Bipasha Basu Biography

Bipasha Basu Biography

 

Bipashu Basu: this Bollywood dazzler started out as a supermodel before scorching the big screen with her sultry sensuality.

Early days
Bipasha was born on the 7 January 1979 in New Delhi, later moving with her family to Kolkata. She is the second of three sisters. The other two are Bidisha and Vijayeta.

Bipasha studied science. Her repulsion towards dissecting animals, prompted her to move away from medicine to commerce. She did her schooling at Bhavan's Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir and her college years were spent at Bhawanipur Gujarati Education Society College. In her spare time, she took up some modelling assignments.

She participated in the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel contest and walked away as the winner. She moved to New York, courtesy the Ford agency, where she continued with her modelling, until she decided to pack her bags and head back to India, landing in Bollywood.

She has appeared in Sonu Nigam’s Video ‘Tu’ from his album Kismat as well as Jay Sean’s video ‘Stolen’.

Bipasha Basu dated some of the hunkiest men like Milind Soman and Dino Morea before settling on John Abraham. A photograph of her kissing footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, raised questions on whether her relationship with John Abraham was in trouble. However the couple still seems to be as smitten with each other as ever.

Bringing sexy back
2001 Bipasha broke stereotypes in Ajnabee, in which she is a married woman making a play for her husband’s married friend. The risk was worth it as she won the Filmfare Best Debut Award for her role.

2002 It was followed by the success of Raaz, a thriller directed by Vikram Bhat. She was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress award for her role as Sanjana.

2003 She again made waves in Jism, with John Abraham, in which she played a scheming seductress.

2004 The year saw movies like Aetbaar and Rudraaksh that didn’t make much of an impact.

2005 Her films No entry and Phir Hera Pheri did well at the box office.

2006 It was Bipasha’s year all the way with hits like Corporate, Omkara, and Dhoom 2. Her brilliant portrayal in Corporate as Nishigandha Dasgupta won her a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award. She sizzled in the item number ‘Beedi’ in Omkara.

2008 Bipasha had another hit in her kitty with Race while her performance in Bachna Hai Haseeno was appreciated.

2009 Her first release of the year was, Aa Dekhen Zara, with Neil Nitin Mukesh. It was a moderate success. She was seen as Jhanvi in All the Best: Fun Begins.

More Bips
Year 2010 will see Bips in Pankh, Freeze, and a Bengali film Shob Charitro Kalponik. She is also a part of Lamhaa which stars Sanjay Dutt and is set in Kashmir.

Gauri Khan Biography

Gauri Khan Biography

 

Gauri Khan is the other half of one of the most influential Bollywood actor, Shah Rukh Khan. She is also a movie producer and costume designer.

Basics on Gauri
Gauri Chhiba was born on 8th October 1970 in New Delhi, India to a Punjabi family. Her father is Major Ramesh  Chhiba.

She did her schooling at Modern School and completed college at Lady Sriram College, where she studied History.

She married Shah Rukh Khan in 1991 and they have two children Aryan and Suhana.

Gauri Khan, who recently became the cover girl for Vogue’s January 2008 edition, also anchored the show Oye briefly in the 90s and represents a clothing line called Aftershock.

Gauri Khan’s Movies
When Shah Rukh Khan’s star started rising, Gauri Khan was the costume designer for his movies like Darr (1993), Kabhie Haan Kabhie Naa (1993), Anjaam (1994) and Oh! Darling Yeh Hai India (1995).

She is part owner of the production house Red Chillies Entertainment and has been credited as the producer of Shah Rukh Khan starrers like Main Hoon Na (2004), Paheli (2005), Om Shanti Om (2007) and Billu (2009).

Jiah Khan Biography

Jiah Khan Biography

 

Jiah Khan’s long tresses and sultry goddess image made her a natural choice for the Lolita-ish character in Nishabd.

Basics on Jiah
Jiah Khan was born on 20th February 1988 in New York, United States of America and grew up in Chelsea, London. Her father is Ali Rizvi Khan. There were rumours that she was Tahir Hussain’s daughter and related to Aamir Khan. Her mother is Rabiya Amin, who is from Agra and had worked as an actress in the eighties and has acted in Tahir Hussain’s Dulha Bikta Hai.

She was known as Nafisa Ali. After watching Angelina Jolie’s Gia, she decided to change her name to Jiah Khan.

Jiah did her A levels in Film Studies and Literature in London. She joined the Lee Strasberg Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York but discontinued on receiving a movie offer. Besides acting, she’s a dancer and has trained in Salsa, Samba, Kathak and Lambada. She plays the piano and is trained in opera too.

Jiah is rumoured to be dating Aditya Bhuvania.

Jiah Khan’s Movies
Jiah Khan’s debut was in a risqué role in Ram Gopal Verma’s Nishabd (2007) with none other than Amitabh Bacchan about a eighteen year old girl falling in love with her friend’s father. Though the movie received mixed reviews, her performance was considered more than satisfactory.

Her next role was as Sunita, a medical student, in Ghajini with Aamir Khan and Asin that became a huge hit and also the highest grosser the film industry has seen so far.

In 2009, she will be seen in Housefull with Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone and Ritiesh Deshmukh and as a dance instructor in Ken Ghosh’s Yahoo with Shahid Kapoor.
 

A R Rahman Biography

A R Rahman Biography

 

A R Rahman’s tryst with music began almost since infancy. His debut with Roja left no doubt in anyone’s mind that he could work magic with music.

Getting into the groove
Allah Rakha Rahman was born as A.S.Dileep Kumar on 6th January 1966 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He was born into a Christian family that converted to Islam. Music was a big part of growing up as Rahman struck the keys of a piano when he was as young as four. His father R.K. Shekhar was a music composer and a conductor for Malayalam movies. His father passed away when he was just nine and Rahman took to earning a living through music when he was eleven as a keyboard player in Ilaiyaraaja’s troupe.

His wife Saira Bano and he have three children Khatija, Rahim and Aman.

He plays the guitar, synthesizer, keyboard, piano and harmonium. He trained under Master Dhanraj; founded the rock group Nemesis Avenue; was part of the orchestras of Ramesh Naidu, M.S.Viswanathan; went on world tours with Zakir Hussain, Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan and L.Shankar. He studied Western Classical Music at the Trinity College of Music, London after winning a scholarship.   

Social Rahman
He was the Global Ambassador of Stop TB in association with WHO in 2004. He used music to reach out when he joined hands with Cat Stevens and Yusuf Islam for “Indian Ocean” following the 2006 Tsunami; with Don Asian and Mukhtar Sahota for “We Can Make It Better”. He also works with Save the Children, a charity.

On top of the game

1987 He entered the world of advertising, penning jingles.

1989 Panchathan Recording Inn, the start of Rahman’s music recording and mixing studio.

1992 He got his big break to make music for movies with Mani Rathnam’s Roja (1992). Picking from the lot that followed: Thiruda Thiruda (1993), Kadhalan (1994), Bombay (1995), Rangeela (1995), Fire (1996), earth (1998) , Water (2005), Minsaara Kanavu (1997), Dil Se (1998), Taal (1999), Alaipayuthey (2000), Lagaan (2001), Saathiya (2002), Boys (2003), Rang De Basanti (2006), Elizabeth – The Golden Age (2007), Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na (2008), Ghajini (2008) and Slumdog Millionaire (2008).

1997 He released his album Vande Mataram, celebrating India’s 50th year of independence. He also collaborated with music maestros to bring together Jana Gana Mana.

1999 He was part of Michael Jackson & Friends Concert in Munich, Germany.

2002 His first stage production Bombay Dreams, a commission from the composer Andrew Lloyd Webber had the world crooning Shaka Laka Baby.

2004 Composed music for the theater version of Lord of the Rings alongside Christopher Nightingale and Varttina, a Finnish group.

2006 KM Music, his music label, saw light. And the release of his album Introducing A.R.Rahman that was a compilation of his Tamil movie numbers.

Awards galore

2009 The first Indian to win the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score for Slumdog Millionaire.

2008 Critics Choice Award for Best Composer.

Winner of Padma Shri by the Government of India.

Filmfare Awards – Eleven times winner.

Filmfare South Awards – Eleven times winner.

1995 Mauritius National Award and Malaysian Award

National Award Winner for Best Music Director for the movies Roja (1992), Minsara Kanavu (1997), Kannathil Muthamittal (2002) and Lagaan (2001).


2009  AR Rahman made history by winning a double Oscar for Best Original Music Score and Best Song (Jai Ho).

2009 & onwards, Rahman’s scores with
Dilli 6, Puli, Raavan, Blue, Eight By Ten and Endhiran.

Hina Tasleem Biography

Hina Tasleem Biography

 

Hina Tasleem is a hot Indian actress.

