Top 100 Hindi Film Actresses of all time
(A-Z)
List activity
23K views
• 157 this weekCreate a new list
List your movie, TV & celebrity picks.
100 people
- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Born into a traditional south Indian family, Aishwarya started modeling at a young age. This green-blue-eyed beauty appeared in advertisements for many prestigious firms; the ones that brought her into the limelight were the garden sari and the Pepsi ad. Crowned Miss India 1994 runner-up, she was a hot favorite in the run for miss world title, which she won, her beauty and charm made her India's darling. Ash stormed into the Indian movie industry, where she has proven herself a brilliant & genuine actress. Her performance in Iruvar (1997) was critically acclaimed, and she won the Screen best female debutant award for her role in ...Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya (1997). She was adored in movies like Taal (1999), Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Devdas (2002), her item number in 'Bunty & Bubbly' had sent waves of rhythm across the nation. With her successful Bollywood movies and prestigious Hollywood projects lined up for release it is impossible to ignore this Indian diva in international scenes.- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Alia Bhatt (born 15 March 1993) is an India actress. The recipient of several accolades, including one National Award, six Filmfare Awards and three IIFA Awards. Bhatt is one of the highest-paid actresses in India. She has appeared in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2014 and was featured by Forbes Asia in their 30 Under 30 list of 2017.- Actress
Aquarian Amrita was born on February 9, 1958. Her parentage is Sikh-Muslim. Her dad's name is Shivinder Singh, and her mom's maiden name was Rukshana Sultana. She is the great-grand daughter of Shobha Singh, who knighted and had his prefixed by 'Sir'. She is the niece of writer/author Khushwant Singh, who was also known for his column in leading Indian newspapers.
She is of the most attractive actresses of her time, and perhaps the only one who had a lead role with both Dharmendra and his son, Sunny Deol, and has proved to an actress who is not afraid of doing negative roles.
Amrita Singh has been a dedicated Bollywood actress for years. Amrita Singh left her career as an actress when she married Bollywood actor, Saif Ali Khan, in 1991, even though he was years younger than her.
Saif Ali Khan is the son of Bollywood actress, Sharmila Tagore, and Indian cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan. Amrita and Saif have two children, a daughter, Sara Ali Khan, and a son, Ibrahim Ali Khan.
In 2004 Amrita and Saif Ali Khan have decided to separate, and eventually divorced. The children, Sara and Ibrahim, are now with their mother in India, while Saif is courting an Italian girlfriend.
Amrita Singh has made it known now that she intends to make a come-back in Bollywood, as well as considering doing TV pro grammes.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Anushka Sharma was born on 1 May 1988 in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Her father, Colonel Ajay Kumar Sharma, is an army officer, and her mother, Ashima Sharma, is a homemaker. Her father is a native of Uttar Pradesh, while her mother is a Garhwali. Her elder brother is film producer Karnesh Sharma, who earlier served in the Merchant Navy. Prior to joining the navy, Karnesh played for the under-19 Bangalore Ranji cricket team. Sharma has stated that being a military brat played an important role in shaping her as a person and contributing to her life. In an interview with The Times of India in 2012, she said, "I take pride in saying that I am an army officer's daughter even more than being an actor. She studied in Army School and graduated with specialization in arts from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore. She then moved to Mumbai to further her modeling career. Sharma says she originally wished to make it big in the modeling world but had no strong aspirations for films. She began her modeling career at the Lakme Fashion Week as a model for Wendell Rodricks's Les Vamps Show and was picked to be Rodricks's finale model at the Spring Summer '07 Collection. Since then she has done campaigns for Silk & Shine, Whisper, Nathella Jewelry and Fiat Palio.
Her first acting role was in Aditya Chopra's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) opposite Shahrukh Khan. The film was a huge success and her performance was appreciated. Film critic Taran Adarsh said, "Anushka looks the character and surprises you with a confident performance. It's no small achievement to share screen space with an actor of the caliber of SRK and Anushka manages it very well from start to end." Her second film, Badmaash Company, also under Yash Raj Films, was released on May 7, 2010. She was praised for breaking out of the shell of the conservative and homely Taani to play the feisty and independent Bulbul, and her performance was applauded.
She has two other projects on hand. She began shooting for her first venture outside of Yash Raj with Nikhil Advani and Akshay Kumar in Patiala House in December 2009. Patiala House is scheduled to be released on February 11, 2011. She has also started filming for her third Yash Raj Film, Band Baaja Baaraat, directed by Maneesh Sharma and co-starring debutant Ranveer Singh.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Aruna Irani made her debut in the movie Gunga Jumna (1961) at nine years old playing Azra's character. After doing several small roles in films like Jahanara (1964), Farz (1967), Upkar (1967) and Aaya Sawan Jhoomke (1969). She was paired with comedian Mehmood Ali in films like Aulad (1968), Jawab, Humjoli (1970), Manmandir and Naya Zamana (1971).In 1971, she starred in Caravan. She later starred in Mehmood Ali's Bombay To Goa (1972), Garam Masala (1972), and Do Phool (1973). Her best character roles came in Rajesh Khanna films like Dhanwan, Redrose, Amrit, Kudrat, Nasihat, Masterji, Aan Milo Sajna. Her films have included Farz (1967), Bobby (1973), Prem Nagar, Paap Aur Punya, Mahachor, Fakira (1976), Bhala Manus, Kali Ghata,Sargam (1979), Love Story (1981), and Rocky (1981). She won her first Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Pet Pyaar Aur Paap (1984). In the late 1980s and 1990s Irani switched to playing motherly roles, notably in Beta (1992) for which she won her second Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. She acted in the Kannada remake of the same film and the same role. Some of her Marathi films are Changu Mangu, Lapwa Chapvi, Ek Gadi Baki Anadi and Bol Baby Bol. In her later career, Irani also switched to television performing character roles in various serials. She also took up to direction and production of tele-serials like Mehndi Tere Naam Ki, Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand, Vaidehi and more. On Sunday 19 February 2012, she was awarded the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' at the annual Filmfare awards function in Mumbai.- Producer
- Director
- Actress
Asha Parekh was born in a middle-class Gujarati household to a Hindu father, Pranlal Parekh, and a Muslim mother Sudha Parekh on October 2, 1942 in India. Since she was an only child, she became the center of her parents' lives. Her mother enrolled her in classical dance classes at an early age, and Asha excelled at dance to the point where she performed at stage shows. Famed film director Bimal Roy saw her dance at a stage function and cast her at the tender age of ten in Maa (1957). He liked her and cast her again in Baap Beti (1954). The film's failure disappointed her, and even though, she did a few more child roles, she quit to resume her schooling. At sixteen, she decided to try acting again and make her debut as a heroine, but director Vijay Bhatt fired her from Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959) claiming she wasn't star material. Almost immediately, film producer Sasadhar Mukherjee and writer-director Nasir Hussain cast her as the heroine in Dil Deke Dekho (1959) which made her a huge star. Shammi Kapoor became her favorite hero and friend, and they starred in three more films, the most famous being the murder mystery Teesri Manzil (1966). The film also led to a long and fruitful association with Nasir, and he cast her as the heroine in six more films.
Her fame gave her enough leverage to get producers to hire her mother Sudha Parekh to design her costumes for most of the films that she starred in. A fallacy that surrounded her was that she was generally considered a glamorous dancer/tomboy and not a serious actress until director Raj Khosla cast her in the tragedienne role in the hit film Do Badan (1966). The truth was directors and audiences knew early on that she had genuine acting talent. She won the Gujarat State Award for Best Actress for her first Gujarati film Akhand Saubhagyavati (1963). And she easily compensated for non-actors like Joy Mukherjee and Biswajit in Hindi films, while holding her own against acting giants like Ashok Kumar.
Important directors were casting her and repeating her in their films, but Asha also brought out jealousies from her female co-stars. Simi Garewal claimed that Asha tried to cut her part down in "Do Badan", but Asha insisted that she never did that, and as proof, she showed that Simi won the Filmfare Award as Best Supporting Actress for the film. The "Do Badan" team also stood by Asha, especially the director Raj Khosla who later cast her in three more films. Her leading man Manoj Kumar soon directed and starred opposite her in his blockbuster Upkar (1967), which also won the Filmfare Best Picture Award.
Although Asha earned the title "Jubilee Girl" because of the continuous string of box office successes, such as Ziddi (1964), Shikar (1968), Aan Milo Sajna (1970), she also hit a rare bump with Raj Khosla's Chirag (1969). But she also earned her first Filmfare nomination as Best Actress for the film, and Khosla didn't blame her for the film's failure and in fact, cast her soon again and came up with a huge hit, Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971). However, success brought controversy. Once again, a female co-star claimed that Asha cut her role down in the film. This time, Asha confronted Laxmi Chhaya directly and told her to think before she spoke as Padma got twice the number of songs than Asha did in "Mera Gaon Mera Desh". Aruna Irani allegedly said that Asha reduced her role in Nasir Hussain's box-office smash Caravan (1971), but facts back up Asha that she would never cut another performer's role, as Aruna had more songs than Asha, and she received a Filmfare nomination, while Asha wasn't nominated for the film at all. However, Asha did win the much coveted Best Actress Filmfare Award for Shakti Samanta's Kati Patang (1970). She played a deglamourised woman in a white sari pretending to be a widow whose vulnerable smile hides a painful past. Asha was thrilled when she won the award, but Mumtaz Askari, her box-office rival and former co-star from Mere Sanam (1965) and Bhai Bhai (1972), complained that she was more deserving for her own performance in Tere Mere Sapne (1971).
Asha was hitting the heights of fame and glory even though she was now 30, an age where heroines normally would pack it in. But her passion for dancing sent her abroad on a extended trip to do dance shows and as a result, turned down important film roles. When she came back in 1973, she found that a younger and bolder breed of heroines like Hema Malini and Zeenat Aman got those roles and now ruled the roost. Asha focused on her distribution concern which she had started with Nasir Hussain when he directed her in the film Baharon Ke Sapne (1967) and would continue to do so for twenty more films. She also threw herself in her charity work, even having a Santa Cruz hospital named after her. She lived with her parents in her beautiful seaside bungalow, whose innovative design drew a lot of attention. Asha's passion with dance continued and her performance of famous dance ballets like "Chauladevi" won her acclaim. She did supporting roles in films, garnering Filmfare nominations as Best Supporting Actress for Udhar Ka Sindur (1976) and Raj Khosla's massive hit, Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki (1978), which also won the Filmfare Award as Best Film. But the rest of her supporting roles as mother and bhabhi (sister-in-law) disenchanted her, with the exception of her strong performances in Hathyar (1989) and the Gujarati film Kulvadhu (1977). And her back problems forced her to give up doing dance shows.
But she found a new passion, directing television serials such as the hugely popular Kora Kogaz in the early 90's, which convinced her to give up acting permanently in 1995. She formed her production company "Akruti," through which she produced and directed television serials. However, her acting accomplishments were not forgotten as she received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. After her mother's death, she sold her huge bungalow and moved into a smaller place to take care of her ailing father until he, too, passed away. She has never married and has not had any affairs with her many heroes, claiming that her reputation of being unapproachable probably intimidated men. In her 2017 memoir "The Hit Girl" (co-written by Khalid Mohamed) she confirmed that her longtime director Nasir Hussain was the "only one and true love of my life." Since he was already married with two children, she couldn't marry him without wrecking havoc on both their families. Their romantic relationship eventually ended after several decades. His wife Ayesha Khan died in 2001, but Asha didn't try to marry the widowed Husain, since "he had become a shadow of his former self." He died just a year later in 2002. Asha continues to remain in touch with his children Mansoor Khan and Nuzhat Khan, grandson Imran Khan and nephew Aamir Khan. When she was in her mid-thirties, she tried to adopt a child, but the doctors wouldn't let her, because he had birth defects. Since marriage and motherhood didn't happen for her, Asha decided to devote all her time to her hospital and other humanitarian efforts. She also has set up a dance academy "Kara Bhavan," which has produced many skilled and talented dancers. For several years, she served as a judge on talent shows on television. She also kept up with the times, by having her official Instagram account. She turned 80 in 2022, but age hasn't slowed her down, as she traveled from India to USA to collect a lifetime achievement award at a film festival. Today, Asha says that she is very flattered to know that she has fans all over the world.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Fate intervened when Bipasha recoiled and passed out when dissecting a rat. Thus ended her dream of being a medical professional. She was enrolled in the science faculty until 12th standard, but switched to commerce thereafter. After acquiring a degree in commerce she planned to be a chartered accountant but ended up being the Ford Supermodel of the World when she was just 17 years old.
Bipasha was born on January 7th 1979 in New Delhi. subsequently the Basu family re-located to Calcutta. Bipasha is the second of three sisters, born and brought up in a Hindu Bengali family, she is fluent in Hindi, English, and Bengali. The names of her sisters are Bidisha and Bijoyeta. Unbelievable as it may sound, sexy Bipasha was considered 'ugly' in her younger years due to her dark complexion. Her name means 'Dark Deep Desire', and is also the name of a river.
After her triumph as the Ford Supermodel, she went on to be crowned Miss Vivacious sponsored by Tulips.
Bipasha made her foray into Bollywood with Ajnabee (2001) in 2001, and subsequently acquired a place for herself in the tinsel world. She went to star in Raaz (2002), Jism (2003), No Entry (2005), Phir Hera Pheri (2006), Corporate (2006) & Dhoom 2 (2006). All of these movies did fairly well at the box office, and escalated her position as not only a leading lady, but one who can dare to bare. Dhoom 2 (2006) also credits her as a playback singer.
She has also appeared in two music videos, and was one of the judges in the 2004 Femina Miss India beauty pageant.- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
"You have outdone Smita Patil," said Shekhar Kapur, when he saw Chitrangda Singh's performance in her debut movie Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2003). And he is not the only one. Time and again Chitrangda has been compared to the legendary Smita Patil.
Chitrangda began her career as a model prior to making the transition to the silver screen. Chitrangda also acted in the 2005 film Kal: Yesterday and Tomorrow (2005). She took a break from acting from 2005 to 2008 after her marriage to Indian golfer Jyoti Randhawa. She made her film acting comeback with the leading role opposite Sanjay Suri in the film Sorry Bhai! (2008) Her recent release was Sudhir Mishra's Yeh Saali Zindagi (2011).
Chitrangda is the face of popular brands like Aliva, Parachute Advansed and Garnier Age Lift. Chitrangda Singh is back and here to stay!- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Deepika Padukone, born 5 January 1986 in Copenhagen, Denmark, is an Indian model and actress. She is the daughter of former badminton champion Prakash Padukone. Her mother tongue is Konkani. Deepika has a younger sister named Anisha.
She has been modeling appearances in print and television advertising campaigns for Liril, Close-Up toothpaste and Limca, receiving many prestigious modeling offers, including brand ambassadorship of the Jewels of India, an annual jewelry exhibition. She hit the international scene when Maybelline made her their new international cover-girl face.
At the fifth annual Kingfisher Fashion Awards, for Indian models and designers, she was awarded the title of Model of the Year. Shortly after wards, she was chosen as one of the models for the Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar for 2006, thus cementing her reputation as a supermodel. She also bagged two trophies at the Idea Zee F Awards in 2006 - female Model of the year (Commercial Assignments) and Fresh Face of the year.- Actress
- Director
- Music Department
Deepti Naval is an Indian film actor, director, writer, painter and photographer. After her schooling at the Sacred Heart Convent, Amritsar, she migrated to the US where she studied Painting, English and Psychology at the City University of New York and received her Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts at Hunter College in Manhattan. Her interest in a whole range of other subjects led her to study American Theater, Photography, and Astronomy. After graduation Deepti had a brief stint with the Gene Frankle Institute of Film and Television pursuing her passion for cinema and acting.
A multi-faceted personality, her major contribution has been in the area of art cinema, winning critical acclaim for her sensitive and close to life characters that emphasized the changing role of women in India. The first American-Indian actor to join Hindi films, Deepti made her debut in the year 1980 with the path-breaking film Ek Baar Phir, for which she won her first Best Actor award, and has since appeared in more than 90 films carving a distinct niche for herself in the Indian Film Industry. Prominent among these are - Kamla, Ankahi, Main Zinda Hoon, Panchvati, Leela, Freaky Chakra, Didi, Firaaq and more recently, Memories in March, Listen Amaya, Boy With the Top Knot, Lion, NH-10 and Goldfish. She made her debut in theatre with the poetic stage play, Ek Mulaqaat where she played the celebrated Punjabi writer, Amrita Pritam along with Shekhar Suman who played lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi.
Through her work, Deepti has given a prolific aspect to neo-realistic cinema, making her one of the most celebrated and respected artists of her time. She was awarded Best Actor in several international film festivals for her various roles and recognized as the 2007 Tribute Honoree of the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles.
Her directorial debut, Do Paise Ki Dhoop Chaar Aane Ki Baarish on Netflix, won her the Best Screenplay award at the New York Film Festival. She also wrote and directed Thodasa Aasmaan, a women-centric TV serial and produced a travel show called The Path Less Travelled.
As a writer Deepti has four books to her credit. Lamha Lamha her first collection of poems was published in the year 1981. Her second book, Black Wind and Other Poems was published in 2004. The Mad Tibetan: Stories From Then and Now in 2011 displayed her skill as a storyteller. Her recently published memoir, A Country Called Childhood has garnered critical acclaim. Written with charming honesty, her visually rich and evocative prose speaks of her growing years in Amritsar during the tumultuous 50s and the 60s.
As a painter her knife work with oil on canvas is distinctly expressionistic, especially her landscapes, figures, self-portraits and sketches. Reflections was her first solo exhibiton in 1995 at the Jehangir Art Gallery followed by several exhibits in India and abroad. Her paintings are mostly self portraits as she explores different spheres through self. Her landscapes and Kumaon series are a capture of her travels.
FAMILY: Deepti's father, Uday Chandra Naval, hailed from Punjab and was a professor teaching English at Lehman College, City University of New York. He had graduated with honors in English literature from Govt. College Lahore during pre-partition India. Her mother, Himadri Gangahar, was a painter who was born and raised in Burma. She received her education at the Jesus and Mary Convent in Mandalay and later migrated to India during the Japanese invasion in 1942. Himadri's fascination for music, dance, and drama influenced her younger daughter through bedtime stories.
Deepti's older sister, Smiti Khanna, is a biochemist who spent substantial years working on cancer research at the Sloan Kettering Institute in NYC. Her younger brother, Rohit Naval, is a technology product designer and lives with his family in Long Island. Deepti's nephew Sanaj Naval who starred in her debut film as director, Do Paise Ki Dhoop Chaar Aaane Ki Baarish is all set to be a full-time actor.
AWARDS:
Best Actress Filmworld Award for Ek Baar Phir, 1981 Best Actress Award for Leela at Karachi Int'l Film Festival Best Actress for Memories in March at Madrid Imagine India International Film Festival Best Screenplay Award for Do Paise KI Dhoop Chaar Aane KI Baarish at NYIFF (New York Indian Film Festival). Best Actress Award for Listen Amaya at the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) 2013. Deepti Naval Nominated for Best Actress, at the New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) 2013 Edition.
SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY:
Goldfish (2023) The Boy With The Top Knot ( 2017) Lion (2016) NH-10 ( 2015) Heartless (2014) Listen Amaya (2013) Memories in March (2011) Firaaq( 2008) Freaky Chakra ( 2003) Shakti: The Power (2002) Leela ( 2002) Bawandar (2000) Current (1992) Suryodaya (1991) Mane/Ek Ghar (1991) Didi ( 1989) Marhi Da Deeva (1989) Mirch Masala (1987) Panchvati ( 1986) Ankahee (1985) Yeh Ishq Nahin Aasaan (1984) Andhi Gali (1984) Kamla (1984) Kissise Na Kehna (1983) Katha (1983) Angoor (1982) Saath Saath (1982) Chirutha (1981) Chashme Buddoor (1981) Hum Paanch (1980) Ek Baar Phir (1980)- Producer
- Actress
- Set Decorator
Devika Rani Chaudhuri, usually known as Devika Rani (30 March 1908 - 9 March 1994), was an actress in Indian films who was active during the 1930s and 1940s. Widely acknowledged as the first lady of Indian cinema, Devika Rani had a successful film career that spanned 10 years.
Born into a wealthy, anglicized Indian family, Devika Rani was sent to boarding school in England at age nine and grew up in that country. In 1928, she met Himanshu Rai, an Indian film-producer, and married him the following year. She assisted in costume design and art direction for Rai's experimental silent film A Throw of Dice (1929). Both of them then went to Germany and received training in film-making at UFA Studios in Berlin.The couple returned to India in 1934, where Himanshu Rai along with Rajnarayan Dube established a production studio, Bombay Talkies, in partnership with certain other people. The studio produced several successful films over the next 5-6 years, and Devika Rani played the lead role in many of them. Her on-screen pairing with Ashok Kumar became popular in India.
Following Rai's death in 1940, Rajnarayan Dube gave the charge and responsibility of the studio to Devika Rani as she produced some more films with her late husband's associates, namely her manager Sashadhar Mukherjee and Ashok Kumar. As mentioned in the book written by KM Srivastava, Sashadhar Mukherjee questioned the character of Devika Rani and used to pass insulting comments on her. Following these events of baseless accusations by her manager Sashadhar Mukherjee and several conflicts with him, In 1945, disappointed Devika Rani retired from films, married the Russian painter Svetoslav Roerich and moved to his estate on the outskirts of Bangalore, thereafter leading a very reclusive life for the next five decades. Her persona, no less than her film roles, were considered socially unconventional. Her awards include the Padma Shri (1958), Dadasaheb Phalke Award (1970) and the Soviet Land Nehru Award (1990).
Devika Rani was one of the founders of Bombay Talkies along with Himanshu Rai and Rajnarayan Dube. The Bombay Talkies Studios' story is full of magic and color. In the '30s, the movie business was supposed to be a 'dirty business'. People would talk about movies, but many wouldn't even consider going to watch one. This would be similar to people talking about gold prices but seldom buying it. Even though movies did make people curious, its reputation as a professional field was bad. There seemed to be a lack of respect for the profession because it was being considered the domain of undesirable sections of the then Indian society. Due to this lack of respect and understanding for the profession, financiers during those times would face an impossible challenge when it came to getting returns on their investment.
