Aishwarya Rai's long association with Sridevi

Sridevi, 1963 born, Aishwarya Rai, 1973 born, it was in the cards that these South Indian leading ladies would one day rule Bollywood like no other. 

Armed with great beauty, talent, stardom, dancing skills and natural elegance, they are/were powerhouses of great magnitude-- and shared an enduring camaraderie. 

Released in the summer of 2000, Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai got Aishwarya Rai several acting nominations and as the film was produced by Boney Kapoor, Sridevi was present from the early stages of the film's production. Thus, somewhere along the way began Aishwarya Rai's long friendship and association with Sridevi.

Sridevi presented Aishwarya her first Best Actress Filmfare award for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), both were present for each other's major moments like birthdays, film launches and award shows. And that protective arm landed on the other often. You can scroll through the archives and find a volley of quotes where the two spoke well of each other. 

Sweet!

Game recognises game; the queen recognised another and helped fit that crown. 

Aishwarya Rai, Sridevi and Boney Kapoor 

UPDATE:

More rare pics of Sridevi and Aishwarya Rai at an event. Also in pics Anil Kapoor, Subhash Ghai, Akshay Khanna ie the cast and crew of Taal.