Sridevi

Sridevi , born on August 13, 1963, is an Indian actress who has starred in hundreds of Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam language films. She started acting at the age of four, and made her debut as an adult in the early 80s. She established herself as one of the leading actresses of her times, and although she left the industry in 1997, she has been regarded by the industry members, as one of the most talented and prominent actresses of India.

Personal Life

Sridevi was born and brought up in Sivakasi, a district in Tamil Nadu. Her mother tongue is Tamil. Her father's name was Ayyapan and her mother's name was Rajeswari. Sridevi has a sister, Srilatha, and a younger brother named Satish. Her father died while she was filming Lamhe, her mother while she was making Judaai. Although it is the Hindu custom that the son lights the funeral pyre, Sridevi lit the pyre for her mother's last rites.
Numerous sources claim that Sridevi had a relationship with actor Mithun Chakraborty from 1986 to 1987, and ended the relationship when she found out that he had not divorced his wife, Yogita Bali. Many versions of this story say that the couple was secretly married and the marriage was later annulled. It is not clear how much of this story is true and how much is gossip.
Sridevi married film producer Boney Kapoor on June 2, 1996. Boney and his first wife Mona Shourie Kapoor had accommodated Sridevi in their home during Sridevi's stay in Mumbai.At that time Boney and Mona had been married for several years and had two children Arjun and Anshula. Mona Kapoor stayed in Boney Kapoor's parents home for 10 years after the divorce to give her children a sense of family. The couple has two daughters, Jhanvi and Khushi. Through her husband she is related to the large Surinder Kapoor film clan (see List of Bollywood film clans). Actor Anil Kapoor, her co-star in a number films, is her brother-in-law.

Career

Sridevi started her career as a child artist in the Tamil movie Kandhan Karunai (1967) and acted in many Telugu and Tamil movies. During her early adult career, she acted in a number of Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam movies. Many of her Malayalam movies were directed by I. V. Sasi. Some examples of her notable Malayalam movies are: Aadhyapaadam, Aalinganam, Kuttavum Sikshaiyum, Aa Nimisham. In 1976, she got her first big break as a heroine in K. Balachander's Moondru Mudichu, where she starred opposite Kamal Haasan and Rajnikanth. In many ways, this movie was a landmark in Tamil filmdom. It was also one of Rajnikanth's first major movies.After Moondru Mudhchu, Sridevi had a succession of huge hits with both these Tamil superstars. With Kamal Haasan, she acted in movies such as Guru, Sankarlal, Sigappu Rojakkal, Thaayillamal Naanillai, Meendum Kokila, Vaazhve Maayam, Varumaiyin Niram Sigappu, Neela Malargal, Moondram Pirai, 16 Vayathinile. With Rajnikanth, she acted in movies such as Dharmayuddham, Priya, Pokkiri Raja, Thanikattu Raja, Adutha Varisu, Nan Adimai Illai, etc. She was the number one actress in Tamil films during the period 1979-83.During the same time, Sridevi also made inroads into Telugu language movies. She acted with all major heroes in Telugu. A number of her Telugu movies were made by K. Raghavendra Rao. With N. T. Rama Rao, she acted in movies such as Konda Veeti Simham, Vetagadu, Sardar Paparayudu, Bobbili Puli etc. With A. Nageswara Rao, she acted in movies such as Mudulla Koduku, Premabhishekham, Bangaru Kanku, Premakanuka etc. With Krishna she acted in movies such as Kanchu Kagada, Kalavari Samsaram, Krishnavatharam, Borripellum Bolludu, Khaidi Rudrayya etc. After Kamal Haasan, Sridevi has acted the most number of movies with Krishna. Towards the tail end of her Telugu career, she started acting in Hindi movies. Many of her initial Hindi movies starred Jeetendra and were remakes of her Telugu movies, mostly directed by K. Raghavendra Rao, and K. Bappaiah.
In 1978, she starred in her first Hindi film, Solva Saawan which failed at the box office. However, her second movie, Himmatwala, went on to be a success and established her status in Bollywood. The film also earned her the famous nickname Thunder Thighs. This was followed by the critically acclaimed drama Sadma, which is often cited by critics as the most definitive child-woman performance of her career. Throughout the 1980s, she starred in a galaxy of box office hits, including Tohfa, Nagina, Mr. India, Chandni and Chaalbaaz, in which her double-role won her the first Hindi Filmfare Best Actress Award. The commercially successful Nagina is remembered for her iconic dance sequence in the film's climax. Her performance in Shekhar Kapur's blockbuster Mr. India won her rave reviews, and her comic-timing was praised. Yash Chopra's poetic fairy-tale mega-hit Chandni earned her another nomination at the Filmfare.Yash Chopra again directed her in the path-breaking modern day classic Lamhe (1991), where the sensitive and intense double-role act immortalised her forever in Hindi Cinema. It also won her, her second Filmfare Best Actress Award. She followed it with acclaimed performances in films like Khuda Gawah, Gumrah and Laadla. Kshanam Kshanam released in 1992 won her the fourth Filmfare Best Actress Award. She is one of the few Bollywood actresses who dictated terms and for whom exclusive roles were written. The failure of the multicrore Roop ki Rani Choron ka Raja proved to be a major setback. After the drama Judaai (1997), she left the industry in order to marry filmmaker Boney Kapoor and raise her two daughters, Jhanvi and Khushi.
After a six-year hiatus, an aged Sridevi returned to the small screen, briefly, in the popular Sahara sitcom Malini Iyer (2004-2005). She also appeared on Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai for Karishma Kapoor (2004) and as a judge in the TV show Kaboom (2005). She is a member of the Board of Directors at the Asian Academy of film and television. She performed an 80's medley at the 52nd Filmfare Awards 2007.

