Sameera Reddy Biography
Sameera Reddy is one of the sexiest actresses in Bollywood. Her fore fathers are from Rajahmundry , A town in Andhra Pradesh , India.She is a very close relative to Business tycoon Vijay Mallya. She graduated from Sydenham College. She is most famous for her role in Musafir.She has two sibling sisters, Meghna Reddy and Sushma Reddy, both popular models and VJ’s. Following Sameera, Sushma also entered film field.
Sameera’s is a trained Kathak dancer. She loves swimming, dancing and playing video games. And she cannot do without working out in the gym. Yoga is another one of her favorite activity. She absolutely hates fatty and fried foods.
Sameera Reddy became popular with Pankaj Udhas’s music video ‘Aahista’. She did the video when she was in college. In the video she played a demure character, very unlike her current sex symbol image. In her school days she was very fat and was teased a lot for that. But everything changed when she started working out. Nowadays she is called Indian Jennifer Lopez.
After the music video Sameera did some modeling and has modeled for the international brand ‘Lissome’. Her debut on silver screen was through ‘Maine Dil Tujhko Diya’, in which she played an introverted girl. The film also saw the debut of Salman Khan’s brother and popular director Sohail Khan. Although she gave competent performance, the subject was not good and film flopped, that affected her career in the beginning.
The film that resurrected her career was Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Darna Mana Hai’. Sameera’s sizzling dance in its title song was widely appreciated. But the film that brought a drastic change in her image was ‘Musafir’ directed by Sanjay Gupta. ‘Musafir’ is still considered to be the hottest film in Bollywood. After that she got many offers but decided to go in a slow pace, concentrating on quality work.
Sameera Reddy also did couple of films down south, one of them with Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi. Both were huge hits. She also did a Bengali film ‘Kalpurush’ with renowned director Buddhadev Dasgupta. ‘Kalpurush’ is perhaps her best work so far and her performance bowled over even her worst critics. She also did few Hindi films like ‘Taxi Number 9211’, ‘No Entry’ and latest ‘Naksha’.
She is the only Bollywood actress who has a video game to her credit. Sameera, an ardent fan of video games, has been working on the game ‘Sam’s Mission’ for the last one year. In the game she is a princess who is trying to save her dad’s kingdom from enemies.
Although she hasn’t acknowledged any, her name has been associated with many, including celebrities, director Sanjay Gupta and Telugu actor Junior NTR prominent among them.
Sameera’s is a trained Kathak dancer. She loves swimming, dancing and playing video games. And she cannot do without working out in the gym. Yoga is another one of her favorite activity. She absolutely hates fatty and fried foods.
Sameera Reddy became popular with Pankaj Udhas’s music video ‘Aahista’. She did the video when she was in college. In the video she played a demure character, very unlike her current sex symbol image. In her school days she was very fat and was teased a lot for that. But everything changed when she started working out. Nowadays she is called Indian Jennifer Lopez.
After the music video Sameera did some modeling and has modeled for the international brand ‘Lissome’. Her debut on silver screen was through ‘Maine Dil Tujhko Diya’, in which she played an introverted girl. The film also saw the debut of Salman Khan’s brother and popular director Sohail Khan. Although she gave competent performance, the subject was not good and film flopped, that affected her career in the beginning.
The film that resurrected her career was Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Darna Mana Hai’. Sameera’s sizzling dance in its title song was widely appreciated. But the film that brought a drastic change in her image was ‘Musafir’ directed by Sanjay Gupta. ‘Musafir’ is still considered to be the hottest film in Bollywood. After that she got many offers but decided to go in a slow pace, concentrating on quality work.
Sameera Reddy also did couple of films down south, one of them with Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi. Both were huge hits. She also did a Bengali film ‘Kalpurush’ with renowned director Buddhadev Dasgupta. ‘Kalpurush’ is perhaps her best work so far and her performance bowled over even her worst critics. She also did few Hindi films like ‘Taxi Number 9211’, ‘No Entry’ and latest ‘Naksha’.
She is the only Bollywood actress who has a video game to her credit. Sameera, an ardent fan of video games, has been working on the game ‘Sam’s Mission’ for the last one year. In the game she is a princess who is trying to save her dad’s kingdom from enemies.
Although she hasn’t acknowledged any, her name has been associated with many, including celebrities, director Sanjay Gupta and Telugu actor Junior NTR prominent among them.
Priyanka Chopra Biography
Priyanka Chopra (Hindi: प्रियंका चोपड़ा, born 18 July 1982) is a two-time Filmfare Award-winning Indian actress. After winning the title of Miss India World and later becoming Miss World 2000, Priyanka has become one of the most successful and popular actresses from the industry.
Biography
Early life
Priyanka studied at La Martiniere Girls' College in Lucknow, as a young girl and later came to the United States, where she was a student at Newton North High School, in Newton, Massachusetts and North Delta Senior Secondary School in North Delta before returning to India to complete high school at Army Public School (Bareilly). She began college at Jai Hind College in Mumbai but left after winning the Miss World pageant.
Beauty contest winner
Priyanka was crowned Miss India World and later Miss World in 2000.[4] In the same year, Lara Dutta and Diya Mirza, both from India, won the Miss Universe and Miss Asia Pacific crowns, in a rare triple.
When she won the Miss World crown, she became the fifth Indian woman to win the title, and the fourth Indian woman to win in a span of seven years.
Acting career
After winning the Miss World title, Priyanka became an actress. She first acted in a Tamil film Thamizhan (2002) and then moved on to Bollywood. In 2003, her first Bollywood film, The Hero: Love Story of a Spy released and won her good reviews.[5] Despite being given a below average status, the film went on to become one of the highest grossing films of that year.[6] Her next film, Andaaz opposite Akshay Kumar was a success,[7] earning her a Filmfare Best Debut Award and a nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.