It was during this hunt for financiers that Himanshu Rai came in contact with Abhimanyu Prasad Singh, a close friend of Seth Badriprasad Dube, who was a well-known financier. He introduced Himanshu Rai, a London return actor/ theatre artist to Seth Badriprasad Dube with a dream of making a cinema company but Seth Badriprasad declined the proposal of funding Himanshu Rai because Seth Badriprasad had once financed the first Indian Talkie film Alam Ara which didn't earn him any profit and he made an opinion that only actors and directors get fame but the financier doesn't get profits. During that era, the film business was not considered money earning business. It was more about the passion for cinema and getting fame. Because of this fact, Seth Badriprasad Dube declined the proposal of financing Himanshu Rai.
Abhimanyu Singh spoke next to Seth Badriprasad's son Shri. Rajnarayan Dube. He was a young and dynamic businessman who operated a successful company called Dube Industries, which he had founded in 1929. Shri. Dube was born on 10th October 1910 at Kalighat in Kolkata and was an ardent devotee of Maa Kali. He was influenced by the power of art and creativity at a young age. Both men met at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Colaba, Mumbai (Bombay), and discussed an initial investment amount of Rs. 25 lakhs. However, Himanshu Rai couldn't convince Rajnarayan Dube to invest the amount because of the dismal returns on investment that the Indian movie industry offered. At this point, it would seem that Bombay Talkies would never come to be, but things have a way of working out in unexpected ways.
A few months passed by and Himanshu Rai had grown increasingly despondent because it was becoming impossible to raise investment for his movie company. In his depression, the man attempted suicide but was unsuccessful. Shri. Rajnarayan Dube got wind of this through Abhimanyu Prasad Singh and wondered about this man, one who so completely and wholeheartedly believed in the power of cinema and talking pictures that he did not see fit to continue living if he couldn't follow his dreams. Rajnarayan Dube decided that Himanshu Rai was onto something here and finalized the investment with him soon after. In doing this, Shri. Rajnarayan Dube went deliberately against the advice of his father, Seth Badriprasad Dube, who felt that this would not be a good investment choice. In doing this, Shri. Rajnarayan Dube gave birth to the Indian Film Industry, which has now gone on to become a huge cultural and financial force in the country.
At the very nascent age of the cinema Rajnarayan Dube's Bombay Talkies was born in India when other contemporary film companies of the world such as Warner Bros. Entertainment, Universal Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures were born and brought up to create cinematic magic for the world audience, but Bombay Talkies (under the command of Girish Ghanshyam Dube), is the only premier film company which has made a charismatic comeback and repeating its old pride and glory after sixty-three years of utter darkness.
Cinematic Giant and Pillar of Indian Cinema, Rajnarayan Dube founded the Legendary Film Company, The Bombay Talkies Studios along with its associate companies Bombay Talkies Laboratories and Bombay Talkies Pictures as individual proprietorship companies. At the same time to add more people, he established the first public limited film company of India The Bombay Talkies Limited (ltd.) in 1934, although all companies were commonly known as Bombay Talkies. As Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani were actors they were given some shares of the company as their remuneration. Some films were produced under the banner of The Bombay Talkies Limited also, but most of the films were produced under The Bombay Talkies Studios and Bombay Talkies Pictures. The Bombay Talkies Studios also successfully Distributed, Processed, and Promoted films of other producers and banners other than their own films. All the films were financed by Rajnarayan Dube in his individual capacity as the owner of his proprietorship finance company Dube Industries (Estd. 1929).
On 15 April, 1934, Bombay Talkies began operations. The movie company was named by Shri. Dube's mother, Smt. Gayatri Devi. Though Light of Asia and Karma a concept which Himanshu Rai built during his days in Europe, it was released in 1925 and 1933 respectively. As the release went unnoticed, Rajnarayan Dube re-released them and the first films to come out of the stables were Light of Asia (Prem Sanyas) and Karma in 1934. It was followed by Jawani ki Hawa, Achhut Kanya and Jeevan Naiya. The movie company-operated along with the principle of keeping the creative aspects and business aspects separate. Shri. Rajnarayan Dube would look into the business end of things and both Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani would immerse themselves in the creative pursuit. This approach gave rise to some of the most technically impressive films seen this side of the planet. The technical prowess was due to the movie studio employing German and other European technicians, prominent among them being Franz Osten.
In his book, Bombay Talkies - Pillar of Indian Cinema, Late. KM Srivastava mentioned that Rajnarayan Dube's Bombay Talkies was single-handedly responsible for making the careers of some of the leading talents in the golden age of Indian cinema. Besides Himanshu Rai and Devika Rani, the company gave the world Ashok Kumar, Leela Chitnis, Madhubala (who began as a child artist and was given her stage name by Rajnarayan Dube himself, Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Leela Chitnis, David Abraham Cheulkar, Phani Majumdar, Gyan Mukherjee, K.A. Abbas, Saadat Hasan Manto, Nabendu Ghosh, Hansa Wadkar, Uttam Kumar, Kedar Sharma, Gemini Ganesan, P.L. Santoshi, Shakti Samanta, Niranjan Pal, Pt. Narendra Sharma, Kishor Sahu, P. Jairaj, Asit Sen, Mumtaj Ali, Nalini Jaywant, Kamini Kaushal, Snehprabha, Joseph Wirsching, Kanan Devi, Famous Bengali Novelist Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Shaheed Lateef, Sita Devi, Abhi Bhattacharya, R.D. Mathur, Aghajani Kashmiri, Kamal Bose, Pran, Usha Kiran, Renuka Devi, Great Writer Munshi Premchand (Written 2 Films for Bombay Talkies), Mukri, Bhagwati Charan Verma, Mehmood, Kishore Kumar, Kamal Amrohi, Guru Dutt, Suraiya, Bimal Roy, Nitin Bose, Salil Chowdhary, Kavi Pradeep, Franz Osten, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Sashadhar Mukherjee, Asha Bhonsle, Lata Mangeshkar, Satyajit Ray, Amiya Chakravarti, S. D. Burman, Manna Dey, Saraswati Devi (who was the first woman music director of Asia). All in all, Bombay Talkies gave the world 280 of the most talented movie professionals in the last century.
Under the command of Rajnarayan Dube, Bombay Talkies had Produced & processed 450 films like Achhut Kannya, Kismet, Bandhan, Mahal, Jhoola, Jeevan Naiya, Neel Kamal, Baadbaan, Daag, Majboor, Drishtidan (Bengali), Izzat, Prem Kahani, Punarmilan, Aawaz, Pratima, Raj Mahal, Apnapan, Anyaya, Roti, Farar, Ziddi, Mashal, Azad, Jwar Bhata, Basant, Sangram, Patita, Bhabi (1938), Durga, Kala Patthar, Indian Lady, Jeevan Prabhat, HamariBaat, Anand, Aurangzeb, Bemisaal, Mamta, Sipahi, Milan, Naya Sansar, Anjaan, Adalat, Aandolan, Zindagi, Zamindar, Kanjoos, Ravan, Raja Rani, Phaansi, Kasam, Parakh, Dhobi Doctor, Deewana, Darpan, Dr. Kumar, Maa, Khamosh, Nauka Doobi, Talaq, Zakhmi, Maharaja, Nirmala, Vilayati Babu, Dushman, Khandani, Puraskar, Tawaif, Asha, Aandhi, Sadma, Anaath, Loafer, Muqaddar, Prem Kahani, Vachan, Lahore to Calcutta, Navjeevan, Ramdhari B.A., Saudagar, Ghajini, Hero, Sawa Lakh, Pratima, Bulandi, Char Aankhen, Chanakya, Nakli Heera, Lahore, Rail Ka Dibba, Dost, Chhoti Si Duniya, Cinema and many more.
While Himanshu Rai's original vision for a movie production house sowed the seeds for the formation of Indian cinema as an industry, Shri. Rajnarayan Dube single-handedly architected the business angle of the entire industry which was yet to come. He supported various new theatres such as BN Sircar's New Theatres in Calcutta, V Shantaram's Prabhat Pictures, Homi Wadia's Wadia Movietone, Sohrab Modi's Minerva Movietone, LV Prasad's Prasad Labs and Pictures (Prasad was an ex-technician from Bombay Talkies), SS Vasan's Gemini Pictures and Mehboob Khan's theatres, Tarachand Barjatya's Rajshri Productions (Barjatya served as a distribution manager for Bombay Talkies for the period of seven years), Sashadhar Mukherjee's (Filmalaya Studio). Shri. Dube financed these fledgling companies and made them stronger. In essence, he builds the entire movie ecosystem in the country. Everyone whom Shri. Dube supported, went on to build a name for themselves in the industry.
Shri. Rajnarayan Dube had a big vision for Indian Cinema. He wanted Indian film making to be a respectable profession. He thus stipulated that Bombay Talkies would only hire graduates. He hoped this move would legitimize the Indian film industry of the thirties and forties, and it certainly did. Besides this, Shri. Dube also wanted the Indian film industry to be inclusive of Indians from all states and sectors of life. Even though the movie company worked with European technicians, Shri. Dube would bring on Indian technicians and make sure that they learned the art of movie-making. He also brought a lot of Indian writers on-board so that movies could have an Indian cultural sensitivity and thus could appeal to a large number of people. This move gave rise to a whole new Indian profession, movie making! This seemed to be a good move in the light of circumstances that were yet to arrive.
During one scene in the movie Karma, there was a minute-long kissing scene between Himanshu Rai & Devika Rani onscreen. During the re-release, some extra controversial scenes were shot at that time for the sake of sensational purpose. This caused quite a stir in Indian society then Seth Badriprasad Dube's father of Shri. Rajnarayan Dube was furious about the scene. Himanshu Rai apologized and held his ears' and said that it would not happen again. After that incident, Shri. Dube however, resolved to screen all films by himself before they could be released. He was a Brahmin and a conservative and strictly discouraged smoking, drinking and other vices in the studio premises. He was also a very caring employer for those pioneering people who worked at Bombay Talkies. He made sure that Education, Rent, Food, and other daily necessities were provided free of cost to employees of Bombay Talkies. He also championed the rights of the movie industry by setting up Unions and Associations such as IMPPA (of which Bombay Talkies was the first member) Several people along with Rajnarayan Dube, Himanshu Rai, and Devika Rani were responsible for the formation of IMPPA. He also helped grow the regional film industry. He staunchly supported Marathi, Hindi, Bengali, Assamese, Oriya, Gujarati and Southern cinema. If it wasn't for Shri. Dube, the Indian movie industry would have resembled other Southeast Asian movie industries from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Bollywood today is big enough to compete with Hollywood movies.
During the Second World War, Bombay Talkies was struggling. The war had made things very difficult in many ways. The company had several movies on the floor but they could not get them finished because the crucial German technicians had been arrested and detained by the British Government. At this point, 15-20 films were on the production floor and were stalled pretty badly. Himanshu Rai suffered a nervous breakdown as a result of this and passed away in 1940. Bombay Talkies had just lost its crucial co-founder on whose vision the entire company stood to be successful. Shri. Rajnarayan Dube decided that Rai's vision for Indian cinema would continue and he again invested four lakhs ten thousand rupees into the venture. This injected some much-needed blood into the company and a new era of Indian film making began. Shri. Dube decided that from that moment on, Bombay Talkies would only hire Indian technicians and production professionals.
In this second phase, the company boomed and went on to a very productive cinematic run. 1943 hit Kismet was getting rave reviews everywhere and managed to run in theatres for 3 and a half years in over 90% of the Indian theatres! By comparing the value of gold and land by today's standards, the movie made the equivalent of Rs. 40000 crores. Not one movie has broken this record in terms of business. By 1954, Bombay Talkies had put its name to a huge amount of work. It had produced & processed 450 films, had introduced over 280 new talents, built 400 theatres across the country. With the historical grand success of Bombay Talkies, the legendary film company under the influence of Rajnarayan Dube had now processed more than 450 films of outside and likeminded producers and made more than 250 film projects for the new and needy producers. As the success of Bombay Talkies was going sky-high the clash of ego between the giants also started roaring high? The three companies which solely belongs to Rajnarayan Dube, The Bombay Talkies Studios, Bombay Talkies Laboratories and Bombay Talkies Pictures were doing fine but the fourth company The Bombay Talkies Limited, which was established by him to include more people and more talents was becoming a platform to project nasty ego clashes of the directors and management of the company. Instead of being devoted to filmmaking and cinema they devoted their energy and talent for spreading rumours and objectionable stories. At this time Shri. Rajnarayan Dube decided that he and his company had arrived at the goal that they had set out to complete two decades earlier. Indian films were now a major force in terms of communication and entertainment in post-independence India. Shri. Dube shut down his sole proprietorship companies The Bombay Talkies Studios, Bombay Talkies Laboratories and Bombay Talkies Pictures in 1954 so that he could pay more attention to other aspects of his business and continued to distribute and finance films. The fate of the limited company, The Bombay Talkies Limited, which was established to include more people and more talents, got entrapped in selfish motives and litigation. Since 1953, complicated legal battles have been going on in different courts till date. Among all odds and misfortune, of the past time Bombay Talkies became a dream only to be in memories, the artists and technicians, whom Bombay Talkies made living legends in their own lives, who became national and international personalities by virtue of their own right, became world famous. But there was no one to take notice of Bombay Talkies.
With the noble intention and the purpose of promotion, protection, and projection of ancient divine culture globally Girish Ghanshyam Dube Revived Bombay Talkies after six decades with full glory and pride. With the historical revival of the legendary Bombay talkies, Girish Ghanshyam Dube paid his heartfelt tribute to his grandfather, pillar of Indian Cinema Rajnarayan Dube along with Himanshu Rai, Devika Rani, and many great filmmakers, artists and technicians. Girish Ghanshyam Dube brought his idol, Chandrashekhar Azad, from the darkness of history and presented him for the first time in the larger than life manner. Rashtraputra first patriotic film based on the life and times of the greatest revolutionary Chandrashekhar Azad was screened at the 72nd Cannes film festival, France. The international audience connected with the patriotic and nationalistic thoughts of the great son of mother India through Rashtraputra. After Rashtraputra Girish Ghanshyam Dube created and released the first mainstream Sanskrit film of the world Cinema, Aham Brahmasmi to promote, protect & project Devbhasha Sanskrit worldwide and to preach Bramhavakya of Vedas to every corner of the World.
Many film-makers followed Rajnarayan Dube as a fortune for them, like in his Book, 'Bombay Talkies - Pillar of Indian Cinema', Senior Most Journalist of India Late. KM Srivastava mentioned Prakash Mehra, one of the legendary filmmakers of India who got the first chance to direct a movie named, Haseena Maan Jayegi, starring Shashi Kapoor. The film got stuck because of lack of budget. Later, popular actor Shashi Kapoor advised him to acquaint with Shri. Rajnarayan Dube; "He is the person who will appreciate your talent and help you out from the issue". Rajnarayan Dube said yes to him and the film triumphed magnificently. The same incident happened with Prakash Mehra in the film Samadhi which was starred by Dharmendra. Rajnarayan Dube helped him and got a huge applause. Because of such incidents, Prakash Mehra followed Rajnarayan Dube as a deity and he was always thankful to him. Then he gave back to back hits like Zanjeer, Khoon Pasina, Hera Pheri with the help of Rajnarayan Dube. After his establishment he didn't face financial trouble but still, he used to take one hundred and one rupees as goodwill from Rajnarayan Dube for his later hits like Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Laawaris, Jaadugar and many more.
Recently in an event, Mr. Chandra Shekhar Pusalkar Phalke, grandson of the father of Indian Cinema Dada Saheb Phalke said, "With the establishment and work culture of Bombay Talkies, Rajnarayan Dube has played a great historic role in nurturing and developing the Indian film industry. He gave it the form of an organised industry and made it be accepted as a respectful form of art by the civilised society." He further added, "Like Dada Saheb Phalke, Rajnarayan Dube also faced all kinds of conflicts and the result of his immense struggle is visible like a World Heritage Site in the form of Bombay Talkies today. He strongly affirmed, If Mr. Rajnarayan Dube was not there, there would be no Himanshu Rai, neither Devika Rani nor there would be Bombay Talkies."
Numerous people have written books about Bombay Talkies and Rajnarayan Dube like Multiple editions of a book written by Mohammad Zahid Ahmed titled as The Man Behind Indian Cinema, which was launched in The United States of America on 19th June 2016. The last edition of the book mentions that The truth behind "The Bombay Talkies ltd" and commercial Indian cinema lies beneath the biography of Mr. Rajnarayan Dube. The novels unfold the truth of Indian cinema and the history that people made without any substantial evidence. Many news reports and media tries to recreate the fact about Indian cinema.
History witnessed the success and fall of the pillar of Indian cinema and the disasters of broken fire in the Bombay talkies studio campus many times. Negatives, important documents along with props and properties of filmmaking got burned and became ashes. Multiple researches were done on Indian Cinema and Bombay Talkies, numerous books were read on Bombay Talkies, only information on released films were obtained but no vital information could be gathered. Every book mentioned contradictory information on Bombay Talkies, only a few names were mentioned related to Bombay Talkies and its foundation. From the very ashes of history the senior most and respected film journalist K M Srivastava recollected the truths and facts of Bombay Talkies. K M Srivastava's career spanning fifty years, he has done a great service to the students of cinema by researching Bombay Talkies. K M Srivastava has disclosed nearly each and every aspect of Bombay Talkies in his historical book Bombay talkies - the pillar of Indian cinema, that how London return flop Actor Himanshu Rai got to finance his films, how he met Rajnarayan dube and how the actors and actresses of that time rose to glory. All the needful information was available in this book. The book is now the authentic prime source of inspiration, information and knowledge about Bombay talkies and that magnificent era. K M Srivastava's work contains more authentic information than any other source available. K M Srivastava documented nearly everything in detail in his research book on Bombay talkies. He has interviewed most of the legends who were associated with Bombay talkies. He was the eye-witness of most of the events along with his fellow journalists. The intense and comprehensive research book Bombay talkies - the pillar of Indian cinema - 3rd Edition written by senior journalist K M Srivastava was released by Chandrashekhar Pusalkar Phalke, the grandson of father of Indian cinema Dada Sahab Phalke on On 19 May 2018.
In his 52 years long career, It is the third time that senior most Journalist Of Indian Cinema , K M Srivastava wrote Bombay Talkies History in the book, Bombay talkies - the pillar of Indian cinema.
The event was organized by Manika Sanstha. The guests and speakers of the event were senior editor of Madhuri Magazine, Sudeep, Rashtriya Sahara editor, senior journalist and narrator Harish Pathak, senior film actors Surendra Pal, Gajendra Chauhan and actress Asema Bhatt. The program was conducted by Devmani Pandey and incorporated by Amar Tripathi. A large number of friends of the literary world were present on the occasion. Chief Guest at the book launch event, Mr. Chandrashekhar Pusalkar Phalke, grandson of the father of Indian Cinema Dada Sahab Phalke said, "With the establishment and work culture of Bombay Talkies, Rajnarayan Dube has played a great historic role in nurturing and developing Indian film industry. He gave it the form of an organised industry and made it to be accepted as a respectful form of art by the civilised society." He further added, "Like Dada Sahab Phalke, Rajnarayan Dube also faced all kinds of conflicts and the result of his immense struggle is visible like a World Heritage Site in the form of Bombay Talkies today. He strongly affirmed, If Mr. Rajnarayan Dube was not there, there would be no Himanshu Rai, neither Devika Rani nor there would be Bombay Talkies."
The detailed history on Bombay Talkies and Indian cinema, can be found in the Books, The Man behind Indian Cinema by Mohammad Zahid Ahmed and Bombay Talkies - Pillar of Indian Cinema by KM Srivastava.- Born in a Gujerati-speaking family on June 8, 1957, daughter to businessman, Chunnibhai and Betty, Dimple has a younger sister, Simple, who was born on 15 August 1958.
She was discovered by Raj Kapoor, who signed her up opposite his son, Rishi, in the 1973 hit 'Bobby'. The film made Rishi and her stars overnight, at the time of the film's she was just 16 years old.
Exactly 6 months before the release of 'Bobby' Dimple who was a mad fan of super-star Rajesh Khanna, met and married the actor. Rajesh was 15 years older than her. After her marriage she quit films.
On Rajesh's 32nd birthday, a daughter, Twinkle nicknamed as Tina, was born to them. Then on July 27, 1977, Dimple and Rajesh became parents of Rinke, who would later also become an actress in her own right.
Dimple and Rajesh separated in 1982, enabling her to make a come-back to the tinsel screen with 'Zakhmi Sher'. She continues to act and has over 69 movies to her credit, some of them the more popular ones being 'Saagar', 'Insaaf', 'Zakhmi Aurat', 'Ram Lakhan', & 'Batwara'. - Actress
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Divya Dutta is an Indian Actress from Ludhiana (Punjab) who has acted in various Hindi and Punjabi movies.She did her schooling from Sacred Heart Convent in Ludhiana.She has won more than 25 awards in the Film Industry including Zee Cine awards for best supporting role in "Veer Zaara" and IIFA award for best supporting actress in "Delhi6".She has been nominated for Film Fare and Star Screen award twice.For her role in "Welcome To Sajjanpur" she won star sabse favorite kaun award.She has worked in more than 60 movies and is famous actress known in Bollywood.She has also worked in international movies and was seen in video of "Romeo" by a famous house music duo from London, England, Basement Jaxx.- Fatima Sana Shaikh was born in Mumbai, India, to Hindu Brahman Father, Vipen Sharma, and Muslim Mother, Raj Tabassum. She was enrolled to St. Xavier High School in Mumbai for her primary education and later to Mithibai College, Mumbai for higher education.
Shaikh began her film career with the 1997 film Chachi 420 with Kamal Hasan. She played the role of Bharti, Jaiprakash Paswan a.k.a. Jai and Janki Paswan's daughter. Though she has been acting since 1997, she has scaled new heights of fame and success now after playing the role of Geeta Phogat in Aamir Khan's movie and also sharing the screen with the star.