MOVIES
Hina started her film career with Puneet Sira's I... Proud to Be an Indian (2004). She palyed the small role of Noor Firoz in this action flick. Her next film was Fun: Can Be Dangerous Sometimes (2005) where Hina played one of the lead roles along with stars like Siddharth Koirala, Aryan Vaid, and Payal Rohatgi. This movie revolves around extramarital affairs. In the Rajpal Yadav starrer Ladies Tailor (2006) she played a character named Jassi.

In 2007, the actress appeared in a horror flick named Ghutan opposite Aryan Vaid as a female ghost Catherine who wants to take revenge on her husband who married her for her money and later murdered her. Tasleem played a minor role in Prakash Saini's Meri Padosan (2009) starring Sarvar Ahuja and Saadhika Randhawa.

Meri Life Mein Uski Wife (2009) was her last release where she was seen opposite Vikas Kalantri. Shakti Kapoor, Antara Biswas, and Upasna Singh were seen with her in this comedy.

Ayesha Takia Biography

Ayesha Takia Biography

 

Ayesha Takia is best remembered as the Complan Girl who grew up to be Meera in Dor.
I’m a Complan Girl
     Ayesha was born on April 10th 1986 in Mumbai. Her father Nishit is a Gujrathi while her mother Faridah is an Anglo-Indian Muslim. She has a younger sister called Natasha.
She studied at the Anthony’s High School but did not pursue her education any further as she started her career in show business when she was as young as fifteen.
     She was dating Farhan Azmi and the wedding bells are ready to ring for this couple very soon.
     Ayesha was part of a popular Complan advertisement. She was also part of two music videos – Falguni Pathak’s Meri Chunar Udd Udd Jaye and DJ Aqeel’s Shake It Daddy.
In the Bollywood Mix
     Ayesha was first offered Socha Na Tha with Abhay Deol and then Tarzan:The Wonder Car in 2004. She won the Filmfare Best Debut Award for the latter. She has worked in more than fifteen films since then like Dil Maange More, Salaam-e-Ishq, Fool and Final, No Smoking and De Taali. Most of them did not do well at the box office.
     However her performance in Nagesh Kukunoor’s critically acclaimed Dor,in which she played the part of a Rajasthani widow Meera stood out winning her quite a few awards.
The End?
     Ayesha is said to be all set to bid adieu to Bollywood soon after her marriage. The films up for release before she ties the knot are Wanted: Dead or Alive with Salman Khan, Paathshaala with Shahid Kapoor, another Nagesh Kukunoor film Eight By Ten with Akshay Kumar, Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai, Naughty At Forty and Ab Dil Door Nahin, which is an animated film where she is lending her voice to a leopard cub.

Mallika Sherawat Biography

Mallika Sherawat Biography

 

Mallika Sherawat’s gutsy entry into Bollywood invited curiosity, admiration and criticism but she continues to be in her element when provocative.

Basics on Mallika
Mallika Sherawat was christened Reema Lamba. Sherawat is her mother’s maiden name. She was born on the 24th October 1981 in Haryana, India to a conservative family.

She studied at the Miranda House, New Delhi, obtaining a degree in Indian Philosophy. She worked as an air hostess before venturing into movies.

She was married to a Jet Airways pilot Captain Karan Singh Gill whom she later divorced.

Mallika was seen in Surjit Bindrakhia’s music video Lak Tunoo. She also made a brief appearance in Jeena Sirf Merre Liye (2002) as Sonia but that was as Reema Lamba.

Mallika Sherawat’s Movies
2003 to 2005 It was in 2003 that Mallika made a lot of noise in Bollywood with the release of Khwaish with Himanshu Mallik. The movie was on the lines of Erich Segal’s Love Story and received a lot of publicity for the number of kisses onscreen between the lead pair.

Anurag Basu’s Murder (2004) was based on the Hollywood movie Unfaithful and was a fatal love triangle between Sherawat, Emraan Hashmi and Ashmit Patel.

She worked with Rekha in Bachke Rehna Re Baba (2005) as a gold digger. Her appearance in Jackie Chan’s The Myth received a lot of attention and she turned heads as she appeared at the Cannes Film Festival.

2006 to 2008  Mallika and Rahul Bose got together in a comedy Pyaar Ke Side effects (2006) that was an average success. Her other movie in 2006 was Darna Zaroori Hai. Her item number in Mayya Mayya in Guru was popular. She took on a negative role, albeit a brief one, in Aap Ka Suroor (2007) with Himesh Reshamiyya. Anees Bazmee’s multi-starrer Welcome (2007) was a big success.

In 2008, she was part of the large scale Kamal Hassan starrer Dasavatharam, a Tamil movie. She played the role of Jasmine. Ugly Aur Pagli (2008) with Ranvir Shorey was another comedy that received moderate response. Sherawat and Rahul Bose were paired together in Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam (2008), a comedy.
 

Govinda Biography

Govinda Biography

 

He’s funny, he’s colourful, he’s Govinda aka Chi Chi. An inimitable dancer, an actor who can spring tears in your eyes or have you laugh till you cry, he has nailed it and nailed it good.

Basics on Govinda
A Sagittarian, Govinda was born on 21st December 1963 in Vihar, Thane, Mumbai. He was named Govind Arun Ahuja. His father was a Punjabi Arun Kumar Ahuja, who was an actor in the forties. His mother Nirmala came from Banaras and was a classical singer and dancer. She was also an actress and was cast opposite his father in the movie Savera and they got married in 1941. His father’s attempt at producing a movie failed after which he faced some health issues and the family moved to Virar.

Several relatives are in the movie business like his sister Kaamini Khanna, his brother Kirti Kumar besides nephews and nieces.

Govinda was rumoured to be interested in his co-star Neelam but he married Sunita in 1987. She was his maternal uncle Anand Singh’s wife’s sister. They have two children Narmada and Yashvardhan.

Govinda studied Commerce at the Annasaheb Vartak College. He developed a passion for dance after watching the movie Saturday Night Fever. He began circulating a tape and soon bagged a fertilizer ad followed by one for Allwyn.

He hosted the television show Jeeto Chappard Phardke on Sony Entertainment Television in 2001. He also has to his credit the 2007 Most Stylish Comeback Award at the MTV Lycra Style Awards. And took the tenth place in a survey conducted by BBC News Online to find the Top 10 Greatest Stars of Stage and Screen in the last 1000 years.

Govinda in Politics
Govinda is a supported of the Congress Party. He was a Member of Parliament for Mumbai North, India in 2004.He won the seat with 50000 votes. He quit politics in 2008.

Govinda’s Movies
1986 to 1990  Govinda’s first movie was Ilzaam in 1986 with Neelam that became a big hit. Love 86 released later that year was also a success. He acted in movies like Khudgarz (1987), Hatya (1988), Do Qaidi (1989) and Izzatdaar (1990).

1991 to 1995  He worked with Amitabh Bacchan in Hum (1991). He paired up with director David Dhawan in Shola Aur Shabnam (1992) and played the role of Michael Corleone in Zulm Ki Hukumat (1992) that was inspired by The Godfather. In 1993, his movie David Dhawan’s comedy Aankhen with Govinda in a double role became one of the biggest hits of the year.

He had another hit in his hands with Dhawan’s Raja Babu (1994) with Karishma Kapoor. He acted with Karishma Kapoor in Dulaara, Khuddar and Prem Shakti in 1994.

1996 to 2000  Gambler, Hathkadi, Andolan, Coolie No 1 were his releases in 1996. He acted in the remake of Rajnikanth’s Veera, Saajan Chale Sasural that was another directorial venture of David Dhawan. Govinda joined hands with Amitabh Bacchan in Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998). Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999) with Sanjay Dutt won him a Filmfare Best Comedian Award. He took a villainous role in Shikari (2000). He worked with Rani Mukherji in Hadh Kar Dhi Aapne (2000).

2001 to 2005  He acted in several movies, a few of which were, Jodi No.1 (2001), Chalo Ishq Ladaaye (2002), Raja Bhaiyya (2003) and Khullam Khulla Pyaar Karenge (2005).

2006 to 2009  Govinda moved away from the screens for a while as he got involved in politics, made a comeback in Bhagam Bhag (2006). David Dhawan’s Partner (2007) cast him with Salman Khan and became one of the biggest hits of the year. Money Ho Tho Honey Hai (2008) was below average.

The line up for 2009 includes Main Aur Mrs. Khanna, Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai, Run Bhola Run and Raavan.
 

Anushka Sharma Biography

Anushka Sharma Biography

 

Anushka Sharma, all cuteness, is a success story unfolding.

