Rai said God had been kind to her

Rai had hurt her foot when a jeep accidentally hit her during rehearsals for the Hindi movie Khakhi on location near Nasik, 185 km east of Bombay (Mumbai).

On Wednesday she emerged from hospital in a wheelchair, accompanied by her family, and was taken to her apartment in the west of Bombay.

She is reported to have said that God had been extremely kind to her and she had come out of "a near fatal accident".

Rai's secretary, Hari Singh, said doctors had advised her to rest for the next three weeks.

Mr Singh also revealed that Rai would sit on the jury at this year's Cannes film festival in May - becoming the first Indian actress to do so.

Rai's career in films took off after she won the Miss World contest in 1994.

Now in her 20s, she has acted in several Hindi films including Dil De Chuke Sanam, Taal and the epic Devdas.

Devdas was said to be the most expensive film ever made in India and was distributed worldwide.

It marked a milestone in Rai's career earning her critical acclaim and several awards.