Her hobbies include dancing, reading, sketching and photography. - Actress
- Stunts
- Writer
Fearless Nadia was born Mary Evans in Perth, Australia. She accompanied her family to India as a child. She began working in the circus in the early 1930s, where she took the name Fearless Nadia. The tall, blue-eyed, blonde began her film career several years later in Hindi language films in India. She was best known for portraying the masked, cloaked adventuress "Hunterwali" (A.K.A. "The Lady Hunter") in 1935. She appeared in over 50 films in India. She married her long-time producer-director Homi Wadia in the early 1960s and retired from films.- Actress
- Producer
Genelia D'Souza is an Indian actress, model, and host. She has appeared in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam language films. After gaining wide attention in a Parker Pen commercial with Amitabh Bachchan, D'Souza began her acting career with Tujhe Meri Kasam in 2003. She was recognized for her role in Boys the same year, and later established herself in Telugu cinema by acting in several Telugu films during 2003-2005. D'Souza received her first Filmfare Award in 2006 for her performance in the Telugu romantic film, Bommarillu, which earned her critical acclaim. In 2008, she gave critically acclaimed performances in Santosh Subramaniam, a Tamil remake of Bommarillu, and the Bollywood movie Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na. Having acted in several commercially successful movies in Telugu and Tamil, D'Souza has established herself as one of the leading actresses of the South Indian film industry.In addition to movie acting, D'Souza has hosted the television show Big Switch, and is the brand ambassador of Fanta, Virgin Mobile India, Fastrack, LG Mobiles, Garnier Light, Margo, and Perk in India- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Hema was born in the Tamil-speaking Chakravarthy household on October 16, 1948 in Ammankudi, Tamil Nadu. Her dad's name is V.S.R. Chakravarthy and her mom, Jaya, was a film producer. She was enrolled in the Chennai-based Andhra Mahila Sabha.
After performing as a dancer in a 1961 regional movie, she was rejected by Tamil Director, C.V.Sridhar, during 1964 when she first attempted to act, on the grounds that she was too thin to be heroine in Venniradai and the role went to Venniradai Nirmala. Later Hema performed in the song Singara Therukku Selai sung by Seergazhi Govindrajan and L.R.Eshwari as a supporting actor from the 1963 Tamil film Idhu Sathiyam starring S.A.Asokan as the hero. But Hema persisted, debuted opposite Raj Kapoor in 'Sapnon Ka Saudagar' just 4 years after her rejection but the movie was a flop.
Thereafter there has no been looking back for this attractive Libran, who went to star in close to 155 movies; who also produced and directed two movies, and also directed a TV serial 'Noopur'.
After turning down marriage proposals from Sanjeev Kumar and Jeetendra, she met with hot fellow actor, Dharmendra, both were attracted to each other and wanted to get married. Dharmendra, who was already married to Prakash Kaur, and had two sons, Sunny and Bobby, could not marry Hema as Prakash refused to divorce him. According to the Hindu Marriage Act, a Hindu cannot marry a second time while the first wife is still alive. Dharmendra belongs to a Arya Samaj Hindu Punjabi Jatt family.
She had a hit on-screen pairing with Dharmendra, Shashi Kapoor and Dev Anand in the 70's and, post-marriage, she had 8 hits opposite Rajesh Khanna in 1980-87. Dharmendra Hema Malini were paired in lead roles romantically in 31 films but have worked in 35 films. Of them 20 were hits and 15 were flops. Interestingly Rajesh Khanna-Hema Malini pair had 2 hits in early 70's and then 3 unfortunate flops in late 70's after which pair was written off but in eighties they gave 8 blockbusters as a pair. In all Hema has 10 hits with Rajesh Khanna.
On August 21, 1979, both Hema and Dharmendra converted to Islam, changed their names to Aisha Bi R. Chakravarty and Dilawar Khan Kewal Krishn respectively, and got married in accordance with Islamic rites. Three years after their marriage, Hema subsequently gave birth to Esha and then later to Ahana. Esha is an actress in her own rights. The trio, well proficient in the arts of Bharatnatyam dance form, have performed together at a number of dance events and concerts.
Hema is a member of the right-winged Bharatiya Janata Party, and became a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament.
She was amongst the first actresses to wear bell-bottom and shirts in Hindi movies, and is also amongst the few who have kept their word of not wearing any revealing outfits in public. Hema, who is also called 'Dream Girl' continues to act in movies as of 2013.- Actress
- Producer
Huma Qureshi born and raised in Delhi. Her father is a famous restaurant owner called Saleem's a chain of some 10 restaurants in Delhi. Her brother, Saqib Saleem is an actor and acted in Mujhse Fraaandship Karoge. In year 2011 an announcement was made that Huma would make her Bollywood debut in a movie too called Billa 2 but got delayed due to some unknown reason. However, a few months later, a new announcement came as she wasn't part of the project and she has gotten her Bollywood debut, Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur. Huma has a nice role in 2 parts of Gangs of Wasseypur.- Actress
- Music Department
- Composer
Ila Arun was born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India. She is known for Jodhaa Akbar (2008), Sherni (2021) and Khalnayak (1993). She is married to Arun Bajpai.- Producer
- Actress
- Writer
In April 1948 Jabalpur-based, Bengali-speaking Indira and Tarun Kumar Bhaduri were blessed with a child they named Jaya, and enrolled in the St. Joseph's Convent School in Bhopal.
Her acting career started when she was 15 in a Bengali film Mahanagar. She became an actress in her own right in Bollywood after the release of Guddi. She went on to star in many Hindi language films, including blockbusters like Jawani Diwani, Uphaar, Anamika, Abhimaan, Sholay, Bawarchi, Chupke Chupke Zanjeer just to name a few. Her acting spanned from 1963 to 1981. She also wrote the script of Shahenshah.
She married Amitabh Srivastav alias Bachchan, and subsequently gave birth to Shweta and Abhishek. Amitabh is the son of Sikh-Hindu parents, namely Teji and Harivansh Rai Srivastav alias Bachchan.
Jaya quit acting after 1981. Then her married life faced considerable upheavals especially with the much-publicized affair of her husband with Bollywood actress, Rekha. Then their lives were disrupted when Amitabh was seriously injured by a blow from actor, Puneet Issar, while filming 'Coolie', which almost took his life.
The family suffered another setback in 2005 when her asthmatic husband was admitted in Lilavati Hospital after complains of severe pains in his abdomen.
Her husband did recover, and both husband, wife, Abhishek, and his new bride, continue to dominate Bollywood with their screen presence. Jaya has also received a number of awards recognizing her talents in Bollywood.- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Jayaprada was born as Lalita Rani in a middle class household to Krishna and Neelavani in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh on April 3, 1962. She was a small town girl with dreams of becoming a doctor. Her mother enrolled her in dance and music classes when she was seven years old, in addition to going to a regular school. Even though, her father and uncle were film financiers, her initial break into films didn't come through them. She was discovered dancing on stage at a school function when she was just fourteen years old. Character actor Prabhakar Reddy gave her the name of Jayaprada and introduced her in a three minute song in the Telugu film, "Bhoomi Kosam" (1976). That immediately led her to longer roles in "Devude Digivaste" (1975) and "Naaku Swatantram Vachindhi" (1976). The floodgates opened. Major film directors, such as Bapu, K. Vishwanath and K.Balachander, approached her with quality projects. She immediately became a huge star in Telugu films as diverse as the color-drenched, big-budget "Seeta Kalyanam" (1976) to the stark, naturalistic black-and-white film "Antuleeni Katha" (1976), where she won a special acting award for her unforgettable dramatic performance. But it was her dancing skills and nuanced acting style as a mute girl that made K. Vishwanath's "Siri Siri Muvva" (1976) into a timeless classic. It would also be her passport into Hindi films as K. Vishwanath remade it into "Sargam" (1979) and made her a overnight star in Bollywood as well. She earned her first Filmfare nomination as Best Actress for the film, and it would become one of her favorite films. She stalled on doing more Hindi films for two years as she wasn't fluent in the language. But she became fluent in Hindi, as well as Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Bengali, and had hit films in all these languages. She endeared audiences with her sincere portrayal of Amitabh Bachchan's girlfriend in her next favorite film "Sharabi" (1984), which became another big hit and earned her second Filmfare nomination as Best Actress. K. Vishwanath directed her to her third Filmfare nomination as Best Actress for her other favorite film "Sanjog" (1985). But some of her best performances would go unrewarded. In the Telugu film directed by K.Balachander, "47 Rojulu" (1981) showed Jayaprada as a innocent girl duped by her husband in Paris, France, and her struggle to escape from him. But in Hindi films, she usually played the traditionally dressed, docile, obedient wife, and while that image led to hit films, it also eventually tired her audiences. She also seemed bored and indifferent with no new challenges ahead as she had already made her other favorite films: the Hindi films "Sur Sangam" (1985) and "Tohfa" (1984), the Telugu film "Sagara Sangamam" (1983), the Kannada films "Sanadi Appanna" (1977) and "Kavi Ratna Kalidasa" (1983). The only excitement came from her personal life when she met her husband film producer Srikant Nahata. They started out as friends as he was already a married man with children. But it turned into love when he stood by her because of her income tax problems. She was branded the "other woman," especially since Nahata wouldn't leave his wife. So she ended up marrying him in 1986, and he has continued to be married to both women. In 1994, she also became a politician by joining the Telugu Desam Party. A few years later, a rift developed with the political party and she was deeply hurt when she was no longer in the party. She also didn't have any major films lined up. But she kept up with her many social and humanitarian causes, especially related to poor women and children. She also became tough and strong and forged on ahead by joining a different political party in a different state, Uttar Pradesh. She won the election with the slogan line, "Andhra is my janambhoomi but Uttar Pradesh is my karmbhoomi." She also started making films playing stronger, mature roles. In "Deh," she played an older woman having an affair with a much younger man. She also wrote and directed "Class Medal," a Telugu film that starred her sister's son Siddharth and produced by her brother Rajababu. She didn't forget her first love, dancing, and did a dance ballet in 2005 that won her great acclaim. And she also dabbled in playback singing and even recorded an album with music composer Bappi Lahiri. In 2008, she received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for her long and plentiful contribution to the South Indian film industry. Having three careers (acting, dancing, politics), and a husband, left her no time to have children of her own, even though she has expressed a desire to have children. So far, she has shown no desire to give up her three careers and in fact, stated that she'll be as hardworking and dedicated in the future as she is now.- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Juhi was born in the Chawla family on November 13, 1967 in Ludhiana, Punjab, India, and is the daughter of Punjabi-speaking dad, Dr. S. Chawla and Gujarati-speaking mom, Mona. She has a brother named Sanjeev. Her mother passed away in an accident during the year 1998 while Juhi was filming 'Duplicate'.
After completing her school in Ludhiana, the Chawla family moved to Bombay, Maharashtra, India, where Juhi attended at Sydenham College. After graduating, she entered in the Miss India competition and was crowned 'Miss India 1984', taking over from Miss India 1983, Rekha Hande.
Her first appearance on the tinsel screen was as Zarina in the 1986 release 'Sultanat'. She shot to fame after the release of 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak' opposite Aamir Khan. As of August 2007, she has been bestowed with three awards for her performance in 'Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke', 'Duplicate', and '3 Deewarein'.
Juhi got married to multi-millionaire industrialist, Jai Mehta during the year 1998. Since then the couple have a daughter, Jhanvi, and son, Arjun.
Juhi continues to act in movies, and also makes appearances in many off-beat movies, rather than the mainstream cinema with which she started her career. She also appears in a number of TV ad commercials.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Kajol Devgn is a well-known Bollywood actress known for her exceptional performances on screen. She attended St. Joseph's Convent School in Panchgani and was actively involved in extra-curricular activities such as dancing. In her early teens, Kajol was supposed to make her debut as an actress in a movie directed by her mother, Tanuja, but the project was cancelled. She eventually made her acting debut at the age of sixteen with the film Bekhudi (1992), while still in school. Later, she quit school to pursue a full-time career in the film industry.
She made her debut with Rahul Rawail's Bekhudi (1992) in 1992. Her film career flourished with commercial successes like Baazigar (1993), Yeh Dillagi (1994), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), which established her as a leading star in the 1990s. She was appreciated critically for her role in Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997) and as an avenger in Dushman (1998). Another blockbuster Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001) won her multiple awards, after which she took a break. She returned to the industry after a brief period with the romantic thriller Fanaa (2006).
She was cast in My Name Is Khan (2010) in 2010 opposite Shah Rukh Khan - it was widely appreciated by critics worldwide. Kajol and Shah Rukh Khan became the first Indian actors to be invited by NASDAQ to open the NYSE American to promote My Name Is Khan (2010). She was also appreciated for her performance in Dilwale (2015) - it also featured other renowned stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Varun Dhawan, and Kriti Sanon. She was also cast in the period film Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (2020) in 2020.
She also appeared in the social drama Tribhanga (2021), her first collaboration with Netflix.
She holds a managerial position at Devgn Entertainment and Software Ltd., And as the supervisor, she launched the filmmaking-related portal Cineexplore in 2000. Devgn established another company, Ajay Devgn Films, in 2009.
She appeared with Ajay Devgn, and her mother Tanuja as the supervisor in Zee TV's 2008 reality show Rock-N-Roll Family. She was named a part-time public broadcaster Prasar Bharati member in 2016.
The Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis honored her with the Swabhimani Mumbaikar Awards. She was also included on Forbes India's "Celebrity 100", a list based on the income and popularity of India's celebrities, in 2012, 2013, and 2017.
She has won 23 awards, including 6 Filmfare Awards, 5 Screen Awards, 4 Zee Cine Awards, 1 Stardust Award and 1 Bengal Film Journalists' Association Award, and one Bollywood Movie Award till the year 2021. She was also honored with the Rajiv Gandhi Award for her contribution to Indian cinema in 2002. Kajol was listed in the Box Office India's "Top Actresses" for five consecutive years (1995-1999), topping the list in 1998.
In 2001 and 2006, she was featured in Rediff annual "Top Bollywood Actresses" listing. And in 2007, she received Karamveer Puraskar, presented by the Mumbai Pradesh Young Congress, for her social work in helping educate unprivileged children.
During the shooting of Gundaraj in 1994, Kajol and Ajay Devgn started dating. They eventually tied the knot on 24th February 1999 in a traditional Maharashtrian wedding ceremony held at Devgn's residence.- Actress
- Writer
Kalki Koechlin was born to French parents in a small village in Pondicherry. Her parents had come to India as hippies in the 1970s and settled there after they fell in love with the country. Her parents are devotees of Sri Aurobindo.
Kalki was studying in Ooty when her parents insisted that she attend university. She studied drama and theatre at Goldsmiths, University of London, where she also worked with a theater company called Theatre of Relativity for two years. She performed in various plays, including David Hare's "The Blue Room," Marivaux's "The Dispute," and a devised play called "The Rise of the Wild Hunt" during her two-year stint with the theater group.
Kalki later decided to move to Mumbai to try her luck in Indian cinema. She was doing modeling assignments for television commercials before being shortlisted for the role of Chandramukhi (Chanda) in Dev.D (2009). Kalki, who can speak Tamil, English, and French, had to learn Hindi to prepare for her role in Dev.D (2009). She was apprehensive about how people would judge her after seeing her in the role.
She won The Hindu's 2009 MetroPlus Playwright Award, along with Prashant Prakash, for their co-authored entry "Skeleton Woman." Kalki also acted in the play "Hair" directed by Ajay Krishnan.- Katrina Kaif is one of eight siblings, 7 girls and 1 boy, from a mother who is a Caucasian of British Nationality, and a father who was formerly from Kashmir, India, but who has since acquired British citizenship. Her mother is now re-settled in Chennai (formerly known as Madras), the Capital of the state of Tamil Nadu in India.
She spent subsequent years in Hawaii, and then in London, Britain, She started modeling accidentally when she was in Hawaii at the tender age of 14, when she was approached for a jewelry campaign. Thereafter she continued modeling in London.
Continuing to model was the reason she got her break in a Bollywood movie Boom (2003) offered by none other than film-maker Kaizad Gustad.
She was flooded with modeling assignments the minute she set her foot on Indian soil, especially with her innocent expressive face, hour-glass figure, and drop-dead gorgeous looks.
Professionally she started off as a model with photographer Atul Kasbekar, and upon being accepted, she received offers from LG, Cola, Fevicol, Lakme, & Veet. It was the Lakme commercial that got her noticed. She retained Matrix as her Manager to accept work on her behalf and at the price she deserved.
Moving to different culture and country was not much of a culture shock for her, as she states that no matter where you come from, the bottom line is that everyone wants to be loved, respected, and cared for.
Despite of her positive attitude, she had been stereotyped as "Indian" by extreme right-wingers in Britain who made it clear that she did not quite fit-in with their "Blonde" Caucasian culture; while on the other hand in India itself she had been ranked as an 'outsider' very much like Sonia Gandhi.
Unlike other artistes from foreign lands, Katrina did not experience any difficulties in getting a visa nor of getting it extended in India.
Although linguistically challenged, Katrina puts on a bold face and states that other Bollywood artistes like Sridevi, who did not know Hindi, did get offers from Bollywood film-makers, and she is no different. She has taken Hindi and dancing lessons to fit in with the Bollywood culture. She likes to display a picture of her learning Kathak dancing where she used to dance 7 hours a day non-stop.
Adorned with soft gorgeous looks, she is not easily intimidated, but admits that she is very emotional, sensitive, and concerned about her privacy, Almost an incurable romantic, she prefers to wear comfortable non-revealing clothes when at home, hates to do her hair, and above all dislikes make-up. Admitting to being lonely in the beginning, but now has several friends who she can hang out with.
Although her first movie Boom (2003) was panned by the critics and shunned by the audiences, two other Telugu movies Malliswari (2004) and Allari Pidugu (2005) did get her noticed. She grossed 70 Lakh Rupees for Malliswari (2004) - making her top the list of the highest paid actresses during a South Indian movie debut.
Not done with South Indian movies, she has been signed in a Tamil movie 'Bheema' opposite National Award Winner Vikram.
She has received decent reviews for her part in "Maine Pyar Kyon Kiya", as well as a brief appearance in 'Sarkar'.
Katrina had made Mumbai her base, didn't mind singing and dancing around trees and as a result is now one of the biggest mega-stars, perhaps one of the highest paid female-lead actresses in Bollywood, and a crowd-puller whenever she makes an appearance for a live song and dance number. - Actress
- Music Department
Born into Bombay filmdom's legendary Kapoor clan, Karisma Kapoor made her film debut with Prem Qaidi (1991) opposite Harish. Her next big hit was Anari (1993) and during this time she made news with a fight with her Andaz Apna Apna (1994) co-star, actress Raveena Tandon. She had a series of hit comedies between 1994 and 1997 starting with Raja Babu (1994) and ending with Hero No. 1 (1997) with Govinda and director David Dhawan. She hit the big time with the super success of Raja Hindustani (1996) and further consolidated her career with Dil To Pagal Hai (1997). Today she is the reigning mega-star of Hindi cinema leaving her contemporaries like Manisha Koirala and Raveena Tandon far behind. In Fiza (2000) she surprised many with an excellent performance showing great emotional range and depth.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Kangana was born on 23 March 1987 in Bhambla, near Manali, which is in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. Her dad Amardeep is a businessman and her mom Asha is a schoolteacher. She has two sisters and a younger brother. Her grandfather was an IAS Office. She spent her childhood in Dehra Dunand studied in DAV's High School, where she participated in many debates and elocutions and also played basketball.
After completing her schooling, she attended Science College in Simla. She was enrolled in the Elite School of Modeling and also tried theater acting in Delhi and was a member of the Smita Theater Group under Arvind Gaur. She is also a trained Kathak dancer.
She decided to relocate to Bombay and lived in a flat in Yari Road, Versova. In September 2005 she was spotted drinking coffee in a cafe by filmmaker Anurag Basu, who approached her and eventually signed her for a lead role in Gangster (2006).
Since then, Kangana Ranaut has won 4 National Awards for her performance in _Fashion (2008)_qv, _Queen (2014)_qv, and _Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015)_qv. Manikarnika(2019) Panga (2019).- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Kamini Kaushal was born on 24 February 1927 in Lahore, Punjab, British India. She is an actress and producer, known for Kabir Singh (2019), Chennai Express (2013) and Biraj Bahu (1954). She is married to BS Sood .- Actress
- Music Department
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Kareena was born to Sindhi-speaking Babita (nee Shivdasani) and Punjabi-speaking Randhir Kapoor in Bombay, India. She has an elder sister, Karisma.
She is born in a family that have been actors for generations, including her paternal great-grandfather, Prithviraj Kapoor; her grandfather, Raj Kapoor; her paternal uncles, Shammi, Shashi, Rishi, and Rajiv; as well as aunt, Neetu Singh, & Jennifer Kendall, the wives of Rishi and Shashi respectively. On her maternal side, her grandfather, Hari Shivdasani, and aunt, Sadhana, have been actors in their own rights.
As a child she studied in Jamnabai Narsee School in Juhu, Bombay, and thereafter was enrolled in Dehra Dun's prestigious Welham Girls' Boarding School. Then she re-located to Harvard for approximately 3 months to take a course in information technology and microcomputers. Upon her return to India, she joined the Government Law College in Churchgate, Bombay, but left it after one year, to enroll in the Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting School.
Her film debut was in the year 2000 with Refugee (2000) along with the debut of Amitabh Bachchan's son, Abhishek. She went on to appear in 31 other Hindi movies, and has thus far won four awards for her performances in Refugee (2000), Chameli (2003), Dev (2004), and Omkara (2006).
She is one of the most sought-after actresses in Bollywood, considered bankable, with an enviable A-listing and as of June 2007 is to appear in 'Tashan', 'Lajjo', 'Kismat Talkies' amongst others.