Raveena Tandon

Raveena Tandon (born October 26, 1974 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India) is a National Film Award winning, Indian Bollywood actress, producer, and a former model.
Tandon made her acting debut with Patthar Ke Phool (1991), and won a Filmfare Lux New Face Award for her performance in the film. During the 90s, she was a popular star and was part of several commercial successes such as Mohra (1994), Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1996) and Ziddi (1997), followed by many more, yet she was not particularly recognized as an actor though. However, she surprised critics and audiences in the early 2000s, when she ventured into more serious roles and turned to work in art and parallel cinema. She was highly acclaimed for her performances in films like Aks (2001) and Satta (2003), and had the peak of her career in 2002, when she won the coveted National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in Kalpana Lazmi's Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence (2001).

Early life

During her time as an intern she got her first film offer from Shantanu Sheorey which she accepted. She attended Jamnabai Narsee School in Juhu and studied at Mithibai College. She completed her first and second years at the college but by the beginning of her third year, was in the same class as current actor Fardeen Khan. she was getting more film offers. She dropped out of college and decided to pursue her film career.

Career

Raveena got her name from a combination of her father's name Ravi Tandon and mother's name Veena. Her father was a producer and director of some films in the 1970s and 1980s. She has a brother called Rajiv Tandon.
Her first film Patthar Ke Phool (1991) was a hit, she received the Filmfare Lux New Face Award for her debut performance.
Her next films Mohra (1994) and Dilwale (1994) were big hits at the box office whilst Laadla although an average performer, still earned her a Filmfare nomination as best supporting actress. Mohra was the second biggest hit of 1994. Her other releases of that year included the thriller Imtihaan and the comedy Andaz apna apna. The former was an average performer whilst the latter was unsuccessful at the box office but has since gained a strong cult following over the years. She reportedly got into a fight with her co-star Karisma Kapoor on the sets of the film. In 1995, she starred with Shahrukh Khan for the first time in Zamana Deewana, the film failed to do well. Her following films failed to do well at the box office and her career saw a drop in her success. Her career was back on track with hit films like Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1996) and Ziddi (1997), being big hits each of its respective year.
In 1998, Tandon had eight releases. Her last release of that year Bade Miyan Chote Miyan co-starring Amitabh Bachchan and Govinda turned out to the second biggest hit of the year. Coincidentally, Tandon was offered the second lead in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai which went on to be the biggest hit of 1998, but she turned it down. Her other releases of that year were Gharwali Baharwali which gained a below average status and Vinashak, Pardesi Babu and Aunty No. 1 all of which were un-successful.
In the 2000s, Tandon turned her career professionally. She went on to work more with art film directors and realistic cinema. It proved to be a good turning as films like Shool (1999), Bulandi (2000) and Aks (2001) won her huge acclaim. She won many awards as well as the Filmfare Special Performance Award for her performance in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Aks.
Her years in the industry paid off when she won the coveted National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in Kalpana Lazmi's Daman: A Victim of Marital Violence (2001), where she played a battered wife to an abusive husband. She surprised critics and audiences with her performance in the film and received much appreciation for her work. Critic, Taran Adarsh said "Raveena Tandon lends credibility to the role of a battered wife and walks away with the honours. The pathos she conveys through her expressions makes you realise that she's a performer of substance".
Since then, she has starred in a number of critically acclaimed films, such as Satta (2003) and Dobara (2004), but has not had much box office success. Her role as a middle class woman thrust into the world of politics in the former was praised. Critic, Taran Adarsh wrote "Raveena Tandon delivers a bravura performance. The actress takes giant strides as a performer, giving the right touches to her character. Here's a performance that's bound to be noticed". Her role as a schizophrenic in Dobara was also praised with one critic saying, "Raveena is in sync with her character, essaying her part with elaan".
Her last release was Sandwich in 2006 which opened to poor reviews and reception. She has not acted in films since.
Tandon has produced the films Stumped (2003) and Pehchaan: The Face of Truth (2005), neither had much success at the box office.