Her next few films failed to do well at the box office.[8] In 2004, her film, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi released and became the third highest grossing film of that year.[9] Her first negative role in her next release, Aitraaz, a Hindi remake of the Demi Moore-starrer Disclosure won her critical acclaim[10] and earned a Filmfare Best Villain Award. Her role also got her a second nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. In the same year, she participated in a world tour aptly titled "Temptations 2004" with Bollywood's leading stars, Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta and Arjun Rampal.
In 2005, she had many releases, though most didn't do well at the box office.[11] In 2006, Chopra starred in two of the most successful films of the year - Krrish and Don - The Chase Begins Again.[12]
Nikhil Advani's multi-starrer, Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love was Priyanka's first release in 2007. The move failed to do well at the box office.[13] Her most recent release, Big Brother also failed to do well.
Personal life
Priyanka was born in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India to Ashok and Madhu Chopra née Akhauri, both doctors.[2] Her mother comes from a Kayastha Bihari family, while her father comes from a family of Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi and Rajasthani origin, Priyanka is a Hindu. She also has a brother. She spent part of her childhood in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, Newton, Massachusetts, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa[2]. Her family frequently moved since her father was in the Army.
Filmfare Awards
Winner
* 2004: Filmfare Best Debut Award; Andaaz[1]
* 2005: Filmfare Best Villain Award; Aitraaz[2]
Nominated
* 2004: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award; Andaaz[3]
* 2005: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award; Aitraaz[4]
In 2004, she received two nominations, one in the Best Debut category and one in the Best Supporting Actress category.
She is the first actress who was nominated both for the Best Villain and Best Supporting Actress in a single year at the Filmfare Awards in 2005.
Star Screen Awards
Winner
* 2005: Star Screen Award Best Villain; Aitraaz[5]
Nominated
* 2004: Star Screen Award Most Promising Newcomer - Female; Andaaz[6]
* 2005: Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1, along with Akshay Kumar; Aitraaz[7]
Zee Cine Awards
Nominated
* 2004: Zee Cine Award Best Female Debut; The Hero: Love Story of a Spy & Andaaz[8]
* 2005: Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role; Aitraaz[9]
International Indian Film Academy Awards
Nominated
* 2004: IIFA Star Debut; Andaaz
* 2005: IIFA Best Villain Award; Aitraaz
Stardust Awards
Winner
* 2004: Stardust Best Supporting Actress Award; The Hero: Love Story of a Spy
* 2005: Stardust Superstar of Tomorrow - Female; Mujhse Shaadi Karogi
Global Indian Film Awards
Winner
* 2007: GIFA Awards, Windows Live Search & Movie Talkies Most Searched Actress[10]
Bengal Film Journalists Association Awards
Winner
* 2004, Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards, Best Actress (Hindi Movies); Aitraaz
Other Awards
* 2007: Star's Sabsey Favorite Kaun Awards Sabsey Tez Sitara
* 2007: POGO Awards Most Amazing Actress; Krrish
* 2007: AIFA Awards Best On-Screen Beauty; Krrish
Honors
* 2006: Style Diva of 2006[11]
* 2006: Sexiest Asian Women[12]
* 2007: Kelvinator's Gr8 Women Awards: Contribution to Indian Cinema
Biography
Early life
Priyanka studied at La Martiniere Girls' College in Lucknow, as a young girl and later came to the United States, where she was a student at Newton North High School, in Newton, Massachusetts and North Delta Senior Secondary School in North Delta before returning to India to complete high school at Army Public School (Bareilly). She began college at Jai Hind College in Mumbai but left after winning the Miss World pageant.
Beauty contest winner
Priyanka was crowned Miss India World and later Miss World in 2000.[4] In the same year, Lara Dutta and Diya Mirza, both from India, won the Miss Universe and Miss Asia Pacific crowns, in a rare triple.
When she won the Miss World crown, she became the fifth Indian woman to win the title, and the fourth Indian woman to win in a span of seven years.
Acting career
After winning the Miss World title, Priyanka became an actress. She first acted in a Tamil film Thamizhan (2002) and then moved on to Bollywood. In 2003, her first Bollywood film, The Hero: Love Story of a Spy released and won her good reviews.[5] Despite being given a below average status, the film went on to become one of the highest grossing films of that year.[6] Her next film, Andaaz opposite Akshay Kumar was a success,[7] earning her a Filmfare Best Debut Award and a nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.
Her next few films failed to do well at the box office.[8] In 2004, her film, Mujhse Shaadi Karogi released and became the third highest grossing film of that year.[9] Her first negative role in her next release, Aitraaz, a Hindi remake of the Demi Moore-starrer Disclosure won her critical acclaim[10] and earned a Filmfare Best Villain Award. Her role also got her a second nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. In the same year, she participated in a world tour aptly titled "Temptations 2004" with Bollywood's leading stars, Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta and Arjun Rampal.
In 2005, she had many releases, though most didn't do well at the box office.[11] In 2006, Chopra starred in two of the most successful films of the year - Krrish and Don - The Chase Begins Again.[12]
Nikhil Advani's multi-starrer, Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love was Priyanka's first release in 2007. The move failed to do well at the box office.[13] Her most recent release, Big Brother also failed to do well.
Personal life
Priyanka was born in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India to Ashok and Madhu Chopra née Akhauri, both doctors.[2] Her mother comes from a Kayastha Bihari family, while her father comes from a family of Marathi, Bengali, Punjabi and Rajasthani origin, Priyanka is a Hindu. She also has a brother. She spent part of her childhood in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, Newton, Massachusetts, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa[2]. Her family frequently moved since her father was in the Army.
