaka Muttai, S Saraswathi ofRediff.com said that she was the film's "biggest surprise".[83]News18 India noted, "Be it nailing exceptional roles or mesmerising the audience with her dialogue delivery, acting comes naturally to her."[84] Aishwarya is known for her strong women portrayals in films such asKaaka Muttai,Kanaa,World Famous Lover,Ka Pae Ranasingam andThe Great Indian Kitchen.[85]
Aishwarya has frequently featured inChennai Times' 30 Most Desirable Woman list. She became the Chennai Times' Most Desirable Woman in 2018.[86] She ranked 13th in 2017, 2nd in 2019 and 6th in 2020.[87][88][89] Aishwarya ranked 3rd in Rediff.com's "Top Tamil Actresses" list of 2015.[83] Her performance inKakka Muttai is regarded as one of the "100 Greatest Performances of the Decade" byFilm Companion.[90] She received theKalaimamani award in 2020, for her contributions to theTamil cinema.[1] She has also spoken about her childhood, sexual harassment and more onTedX talk in 2020 atIIM Trichy.[91]