Personal life

She adopted two children Pooja and Chhaya as a single mother in the 1990s. Tandon previously dated actor Akshay Kumar from 1997 and they were set to be engaged, however they broke up soon after.
Tandon began dating film distributor Anil Thadani during the making of her film Stumped (2003). Their engagement was announced in November 2003. She married Thadani on February 22, 2004 in Jag Mandir Palace in Udaipur, Rajasthan according to Sikh rites. She gave birth to a baby girl called Rasha on March 16, 2005. She gave birth to her second child, a boy, on July 12, 2007.

Commitments

In November 2002, Tandon signed on to support the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. She posed in many ad campaigns joining the likes of Shilpa Shetty, Amisha Patel and John Abraham. On the issue of cows being slaughtered for their skin, she said "their abuse at the hands of corrupt skin and meat traders must be stopped".
In June 2006, Tandon contributed to the Lotus Eye Hospital in Mumbai for underprivileged children

Vinod Khanna

Vinod Khanna (born 6 October 1946) is an Indian actor, film producer and politician.

Career

Vinod Khanna debuted in Sunil Dutt's 1968 film Man Ka Meet as a villain. He acted in multi-starrer films often playing supporting and negative roles in hit films such as Purab Aur Paschim (1970), Sachaa Jhutta (1970) and Mera Gaon Mera Desh(1971). His big break was in the 1971 film Mere Apne directed by Gulzar. His sensitive performance as an army officer facing death row in another Gulzar scripted and directed 1973 film Achanak was critically acclaimed. The songless film echoed the true life story of K. M. Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra and Khanna portrayed Kawas Nanavati, the real life Navy officer.
He went on to star in many hits throughout the mid 1970s and early 1980s, including Parvarish (1977), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Khoon Pasina (1977), Muqaddar Ka Sikander (1978), The Burning Train (1980) and Qurbani (1980). Having peaked in Bollywood, he became a follower of the spiritual teacher Osho (Rajneesh) and left the film industry in 1979 for eight years. At this time, he was the most successful actor in the Bollywood, competing with Amitabh Bachchan. He rejoined the industry, eight years later in mid 1980s. He continued to appear in many notable films from the mid 1980s to the 1990s such as Dayavan (1988), Chandni (1989), Kshatriya (1993) Eeena Meena Deeka (1994) and Ekka Raja Rani (1994).In 1997 he introduced his son Akshaye in the film Himalay Putra which he produced and also starred in. In 1999 he received a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the film industry for over three decades. He has since acted in fewer films playing character roles. His most recent films were Deewaanapan (2002) and Risk (2007).
He is currently acting as the lead in the Hindi serial Mere Apne produced by Smriti Irani which airs on the new channel 9x.he plays the role of the male lead Kashi Nath and is paired with producer Smriti Irani who also acts as the female lead in the serial.