Filmfare Awards
Winner
* 2004: Filmfare Best Debut Award; Andaaz[1]
* 2005: Filmfare Best Villain Award; Aitraaz[2]
Nominated
* 2004: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award; Andaaz[3]
* 2005: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award; Aitraaz[4]
In 2004, she received two nominations, one in the Best Debut category and one in the Best Supporting Actress category.
She is the first actress who was nominated both for the Best Villain and Best Supporting Actress in a single year at the Filmfare Awards in 2005.
Star Screen Awards
Winner
* 2005: Star Screen Award Best Villain; Aitraaz[5]
Nominated
* 2004: Star Screen Award Most Promising Newcomer - Female; Andaaz[6]
* 2005: Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1, along with Akshay Kumar; Aitraaz[7]
Zee Cine Awards
Nominated
* 2004: Zee Cine Award Best Female Debut; The Hero: Love Story of a Spy & Andaaz[8]
* 2005: Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role; Aitraaz[9]
International Indian Film Academy Awards
Nominated
* 2004: IIFA Star Debut; Andaaz
* 2005: IIFA Best Villain Award; Aitraaz
Stardust Awards
Winner
* 2004: Stardust Best Supporting Actress Award; The Hero: Love Story of a Spy
* 2005: Stardust Superstar of Tomorrow - Female; Mujhse Shaadi Karogi
Global Indian Film Awards
Winner
* 2007: GIFA Awards, Windows Live Search & Movie Talkies Most Searched Actress[10]
Bengal Film Journalists Association Awards
Winner
* 2004, Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards, Best Actress (Hindi Movies); Aitraaz
Other Awards
* 2007: Star's Sabsey Favorite Kaun Awards Sabsey Tez Sitara
* 2007: POGO Awards Most Amazing Actress; Krrish
* 2007: AIFA Awards Best On-Screen Beauty; Krrish
Honors
* 2006: Style Diva of 2006[11]
* 2006: Sexiest Asian Women[12]
* 2007: Kelvinator's Gr8 Women Awards: Contribution to Indian Cinema
Aishwarya Rai Biography
Aishwarya Rai (Tulu-Kannada: ಐಶ್ವರ್ಯ ರೈ, Devanāgarī: ऐश्वर्या राय, (born November 1, 1973), is an award-winning South Indian actress. Rai, who won the Miss World title in 1994, made her film debut in Mani Ratnam's Iruvar (1997) and had her first critical and commercial success with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), with whom she repeated this success with Devdas (2002). Since then, she has acted in nearly forty Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and English films. Today, she is considered to be one of the most popular actresses in India and the best-known Indian actress in the world. Rai is married to Indian actor Abhishek Bachchan and is daughter-in-law to Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan.
Biography
Early life
Rai was born in Mangalore, in the South Indian state of Karnataka, to Krishnaraj Rai, a marine engineer, and Vrinda Rai, a writer. Her ancestors are from the Bunt community of Mangalore. Her family relocated to Mumbai (Bombay) after her birth. Rai has one elder brother, Aditya Rai who is a film producer. Rai attended the Arya Vidya Mandir at Santacruz, Mumbai, then entered Jai Hind College, Churchgate, Mumbai for one year and then moved to Ruparel College, Matunga, Mumbai to finish her HSC. She was an A student and was on track to become an architect. Her mother tongue is Tulu. She also speaks Hindi, English, Kannada, Marathi and Tamil.
Rai began modeling on the side while pursuing for studies in Architecture, which did not materialise. In the 1994 Miss India contest, she was controversially placed second behind Sushmita Sen, and went on to win the Miss World title that same year and the Miss Photogenic award. After the one year reign as Miss World in London, she then worked as a professional model, in advertising and Indian fashion magazines and later got into the Indian film industry.
Career
Rai debuted in Mani Ratnam's Tamil language film, Iruvar (1997) with Mohanlal.[1] She was introduced to Bollywood in the film, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya with Bobby Deol as her co-star; the film was not a big hit on box office. However, her third project, a Tamil-language film, Jeans (1998) by S. Shankar was a critical and commercial success for which she was awarded the Filmfare Best Actress Award South. Aishwarya then appeared in many Bollywood films; a few successful films of her career include Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Taal (1999) for which her performance was lauded.[2] She was awarded the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her role in the former. In 2000 she had a supporting role in the hit film Mohabbatein and also in another hit film Josh.
In 2002, Rai appeared with superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit in the lavishly produced Devdas, which was a major box-office success.[3] and earned her the Filmfare Best Actress Award.[4] The film attracted overseas attention as well, receiving a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival.[5] It was during this time that she garnered the attention of the West as an Indian actress and went on to appear in a few Hollywood projects.
As her name gained popularity in the West, she was chosen by Time magazine in 2004 as one of the World's "100 Most Influential People" and in 2003, appeared on the cover of Time magazine. She was the subject of a 60 Minutes profile on January 2. A month later she appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman. She was also featured on Oprah's "Women Across the Globe" segment. In 2003, she acted in the critically acclaimed and commercial success Bengali film, Chokher Bali, an adaptation of one of Rabindranath Tagore's novels by the same name.
Rai has been a regular at the Cannes Film Festival since 2002, and was a member of the Jury at Cannes in the year 2003. In October 2004, a wax figure of Rai became on display in London's Madame Tussaud's wax museum.[6] The same month, her first foreign film was released: Bride and Prejudice.[7] The film was an Indian version of Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and Prejudice. The film did well commercially in the U.K but not in India. Her next overseas venture, The Mistress of Spices, was critically acclaimed though not commercially successful. She then appeared at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, as part of a performance showcasing Indian culture, on behalf of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in New Delhi. In between her overseas acting stints, she appeared in the Indian film Bunty Aur Babli in a hugely popular seven minute dance sequence for the song "Kajra Re".
