Aishwarya Rai had her acting debut in a film by Mani Ratnam.
Aishwarya Rai . She made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam 's 1997 Tamil film Iruvar and had her first Hindi film release in Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya that same year . Iruvar ( The Duo ) is a 1997 Indian Tamil epic political drama film co-written , produced and directed by Mani Ratnam .