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.

Asin Thottumkal Biography

Asin Thottumkal is an award-winning Indian film actress from the state of Kerala, India. Currently, she is considered to be one of the most popular actresses in the South Indian film industry with three Southern Filmfare Awards in her kitty.

Making her acting debut in Sathyan Anthikkad's Narendra Makan Jayakanthan Vaka (2001), Asin had her first commercial success with Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi in 2003, and won a Filmfare Award for the Best Telugu Actress for the film.

After a number of critically and commercially successful films, she received her second South Filmfare Award for Best Actress for her performance in her second Tamil film, Ghajini (2005). She played the lead female roles in two consecutive top grossers, Ghajini (2005) which is her biggest commercial success to date, and the action comedy Varalaru (2006) and this way has established herself as one of the most prominent leading actresses of South Indian cinema. More recently, Asin has been making a debut in Bollywood, in Ghajini, the remake of its Tamil namesake. She has also reportedly been paid a hefty sum of Rs. 1.5 Crore for her second Bollywood Venture, London Dreams.

She started her schooling in Naval Public School, Kochin. She has completed her B.A. English Literature at St. Teresa's College, Kochi. She has shifted from her home town Kochi to Chennai, where she stays on Harrington Road. She has also bought an apartment at Lokhandwala in Mumbai for her convenience as a base in the city when she is there, as she is slowly but steadily foraying into Bollywood. Before becoming an actress, she was a part-time model and a businesswoman.

Since becoming the leading actress in South India, Asin has opted to move into Bollywood, to get nationwide fame. Her first film, Ghajini opposite Aamir Khan is the remake of her breakthrough film, whilst she also has Vipul Shah's London Dreams alongside Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan in her forthcoming releases.

She has also been signed for an English film named The 19th Step, to be produced by Walt Disney in which she will act alongside Kamal Hassan and critically acclaimed Japanese Actor Tadanobu Asano[3]. The Grapevine has it that she will be playing the role of an Indian Princess who falls in love with a Japanese Person (played by Asano) who comes to India to learn the Martial Art of Kalarippayattu from an Indian Martial Arts Trainer (played by Kamal Hassan). This film is expected to be a multilingual film with the film being made in English, Tamil and Japanese.

Imran Khan Biography

Imran is the son of Nuzhat Khan and Anil Pal. Anil, who works as a senior manager at Yahoo in Silicon Valley, was a classmate of director Mansoor Khan, Nuzhat's brother, at IIT Bombay. Anil and Nuzhat married but divorced when Imran was one and half years old. He grew up with the surname Khan as his mother brought him up. However, before joining the film industry he lived with his father to finish high school in California and then trained in film making in New York. He is also the nephew of actor Aamir Khan, director Mansoor Khan and the grandson of Nasir Hussain who was a noted director and producer.

Imran made appearances as a child artist in his uncle Aamir's films Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988) and Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander (1992). Both times he played the role of a young Aamir Khan. He aspired to be a director, as that was his original plan before he entered Bollywood as an actor.

He made his debut as a lead actor in the 2008 film Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, which was produced by his uncle Aamir Khan and co-starred Genelia D'Souza. The film received excellent reviews from the critics and was quite successful at the box office. Imran's performance in the film was especially appreciated by the critics and the audience.

Imran is currently dating Avantika Malik, the ex-girlfriend of Ranbir Kapoor.

Shahid Kapoor Biography

Behind the scenes
Shahid Kapoor was born in Mumbai, on 25th 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 Kapoor. 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.
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 widely appreciated.
2007 Fool and Final slid by, while 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 averages.
Coming soon
You can catch more of his boyish good looks, with the 2008 release Paathshala and in 2009 with Milenge Milenge and Kameenay.

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
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.
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.
Her next release is Victory, revolving around cricket with Harman Baweja.