In 2012, she married actor Saif Ali Khan, son of actress Sharmila Tagore.- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Konkona Sen Sharma is an awarding winning actress and the daughter of the celebrated actress and director Aparna Sen. Konkona is regarded as one of the most respected actresses in Bollywood with her memorable performances right from Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2002) to Page 3 (2005), from Omkara (2006) to Life in a Metro (2007). Her singularly exquisite portrayal of a struggling actress in the undisputed hit Luck by Chance (2009) opposite Farhan Akhtar has also established her commercial success. Praising her performance in the film, noted film Critic Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India wrote, "The highpoint of the film are its performances, Konkona is a complete natural before the camera".- Actress
- Producer
Kirti Kulhari is an Indian actor and model who predominantly works in Hindi-language films. She made her acting debut with the Bollywood film Khichdi: The Movie in 2010 immediately followed by Shaitan in June 2011. She then appeared in commercially successful and critically acclaimed films like Jal (2013), Pink (2016), Indu Sarkar (2017), Blackmail (2018), Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019), Mission Mangal (2019), and Shaadisthan (2021). In the last three to four years Kirti Kulhari has emerged as one of the leading names on OTT platforms with back-to-back successes - Four More Shots Please! (Season 1 and Season 2) on Amazon Prime Video, Criminal Justice (Season 2), and Human on Disney+Hotstar.- Actress
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kirron Kher was born on 14 June 1952 in Bangalore, Karnataka, India. She is an actress, known for Devdas (2002), Rang De Basanti (2006) and Main Hoon Na (2004). She is married to Anupam Kher. They have one child.- Alia "Kiara" Advani was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra to Mr. Jagdeep Advani and Mrs. Genevieve Advani. She is an Indian actress and model who mainly works in the Bollywood industry. Advani made her debut with a box-office flop named Fugly (2014) and rose to fame with M. S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016) where she played cricketer M. S. Dhoni's wife Sakshi Singh. She has also played roles in movies like Lust Stories (2018), Kabir Singh (2019), Good Newwz (2019), Laxmii (2020), Indoo Ki Jawani (2020), Shershaah (2021) etc.
- Actress
- Producer
- Publicist
Kriti Sanon is an Indian actress who is a predominant name in the Hindi film industry, born in New Delhi to Rahul Sanon and Geeta Sanon. She holds an engineering degree from the Jaypee Institute of Information Technology. After completing her degree, she stepped into the entertainment industry as a model and later on in the year 2014 she has made her debut in Telugu cinema with Nenokkadine starting opposite Telugu Superstar Mahesh Babu. In the same year, Kriti debuted in Bollywood with Sabbir Khan's Heropanti which gave her Filmfare Best Debutant Actress. After which Kriti became a part of Bollywood's three commercially successful movies.
Before making her silver screen debut, Kriti Sanon has appeared in various television commercials like Closeup, Vivel, Samsung, Bata, Amul among others. In 2015 Sanon appeared in her second Hindi film which was Rohit Shetty's Dilwale which appeared to be one of the highest-grossing films worldwide. In 2017, Kriti Sanon was a part of two Hindi movies; Raabta and Bareilly Ki Barfi. In 2019, Kriti Sanon starred opposite Kartik Aryan in Luka Chuppi which is a romantic comedy movie. Kriti Sanon has also made special appearances in songs like 'Aao Kabhi Haveli Pe' from the movie Stree (2018), 'Aira Gaira' from the movie Kalank(2019).
Kriti's upcoming Hindi movie releases in 2019 are Arjun Patiala, Housefull4, Panipat, and Mimi in 2020- Actress
- Producer
It is not a secret that Lara Dutta is a beauty with brains. This was demonstrated when she scored the highest possible marks in the history of the Miss Universe Contest. After this she was crowned Miss Universe 2000, making history as not only the most beautiful but also the most intelligent young woman to wear this crown in the history of Miss Universe.
Lara was born in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India, on April 16, 1978. Her dad is retired Wing Commander L.K. Dutta and her mother is Jennifer Dutta. Lara has two sisters, one of whom serves in the Indian Air Force, and is the cousin of Nitin Sawhney.
In 1981 the Dutta family re-located to Bangalore, and she was enrolled in St. Francis Xavier Girls' High School where she studied till her 10th Standard, and later did her First Year and Second Year Junior College at the Frank Anthony Public School. After graduating from school, she then went on to earn a degree in Economics from Bombay University. She is fluent in both Hindi and English.
In 1997 Lara enrolled and subsequently won the Miss Gladrags competition, leading her to represent India at the Miss Intercontinental, and thereafter being crowned Miss Universe in 2000 in Cyprus, making her the second Indian to win this prestigious award.
After completing her Miss Universe commitments, she received several offers from Bollywood movie makers, and starred in Andaaz in 2003, which won her considerable recognition, and she subsequently won the best female debut award from Femina.
Thereafter, most of her movies failed to make a mark at the box office, however, she did become popular and a household name. Some of the movies she is remembered for are 'Masti', 'No Entry, 'Kaal', 'Partner', Hey Baby' amongst others.
She is also known for her sense of humor, and a talent for writing. She has now announced that she will writing scripts, and hopes that one day someone from Bollywood will make flicks out of them.- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Madhuri Dixit is one of the most acclaimed actors and Kathak dancers Bollywood have ever witnessed. Born in a Marathi Brahmin Koknastha family to Mr. Shankar and Mrs. Snehlata, Madhuri Dixit has two sisters Rupa, Bharti, and brother Ajit. She performed decently well in her academics and aspired to become a Microbiologist which made her pursue the subject from Mumbai's Sathaye College, formerly known as Parle College; but within six months she opted out from college to pursue her career in Bollywood. Though she debuted with 'Abodh' in 1984, it's with 'Tezaab' (1988), a romantic thriller caste opposite Anil Kapoor, where she started garnering fame and popularity. She earned her first nomination of Filmfare Best Actress with this movie and it was also the highest grossing film in that year. Her performance in 'Ek Do Tin' made every heart groove to the beats of the song. During this time, Madhuri also got featured on Debonair and she was also featured as the cover girl on 1986 Filmfare edition. Since then she has graced more than 72 movies with her stupendous performances.
After 'Tejaab', Madhuri Dixit once again was paired with Anil Kapoor for Subhash Ghai's 'Ram Lakhan'(1989) which went on to be a super hit and the second highest grossing movie of the year. In her next 'Prem Pratigya' she received critical acclamation for her performance and earned her second nomination for Filmfare Best Actress Award. Dixit continued her success with her fourth pairing with Anil Kapoor in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's drama 'Parinda'. In 1990, Madhuri starred in the romantic drama 'Dil' opposite Aamir Khan. The film became the biggest box office hit of the year and made her one of the leading actresses of Bollywood. Her performance in 'Dil' also earned her the first Filmfare Best Actress Award of her career. She was also seen in the dramas 'Sailaab' opposite Aditya Pancholi and 'Kishen Kanhaiya' opposite Anil Kapoor. The following year in 1991, she starred in the super-hit movie 'Saajan' opposite Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt which also earned her the fourth nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award. In 1992, Dixit featured in the film 'Beta' once again opposite Anil Kapoor which won her the second Filmfare Best Actress Award. Following the film's success, Dixit became famously known as the "Dhak Dhak Girl" for her performance on the song "Dhak Dhak Karne Laga".
In 1993, Dixit starred in the super-hit film 'Khalnayak; opposite Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff. Her portrayal of the police officer Ganga earned her critical acclaim and a sixth nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award and became the year's second highest grossing film. In 1994, Dixit starred in 'Anjaam', being paired with Shahrukh Khan for the first time. Dixit's performance of a revenge-seeking wife and mother earned her a seventh nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award. She was praised for her performance, even though the film was an average performer at the box office. Her next was 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun' opposite Salman Khan. The film became one of the biggest hits & the highest grossing Bollywood film after its theatrical run and held this record for 7 years till the release of 'Gadar: Ek Prem Katha' (2001). Madhuri was awarded her third Filmfare Best Actress Award for the film. 1995 witnessed Dixit star in the hit film 'Raja' opposite Sanjay Kapoor. The film became the fourth highest grosser of the year and its success was attributed to her immense popularity. Her next release was David Dhawan's 'Yaraana' opposite Rishi Kapoor, in which she played a dancer on the run from her abusive lover. Both films earned her nominations for the Filmfare Best Actress Award.
After a not so successful year in 1996 with films like 'Prem Granth' and 'Rajkumar'Madhuri Dixit bounced back with Prakash Jha's 'Mrityudand' in 1997 followed by Yash Chopra's 'Dil to Pagal Hai' (1997), opposite Shahrukh Khan and Karisma Kapoor. Her performance in 'Dil toh Pagal Hai' fetched her the fourth Filmfare Best Actress Award. The film also proved to be a success at the box office. However, her career growth slowed down with films like Wajood (1998) and Aarzoo (1999). In 2000, Madhuri starred in Rajkumar Santoshi's 'Pukar' opposite Anil Kapoor which earned her twelfth nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award. She then played the title character in 'Gaja Gamini' In 2001, Dixit starred in Deepak Shivdasani's love triangle 'Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke' opposite Ajay Devgan and Preity Zinta, followed by reuniting with Rajkumar Santoshi in the multi-starer 'Lajja' (2001). Dixit was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for Lajja. In 2002, Dixit starred in a lead role in the love triangle film 'Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam' opposite Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan. Madhuri Dixit's next release was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's period romance 'Devdas', co-starring Shahrukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai. Devdas was chosen as India's official entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language. Dixit won the Filmfare Best supporting actress award for the film. It turned out to be her last film for a while as she shifted to Denver, U.S.A with her husband Dr. Shriram Madhav Nene, a Cardiovascular Surgeon. She subsequently became a proud mother of two sons (Arin and Ryan) in March 2003 and March 8, 2005, respectively.
In 2006, Dixit returned to India with her family and acted in Anil Mehta's dance film 'Aaja Nachle' (2007). It was her first release in five years and her performance was appreciated by critics and also earned her the nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award.
In 2008, she was also awarded the prestigious 'Bharat Ratna' for her contribution to Indian cinema by the Government of India. In 2011, Dixit was felicitated with the Filmfare Special Award for completing 25 years in the film industry.
In 2012, she was seen in the comedy 'Dedh Ishqiya' (2014), a sequel to Ishqiya (2010) opposite Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, and Huma Qureshi. The film opened to a positive response from critics who called it "one of the year's most important releases". The film also earned her the fourteenth nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Her next release of the year was the debuted director Soumik Sen's 'Gulaab Gang' alongside Juhi Chawla.
Madhuri Dixit made her debut in Marathi cinema both as an actor & Producer in 2018. She played the lead in 'Bucket List' and produced "15th August" which is slated for a Netflix worldwide released in 2019. She has also lent her voice for the Netflix original 'Mowgli'.
In (2019) she was seen reunited with Anil Kapoor after 17years on screen in a comedy, action and adventure movie 'Total Dhamaal' the third sequel of 'Dhamaal' (2007). In the same year, she also a part of Dharma productions 'Kalank' a period drama film directed by Abhishekh Varman starring along with Sanjay Dutt, Varun Dhawan, Aditya Roy Kapur, Alia Bhatt, and Sonakshi Sinha.
Madhuri Dixit is also associated with various philanthropic activities. She is associated with UNICEF since 2014 to advocate the rights of children, prevent child labor and child trafficking. She was appointed as the brand ambassador for the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao campaign by the Government of India in 2015 that aspires to create awareness and upgrade the efficiency of welfare services intended for girls.
Dixit made her first appearance on television as a host for India's first reality show Kahin Na Kahin Koi Hai on Sony TV followed by Jhalak Dikhla Ja & Dance Deewane.- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Arguably the most beautiful artiste to ever grace the Indian screen, Madhubala rose from humble beginnings to become the most captivating star India has ever produced. Madhubala was born Mumtaz Jehan Begum on Valentine's Day 1933, in a poor, conservative family of Pathan Muslims in Delhi, a part of a prolific brood of sisters, and entered the world of films at the tender age of eight. After about five years of playing child roles, Madhubala got her first break in a lead role in Neel Kamal (1947), produced anddirected by her mentor, veteran filmmaker Kidar Sharma. At the age of 14, she played a romantic lead against another fledgling star, Raj Kapoor, and Madhubala had finally arrived on the Indian screen. Over the next two years she had blossomed into a truly rapturous beauty (which earned her the sobriquet of the Venus Of the Indian Screen) and with the movie Mahal (1949), literally overnight, she was a superstar.
It has been often said that her beauty overshadowed her acting talents, which to an extent is true; however this was more due to poor judgement than lack of talent. Being encumbered by a large family to support, and forever living under the domination of an imperious father who, she made several poor choices in movies which seriously undermined her credibility as a serious performer, to the extent of being labelled "box-office poison". However, her more or less dismal repertoire in the 50s was marked by spots of true brilliance - movies like Tarana (1951), Mr. & Mrs. '55 (1955) and of course her swansong Mughal-E-Azam (1960) showcased her remarkable talents as a serious artiste across several genres and revealed what this ethereal beauty was truly capable of.
Sadly, she was plagued by a persistent heart disease that confined her to a bed for almost nine torturous years, and eventually claimed her life on February 23 1969, nine days after her 36th birthday. In this short life, she had made over 70 movies, and to this day remains one of the most enduring legends of Indian cinema.- Actress
- Music Department
Mala Sinha, born in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, is a legendary Indian actress who has left an indelible mark on the Hindi film industry. Known for her grace, versatility, and powerful performances, Mala Sinha became one of the leading actresses during the golden era of Bollywood.
Mala Sinha's journey in the world of cinema began when she won a beauty contest, leading her to a debut in the Bengali film "Roshanara" (1952). She made her mark in Hindi cinema with her first film, "Badshah" (1954). However, it was her performance in "Anpadh" (1962) that brought her widespread recognition and acclaim. Mala Sinha's portrayal of an illiterate woman seeking education showcased her acting prowess and set the stage for a successful career.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Mala Sinha delivered stellar performances in a wide range of films, displaying her versatility as an actress. Her notable works include films like "Hariyali Aur Rasta" (1962), "Dhool Ka Phool" (1959), "Gumrah" (1963), and "Himalay Ki God Mein" (1965). She often played characters with depth and emotional complexity, earning her accolades from both audiences and critics.
Mala Sinha's on-screen chemistry with leading actors of her time, including Rajendra Kumar, Sunil Dutt, and Manoj Kumar, contributed to the success of many films. Her ability to portray various shades of characters, from the romantic heroine to the tragic figure, showcased her range as an actress.
Apart from her acting career, Mala Sinha has been associated with social causes and charity work. Her contribution to Indian cinema was recognized with several awards, including the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mala Sinha's impact on the film industry continued into the 1980s, and even after her gradual withdrawal from the spotlight, she remains a respected figure in the history of Bollywood. Her timeless performances and the legacy she left behind continue to inspire new generations of actors in Indian cinema.- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Manisha Koirala (born 16 August 1970) is a Nepali actress who mainly appears in Bollywood, though she has worked in several South Indian and her native country's films. Noted for her acting prowess, Koirala is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards-and is one of India's most well-known actresses. Critics have noted that her niche as an actor remains unharmed irrespective of her commercial potent. Manisha was born into the politically prominent Koirala family, in which several of her family members went on to rule the nation, but she did not aspire to pursue a career in politics. A stint in modeling opened a career path in films, and she made her Bollywood debut with the top-grossing production Saudagar (1991). In spite of initial struggle to leave a mark, she went on to establish herself as one of the leading actresses in the 1990s with such films as 1942: A Love Story (1994), Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995), Agni Sakshi (1996) and Gupt (1997). Koirala gained particular recognition for her willingness to experiment with a variety of strong, dramatic roles, and she delivered several acclaimed performances in a range of films that did well with critics, including Bombay (1995), Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), Dil Se.. (1998), Mann (1999), Lajja (2001), Company (2002), and Escape from Taliban (2003). These films brought Koirala several awards and nominations, including three Filmfare Critics Awards for Best Actress, a South Filmfare Award for Best Actress, and a Star Screen Award Best Actress, among others. This was followed by a major period of decline when most of her films failed to do well. Her work in the Malyalam drama Elektra, the anthology film I Am (both 2010), and the romantic comedy Mappillai (2011) was received well, but she took a break from acting in 2012 to return three years later with the psychological thriller Chehere: A Modern Day Classic (2015).
She was appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Population Fund in 1999 and 2015, and was involved in the relief works after the Nepal earthquake 2015. She promotes various causes such as women's rights, prevention of violence against women, prevention of human trafficking and cancer awareness.
Manisha was seen back on the Silver Screen with Sunaina Bhattnagar's Dear Maya. Manisha received appreciation from her fans and industry from across the whole of India. She has been seen doing some amazing motivational and social events.
She was one of the speakers along side Dalai Lama and CM of Andhra Pradesh at the Womens's Parliament, Amravati. She advocated on how we need more women in our board rooms, court rooms, schools and universities to make policies for women and that women should stand in solidarity for each other. Manisha's TEDx talk touched hearts of millions of people and she has received appreciation from across worldwide for same. She spoke about her struggle with cancer and her brave victory as a warrior and highly advocates on how focusing from early day on our personal health can do wonders. Her philosophy is to focus on mind, body and soul rather than just physical body to stay fit and positive.- Mallika Sherawat is an Indian actress who mainly works in the Hindi film industry. She was named Reema Lamba at birth but later took up Mallika Sherawat as her screen name.
Sherawat did her schooling at Delhi Public School, Mathura Road. She earned her degree in philosophy from Miranda House at Delhi University. She worked as an air hostess and acted in commercials before joining the film industry.
Sherawat's film career began with Talat Jani's romance film Jeena Sirf Merre Liye (2002), in which she plays a small role. She debuted in a lead role in Khwahish (2003), directed by Govind Menon, starring Himanshu Malik. While the film failed to impact the box office, Sherawat gained popularity due to her 17 kissing scenes in the movie.
A year later, she appeared in Murder (2004), a romantic thriller co-starring Emraan Hashmi and Ashmit Patel, directed by Anurag Basu. She went on to act in films like Kis Kis Ki Kismat (2004) and Bachke Rehna Re Baba (2005).
In 2005, Sherawat appeared in her first international film, The Myth (2005), a Chinese fantasy-adventure and martial arts film directed by Stanley Tong that had Jackie Chan in the lead role. Her next film was Pyaar Ke Side Effects (2006), a romantic comedy written and directed by Saket Chaudhary with Rahul Bose playing the lead opposite her.
Sherawat was next seen on Aap Ka Suroor - The Real Love Story (Joy: The Real Love Story (2007)), a romantic thriller directed by Prashant Chadha, starring Himesh Reshammiya and Hansika Motwani. She essayed the role of an advocate in the movie. Her next film was Welcome (2007), directed by Anees Bazmee, starring Anil Kapoor, Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif and Nana Patekar. The film became a huge commercial success and earned more than Rs. 117 crores worldwide.
The following year, Sherawat appeared in Ugly Aur Pagli (2008) and Maan Gaye Mughall-E-Azam (2008). She debuted in Tamil cinema with the film Dasavatharam (2008), with Kamal Haasan in the lead role.
Sherawat played the lead role in Hisss (2010), an English-Hindi crossover from the adventure-horror genre directed by Jennifer Lynch. She promoted the film at the Cannes Film Festival 2010. She won the Best Actress Award at the Gotham Screen Film Festival & Screenplay Contest 2011 for her performance in the film.
She went on to work on Politics of Love (2011), directed by William Dear. Sherawat plays the lead role in this romantic comedy set during the campaign for the U.S. Presidential Election in 2008.
Sherawat appeared in films like Double Dhamaal (2011), Kismet Love Paisa Dilli (2012), and Dirty Politics (2015), among others. She acted in Time Raiders (2016), a Chinese fantasy-action-adventure movie directed by Daniel Lee.
Sherawat has also appeared in item numbers in several films, such as Thank You (2011), Bin Bulaye Baraati (2011), and Tezz (2012). She appeared in TV shows like Sarabhai V/S Sarabhai (2004) and Hawaii Five-0 (2010). In 2013, she took part in Bachelorette India - Mere Khayalon ki Mallika (2013), a reality dating show meant to find the ideal bachelor for herself.
Sherawat received the 2008 Renaissance Artist Award. She also received the International Youth Icon Award at the Kalakar Awards in 2015 - Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Mahie Gill was born in Chandigarh, Punjab. She has completed her Masters in theater from Panjab University, Chandigarh in 1998. Mahi got her first break with the Punjabi based Bollywood film Hawayein and has done a couple of Punjabi films along with theatre. Anurag saw her first in a party and instantly finalized her to play the character of Paro in movie Dev D. Gill, and is set to appear in UTV's Aage se right opposite Shreyas Talpade and Paan Singh Tomar with Irrfan Khan.- Actress
- Costume Designer
- Music Department
The Empress of Indian Cinema!
A Sweetheart of 1950s, & The Undisputed Goddess of 1960s Bollywood, Meena Kumari bestrode the movies like few women in history have!
Combing enchanting grace, amazingly heart-melting expression, & consistently solid progressive content base, this Giant of Cinema will remain immortal as perhaps the greatest feminine incarnation of filmdom!
Born in 1933 into a poor Parsee theatre family of Ali Bux and actor-dancer Prabhavati Devi (converted to Iqbal Begum) (Prabhavati's mother's first husband till death, incidentally, being the cousin of Rabindranath Tagore, Prabhavati in turn borne of her second husband, a very famous Urdu poet of Meerut, from where she migrated to pursue a career in music) in Bombay, Maharashtra, India, she entered films to support her family in difficult times.
She was six when hired for Leatherface (1939) in 1939 by Vijay Bhatt and named Baby Meena. Later she became Meena Kumari when cast for Bhatt's Baiju Bawra (1952).
She did mythological films with Homi Wadia and then comedies like Miss Mary (1957). She became personified as the archetypal good Hindu wife through many roles, long suffering and always true to the man. She excelled at tragedy and was often shown in a white sari carrying the film with her emotive acting. She was also thought to be the only actress who could sell a film on the strength of her name alone. Her major films are Daaera (1953), Baiju Bawra (1952), 0046164, and of course her most well known film, Pakeezah (1972). She was married to Kamal Amrohi with whom she started making "Pakeezah". They separated in 1964.
