Shahid Kapoor Biography

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bipasha Basu Biography

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Akshay Kumar Biography

Akshay Kumar with his clean cut good looks and a history in martial arts has smoothly made a transition from action hero to a romantic hero and then into comedy, keeping movie buffs glued to their seats as they wait for what this Khiladi has to offer next.

Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia
Akshay Kumar was born as Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia on the 9 September 1967 in Amritsar to a middle class Punjabi household. His father was a government worker. He grew up in Delhi and later in Mumbai’s Koliwada area. He did his schooling at the Don Bosco School and his college years were spent in Khalsa College, where he showed an inclination for sports.

He studied martial arts in Bangkok while working as a chef. He came back to Delhi to teach martial arts when one of his students suggested he try his hand at modeling, which led to an offer to act in Deedar as the lead actor.

Akshay was linked with several of his co-stars like Raveena Tandon, Shilpa Shetty, Pooja Batra and even Rekha. He is currently married to actress turned entrepreneur Twinkle Khanna and they have a son Araav.

Akshay: Unbuttoned
Akshay Kumar was accused of obscene conduct when he asked his wife to unbutton his Levis while walking the ramp in 2009.

And…..Action!
Akshay Kumar didn’t grab any headlines with his debut Saugandh in 1991. Deedar, Dancer, and Khiladi were released in 1992, with Khiladi being one of the biggest hits of the year. In 1993, he came out with atleast six movies all of which fell flat. But he more than made up for it in 1994 with hits like Mohra with Raveena Tandon, Yeh Dillagi with Kajol and Saif Ali Khan, and Mein Khiladi Tu Anari with Saif Ali Khan and Shilpa Shetty. He received a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actor award for his romantic role in Yeh Dillagi.

The Khiladi tag seemed to be a lucky charm of sorts and he proved it with the 1995 hit Sabse Bada Khiladi and then again in 1996 with Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi. But the 1997 film Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi failed on that note. The same year, his extended supporting role in Dil To Pagal Hai won him the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor nomination. The next two years saw most of his films failing at the box office except for Sangharsh with Preity Zinta and Jaanwar.

He tried his hand in the comedy stream quite successfully in 2000 with Hera Pheri, which was a laugh riot. Dhadkan with pal Suneil Shetty and Shilpa Shetty also was a good performer at the box office. His role as Vikram Bajaj in the 2001 release Ajnabee won him the Filmfare Best Villain Award.

The years 2003 to 2006 saw him in Awaara Paagal Deewana, Andaaz, Mujhse Shaadi Karoge (nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor and Filmfare Best Comedian award), Garam Masala, and the sequel Phir Hera Pheri. Garam Masala fetched him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role.

He proved himself yet again in 2007 with almost all of his films ending up as hits like Namastey London, Bhool Bhulaiya, and Welcome. Though the much hyped Tashan failed to do well in 2008, Singh is Kinng did exceptionally well in India and overseas.

He also kickstarted the adventure based TV reality show, Khatron Ka Khiladi.

In 2009, Akshay did not have much success with his releases as they did not match the hype. He was seen in Chandni Chowk to China with Deepika Padukone as a loser who morphs into a winner. While his fans stood by him, the critics slammed it. Nagesh Kukunoor’s 8x10 Tasveer didn’t evoke a good response. Kambakkht Ishq also fell flat. Blue was appreciated for its visuals. De Dana Dan, a comedy, with his pals from Hera Pheri did a decent job at the box office.

On a Roll….
He is currently working on five movies-Housefull, Helloo India, Action Replay with Aishwarya Rai, Khatta Meeta, and Patiala House.

Preity Zinta Biography

1. 
   Preity Zinta’s impish looks in the Cadbury’s Perk commercial and her forthright character in her debut Dil Se, which is on par with her off screen persona, stole the show and had her fans begging for more.
   
   Pretty Power
   Preity Zinta, born on 31 January 1975 in Shimla comes from a non-filmi family. Her father Durganand Zinta was in the Indian Army and her mother is Nilprabha. Her older brother Deepankar is with the Indian Army and a younger brother Manish lives in California. Zinta’s parents were in a car accident that killed her father while her mother made it with severe injuries.
   
   Zinta spent her early years at the Jesus and Mary boarding school in Shimla. She is a graduate in English from St.Bede’s College in Shimla after which she did a degree in Criminal Psychology.
   
   Her break into show business was a matter of chance, when she was featured in the Cadbury Perk’s commercial. She went on to be the Liril girl and part of other ads. She made a move into movies in 1997. Her debut Shekhar Kapoor’s Tara Rum Pum Pum with Hrithik Roshan was cancelled after which she landed a role in Mani Rathnam’s Dil Se.
   
   Zinta was dating Marc Robinson. In 2009, Zinta broke up with her long-term boyfriend Ness Wadia, a businessman who comes from the family that runs Bombay Dyeing.
   