Kareena Kapoor Biography

Kareena Kapoor still fresh from the success of her recent releases is all smiles. At twenty-seven her life’s just getting even better, both on the acting front and her in the spotlight relationship with Saif Ali Khan.
The Buzz on Bebo
Kareena Randhir Kapoor was born on 21st September 1980 in Mumbai. Her father is the Punjabi Randhir Kapoor, an actor and her mother is the Sindhi Babitha. Her parents divorced when she was quite young. Her older sister is Karishma Kapoor, an actress. Her family tree reads like the who’s who of Bollywood. Her great grandfather is Prithviraj Kapoor and her grandfather is Raj Kapoor. Her uncles are Rishi Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor, while her maternal aunt is Sadhana.
Kareena did her schooling partly in Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai and later in Welham’s Girls Boarding School in Dehra Dun. She was in Harvard briefly to study Information Technology and Microcomputers. On returning back to India, she studied law for a year at the Government Law College at Churchgate, after which she enrolled in Kishore Namit Acting School.
She was dating Shahid Kapoor since 2004 but they broke up just when they landed their first hit together in Jab We Met. She is now dating actor Saif Ali Khan.
She is involved in several humanitarian causes. In 2005, she joined NDTV by visiting the jawans in Rajasthan. She was part of the Marco Ricci Each One Reach One benefit concert, for World Youth Peace Summit. She donated the prize money she won in Kaun Banega Crorepathi in 2007 to St.Anthony’s Old Age Home and Mount Mary’s Bandra. In 2007, she appeared in Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hai? The money she won was donated to St.Anthony’s Old Age Home.
From Pooh to Laila
Kaho Na Pyaar Hai was supposed to be her debut but she walked out of it and instead starred with Abhishek Bacchan in J.P.Datta’s Refugee in 2000, in which she played Naaz, a Bangladeshi girl who falls in love with Refugee. This won her the Filmfare Best Debut award. In 2001, she worked with Tusshar Kapoor in Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai which was one of the successes of the year. Yaadein did not do well. Her fiery Kaurwaki act in the epic Asoka with Shah Rukh Khan won her a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress award. Her fourth film was the multi-starrer Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham in which she played the part of the haughty yet adorable Pooh. The film was her biggest commercial success. The next two years saw her in a few films like Mujhse Dosti Karoge, Khushi, Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon for which the response ranged from flops to moderate successes.
Just when you thought Pooh was as far as she could go, she started experimenting by portraying different characters in her films that released in 2004 and it paid off. She stepped into the shoes of a sex worker in Chameli with Rahul Bose, earning a Filmfare Special Performance award. The other critically acclaimed film was Dev with Amitabh Bacchan, in which she played Aaliya , a victim in the communal riots in Gujarat. She won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. She played the villainous Neha Mehra in Fida. She had three releases in 2005: Bewafa, Kyun Ki and Dosti: Friends Forever, of which the latter did well in the United Kingdom.
The year 2006 saw her in a thriller 36 China Town and a comedy Chup Chup Ke which were average performers at the box office. It was her role of Dolly in Omkara that clinched the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. The film was an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello and Dolly was based on Desdemona. She also appeared in an item number in Farhan Akhtar’s Don, which was originally done by Helen.
Imtiaz Ali’s romcom Jab We Met with Shahid Kapoor was a runaway hit in 2007, her portrayal of the spontaneous and fun-loving Geet was applauded. She won the Filmfare Best Actress award for that role. In 2008, she came out with Tashan with her new boyfriend Saif Ali Khan and her size zero figure but that failed to live up to the hype. She has lent her voice to Laila in the animation flick Roadside Romeo and is part of Golmaal Returns, a sequel to the comedy hit Golmaal.
Gaining Momentum
Some of the films Kareena’s fans can look forward to in 2009 are Main Aur Mrs.Khanna with Salman and Sohail Khan, Kambakth Ishq with Akshay Kumar, Three Idiots with Madhavan and Aamir Khan, Milenge Milenge with Shahid Kapoor.