She was also an accomplished Urdu writer and had several poems published by Gulzar after her death. She battled alcoholism and loneliness and finally died, alone, in 1972.- Meenakshi Sheshadri (born on November 16th 1963) is an Indian (Bollywood) film actress and dancer who acted in more than 20 Bollywood films during her times. She won the Miss India contest in 1981 at age 17, nominated as the youngest woman to be crowned Miss India. Making her debut film into Bollywood by appearing in Painter Babu (1983); Meenakshi quickly shot to fame in Hero (1983) a film that was directed by Subash Ghai also starring Jackie Shroff. We cannot forget her in films that made her the leading lady and which brings her the awards as an actress. Films such as Jurm (1990), Ghayal (1990), Shahenshah (1988), Ghatak (1996) and most of all Damini (1993) a film that leave a mark in our mind and in which Meenakshi became a superb actress. She made her last appearance in Bollywood in the year 1997 and is married to Harish Mysore, an investment banker. The couple have settled in Texas, with a daughter called Kendra and son, Sanjosh.
- Moushumi Chatterjee was considered one of the most beautiful faces to hit the Hindi screen in the 1970s. She is an actress originally from Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), West Bengal. She made her film debut in the Bengali hit, Balika Badhu (1967) directed by Tarun Majumdar when she was in her early teens. Her debut as heroine in the Hindi film Anuraag (1972) came courtesy of another famous Bengali director Shakti Samanta. She played a blind girl who falls in love, and her performance earned her a Filmfare nomination as Best Actress. The film, itself, won the Filmfare Award as Best Picture. That led to another huge hit film, where she played a rape survivor in Manoj Kumar 's Roti Kapada Aur Makaan (1974). Her rape sequence in the film is still considered to be one of the most disturbing scenes in Hindi cinema. Her performance earned her a Filmfare Nomination as Best Supporting Actress. That led to more starring roles opposite superstar Rajesh Khanna in Humshakal, Bhola Bhala, Prem Bandhan, Ghar Parivaar,Aa Ab Laut Chalen. She acted with Amitabh Bachchan in the thriller Benaam (1974) and Basu Chatterjee's film Manzil (1979). She played heroine opposite all the other top leading men, such as Sanjeev Kumar in films like Angoor, Itni Si Baat and with Jeetendra like Swarg Narak, Jyoti Bane Jwala, Justice Chowdhry, Dil Aur Deewar, Pyasa Sawan and with Vinod Mehra like Anuraag, Do Jhoot, Zindagi, Us Paar, Naina, Mazaaq, Umar Qaid and with Shashi Kapoor in Swayamvar, Ghar Ek Mandir. She did more Hindi and Bengali hit films, and by the 1986, she made the transition to character roles of mother and bhabhi (sister-in-law).
Moushumi's personal life has kept her in the gossip columns since the beginning of her career. She married early to producer Jayanta Mukherjee, son of legendary music composer and singer Hemanta Mukherjee. They have two daughters, Payal and Megha. She acted in Hindi films after marriage, which was unusual at that time, as it was customary to act in films before marriage and leave films after marriage. At one point, she was said to leave her husband for film distributor Ramesh Sippy (not to be confused with the director of Sholay (1975)) but then changed her mind and stayed with her husband and their two daughters.
In 2005, she was thrilled when director Tarun Majumdar', who had introduced her to films in Balika Badhu (1967) decided to introduce her younger daughter Megha in his next Bengali film "Bhalobasar Anek Naam". (Moushumi played a supporting role as cousin sister to Megha in the film.) Her older daughter Payal has made a name for herself behind the camera as the creative head at the Prime Channel, which oversees television shows.
In middle age, Moushumi has accepted new challenges as playing a dual role in Tanuja Chandra's Zindaggi Rocks (2006) and crossed over to Canada to act in Bollywood/Hollywood (2002) for which she received a Genie Best Supporting Actress nomination. She also has entered politics in 2004, even though she has had no experience, but she tried to compensate with enthusiasm and hard work. - Mrunal Thakur is an Indian actress who has worked in Hindi, Telugu, and Marathi television and films. She began acting through television and was best known for her role in the serial, Kumkum Bhagya.
Thakur first entered films with her performance in the Marathi film, Vitti Dandu (2014). Soon after, she took on a role in another Marathi production, Surajya (2014). Her foray into Hindi films began with Tabrez Noorani's Love Sonia (2018). In the film, Thakur played the lead character in a story about the realities of human trafficking and prostitution. Her next major Hindi film would be Super 30.
Thakur made her debut in the Telugu film industry with the romantic drama Sita Ramam (2022). - Actress
- Music Department
Mumtaz was born on July 31, 1947 to Abdul Sameed Askari and Sardar Begum Habib Agha aka Naaz, both of Iranian origin but settled in Bombay, India. Mumtaz first appeared in as child artist in Sanskar (1952),Yasmin (1955),Lajwanti (1958),Sone Ki Chidiya (1958),Stree(1961).Her mother, Naaz, was also an actress in films. When her family faced financial crisis, Mumtaz agreed to act in films as a junior artist and started appearing in group-scenes, at a very young age. She appeared in front of camera in V. Shantaram's Stree and Sehra but she went almost unnoticed.Mumtaz, as an adult her first role was that of the role of sister of the hero in O. P. Ralhan's Gehra Daag. Mumtaz then got the lead role in Pathan being made by Ataullah Khan, Madhubala's father, but the film remained incomplete. In early 1960's there was a union of the artistes playing extras in films in Bombay and every junior artist had to shell a part of their income to this union. From 1958-1964 she was only an extra in Hindi films in films like Vallah Kya Baat Hai.Too young to be cast as leading lady, she started with bit roles only, but was not missed, and gradually graduated to lead roles in low budget B grade movies with Dara Sing as hero.With Dara Sing she had 10 hit films of the 16 they did together from 1964-68. Mumtaz got the roles of supporting actress in A grade hit films like Sehra, Kaajal, Khandaan, Sawan Ki Ghata, Anpad, Hamraaz ,Pyar Kiye Jaa,Pati Patni, Mere Sanam, Suraj, Pathhar Ke Sanam, Ram Aur Shyam and Brahmachari. Then she was signed opposite Rajesh Khanna in Do Raaste in 1969. After release of Aradhana, Rajesh Khanna had become the superstar and his next 2 releases were Do Raate and Bandhan both with Mumtaz as his heroine. After release of these 2 films, Mumtaz became the highest paid Hindi actress from 1970-1976. She was extremely versatile, beautiful, charming, and stole everybody's heart by her captivating looks and inspired performances in each of her film. She quickly out-shadowed and dethroned the established queens in a very short time because of her histrionics. Mumtaz was sensitive, quick to understand and translate every nuance hinted at, onto the screen. Even in her brief roles against established actresses, she was the one who got noticed more and lingered in viewers memories for longer periods. She acted in more than 100 films during a short career span of 14 years, and there is not even a single film in which her performance could not be termed as excellent. In her very first film with significant banner and role, Khilona (1970), she won the most coveted Filmfare award in 1970. She has also been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by Filmfare in 1997. She was in the Marilyn Monroe mold; every man's fantasy woman. She outshone everybody because of the simple reason that she was so versatile that every role appeared as if it was written with just Mumtaz in mind. Whether the role was negative or positive, serious or light, she proved her worth. Whether the role was for an urbanite or rustic, majestic or pauper, innocent or vile, gentle or venomous, coy or flaunting, Mumtaz just fitted them like a glove. The public adulation for her is still strong. The response to the continuous spate of screening of her movies on various television channels, even after more than two decades of her self-retirement, proves her tremendous unending popularity due to her incomparable charisma.- Nafisa Ali, born on in Kolkata, India, is a versatile Indian actress, social activist, and beauty queen known for her contributions to Bollywood films. With a career spanning several decades, Nafisa Ali has been admired for her on-screen performances as well as her active involvement in social causes.
Nafisa Ali started her journey in the world of entertainment by winning the Miss India title in 1976. This marked the beginning of her association with the world of glamour and paved the way for her entry into Bollywood.
She made her acting debut with Shashi Kapoor's film "Junoon" (1978), directed by Shyam Benegal. The film, set against the backdrop of the Indian Rebellion of 1857, showcased Nafisa's ability to take on substantial and meaningful roles from the start of her career.
Nafisa Ali continued to establish herself as a versatile actress with films like "Major Saab" (1998), "Life in a... Metro" (2007), and "Yamla Pagla Deewana" (2011). She brought depth to her characters, portraying a range of roles that showcased her acting skills.
Apart from her film career, Nafisa Ali has been actively involved in social work and activism. She has been associated with various causes, including women's rights, child health, and environmental issues. Her dedication to social causes has earned her respect beyond the realm of entertainment.
In addition to her work in films, Nafisa Ali has also been involved in politics. She joined the Samajwadi Party and contested the Lok Sabha elections in 2004. Although she did not win, her foray into politics showcased her commitment to making a positive impact on society.
Nafisa Ali's life story is one of resilience and courage. In 2018, she shared her battle with cancer and became an inspiration for many who admired her strength and positivity in the face of adversity.
Nafisa Ali continues to be involved in social work and remains an inspirational figure in the Indian entertainment industry. - Nargis was born on June 1, 1929 as Fatima Rashid in Rawalpindi, British India, daughter to Jaddanbai and Uttamchand Mohanchand, a former Hindu Mohyal Brahmin who converted to Islam as Abdul Rashid. Her mother was a well-known dancer, singer, actor, composer, and director. This is what paved the way for Fatima to become a child artiste (Baby Nargis) as early as 1935. She was the half-sister of Bollywood actors, Anwar Hussain and Akhtar Hussain.
Nargis, and actor Raj Kapoor formed a reel romantic couple. It is well known that they had an off-screen romance. Raj, who was already married, refused to divorce his wife and marry Nargis.
After playing the mother of Sunil Dutt in the movie 'Mother India', she subsequently married him on March 11, 1958 . She had three children, namely Bollywood actor, Sanjay Dutt, and two daughters, Priya, and Anju. Her son Sanjay was married to actress Richa Sharma, who passed away due to cancer. They have a daughter named Trishala. His second wife was Rhea Pillai whom he subsequently divorced. He is now married to Manyata Dutt, formerly known as Dilnawaz Shaikh. They are the parents of twins, Iqra and Shahraan. Her daughter, Anju, is married to Bollywood actor, Kumar Gaurav, who is the son of actor Rajendra Kumar. Her husband, Sunil, Dutt, went on to win a seat in the Indian Parliament, and after his passing, their daughter, Priya, won his vacant seat.
Nargis passed away due to pancreatic cancer on May 3, 1981. - Actress
- Animation Department
- Director
Nandita Das, born in Mumbai, India, is a highly acclaimed Indian actress, director, and social activist known for her impactful performances in parallel and mainstream cinema. With a career spanning over two decades, Nandita Das has not only established herself as a versatile and talented actress but also as a filmmaker committed to socially relevant storytelling.
Nandita Das made her acting debut in Bollywood with the film "Parinati" (1989). However, it was her role in the critically acclaimed film "Fire" (1996), directed by Deepa Mehta, that brought her widespread recognition. The film, exploring the taboo subject of same-sex relationships, marked a turning point in her career and showcased her willingness to take on unconventional and socially relevant roles.
Over the years, Nandita Das has been associated with numerous impactful films, including "Earth" (1998) and "Bawandar" (2000). Her performances in these films earned her accolades for portraying strong and resilient characters, often dealing with complex social issues.
Nandita Das is known for her collaborations with filmmakers who focus on meaningful and thought-provoking storytelling. She worked with Mira Nair in "Firaaq" (2008), a film set against the backdrop of the 2002 Gujarat riots, and portrayed the legendary author Saadat Hasan Manto's wife in her directorial debut, "Manto" (2018).
In addition to her acting career, Nandita Das has made significant contributions as a director and producer. Her directorial venture "Firaaq" (2008) was widely praised for its sensitive portrayal of communal tensions. She has also been involved in various social and cultural initiatives, using her platform to advocate for human rights and equality.
Nandita Das has received several awards for her contributions to the world of cinema, including the National Film Award for Best Actress for her role in "Firaaq" (2008). Her work has been recognized internationally, and she continues to be a prominent voice in both the film industry and social activism.
Nandita Das remains an influential figure, contributing to cinema and societal conversations through her creative endeavors and advocacy work.- A film career spanning from the 1940s to the 1980s, Nanda was born on January 8, 1939, to a show-business Marathi family in Bombay, India. Her father was actor Master Vinayak, and her mother was Sushila. Nanda was the third of seven brothers and sisters. When she was just 5 years old, her father wanted to cast her in his film "Mandir" (1948). She didn't want to do it, but her mother cajoled her into it. She played a boy in the film, a role that could have been easily played by her brothers. But Nanda always believed that the reason her parents cast her in the film was because she was their favorite child. It was during the filming of "Mandir" that her father suddenly died. The film was eventually completed by Dinkar Patil. Nanda went onto become a child star, where she was credited as Baby Nanda, in films like "Jaggu" (1952). Her income supported her large family.
When Nanda was a teenager, Shantaram Rajaram Vankudre asked her to attend a wedding in a sari. When he saw her, he felt she was ready to graduate from child roles to sister roles. He cast her in "Toofan Aur Diya" (1956), and she was no longer called Baby Nanda but just Nanda. The film's success led to more sister roles, gaining recognition with the release of "Bhabhi" (1957) for which she received her first Filmfare nomination as Best Supporting Actress. Nanda played the title role in "Chhoti Bahen" (1959), and it became a major hit. She was declared a star and earned a reputation as a talented actress who can do tragedienne roles. She won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress award for "Aanchal" (1960), a major accomplishment, considering that she was still a teenager. She impressed Dev Anand when she played his sister in "Kala Bazaar" and also his heroine Waheeda Rehman who became her close friend for the next 55 years. Anand promised her that he would graduate her to be his heroine in his next film "Hum Dono" (1961), and when the film became a hit, she was offered more heroine roles. She was considered a generous and kindhearted actress, agreeing to act with an then-unknown Shashi Kapoor in "Char Diwari" (1961). Even though, the film flopped, she signed onto do seven more films, for which Kapoor always remained grateful to her, calling her his favorite leading lady. Their biggest hit was "Jab Jab Phool Khile" (1965), where Nanda played a glamorous, Westernized woman in love with a native Kashmiri played by Kapoor. The film totally changed her career from a tragedienne to a trendy fashionable star. She also had another big hit that same year, the murder mystery "Gumnaam" (1965), which put her in the top league of heroines. She continued in heroine roles for the next nine years, again drastically changing her image from a good girl to an adulteress/murderess in "Ittefaq" (1969), which earned her a Filmfare nomination as Best Actress. She started winding down her career in the 1970's, with her memorable cameo in "Shor" (1972). She ended her career as a heroine with "Naya Nasha" (1974), playing a drug addict, a daring role that other actresses would have been afraid to play. Then, she vanished from the screen for several years and reappeared in 3 movies in 1982: 'Mazdoor', 'Ahista Ahista', and 'Prem Rog', the latter two earned her back-to-back Filmfare Nominations as Best Supporting Actress. In all 3 movies she coincidentally played the mother of actress Padmini Kolhapure. Then, she permanently retired from films.
Very shy and introvert, Nanda kept to herself, staying close to family and friends. A middle-aged Nanda finally agreed to marry film-maker Manmohan Desai, an engagement took place in 1992, but before the wedding could take place, Manmohan died when he fell from a building. That death, along with her mother and brother's deaths, made her shun the spotlight even more.
She did stay in touch with her friends, Waheeda Rehman, Sadhana Shivdasani, Asha Parekh, Shammi, Helen, and Saira Banu almost to her dying day. She died of a sudden heart attack on March 25, 2014. The film industry had a public funeral, grieving the loss of their beloved star, an award-winning actress who was respected for her talent, versatility, and longevity of her career. Her family and friends grieved that they lost a sweet, wonderful woman. - Actress
- Costume Designer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sonia Singh, now known as Neetu Singh, started her career as a child artiste (Baby Neetu/Sonia) in Bollywood movies and went on to become a full-fledged Bollywood movie actress, with a reputation of having her mom accompany her to almost all shoots. She married her co-star, Rishi Kapoor, and in keeping with the Kapoor Clan's tradition for women, retired from acting to care for her family. Over 25 years later, she returned to acting.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Neena Gupta is an Indian actress, producer, and director. Her repertoire of films includes art-house films, commercial films, and several international films as well.
Gupta attended The Lawrence School in Sanawar in Himachal Pradesh. And she pursued her graduation from Janki Devi Memorial College in Delhi. She earned her Master's degree in Sanskrit and completed her M.Phil in the same subject.
While studying at Janki Devi Memorial College in Delhi, Gupta started taking part in college plays. Gupta's first appearance on the big screen was in 1982 in Saath Saath (1982), an endearing love story directed by Raman Kumar.
In the same year, she was seen in the international film Gandhi (1982), based on the life of Mahatma Gandhi, directed by Richard Attenborough. She played the role of Gandhi's grandniece Abha in the film.
She followed it up with Yeh Nazdeekiyan (1982), helmed by Vinod Pande. The storyline was based on an extra-marital relationship.
In 1983, Gupta made her mark by acting in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983), a dark satire directed by Kundan Shah that revolved around corruption in India.
She was next seen in Shyam Benegal's dark comedy Mandi (1983). She essayed the role of a classical dancer in the film that centred around politics and prostitution in society.
In Trikal (Past, Present, Future) (1985), another movie helmed by Shyam Benegal, she played the role of a maid who acted as a medium for seances.
She went on to act in Aruna Raje's Rihaee (1988), a film that dealt with women's choice and sexual frustration when faced with male promiscuity.
Her next international appearance on the big screen was in The Deceivers (1988), an adventure movie helmed by Nicholas Meyer that starred Pierce Brosnan, Shashi Kapoor, and Saeed Jaffrey.
In 1989, she was seen in Daddy (1989), a television movie directed by Mahesh Bhatt. Gupta appeared in a couple of Malayalam movies, such as Vasthuhara (1991) and Aham (1992).
In 1992, she acted in Bollywood action films like Zulm Ki Hukumat (1992), directed by Bharat Rangachary, and Balwaan (1992), directed by Deepak Anand.
In the same year, she appeared in The Seventh Horse of the Sun (1992), directed by Shyam Benegal.
Her acting in Woh Chokri (1994), directed by Subhankar Ghosh, won her the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1993.
She also appeared in Badhaai Ho (2018), a comedy-drama helmed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma Amit Ravindernath Sharma. She essayed the role of a middle-aged woman who gets pregnant. Gupta won the Screen Award for Best Actress (Critics) 2019 and Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress 2019 for her acting in this film.
She played the role of a mother in Hitesh Kewalya's romantic comedy Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan (2020).
In 2022, she acted in the adventure drama film Misogyny (2009), directed by Sooraj R. Barjatya. The film starred Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, and Boman Irani in lead roles.
Gupta has been a part of several TV series, including Gul Gulshan Gulfam (1987), Junoon (1994), Saans (1999), and Panchayat (2020).- Born in Rajasthan, Nimrat was brought up in an army environment, thus hopping from one city to other and from one school to other. After losing her father, during a counter-terrorist operation, at a very young age she moved to Noida in the north of India and went on to finish her remaining schooling from DPS Noida and studied for her Bachelor's in Commerce from Sri Ram College of Commerce. Nimrat finally made the inevitable move to Mumbai in 2004 after graduating and forayed into the world of modeling and advertising. She first caught the eye with the Tera Mera Pyaar music video from Sony Music. Thereafter she went on to model for over 80 Indian and international television commercials and numerous print campaigns for brands like Asian Paints, ICICI, Videocon, Pantaloon, Samsung, Aircel and Cadbury.
In 2009 Nimrat started her stint with the stage acting with theatre veteran Sunil Shanbag in a musical at the Prithvi Theatre Festival. She went on to do many plays but the most acclaimed one was All About Women, where she was required to play four different characters ranging from the age of 25 to 85. Having completed close to 50 shows she earned herself a nomination at the Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards in the Best Actress category. Billed as one of the most promising theatre actors, Nimrat went on to work with stage stalwarts including Manav Kaul and recently won Best Actress award for her work in Akarsh Khurana's Baghdad Wedding. - Actress
- Writer
Kokila was born on January 4, 1931 in Valsad, Gujarat, India, in the Gujarati-speaking Balsara family.
She was married to Kamal Roy at a very young age, and shortly thereafter in 1946 both husband and wife decided to make a career on the silver screen. They traveled to Bombay, both applied, but only Kokila was chosen to act in a Gujarati movie, Ranakdevi, followed by Amar Raj, and Gunsundari in 1948. She was primarily effective in creating the Gujarati film industry. This is how Nirupa Roy was born.
She went on to act in many movies, initially as the leading lady then in various roles of a variety of Hindu Goddesses, so much so that people actually lined up to seek her blessings. From 1970s on she was type-cast to play the role of the mother for a number of leading actors, from Dev Anand to Amitabh Bachchan. She was perhaps the only actresses to have played the role of mother to Dharmendra and his son, Sunny Deol, albeit in different movies. In 1955 she acted as Dev Anand's mother, even though she is about 8 years younger than him.
A Capricorn, she then went on to act in movies like Do Bigha Zameen, Tangewali, and Garam Coat, a brand of movies which later came to be known as 'realistic movies'.
Her success has been reflected in 3 awards from 1955 to 1964 for her role in Munimji, Chhaya, and Shehnaai. She is also known for her trilogy with Bharat Bhushan namely Kavi Kalidas, Samrat Chandragupt, and Rani Rupmati.
But her most memorable role was yet to come in Deewar, opposite Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh. Dialogues for this movies, as like Sholay, are still remembered and talked about.
Throughout her career of over 60 years in movies, she has acted in over 250 movies. she did slow down considerably in the 1980s, but did make a comeback in 1999 with Lal Badshah.
Her marriage with Kamal Roy resulted in the birth of a son, Kiran, and 2 daughters. She was known to be very close to her son.
She was very friendly with yesteryear actress Shyama. She received one more award in 2003.