At the end of the year 2006, she had two releases: Umrao Jaan and Dhoom 2. Umrao Jaan did poorly in India; however, her role in Dhoom 2, a sequel to the 2004 hit movie Dhoom brought her great attention. It was a hit commercially too.[8] 2007 saw the release of Mani Ratnam's Guru which premiered in Toronto. The film, based on the life of Indian businessman Dhirubhai Ambani, was critically acclaimed and a big box office hit.[9] Her most recent film, Provoked, based on the book "Circle of Light" where she portrays a real life character, was released on 6 April, 2007 in India and the UK. The film did well commercially in the UK. It was critically acclaimed all over the world. At the end of April 2007 her first American film, The Last Legion, was released in Russia and the Netherlands. The film opened in North American theaters in August 2007.
Personal Life
Aishwarya Rai was under fire for a kissing scene in her Bollywood blockbuster Dhoom 2.The kissing scene from a movie starring Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan, has upset an Indian lawyer who has filed a criminal case against them, accusing them of obscenity.[10] She dated actors Salman Khan & Vivek Oberoi. Her turbulent relationship with Salman Khan filled gossip columns. Her parents also had lodged a complaint against him. [11]
After much speculation concerning their relationship, her engagement to Abhishek Bachchan was announced on January 14, 2007.[12] They married on April 20, 2007 in a private ceremony held at the Bachchans' bungalow Prateeksha.[13] The event was heavily covered by the media.
Filmfare Awards
Winner
* 1998 - Filmfare Best Actress Award South for Jeans
* 1999 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam,[1]
* 2002 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Devdas[2]
Nominated
* 1999 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Taal [3]
* 2000 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai [4]
* 2000 - Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Mohabbatein [5]
* 2004 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Raincoat [6]
* 2006 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Dhoom 2 [7]
International Indian Film Academy Awards
Winner
* 2000 - IIFA Best Actress Award for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
* 2003 - IIFA Best Actress Award for Devdas
* 2005 - IIFA Global Indian Media Personality Award
* 2007 - IIFA Glamorous Star Award
Nominated
* 2000 - IIFA Best Actress Award for Taal
* 2005 - IIFA Best Actress Award for Raincoat
Star Screen Awards
Winner
* 1997 - Star Screen Award Most Promising Newcomer - Female for Aur Pyar Ho Gaya[8]
* 1999 - Star Screen Award Best Actress for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam[9]
* 2002 - Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1 along with Shahrukh Khan for Devdas[10]
* 2002 - Star Screen Award Best Actress for Devdas[11]
Nominated
* 1998 - Star Screen Award Best Actress for Taal
* 2000 - Star Screen Award Best Actress for Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai
* 2000 - Star Screen Award Best Supporting Actress for Mohabbatein
* 2004 - Star Screen Award Best Actress for Raincoat
* 2006 - Star Screen Award Best Actress for Dhoom 2[12]
* 2006 - Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1 along with Hrithik Roshan for Dhoom 2
Zee Cine Awards
Winner
* 2000 - Lux Face of the Year
* 2000 - Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam[13]
* 2003 - Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female for Devdas[14]
* 2003 - Zee Cine True Indian Beauty Award[15]
* 2005 - Zee Cine Critics' Best Actor Award- Female for Raincoat[16]
Nominated
* 2000 - Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female for Taal
* 2007 - Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female for Umrao Jaan
Other awards
Winner
* 2000 - Rupa Filmgoers Millennium Best Actress Award for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam [9]
* 2000 - Priyadarshini International Best Actress Award for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam [10]
* 2001 - BWSX Fantasy Award for Best Supporting Actress Mohabbatein [11]
* 2003 - True Indian Actress Award [12]
* 2004 - Global Foreign Artiste Debutantes to Mainstream Media Award [13]
* 2004 - F Awards-For Excellence in Indian Fashion - Female Celebrity Model of the Year
* 2005 - MTV Immies Best Performance in a Song - Kajra Re
* 2005 - Voted The Most Desired Dream Date [14]
* 2007 - Stardust Star of the Year Award - Female for Dhoom 2[17]
Femina Miss India
* 1994 - Miss Catwalk [15]
* 1994 - Miss Miraculous
* 1994 - Miss Photogenic [16]
* 1994 - Miss Perfect Ten [17]
* 1994 - Miss Popular
* 1994 - Miss India World (Winner of the title)
National honours and recognitions
* Rajiv Gandhi Award for Excellence in Field of Entertainment in 2002
* India Times named her No.1 on the list of the "100 Most Beautiful Indian Women in the Past Century". [18]
* Most photographed woman in India. [19]
* GR8! Women Award for Contribution to Cinema in 2004
* She was voted No. 2 in the India's "Most Desirable Women List" in 2006. . [20]
* She was ranked number one in its list of "Top 10 Actresses of 2006" by BollySpice.com a web-based Indian film magazine. [21]
* She was ranked No. 10 in the list of the "Best Bollywood Actresses Ever". [22]
International honours and recognitions
* Miss World 1994 [23]
* Most Beautiful International Titleholder of All Times Gold Medal Winner in 2000 [24]
* Most Beautiful Miss World of All Times-Received the highest score of 9.911 in 2000[18]
* She was ranked 7th in the list of the "Most admired Indians" by The Week, a British Magazine conducted a survey in 2000 where. She was the only actress in that top list. [25]
* First person to make her mark on the Dubai Studio City Wall of Fame during the IIFA Awards in Dubai. [26]
* She was voted 3rd in the list of "Sexiest Asian Women" by Eastern Eye, a UK based magazine. [27]
* She placed number seven on "The World’s 101 Sexiest Celebrity Bodies On Earth". [28]
* Time Magazine put her picture on its cover page in 2003. Before Aishwarya, only Parveen Babi’s picture was placed in 1976. [29]
* She is the only Bollywood star to appear in Rolling Stone (Issue 932, October 2, 2003), Rolling Stone one of the most popular and iconic magazines of USA. [30]
* She became the first Indian actor to be a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2003.