Politics

In 1997, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and was nominated from Gurdaspur, East Punjab in the next year's Lok Sabha poll.
The star-factor helped him oust five time Lok Sabha member Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder. Bhinder's perceived inability to develop the area outweighed the "outsider" tag applied to Khanna. The latter became union minister for culture and tourism in July 2002. Six months later he was moved to the more important ministry of external affairs (MEA) as minister of state. In 2004 he won re-election from Gurdaspur.
He was the highest taxpayer in Mumbai in 1990-91. Presently, he continues to participate in the film business based out of Dubai. His sons Akshay Khanna and Rahul Khanna are Hindi film actors.

Saif Ali Khan

Saif Ali Khan ( born 16 August 1970 in New Delhi, India) is an award-winning Indian actor who stars in Bollywood films. He is the son of the Nawab of Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and the actress Sharmila Tagore. He has two sisters; actress Soha Ali Khan, and Saba Ali Khan.
Khan made his debut in 1992 with Parampara. He had his major success with the 1994 films Main Khiladi Tu Anari and Yeh Dillagi. After starring in several box office failures throughout the 1990s, he gained acclaim and rose into prominence with his performance in Dil Chahta Hai (2001), and went on to turn his career professionally after that. He was praised for his performance in Nikhil Advani's hit Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), which won him the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, and won the coveted National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in another hit Hum Tum (2004). He then had commercial success with films like Salaam Namaste (2005) and Ta Ra Rum Pum (2007), and starred in numerous critically acclaimed projects such as Parineeta and Omkara (2006). These successes put him among the most successful actors in the industry.

Family and early life

Saif Ali Khan was born into the family of the Nawabs of Pataudi. His grandfather, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, was the Nawab of Pataudi as well as an accomplished cricketer who played for England and then for India as the captain of the team. His paternal grandmother was Sajida Sultan, Begum of Bhopal and his great-uncle was Pakistani general Nawabzada Sher Ali Khan Pataudi.
His father, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, like Nawab of Pataudi Sr., was not only the Nawab of Pataudi but also a former captain of the Indian cricket team. His mother, Sharmila Tagore, is a Bengali Indian film actress, head of the Indian film censorship board and a relative of the Nobel laureate - Rabindranath Tagore. Saif is also distantly related to the late Nafisa Joseph through his mother. Khan has two sisters: Soha Ali Khan and Saba Ali Khan.
Initially Saif studied at the Lawrence School Sanawar but later attended Lockers Park Prep School. Later, he followed in his father's footsteps by attending Winchester College, a famous independent school for boys in England.

Career

Saif was meant to make his debut in Bekhudi (1992) opposite Kajol but the film took off without him.
He made his Bollywood debut in the 1992 film Parampara. For his next film Aashiq Awara (1993) he won the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award. His breakthrough role came in 1994 with Yeh Dillagi starring opposite Kajol and Akshay Kumar which was his first major hit. Khan went on to star in many films but they failed at the box office. He only had success with multi-starrer hits like Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994), Imtihaan (1995), Kachche Dhaage (1999) and Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United (1999). After some box office failures he had a hit with the film Kya Kehna (2000).
His acting career, more or less, went through a relative slump until 2001, when he was cast in Farhan Akhtar's hit film, Dil Chahta Hai. He received much acclaim for his role as Sameer with critic Taran Adarsh calling it his career-best performance. The success of this film firmly established Saif as one of the industry's most bankable stars.
He has since had many box office successes such as Kal Ho Na Ho (2003),[15] Hum Tum (2004) and Salaam Namaste (2005). He won lots of critical acclaim for his performance in a rare negative role for the film Ek Hasina Thi (2004) and for Parineeta (2005). His performance in Hum Tum won him the National Film Award for Best Actor.
In 2006 Khan played the lead role in the offbeat English-language film Being Cyrus and bagged enormous acclaim for his villainous role in the Indian adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello, Omkara. Critic, Taran Adarsh said "Saif Ali Khan... plays the evil Langda Tyagi brilliantly. His looks, his mannerisms, his body language, his overall behavioral pattern takes you by complete surprise. The actor deserves distinction marks for portraying the role with such realism that you start hating him after a point. Sure, the actor deserves the highest award for this role". Rediff.com stated "Omkara marks Saif's emergence into the very forefront of his acting peers, and we gleefully applaud". He won the Best Villain awards at all the major award ceremonies including the Star Screen Awards, and Zee Cine Awards.
His next film Eklavya: The Royal Guard saw him and his mother together for the second time since Aashiq Awara. Though it was a box-office disappointment his performance as Harshwardhan was praised and appreciated by the critics. One critic commented "watching him emote with amazing precision makes you realize the giant strides he has taken as an actor".
His last release Ta Ra Rum Pum did moderately at the box office and his performance was praised.