Her end came quickly on October 13, 2004, at the age of 73, when she passed away after a cardiac arrest in Bombay.
She will always be remembered, not only as the 'mother of Bollywood' for her roles in movies like Gunsundari, Rani Rupmati, Deewar, Amar Akbar Anthony and many others.- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Nutan Samarth was born on June 4 1936 to poet Kumarsen Samarth and his actress wife 'Shobhana' as the eldest of their four children (a younger sister is the actress Tanuja Samarth). Her parents separated when she was a small child. 13-year-old Nutan made her debut in K. Asif's "Hamari Beti". She was a beauty queen as well, being crowned Miss Mussorie in 1952. Success at so young an age was trying, and Nutan temporarily quit films in the 50s to move to Switzerland. She returned, married Commander Rajnish Bahl, and began the most innovative and successful faze of her career. She made her mark as a versatile actress able to portray comedy, drama, and romance with equal skill. Nutan was awarded a record-breaking 5 Filmfare awards for Best Actress and one for Outstanding Performance. Her career declined during the 70s and 80s and she spent much of her time collecting rare artefacts and spending time with her family. Nutan died of cancer in February 1991.- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Padmini Kolhapure was born on 1 November 1965 in Maharashtra, India. She is an actress and producer, known for Prem Rog (1982), Ahista Ahista (1981) and Vidhaata (1982). She has been married to Tutu Sharma since 1993.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
born and raised in Junagad, Ms. Babi was spotted by renowned B.R. Ishara at Ahmedabad University, and he approached her to act in his forthcoming movie, Charitraheen, which was a sequel to Chetna. Her co-star in this movie was none other than renowned Indian cricketer Salim Durrani. Parveen Babi lit up the silver screen with her charming looks and personality from the 1970s.
Among her more memorable movies with megastar Amitabh Bachchan are: Deewar, Namak Halal, Amar Akbar Anthony, and Kala Pathar. Her most glorious moment was when Time Magazine chose to display her photograph on their cover page in 1976, depicting the changing face of Bollywood and Bollywood actresses.
After acting in her last movie, Akarshan, she suddenly disappeared from public view and became more or less a recluse. It is known that she took up interior designing, and had a very close circle of friends.
She then left for the United States of America and was not seen nor heard for about 10 years.
She created a stir when she filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court, charging several dignitaries, including Bollywood actor, Amitabh Bachchan, for attempting to kill her. This petition was dismissed by the Court for want of evidence.
On Sunday January 22, 2005, neighbors at her Juhu residence noticed that she not collected her milk nor her newspapers from her doorstep for the last three days. The neighbors notified the Secretary of the building, who in turn notified the police.
On Saturday January 22, 2005, a police team opened the door to her apartment with a duplicate key, and found her dead body.
The police believe that the door had been locked from the inside for last three days, and suspect no foul play.
Ms. Babi was an only child in a noble Junagad-based family. Her dad had passed away when she was very young, and her mom also passed away several years ago.- Actress
- Producer
- Music Department
Priyanka Chopra Jonas (née Chopra) was born on July 18, 1982 in Jamshedpur, India, to the family of Capt. Dr. Ashok Chopra and Dr. Madhu Chopra, both Indian Army physicians. She had a very varied upbringing. She started her education at La Martinière Girls College in Lucknow as a resident student; a short stay at Maria Goretti College in Bareilly prepared her for further studies in the U.S. Having completed tenth grade in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., she decided to become a software engineer or a criminal psychologist. She enjoys Indian music and dance; flair for writing poetry and short stories; reading, especially biographies; and has worked for a lot of social welfare programs.- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Preity Zinta shot to fame as the refreshing, cool, wet model in the Liril commercial. She also modeled for Perk and her dimpled smile won the hearts of millions. Preity never thought she would be an actress. Kapoor saw her in the Liril commercial and liked her so much that he instantly decided that the next film he would announce would have her in the lead. However, 'Tara Rum Pum' never got made and is still pending since the director got very busy with his other projects.
But another offer soon came by, Kundan Shah's Kya Kehna (2000). Though the film was the first, Preity had actually begun shooting for her first release which was Mani Ratnam's Dil Se.. (1998). The film was a hit which won Preity accolades. Later Abbas-Mustan's Soldier (1998) that too was a hit at the box-office confirmed she was here to stay. Though Kya Kehna (2000) was her first film, but it released in 2000 and was the surprise hit of 2000.
Her role in Dil Chahta Hai (2001) and Dil Hai Tumhaara (2002) was appreciated and liked by all and that has made her an actress to reckon with in Bollywood. Her screen presence, charm and down to earth nature has made her the favorite actress of almost all the directors and producers. With banners and films like Rakesh Roshan's Koi... Mil Gaya (2003) with 'Hrithik Roshan', Nikkhil Advani's Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) starring Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Jaya Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar's Lakshya (2004) with Hrithik Roshan and Amitabh Bachchan, Atul Agnihotri's Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha (2004) starring Salman Khan and Bhoomika Chawla, Yash Chopra's Veer-Zaara (2004) with Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji, Siddharth Anand's Salaam Namaste (2005) with Saif Ali Khan, and Karan Johar's Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) with Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji, Preity has already made her place in the hearts of the public and also in Bollywood.- Actress
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Costume Designer
Rakhee was born in a Bengali-speaking family in West Bengal, on India's Independence Day - 15th August, 1947. She has no connections with anyone in the film industry in India.
She achieved phenomenal success at her very first movie in Bengali 'Bandhu Baran' during the year 1967. She was then noticed by noted Bollywood actor, Sunil Dutt, who recommended her for a lead role in 'Reshma Aur Shera'. But before the release of this movie, Rakhee had already appeared in 'Jeevan Mritya' and 'Sharmeelee' opposite Dharmendra and Shashi Kapoor respectively.The on-screen pair of Rakhee Gulzar-Shashi Kapoor was very popular with audience and they did 9 films together. Four were critically acclaimed but box office flops and five were box office super-hits.
She has acted in a total of approximately 91 movies, in a career that spanned from 1967 through to 2003. A total of four awards have been bestowed for her performances in 'Daag', 'Tapasya', 'Ram Lakhan', and 'Shubhu Muhurat'. She is perhaps the only actress who has acted both as a lead heroine and mother with Bollywood actor, Amitabh Bachchan.
During her teen years, Rakhee was married to Ajoy Biswas, but the marriage was short-lived, and the couple divorced.
Rakhee then got married to Music Director/Lyricist/Film Director, Sampoorna Singh Gulzar. They have a daughter named Megha alias Bosky. Rakhee quit acting in movies during the year 2003, and her last appearance was in 'Shubhu Muhurat'.- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Radhika Apte is a well-known Indian theatre and film actress born in Vellore and brought up in Pune. Before endeavoring into films, she began with theatre. Radhika Apte is a perfect example of beauty with brains. Apte is an Economics and Mathematics graduate from Fergusson College, Pune. Apte during her growing up days in Pune, she learned Kathak from the exponent Rohini Bhate for eight years. During this time Radhika Apte involved in theatre avidly and later on decided to go to Mumbai to try luck on the silver screen. Radhika made her big-screen debut when she was in college with Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi! (2005) in 2005 where she played a small role. Apte worked in different language films starting from Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, and Malayalam. Radhika Apte got her first leading role with a Bengali social drama film named Antaheen(2009) In 2009, Radhika Apte made her Marathi movie debut with 'Go mala asala hawa' which was a Marathi Konkani film. In 2010, Radhika Apte appeared in Ram Gopal Verma's Rakhta Charitra and its sequel for which she was nominated for Screen Award Best Female Debutant. But it was only in 2011 where Radhika Apte's career got prominence. She has appeared in two films under Ekta Kapoor 's Balaji banner; I AM and Shor in the City. She is considered as the best indie actress of Bollywood. Radhika Apte was nominated for the SIIMA Award for Best Actress in a supporting role for maiden Tamil venture 'Dhoni'. Radhika Apte appeared in various Marathi plays like 'Tu', 'Purnavira,' 'Matra Ratra', 'Kanyadaan' to name a few. In 2015, Apte's career got wider recognition. In the first eight months, she has appeared in six feature films. In 2015, Radhika Apte's performance in Sriram Raghvan's Badlapur (2015) was critically acclaimed for which she was nominated for the best supporting actress. In the same year, Apte appeared in a Hindi biographical film named Manjhi: The Mountain Man (2015) staring opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui which was a commercially successful movie and Apte was nominated for the Stardust Award for the Performance of the Year(Editor's Choice).
Apart from acting in movies and theater, Radhika Apte has also acted for OOT platforms like Netflix where she is a part of the original series like Sacred Games (2018), Ghoul (2018), Lust Stories (2018). Radhika Apte's immense dedication and acting performances in the movies, theater and web series make her among the top and best Bollywood actress in recent times.
In 2018, Apte starred opposite Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor in R.Balki's Pad Man (2018). The film was inspired by the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham from Tamil Nadu, who campaigned for menstrual hygiene in rural India. Padman's box office collection was average, but her role was critically acclaimed. Radhika Apte's projects in 2019 are Bombairiya (2019), Chithiram Pesuthadi 2, The Wedding Guest (2018) and The Ashram- Actress
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Rajshree Shantaram is the daughter of noted V. Shantaram, who passed away in October 1990. She is the daughter of actress, Jayashree, who passed away recently on October, 19, 2004. Jayashree was the second wife of V. Shantaram. Rajshree's brother, Kiran Shantaram, was the former Sheriff of Bombay, Maharashtra, India. Rajshree is still well-known all over India, and now all over the world, mainly due to her classic beauty, her dancing, and acting capabilities.- Actress
Rani Mukerji is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of multiple accolades, including seven Filmfare Awards. Mukerji has featured in listings of the highest-paid actresses of the 2000s.
Mukerji make her debut in her father directorial Bengali film Biyer Pool (1996). Her first Hindi film was the drama film Raja Ki Aayegi Bharat (1997). Mukerji first commercial success film was Ghulam (1998) which paired her with actor Aamir Khan, and followed by the worldwide blockbuster Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) make her first collaboration with Shah Rukh Khan.
Mukerjis is known for her versatility. Her performances often sited as the most iconic and remarkable role in Hindi cinema. She established her career in the early 2000s with successful films including Saathiya (2002), Chalte Chalte (2003), Hum Tum (2004), Veer Zaara (2004), Bunty Aur Babli (2005), and Black (2005) later to be her best performance of her life time career.
Following the birth of her child, Mukerji took a four-year hiatus to focus on her daughter and was persuaded by her husband, Aditya Chopra, to return to acting. Mukerji makes her comeback with the all-time blockbuster film Hichki in 2018, which emerged as her highest-grossing release film of all time. She is continued her acting career with successful thriller Mardaani 2 (2019) and the drama Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway (2023).- Actress
- Producer
Daughter of Bombay film industry (Bollywood) director Ravi Tandon. Raveena dropped out of Bombay's Meethibai College to pursue a career as a model with middling success. She made her movie debut with the flop _Pathar Ke Phool (1991)_. Her next few films were also failures and it was only with Andaz Apna Apna (1994) that she tasted success. Mohra (1994) made her a superstar all set to become Bollywood's reigning actress. However she then began a tangled affair with co-star Akshay Kumar. All her films flopped and her arch-rival Karisma Kapoor had her fired from some top films. By the end of 1995 her career was in tatters and she was reduced to the level of a starlet doing bit roles. Her career revived with a huge hit Ziddi (1997) and she now is again a top rung star.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Ratna Pathak Shah, born in Mumbai, India, is a highly esteemed Indian actress known for her versatile performances in Indian cinema, television, and theater. With a career spanning several decades, Ratna Pathak Shah has become a respected figure for her nuanced portrayals of characters, blending humor, depth, and authenticity.
Ratna Pathak Shah comes from a family with a rich theatrical and cinematic legacy. She is the daughter of veteran actress Dina Pathak and the sister of acclaimed actress Supriya Pathak.
Ratna Pathak Shah made her acting debut in the critically acclaimed film "Mandi" (1983), directed by Shyam Benegal. Her early performances showcased her ability to embody a range of characters with ease. However, it was her portrayal of the strong-willed and independent Maya Sarabhai in the popular television series "Sarabhai vs Sarabhai" (2004-2006) that brought her widespread recognition and made her a household name.
In addition to her successful television career, Ratna Pathak Shah has been an integral part of Indian theater. Her association with the theater group Motley, founded by Naseeruddin Shah, has led to numerous acclaimed productions, further establishing her as a theater artist of great merit.
Ratna Pathak Shah has been part of several noteworthy films, including "Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na" (2008), "Khoobsurat" (2014), and "Lipstick Under My Burkha" (2016). Her performances have often been praised for their authenticity, whether in comedic roles or more serious and dramatic characters.
Awards and accolades have followed Ratna Pathak Shah throughout her career. Her contributions to Indian cinema and the performing arts have been recognized with honors such as the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "Mandi" (1983).
Known for her intellectual approach to characters and her commitment to quality storytelling, Ratna Pathak Shah remains an influential and revered figure in the Indian entertainment industry. she continues to contribute to the world of acting with her diverse and compelling roles.- Radhika Madan, a talented dancer, began her career in acting after initially focusing on dance. She attended Delhi Public School, where she balanced playing cricket with attending dance classes, where she honed her skills in various forms, including hip-hop, jazz, and ballet. After completing her schooling, she pursued a Bachelor of Commerce Honors degree at Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University.
Madan was a Delhi-based dance instructor before her acting debut as Ishaani Vaghela in the television show Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi (2014). In 2015, Madan won a Zee Gold Award for Best Debut Actress and an Indian Television Academy Award for Best Newcomer for performance.
Madan also showcased her dancing skills by participating in Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (2006), which aired on Colors TV.
In 2018, Madan made her Bollywood debut in the comedy-drama Pataakha (2018), starring alongside Vijay Raaz. Madan was nominated for a Zee Cine Award in the category of Best Debut Actress (2019), and she won a Star Screen Award for being the Most Promising Newcomer for the movie Pataakha.
Since then, she has played major roles in several movies, such as Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota (2018), Angrezi Medium (2020) and Shiddat (2021). Madan won an IIFA Award in the category of Best Supporting Actress (2022) for Angrezi Medium for her role as Tarika Bansal, the daughter of Champak Bansal, played by Irrfan Khan.
Madan made her web series debut in 2021 with the Netflix series Ray (2021), for which she won the Filmfare OTT Award for Best Supporting Actor (Female). She also starred in the Netflix series Feels Like Ishq (2021). In the same year, Madan made her music video debut with Ni Jana (2021), a song composed and sung by Jasleen Royal and Alibi Rafeon.
In 2022, Madan won a Pinkvilla Style Icons Award for the Super Stylish Maverick Star and Emerging Talent.
She has also acted in Sanaa (2022), Kacchey Limbu (2022) and the crime thriller, Kuttey (2023). - Actress
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Bhanurekha was born in the Tamil-speaking Ganesan household on October 10, 1954. Her dad was the popular Tamil actor, Gemini, while her mom was a popular Telugu actress, Pushpavalli. She has seven sisters and one brother. One of her sisters is Dr. Kamala Selvaraj, while another one, Radha, lives in San Francisco with a son named Naveed, who is being readied to act in Bollywood movies.
No stranger to the tinsel screen, Bhanurekha acted in a Telugu movie 'Rangula Ratnam' as Baby Bhanurekha along with her mom during 1966, which was subsequently re-made and released in Hindi during 1976 as Rangila Ratan (1976). She acted in one more Telugu as well as one Kannada movie (Amma Kosam and Goadalli CID 999 respectively) before re-locating to Bombay.
Due to her background, she ended up being very gloomy and pessimistic during her early years. She get a chance to debut in Bollywood movies during 1970 with Sawan Bhadon (1970) opposite Navin Nischol with a screen name of Rekha. Inability to speak Hindi, a dusky complexion as well as her weight did not exactly add to her assets in a predominantly fair-skinned, Hindi-speaking North-Indian film industry.
She decided to take matters seriously, took Yoga, shed those extra pounds, learned Hindi and dancing, and thus was born a new and much improved Rekha - who went on to deliver one box office hit after another for example Nagin (1976), Muqaddar Ka Sikandar (1978), Mr. Natwarlal (1979), Khubsoorat (1980), Umrao Jaan (1981), Khoon Bhari Maang (1988) amongst others. In her later years she has taken up character roles and appeared as a mother, even a grandmother in Krrish (2006).
Her slim, slender looks got her many admirers, including well established Bollywood actors such as Kiran Kumar , Jeetendra, Vinod Mehra, and Amitabh Bachchan'. In 2004, in a television interview with Simi Garewal, she rejected a long-standing rumor that she was once married to Vinod Mehra. She referred to him as a well-wisher and stated that her only marriage was to a businessman, Mukesh Aggarwal. This marriage ended when Mukesh killing himself shortly thereafter, leaving her a widow. She has never remarried.
She likes to surf the Internet, has written biographies of actresses like Zeenat Aman, and Salma Agha on IMDb, likes to collect old photographs and postcards, mimic people, watch movies, and practices Yoga regularly, read comics like Archie and Dennie the Menace, and is a vegetarian. She now lives with her Secretary, Farzana, and pets in a self-owned bungalow in Bandra (West)in Mumbai.- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Richa began her career as a model and then she moved to theater. She has performed plays touring in India and Pakistan. Later, she also received her training under Barry John
Richa acted in the critically acclaimed movie Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! as the character of Dolly, both the movie and her role were well appreciated. She was cast by Anurag Kashyap for his movies Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 1 and Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2 wherein she plays the pivotal character of Nagma Khatoon in the narrative. In the movie, she matured from 16 to 60 years of age. She got the name "Ms. Fire" for her spirited portrayal in the epic movie. This performance was well appreciated by the Critics. The movie was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012 and the entire cast was present at the event.- Actress
- Director
- Soundtrack
Sadhana was born on September 2, 1941 and was named after her father's favorite actress Sadhona Bose. Her father and actor Hari Shivdasani were brothers, and Hari's daughter is actress Babita Kapoor. Sadhana was an only child and her parents made her the center of their lives; in fact, her mother home-schooled her until she was 8 years old. The family fled from Karachi in Pakistan during Post Partition riots. Although they encountered difficult times, their daughter was allowed to see as many as two films a week. When she was 15 years old, she was discovered by some producers who had seen her act in a college play. They cast her in India's first Sindhi film titled Abana (1960), where she played the heroine's younger sister for which she was paid a token of Rps. 1 and the film became a major hit. A photograph of her publicizing the film appeared in a movie magazine. Subodh Mukherji, one of India's leading producers at that time, saw the magazine and gave her the lead role in her first Hindi film Love in Simla (1959), opposite his newcomer son, Joy Mukherjee. The film was directed by another newcomer, R.K. Nayyar, who created her trademark look called 'the Sadhana fringe.' It was modeled after Audrey Hepburn's hairstyle to cover up Sadhana's flaw, her broad forehead. The film became a great success and Sadhana became a overnight star. She also fell in love with the film's director, but she was only 16 years old, and her parents threatened the 22-year-old Nayyar with legal action if he didn't end the relationship. He became scared and backed away.
Sadhana continued making films and became the one of the biggest stars of the 1960s with hits like Mere Mehboob, Hum Dono, and Asli-Naqli. In addition to the 'Sadhana fringe,' she started the trend of the churidar pyjama and kameez with saleem shai in the film Waqt (1965). Her acting in that film was appreciated too, as she was nominated for a Film Fare Award as Best Actress.
Sadhana had stated that she subconsciously modeled her acting style after her idol, Nutan. Most of her films were major hits, and many of them still remembered as all time classics. Her films such as Ek Musafir Ek Hasina, Raaj Kumar, Budtameez and Arzoo were known for their romantic plots and beautiful music, but Raj Khosla, her director in Ek Musafir Ek Hasina, saw an enigmatic, mysterious side to Sadhana and cast her in Woh Kaun Thi (1964). The film became a huge hit with its themes of the Alfred Hitchcock film Vertigo (1958) and gave Sadhana her signature role of the "mystery girl," where her performance kept everyone guessing till the very end. She was nominated for a Film Fare Award as Best Actress, and Khosla later directed her in two more box-office hit suspense thrillers, Mera Saaya (1965)and Anita (1968).
Sadhana also worked well with her leading men, Shammi Kapoor, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar, and Raj Kapoor. In fact, it was Raj Kapoor who reintroduced her to her first film director, R.K. Nayyar. They fell in love again and wanted to get married. Her mother was against it, since Nayyar wasn't a Sindhi and wanted someone who looked like actor Rajendra Kumar Tuli, but Sadhana was adamant and with her father backing her up, her mother eventually came around. Sadhana and Nayyar married in 1966 and it seemed like she retired from films. At first, she was content to be a housewife and took cooking lessons and became well-known in the film industry for her culinary skills. But she had serious health problems with her thyroid, and she went to Boston for treatment and she recovered, but there was a physical change. The thyroid condition affected the appearance of her eyes. Her husband's financial problems propelled her return to films after a two-year absence and delivered the hit film Inteqam (1969) directed by her husband followed by by another hit film Ek Phool Do Mali (1969). She and Nayyar went through a difficult time when she suffered a miscarriage. Later they had no children. She directed and starred in her last film playing dual roles in Geeta Mera Naam (1974), which was a box office hit. She wanted to end her acting career in Hindi films just as she started, in a starring role as a young heroine. She didn't want to play supporting character roles as a old mother or a bhabhi (sister-in-law), so she retired as an actress and formed a production company with her husband. Their marriage lasted until his death in the 1990s. She closed down the production company and retired, quietly living the life of a widow. The real-life "mystery girl" rarely gave interviews and didn't like to be photographed saying that she wants her fans to remember her as a young, beautiful, heroine. She faced turbulent times in her later years. Sadhana lived as an tenant in an apartment building for many years, when the builder wanted to evict her in 2012. Suddenly, she was thrust into the public eye when she went to the police station to file a complaint against the builder. Several court cases came out of this incident, and the stress took a toll on her fragile health. She also was estranged from her cousin Babita Kapoor because of a family problem. She did keep in touch with her friends Waheeda Rehman, Asha Parekh, Helen, and Nanda Karnataki. She once said that she and Nanda were alike, since they don't step out at public events. However, when Nanda died in 2014, she lost her comrade, and thus she suddenly changed her stance on public events. Just a few weeks later, she invited her relative, actor Ranbir Kapoor, to escort her on the ramp of a fashion show for charity. She wore a beautiful pink sari and took center-stage on the arm of the handsome young Kapoor. She looked cheerful and glamorous being in the limelight with the audience applauding her. That turned out to be her last public event, and the star that she was, she wanted that to be her lasting impression on her fans. It also left a lasting impression on her, since she kept a framed picture of her and Ranbir from that fashion show on her nightstand. A year-and-a-half later, on December 25, 2015, she died from a high fever. Her friends, fans, and the film industry veterans all attended her funeral.- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Saira was born into a Urdu-speaking family in India. Her mom's name is Naseem Banu.