* Wax London's prestigious Madame Tussauds Wax museum[19] [31]
* She was voted as the "World’s Most Attractive Woman" in 2003 by Hello Magazine readers. one of the most popular British Magazines. She got the place beating Nicole Kidman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Gwyneth Paltrow. [32]
* She was in the list Time Magazine’s "100 Most Influential People in the World" in 2004. [33]
* She was ranked No. 30 in TIME magazine's issue of "100 Most Influential People of the Year". This is her second time making the list, her first being in 2004. [34]
* She was featured in the 2004 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records. [35]
* Mattel, the largest toy producing company released Barbie dolls adorned with costumes of Aishwarya Rai in 2005. The dolls were a super hit. They were sold in minutes after release. [36]
* In the 2005 IIFA awards ceremony that took place in Amsterdam a new breed of tulip was named after her. [37] [38]
* British Govt’s Next Step World Diversity Champion Award in 2005[20]
* Global Diversity Award by the European Union in 2005. [39] [40]
* She was voted number 12 on VH1's 50 Sexiest Actresses of the Last 20 Years in 2005. [41]
* She is the only Bollywood personality appeared on CBS 60 mins, Oprah Winfrey [42] , Good Morning America [43] and The David Letterman Show [44]
* People Magazine, one of the most popular American weekly magazines included her in their list of "100 Most Beautiful People in the World" in 2006. [45]
* She was voted No. 5 in the list of "Sexiest Stars of 2006". She was the only woman in the Top 5. [46]
* She is the first Indian actress to be signed on with the American Library Association. In addition, a poster with her picture on it has been made for schools and libraries all over USA. [47]
* E! Entertainment television, an American cable television voted her the "7th sexiest Celebrity in the World". [48]
* VH1, an American cable television channel voted her 12 out 50 "Sexiest Actresses of the Last 20 Years". [49]
* She was voted "Ninth Most Beautiful Woman in the World" for second year in a row in a survey conducted by Harpers & Queen in their list of the world’s 100 most beautiful women. [50] [51]
* Wax New York's prestigious Madame Tussauds Wax museum at Time Square in 2007
Biography
Early life
Rai was born in Mangalore, in the South Indian state of Karnataka, to Krishnaraj Rai, a marine engineer, and Vrinda Rai, a writer. Her ancestors are from the Bunt community of Mangalore. Her family relocated to Mumbai (Bombay) after her birth. Rai has one elder brother, Aditya Rai who is a film producer. Rai attended the Arya Vidya Mandir at Santacruz, Mumbai, then entered Jai Hind College, Churchgate, Mumbai for one year and then moved to Ruparel College, Matunga, Mumbai to finish her HSC. She was an A student and was on track to become an architect. Her mother tongue is Tulu. She also speaks Hindi, English, Kannada, Marathi and Tamil.
Rai began modeling on the side while pursuing for studies in Architecture, which did not materialise. In the 1994 Miss India contest, she was controversially placed second behind Sushmita Sen, and went on to win the Miss World title that same year and the Miss Photogenic award. After the one year reign as Miss World in London, she then worked as a professional model, in advertising and Indian fashion magazines and later got into the Indian film industry.
Career
Rai debuted in Mani Ratnam's Tamil language film, Iruvar (1997) with Mohanlal.[1] She was introduced to Bollywood in the film, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya with Bobby Deol as her co-star; the film was not a big hit on box office. However, her third project, a Tamil-language film, Jeans (1998) by S. Shankar was a critical and commercial success for which she was awarded the Filmfare Best Actress Award South. Aishwarya then appeared in many Bollywood films; a few successful films of her career include Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Taal (1999) for which her performance was lauded.[2] She was awarded the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her role in the former. In 2000 she had a supporting role in the hit film Mohabbatein and also in another hit film Josh.
In 2002, Rai appeared with superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit in the lavishly produced Devdas, which was a major box-office success.[3] and earned her the Filmfare Best Actress Award.[4] The film attracted overseas attention as well, receiving a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival.[5] It was during this time that she garnered the attention of the West as an Indian actress and went on to appear in a few Hollywood projects.
As her name gained popularity in the West, she was chosen by Time magazine in 2004 as one of the World's "100 Most Influential People" and in 2003, appeared on the cover of Time magazine. She was the subject of a 60 Minutes profile on January 2. A month later she appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman. She was also featured on Oprah's "Women Across the Globe" segment. In 2003, she acted in the critically acclaimed and commercial success Bengali film, Chokher Bali, an adaptation of one of Rabindranath Tagore's novels by the same name.
Rai has been a regular at the Cannes Film Festival since 2002, and was a member of the Jury at Cannes in the year 2003. In October 2004, a wax figure of Rai became on display in London's Madame Tussaud's wax museum.[6] The same month, her first foreign film was released: Bride and Prejudice.[7] The film was an Indian version of Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and Prejudice. The film did well commercially in the U.K but not in India. Her next overseas venture, The Mistress of Spices, was critically acclaimed though not commercially successful. She then appeared at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, as part of a performance showcasing Indian culture, on behalf of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in New Delhi. In between her overseas acting stints, she appeared in the Indian film Bunty Aur Babli in a hugely popular seven minute dance sequence for the song "Kajra Re".