   Skating on thin ice
   Zinta was awarded the Godfrey’s Mind of Steel Award and the Red and White Bravery Award for testifying against the underworld who had threatened her during the Bharat Shah case. She was one of the few witnesses who stood her ground.
   
   More recently, Zinta was accused by singer Suchitra Krishnamurthy for being the reason behind her divorce from director Shekhar Kapoor, which Zinta denied.
   
   IPL
   Zinta’s life has been more than just show business. She wrote for the BBC News Online about women’s issues. She is actively involved in various social causes like AIDS awareness, clean up drives in Mumbai, and human trafficking. Her prize money from Kaun Banega Crorepathi was donated to the Red Cross Society in Shimla. She was one of the celebrities, who as part of NDTV’s Jai Jawan, visited the army men based in Hisar, Haryana.
   
   In 2008, she became the youngest and only woman to own a franchise of the Mohali based Twenty20 cricket team of the Indian Premier League. She was in the news for her rapport with the team’s players and support that she extended towards them during the matches.
   
   Shaadi ke pehle, you know, honkabonkabonk???
   
   1998 to 2000
   Preity Zinta’s first release was Mani Rathnam’s Dil Se (1998) with Shah Rukh Khan and Manisha Koirala. Her role as the outspoken Preeti Nair and her song sequence ‘Jiya Jale’ was enough to seal the deal. Her second movie the same year was as the lead in Soldier with Bobby Deol. She won the Filmfare Best Debut Award. She also acted in a Telugu movie, Premante Idera.
   
   In 1999, she appeared in another Telugu movie Raja Kumarudu and as a CBI officer in Tanuja Chandra’s Sangharsh, which was inspired by Silence of the Lambs. In 2000, she played Priya Bakshi in Kya Kehna, which dealt with pre-marital sex and the ostracization of a single, pregnant woman. This was followed by Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega with Rani Mukherji and Salman Khan and Mission Kashmir in which she played a journalist opposite Hrithik Roshan.
   
   2001 to 2004
   She starred once again with Rani Mukherji and Salman Khan in Chori Chori Chupke Chupke (2001), which was mired in controversy as it was supposed to have been financed by the underworld. Then there was the groundbreaking Dil Chahta Hai which cast her as Aamir Khan’s love interest. Dil Hai Tumhaara, her only release in 2002, did not do well at the box office. Armaan, in 2003, saw her in a negative role and she was part of Bollywood’s sci-fi movie, Koi Mil Gaya, with Hrithik Roshan. It was Naina Catherine Kapoor’s role in Karan Johar’s Kal Ho Na Ho that cinched the Filmfare Best Film Actress Award.
   
   In Lakshya, she famously played the role of journalist Barkha Dutt. Veer–Zaara was a love story between a Pakistani woman and an Indian man and won her praise.
   
   2005 to 2010
   Salaam Namaste, set in Australia and starring Saif Ali Khan, had her in the role of Amber a radio jockey in a live-in relationship and for the third time onscreen she was pregnant out of wedlock.
   
   Kabhie Alvida Naa Kehna, another multi starrer by Karan Johar, did well in 2006. Jhoom Barabar Jhoom in 2007 didn’t do well in India but did better business overseas.
   
   Rituparno Ghosh’s The Last Lear got mixed reviews. In 2008, she played Kuljeet Kaur, a war-widow in Heroes and Chand in Deepa Mehta’s Heaven on Earth that was about domestic violence.
   
   In 2009, she was seen in a cameo role in Main Aur Mrs Khanna. Her next release is Jahnu Barua’s Har Pall (2010) with Shiney Ahuja

Shahrukh Khan Biography

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

Beginnings

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

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

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

Journey

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

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

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

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

At the turn of the century, he saw successful releases in Mohabbatein, where he worked alongside Amitabh Bacchan and Josh with Aishwarya Rai. He won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance for Mohabbatein. He, along with Juhi Chawla, started their production company Dreamz Unlimited and produced and starred in Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani, which didn’t fare very well. The epic movie Asoka, where he played the Emperor Asoka and the multi-starrer Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham, made their mark in 2001. He was cast as the tragic lover Devdas, in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s remake of the award winning Devdas, in 2002. It won him the Filmfare Best Actor Award. In 2003, he received nominations for his performance in Kal Ho Na Ho and his production house saw it’s first success in Chalte Chalte.

His second production house, Red Chillies Entertainment, saw light in 2004 and it’s first release Farah Khan’s debut Main Hoon Na, was one of the biggest successes of the year, alongside his other movie the same year, Veer-Zaara. He walked away with the Filmfare Best Actor Award for his role in Swades though the movie created hardly any ripples in the box-office. Another big release from Red Chillies Entertainment in 2005 was Paheli in which he played a ghost. It was India’s entry to the Oscars. A documentary on Khan titled The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan was produced by Nasreen Munni Kabir in 2005. Another multi-starrer directed by Karan Johar in 2006 was Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna that made a splash in India and overseas. He also starred in the remake of the seventies hit Don. The Filmfare Best Actor Award landed in his hand yet again in 2007 for his role as Kabir Khan in Chak De India where he is the tough coach for the girls’ hockey team. His performance in Farah Khan’s Om Shanthi Om also won him nominations.