She spent much of her childhood in London and was able to debut in 1961 in a Bollywood movie 'Junglee' opposite Shammi Kapoor.
At the age of 22, she got married to Yusuf Khan, alias Bollywood superstar Dilip Kumar.
Saira has a niece, Shaheen, who was once married to Bollywood actor, Sumit Saigal, and the couple have a daughter, Sayesha.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Sakshi Tanwar, an accomplished Indian television and Bollywood actress, rose to prominence with her iconic portrayal of Parvati in the widely acclaimed television soap opera, "Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii." Recognized as one of the leading ladies of Indian Television, Sakshi's enduring connection with the predominantly female audience of the show played a pivotal role in shaping the successful genre of emotional family dramas that continues to thrive in the Indian TV industry.
Hailing from a middle-class family in Alwar, Rajasthan, Sakshi Tanwar is the daughter of Rajendra Singh Tanwar, a retired CBI officer. Her educational journey included stints in various Kendriya Vidyalayas (Central School) and culminated in her graduation from Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi. Despite initial aspirations for administrative services and mass communications, Sakshi's trajectory took an unexpected turn when she auditioned for Doordarshan's film songs-based program, Albela Sur Mela, on the suggestion of a close friend. Surprisingly selected, this marked the commencement of her television journey.
While her academic pursuits temporarily took a backseat with unsuccessful attempts in entrance tests, Sakshi's passion for acting had deeper roots. Her college days saw her actively involved as the secretary and president of the dramatic society, providing her with a foundation in stage performances. Transitioning to facing the camera brought about new challenges, but her confidence grew after an initial stint in anchoring.
Originally drawn to acting for its financial and popularity aspects, Sakshi Tanwar initially chose roles with minimal commitment. However, her dedication to honing her craft led her to excel in her performances, transforming her into a distinguished actress. Currently residing in the Malad West area of Mumbai, Sakshi Tanwar's journey reflects not only her early motivations but also the evolution of a talented artist who has left an indelible mark on the world of Indian entertainment.- Actress
- Additional Crew
Sanya Malhotra was born on February 25, 1992 in Delhi. She is an Indian actress and a trained contemporary and ballet dancer. She is recognized for her noteworthy debut as Babita Kumari in a sports biopic film 'Dangal (2016)' starring alongside Aamir Khan and Fatima Sana Shaikh which ranks among the highest-grossing Indian films. Malhotra has also choreographed Khan in the song 'Sexy Baliye' from the film 'Secret Superstar (2017)'. (This is a lesser known fact)
Sanya's performance in Vishal Bhardwaj's drama 'Pataakha (2018)', Ritesh Batra's 'Photograph (2019)', and Amir Sharma's 'Badhaai Ho (2018)' was highly appreciated. She was also seen in 'Shakuntala Devi (2020)', 'Ludo (2020)' in the year 2020, both of which had an OTT release. Her work in the latest Netflix release 'Pagglait (2021)' garnered a lot of compliments across the film industry and among the viewers. Her upcoming projects include a Netflix original, 'Meenakshi Sundareshwar (2021)' starring opposite Abhimanyu Dasani and 'Love Hostel (2022)' alongside Vikrant Massey and Bobby Deol.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Seema Biswas was born on 14 January 1965 in Nalbari, Assam, India. She is an actress, known for Bandit Queen (1994), Water (2005) and Company (2002).- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
One of the leading lights of the 1965-1990's Indian New Wave, Shabana Azmi (alongside the late Smita Patil) was one of the main female actors who dominated the films of the so-called "Parallel Cinema" in India in the 1970s and 1980s. Born to noted Urdu progressive poet and lyricist Kaifi Azmi and theatre actress Shaukat Azmi, Shabana has acted in films by virtually all of India's most famous art-house directors including Shyam Benegal, Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Aparna Sen and others, as well as in commercial and middle-of-the-road Hindi films, where she has essayed several strong female characters (e.g., in The Death Sentence: Mrityu Dand (1997) and Godmother (1999)). Shabana Azmi was paired opposite Rajesh Khanna in 7 successful films.She is noted for her naturalness and intensity on-screen, matched by her fierce advocacy of the rights of women, minorities and slum-dwellers off-screen, both through activism and in her role as a Member of Parliament, where her consistent stand in defense of liberal values and the freedom of expression is noteworthy. She has also acted on stage to considerable acclaim, most notably in Tumhari Amrita with Farookh Sheikh. She is married to noted scriptwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar.- Actress
- Director
- Writer
Shefali is a National Award-winning actress with a career spanning over two decades across various genres and formats. She has given power packed performances in films such as Satya, Monsoon Wedding, Gandhi, My Father, Dil Dhadakne Do and Once Again. Shefali has won numerous awards including the Filmfare Award, Stardust Award, Tokyo International Film Festival Award and Asian Academy Creative Award. She received the National Award (Best Supporting Actress) at the 55th National Film Awards for her work in The Last Lear. Shefali was lauded for her restrained and layered performance in director Neeraj Ghaywan's short film Juice, which won multiple awards, including the Filmfare Best Actress Award. She also lent her voice for the character of Raksha in the Hindi version of Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book. Her performance in the Netflix Original Delhi Crime garnered wide critical acclaim with the show winning the Best Drama series at the 48th International Emmy Awards. Shefali recently donned the director's hat with her two short films Someday and Happy Birthday Mummy Ji both dealing with the theme of isolation. Audiences unanimously loved her characterizations of Natasha in Ankahi, part of the Ajeeb Daastaans anthology on Netflix; Gauri Nath in Human and Rukhsana in Jalsa. She was recently seen in multiple films and series such as Darlings, Doctor G and Delhi Crime Season 2 among others.- Actress
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Shraddha Kapoor is an Indian film actress. Prior to making her cinematic debut, she took up theatre studies at Boston University, but dropped out after her first year to begin her acting career. She made her screen debut in the 2010 drama fictional Teen Patti for which she earned a nomination for the Filmfare Best Female Debut. The following year, she received appreciation and the Stardust Searchlight Best Actress Award for her role in the teen drama Luv Ka The End. She rose to prominence for her portrayal as Arohi Keshav Shirke in the 2013 romantic musical Aashiqui 2, which emerged as her first commercial success venture in which she gained positive acclaims and numerous nominations including the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.- Actress
- Producer
Among very few actresses, Shilpa Shetty was nominated for her first film Baazigar (1993). The following year she delivered another blockbuster hit Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994) where she starred with Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan. However, the proceeding years her movies failed to succeed at the box office, though she did receive critical acclaim for some of her performances. Then in 1998, 'Pardesi Babu' was released and people noticed her again. Two years after that she finally delivered a super hit, 'Dhadkan'. Since then her career has taken an up turn. In 2002, she had several releases and films like 'Hathyar' and 'Rishtey'. They solidified her status as a brilliant actress. In 'Rishtey' she stole the show from superstars Anil Kapoor and Karishma Kapoor. However, it was in 2004 that her performance in 'Phir Milenge' that brought her to the top actress list. In 2005, she delivered modest hits like 'Fareb' (where she costarred with sister Shamita Shetty and Manoj Bajpayee) and Dus.
Though she has worked with top actors, unlike many Bollywood actresses who are either scared of or shy away from working with top actresses, Shilpa has worked with numerous talented actresses (such as Juhi Chawla, Raveena Tandon, Manisha Koirala, Tabu, Kajol, Mahima Chaudhry and Konkona Sen Sharma) and is said to share a great rapport with her co-stars.
Today her career boasts of her versatility. In 'Baazigar' she played a naive college student, in 'Aag' a charming village girl, in 'Main Khiladi Tu Anari' a street dancer, in 'Himmat' a seductive cop, in 'Dus' an anti-terrorist agent, in 'Fareb' a doctor and housewife, in 'Phir Milenge' an HIV positive, in 'Pardesi Babu' a charming city lass, in 'Dhadkan' she is forced to betray her lover, in 'Khamosh' a prostitute, in 'Jung' a sensational club dancer, in 'Tarkieb' a promiscuous military nurse, in 'Rishtey' a comical and tragic performance as a fisher woman, in 'Darna Mana Hai' a housewife haunted by apples and in 'Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar' a negative role where she plays a model turned housewife.
In 2000, Shilpa reinvented herself and became known as one of the hottest actresses in the industry! She is the only Bollywood actress who has been seen to do a split on screen and is known today to have the best body in Bollywood. She is also recognized as a graceful dancer.
Shilpa Shetty laughed a lot when she was young. She still laughs most of the time. According to Shilpa's mother (Sunanda), Shilpa was a naughty child and was called a "fightercock" as she mostly fought with her younger sister (Shamita). Her mom also acknowledges that she was a very bubbly and vivacious child and her pet name is "Manya" but her mom calls her "babucha" or "Honeybunch". Shilpa went to school at St. Anthony's Girl's convent in Chembur, then she went to Podar College.
Shilpa was her school team's baseball captain. She is a black belt karate champion. She actively participated in her father's chemical business. Acting was the only thing she had not tried her hand at.
Shilpa is known to have a great sense of humor and has the capacity to crack jokes on herself. She'll start laughing even before you crack a joke. Shilpa's favorite actors include Tom Cruise and Jackie Chan. Shilpa's method of spending a holiday would be to wake up late, cook, watch movies, work out and spend time with her family. She is also a huge fan of prints, especially Tiger and Leopard prints. Her room is filled with all the different kind of prints. Even her pillow case.she got married to Raj Kundra in 2009 and after that, she entered the Married life- Actress
- Producer
A Bengali actress who achieved success young, Sharmila appeared in numerous Bengali classics before making the jump to Hindi cinema, which first made her a romantic actress and later a legendary actress thanks to her intense films opposite Superstar Rajesh Khanna. A distant relative of poet Rabindranath Tagore, she is also the wife of His Highness Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, Nawab of Pataudi, with whom she has three children, actor Saif Ali Khan born 16 August 1970, Saba and Soha Ali Khan, born 4 October 1978. Her pairing with Shammi Kapoor made her famous in the sixties but as an actress she evolved and became popular due to different films, each belonging to different genre, she did opposite the Superstar Rajesh Khanna.The pair gave 6 box office blockbusters and 3 unfortunate box office flops which were critically acclaimed films. Sharmila's pairing opposite male actors Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra and Shashi Kapoor was loved by the audiences, though Khanna-Sharmila pair remained the most popular with both critics and audience.- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Simi Garewal was born on October 17, 1947 to a Punjabi Sikh family in India. Her father was J.S Garewal who was in the military. Her mother was a homemaker. Her family migrated to London in early 1953 when she was barely 6 years old. In 1961, she moved back to India in order to become an actress. She was offered a small role in the English film Tarzan Goes to India (1962). When the film was released, she was noticed by filmmakers which resulted in getting more roles in Bollywood movies. However, her accented Hindi blocked her pathway to becoming a successful actress and hence, she was reduced to secondary roles in movies. In 1972, her nude scene in Siddhartha (1972) created a huge controversy in India and the film was not released due to censorship problems. After 1972, her demand began diminishing and she turned her attention to writing and direction. She now runs a TV show named Rendezvous with Simi in which she interviews popular Bollywood and Hollywood celebrities.- Actress
- Music Department
Smita Patil, born in Pune, Maharashtra, India, was a highly acclaimed Indian actress known for her exceptional performances in Hindi and Marathi cinema. Regarded as one of the finest actresses in Indian cinema, Smita Patil's career was marked by her ability to portray a wide range of characters with authenticity and depth.
Smita Patil began her acting career in Marathi theater before making her film debut with the Marathi film "Shyamchi Aai" (1974). She gained attention for her breakthrough performance in Shyam Benegal's "Manthan" (1976), which marked the beginning of her collaboration with the renowned filmmaker. Smita Patil went on to work in several of Benegal's films, including "Bhumika" (1977), for which she received the National Film Award for Best Actress.
Her impactful performances in films such as "Aakrosh" (1980), "Chakra" (1981), and "Umbartha" (1982) solidified her position as one of the leading actresses in Indian cinema. Smita Patil was known for choosing roles that challenged societal norms and highlighted social issues. Her ability to infuse realism into her characters and convey emotions with authenticity set her apart.
Smita Patil also made significant contributions to parallel cinema, working with directors like Govind Nihalani ("Ardh Satya," 1983), Shyam Benegal ("Mandi," 1983), and G. Aravindan ("Chidambaram," 1985). Her collaboration with commercial filmmakers, including Ramesh Sippy in "Shakti" (1982) and Prakash Mehra in "Namak Halaal" (1982), showcased her versatility across genres.
Beyond her acting career, Smita Patil was actively involved in social and political causes. She was known for her advocacy of women's rights and her commitment to addressing issues affecting marginalized communities.
Tragically, Smita Patil's life was cut short when she passed away on December 13, 1986, at the age of 31, shortly after giving birth to her son Prateik Babbar. Despite her short-lived career, Smita Patil's impact on Indian cinema remains enduring, and she is remembered as a trailblazer who elevated the art of acting with her remarkable talent and meaningful contributions.- Sonali Bendre started out as a model before being selected for the "Stardust Talent Search". She was invited to Bombay and received training from a variety of top actors and performers of the Indian film industry. Sonali has three sisters and was in her own words a quiet child who loved to read, while she was growing up. Since her debut in 1994, Sonali has appeared in several films and has starred opposite top stars such as Sunjay Dutt, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh. Sonali was also awarded the price of "Newcomer of the year" in 1995. She married Goldie Behl in 2002, and during 2005 became a mother.
- Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Sridevi was born on August 13, 1963 in her father's hometown of Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, India. Her mother was from Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. So Sridevi grew up speaking Telugu and Tamil. She has a sister named Srilatha and a stepbrother named Satish. Her dad passed away during the year 1991, while her mom died during 1997.
She started her career at a very early age in 1967 as a child artiste in a Tamil movie 'Kandhan Karunai'. She also starred as a child actress in a Telugu movie 'Bangarakka' in 1977, and in a Malyalam movie 'Kumara Sambhavan' in 1969.
She made her foray on the Bollywood tinsel screen in 1975 as a child actor with the smash-hit 'Julie' in which she played the younger sister of the lead actress. Thereafter she started to act in adult roles in Hindi only from 1979. She appeared in 63 movies in Hindi; 62 in Telugu; 58 in Tamil; and 21 in Malyalam - in a career that has spanned from 1967 through to 2007.
Sridevi established strong onscreen pair with Kamal Hasan in Tamil films from 1977-1983 and then with Jeetendra in Hindi Films from 1983-1988 which helped her get foothold in Hindi films. Her initial claim to fame was appearing as romantic interest to established stars NTR, ANR, Krishna Ghattamaneni,Vishnuvardhan in Telugu and Kannada films from 1978-1985.She has four hits with Rajesh Khanna and then from late 80's till 1996 her pair with Anil Kapoor was popular. But she became popular all over India, thanks to Tamil films' remakes in Hindi in 1983-1990 which were produced and directed by the same team which had made the southern version first and in these films she was cast opposite Rajesh Khanna or Jeetendra.
She has also appeared in the TV series 'Malini Iyer', judged a TV show 'Kaboom' as well as appeared in numerous print and TV ads. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Asian Academy of Film & Television.
Sridevi went on to get married to her co-star, Anil Kapoor's older brother, Boney, on June 2, 1996. They are now parents of two daughters: Jhanvi and Khushi.
She made a comeback to films with "English Vinglish" in 2012.
She passed away on 24 February 2018 by accidental drowning in bathtub during her stay at the hotel Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai UAE, when she was attending the wedding of Bollywood actor Mohit Marwah in Dubai, UAE. She was 54 years old.- Actress
- Producer
She is an Actress in the new 2013 movie Goliyon Ki Rasleela Ram Leela. She is a very successful star in Bollywood Industry.
Supriya Pathak Kapur (conceived 7 January 1961) is an Indian performer, destined to on-screen character Dina Pathak into an ethnic of Gujarati family, she was one of the extremely popular compelling performing artists, in Hindi Cinema, throughout the 1980s and 1990s, gaining two Filmfare Awards. In the early time of her existence, she acted in theatre, before making her introduction in 1981 Kalyug, which she won her first Filmfare Awards for Best supporting Actress. Later, rose to noticeable quality and accepted discriminating surveys for her part in 1982 Bazaar, which she again won a Filmfare Awards for Best supporting Actress. In 1988, Pathak showed up on a French wander, The Bengali Night, and in "blockbuster" Shahenshah (1988 film). In 1986, she wedded to performer executive, Pankaj Kapur, henceforth [...] stop her acting profession. In the early 2002, she showed up on Tv-Serial Khichdi, gaining Indian Telly Award for Best Actress in a Comic Role, and additionally garned positive review[s] for her portrayal as Hansa Parekh.- Sushmita was born in the Bengali-speaking Sen family on November 19, 1975 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. Her family consists of her dad, Shubeer, a former Indian Air Force Wing Commander; mom, Subhra, Jewelry Designer and owner of a Dubai-based store. She has two siblings, a sister named Neelam, who is married to Nauman Malik, and a brother named Rajeev. Subhra's dad was a poet.
She attended different schools in Jorhat, and Nagpur, but spend the majority of her schooling days in the Air Force Golden Jubilee Institute and Air Force Silver School in Delhi. She was regarded as a tomboy and spent most of her times with boys. Since the schools were Hindi medium, she could not speak English until she was 16 years of age. She subsequently not only mastered English, but became an English Honors student, and also obtained a degree in Journalism. Due to her place of birth she can speak Urdu flawlessly.
Her first public appearance was at the Air Force Club Contest at the age of 15. She did a few fashion shows thereafter. Then during 1994 she decided to be a participant in Miss India beauty pageant, fully aware that she was being pitted against the reigning favorite, Aishwarya Rai. Sushmita took everyone by surprise when she was crowned Miss India while Aishwarya had to content with being the First Runner-up. Both beauties went on to win Miss Universe and Miss World titles respectively. Ironically the final outfit for Miss Universe for Sushmita was made by a little-known Meena Bazar tailor, and her mom.
It was during 1996 that she first appeared as herself in a Bollywood movie titled 'Dastak'. Though the movie did not fare too well, she was noticed and thus began her career on the silver screen. She has since then portrayed herself in a variety of characters and also some 'item' numbers.
Not considered a classic beauty and leading quite an unconventional lifestyle she ended up in many relationships but did not marry anyone. She wanted to be a mother and to adopt a baby girl, and name her Renee. Since she is single, she had to fight a Court battle before she could finally adopt Renee. Finally on 13 April 2000 she was given the go-ahead to adopt her, even though the family-owned business in Dubai was already re-named as 'Renee' quite ironically a year earlier on 13 April 1999. - Actress
- Music Department
- Producer
Suraiya was born on 15 June 1929 in Lahore, Punjab, British India [now Pakistan]. She was an actress and producer, known for Anmol Ghadi (1946), Jeet (1949) and Dastan (1950). She died on 31 January 2004 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.- Swara Bhasker was born on 9 April 1987 in Delhi, India. She is an actress, known for Raanjhanaa (2013), Nil Battey Sannata (2015) and Tanu Weds Manu (2011). She is married to Fahad Ahmad.
- Actress
- Producer
Taapsee Pannu was born on August 1, 1987 in Delhi, India. She made her acting debut with the 2010 Telugu film Jhummandi Naadam, directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. Since then, she has appeared in a number of critically acclaimed films such as Aadukalam, Vastadu Naa Raju and Mr. Perfect. Her Tamil film Aadukalam won six National Film Awards at the 58th National Film Awards. She has also worked in a Malayalam film and has been signed on for three Telugu films and several Hindi films. She was awarded Most Enthusiastic Performer-Female Award at the 2014 Edison Awards for her performance in the Tamil film Arrambam (2013). Taapsee went on to star in several commercially successful films including Pink (2016), Badla (2019) and Game Over (2019), and received critical acclaim for her performances in Naam Shabana (2017), Mulk (2018), Manmarziyaan (2018) and Saand Ki Aankh (2019).- Actress
- Additional Crew
Tanuja Samarth was born on 23 September 1943 in Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India. She is an actress, known for Paisa Ya Pyar (1969), A Death in the Gunj (2016) and Jewel Thief (1967). She was previously married to Shomu Mukherjee.- Tanvi Azmi was born on 9 November 1963 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India. She is an actress, known for Bajirao Mastani (2015), Thappad (2020) and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013). She is married to Baba Azmi.
- Actress
- Music Department
Tabu is an Indian actress. She has mainly acted in Hindi films, though she has also starred in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali-language films, as well as one American film. She has won the National Film Award for Best Actress twice, and holds the record for the most wins of Filmfare's Critics Award for Best Female Performer, with four. With few exceptions, she is best known for acting in artistic, low-budget films that go on to garner more critical appreciation than substantial box-office figures. Her appearances in commercially successful films were few, and her parts in these films were small, such as Border (1997), Saajan Chale Sasural (1996), Biwi No. 1 (1999) and Hum Saath-Saath Hain (1999). Her most notable performances include Maachis (1996), Virasat (1997), Hu Tu Tu (1999), Astitva (2000), Chandni Bar (2001), Maqbool (2003) and Cheeni Kum (2007). Her leading role in Mira Nair's American film The Namesake (2006) also drew major praise.
