Aishwarya Rai is in celebration mode. And not because she has just completed 10 years of being one of the most beautiful women in the world!

It was a big day for her. "It's exactly 10 years since I was crowned Miss World. Can you believe how time flies? And I am feeling on top of the world," tells Aishwarya.

"If I am feeling on top of the world it's because I've been there... I've just come back to Mumbai after meeting our soldiers at Siachen (the high-altitude glacier)."

She is one of the world's most beautiful women about whom poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar once said: "She's so beautiful that people are compelled to say, 'Oh don't lie! No one can be so beautiful'."

But compliments like these don't flatter her any more. She's looking for bigger challenges in life than scaling peaks of beauty.

And certainly Aishwarya seems indescribably exhilarated by the experience of visiting Siachen.

"No woman from our industry has ever been there. And very frankly I was a little apprehensive. But I'm glad I was mad enough to attempt it," she laughs.

"Just to see our soldiers smile and look happy made my heart dance with happiness."

Aishwarya's interaction with soldiers in Siachen will be telecast on NDTV in mid-December as part of the channel's soldiers-meet-star interactive show "Jai Jawaan".

Rani Mukherjee, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Sanjay Dutt and Johnny Lever have been on the show. Though Rani went all the way to Kargil to entertain the soldiers, Aishwarya is the only one to go to Siachen.

Is this her way of conquering new heights? She laughs. "I don't know. But I feel so good after doing it."

Now she is all set to be seen in her first avant garde Hindi film "Raincoat", which opens Dec 12.

"It's my first completely realistic, contemporary character, and I'm very excited about how it's received."

Apart from Raincoat Aishwarya Rai has also shown interest in acting in a film based on the life of the Buddha along with Hollywood star Brad Pitt.

Bhupendra Kumar Modi, the newly elected president of the Mahabodhi Society of India, said the film, which would convey a strong message about Buddhism, would be directed by Shekhar Kapur while motivational guru Deepak Chopra would write the script.

Modi said that Aishwarya would play a powerful role in the film on Buddha.

"She is keen to act in the film," tells Modi over telephone from Bodh Gaya, the birthplace of Buddhism.

Modi, an industrialist, said the Buddha's teaching would be the main theme of the film. "Though other films have been made based on Lord Buddha's life and ideas, this film will be different," he said.

He said the film would be produced by his company MCorp Global with financial support from other bodies. Hollywood actor Richard Gere, a staunch Buddhist, is also interested in financing the film, which will cost Rs.500 million (over $10 million).

Modi said the film would be made in English and dubbed into several Indian languages. Pre-production work had already started with Shekhar Kapur working on the film for the past two months.

The shooting would start next year and the film is likely to be released in early 2006. "A part of the film would be shot in India as this is the land of Lord Buddha, but post-production work will be done in Hollywood," he said.