John Abraham Biography

Bollywood actor John Abraham – dimples, six-pack, farenheit topping hotness factor et al – bagged the Gladrags Manhunt Contest, Bipasha Basu and some good movies in a decade of being in the limelight.
Puraani Yaadein
Fans can wish John Abraham a happy birthday on the 17th December. He was born in 1972 to a Syrian Christian-Parsi family in Alwaye, Kerala. His father is Abraham John while his mother is Phiroza Irani. He has a younger brother Alan.
His Parsi name is Farhan.
He studied at the Bombay Scottish School. He went higher up the education ladder at the Jai Hind College, graduating with a B.A in Economics. He also did an MMS from Mumbai Educational Trust.
He entered into a career in media, working with Time & Space Media Entertainment Promotions Ltd and later with Enterprises Nexus.
This line of work changed when he won the Gladrags Manhunt Contest and went to win second place in the Manhunt International held in Singapore. He soon started working in commercials while taking up an acting course at the Kishore Namit Kapoor’s acting school. He is associated with brands like Diet Pepsi, Yamaha, Castrol Power, Wrangler, Clinic All Clear and Fast Track.
John Abraham and Bipasha Basu are among the most good-looking and popular couples in Bollywood. He was going out with Riya Sen and more recently was linked with Vidya Balan and Amrita Rao which he denied.
Warrior of the Wild
John Abraham is actively involved with social communities like PETA and Habitat for Humanity. He recently addressed the issue of elephants entering urban areas and the need to contain that issue. His efforts earned him an ‘Eco-Warrior’ award from the Vice President of India.
Jism and then some!
John Abraham’s debut into movies was in 2003 with the steamy Jism with Bipasha Basu, a story about seduction and deception. He was nominated for the Filmfare Best Debut Award. His second movie Saaya with Amrita Rao received fair reviews. In 2004, his fans got their fill of the handsome actor in movies like Aetbaar, Paap and finally, Dhoom which had him cast as a villain with slick action and racing bikes, which incidentally is his passion off-screen too!
Year 2005, saw him in the comedy Priyadarshan’s Garam Masala and Deepa Mehta’s controversial Water. His role as Narayana, a follower of Gandhi who falls in love with a widow, received good reviews. He appeared as a villain again in Zinda in 2006; with Nana Patekar in Taxi Number 9211; a guest role in Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna; Babul with Amitabh Bacchan and Salman Khan; Kabul Express set against war-torn Afghanistan.
His visibility was again high in 2007 with Salaam-e-Ishq, Hattrick, No Smoking and Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal. He woo-ed Abhishek Bachhan and Priyanka Chopra in Dostana in 2008 that looked at homosexuality or atleast faking it.
John Abraham’s latest
His star potential is being made the most of by film-makers. In 2009, he will be starring in Nagesh Kukunoor’s Aashayein about gambling; Sooni Taraprewala’s Little Zizou, Aditya Chopra’s New York; Hook Ya Crook which is a movie about cricket. And 2010, will see the release of 1-800-Love, Exclusion and Luna, which is by Deepa Mehta and stars the likes of Rachel Weisz and the legendary Dustin Hoffman.

Ranbir Kapoor Biography

Star Clan
September 28th 1982 saw the birth of the suave Ranbir Kapoor into the first family of Bollywood. He is the son of actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, great-grandson of Prithviraj Kapoor and grandson of Raj Kapoor. This six-footer studied at Bombay Scottish and his college years were at Le Strasberg Institute. He is currently dating one of the upcoming actresses, Deepika Padukone.
Getting Started
He kick started his career in the industry, where his family already holds an impressive record, with two movies Karma and India 1964 in 2004. He also donned the hat of an assistant director on the sets of Prem Granth, Aa Ab Laut Chalen and the award-winning Black.
It was followed by a commercial movie with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya. The much talked about movie hit the screens in 2007, where he starred opposite another newcomer Sonam Kapoor, a childhood friend and a star daughter herself. The movie did not make a big splash but his presence was definitely felt and he won the Filmfare Best Male Debut award.
His second movie Bachna Hai Haseeno released in 2008, in which he played a playboy opposite Minisha Lamba, Deepika Padukone and Bipash Basu. The response to the movie was both hot and cold.
Up Next
He has three movies lined up for release in 2009. Wake Up Sid with Konkana Sen, Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani and Rajneeti with Katrina Kaif.

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 7th of 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 for 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 seem 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, Rudraaksh that didn’t make much of an impact.
2005 Her films No entry and Phir Hera Pheri did well in 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.
More Bips
Year 2009 will see Bips in Pankh, Freeze and a Bengali film Shob Charitro Kalponik.

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 Model
Deepika 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 Calling
It 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 Deepika
Her next release, expected to hit the theaters in the early part of 2009 is Chandni Chowk to China with Akshay Kumar.

