2. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Sarkar Raj, Jodhaa Akbar)
I hope all those gossip mongers who claimed Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was going to retire after marriage are currently choking on their words. Not only has Aishwarya maintained a steady flow of films, but she’s done some excellent work this year. Although Hrithik Roshan clearly walked away with the author-backed performance in Jodhaa Akbar, Aishwarya completely immortalised Jodhaa and had to rely on subtle facial expressions rather than powerful dialogues in order to make her character believable. She embodied the grace, elegance and innate strength of her character to the absolute tee. In addition, she was impressive in Sarkar Raj despite a fairly short role. Just watch her in Shankar’s death scene—brilliant! She’s definitely one of the few actresses over 30 who have managed to master their profession and stay at the top of their game—way to go!