Baby Steps
Anushka celebrates her birthday on 1 May 1988. She was born in Bangalore. Her father is an Army Officer while her mother is a homemaker. She also has an older brother.

She did her schooling at the Army School and later graduated from Mount Carmel College with a degree in Arts. She is currently working on obtaining a degree in Economics.

Runaway Success
Anushka, with a taste for the alluring world of fashion and film, signed up with the Elite Modeling Agency. She was also groomed by fashion consultant Prasad Bidappa even before she hit her sweet sixteens.

She was ‘discovered’ by the Goa-based designer Wendell Rodricks. She sashayed down the ramp at his Les Vamps Show, and the Lakme India Fashion Week. She was also seen in ads for Silk & Shine, Whisper, and Fiat Palio. She stands tall at 5’9”.

Taani
It wasn’t long before Bollywood started chasing her. She made her debut in 2008 with none other than the King Khan himself in Aditya Chopra’s Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi as Taani.

She is currently working on another Yash Raj project with Shahid Kapoor. It is tentatively titled, Right Hand Man. Nikhil Advani has signed her up for Patiala House with Akshay Kumar.
 

Vidya Balan Biography

Vidya Balan Biography

 

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan was the quintessence of an Indian woman in Parineeta, a well-deserved break for the actress.

Vidya
Vidya Balan is a Tamil Iyer born on 1 January 1978 in Palakkad, Kerala. Her father is P.R.Balan who is the vice president of ETC channel while her mother is a homemaker. She has an older sister, Priya.

She studied in Mumbai at St Anthony’s School and later graduated in Sociology from St Xavier’s College, after which she enrolled for M.A from the Mumbai University. She speaks several languages like Tamil, Malayalam, English, Hindi, and Bengali.

Pradeep Sarkar directed her in many ads as well as music videos for singers like Euphoria, Shubha Mudgal, and Pankaj Udhas. She was also part of the initial episodes of Ekta Kapoor’s Hum Paanch.

Balan has been linked with several of her co-stars which she has denied.

Lolita
Vidya Balan’s initial entry into movies in the South went nowhere. The first Malayalam movie that she signed was with Mohanlal called Chakram that was put on hold and later resumed with a different lead. She was replaced by Trisha Krishnan in Manasellam, a Tamil movie.

It was only in 2003 that she was recognized for her acting skills in a Bengali movie Bhalo Theko, for which she won the Anandalok Best Actress Award for her portrayal of Anandi.

In 2005, she starred in Pradeep Sarkar’s Parineeta based on a novella by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, as Lolita. Her performance won her the Filmfare Best Debut Actress Award as well as the Filmfare Face of the Year. Lage Raho Munnabhai, the sequel to the runaway hit Munnabhai, saw her as Jhanvi.

In 2007, she marked her presence in Guru as a woman with a physical disability. Her other releases were Salaam-e-Ishq with John Abraham, Eklavya that was India’s official entry to the Oscars, and Bhool Bhulaiyya with Akshay Kumar that was a remake of the Malayalam movie Manichitrathazu.

Kismat Konnection in 2008 starring Vidya Balan and Shahid Kapoor failed to do well.

Paa was her only release in 2009 and it was a hit. Balan’s performance as a new age woman was appreciated. She played Amitabh Bachchan’s mother in this movie.

Up Next
She will be seen as a temptress in Ishqiya. Her other releases include Chenab Gandhi and Mukti. She will be playing the part of Sabrina Lal in No One Killed Jessica.

Soha Ali Khan Biography

Soha Ali Khan Biography

Soha Ali Khan coming from a family of famous names is no stranger to the flashbulbs.

Basics on Soha
Soha Ali Khan Pataudi was on 4th October 1978 in New Delhi, India to Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the Nawab of Pataudi and former captain of the Indian cricket team and Sharmila Tagore, a popular actress in Indian cinema. Her brother Saif Ali Khan is a successful actor who was married to actress Amrita Singh and is now dating the actress Kareena Kapoor. She has a sister Saba who has chosen not to enter movies.

Soha’s schooling years were in New Delhi at The British School. She studied History at the Balliol College, Oxford University and then obtained a Master’s degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics.

Acting was not her initial choice of career and she worked with the Ford Foundation and Citibank. She continues to try her hand at various things like modeling for Globus and is also on the Advisory Board for Res Publica, an entrepreneur group.

Soha Ali Khan’s Movies
2004  Soha’s debut in Bollywood was with Anant Mahadevan’s Dil Maange More as Shahid Kapoor’s girlfriend.

2005  In Pyaar Mein Twist, she played Dimple Kapadia’s daughter. This was followed by David Dhawan’s Shaadi No.1 and Antar Mahal.

2006  In Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s Rang De Basanti, her performance as Sonia whose fiancé dies in a plane crash. She won the IIFA Best Supporting Actress Award. Ahista Ahista saw her as a jilted lover.

2007  Sudhir Mishra’s Khoya Khoya Chand cast her with Shiney Ahuja and was about the film industry.

2008  Her performance in Mumbai Meri Jaan was considered brilliant as Rupali, a news reporter. Two other releases were Sudhir Mishra’s Tera Kya Hoga Johnny and Anil Sharma’s Dil Kabaddi.

2009  Soha’s upcoming releases are 99 and Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge.

Shahid Kapoor Biography

Shahid Kapoor Biography

 

The chocolate boy Shahid Kapoor left his detractors blushing with his arresting performance in Jab We Met and Kaminey.

Behind the Scenes
Shahid Kapoor was born in Mumbai on 25 February 1981 to actors Pankaj Kapoor and Neelima Azeem, who divorced when he was three years old. His father married the actress Supriya Pathak. He has a brother Ruhan and sister Sana as well as a step-brother Ishaan.

Shahid and Kareena Kapoor, his long term girlfriend broke up just before the release of Jab We Met and since then he has been linked with several actresses like Amrita Rao and Vidya Balan. Shahid Kapoor and Kareena’s kiss was caught by a phone cam and created a controversy. He was also supposed to be dating Priyanka Chopra.

Facing the Camera
Shahid is a fabulous dancer owing to the training he undertook at Shiamak Davar Institute for the Performing Arts. He was a background dancer in Subash Ghai’s 1998 release Taal. He was also part of music videos and ads like Pepsi.

Big Screen Calling
2003 Shahid was launched as the lead in Ken Ghosh’s love story Ishq Vishq, winning the Filmfare Best Male Debut award for his performance. Shahid and Amrita Rao enjoy a popular onscreen chemistry.

2004 The year saw him in the thriller Fida and a romantic comedy Dil Maange More. Both movies generated an average response from movie-goers.

2005 His releases Deewane Huye Paagal (based on the Hollywood comedy There’s Something About Mary) and Vah! Life Ho Tho Aisa, were both entertaining without creating an uproar at the box office. Shikhar, in which he worked with Ajay Devgan, earned him a Star Screen Awards nomination for Best Actor.

2006 He moved away from romantic comedies when he played Raj Malhotra in the murder mystery 36 China Town and played Jeetu in Priyadarshan’s comedy Chup Chup Ke, both falling into the average-success category. Vivah, a drama of love, was a blockbuster and a high grosser. His performance as Prem was widely appreciated.

2007 Fool and Final slid by. For his role as Aditya Kashyap in Jab We Met, Shahid was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Awards and the movie was one of the year’s biggest hits.

2008 Kismat Connection with Vidya Balan failed to shake the box office and only added to the list of average hits.

2009 His fans got to see a whole new Shahid in Vishal Bharadwaj’s Kaminey. He was seen in a dual role as Charlie and Guddu with a speech defect. In Dil Bole Hadippa with Rani Mukherji he played a cricket player. Of the two releases, Kaminey was a hit.

Coming Soon
You can catch more of his boyish good looks in Paathshala, Milenge Milenge, and Chance Pe Dance.

He is also working with Anushka Sharma in a Yash Raj movie. He is the star of Mausam which his father will direct.
 

Kangna Ranaut Biography

Kangna Ranaut Biography

 

The spotlight was on Kangana Ranaut when she stepped into Gangster. Her curls, a thin frame, and a child-woman face all set her apart from other actresses.

Kangana
Kangana Amardeep Ranaut was born on 20 March 1984 in Bhambla, a village in Mandi District, Himachal Pradesh, India. She lived in Shimla and Chandigarh before moving to New Delhi. Her father Amardeep was a businessman while her mother Asha was a schoolteacher. She has an older sister called Rangoli and a younger brother, Akshit.

She did her schooling at the DAV Model School in Chandigarh. She went on to study at the Science College in Shimla and was interested in becoming a doctor. She moved to New Delhi and joined the Elite Modelling Agency but her modeling career did not take off. She also joined the Asmita Theater Group in 2003 and acted in several plays. She enrolled in Asha Chandra’s Acting School.