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

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

Aishwarya Rai Biography

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Salman Khan Biography

The name Salman Khan sparks several images: his reluctance to wear shirts, his sculpted chest, his frequent run-ins with the law, his gorgeous ex-girlfriends, his good looks (voted by People magazine in 2004 as the 7th most good looking man in the world and the first in India), and his unquestionable status as one of three reigning Khans of Bollywood.

Sallu
Abdul Rashid Salim Salman Khan was born on 27 December 1965 in Indore, Madhya Pradesh to Salma Khan and Salim Khan, a screenwriter who has to his credit several successful films like Sholay, Deewar, and Don. His step-mother is Helen, an actress and dancer famous for her blonde wigs and shimmies. He has two brothers Arbaaz and Sahil, who have also worked in Bollywood and two sisters Alvira and Arpita. His sister Alvira is married to Atul Agnihotri who was an actor before taking on the role of a director.

Salman has dated some of the prettiest faces of Bollywood like Somy Ali, Sangeeta Bijlani and Aishwarya Rai. His current partner is Katrina Kaif.

The Jailbird
Salman, when not wow-ing his audience on-screen, has managed to get into quite a few tangles with the law off-screen. In 1999, he was accused of shooting Chinkara, an endangered species during the shooting of Hum Saath Saath Hai and was awarded a jail term. After days spent behind bars and several appeals that were denied, he is currently out on bail.

He was arrested for negligent driving on 28 September 2002, which resulted in the death of one person while three others were injured. Charges were dropped against the actor for homicide though other charges were leveled against him over this incident, still being battled in court.

He has also been at the receiving end of fatwas for permitting Madame Tussaud’s to make a wax statue of him and then participating in the Ganesh festival.

Aishwarya Rai’s parents had pressed charges against him for harassment after the couple broke up. In 2005, alleged tapes were released of Salman Khan threatening Aishwarya Rai to participate in events supported by the underworld. These charges were dropped as the tapes were found to be doctored.

The Actor
1988–1993 He played a supporting role in the film Biwi Ho Tho Aisi released in 1988.

It was followed by the extremely successful 1989 hit, Maine Pyaar Kiya, winning him the Filmfare Best Debut Award. This was followed by a string of films like Bhaaghi, Sanam Bewafa, Pathar Ke Phool, and Saajan, which did very well at the box office. The films released in 1992 and 1993 were pretty average.

1994-1999 He came back to the top of the charts with his films Andaz Apna Apna with Aamir Khan and the opulent family drama Hum Aapke Hai Kaun opposite Madhuri Dixit, which is considered to be one of the biggest blockbusters of Bollywood. He played the role of Arjun in Karan Arjun with Shah Rukh Khan in 1995. Khamoshi-The Musical was the best of his 1996 films and was critically acclaimed. 1997 was again a bleak year for Salman. He made up for it in 1998 with Pyaar Kiya Tho Darna Kya with Kajol and his appearance in the hit Kuch Kuch Hota Hai as Aman, which won him the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor award.

In 1999, he co-starred with Karishma Kapoor in the hit comedy Biwi No.1. He starred with Aishwarya Rai and Ajay Devgan in the love story Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam which made waves in India and overseas. The film Hello Brother carried a family tag on it as he starred alongside his brother Arbaaz Khan and it was directed by his brother Sahil Khan.

2000-2009 Salman continued to churn out several films. Some did fairly well like Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega in 2000 and Chori Chori Chupke Chupke in 2001, both films in which he worked with Rani Mukherji and Preity Zinta. None of his movies that came out in 2002 worked well. He made up for it with Tere Naam in 2003 that not only did well at the box office but his performance was appreciated widely.

He played the role of an AIDS patient in Phir Milenge that came out in 2004. The World Health Organisation commended the film for its portrayal of AIDS. Mujhse Shaadi Karoge in 2004, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? in 2005 and funnies like No Entry in 2005 and Partner in 2007 kept his fans hooked. His Hollywood venture with Ali Larter, Marigold: An Adventure in India flopped. He took over from Jim Carrey in God Tussi Great Ho in 2008, based on the Hollywood comedy, Bruce Almighty. He put in an appearance in Hello, which is adapted from Chetan Bhagat’s book, One Night at a Call Center. Salman Khan worked with Katrina in Yuvvraj but the movie didn’t work at the box office.

In 2009, he continued to host the television show, 10 Ka Dum. His performance in Wanted, a remake of Pokkiri, was praised. However, Main Aur Mrs Khanna and London Dreams failed to make a strong impact.

More of Sallu
His next release in 2010 is Veer, an epic. He plays the warrior Veer. The movie is set during the period when the British had occupied India.

Amitabh Bachchan Biography

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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