At the end of the year 2006, she had two releases: Umrao Jaan and Dhoom 2. Umrao Jaan did poorly in India; however, her role in Dhoom 2, a sequel to the 2004 hit movie Dhoom brought her great attention. It was a hit commercially too.[8] 2007 saw the release of Mani Ratnam's Guru which premiered in Toronto. The film, based on the life of Indian businessman Dhirubhai Ambani, was critically acclaimed and a big box office hit.[9] Her most recent film, Provoked, based on the book "Circle of Light" where she portrays a real life character, was released on 6 April, 2007 in India and the UK. The film did well commercially in the UK. It was critically acclaimed all over the world. At the end of April 2007 her first American film, The Last Legion, was released in Russia and the Netherlands. The film opened in North American theaters in August 2007.
Personal Life
Aishwarya Rai was under fire for a kissing scene in her Bollywood blockbuster Dhoom 2.The kissing scene from a movie starring Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan, has upset an Indian lawyer who has filed a criminal case against them, accusing them of obscenity.[10] She dated actors Salman Khan & Vivek Oberoi. Her turbulent relationship with Salman Khan filled gossip columns. Her parents also had lodged a complaint against him. [11]
After much speculation concerning their relationship, her engagement to Abhishek Bachchan was announced on January 14, 2007.[12] They married on April 20, 2007 in a private ceremony held at the Bachchans' bungalow Prateeksha.[13] The event was heavily covered by the media.
Filmfare Awards
Winner
* 1998 - Filmfare Best Actress Award South for Jeans
* 1999 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam,[1]
* 2002 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Devdas[2]
Nominated
* 1999 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Taal [3]
* 2000 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai [4]
* 2000 - Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Mohabbatein [5]
* 2004 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Raincoat [6]
* 2006 - Filmfare Best Actress Award for Dhoom 2 [7]
International Indian Film Academy Awards
Winner
* 2000 - IIFA Best Actress Award for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
* 2003 - IIFA Best Actress Award for Devdas
* 2005 - IIFA Global Indian Media Personality Award
* 2007 - IIFA Glamorous Star Award
Nominated
* 2000 - IIFA Best Actress Award for Taal
* 2005 - IIFA Best Actress Award for Raincoat
Star Screen Awards
Winner
* 1997 - Star Screen Award Most Promising Newcomer - Female for Aur Pyar Ho Gaya[8]
* 1999 - Star Screen Award Best Actress for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam[9]
* 2002 - Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1 along with Shahrukh Khan for Devdas[10]
* 2002 - Star Screen Award Best Actress for Devdas[11]
Nominated
* 1998 - Star Screen Award Best Actress for Taal
* 2000 - Star Screen Award Best Actress for Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai
* 2000 - Star Screen Award Best Supporting Actress for Mohabbatein
* 2004 - Star Screen Award Best Actress for Raincoat
* 2006 - Star Screen Award Best Actress for Dhoom 2[12]
* 2006 - Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1 along with Hrithik Roshan for Dhoom 2
Zee Cine Awards
Winner
* 2000 - Lux Face of the Year
* 2000 - Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam[13]
* 2003 - Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female for Devdas[14]
* 2003 - Zee Cine True Indian Beauty Award[15]
* 2005 - Zee Cine Critics' Best Actor Award- Female for Raincoat[16]
Nominated
* 2000 - Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female for Taal
* 2007 - Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female for Umrao Jaan
Other awards
Winner
* 2000 - Rupa Filmgoers Millennium Best Actress Award for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam [9]
* 2000 - Priyadarshini International Best Actress Award for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam [10]
* 2001 - BWSX Fantasy Award for Best Supporting Actress Mohabbatein [11]
* 2003 - True Indian Actress Award [12]
* 2004 - Global Foreign Artiste Debutantes to Mainstream Media Award [13]
* 2004 - F Awards-For Excellence in Indian Fashion - Female Celebrity Model of the Year
* 2005 - MTV Immies Best Performance in a Song - Kajra Re
* 2005 - Voted The Most Desired Dream Date [14]
* 2007 - Stardust Star of the Year Award - Female for Dhoom 2[17]
Femina Miss India
* 1994 - Miss Catwalk [15]
* 1994 - Miss Miraculous
* 1994 - Miss Photogenic [16]
* 1994 - Miss Perfect Ten [17]
* 1994 - Miss Popular
* 1994 - Miss India World (Winner of the title)
National honours and recognitions
* Rajiv Gandhi Award for Excellence in Field of Entertainment in 2002
* India Times named her No.1 on the list of the "100 Most Beautiful Indian Women in the Past Century". [18]
* Most photographed woman in India. [19]
* GR8! Women Award for Contribution to Cinema in 2004
* She was voted No. 2 in the India's "Most Desirable Women List" in 2006. . [20]
* She was ranked number one in its list of "Top 10 Actresses of 2006" by BollySpice.com a web-based Indian film magazine. [21]
* She was ranked No. 10 in the list of the "Best Bollywood Actresses Ever". [22]
International honours and recognitions
* Miss World 1994 [23]
* Most Beautiful International Titleholder of All Times Gold Medal Winner in 2000 [24]
* Most Beautiful Miss World of All Times-Received the highest score of 9.911 in 2000[18]
* She was ranked 7th in the list of the "Most admired Indians" by The Week, a British Magazine conducted a survey in 2000 where. She was the only actress in that top list. [25]
* First person to make her mark on the Dubai Studio City Wall of Fame during the IIFA Awards in Dubai. [26]
* She was voted 3rd in the list of "Sexiest Asian Women" by Eastern Eye, a UK based magazine. [27]
* She placed number seven on "The World’s 101 Sexiest Celebrity Bodies On Earth". [28]
* Time Magazine put her picture on its cover page in 2003. Before Aishwarya, only Parveen Babi’s picture was placed in 1976. [29]
* She is the only Bollywood star to appear in Rolling Stone (Issue 932, October 2, 2003), Rolling Stone one of the most popular and iconic magazines of USA. [30]
* She became the first Indian actor to be a member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2003.