Abhishek Bachchan Biography

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

His father’s son

He was born as Abhishek Amitabh Srivastav on the 5th 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 Bacchan and actress Jaya Bacchan 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 Bacchan) who was an acclaimed poet. Both Abhishek and Amitabh took on the ‘Bacchan’ from this pen-name. Abhishek is partly Punjabi Sikh on his paternal side and a Bengali Kulin Brahmin on his maternal side.
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 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 Bacchan’s residence Prateeksha.
Bacchan Jr.

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 Mukerji, which had shades of the Hollywood hit Bonnie & Clyde. It was the first film where he appeared alongside his father Amitabh Bacchan. 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 Bacchan 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.
Stay tuned
Year 2009 has Abhishek in Dilli 6 and Raavan.

Amitabh Bachchan Biography

Amitabh Bacchan 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 Bacchan celebrates his birthday on 11th October. He was born in 1942 in Allahabad, as Amitabh Harivansh Srivastav to Dr.Harivansh Rai Bacchan and Teji Bacchan. His father was a well known poet. Bacchan was his pen name. When Amitabh entered the film industry he replaced Srivastav with Bacchan. 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.
Bachhan 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 3rd 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!
Bachhan’s unconventional looks – dark, lean and standing tall at a height of 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, Bachhan 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, while 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 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 the 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 Bacchan 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 Bacchan. 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 Bacchan 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 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 while his much hyped last movie before retirement was Khuda Gawah with Sridevi, in 1992. Bacchan went on to start Amitabh Bacchan Corporation Ltd that was to produce and distribute movies, music etc. Tere Mere Sapne, which was it’s first production, was an average performer while it’s later productions all failed dismally like Mrityudaatha which starred Bacchan. The company collapsed and Bacchan 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.
Lock Kiya Jaye
2000-2008
The year 2000 salvaged his situation and went back 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 step back in their career but Bacchan 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), saw him in 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 had him enamoured with his daughter’s friend Jia and Cheeni Kum had him romancing a much younger woman played by Tabu. The Last Year 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.
His might grows
Bacchan is working on three releases in 2009 Teen Patti, Johnny Mastana and Shantaram.

Priyanka Chopra Biography

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 18th 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. Some 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 onto bring home the Miss World crown in 2000, becoming one of the five Indians to have won that title.
Belle of Bollywood
Her 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 Bacchan.
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 Shah Rukh 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 films like the sci-fi Love Story 2050 with Harman Baweja, God Tussi Great Ho with Salman Khan and Drona with Abhishek Bacchan. None of the films matched the set expectations.
Starring Priyanka
Her other releases in 2008 are Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion in which she plays Meghna Mathur, a small-town girl who tastes success in the glamour industry. The other film is Dostana with John Abraham and Abhishek Bacchan. She will also put in a fleeting appearance in Billo Barber.
She is currently filming for Ashutosh Gowariker’s What’s Your Raashee? with Harman Baweja and Kaminay, both to be released in 2009.

Preity Zinta Biography

Preity Zinta’s impish looks in the Cadbury’s Perk commercial and her forthright character in her debut Dil Se, on par with her off screen persona stole the show and had her fans begging for more.
Pretty Power
Preity Zinta, born on the 31st 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. She is currently dating 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, human trafficking etc. 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 in 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 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 and Veer – Zaara, a love story between a Pakistani woman and an Indian man won her praise.
2005 to 2009
Salaam Namaste, set in Australia starring Saif Ali Khan had her in the role of Amber a radio jockey in a live-in relationship and for the third time on screen she was pregnant out of wedlock.
Kabhie Alvida Naa Kehna, another multi starrer by Karan Johar, did well in 2006. Jhoom Bharabar 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.
Jahnu Barua’s Har Pall, is her next release in 2009 and has her starring with Shiney Ahuja.