Personal life

Khan married actress Amrita Singh in October 1991. The marriage made news as Amrita is twelve years older than him. After thirteen years of marriage and two children, a daughter named Sara and a son named Ibrahim, the couple divorced in 2004. His children live with their mother.
In 1998, Khan was charged with poaching two blackbucks in Kankani during the filming of Hum Saath Saath Hain along with co-stars Salman Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam. The charges were dropped soon after and Khan was acquitted.
The tabloids have often linked him with many other Bollywood stars, but he has denied all these rumours. After he divorced his wife, Khan began dating Rozza Catalino, who he broke up with in 2007. Khan is currently dating actress Kareena Kapoor. At the grand finale of the Lakme Fashion Week, he declared that they were indeed a couple and were seeing each other.
On February 18, 2007, Khan was hospitalized at Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai due to experiencing chest pain while rehearsing for his performance at the Stardust Awards, to be held that night. Many film personalities came to see the actor in hospital. After hospitalisation, he stated he would quit smoking.

Commitments

In 2005, along with other Bollywood stars, Khan performed at the HELP! Telethon Concert to help raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.
Khan took part in two major world tours. He was part of a troupe that included Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal and Priyanka Chopra, which went on the Temptations 2004 world tour. The tour was an international and commercial success, performing nineteen stage shows across the globe.
In 2006, Khan toured again, participating and performing in the successful Heat 2006 concert around the world, along with Akshay Kumar, Preity Zinta, Sushmita Sen and Celina Jaitley.
In 2006, Khan appeared along with various other Bollywood actors at the Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, as part of a performance showcasing Indian culture along with Rani Mukerji, and Aishwarya Rai on behalf of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in Delhi.

Mithun Chakraborty

Mithun Chakraborty (born Gouranga Chakraborty June 16, 1950) is a National Film Award-winning Indian film actor as well as social activist. In his heyday, he had earned a huge fan following as a dancing star, and was one of the most popular and leading actors of India in the 80s. Altogether he has appeared in more than 200 Bollywood films as well as some Bengali and Bhojpuri films. He is the owner of chain hotels, known as Monarch Hotels.

Personal life

He was born in Barisal (now in Bangladesh) and educated at the Scottish Church College, Calcutta, from where he earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry (B.Sc). After that he attended and graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India.
It is a little known fact that Mithun was a staunch Naxalite before entering the film industry. But tragedy struck his family when his only brother got accidentally electrocuted and killed in a freak accident. Mithun returned to his family and left the Naxalite fold, even though doing so meant a grave risk to his own life from the Naxalites, because this was considered a one-way road (it was an unwritten law somewhat like an Omerta, that one could not abandon the Naxalite cause once it had been embraced). This proved to be a turning point in his life and became one of the prime causes that led to his iconic status. Another lesser known fact is that he had undergone expert training in martial arts.
Mithun is married to Indian actress Yogita Bali and has four children, three sons and one daughter. The eldest son, Mimoh Chakraborty is an upcoming actor whose debut movie is scheduled to be launched in 2007.
Numerous sources claim that Chakraborty had a relationship with actress Sridevi from 1986 to 1987, and that Sridevi ended the relationship when she found out that he had not divorced his first wife, Yogita Bali. Chakraborty and Sridevi were believed to have been secretly married and that the union was later annulled.