Regarded as one of the most talented Indian actresses of her generation, Tabu is known to be selective about her film roles. She was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, in 2011 by the Government of India for her contributions towards the arts.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Tina was born in a Gujarati-speaking family in Bombay on February 11, 1955. The Munim family used to live in Bhuleshwar.
Tina shot into fame during the year 1978 when she represented India at the International Teen Contest in Aruba. She won the Miss Photogenic and Miss Bikini awards.Pretty, very photogenic, she was discovered by Dev Anand who cast her as his leading lady in Des Pardes and gave two more back to back super-hits opposite Tina. These 3 films went on to become blockbusters, making Tina a household name. Tina then got opportunity to work with Superstar Rajesh Khanna in 7 released films opposite him of which six are super-hits and plus 3 more hits, where Tina was not paired opposite him. She fell in love with him and their affair lasted from 1980-87.
As her career was going nowhere fast after her breakup with Rajesh Khanna in 1987, she re-located to California for completing her studies, then returned back home in 1991, got married to multi-billionaire industrialist, Anil Ambani. She has two sons, Anmol and Anshul.- Screen actress Tillotama Shome is best known for her acclaimed portrayal of Alice in Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding. She played a pivotal role as Deepa in director Florian Gallenberger's epic Shadows of Time (Schatten der Zeit) and appeared as Lara in Meneka Das's Little Box of Sweets; Jaya in Afia Nathaniel's short film Long After; and Miraal in Tanuj Chopra's Butterfly.
When previously based in New York, in addition to her on-screen acting accomplishments, Tillotama Shome worked as a teaching artist at Creative Arts Team/City University of New York. CUNY/CAT uses theatre as a medium to promote social, emotional and intellectual growth in communities throughout New York City to explore a wide range of issues including peer pressure, violence, sexuality, substance abuse, parenting, and HIV/AIDS prevention. Her work in particular also involved working with prison inmates at Rikers Island and women in domestic shelters. Tillotama Shome has bachelors and masters degrees in English literature from India and a second masters from New York University in Educational Theatre. - Actress
- Writer
- Producer
Tisca is known for carefully choosing to be part of stories that needed to be brought to the people. With the burning desire to act, every endeavor of hers has been respected and applauded. Tisca has acted in over 50 feature films in different languages with many eminent directors like Aamir Khan, Prakash Jha, Sudhir Mishra, Abhinay Deo and others.
As someone who's always refused to settle for the mediocre, Tisca's persistence and passion not only won her acclaim and fame, but also two Filmfare Awards for a film she wrote, produced and starred in, called "Chutney". Taare Zameen Par, one of her sterling performances, was Indian cinema's official entry to the League of Academy Awards. Another film where Tisca played a refugee, "Qissa", premiered at the Toronto Film Festival (TIFF) in 2013 and was featured in over 20 festivals.
Tisca was nominated at the New York Indian Film Festival in the Best Actress category for her work in '10Ml Love', a film based on "A Midsummer Night's Dream". Her intense performance in the Indian adaptation of the American series "24" was much lauded and made her a household name. "Hostages", her debut on the web, proved to be a runaway hit, endearing her even more to the audiences. "Good Newwz", where she played a key role as a doctor, was also one of the biggest hits of 2020.
Tisca also starred in the Pulitzer-winning play "Dinner with Friends", which deals with the state of the modern marriage. She's been on the jury of the prestigious MAMI Film Festival. Adding another feather to her illustrious hat, Tisca herself created a path to showcase the idea of rising above barriers through filmmaking. Each of her short films have been about breaking barriers: "Chutney" breaks the 'thought barriers' where youth and beauty are prime parameters of how women are perceived; "Chhuri" breaks barriers about preconceived notions of what an Indian housewife should be like; "Socha Na Tha", was a film made at the time when everyone was getting depressed and didn't know how to go about filming (Tisca created this last film by breaking barriers, directing it over the phone and creating it when everyone was in lockdown); "Rubaru", a short that she co-wrote, directed, acted in and produced, was set for release in November 2020.
Beyond her acting career, Tisca has worked with Sam Pitroda on the National Knowledge Commission, to help revamp the Education system. She works consistently with NGOs and small business to give a leg up to entrepreneurs. She authored a book called 'Acting Smart', which talks about the ingredients needed to make a successful career as an actor.- The daughter of a lecturer, actress Urmila Matondkar began her celluloid career as a child artiste with the film _Kalyug (1980)_. Although an average film at the box-office, her next film, Masoom (1983), about a family coping with an illegitimate member, showed her acting talents blossom and she received critical acclaim from both her fans and the film fraternity. She subsequently appeared in a number of films including Dacait (1987), where she plays Sunny Deol's under-aged sister who gets brutally raped.
Years later, Urmila then made her debut as an adult actress in N. Chandra's Narasimha (1991) opposite Sunny Deol . She then did the fantasy Chamatkar (1992) with the then-débutant Shahrukh Khan and Shreemaan Aashique (1993), a comedy on male chauvinism opposite Anupam Kher and Rishi Kapoor and a crime movie Drohi (1992), But no matter what films she did, while her fellow actresses Manisha Koirala and Raveena Tandon reached the peak of their popularity with blockbuster after blockbuster, success seemed to elude her.
Then she did Ram Gopal Varma's Rangeela (1995), a tale of a girl's journey in the film industry. The movie came as a refreshing surprise and Urmila gave a magnificent performance, which is no small feet alongside actors Aamir Khan and Jackie Shroff, but what gave the film classic status was A.R. Rahman's music, Asha Bhosle's songs and designer Manish Malhotra, who transformed Urmila from a Maharashtrian middle-class girl into a sexy and glamorous actress. With this movie Urmila revolutionized sensuality on the Indian screen. What most actresses hadn't managed even after a dozen hits, Urmila had achieved with only one film. And ever since, she has been associated with Asha Bhosle's sensual voice and of course the image of the sizzling seductress - in fact, she is still known for her sizzling sensuality and her stunning looks.
However, Urmila is not to be judged only for her looks. She is also an actress of great talent and skill - her performance in Satya (1998) as a modest girl whose boyfriend, the titular character, gets sucked into the Bombay underworld is one of her best ever performances to date. And since 2000, she began to play roles of depth and substance, making an impact most notably in the films Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya... (2001), Om Jai Jagadish (2002), Pinjar (2003), a drama based on India's partition, I Did Not Kill Gandhi (2005), about a man accused of Gandhi's murder and Banaras (2006).
As of 2006, she has acquired several assignments, both using her talents as an actress and as a seductress - she is doing Onir's Bas Ek Pal (2006) and Ram Gopal Varma's Sholay (2006), the latter of which audiences are eagerly waiting for with bated breath. On March 3, 2016, she married actor-model-businessman Mohsin Akhtar in a small private ceremony.
Today Urmila is known as one of Bollywood's most versatile actresses. After Sridevi, she is known to have the played the most varied characters next to fellow actresses Tabu and Mahima Chaudhry. - Actress
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Vyjayanthimala was born to actress and dancer Vasundhara Devi in a Tamil-speaking family in Chennai, India, on August 13, 1933.
At the age of 4, she got the rare chance of performing a dance before the Pope. Then at the age of 15, while in her final year at school, she was signed-up by family friend, M.V. Raman, for a role in a Tamil film 'Vazhkai'. This movie was successful at the box office and was re-made in Hindi during 1951 and released as 'Bahaar'.
Since her entry into films from 1949, this actress, who is also proficient in Bharat Natyam, has appeared in approximately 62 movies, the majority of them in the Hindi language. Her career spanned from 1949 through to 1989. She has received a total of five awards for her performances in 'Devdas', 'Sadhna', 'Ganga Jamuna', and 'Sangam', as well as a lifetime achievement award during 1995.
Her dance numbers, such as 'Hothon Pe Aisi Baat Main Dabake Chali Aai...', 'Man Doley Mera Tan Doley...'; 'Chad Gaiyo Paapi Bichua...'; 'Main Ka Karu Ram Mujhey Buddha Mil Gaya' continue to be popular even today. She made waves when she appeared in a fire red swimsuit in 'Sangam'. She also paved the way for other South Indian actresses, like Hema Malini, Rekha, Sridevi, etc. to make a transition to Bollywood. Her career was managed by her grandmother, Yadugiri Devi.
She married Raj Kapoor's personal physician, Dr. Chamanlal Bali after he divorced his first wife and re-located to Chennai, where she gave birth to a son, actor Suchindra Bali.
After quitting films, Vyjantimala took up shrimp farming, opened up a dance academy, even took an active interest in politics, and with the backing of Indira Gandhi's Congress Party was elected Member of Parliament during the 1980s. She chose to quit politics due to principled differences during 1999.
After the passing of her husband, she now resides in Chennai, with her son, who is an aspiring actor in his own right, and has removed herself completely from Bollywood, in particular, and movies in general, though she could have easily continued on for another decade.
One of her hits 'Naya Daur', originally in Black & White, has now been colorized, and re-released.
In 2007, she published her autobiography titled "Bonding," where she revealed that she didn't have an affair with Raj Kapoor, her leading man and director from "Sangam" (1964).
In 2011, her son Suchindra and daughter-in-law Nandini presented her with a grandchild named Swara.- Actress
- Producer
Vidya was born in Palghat, Kerala, India. Her family consists of her dad, P.R. Balan, who is the Vice-President of ETC Channel; mom - a home-maker, and an elder sister, Priya, who is married to Kedar. She also has an aunt by the name of Raji Raju.
The Balan family re-located to live at Road No. 11, near Ambedkar Garden, Chembur, Bombay, when Vidya was very young. She studied in St. Anthony's Convent School, and thereafter in St. Xavier's College from where she obtained a degree in Sociology. She then went on to obtain a Masters degree in Sociology from Bombay University.
She also studied and performed in Prithvi Theaters' workshops. Due to tradition of most Tamil-Iyer families, Vidya and her Priya learned Carnatic dance form during their early childhood days, but Vidya opted out as the dance classes took place early on Sunday mornings and as she is not an early riser.
Considerably overweight, rather tomboyish, during her school-days, and an ardent fan of Shahrukh Khan, she decided to shed those extra pounds when she elected to opt for modeling and movies.
Facing disappointment after being rejected by a Tamil producer, she nevertheless persisted until she got her first break with a Malyalam movie 'Chakram' opposite Mohanlal, however, the project was shelved, and she had to wait until 1998 to debut in a Surf Excel commercial. She then went on to appear in several commercials directed by Pradeep Sarkar. She completed nearly 90 such ads.
She appeared in three music videos for Pankaj Udhas, Euphoria, and Shubha Mudgal in supporting roles. She then also appeared in two TV serials Ekta Kapoor's 'Hum Paanch', and Ashok Pandit's 'Hanste Khelte'.
During 2003 she was signed-up to play a role in a Bengali movie 'Bhaalo Theko' opposite Joy Sengupta. This project was completed during the year 2006, and was a considerable hit.
Then during 2006 Vidya was approached by Vidhu Vinod Chopra during a pop-concert in Mumbai to play a lead role in 'Parineeta'. She then had to undergo 17 make-up shoots and 40 screen tests before being chosen for this role. All this hard work did result in success as 'Parineeta' was very well received so much so that the Tamil producer, who had previously rejected her, invited her to appear in a 'Dasavatharam' opposite Kamal Hassan, and now it was Vidya's turn to reject this offer which eventually went to 'Asin'.
Apart from acting, Vidya occupies herself for supporting education for young Indians by promoting children's' books; is associated with Americans for Aids Research; with Hale House - that provides support and housing for children born with HIV and drug abuse; as well as hosting forums and attending events for Harvard Aids Institute.
When she was single, she was never involved in any scandal and claimed to get along well with both female and male friends. In 2012, she married producer Siddharth Roy Kapur
An ardent devotee of Bhagwan Shri Sai Baba, she makes it a point to attend Mandirs every Thursday. She is proficient in Tamil, Malyalam, Hindi, English, Bengali, and can also read Urdu.- Actress
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Vidya Sinha was born on 15 November 1947 in Bombay, State of Bombay, India. She was an actress and producer, known for Bodyguard (2011), Krishna-Krishna (1986) and Jeeva (1986). She was married to Netaji Bhimrao Salunkhe and Venkateshwaran Iyer. She died on 15 August 2019 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.- Actress
- Music Department
Waheeda Rehmaan combined the classic Tamil-Islamic beauty with an extraordinary grace, talent and a truly transcendent appeal that ranked her among the pantheon of Bollywood's elite actresses. And few could dance better than she could!
She was born into a traditional Tamil Urdu speaking Muslim family on 3 February 1938, in Chengalpattu,Tamil Nadu. Growing up, she was trained in dancing, especially the Bharatnatyam dance. Her first films were Jayasimha (1955) and Rojulu Marayi (1955), both in Telegu and Kalam Mari Pochu in Tamil. These films became a huge success and established her as a hit-heroine, but it was a song Eruvaaka Sagaroranno Chinnanna in the Rojulu Marayi that got Rehman recognition in South. During success party of Rojulu Marayi, Guru Dutt noticed her and cast her in CID. The result was one of the most stunning debuts ever made in a Hindi film. As a mysterious woman named Kamini, she added a thrill to the whole film and it remains one of the most seductive and memorable roles of her career.
Amazed (and enraptured) by her beauty and talent, Guru Dutt cast her in 5 films. Thus, Rehman gave a mesmerizing performance in Thirst (1957) as Gulab, the prostitute with a heart of gold, and she stole the hearts of audiences as Jameela, a shy Muslim girl in the romance Chaudhvin Ka Chand (1960). But by then she was involved in an affair with Guru Dutt and this affair led to the disintegration of Dutt's marriage - and soon the two of them broke apart after their last collaboration, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962).
Moving on after Guru Dutt, Rehman worked with the acclaimed director Satyajit Ray in The Expedition (1962) and consolidated her position as a top Bollywood star with her commercial successes Bees Saal Baad (1962) and _Kohra (1964)_. With Devanand she did 7 films and 5 were super-hits. Then she did _Guide (1965/I)_ - a film that took her to the peak of her career. In the conservative 1960s, Rosie was a daring role for Waheeda to play, and yet the gamble paid off - her performance as Rosie, a woman who leaves her husband for her lover, is ranked as her best ever! And to think that when she did the film, she was certain she would never, ever be able to do another film again!
She had commercial films like Ram Aur Shyam (1967) and Patthar Ke Sanam (1967) proved to be huge successes and had 4 hits with Sunil Dutt in 60's Ek Phool Char Kaante, Mujhe Jeene Do, Meri Bhabhi and Darpan but her offbeat films Teesri Kasam (1966) and Reshma Aur Shera (1971) bombed, in spite of her critically acclaimed performances in those films. Her 3 films with Rajendra Kumar though critically acclaimed became box-office flops and her films with Dharmendra between 1967-1973 bombed. Then she acted in Khamoshi opposite Rajesh Khanna which became her career's biggest hit.In 1974, Rehman married Kamaljit, her hero in Shagoon(1964) a businessman who had earlier tried to make it in films and moved to Bangalore.
After her marriage she cut down acting assignments, preferring to market her own brand of breakfast cereal and lead a contented life in a Bangalore farmhouse. She turned to supporting roles and did 24 films as supporting actress from 1976-1994. After her husband's death in 2000, she again started appearing in 9 films as elderly woman.- Actress
Yami Gautam is an Indian film actress who was born on 28th November 1988 in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, India. She has predominantly worked in Hindi films while briefly working in Kannada, Punjabi, Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil films. Yami is considered to be 'One of the Most Versatile Actresses in Bollywood'.
Starting her journey of acting and stardom with Vicky Donor (2012), Yami Gautam became the talk of the industry by proving her acting mettle in her first outing itself. Yami won the 'Best Female Debut', 'Star Debut of the Year - Female', and 'Best Entertaining Female Debut' at Zee Cine Awards, IIFA Awards, and Big Star Entertainment Awards respectively for her Bollywood Debut, Vicky Donor in 2012 and 2013.
Yami has played some of the bravest on-screen female roles. From a powerful role as Pallavi, an intelligence officer in the biggest hit Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019) to playing a visually impaired character in Kaabil (2017), she is hailed for her path-breaking performances. Her flawless performance and captivating personality have translated into many blockbuster films like Badlapur (2015), Bala (2019), Ginny Weds Sunny (2020) - to name a few.
Yami completed her schooling & later went on to pursue her Law Honors from Punjab University. As a young girl, she had aspired to join the civil services but later moved to pursue her passion, i.e. acting. She has been lucky to have been the face of many brands like Glow and Lovely, Cornetto, Samsung Mobile, Chevrolet, Revlon, Khimji Jewellers, iRange by Piramal, Hand in Hand Sanitizers, and Kai Razors. She has also graced the covers of various well-known and leading fashion, lifestyle, and film magazines like Elle, Cosmopolitan, Femina, Brides Today, etc.
Yami made her television debut with Raajkumar Aaryyan (2008) followed by Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Kam (2009). She made her debut in films with Kannada film, Ullasa Uthsaha (2010), followed by her debut in Punjabi film like Ek Noor (2011) and Telugu film Nuvvila (2011). She made her Malyalam film debut with Hero (2012) and Tamil film debut with Gouravam (2013).
She is also known for her performances in Total Chaos (2014), Sarkar 3 (2017), Batti Gul Meter Chalu (2018). For her role in Bala, she had won the award for 'Best Actor in a Comic Role' at Screen Awards in 2020.
Yami was much appreciated for her recent performances in films like Dasvi (2022), a social comedy genre, starring alongside Abhishek Bachchan & Nimrat Kaur and Bhoot Police (2021), a spooky adventure comedy starring alongside Saif Ali Khan, Arjun Kapoor & Jacqueline Fernandez. Yami made headlines with her brilliant performance in A Thursday (2022), a thriller, starring alongside Neha Dhupia, Atul Kulkarni followed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury's Lost (2022) which released in February 2023 and featured Pankaj Kapur, Rahul Khanna, and Neil Bhoopalam. Her latest release was Chor Nikal Ke Bhaga (2023), a heist thriller directed by Ajay Singh, alongside Sunny Kaushal.- Actress
- Producer
Zeenat Aman was born to a Hindu mother and a Muslim father Amanullah who was one of the writers for the classic "Mughal-e-Azam", on November 19th, 1951. Zeenat was an only child and her parents divorced when she was a little girl. A graduate of Saint Xavier's school in Bombay. Her father passed away when she was 13. Zeenat won a scholarship to study in California. Upon her return she started working as reporter and was introduced to modeling by friends. Her most prominent ad campaign was the Pond's 7 day to better complexion. Zeenat entered the Miss India contest and was the third runner up, to go to Miss Asia/Pacific a title she later won - being the first Indian to ever win that title (the same title was brought to Indian a second time in 2000 by Diya Mirza).
Zeenat was introduced to the movie screen by O.P. Ralhan in Hulchul with Kabir Bedi and later repeated by again by Ralhan in a cameo in Hungama. Both films sunk without trace. Zeenat was the third choice for the junkie 'Janice/Jasbeel' character in Dev Anand's 'Hare Rama Hare Krishna',(1971) opposite himself and the then reigning queen Mumtaz. Upon completion of shooting, Zeenat began packing bags to move to Malta with her mother and German step father (Mr. Heinz) for his job posting. When Dev Anand received feedback on rushes for the film, he insisted that Zeenat and her parents hold off on the move until the film is released and its fate decided, with reluctance they agreed. The film was an instant hit and Zeenat walked away with all the accolades shunning Mumtaz - never before had the Hindi cinema seen a newcomer overshadow the reigning queen. She won the Filmfare Award as Best Supporting Actress. For the first time, the Indian audience accepted a woman who played a 'less than pure' role in a movie.
Zeenat went on to revolutionize the Hindi film actress. She was the first Indian actress who refused bouffants, cropped a bob at the height of her career and hardly appeared in saris and bindis and could easily carry off a bikini dress without looking vulgar. She took on roles of the modern urban Indian woman, who made no excuses and took no prisoners. Her characters contemplated abortion to pursue a career (Ajnabee (1974) or dumping a poor lover to pursue a rich man (Roti Kapada Aur Makaan (1974), and still manage to win audience's approval. She pursued Vijay Arora by strumming her guitar singing "Churaliya hai" in the Nasir Hussain's hit film "Yaadon Ki Barat" (1973), fought alongside Amitabh Bachchan as a revenge-seeking action heroine in "Don" (1978). Even though Raj Kapoor's "Satyam Shivam Sundaram" (1977) didn't do well, Zeenat was able to break barriers by kissing her leading man on the mouth for the first time on the Indian screen post-Independence and receiving a Best Actress Filmfare nomination. She received another Filmfare nomination as Best Actress for the controversial hit film "Insaaf Ka Tarazu" (1980) where she played a justice-seeking rape survivor. Dev Anand promoted Zeenat in 70's by signing 7 films with her of which 4 were blockbusters.Rajesh Khanna-Zeenat Aman were paired opposite each-other in 4 films in 1974-84 period and 3 were blockbusters. and Shashi Kapoor-Zeenat gave 7 super-hit films off the 10 they did together. Zeenat began a new trend, helping launch careers for male actors - something Indian actresses never did. She signed Insaf Ka Tarazu with then unknown Raj Babbar and Deepak Prashar, signed films opposite even Mithun, Kanwaljeet Singh (Ashanti) and Tariq Ali (Hum Kissi se Kum Nahin and Yadon Ki Baarat). She had a tumultuous first marriage to Sanjay Khan which ended in divorce. Zeenat had a long string of super successes throughout her career but towards the end of her career she took on mature roles in Bhavani Junction, Haathon ki Lakeerain, Bandhan Kacche Dhagon Ka etc. the movies did average business at the box office as by late 80's cinema shifted its focus to front bench whistlers. At that time Zeenat settled in matrimony with fellow actor Mazhar Khan and gave birth to two sons, turning down multiple film offers. The marriage ended bitterly in divorce, but soon after Mazhar died, and Zeenat's feelings about him in the press were much kinder. Zeenat's contribution to the Indian cinema is definitely recognized though not fully as yet, but in time to come she will definitely be remembered as the first person to introduce a lot to India and add several dimensions to Indian women. In summary "She revolutionized the portrayal of Indian Women" in its cinema.