Kangana was dating Adhyayan Suman, son of actor Shekhar Suman and the couple had starred in Raaz – The Mystery Continues. However, they broke up in 2009. Aditya Pancholi accused the actress of using him to make it in Bollywood. Ranaut has maintained a stoic silence on the subject.

She was in a café when she was noticed by Anurag Basu and signed up for Gangster in 2005.

Kangana Ranaut’s Movies
2006 Kangana Ranaut appeared onscreen for the first time as Simran, a small town girl with big dreams who falls in love with a gangster in Anurag Basu’s Gangster. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award. In Mohit Suri’s Woh Lamhe she played the role of Sana which was said to be based on Parveen Babi.

2007 Kangana was part of Shakalaka Boom Boom and Anurag Basu’s Life in a Metro, which was a hit.

2008 Her first Tamil movie, Dhaam Dhoom, saw her as Shenba and was successful. In Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion, she played the part of Shonali, a model who loses herself to drugs.

2009 Kangana’s first release in 2009 was Mohit Suri’s Raaz – The Mystery Continues. Her performance received positive reviews.

2010 She will be seen with Bobby Deol in Roshan and with Hrithik Roshan in Kites. She is also working with Italian director Gilda Pianelli in the movie, Between the Night and the Moon.

The actress has been cast for the part of Madhubala/Sona in Once Upon a Time in Mumbai. Ranaut who has mostly played tragic characters will get a chance to show her comic side in No Problem with Sushmita Sen. She will also be a part of another comedy, Tanu Weds Manu with Madhavan. She might be seen as Barkha Dutt in Knock Out.

Amisha Patel Biography

Amisha Patel Biography 

 

 

Amisha Patel made a splash with Kaho Na Pyaar Hai and later proved herself in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha.
Basics on Amisha
Amisha Patel is a Gemini born on 9th June 1976 in Mumbai.  Her parents are Amit Patel and Asha Patel. Actor Ashmit Patel is her brother. She is the grand-daughter of lawyer-politician Rajni Patel, who was also the Congress Committee President, Mumbai.
Her schooling was at Cathedral and John Connon High School, where she was the head girl. She left to Massachusetts to study economics at the Tufts University. She is even known to have won a gold medal for her paper on economics. She worked for Morgan Stanley before trying her hand at acting in theaters with Satyadev Dubey’s theater group.
Her conflicts with her family was publicized as she took legal measures against them.
She is dating director Vikram Bhatt.
Amisha’s Movies
Amisha Patel got lucky when Kareena Kapoor opted out of Hrithik Roshan’s debut Kaho Na Pyaar Hai (2000). The movie was a blockbuster and Amisha became famous overnight. She also worked her acting skills in the Telugu movie Badri with Pawan Kalyan.
In 2001, she gave a fantastic performance as Sakeena in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. She won the Filmfare Special Performance Award. She worked with Hrithik Roshan again in Aap Mujhe Acche Lagne Lage (2002) that flopped. Humraaz (2002) was a hit.
She acted in several movies like Pudhiya Geethai (2003), Naani (2004), Elaan (2005), Narasimhudu (2005), Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005), Teesri Aankh (2006) and Aap Ki Kathir (2006).
Her luck changed for the better with Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd (2007) in which she played the bubbly, garish Pinky Kapoor. Bhool Bhulaiyya (2007) with Akshay Kumar and Shiney Ahuja also did well. She made a brief appearance in Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic in the song Lazy Lamhe.
In 2009, Amisha will be appearing in comedies Run Bhola Run with Govinda and Chatur Singh Two Star with Sanjay Dutt.

Aishwarya Rai Biography

Aishwarya Rai Biography

 

“Hi. I am Sanjana.” That was all it took to eclipse both Aamir Khan and Mahima Choudhary in the Pepsi commercial, making this aqua-eyed beauty the talk of the town. You just knew that you had not seen the last of Aishwarya Rai and she was not one to disappoint.

Ash Ash Baby
Aishwarya Krishnaraj Rai was born on 1 November 1973 in Mangalore. Her father Krishnaraj Rai was a marine engineer and her mother Vrinda Rai is a writer. She has an older brother Aditya Rai who is in the merchant navy. He also happened to co-produce Dil Ka Rishta in 2003, which starred Ash. The family moved to Mumbai where she studied at the Arya Vidya Mandir and later moved to Ruparel College. She was aspiring to study architecture but that did not take off while her career in the glamour industry took off.

Ash won the coveted Miss World crown in 2004. Soon after this she pledged to donate her eyes after her death. She went on to become the brand ambassador for brands like L’Oreal, Pepsi, and Coco Cola. She struck a pose for many international magazines like TIME and was also voted one of the most attractive and influential women by several polls. She is the first Indian actor to be part of the jury at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. She has appeared in The Oprah Winfrey Show, Late Show with David Letterman, and 60 Minutes. She was also the first Indian actress to be replicated in wax at Madame Tussaud’s Museum in London.

She was briefly involved with actors Salman Khan and Vivek Oberoi before marrying actor Abhishek Bachchan, son of the iconic Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. They were married in 2007. The couple have acted together in many movies. They were seen in the latest Lux ad and have been roped in to be part of PETA’s Lovebirds campaign.

The Rai Magic
Aishwarya began her career in the film industry with a Tamil film Iruvar in 1997 which was a hit as opposed to her Hindi film Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya with Bobby Deol. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her next Tamil film Jeans, which was also an entry to the Oscars. In 1999, she gained recognition in Bollywood with hits like Taal and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, in which she played opposite Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan, her role as Nandini fetching her the Filmfare Best Actress Award.

In 2000, her Tamil film Kandukondain Kandukondain, saw a good turnout. She took on the role of Shirley, Shahrukh Khan’s sister in Josh and then played his love interest in Mohabbatein which won her a nomination for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. In Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai, she played Preeti Virat, a rape victim and was considered for the Filmfare Best Actress Award. The year 2001 was a quiet year for Ash.

Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas (2002), in which she played Paro with Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit, was an instant blockbuster. It also received a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival. She won the Filmfare Best Actress award. In 2003, she acted the part of Binodini in a Bengali film Choker Bali which was based on a novel by Rabindranath Tagore. The film was nominated for the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival.

The year 2004 saw Ash in her first English film, Gurinder Chaddha’s Bride & Prejudice, an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. Her performance as Neerja in Rituparno Ghosh’s Raincoat was praised. This was followed by her second English film in 2005, The Mistress of Spices, with Dylan McDermott of The Practice fame. Her dance sequence Kajra Re from Bunty Aur Babli became one of the most popular tunes of the year.

She had two films out in 2006. Umrao Jaan with Abhishek Bachchan failed to do well while Dhoom 2 where she played Sunehri and shared a ‘controversial’ liplock with Hrithik Roshan was a big hit. In 2007, she played Sujata opposite Abhishek Bachchan in Guru, based on the industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani and it was successful. Provoked, which was based on a real episode of domestic violence, won critical acclaim. The other English film, The Last Legion, did not do so well.

Jodhaa Akbar, released in 2008, in which she acted the part of Jodhaa Bai with Hrithik Roshan was average. The sequel to Sarkar, Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar Raj, in which she plays a CEO alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, is said to be one of her best performances till date.

In 2009, Rai looked her gorgeous self in The Pink Panther 2 with Steve Martin.

Going Strong
She was also busy shooting for Mani Ratnam’s Raavan with Abhishek Bachchan and Endhiran with Rajnikanth in 2009. Both movies will be released in 2010 along with Action Replay with Akshay Kumar and Guzaarish, in which she will play Hrithik Roshan’s nurse.
 

Abhishek Bachchan Biography

Abhishek Bachchan Biography

 

Abhishek Bachchan, the anything but angry young man, came out of the shadows as Amitabh Bachchan’s son to build a success story in Bollywood.

His father’s son
He was born as Abhishek Amitabh Srivastav on 5 Feb 1976 in Mumbai. What set him apart from other babies born on that day was that he was the son of superstar extraordinaire Amitabh Bachchan and actress Jaya Bachchan of the Guddi fame, who is currently a Samajwadi MP at the Rajya Sabha. He has an older sister Shweta. He’s also the grandson of Harivansh Rai Srivastav (pen-name Harivansh Rai Bachchan) who was an acclaimed poet. Both Abhishek and Amitabh took on the ‘Bachchan’ from this pen-name. Abhishek is partly Punjabi Sikh on his paternal side and a Bengali Kulin Brahmin on his maternal side.

The 6’3” tall Abhishek studied at the Jamnabhai Narsee School and Bombay Scottish School, both located in Mumbai and also Modern School in New Delhi. His college years were spent in Aiglon College, Switzerland amongst the cheese, clocks, and banks. He moved to Boston University in U.S to study business only to return back to India to help his father with ABCL, which was hit by a financial crisis.