* Wax London's prestigious Madame Tussauds Wax museum[19] [31]
* She was voted as the "World’s Most Attractive Woman" in 2003 by Hello Magazine readers. one of the most popular British Magazines. She got the place beating Nicole Kidman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Gwyneth Paltrow. [32]
* She was in the list Time Magazine’s "100 Most Influential People in the World" in 2004. [33]
* She was ranked No. 30 in TIME magazine's issue of "100 Most Influential People of the Year". This is her second time making the list, her first being in 2004. [34]
* She was featured in the 2004 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records. [35]
* Mattel, the largest toy producing company released Barbie dolls adorned with costumes of Aishwarya Rai in 2005. The dolls were a super hit. They were sold in minutes after release. [36]
* In the 2005 IIFA awards ceremony that took place in Amsterdam a new breed of tulip was named after her. [37] [38]
* British Govt’s Next Step World Diversity Champion Award in 2005[20]
* Global Diversity Award by the European Union in 2005. [39] [40]
* She was voted number 12 on VH1's 50 Sexiest Actresses of the Last 20 Years in 2005. [41]
* She is the only Bollywood personality appeared on CBS 60 mins, Oprah Winfrey [42] , Good Morning America [43] and The David Letterman Show [44]
* People Magazine, one of the most popular American weekly magazines included her in their list of "100 Most Beautiful People in the World" in 2006. [45]
* She was voted No. 5 in the list of "Sexiest Stars of 2006". She was the only woman in the Top 5. [46]
* She is the first Indian actress to be signed on with the American Library Association. In addition, a poster with her picture on it has been made for schools and libraries all over USA. [47]
* E! Entertainment television, an American cable television voted her the "7th sexiest Celebrity in the World". [48]
* VH1, an American cable television channel voted her 12 out 50 "Sexiest Actresses of the Last 20 Years". [49]
* She was voted "Ninth Most Beautiful Woman in the World" for second year in a row in a survey conducted by Harpers & Queen in their list of the world’s 100 most beautiful women. [50] [51]
* Wax New York's prestigious Madame Tussauds Wax museum at Time Square in 2007
Kareena Kapoor Biography
Kareena Kapoor Hindi: करीना कपूर. born 21 September 1980 nicknamed "Bebo" is a four-time Filmfare Award-winning prominent Indian actress who appears in Bollywood movies.[2]
Making her acting debut with Refugee (2000), for which she won a Filmfare Best Debut Award, Kapoor had her first commercial success with her second release, Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai (2001). Her performance as a cosmetic beauty in Karan Johar's melodramatic Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) was praised and the film turned out to be her biggest commercial success so far. After that, Kareena starred in many films without much box office success. She was criticized for doing the same kind of roles in her films. As a result of this, she began taking on more serious and different roles. Her portrayal of a sex-worker in Sudhir Mishra's Chameli (2004) proved to be the turning point in her career. Her performances in critically acclaimed films like Dev (2004) and Omkara (2006) were praised and fetched her two Filmfare Critics Award for Best
Actress.
During her career years, she has appeared in many films, majority of them bringing her critical acclaim rather than commercial success.[3] Despite this, she retains popularity and is regarded as one of the most
versatile actresses of the industry.[4]
Early life
Kareena attended Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai and then went to Welham Girls Boarding School in Dehradun. After studying commerce at Mithibai College, Vile Parle for two years, Kapoor went to Harvard for summer school and took a course in microcomputers and information technology for three months.[5] Set on pursuing an acting career, she then took an admission in Government Law College at Churchgate to become a lawyer. After completing one year there, she went back to her initial plan of joining the film industry,[6] where she attended the Kishore Namit Kapoor acting school.[7]
Kapoor had planned to debut in Rakesh Roshan's Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai but left the project a few days into the filming.[8] She made her debut in J.P. Dutta’s moderately successful Refugee in 2000 with Abhishek Bachchan and won critical acclaim for portraying the role of a Pakistani girl.[9] The role earned her a Filmfare Best Debut Award and the film went on to become the fifth highest grossing film of that year.[10]
Breakthrough
In 2001, films like Yaadein and Asoka followed for her which did poorly at the box office. However her breakthrough performance of a princess in the latter was acclaimed and earned her a Filmfare nomination for Best Actress. Her next release, Ajnabee fared moderately well and became one of the highest grossing films of that year.[11] Success followed for her with films like Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. The former became one of the biggest hits of that year and the latter became the second highest grossing film of 2001.[12] These successes established her as one of the industry's most successful stars.[13]
Kapoor was in great demand after these successes and signed many new movies, but most of them failed to do well.[14] Even much-hyped films like Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (2002) and Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003) that came from big banners like Yash Raj Films and Rajshri Productions failed to do well in India,[15][16] but generated decent business overseas.[17] Many critics criticized her for doing the same kind of roles in her films, which led to her attempting different types of roles in the following years.[18]
Turning Point
In 2004, Kapoor began working with art film directors and doing more serious roles that brought her critical acclaim rather than commercial success. Her role of a prostitute in the 2004 film, Chameli proved to be a turning point in her career and made critics take notice of her once again,[18] earning her the Filmfare Special Performance Award. She also gained critical acclaim for her de-glamorized role in the critically acclaimed Dev,[19] for which she won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance, and her negative role in Fida.[20] Her other films in 2004 included the moderately successful Aitraaz and the semi-hit Hulchul.[21]
She followed through with moderately successful films like Bewafaa and Dosti: Friends Forever in 2005.[22] Her performance as an unfaithful woman in the former was well received by critics.[23]
36 China Town was Kareena's first release in 2006 followed by Chup Chup Ke. Both films managed to do moderately well at the box office.[24] Her performance as Desdemona in the Indian adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello, Omkara was praised,[25] earning her a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance and a Star Screen Award for Best Actress. Her performance in the film also landed her various nominations for Best Actress at different award ceremonies including the Filmfare Awards. In the same year, she also won favorable reviews for her item number in the hit movie Don - The Chase Begins Again.[26]
Personal life
Born into an old and influential film family of Punjabi origin in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Kareena's name was inspired by the book, Anna Karenina.[27] Kapoor is the grand-daughter of Raj Kapoor, who acted in and directed many successful movies and is also the great grand-daughter of Prithviraj Kapoor. Kareena was born to actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, who had divorced when she was still young.[28] Her uncle is well-known and popular actor, Rishi Kapoor. Her sister, Karisma Kapoor, is also a popular actress. Other living relatives include maternal aunt Sadhana, and cousins Ranbir Kapoor and Nikhil Nanda.