Hrithik Roshan Biography

Hrithik Roshan is a brand unto himself: an enticing combination of star quality, a boy next door appeal and a complete gentleman. He skyrocketed to fame overnight with Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, his twinkling green eyes, winsome smile and a lean, chiseled body gathering a huge fan following.
The Complete Man
Hrithik Roshan, fondly known as Duggu by his near and dear ones, was born into a filmi family on the 10th of January, 1974. His mother is Pinky Roshan, the daughter of producer and director J.Om Prakash while his father is Rakesh Roshan, who was an actor before turning into a director, besides being the son of music director Roshan. He is the nephew of music director Rajesh Roshan. He also has a sister Sunaina.
Hrithik studied at the Bombay Scottish School, Churchgate and has a degree in commerce from Sydenham College.
Soon after his successful debut in Bollywood, he tied the knot with his childhood sweetheart Suzanne Khan, daughter of actor Sanjay Khan and sister of actor Zayed Khan. They have two sons, Hrehaan and Hridhan.
He had his bad moments after stepping into the spotlight. His father was shot by the underworld when he refused to give the foreign rights of Kaho Na Pyaar Hai. It was followed by rumours that the actor had made remarks against Nepalese which resulted in outrage against the actor in Nepal. However the actor denied it.
Hrithik is known to be a perfectionist and has worked very hard to be where he is today. He prepares himself thoroughly for every role he portrays, has trained in dance and acting besides working on his diction and his appearance. He started working out under Salman Khan’s guidance, when he worked as an assistant director on the sets of Karan Arjun and Koyla.
He got a taste of Bollywood as a child, when he appeared in the film Aasha (1980), Aapke Deewane (1980) and Bhagwan Dada (1986). But it was the year 2000 that made people sit up and take note.
A Star Is Born….
2000 Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, a love story directed by his father, in which he starred opposite newcomer Amisha Patel was an exceptional success, winning eight Filmfare awards among countless others, two of which landed with Hrithik for Best Debut and Best Actor. This was followed by Fiza with Karishma Kapoor and Jaya Bacchan, in which his portrayal the terrorist Amaan was appreciated. He played a similar role in Mission Kashmir with Preity Zinta.
2001 Yaadein with Jackie Shroff and Kareena Kapoor wasn’t a big success while Karan Johar’s family drama, the star studded Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham was an instant hit.
2002 The year saw a string of flops like Aap Mujhe Acche Lage, Na Tum Jaano Na Hum and Mujhse Dosti Karoge, making people question about whether it was downhill from here.
2003 Hrithik removed all doubts with the science-fiction film Koi Mil Gaya with Preity Zinta, in which he played the role of a mentally abnormal Rohit who befriends an alien called Jadoo. He bagged the Filmfare Best Actor award as well as the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance.
2004 Farhan Akhtar’s Lakshya did moderately well, while Hrithik’s role earned him a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actor award.
2006 He returned back as Rohit alias Krrish in Krrish, the sequel to Koi Mil Gaya, this time with Priyanka Chopra, the movie was a hit and a top earner. This was followed by the action oriented Dhoom 2, the sequel to Dhoom. He played the baddie Mr.A and won another Filmfare Best Actor award.
2008 In Ashutosh Gowariker’s Jodhaa Akbar, set in the sixteenth century, Hrithik Roshan took over as the Mughal Emperor Akbar. The film did well overseas while in India the response swung both ways.
…And Continues to Rise
2009 Hrithik will be starring in Anurag Basu’s Kites shot extensively in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New Mexico, which will mostly see light in the middle of 2009.

