Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Bollywood star, has baby girl

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's baby has generated tremendous media interest

Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has given birth to a baby girl, husband actor Abhishek Bachchan has tweeted.

Father-in-law Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan also tweeted: "I am Dada (grandfather) to the cutest baby girl".

Aishwarya was admitted to the Seven Hills Hospital in the Indian city of Mumbai early Tuesday morning. This is her first child.

There has been tremendous interest in Aishwarya's pregnancy from the media and her fans.

"It's a girl!," Abhishek wrote on the micro-blogging site at 0952 local time (0422 GMT).

Amitabh Bachchan said he was "ecstatic" to be a grandfather and thanked all those who sent out congratulatory messages.

Aishwarya's pregnancy had been keenly watched since June when Amitabh Bachchan announced the pregnancy of his daughter-in-law.

"News news news!! I am going to become a grandfather. Aishwarya expecting. So happy and thrilled," he had tweeted.

According to reports, bookies had bet 1.5 billion rupees (around $30m) on whether Aishwarya would deliver on 11 November or not.

The Bachchans are known as the "first family" of Bollywood and have millions of fans following their every move.

Often called the "queen of Bollywood", Aishwarya, 37, married Abhishek in 2007, forging the ultimate Bollywood dynasty.

She first charmed the nation at just 21, winning Miss World in 1994. She has acted in several Hollywood films too.

She was the first Indian actress to sit on the Cannes jury in 2003. She has also appeared on the cover of Time magazine as the global face of Indian cinema.

Because of her popularity in India and outside, she has long been the face of cosmetic giant Loreal and high-end Longines watches