He was engaged to the controversially sexy Karishma Kapoor back in 2002. They went public during his father’s sixtieth birthday celebration. It lasted as long as January 2003. He got engaged to ‘the most beautiful woman on earth’ Aishwarya Rai in 2007 and tied the knot with her a few months later at the Bachchan’s residence, Prateeksha.

Ads
Abhishek Bachchan has endorsed brands like Motorola and Idea Cellular. He appeared with Aishwarya in the Lux ad and the star couple will be seen together in a PETA campaign.

Bachchan Junior’s Movies
Abhishek’s first film was Refugee opposite Kareena Kapoor in 2000. The film was not a blockbuster but a good debut vehicle nonetheless. He got nominated for the Filmfare Best Debut Award. His acting career dipped from here on as he went on to act in several films that didn’t boost him up to the star status enjoyed by his parents. Some of the films that he starred in between 2000 and 2003 were Dhai Akshar Prem Ke, Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya, Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai, Om Jai Jagdish, and Mein Prem Ki Deewani Hoon.
    
Come 2004 and our boy showed that persistence pays off as he delivered some brilliant performances. In 2004, he starred in Mani Rathnam’s Yuva as a goon Lallan Singh, winning the Filmfare Best Supporting Award. He then had another major hit with Dhoom in which he played the part of ACP Jai Dixit. Another film worth taking note of in the same year was Phir Milenge, a recycled version of the Hollywood film Philadelphia, revolving around AIDS. Abhishek played the lawyer Tarun Anand.
    
In 2005, he had a runaway hit in the comedy Bunty Aur Babli with Rani Mukherji, which had shades of the Hollywood hit Bonnie & Clyde. It was the first film where he appeared alongside his father Amitabh Bachchan. The second film with his father, Ram Gopal Verma’s political thriller Sarkar, was also a major hit. Abhishek’s portrayal of Shankar Nagre won him the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. He also did some guest appearances in films like Salaam Namaste and Neal n Nikki. He wrapped up the year with Bluffmaster with Priyanka Chopra, in which he sang the number ‘Right Here, Right Now’ which was one of the top tunes of the year.
    
The year 2006 saw him in some of the biggest flicks of the year like Kabhie Alvida Naa Kehana that won him his third Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. He also made a brief appearance as Sunny Kurana in the sequel, Lage Raho Munna Bhai. He played Nawab Sultan Khan in Umrao Jaan with his real-life bride Aishwarya Rai. The film didn’t do as well as expected. However, the sequel Dhoom 2 did a great job at the box office.
    
In 2007, while Jhoom Barabar Jhoom didn’t perform as well in India as overseas, he did justice to Gurukant Desai in Guru, which also starred Aishwarya Rai. The sequel Sarkar Raj, with Amitabh Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai, again pulled in the moolah at the box office. He had only two films lined up in 2008 – Drona, which was a below average performer, and Dostana where he was paired opposite the hunky John Abraham.

In 2009, Abhishek had two releases – Delhi 6 and Paa. While Delhi 6 received mixed reviews, Paa received applause. In this movie, his father played the role of his son who is suffering from a rare disease.

Stay tuned
Year 2010 will see Abhishek with Aishwarya in two movies- Mani Ratnam’s Raavan and Abhinay Deo’s Crooked.
 

Amitabh Bachchan Biography

Amitabh Bachchan Biography

 

Amitabh Bachchan needs no introduction in India or even abroad. The man seems to hold in him a charisma that remains unrivalled. An entrepreneur, politician, game show host, a singer, voiceover artist, and an actor - the roles he played are immortalized and idolized. A huge fan base that reveres him as though he is a demi-god and a multitude of awards and recognition gravitates to him endlessly, year after year after year. But his ride to stardom was anything but smooth.

The Big Bang!
Born under the Libran sun sign, Amitabh Bachchan celebrates his birthday on 11 October. He was born in 1942 in Allahabad, as Amitabh Harivansh Srivastav to Dr.Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan. His father was a well known poet. Bachchan was his pen name. When Amitabh entered the film industry he replaced Srivastav with Bachchan. He was initially christened Inquilab but this was later changed to Amitabh that means ‘limitless lustre’, which is so apt. Ajitabh is his younger brother.

Bachchan studied in Allahabad at Jnana Pramodhini and Boys High School. He also put in a few years at Sherwood College in Nainital and Kirori Mal College. He holds a double degree in M.A.

He worked as a freight broker with Bird & Co, a shipping firm based in Kolkata which he quit to pursue acting, which paid off.

He married his co-star Jaya Bhaduri of the Guddi fame on 3 June 1973 and they have two children, Shweta and Abhishek. The latter is also an actor, married to Aishwarya Rai.

Making it Big. And how!
Bachchan’s unconventional looks – dark, lean, and standing tall at 6’2” - worked against him when it came to acting roles. But his deep voice, a trademark, held him in good stead with offers to work on narration and background commentary.

1969 to 1979
In 1969, Bachchan made his debut with Saat Hindustani, which won him the National Film Award for Best Newcomer. After this came movies like Reshma Aur Shera, Parwana, and Anand in 1971. He made a huge impact with his performance in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anand alongside Rajesh Khanna as a despondent doctor, winning the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. In 1972, he appeared in movies like Sanjog, Bansi Birju, Ek Nazar, and also narrated Bawarchi.

His identity as the ‘angry young man’ took off in 1973 when he starred in movies like Zanjeer, Abhimaan, and Namak Haraam. Vijay went on to become a regular onscreen name. In Zanjeer, he played an honest cop implicated by false charges and thirsting for revenge. In Abhimaan, he was a struggling singer while his wife, played by Jaya Bhaduri, makes it big firing up his insecurities. He came together with Rajesh Khanna again in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Namak Haraam, which won him the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award.

In 1974 he made brief appearances in Kunwara Baap and Dost. Roti Kapda Aur Makhaan raked in a lot of moolah. He played the lead in Majboor, a dying man who gets a new lease of life and a prison sentence to get out of. In 1975, his movies like the comedy Chupke Chupke with Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore and Jaya Bacchan, and the romantic drama Mili with Jaya and Ashok Kumar did well. However it was Deewar and Sholay that made a lasting impact on Bollywood. His performance in Deewar was intense while Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay was not only a big earner but is one of BBC’s Top 25 Must See Bollywood Movies.

In the 1976 film Kabhie Kabhie, he plays the role of a lovelorn poet Amit. Amar Akbar Anthony, released in 1977, showed Bachchan as the endearing Anthony Gonsalves, winning him his first Filmfare Best Actor Award. A string of hits marked 1978 with the release of Kasme Vaade, Trishul, Don, and Muqaddar Ka Sikander. It was Don that won him the Filmfare Best Actor Award out of the three movies for which he was nominated. In 1979, he starred in Mr.Natwarlal and also tried his hand for the first time in playback singing in this movie with the song Mere Paas Aao.

1980 to 1990
The early eighties saw the release of Dostana, Shaan, Laawaris (popular for the song Mere Angene Mein, Tumhara Kya Kaam Hai that AB sang), Silsila with Jaya Bhaduri and his rumoured lover Rekha. He played a double role in Satte Pe Satta and Namak Halaal. These movies enjoyed large scale popularity as did Bachchan. This was evident when he met with a fatal injury during the making of his 1982 movie, Coolie. Practically the entire nation prayed for his recovery which came after a year when he completed the movie and it was released with a change in script so that his character Iqbal, who was supposed to die, survives. In 1984, his role as Vicky Kapoor, an alcoholic in Sharaabi was also well-received.

Bollywood started taking a backseat post 1984 due to his illness. This made him look towards politics. It was well known that Bachchan enjoyed a close association with the Gandhi family having grown up with Rajiv Gandhi. He won the Allahabad’s Lok Sabha seat with a high margin of 68%. His stint in politics was marred when he was accused in the Bofors scandal and was later proved innocent. He later deflected to friend Amar Singh’s Samajwadi Party.
He ventured back into Bollywood with Shahenshah in 1988 and Toofan in 1989. Agneepath, released in 1990, won him a National Film Award for Best Actor.

1991 to 1999
Hum in 1991 did well. His much hyped last movie before retirement was Khuda Gawah with Sridevi, in 1992. Bachchan went on to start Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd that was to produce and distribute movies and music. Tere Mere Sapne, which was its first production, was an average performer while its later productions all failed dismally like Mrityudaatha which starred Bachchan. The company collapsed and Bachchan reverted back to acting but without much success in movies like Major Saab, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, and Sooryavansham. ABCL also released his album Aby Baby that was popular for the number ‘Eer Bir Phatte’.

