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.