Salman Khan Biography

The name Salman Khan sparks several images: his reluctance to wear shirts, his sculpted chest, his frequent run-ins with the law, his gorgeous ex-girlfriends, his good looks (voted by People magazine in 2004 as the 7th most good looking man in the world and the first in India) and his unquestionable status as one of three reigning Khans of Bollywood.
Sallu
Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan was born on 27th December 1965 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh to Salma Khan and Salim Khan, a screenwriter who has to his credit several successful films like Sholay, Deewar and Don. His step-mother is Helen, an actress and dancer famous for her blonde wigs and shimmies. He has two brothers Arbaaz and Sahil, who have also worked in Bollywood and two sisters Alvira and Arpita. His sister Alvira is married to Atul Agnihotri who was an actor before taking on the role of a director.
Salman has dated some of the prettiest faces of Bollywood like Somy Ali, Sangeeta Bijlani and Aishwarya Rai. His current partner is Katrina Kaif.
The Jailbird
Salman, when not wow-ing his audience on-screen, has managed to get into quite a few tangles with the law off-screen. In 1999, he was accused of shooting Chinkara, an endangered species during the shooting of Hum Saath Saath Hai and was awarded a jail term. After days spent behind bars and several appeals that were denied, he is currently out on bail.
He was arrested for negligent driving in September 28th 2002, which resulted in the death of one person while three others were injured. Charges were dropped against the actor for homicide though other charges were leveled against him over this incident, still being battled in court.
He has also been at the receiving end of fatwas for permitting Madame Tussaud’s to make a wax statue of him and then participating in the Ganesh festival.
Aishwarya Rai’s parents had pressed charges against him for harassment after the couple broke up. In 2005, alleged tapes were released of Salman Khan threatening Aishwarya Rai to participate in events supported by the underworld. These charges were dropped as the tapes were found to be doctored.
The Actor
1988–1993 He played a supporting role in the film Biwi Ho Tho Aisi released in 1988.
It was followed by the extremely successful 1989 hit Maine Pyaar Kiya, winning him the Filmfare Best Debut Award. This was followed by a string of films like Bhaaghi, Sanam Bewafa, Pathar Ke Phool and Saajan, which did very well at the box office. The films released in 1992 and 1993 were pretty average.
1994-1999 He came back to the top of the charts with his films Andaz Apna Apna with Aamir Khan and the opulent family drama Hum Aapke Hai Kaun opposite Madhuri Dixit, which is considered to me one of the biggest blockbusters of Bollywood. He played the role of Arjun in Karan Arjun with Shah Rukh Khan in 1995. Khamoshi-The Musical was the best of his 1996 films and was critically acclaimed. 1997 was again a bleak year for Salman. He made up for it in 1998 with Pyaar Kiya Tho Darna Kya with Kajol and his appearance in the hit Kuch Kuch Hota Hai as Aman, which won him the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor award. In 1999, he co-starred with Karishma Kapoor in the hit comedy Biwi No.1. He starred with Aishwarya Rai and Ajay Devgan in the love story Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam which made waves in India and overseas. The film Hello Brother carried a family tag on it as he starred alongside his brother Arbaaz Khan and it was directed by his brother Sahil Khan.
2000-2008 Salman continued to churn out several films. Some did fairly well like Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega in 2000 and Chori Chori Chupke Chupke in 2001, both films in which he worked with Rani Mukherjee and Preity Zinta. None of his movies that came out in 2002 worked well. He made up for it with Tere Naam in 2003 that not only did well at the box office but his performance was appreciated widely. He played the role of an AIDS patient in Phir Milenge that came out in 2004. The World Health Organisation commended the film for it’s portrayal of AIDS. Mujhse Shaadi Karoge in 2004, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? in 2005 and funnies like No Entry in 2005 and Partner in 2007 kept his fans hooked. His Hollywood venture with Ali Larter, Marigold: An Adventure In India was flopped. He took over from Jim Carrey in God Tussi Great Ho in 2008, based on the Hollywood comedy Bruce Almighty. He has put in an appearance in Hello, which is adapted from Chetan Bhagat’s book One Night at a Call Center.
More
The later part of 2008 will see him in three more films Heroes, Yuvvraj, Wanted Dead or Alive while Main Aur Mrs.Khanna is lined up for release in 2009.