Film career

Mithun made his film debut in the 1976 Mrinal Sen directed film Mrigaya for which he won the coveted National Film Award for Best Actor. After his debut he played some supporting roles in films such as Do Anjaane (1976) and Phool Khile Hain Gulshan Gulshan (1977) which did not gain him any recognition.
He shot into prominence in the late 1970s with the low budget Ravikant Nagaich directed spy film Surakshaa (1979) and the early 1980s with leading roles in hit films such as Hum Paanch (1980) and Wardaat (1981) (a sequel to Surakshaa).
His breakthrough role finally came in the musical drama Disco Dancer (1982) which was a huge success due to its hit music and remains a cult favourite to this day.A Good example of his cult movies would be Gunda. This film and other musical films such as Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki (1984) and Dance Dance (1987) showcased him as a talented dancer.
He starred in many successful romantic and family drama films during this period such as Mujhe Insaaf Chahiye (1983), Pyaar Jhukta Nahin (1985), Swarg Se Sunder (1986), and Pyaar Ka Mandir (1988). These films remain his most commercially successful films to date.
He was widely recognized as an action hero in hit films like Wanted (1983), Boxer (1984), Jagir (1984), Jaal (1986), Watan Ke Rakhwale (1987) Commando (1988), Waqt Ki Awaaz (1988), Guru (1989) and Dushman (1990). During the mid 1980s he was regarded as a rival to Amitabh Bachchan as he did dozens of films in the action and drama genre that showcased him as an angry young man at odds with the ills of society and corruption. This characterization was similar to Bachchan's one. Likewise, he has worked with some of the biggest actresses of his time and Bollywood in general, like Zeenat Aman, Padmini Kolhapure, Rati Agnihotri, Rekha, Sridevi, Madhuri Dixit and more.
Mithun achieved not only commercial success but also tremendous critical acclaim. His performances in his first film Mrigaya as well as for films such as Tahader Katha and Swami Vivekananda, were widely appreciated and won him National Film Awards. He also won two Filmfare awards: The Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance in the 1990 film Agneepath, and the Filmfare Best Villain Award for his performance in Jallad. Apart from it, he was praised for his performances in films like Pyaar Ka Mandir (1988) and Mujrim (1989).
During the mid 1990s he shifted his focus from mainstream Hindi cinema and went into starring in low-budget B-grade movies. These movies were mainly produced to cater to the audiences of Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, where Mithun has a cult-following even today, thanks to his Bhojpuri movies. In the late 1990s he took a break from acting and relocated to Ooty where he set up some businesses. He was the highest tax payer in the country for five consecutive years, from 1994 to 1999.
He made a comeback to the mainstream film Hindi film industry in 2005 with the film Elaan which was not successful. After a few supporting roles in films such as Lucky: No Time for Love (2005) he won acclaim for his performance in Kalpana Lazmi's Chingari. He recently starred in Mani Ratnam's hit Guru for which he received critical acclaim. Guru was the first film of his to be commercially successful since his comeback. His upcoming films are Samir Karnik's Heroes and Zindagi Tera Naam.

Sports

Mithun Chakraborty has also been quietly promoting Football in his native Bengal. The Bengal Football Academy is his brainchild. He travelled 12 hours in buses all over Bengal to raise money by playing exhibition matches. Rs 37 lakh is what they collected way back in 1999. Today, the BFA struggles to find its feet, fighting lack of funds and a permanent playing ground. The young Tarif Ali, who is a part of the Indian National squad is a protege of BFA.

Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan (born January 1, 1978) is an award-winning Indian actress who appears in Bollywood movies.
Balan, who began her career starring in many music videos, soap operas and commercials, made her acting debut in the Bengali film, Bhalo Theko (2003), for which she won critical acclaim. She later made her Hindi film debut with Parineeta (2005), for which she received a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award, and received her first commercial success with Rajkumar Hirani's Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006). Balan has thus established herself as one of the most promising actresses of the industry.