Kareena is currently dating actor Shahid Kapoor, the son of veteran actor Pankaj Kapoor. Gossip columnists have linked her to a number of her co-stars, but she has strongly denied all these rumors.[29]
In 2005, Kareena was in the news when onlookers with mobile phone cameras filmed her kissing her boyfriend Shahid Kapoor and released it to the news.
Making her acting debut with Refugee (2000), for which she won a Filmfare Best Debut Award, Kapoor had her first commercial success with her second release, Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai (2001). Her performance as a cosmetic beauty in Karan Johar's melodramatic Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) was praised and the film turned out to be her biggest commercial success so far. After that, Kareena starred in many films without much box office success. She was criticized for doing the same kind of roles in her films. As a result of this, she began taking on more serious and different roles. Her portrayal of a sex-worker in Sudhir Mishra's Chameli (2004) proved to be the turning point in her career. Her performances in critically acclaimed films like Dev (2004) and Omkara (2006) were praised and fetched her two Filmfare Critics Award for Best
Actress.
During her career years, she has appeared in many films, majority of them bringing her critical acclaim rather than commercial success.[3] Despite this, she retains popularity and is regarded as one of the most
versatile actresses of the industry.[4]
Early life
Kareena attended Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai and then went to Welham Girls Boarding School in Dehradun. After studying commerce at Mithibai College, Vile Parle for two years, Kapoor went to Harvard for summer school and took a course in microcomputers and information technology for three months.[5] Set on pursuing an acting career, she then took an admission in Government Law College at Churchgate to become a lawyer. After completing one year there, she went back to her initial plan of joining the film industry,[6] where she attended the Kishore Namit Kapoor acting school.[7]
Kapoor had planned to debut in Rakesh Roshan's Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai but left the project a few days into the filming.[8] She made her debut in J.P. Dutta’s moderately successful Refugee in 2000 with Abhishek Bachchan and won critical acclaim for portraying the role of a Pakistani girl.[9] The role earned her a Filmfare Best Debut Award and the film went on to become the fifth highest grossing film of that year.[10]
Breakthrough
In 2001, films like Yaadein and Asoka followed for her which did poorly at the box office. However her breakthrough performance of a princess in the latter was acclaimed and earned her a Filmfare nomination for Best Actress. Her next release, Ajnabee fared moderately well and became one of the highest grossing films of that year.[11] Success followed for her with films like Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. The former became one of the biggest hits of that year and the latter became the second highest grossing film of 2001.[12] These successes established her as one of the industry's most successful stars.[13]
Kapoor was in great demand after these successes and signed many new movies, but most of them failed to do well.[14] Even much-hyped films like Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (2002) and Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003) that came from big banners like Yash Raj Films and Rajshri Productions failed to do well in India,[15][16] but generated decent business overseas.[17] Many critics criticized her for doing the same kind of roles in her films, which led to her attempting different types of roles in the following years.[18]
Turning Point
In 2004, Kapoor began working with art film directors and doing more serious roles that brought her critical acclaim rather than commercial success. Her role of a prostitute in the 2004 film, Chameli proved to be a turning point in her career and made critics take notice of her once again,[18] earning her the Filmfare Special Performance Award. She also gained critical acclaim for her de-glamorized role in the critically acclaimed Dev,[19] for which she won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance, and her negative role in Fida.[20] Her other films in 2004 included the moderately successful Aitraaz and the semi-hit Hulchul.[21]
She followed through with moderately successful films like Bewafaa and Dosti: Friends Forever in 2005.[22] Her performance as an unfaithful woman in the former was well received by critics.[23]
36 China Town was Kareena's first release in 2006 followed by Chup Chup Ke. Both films managed to do moderately well at the box office.[24] Her performance as Desdemona in the Indian adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello, Omkara was praised,[25] earning her a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance and a Star Screen Award for Best Actress. Her performance in the film also landed her various nominations for Best Actress at different award ceremonies including the Filmfare Awards. In the same year, she also won favorable reviews for her item number in the hit movie Don - The Chase Begins Again.[26]
Personal life
Born into an old and influential film family of Punjabi origin in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Kareena's name was inspired by the book, Anna Karenina.[27] Kapoor is the grand-daughter of Raj Kapoor, who acted in and directed many successful movies and is also the great grand-daughter of Prithviraj Kapoor. Kareena was born to actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, who had divorced when she was still young.[28] Her uncle is well-known and popular actor, Rishi Kapoor. Her sister, Karisma Kapoor, is also a popular actress. Other living relatives include maternal aunt Sadhana, and cousins Ranbir Kapoor and Nikhil Nanda.
Kareena is currently dating actor Shahid Kapoor, the son of veteran actor Pankaj Kapoor. Gossip columnists have linked her to a number of her co-stars, but she has strongly denied all these rumors.[29]
In 2005, Kareena was in the news when onlookers with mobile phone cameras filmed her kissing her boyfriend Shahid Kapoor and released it to the news.