Katrina Kaif Biography

Standing at 5’8”, a lovely peaches n cream complexion and an hour-glass figure, the beautiful and elegant Katrina Kaif stands apart and is not one to go unnoticed. Not surprisingly the modeling world rolled down the red carpet for her, movie offers are pouring in and she is linked with one of the hottest and controversial Khans of Bollywood.
Roots
Katrina Kaif, a name now familiar to Indian movie-goers, was born on July 16th 1984, in Hong Kong. Her parents are both British citizens, while her father is a Kashmiri who later acquired British citizenship. She lived in Hawaii before moving to UK and is now setting up a home and career in India.
On the runway
Kaif’s first taste of modeling happened in Hawaii when she was 14 and was part of a jewelry campaign. Thereafter, she continued modeling in London. In India, there was no dearth of offers and she appeared in the ads of Veet, Lakme, LG, Samsung to name a few. She was also the face of Lakme India Fashion Week 2005. She took the number one spot in FHM India's 100 Sexiest Women in the World poll and also won the Best Female Style Icon at the IIFA Awards
Onto the big screen
Kaif, while in London, was spotted by Kaizad Gustad and was cast in his 2003 release Boom, which sank without a trace. Movie offers initially trickled in owing largely to her unfamiliarity with Indian languages. The very next year, in 2004, she played the part of Princess Malliswari in the Telugu movie Malliswari. She had another Telugu film, Allari Pidugu in 2005, along with two Hindi movies, Ram Gopal Verma’s Sarkar and as one of Salman Khan’s love interests in David Dhawan’s Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya. Both movies did well in the box office. She won the Stardust Breakthrough Performance Award (Female) for Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya. She co-starred with Akshay Kumar in Humko Deewana Kar Gaya, in 2006. Besides this she was a part of a Malayam movie Balram Vs Taradas.
Five releases marked 2007. Her movie Namaste London with Akshay Kumar, was one of the year’s top hits, in which she did her own dubbing. The other three movies were Apne with the Deols, David Dhawan’s Partner with Salman Khan and Govinda and Welcome, all of which performed well at the box office. She also put in a special appearance in Nanhe Jaisalmer. In 2008, we caught her in two blockbusters the racy Race and Singh Is Kinng and walking away with the British-Indian Actor award for the Zee Cine Awards (2008).
What’s Cooking?
In the later of part of 2008, she is set to play a small part in Hello, based on Chetan Bhagat’s One Night At A Call Center. Four movies are due to come out in 2009: Yuvraj, Blue, New York, Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani. Kaif over the past four years has shown that she is more than simply ravishing. The industry which was tentative about casting her, now considers her a lucky mascot and is the industry’s darling.

Aishwarya Rai Biography

Aishwarya Krishnaraj Rai was born on 1st 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 Bacchan, son of the iconic Amitabh Bacchan and Jaya Bacchan. They were married in 2007.
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, Shah Rukh 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 Shah Rukh 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 Bacchan 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 Bacchan in Guru, based on the industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani which was very 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 while the sequel to Sarkar, Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar Raj in which she plays a CEO alongside Amitabh Bacchan and Abhishek Bacchan, is said to be one of her best performances till date.
Going Strong
Aishwarya has lined up quite a few films for 2009. Among them is the English film, The Pink Panther 2 with Steve Martin, the Hindi film Ravana and the Tamil film Endhiran.

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. Outwardly, his hairstyles from Dil Chahta Hai to Ghajini, are served as appetizers for cinephiles. 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 the 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 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; 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 it’s 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 Hai 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. Hi 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 a heiress. The film won several awards. He acted in Ishq, a romantic comedy and a multi starrer, which enjoyed a 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, set during the partition of India and Pakistan and the resulting bloodshed.
2000 On
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 his two releases in 2006, Rang De Basanti, he played a laidback DJ who tries to take justice in his hands and in Fanaa with Kajol, he plays 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.
ghajini and an idiot
Christmas 2008 will see the release of the much talked about Ghajini, a remake of the Tamil film by the same name. The film is shot in Namibia and South Africa and Aamir plays Sanjay Singhania, who suffers from short term memory loss and his quest for revenge. His 2009 release is Three Idiots based on Chetan Bhagat’s popular novel Five Point Someone. It also stars Kareena Kapoor, Madhavan and Sharman Joshi.

Shahrukh Khan Biography

Two decades in the Indian entertainment industry, has seen him from a television actor to a Bollywood superstar and producer. When he stepped back into television again in 2007, it was as the host to Kaun Banega Crorepati, one of the most popular TV shows of all times. Throw in several awards of recognition and his unquestioned popularity and there you have it – Shah Rukh Khan, the stuff legends are made of and then some.

Beginnings

Shah Rukh Khan was born in Delhi on Nov 2 1965, to Taj Mohammed Khan, a freedom fighter from Peshawar and Lateefa Mohammed, from Rawalpindi, who was the adopted daughter of Major General Shah Nawaz Khan of the Janjua Rajput clan, who served as a General in the Indian National Army of Subash Chandra Bose. His father and mother moved to India before the Partition. Khan has an older sister Shehnaz, fondly known as LalaRukh.