2000-2008
The year 2000 salvaged his situation and he went on to reclaim his superstar status. In Mohabattein, he starred with King Khan, as the dogmatic Narayan Shankar and won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award.

He also hosted Kaun Banega Crorepathi, the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, that is known to be one of the most popular television shows in Indian television history. This was at a time when most movie stars saw television as a step back in their career but Bachchan changed that perception.

In 2001, he won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance for Aks and was nominated for Filmfare Best Supporting Actor for his role as Yashchand Raichand in Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Kaante (2002) was the remake of Reservoir Dogs. This was followed by Boom, Baghban, Khakee, Aetbaar, Rudraksh, and Lakshya.

And if anyone thought he was riding on his early success, he removed all doubts of that with his widely acclaimed portrayal of Debraj Sahai in Black (2005) that received international recognition and plenty of awards. The role won him the National Award for Best Actor, Filmfare Best Actor Award, and the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. The same year in the comedy Bunty Aur Babli, he starred with his son Abhishek for the first time and followed it up with Sarkar as Subash Nagre, a ‘godfather’ of sorts.

In 2006, he played Sexy Sam, in another Karan Johar’s mega-starrer, Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna. Ram Gopal Verma’s Nishabdh that was out in 2007 saw him enamoured with his daughter’s friend Jia. Cheeni Kum had him romancing a much younger woman played by Tabu. The Last Lear in which he brought to life the veteran theater actor Harish Mishra was appreciated.

His fans saw him in different avatars in 2008, with Bhoothnath where he was a ghost; the sequel Sarkar Raj, that starred his son Abhishek and bahu Aishwarya Rai; God Tussi Great Ho where he was God himself.

2009
He had a fleeting appearance in Delhi 6 in the first part of 2009. He played Genius the Genie in Aladin. The movie was an average success. He proved why he was a superstar yet again with his performance in Paa. He was seen as Auro, a thirteen year old child afflicted by Progeria which causes him to age rapidly. His son, Abhishek, played his father in this movie.

His might grows
Bachchan will be seen in three movies in 2010. In Teen Patti, he will be seen as a mathematician. Rann is about journalism. Shoebite will see him with Sarika and Dia Mirza. He will also be seen in Shantaram which is currently on hold.

Amrita Rao Biography

Amrita Rao Biography

 

The cameras love the fresh-faced, delectable Amrita Rao.  Numerous ads, ten and odd films and a huge fan base, in a span of ten years stands testimony to this.

A Peek into the Past
Amrita Rao’s birthday is on the 7th of June. She was born in 1981 in Mumbai. Her father is Deepak Rao who runs an advertising agency. Her mother tongue is Konkani.

She studied at C.G. High School and later graduated with a degree in Psychology from Sophia College.

Besides working in ads and films, Amrita has to her credit the Dada Saheb Phalke Award. She is also the muse of the bare-footed artist M.F.Hussain.

The Face That Launched Many Ads
Her first brush with the cameras was when she worked in the Fairever Face Cream ad while still in college. It was followed by Nestle Bru Coffee, Cadbury’s Perk, Close-Up, Parachute Hair Oil, Domino’s Pizza, Wriggly’s Chewing Gum, Pantene, and Clean & Clear facewash, to name a few. She’s also the brand ambassador for D’Damas gold jewelry. It was hardly surprising that she was noticed by Ken Ghosh who offered her a role in Ishq Vishq.

Rao may appear with Shahid in a PETA campaign.

New Roles
Amrita’s debut was with Raj Babbar’s son, Arya Babbar, in Ab Ke Baras which released in 2002 followed by a cameo in The Legend of Bhagat Singh. She shot to stardom in 2003 with the release of Ishq Vishq with Shahid Kapoor, and she won a nomination for the Filmfare Best Debut Award for her role as struck-by-cupid Payal Mehra.

In 2004, she was part of the multi-starrer Main Hoon Na with Shah Rukh Khan, Zayed Khan, and Sushmita Sen. She was nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. Her films in 2005, Vaah! Life Ho Tho Aisi and Shikhar didn’t get a good reception at the box office. Vivah in 2006, with Shahid Kapoor, became one of the biggest commercial successes of the year.

Bollywood didn’t see a lot of Amrita Rao in 2007, except for a brief appearance in a song in Heyy Babyy. She did a Telugu film Athidhi with Mahesh Babu, which was a big success down south.

Her 2008 releases include My Name is Anthony Gonsalves with Mithun Chakraborthy, Lilette Dubey, and Nikhil Dwivedi which didn’t do well. Her performance as Kamala in Shyam Benegal’s comedy Welcome to Sajjanpur was praised and the film enjoyed rave reviews.

In 2009, she was seen opposite Harman Baweja in Victory which was not so victorious at the box office. She traded in her sweet image for a more glamorous one in Shortkut: The Con is One. However, even this movie didn’t do well.

Fans can expect to see Rao in Hook Ya Crook (2010) with John Abraham and Genelia D’Souza, as well as Kunal Avadana (2010) with Amitabh Bachchan and Arjun Rampal.

Deepika Padukone Biography

Deepika Padukone Biography

 

One look at this dimpled beauty and you know she was marked for fame and the world of glamour. And she hasn’t disappointed. From the daughter of a famous sportsperson to a supermodel, to an actress and now dating the dishy Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone has done it all with panache.
Growing up
Deepika arrived into the scene on 5th January 1986, in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is the daughter of Ujjala and Prakash Padukone, who was the Badminton Champion. The sports genes runs in her family, for she herself played badminton at state level until 10th grade while her younger sister Anisha has taken to sports on a more professional level, with a strong interest in golf.
She did her schooling in Sophia High School and her graduation from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.
The ModelDeepika Padukone has appeared in several print and television commercials like Liril, Limca and Close-up. She was the brand ambassador for Jewels of India, a jewelry exhibition and the face of Maybelline, an international brand. She also appeared in the 2006 Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar.
She received recognition on the modeling scene by winning the Model of the Year title by the fifth Kingfisher Fashion Awards. The India Zee F Awards saw her walking away with not one but two prizes – Female Model of the Year (Commercial assignments) and Fresh Face of the Year.
She graced Himesh Reshamiyya’s video ‘Naam Hai Tera’ from his album Aap Ka Suroor.
Silver Screen CallingIt was hardly any surprise when she stepped into films in 2006 with her debut Aishwarya, a Kannada movie directed by Indrajit Lankesh, opposite Upendra who is one of the leading stars in the Kannada film industry.
Bollywood was not far behind. Her debut Farah Khan’s Om Shanthi Om was opposite none other than Shah Rukh Khan. She played a double-role, first as Shanthipriya a movie star and later as the bubble gum chewing star-struck Sandy. She walked away with the Filmfare Best Female Debut award and was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress award.
She starred opposite her beau Ranbir Kapoor in Bachna Hai Haseeno, which released in 2008.
More DeepikaHer next release, expected to hit the theaters in the early part of 2009 is Chandni Chowk to China with Akshay Kumar.

Preity Zinta Biography

Preity Zinta Biography

 

Preity Zinta’s impish looks in the Cadbury’s Perk commercial and her forthright character in her debut Dil Se, which is on par with her off screen persona, stole the show and had her fans begging for more.

Pretty Power
Preity Zinta, born on 31 January 1975 in Shimla comes from a non-filmi family. Her father Durganand Zinta was in the Indian Army and her mother is Nilprabha. Her older brother Deepankar is with the Indian Army and a younger brother Manish lives in California. Zinta’s parents were in a car accident that killed her father while her mother made it with severe injuries.

Zinta spent her early years at the Jesus and Mary boarding school in Shimla. She is a graduate in English from St.Bede’s College in Shimla after which she did a degree in Criminal Psychology.

Her break into show business was a matter of chance, when she was featured in the Cadbury Perk’s commercial. She went on to be the Liril girl and part of other ads. She made a move into movies in 1997. Her debut Shekhar Kapoor’s Tara Rum Pum Pum with Hrithik Roshan was cancelled after which she landed a role in Mani Rathnam’s Dil Se.

Zinta was dating Marc Robinson. In 2009, Zinta broke up with her long-term boyfriend Ness Wadia, a businessman who comes from the family that runs Bombay Dyeing.  

Skating on thin ice
Zinta was awarded the Godfrey’s Mind of Steel Award and the Red and White Bravery Award for testifying against the underworld who had threatened her during the Bharat Shah case. She was one of the few witnesses who stood her ground.

More recently, Zinta was accused by singer Suchitra Krishnamurthy for being the reason behind her divorce from director Shekhar Kapoor, which Zinta denied.