Career

Early life, until 2002

Vidya Balan grew up in Mumbai and attended St. Anthony's Girls High School, St. Xavier's College, Bombay and later the University of Mumbai. She graduated from college with a sociology degree.
Balan's movie career started when she was signed to appear in the Malayalam film Chakram, alongside superstar Mohanlal but the movie was shelved. After that, she was signed for a Tamil film, Run, but for reasons undisclosed, she was dropped after a first schedule and replaced by Meera Jasmine. In the jinx driven industry, Vidya was dropped from her second Tamil movie Manasellam opposite Srikanth, on the grounds of 'non-performance' and was replaced by Trisha Krishnan.
She then turned to television advertising. From 1998 onwards, she appeared in numerous television ads, many of which were directed by Pradeep Sarkar. She also took supporting roles in music videos, appearing with singers and bands such as Euphoria, Shubha Mudgal, and Pankaj Udhas. Vidya also portrayed the role of Radhika Mathur in a few episodes of the first season of Hum Paanch, but was later replaced by Amita Nangia at the end of the first season.

Breakthrough, 2003 - present

In 2003, she appeared in the Bengali film, Bhalo Theko, for which she won the Anandalok Puraskar Best Actress award in Kolkata. Balan next made her Hindi film debut in the critically acclaimed Parineeta. Though the film didn't do well, her performance was acclaimed by critics, earning her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award and a nomination for Filmfare Best Actress Award.
After the success of her first two films, the same producer who dropped her from Manasellam was keen to sign her opposite Kamal Hassan for Dasavatharam. But Vidya rejected the offer and Asin Thottumkal was signed instead. In 2006, she appeared opposite Sanjay Dutt in the blockbuster film Lage Raho Munna Bhai. Once again her performance was well received by critics and the film went on to become the second highest grossing film of that year.
Mani Ratnam's critically acclaimed Guru was Balan's first release in 2007, in which she played a woman with a physical disability. The film did very well at the box office and her role was appreciated. Her next two releases, Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love (2007) and Eklavya: The Royal Guard (2007) failed to do well but the latter was selected as India's official entries to the Oscars for the 80th Academy Awards.Balan's last two releases of the year, Heyy Babyy (2007) and Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007) have fared very well at the box office.

Personal life

Her father, P. R. Balan, is the Vice President of ETC Channel and her mother is a homemaker. Balan also has an older sister named Priya. Her mother tongue is Malayalam. In a video interview, Vidya has stated that she is "extremely spiritual", has a "firm faith in God" and visits temples everyday.
Gossip columnists have linked Vidya with many of her co-stars but she strongly denied the allegations, saying that they were "vile".

Awards and nominations

Filmfare Awards

Winner

2006: Filmfare Best Female Debut Award, Parineeta 2006: Filmfare FairOne Face of the Year, Parineeta

Nominated

2006: Filmfare Best Actress Award, Parineeta 2008: Filmfare Best Actress Award, Bhol Bhulaiyaa

Star Screen Awards

2006: Star Screen Award for Most Promising Newcomer - Female, Parineeta

Zee Cine Awards

Winner

2006: Zee Cine Award Best Female Debut, Parineeta

Nominated

2006: Zee Cine Award Best Actor - Female, Parineeta

International Indian Film Academy Awards

Winner

2006: IIFA Best Female Debut, Parineeta

Nominated

2007: IIFA Best Actress Award, Lage Raho Munnabhai

Stardust Awards

Winner

2006: Stardust Superstar of Tomorrow - Female, Parineeta

Other Awards

2003: Anandalok Puraskar Awards, Best Actress, Bhalo Theko 2006: Star's Sabsey Favourite Nayi Heroine, Parineeta 2007: Anandalok Puraskar Awards, Best Actress, Bhol Bhulaiyaa

Urmila Matondkar

Urmila Matondkar (born on February 4, 1974 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India) is an award-winning popular Indian Bollywood actress.Matondkar, who was earlier known for her bold image, was initially noted for her diverse roles in films like Rangeela (1995) and Satya (1998). During the 90s, she has frequently been featured in the Indian media as a sex symbol.She subsequently went on to show her psychological acting abilities, and has delivered a range of critically acclaimed performances. She received various Best Villain nominations for her role as an obsessive lover in Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (2001), and won her first Filmfare Award under the Best Performer category for her portrayal of a ghost-possessed in Bhoot (2003). She was later highly praised for her roles as a merciless avenger in Ek Hasina Thi (2004) and a caring daughter in Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara (2005). Matonkar is thus considered to be a serious actress with many critical acclaimed movies to her name.