Khan did his schooling at St.Columbus where he excelled in academics, sports and drama. While here he won the Sword of Honor, a recognition given to students who embodied the spirit of the school. He went on to acquire an Honors degree in Economics from the Hansraj College. He also started out to obtain a Masters degree in Mass Communications from Jamia Millia Islamia, before looking the Bollywood way.

He moved to Mumbai in 1991 after the death of his parents. He married Gauri Khan, a Hindu, and they have two children Aryan and Suhana and live in a palatial home called Mannat in Bandra, Mumbai.

Journey

Khan’s debut as an actor was in 1988, in a TV serial called Fauji, about life in the Indian Army, where he played the role of Commander Abhimanyu Rai. He appeared in another serial called Circus, about performers in a circus, in 1989. He also played a small part in a TV film written by Arundhati Roy called In which Annie gives it to those ones.

His debut into Bollywood was with Deewana, in 1992, which was an instant hit. His performance stood out despite sharing screen space with accomplished actors like Rishi Kapoor and Divya Bharati. He went on to win the Best Debut category of the Filmfare Awards, a beginning of many more to come.

Deewana was followed by Maya Memsaab which created some amount of controversy over ‘explicit’ scenes. In 1993 he came out with two movies both of which were successful and in both movies he portrayed negative characters, which most top actors at that time considered risqué. In Darr he played the role of an obsessive man who stalks and terrorizes a woman he loves. In Baazigar, where he was cast as a murderer motivated by revenge, won him the Filmfare Best Actor Award. He won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance for his role as young musician in Kabhie Haan Kabhie Naan.

In 1994, we saw him winning the Filmfare Best Villain Award for Anjaam where he once again played a negative role. In 1995, he played the part of Raj in one of the biggest blockbusters of Hindi cinema, which is still running in Mumbai theaters, Aditya Chopra’s Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. He took home another Filmfare Best Actor Award. He didn’t see a lot of successes in 1996. However, it took a turn for the better in 1997, when Dil To Pagal Hai released, a movie about a love triangle between three dancers, and he walked away, yet again, with the Filmfare Best Actor Award. The same year he was also nominated for Yes Boss. Karan Johar’s directorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in 1998 received a huge audience response and won Khan another Filmfare Best Actor Award. His performance in Mani Rathnam’s Dil Se, which revolved around terrorism, was also critically acclaimed.

At the turn of the century, he saw successful releases in Mohabbatein, where he worked alongside Amitabh Bacchan and Josh with Aishwarya Rai. He won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance for Mohabbatein. He, along with Juhi Chawla, started their production company Dreamz Unlimited and produced and starred in Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, which didn’t fare very well. The epic movie Asoka, where he played the Emperor Asoka and the multi-starrer Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham, made their mark in 2001. He was cast as the tragic lover Devdas, in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s remake of the award winning Devdas, in 2002. It won him the Filmfare Best Actor Award. In 2003, he received nominations for his performance in Kal Ho Na Ho and his production house saw it’s first success in Chalte Chalte.
His second production house, Red Chillies Entertainment, saw light in 2004 and it’s first release Farah Khan’s debut Main Hoon Na, was one of the biggest successes of the year, alongside his other movie the same year, Veer-Zaara. He walked away with the Filmfare Best Actor Award for his role in Swades though the movie created hardly any ripples in the box-office. Another big release from Red Chillies Entertainment in 2005 was Paheli in which he played a ghost. It was India’s entry to the Oscars. A documentary on Khan titled The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan was produced by Nasreen Munni Kabir in 2005. Another multi-starrer directed by Karan Johar in 2006 was Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna that made a splash in India and overseas. He also starred in the remake of the seventies hit Don. The Filmfare Best Actor Award landed in his hand yet again in 2007 for his role as Kabir Khan in Chak De India where he is the tough coach for the girls’ hockey team. His performance in Farah Khan’s Om Shanthi Om also won him nominations.

Khan was back again on the small screen, after KBC, in 2008 as the host of Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?, which is the desi version of Are you smarter than a fifth grader? There are more movies lined up to release in the later part of 2008 and 2009, like Billo Barber and My Name Is Khan, as he shows no signs of slowing down.

Other worthy achievements
Khan is one of the Bollywood actors whose life size wax statue was created and displayed at Madame Tussaud’s Museum in London. He has been honored with the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of the Arts and Literature) award by the French government in recognition for the mark he has made in the industry.