IPL
Zinta’s life has been more than just show business. She wrote for the BBC News Online about women’s issues. She is actively involved in various social causes like AIDS awareness, clean up drives in Mumbai, and human trafficking. Her prize money from Kaun Banega Crorepathi was donated to the Red Cross Society in Shimla. She was one of the celebrities, who as part of NDTV’s Jai Jawan, visited the army men based in Hisar, Haryana.

In 2008, she became the youngest and only woman to own a franchise of the Mohali based Twenty20 cricket team of the Indian Premier League. She was in the news for her rapport with the team’s players and support that she extended towards them during the matches.  

Shaadi ke pehle, you know, honkabonkabonk???

1998 to 2000
Preity Zinta’s first release was Mani Rathnam’s Dil Se (1998) with Shah Rukh Khan and Manisha Koirala. Her role as the outspoken Preeti Nair and her song sequence ‘Jiya Jale’ was enough to seal the deal. Her second movie the same year was as the lead in Soldier with Bobby Deol. She won the Filmfare Best Debut Award. She also acted in a Telugu movie, Premante Idera.

In 1999, she appeared in another Telugu movie Raja Kumarudu and as a CBI officer in Tanuja Chandra’s Sangharsh, which was inspired by Silence of the Lambs. In 2000, she played Priya Bakshi in Kya Kehna, which dealt with pre-marital sex and the ostracization of a single, pregnant woman. This was followed by Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega with Rani Mukherji and Salman Khan and Mission Kashmir in which she played a journalist opposite Hrithik Roshan.

2001 to 2004
She starred once again with Rani Mukherji and Salman Khan in Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (2001), which was mired in controversy as it was supposed to have been financed by the underworld. Then there was the groundbreaking Dil Chahta Hai which cast her as Aamir Khan’s love interest. Dil Hai Tumhaara, her only release in 2002, did not do well at the box office. Armaan, in 2003, saw her in a negative role and she was part of Bollywood’s sci-fi movie, Koi Mil Gaya, with Hrithik Roshan. It was Naina Catherine Kapoor’s role in Karan Johar’s Kal Ho Na Ho that cinched the Filmfare Best Film Actress Award.

In Lakshya, she famously played the role of journalist Barkha Dutt. Veer–Zaara was a love story between a Pakistani woman and an Indian man and won her praise.

2005 to 2010
Salaam Namaste, set in Australia and starring Saif Ali Khan, had her in the role of Amber a radio jockey in a live-in relationship and for the third time onscreen she was pregnant out of wedlock.

Kabhie Alvida Naa Kehna, another multi starrer by Karan Johar, did well in 2006. Jhoom Barabar Jhoom in 2007 didn’t do well in India but did better business overseas.

Rituparno Ghosh’s The Last Lear got mixed reviews. In 2008, she played Kuljeet Kaur, a war-widow in Heroes and Chand in Deepa Mehta’s Heaven on Earth that was about domestic violence.

In 2009, she was seen in a cameo role in Main Aur Mrs Khanna. Her next release is Jahnu Barua’s Har Pall (2010) with Shiney Ahuja.

Rani Mukherjee Biography

Rani Mukherjee Biography

 

Wholesome and pretty with a distinctive voice, Rani Mukerji carries with her the familiarity of a girl next door.
Rani
Born on the 21st March 1978 in Kolkata, Rani became part of a Bengali family that was heavily involved in films. Her father is Ram Mukherjee, a director and co-founder of Filmalaya Studios while her mother Krishna was a playback singer. Her brother is producer turned director Raja Mukherjee. Her maternal aunt is a National Award winning actress Debashree Roy. Actors Kajol, Tanisha and Mohnish Behl are her cousins.
She did her schooling in Maneckjee Cooper High School and graduation from Mithibai College in Mumbai. She also took an interest in Odissi.
Rani was rumoured to have dated her co-stars Govinda, Aamir Khan and Abhishek Bacchan. More recently she is said to be going out with director Adithya Chopra, all of which remain unconfirmed.
Rani was one of the actresses who visited jawans with the NDTV team. She participated in HELP! Telethon Concert to raise money for tsunami victims and also the Temptations 2005 show in Delhi, which forwarded the funds raised to National Centre for Promotional of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP). The prize money she won on Kaun Banega Crorepati was donated to the Holy Family Hospital which cares for children with heart problems.
Living Life Queen Size
Rani first faced the cameras when she was fourteen years old in a brief appearance in her father’s Bengali film Biyer Phool in 1992.
Her first full-fledged Bollywood film was Salim Akhtar’s Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat in 1996.
But the film did not do well. Rani returned back to Bollywood in 1998 with two hits Ghulam with Aamir Khan and as Tina in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai opposite Shah Rukh Khan and cousin Kajol. She won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for her role as Tina. After the initial success, the films that released in the following two years were average performers. Her film with Kamal Haasan Hey Ram, was India’s entry to the Oscars. Badal did well on the commercial front and her performance in Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega was nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.
In 2001, she starred in films like Chori Chori Chupke Chupke with Salman Khan and Preity Zinta which dealt with surrogate motherhood. She also appeared in a cameo in friend Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham. The year 2002 saw a reverse in her fortunes with hits like Mujhse Dosti Karoge and Saathiya. Her role as Dr.Suhani Sharma in the latter won her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. Of the films released in 2003, her performance in Chalte Chalte received a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award.
All three films that starred Rani in 2004, did a good job at the box office. Her convincing portrayal of Sashi Biswas in Yuva won her another Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her role in Hum Tum with Saif Ali Khan which was based on When Harry Met Sally. Her role in Veer Zara as a Pakistani lawyer was nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.
2005 was again a big year for Rani as her releases like the critically acclaimed Black, the comedy Bunty Aur Babli, Paheli and The Rising hit the screens. Paheli with Shah Rukh Khan was India’s entry to the Oscars. She was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress Award for two of her roles the deaf-blind Michelle in Black and the notorious Vimmi alias Babli in Bunty Aur Babli. She finally won it for Black along with the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance.
In 2006, she appeared in the multi-starrer Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna which revolved around extra-marital affairs. The film was a hit overseas. In 2007, she had some moderate hits like Saawariya and Laga Chunari Mein Daag. Her only release in 2008, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic failed to do well.
In Progress
In 2009, Rani is playing the lead in Anurag Singh’s Next. She is also lending her voice to Koochie Koochie Hota Hai, an animated version of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, a love triangle between three dogs.
 

Emran Hashmi Biography

Emran Hashmi Biography

Emraan Hashmi’s six years in Bollywood have earned him the title of a serial kisser owing to a surplus of scorching, lingering, fleeting kisses that his roles have demanded of him, ensuring he is always in demand. There is more to him than that, of course.

Backtracking
Emraan Anwar Hashmi was born on 23 March 1979 to Anwar, a Muslim and Maherahh, a Catholic. Bollywood director Mahesh Bhatt is his uncle and actress turned director Pooja Bhatt is his cousin. He is also related to singer Atif Aslam.

He graduated from Sydenham College in Mumbai.

Emraan married his sweetheart Parveen Shahani on 14 December 2006.

On a Kissing Spree
Emraan made his debut in Bollywood with Footpath in 2003 but the film didn’t do well. The following year he acted in Anurag Basu’s Murder, a thriller, with Mallika Sherawat. The film became a hit and drew the audience’s eyes on him. The three films released in 2005-Zeher, Aashiq Banaaya Aapne, and Kalyug-got lucky at the box office, while the soundtracks of all his films became popular by their own right. Zeher was based on Hollywood’s Out of Time, while Aashiq Banaaya Aapne was about love and friendship. Kalyug was on the darker side of the spectrum looking at the pornography industry.

In 2006, he had several films hitting the theaters like Jawaani Deewani, Akshar, and The Killer. Gangster did well and was rumoured to be based on the relationship between Monica Bedi and Abu Salem.

The 2007 releases Good Boy Bad Boy, The Train, and Awaarapan didn’t fare well. In 2008, he played Arjun involved in a healthy dose of love and crime in Jannat.

He was the perfect Prithvi, a painter, in the horror flick Raaz – The Mystery Continues (2009). Tum Mile (2009) with Soha Ali Khan received good reviews. It was about the ex-lovers reuniting during the infamous Mumbai floods of 2005.

Next
More kisses, more music, and more Emraan are on the cards in 2010 with Raftaar 24x7 and Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, in which he may be seen as Dawood Ibrahim.

Priyanka Chopra

 

Priyanka Chopra, armed with long legs and the Miss World crown, followed the precedent set by other beauty contest winners by joining the Bollywood bandwagon.

The Nomadic Mimi
Priyanka Ashok Chopra was born on 18 July 1982 in Jamshedpur and is fondly known as Mimi. Her father is Capt. Dr.Ashok Chopra and her mother is Dr.Madhu Chopra. She has a younger brother, Siddharth. Her father’s origin is a mix of Punjabi, Bengali, and Marathi while her mother’s is a mix of Tamil, Malayali, and Kannada.

Her family was always on the move as her father was in the army. Few of her growing up years were spent in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. She studied at the La Martiniere Girl’s School in Lucknow before re-locating to the United States of America. While there, she studied at the Newton North High School in Massachusetts and later in North Delta Senior Secondary School in North Delta. On returning back to India, she continued her schooling in the Army School at Bareilly. She joined the Jai Hind College in Mumbai but dropped out when she won the second place in the Miss India beauty pageant. She went on to bring home the Miss World crown in 2000, becoming one of the five Indians to have won that title.

Priyanka was dating Harman Baweja. They were seen together in Love Story 2050. The couple broke up. Though it was never official, it is said that she was dating Shahid Kapoor, her co-star from Kaminey. Gerard Butler was supposedly enamoured by her and even proposed to Chopra during a party.

Belle of Bollywood
Priyanka Chopra’s first film was in Tamil. Thamizhan released in 2002. This was followed by two films The Hero: Love Story of a Spy and Andaaz. Her part in the latter won her the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. In 2004, she met with success in Mujhse Shaadi Karoge and Aitraaz, which was inspired by the Hollywood hit Disclosure. Her performance as Mrs Sonia Roy was recognized with the Filmfare Best Villain Award. Her biggest hit in 2005 was Bluffmaster with Abhishek Bachchan.

In 2006, she starred in two of the year’s biggest box office successes like Krrish with Hrithik Roshan and Don – The Chase Begins Again with Shahrukh Khan. Her consequent releases in 2007 like Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love and Big Brother were flops. The year 2008 was no better. She starred in big budget movies like the sci-fi Love Story 2050 with Harman Baweja, God Tussi Great Ho with Salman Khan and Drona with Abhishek Bachchan. None of these movies matched the set expectations.

In 2008, she played Meghna Mathur, a small-town girl who tastes success in the glamour industry in Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion. Her performance was delivered with such conviction that she walked away with the Filmfare Best Actress Award. The comedy, Dostana, with John Abraham and Abhishek Bachchan also did well.

She began 2009 in an item number for Billu. She wow-ed the audience in Ashutosh Gowariker’s What’s Your Raashee? with Harman Baweja, in which she was seen in twelve different looks, each representing a zodiac sign. In Kaminey, she did justice to her role as Sweety and was seen completely transformed into a Marathi Mulgi.

Starring Priyanka
Priyanka Chopra and Uday Chopra will play the beauty and the beast respectively in Pyaar Impossible (2010). She will also play a black widow of sorts in Vishal Bharadwaj’s Seven Husbands (2010). She will be seen opposite Ranbir Kapoor for the first time in Anjana Anjani (2010). She is the voice of Margina in the animated flick, Alibaba Aur 41 Chor.

Aamir Khan Biography

Aamir Khan Biography

 

Aamir Khan, with his penchant for perfection and professionalism, is one of the few method actors in Bollywood, who has taken acting to a whole new level. An actor, director, producer, playback singer, a state tennis champion, and mentor to his nephew – he’s all that and more.

A Step Back In Time
Aamir Khan celebrates his birthday on 14th March. He was born on 1965 in Mumbai to Tahir and Zeenat Hussain. He has three siblings Faisal, Farhat, and Nikhat. The film industry was part of his life growing up as many members of his family were a part of it like his father, his late uncle Nasir Hussain, and his cousin Mansoor Khan. It was Mansoor Khan’s Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak that brought him success.

Aamir’s family roots can be traced back to Afghanistan. He is said to be a descendant of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad who was a scholar and political leader and Dr.Zakir Hussain, the former President of India. Dr.Najma Heptullah, who was a Chairperson in the Rajya Sabha is his second cousin.

Even as his first hit Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak made him an overnight heartthrob across the country, he married his sweetheart Reena Dutta secretly as their parents opposed the marriage. She even made a blink-and-you-will-miss appearance in his song Papa Kehte Hai in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak. They have two children Junaid and Ira. The couple filed for divorce in 2002. Soon after, in 2005 he married Kiran Rao, who was an assistant director on the sets of Lagaan.

Aamir was honoured with the Padma Bhushan award by the Government of India in 2003. He turned down the offer to replicate him in wax by Madame Tussaud’s. He was also a tennis champion representing the state of Maharashtra.

Trailblazing Years
Nasir Hussian’s Yaadon Ki Baarat, one of the hits in 1973, had Aamir playing Ratan in his younger days.

The Eighties
He made his debut in Ketan Mehta’s Holi in 1984. The film also had Ashutosh Gowariker as part of its cast, who was a friend of Aamir and later went on to direct the award winning Lagaan. But it was in 1988, with the release of Mansoor Khan’s Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, loosely adapted from Romeo and Juliet, which brought Aamir into the limelight. The film was a big favourite among film-goers and Aamir won the Filmfare Best Debut Actor Award. He received several nominations for the Filmfare Best Actor Award until he finally nailed it in 1996. In 1989, he had two releases. Raakh was a non-commercial film and his performance as Aamir Hussein was recognized. The second film was Love, Love, Love another teen love story with Juhi Chawla.

The Nineties
The 1990 release Dil with Madhuri Dixit made a big splash on the film scene. In 1991, in the remake of It Happened One Night, Mahesh Bhatt’s Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin, he played Raghu Jetley, an out of work journalist, who comes across Pooja Dharamchand, a spoilt brat played by Pooja Bhatt. The film was a big success. In 1992, he had another hit with Mansoor Khan’s Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander.

Aamir continued to work in one or two films a year, a majority of which became unforgettable hits. Mahesh Bhatt’s Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ki in 1993 paired him with Juhi Chawla, and did extremely well. In 1994, he shared screen space with another Big Khan of Bollywood, Salman Khan, in Andaz Apna Apna, which was lighthearted and fun. Ram Gopal Verma’s Rangeela in 1995, gave him a new look as Munna. It turned out to be a blockbuster. The same year he had another hit in, Akele Hum Akele Tum, with Manisha Koirala. His role as Rohit Kumar, a failed playback singer and single father, was well-received.

In 1996, he won the Filmfare Best Actor Award for Raja Hindustani, a love story between a taxi driver and an heiress. The film won several awards. He acted in Ishq, a romantic comedy and a multi starrer, which enjoyed good reception in 1997. Ghulam, in 1998, had Aamir singing ‘Aati Kya Khandaala’ to Rani Mukherji. His two films – John Mathew Mathan’s Sarfarosh and Deepa Mehta’s Earth 1947 – were critical and commercial successes. He played IPS officer Ajay Singh Rathod intent on fighting terrorism in Sarfarosh. In Earth 1947, he played Dil, the ice-candy man, caught in a love triangle. It was set during the partition of India and Pakistan and the resulting bloodshed.

2000 Onwards Aamir’s only release in 2000 was Mela with his brother Faisal Khan. The film did not do well at the box office.

In 2001, he produced and starred as Bhuvan, a villager in British occupied India, in Ashutosh Gowariker’s Lagaan. He won the Filmfare Best Actor Award. The film was India’s entry to the Best Foreign Language Film category at the Academy Awards. However it lost to No Man’s Land. His other hit the same year was in complete contrast to Bhuvan. He played the suave and urban Akash Malhotra in Dil Chahta Hai, a fresh look at friendship between three men.

After taking a break from films for nearly four years, he returned in 2005, with Mangal Pandey – The Rising. The film’s performance was average and got caught up in controversies about how accurately or inaccurately the Sepoy was shown on screen. In the 2006 release, Rang De Basanti, he played a laidback DJ who tries to take justice in his hands. In Fanaa with Kajol, he played Rehan Khan, a terrorist. His performance in Rang De Basanti won him a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. He made his debut as a director with Taare Zameen Par in 2007. He also produced and acted in this film about a dyslexic. It was a critical and commercial success in India and overseas. In the early part of 2008, he launched his nephew Imran Khan in Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na. Aamir produced the film along with his cousin Mansoor and it went on to be a major hit.

Christmas 2008 saw the release of the much talked about Ghajini, a remake of the Tamil film by the same name. Aamir played Sanjay Singhania, who suffers from short term memory loss and his quest for revenge. The movie was a high earner which broke previous industry records. His 2009 release, Three Idiots, was based on Chetan Bhagat’s popular novel Five Point Someone. It starred Kareena Kapoor, Madhavan, and Sharman Joshi. The movie received a thumbs up from the public and critics.

Up Next
He is producing Delhi Belly which has Imran Khan in the lead. Aamir will be seen in a brief appearance, mostly in an ‘item’ number.