Career

She started her career as a child artist; perhaps the best known of her early movies is Shekhar Kapur's Masoom in 1983. She made her film debut as an adult actress with the film "Bade Ghar ki Beti". She next starred in the fantasy film Chamatkar, along with Shahrukh Khan.She went on to frequently collaborate with film director Ram Gopal Verma, who is known for his thrillers. Her first film with him was Antham in Telugu, which was dubbed as Drohi (Hindi) in 1992. Since then, she has starred in numerous subsequent RGV pictures, like Gaayam in Telugu and her first major hit, the 1995 musical Rangeela. She played a star-struck dancer in the film, and received her first Filmfare Best Actress Award nomination for her performance in the film. Following RGV projects were Daud (1997), Satya (1999), Kaun (1999), Mast (2000), Jungle (2000), Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (2001), Bhoot (2003), and Ek Hasina Thi (2004).Her most notable films in the 1990s since Rangeela have been Judaai alongside Sridevi and Anil Kapoor, and for which she received various award nominations for Best Supporting Actress and Satya where she proved her strong dramatic abilities.During the 2000s, Matondkar revealed strong, dramatic and psychological features in her roles, and delivered a myriad of critically acclaimed performances. She won favorable reviews for her role as an obsessive lover in Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya (2001), and received various Best Villain nominationsa for her performance.In 2003, she was part of several projects. She played the role of a north Indian girl in the background of the 1947 India partition in the critically acclaimed Pinjar; she played the title role in Khalid Mohammed's drama Tehzeeb, starring along Shabana Azmi; however, she was mainly noted for her performance in Bhoot, a horror movie. Matondkar enacted a ghost-possessed woman; her performance was much appreciated by critics and audiences and she won her first Filmfare Award under the Best Performer category, as well as various Best Actress awards at different award ceremonies, suce as Star Screen Awards, Zee Cine Awards and Bollywood Movie Awards. She later received the national honour Rajiv Gandhi Award for the film, as a recognition to her achievement in Bollywood.In 2004, she was praised for her role as a merciless avenger in Ek Hasina Thi along with Saif Ali Khan. She played the role of a deceived woman who is jailed because of her lover, played by Khan, and later flees from prison to avenge him. Once again, Matondkar was nominated for her performance in the film.Next year in 2005, she tried her hand with another horror film, playing the title role in the film Naina, which failed. However, her performance as the caring daughter of Anupam Kher in Jahnu Barua's art film Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara was very well received, and she won her second Bollywood Movie Award for Best Actress. Following this, Mantondkar was recognized as one of India's most versatile actresses for these performances.Apart from holding a successful acting career, she is regarded as an outstanding dancer and has been a featured performer in many Bollywood item numbers. Her best-known item number is the Chamma Chamma sequence from the 1998 China Gate. Other hit numbers include the opening song of Company and Aaiye Aajaye from the hit film Lajja. She was signed to perform the item song in Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, a remake of the 1975 blockbuster Sholay. She played the role originally played by Helen.In 2007, Matondkar lent her voice for Asha Bhonsle's album Asha and Friends Vol 1, where she performed with Bhosle the duet song "Mehbooba Dilruba". In fact, throughout the 1990s – 2000s, Bhosle sang the maximum number of songs for Urmila.

Awards

Won

2002: Bollywood Movie Award - Most Sensational Actress - Pyar Tune Kya Kiya 2003: Filmfare Critics Award Best Performance - Bhoot. 2003: 1st Annual Apsara Awards, Best Actress - Bhoot. 2003: Bollywood Movie Award - Best Actress - Bhoot. 2003: Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female - Bhoot. 2003: Star Screen Award Best Actress - Bhoot. 2003: Rajiv Gandhi Award - achievement in Bollywood. 2006: Bollywood Movie Award - Best Actress - Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara.

Nominated

1995: Filmfare Best Actress Award - Rangeela 1997: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award - Judaai 1998: Filmfare Best Actress Award - Satya 2001: Filmfare Best Villain Award - Pyar Tune Kya Kiya. 2003: 1st Annual Apsara Awards, Best Actress - Pinjar. 2003: Filmfare Best Actress Award - Bhoot 2004: Filmfare Best Actress Award - Ek Hasina Thi 2004: Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female - Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara.