Bollywood Mania. J.Bros Publication. pattom p.o Trivandrum, kerala, india

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3 Bollywood Mania J.Bros Publication pattom p.o Trivandrum, kerala, india Price: 70 Rs

4 Indroduction Here I m indroducing some details of 12 bollywood stars 4

5 Contents Shah Rukh Khan Kajol Hritik Roshan Kangana Ranaut Ranveer Sing Deepika Padukone Varun Dawan Parineeti Chopra Siddarth Malhotra Alia Bhatt Tiger Shroff Jacqueline Fernandez

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7 Shah Rukh Khan

8 Shah Rukh Khan (born Shahrukh Khan, 2 November 1965), also known as SRK, is an Indian film actor, producer and television personality. Referred to in the media as the Baadshah of Bollywood, King of Bollywood or King Khan, he has appeared in more than 80 Bollywood films, and earned numerous accolades, including 14 Filmfare Awards. Khan has a significant following in Asia and the Indian diaspora worldwide. In terms of audience size and income, he has been described as one of the most successful film stars in the world.[4][5][6] Khan started his career with appearances in several television series in the late 1980s. He made his Bollywood debut in 1992 with Deewana. Early in his career, Khan was recognised for portraying villainous roles in the films Darr (1993), Baazigar (1993) and Anjaam (1994). He then rose to prominence after starring in a series of romantic films, including Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Mohabbatein (2000) and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001). He earned critical acclaim for his portrayal of an alcoholic in Devdas (2002), a NASA scientist in Swades (2004), a hockey coach in Chak De! India (2007) and a man with Asperger syndrome in My Name Is Khan (2010). His highest-grossing films include the comedies Chennai Express (2013) and Happy New Year (2014). Many of his films display themes of Indian national identity and connections with diaspora communities, or gender, racial, social and religious differences and grievances. For his contributions to film, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, and the Government of France awarded him both the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the Légion d honneur. As of 2015, Khan is co-chairman of the motion picture production company Red Chillies Entertainment and its subsidiaries, and is the co-owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team Kolkata Knight Riders. He is a frequent television presenter and stage show performer. The media often label him as Brand SRK because of his many endorsement and entrepreneurship ventures. Khan s philanthropic endeavours have provided health care and disaster relief, and he was honoured with UNESCO s Pyramide con Marni award in 2011 for his support of children s education. He regularly features in listings of the most influential people in Indian culture, and in 2008, Newsweek named him one of their fifty most powerful people in the world. Early life and family Khan was born on 2 November 1965 in a Muslim family in New Delhi.[2] He spent the first five years of his life in Mangalore, where his maternal grandfather, Ifthikar Ahmed, served as the chief engineer of the port in the 1960s.[7][8][a] According to Khan, his paternal grandfather, Jan Muhammad, an ethnic Pashtun (Pathan), was from Afghanistan. [10][11] Shah Rukh Khan also said in his interviews that he is a Pathan (Pashtun) from Peshawar.[12] Khan s father, Meer Taj Mohammed Khan, was an Indian independence 8

9 activist in Peshawar, British India (present-day Pakistan). As of 2010, Khan s paternal family was still living in Shah Wali Qataal area of Peshawar s Qissa Khawani Bazaar. [11] Meer was a follower of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan,[13] and affiliated with the All Indian National Congress.[11] He moved to New Delhi in 1948 partition of India.[14] Khan s mother, Lateef Fatima, was the daughter of a senior government engineer.[15] [b] His parents were married in 1959.[18] Khan described himself on Twitter as half Hyderabadi (mother), half Pathan (father), [and] some Kashmiri (grandmother).[19] His paternal cousins in Peshawar claim that the family is of Hindkowan origin from Kashmir, not Pashtun, and also contradict the claim that his grandfather was from Afghanistan.[11][20] Khan grew up in the Rajendra Nagar neighbourhood of Delhi.[21] His father had several business ventures including a restaurant, and the family lived a middle-class life in rented apartments.[22] Khan attended St. Columba s School in central Delhi where he excelled in his studies and in sports such as hockey and football,[23] and received the school s highest award, the Sword of Honour.[22] In his youth, he acted in stage plays and received praise for his imitations of Bollywood actors, of which his favourites were Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan and Mumtaz.[24] One of his childhood friends and acting partners was Amrita Singh, who became a Bollywood actress.[25] Khan enrolled at Hansraj College ( ) to earn his bachelor s degree in Economics, but spent much of his time at Delhi s Theatre Action Group (TAG),[26] where he studied acting under the mentorship of theatre director Barry John.[27] After Hansraj, he began studying for a master s degree in Mass Communications at Jamia Millia Islamia, but left to pursue his acting career.[28] He also attended the National School of Drama in Delhi during his early career in Bollywood.[29] His father died of cancer in 1981,[c] and his mother died in 1991 from complications of diabetes.[32] After the death of their parents, his older sister, Shahnaz Lalarukh, born in 1960,[33] fell into a depressed state and Khan took on the responsibility of caring for her.[30][34] Shahnaz continues to live with her brother and his family in their Mumbai mansion.[35] Although Khan was given the birth name Shahrukh Khan, he prefers his name to be written as Shah Rukh Khan, and is commonly referred to by the acronym SRK.[1] He married Gauri Chibber, a Punjabi Hindu, in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony on 25 October 1991, after a six-year courtship.[36][37] They have a son Aryan (born 1997) and a daughter Suhana (born 2000).[28] In 2013, they became parents of a third child named AbRam,[38] who was born through a surrogate mother.[39] According to Khan, while he strongly believes in Islam, he also values his wife s religion. His children follow both religions; at home the Qur an is situated next to the Hindu deities.[40] Acting career : Television and film debut

10 Khan s first starring role was in Lekh Tandon s television series Dil Dariya, which began shooting in 1988, but production delays led to the 1989 series Fauji becoming his television debut instead.[41] In the series, which depicted a realistic look at the training of army cadets, he played the leading role of Abhimanyu Rai.[42][43] This led to further appearances in Aziz Mirza s television series Circus ( ) and Mani Kaul s miniseries Idiot (1991).[44] Khan also played minor parts in the serials Umeed (1989) and Wagle Ki Duniya ( ),[44] and in the English-language television film In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones (1989).[45] His appearances in these serials led critics to compare his look and acting style with those of the film actor Dilip Kumar,[46] but Khan was not interested in film acting at the time, thinking that he was not good enough.[44] [47] Khan changed his decision to act in films in April 1991,[48] citing it as a way to escape the grief of his mother s death.[49] He moved from Delhi to Mumbai to pursue a fulltime career in Bollywood, and was quickly signed to four films.[48] His first offer was for Hema Malini s directorial debut Dil Aashna Hai,[29][42] and by June, he had started his first shoot.[50] His film debut was in Deewana, which was released in June 1992.[51] In it he starred alongside Divya Bharti as the second male lead behind Rishi Kapoor. Deewana became a box office hit and launched Khan s Bollywood career;[52] he earned the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for his performance.[53] Also released in 1992 were Khan s first films as the male lead, Chamatkar, Dil Aashna Hai, and the comedy Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, which was his first of many collaborations with the actress Juhi Chawla.[54] His initial film roles saw him play characters who displayed energy and enthusiasm. According to Arnab Ray of Daily News and Analysis, Khan brought a new kind of acting as he was sliding down stairs on a slab of ice, cartwheeling, somersaulting, lips trembling, eyes trembling, bringing to the screen the kind of physical energy... visceral, intense, maniacal one moment and cloyingly boyish the next. [55] : Anti-hero Among his 1993 releases, Khan garnered the most appreciation for portraying villainous roles in two box office hits: an obsessive lover in Darr, and a murderer in Baazigar.[56] Darr marked the first of Khan s many collaborations with filmmaker Yash Chopra and his company Yash Raj Films. Khan s stammering and the use of the phrase I love you, K-k-k-Kiran were popular with audiences.[57] For Darr he received a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role, also known as the Best Villain Award, but lost to Paresh Rawal for Sir.[58] Baazigar, in which Khan played an ambiguous avenger who murders his girlfriend, shocked Indian audiences with an unexpected violation of the standard Bollywood formula.[59] In The Cambridge Companion to Modern Indian Culture, Sonal Khullar called the character the consummate anti-hero.[60] His performance in Baazigar, which would be his first of many appearances with actress Kajol, won Khan his first Filmfare Award for Best Actor.[61] In 2003, the Encyclopedia of Hindi Cinema stated that Khan defied the image of the conventional hero in both these films and created his own version of the revisionist hero.[61] Also in 1993, 10

11 Khan performed a nude scene with Deepa Sahi in Maya Memsaab, although parts of it were censored by the Central Board of Film Certification.[62] The ensuing controversy prompted him to eschew such scenes in future roles.[63] In 1994, Khan played a love-struck musician in Kundan Shah s comedy-drama film Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa opposite Deepak Tijori and Suchitra Krishnamurthy, which he later professed was his favourite role. His performance earned him a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance, and in a retrospective review from 2004, Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com referred to it as Khan s best performance, saying He is spontaneous, vulnerable, boyish, mischievous and acting straight from the heart. [64] Also in 1994, Khan won the Filmfare Best Villain Award for his role as an obsessive lover in Anjaam, co-starring Madhuri Dixit and Deepak Tijori.[61] At the time, playing antagonistic roles was considered risky to a leading man s career in Bollywood. Ray subsequently credited Khan for taking insane risks and pushing the envelope by choosing to play such characters, through which he established his career in Bollywood.[55] The director Mukul S. Anand called him the new face of the industry at the time.[49] : Romantic hero Khan starred in seven films in 1995, the first of which was Rakesh Roshan s melodramatic thriller Karan Arjun. Co-starring Salman Khan and Kajol, it became the second-highest grossing film of the year in India.[65] His most significant release that year was Aditya Chopra s directorial debut, the romance Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, in which he played a young Non-resident Indian (NRI) who falls in love with Kajol s character during a trip across Europe. Khan was initially reticent to portray the role of a lover, but this film is credited with establishing him as a romantic hero.[66] Lauded by both critics and the public, it became the year s highest grossing production in India and abroad and was declared an all time blockbuster by Box Office India,[65][67] with a gross of over 1.22 billion (US$18 million) worldwide.[68] It is the longest-running film in the history of Indian cinema; it is still showing at the Maratha Mandir theatre in Mumbai after more than 1000 weeks as of early 2015.[69][70] The film won ten Filmfare Awards, including the second of Khan s Best Actor Awards.[61] The director and critic Raja Sen said, Khan gives a fabulous performance, redefining the lover for the 1990s with great panache. He s cool and flippant, but sincere enough to appeal to the [audience]. The performance itself is, like the best in the business, played well enough to come across as effortless, as non-acting. [71] In 1996, all four of Khan s releases failed critically and commercially,[72] but the following year, his starring role opposite Juhi Chawla in Aziz Mirza s romantic comedy Yes Boss earned him accolades that included a Filmfare Best Actor nomination.[58] Later in 1997, he starred in Subhash Ghai s diasporic-themed social drama Pardes,[73] portraying Arjun, a musician facing a moral dilemma. India Today cites it as one of the first major Bollywood pictures to succeed in the United States.[74] Khan s final release of 1997 was a second collaboration with Yash Chopra in the popular musical romance

12 Dil To Pagal Hai. He portrayed Rahul, a stage director caught in a love triangle between Madhuri Dixit and Karisma Kapoor. The film and his performance met with critical praise, winning Khan his third Best Actor Award at Filmfare.[61] Khan performed the lead role in three films and made one special appearance in In his first release of the year, he played a double role opposite Juhi Chawla and Sonali Bendre in Mahesh Bhatt s action comedy Duplicate, the first of his many collaborations with Yash Johar s production company Dharma Productions. The film was not well received,[75] but India Today lauded Khan for his energetic performance.[76] The same year, Khan won critical praise for his performance as an All India Radio correspondent who develops an infatuation for a mysterious terrorist (Manisha Koirala) in Dil Se..,[77] the third instalment of Mani Ratnam s trilogy of terror films.[78][79] In his final release of the year, he portrayed a college student in Karan Johar s romance Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, in which he was involved in a love triangle along with Kajol and Rani Mukerji. The writer Anjana Motihar Chandra has referred to the picture as the blockbuster of the 1990s, a pot-pourri of romance, comedy, and entertainment. [80] Khan won the Best Actor award at the Filmfare Awards ceremony for the second consecutive year,[61] although he and several critics believed his performance to have been overshadowed by that of Kajol.[81] The roles in this phase of his career, and the series of romantic comedies and family dramas that followed, earned Khan widespread adulation from audiences, particularly teenagers,[82] and according to author Anupama Chopra, established him as an icon of romance in India.[83][84] He continued to have frequent professional associations with Yash Chopra, Aditya Chopra, and Karan Johar, who moulded his image and made him into a superstar.[85] Khan became a romantic leading man without ever actually kissing any of his co-stars,[83] although he broke this rule in 2012, after strong urging by Yash Chopra.[86] : Career challenges Khan s only release in 1999 was Baadshah, in which he starred opposite Twinkle Khanna. Although the film underperformed at the box office,[87] it earned him a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Performance in a Comic Role, which he lost to Govinda for Haseena Maan Jaayegi.[58] Khan became a producer in 1999 in a collaboration with the actress Juhi Chawla and the director Aziz Mirza for a production company called Dreamz Unlimited.[88] The company s first production, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000), starring Khan and Chawla, was a commercial failure.[89] It was released one week after Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai, starring Hrithik Roshan, then a newcomer, who critics believed overshadowed Khan.[90] Swapna Mitter of Rediff.com spoke of Khan s predictable mannerisms, saying Frankly, it s high time he innovated his act a little. [91] Khan made his debut in Tamil cinema with Hey Ram (2000), where he played the role of archaeologist Amjad Khan.[92] He performed free of charge as he wanted to work with Kamal Haasan.[93] The film released to critical acclaim;[94] on Khan s performance, 12

13 T. Krithika Reddy of The Hindu wrote, Shah Rukh Khan, as usual comes up with an impeccable performance. [92] In 2001, Dreamz Unlimited attempted a comeback with Khan portraying the title role in Santosh Sivan s historical epic Aśoka, a partly fictionalised account of the life of emperor Ashoka. The film was screened at the Venice Film Festival and the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival to a positive response,[95] but it performed poorly at Indian box offices.[96] As losses continued to mount for the production company,[90] Khan was forced to close srkworld.com, a company that he had started along with Dreamz Unlimited.[97] In December 2001, Khan suffered a spinal injury while performing an action sequence for a special appearance in Krishna Vamsi s Shakti: The Power.[98] He was subsequently diagnosed with a prolapsed disc, and attempted multiple alternative therapies. None of these provided a permanent solution to the injury, which caused him severe pain while shooting several of his films.[98][99] By the beginning of 2003, his condition had worsened to the point that he had to undergo anterior cervical discectomy and fusion surgery at Wellington Hospital, London.[100][101][102] Khan resumed shooting in June 2003, but he reduced his workload and the number of film roles he accepted annually.[99] Successes during this time included Aditya Chopra s Mohabbatein (2000), and Karan Johar s family drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001),[89][103] which Khan cites as a turning point in his career.[104] Both films co-starred Amitabh Bachchan as an authoritarian figure, and presented ideological struggles between the two men.[105][106] Khan s performances in the films were met with wide public appreciation, and he was awarded his second Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for Mohabbatein.[58][107] Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... remained the top-grossing Indian production of all time in the overseas market for the next five years.[68] In 2002, Khan played the title role as a rebellious alcoholic opposite Aishwarya Rai in Sanjay Leela Bhansali s period romance Devdas. At a cost of over 500 million (US$7.4 million), it was the most expensive Bollywood film ever made at the time,[108] yet recovered its costs, earning 840 million (US$12 million) worldwide.[68] The film earned numerous accolades including 10 Filmfare Awards, with Best Actor for Khan,[53] and a BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language.[109] Khan next starred in Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), a comedy-drama written by Karan Johar and set in New York City, which became the second-highest grossing film domestically and the top-grossing Bollywood film in external markets that year.[103][110] Co-starring with Jaya Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, and Preity Zinta, Khan received critical praise for his portrayal of Aman Mathur, a man with a fatal heart disease, with critics praising his emotional impact upon audiences.[111] Conflict broke out between Khan and the other partners of Dreamz Unlimited over the failure to cast Juhi Chawla in their 2003 production of Aziz Mirza s Chalte Chalte, and they parted ways, despite the film s success.[112] : Resurgence 2004 was a critically and commercially successful year for Khan. He transformed Dreamz

14 Unlimited into Red Chillies Entertainment, adding his wife Gauri as a producer.[113] In the company s first production, he starred in Farah Khan s directorial debut, the action comedy masala film Main Hoon Na. A fictionalised account of India Pakistan relations, it was viewed by some commentators as a conscious effort to move away from the stereotypical portrayal of Pakistan as the constant villain.[114] Khan then played an Indian Air Force pilot who falls in love with a Pakistani woman (Preity Zinta) in Yash Chopra s romance film Veer-Zaara, which was screened at the 55th Berlin Film Festival to critical praise.[115] It was the highest earning film of 2004 in India, with a worldwide gross of over 940 million (US$14 million), and Main Hoon Na was the second-highest earner with 680 million (US$10 million).[68][116] In his final release of 2004, Khan starred as a NASA scientist who patriotically returns to India to rekindle his roots in Ashutosh Gowariker s social drama Swades (meaning Homeland ), which became the first Indian picture to be shot inside the NASA research centre at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.[117] Film scholar Stephen Teo refers to the picture as an example of Bollywoodised realism, displaying a transcendence in conventional narrative and audience expectation in Hindi cinema.[118] In December 2013, The Times of India reported that Khan found filming the picture such an emotionally overwhelming and life-changing experience that he had still not viewed the film.[119] Derek Elley of Variety found Khan s performance unsettling as a self-satisfied expatriate determined to bring Western values to poor Indian peasants,[120] but several film critics, including Jitesh Pillai, believed it to have been his finest acting to date.[121][122] He was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for all three of his 2004 releases and eventually won the award for Swades.[53][58] Filmfare later included his performance in the 2010 issue of Bollywood s Top 80 Iconic Performances.[123] In 2005, Khan starred in Amol Palekar s fantasy drama, Paheli. The film was India s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 79th Academy Awards.[124] He later collaborated with Karan Johar for the third time in the musical romantic drama Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), the story of two unhappily married people in New York City who begin an extramarital affair. The film, which featured an ensemble cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji and Kirron Kher, emerged as India s highest grossing film in the overseas market,[103] earning more than 1.13 billion (US$17 million) worldwide.[68] Both his roles in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and the action film Don, a remake of the 1978 film of the same name, earned Khan Best Actor nominations at the Filmfare Awards,[125] despite his performance as the titular character in Don being negatively compared to that of Amitabh Bachchan in the original film.[126][127] In 2007, Khan portrayed a disgraced hockey player who coaches the Indian women s national hockey team to World Cup success in Yash Raj Films semi-fictional Chak De! India. Bhaichand Patel notes that Khan, who had a background in the sport playing for his university s hockey team,[129] essentially portrayed himself as a cosmopolitan, liberal, Indian Muslim.[130] Faring well in both India and abroad,[68][131] Khan gar- 14

15 nered another Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his performance,[53] which Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN considers to have been without any of his typical trappings, without any of his trademark quirks, portraying Kabir Khan like a real flesh-and-blood human being.[132] Filmfare included his performance in their 2010 issue of the Top 80 Iconic Performances.[133] In the same year, Khan starred alongside Arjun Rampal, Deepika Padukone and Shreyas Talpade in Farah Khan s reincarnation melodrama Om Shanti Om, portraying a 1970s junior artiste who is reborn as a 2000s era superstar. The film became the highest grossing Indian motion picture of 2007, both domestically and abroad.[103][134] Om Shanti Om earned Khan his second nomination of the year for Best Actor at Filmfare.[135] Khalid Mohammed from Hindustan Times wrote, the enterprise belongs to Shah Rukh Khan, who tackles comedy, high drama and action with his signature style spontaneous and intuitively intelligent.[136] Khan collaborated for the third time with Aditya Chopra on the romantic drama Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) opposite Anushka Sharma, at that time a newcomer. He played Surinder Sahni, a shy man with low self-esteem, whose love for his young arranged wife (Sharma) causes him to transform himself into Raj, a boisterous alter-ego. Rachel Saltz of The New York Times believed the dual role to have been tailor-made for Khan, giving him the opportunity to display his talents,[137] although Deep Contractor from Epilogue thought Khan displayed greater strength in the role of Surinder and weakness in the role of monologue-prone Raj.[138] In December 2008, Khan suffered a shoulder injury while filming a small role in Mudassar Aziz s Dulha Mil Gaya. He underwent extensive physiotherapy sessions at the time but the pain left him almost immobile and he had arthroscopic surgery in February 2009.[139][140] He performed an extended, special appearance in the 2009 film Billu, playing Bollywood superstar Sahir Khan a fictionalised version of himself, wherein he performed musical item numbers with actresses Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Deepika Padukone.[141] As head of the film s production company, Red Chillies, Khan made the call to change the title of the film from Billu Barber to Billu after hairdressers across the country complained that the word barber was derogatory. The company covered up the offending word on billboards that had already been installed with the original title.[142] 2010 present: My Name Is Khan and beyond After refusing the role that subsequently went to Anil Kapoor in Danny Boyle s Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Khan began shooting My Name Is Khan (2010), his fourth collaboration with director Karan Johar and his sixth with Kajol.[143] The film is based on a true story and set against the backdrop of perceptions of Islam after the 11 September attacks. Khan plays Rizwan Khan, a Muslim suffering from mild Asperger syndrome who sets out on a journey across America to meet the country s president, in a role that film scholar Stephen Teo sees as a symbol of assertive rasa values and another example of Khan representing NRI identity in global Bollywood.[144] To provide an accurate portrayal of a sufferer without disparagement, Khan spent several months researching his role by reading books, watching videos and talking to people affected by the con-

16 dition.[145][146] Upon release, My Name is Khan became one of the highest grossing Bollywood films of all time outside India,[68][103] and earned Khan his eighth Filmfare Award for Best Actor,[53] equalling the record for the most wins in the category with actor Dilip Kumar.[147] Jay Wesissberg from Variety noted how Khan portrayed the Asperger s sufferer with averted eyes, springy steps, [and] stuttered repetitions of memorized texts, believing it to have been a standout performance sure to receive the Autism Society s gold seal of approval.[148] In 2011, Khan starred alongside Arjun Rampal and Kareena Kapoor in Anubhav Sinha s science fiction superhero film Ra.One, his first work in this genre, as a favour to his children.[149] The film follows the story of a London-based videogame designer who creates a villainous character who escapes into the real world. It was billed as Bollywood s most expensive production; it had an estimated budget of 1.25 billion (US$19 million). [150][151] Despite negative media coverage of the film s box office performance, Ra.One was a financial success with a gross of 2.4 billion (US$36 million).[152][153] The film, and Khan s portrayal of a dual role, received mixed reviews; while most critics praised his performance as the robotic superhero G.One, they criticised his portrayal of the videogame designer Shekhar.[154] Khan s second release of 2011 was Don 2, a sequel to Don (2006).[155] To prepare for his role, Khan exercised extensively and performed most of the stunts himself.[156] His performance earned him positive reviews from critics; Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India said, Shah Rukh remains in command and never loses his foothold, neither through the dramatic sequences nor through the action cuts.[157] The year s highest grossing Bollywood production abroad,[158][159] it was showcased at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival.[160] Khan s only release in 2012 was Yash Chopra s last picture,[161] the drama Jab Tak Hai Jaan, which saw him once again in a romantic role, starring opposite Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma. CNN-IBN considered the overall performance by Khan to have been one of his finest to date, but believed that Khan s first screen kiss of his career with Katrina Kaif, twenty years his junior, was an awkward one.[86][162] Jab Tak Hai Jaan became one of the highest grossing Bollywood films of all time, both in India and abroad, setting several records and earning over 2.11 billion (US$31 million) worldwide.[163] [164] The film was showcased at the 2012 Marrakech International Film Festival in Morocco, along with Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..., Veer-Zaara, and Don 2.[165] At the following Zee Cine Awards, Khan performed a tribute to the late Yash Chopra along with Kaif, Sharma, and several of Chopra s other past heroines.[166] In 2013, Khan starred in Rohit Shetty s action comedy Chennai Express for Red Chillies Entertainment, a film which earned mixed critical reviews and a fair amount of criticism for its perceived disparagement of South Indian culture, although the film included a tribute to Tamil cinema star Rajinikanth.[167] The critic Khalid Mohamed thought that Khan overacted in the film and criticised him for re-rendering every old trick in the acting book.[168] Despite the criticism, the film broke many box office records for Hindi films in both India and abroad, surpassing 3 Idiots to briefly become the highest 16

17 grossing Bollywood film of all time, with a gross of almost 4 billion (US$59 million) in worldwide ticket sales.[169][170] On 7 March 2013 a day before International Women s Day The Times of India reported that Khan had requested a new convention with the name of his lead female co-stars appearing above his own in the credits. He claimed that the women in his life, including his co-stars, have been the reason for his success. [171] In 2014, the actor was featured in Farah Khan s ensemble comedy Happy New Year, which co-starred Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan and Boman Irani; his third collaboration with the director.[172] Although Khan s unidimensional character was criticised,[173] the film became a major commercial success grossing 383 crore (US$57 million) worldwide.[174][175][176] Khan next appeared alongside Kajol, Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon in Rohit Shetty s comedy-drama Dilwale (2015). The film garnered negative reviews, though was financially profitable with a gross of 394 crore (US$59 million).[177] Namrata Joshi of The Hindu commented, With Dilwale, Rohit Shetty goes hopelessly wrong despite much that he had at his disposal, including a power-packed cast and producer. Joshi also felt that the attempt to repackage Khan and Kajol had backfired.[178] He then took on dual parts of a superstar and his doppelganger fan in Maneesh Sharma s thriller Fan (2016). Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian considered the film to be exhausting, bizarre yet watchable and thought that Khan was aptly creepy as the obsessive admirer.[179] The film underperformed at the box office, and trade journalists attributed this failure to the film s non-conformity to mainstream formula.[180] As of June 2016, Khan has completed work on Rahul Dholakia s crime-drama Raees, in which he plays a bootlegger in 1980s Gujarat.[181] He has also finished filming the part of a therapist in Gauri Shinde s untitled project starring Alia Bhatt.[182][183] In addition, he has committed to star in projects directed by Imtiaz Ali and Anand L. Rai. [184][185] Other work Film production and television hosting Khan co-produced three films from 1999 to 2003 as a founding member of the partnership Dreamz Unlimited.[88] After the partnership was dissolved, he and Gauri restructured the company as Red Chillies Entertainment,[113] which includes divisions dealing with film and television production, visual effects, and advertising.[186] As of 2015, the company has produced or co-produced at least nine films.[187] Either Khan or Guari are usually given production credits, and he has appeared in most of the films, either in the lead role, or in a guest appearance. Khan was involved in several aspects of the making of Ra.One (2011). Aside from acting, he produced the film, volunteered

18 to write the console game script, dubbed for it, oversaw its technical development, and wrote the digital comics based on the film s characters.[188][189] Khan has occasionally done playback singing for his films. In Josh (2000) he sang the popular song Apun Bola Tu Meri Laila. He also sang in Don (2006) and Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012).[190] For Always Kabhi Kabhi (2011), which was produced by Red Chillies, Khan participated in the lyrical composition.[191] In addition to his early television serial appearances, Khan has hosted numerous televised awards shows, including the Filmfare, Zee Cine, and Screen Awards.[192][193] [194] In 2007, he replaced Amitabh Bachchan for one season as the host of Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?,[195] and a year later, Khan began hosting Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?, the Indian version of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?.[196] In 2011, he returned to television, appearing on Imagine TV s Zor Ka Jhatka: Total Wipeout, the Indian version of Wipeout; scenes featuring Khan were shot at the Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai.[197] Contrary to his earlier television anchoring jobs, Zor Ka Jhatka: Total Wipeout performed poorly. It aired for only one season and became the lowest rated show hosted by a Bollywood star.[197] Stage performances Khan is a frequent stage performer and has participated in several world tours and concerts. In 1997, he performed in Asha Bhosle s Moments in Time concert in Malaysia, and returned the following year to perform with Karisma Kapoor for the Shahrukh Karisma: Live in Malaysia concert.[198] The same year, he participated in The Awesome Foursome world tour across the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States along with Juhi Chawla, Akshay Kumar and Kajol, and resumed the tour in Malaysia the following year.[199][200] In 2002, Khan featured with Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Preity Zinta, and Aishwarya Rai in the show From India With Love at Manchester s Old Trafford and London s Hyde Park; the event was attended by more than 100,000 people. [201] Khan performed alongside Rani Mukherji, Arjun Rampal and Ishaa Koppikar in a 2010 concert at the Army Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh.[202] The next year he joined Shahid Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra in the Friendship Concert, celebrating 150 years of India South Africa friendship in Durban, South Africa.[203] Khan started an association with the Temptations series of concert tours by singing, dancing, and performing skits alongside Arjun Rampal, Priyanka Chopra, and other Bollywood stars in Temptations 2004, a stage show that toured 22 venues across the world.[204] The show played to 15,000 spectators at Dubai s Festival City Arena.[205] In 2008, Khan set up Temptation Reloaded, a series of concerts that toured several countries, including the Netherlands.[206] Another tour was held with Bipasha Basu and others in 2012 in Jakarta,[207] and in 2013 another series of concerts visited Auckland, Perth and Sydney.[208] In 2014, Khan performed in SLAM! The Tour in the US, Canada, and London,[209] and also hosted the Indian premiere of the live talent show, Got 18

19 Talent World Stage Live.[210] In 2008, Khan, in partnership with Juhi Chawla and her husband Jay Mehta, acquired ownership rights for the franchise representing Kolkata in the Twenty20 cricket tournament Indian Premier League (IPL) for US$75.09 million, and named the team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).[211] As of 2009, KKR was one of the richest teams in the IPL, with a brand value of US$42.1 million.[212] The team performed poorly on the field during the first three years.[213] Their performance improved over time, and they became the champions in 2012[213] and 2014.[214] Khan performed alongside Sunidhi Chauhan and Shriya Saran at the opening ceremony of the 2011 season, where they danced to Tamil songs.[215] He appeared again in 2013 alongside Katrina Kaif, Deepika Padukone and Pitbull.[216] In May 2012, the Mumbai Cricket Association banned him from the Wankhede Stadium for five years for arguing with security guards and officials after a match between KKR and The Mumbai Indians. [217] Khan later apologised to his fans after his team won the final match.[218] In the media Shah Rukh Khan receives a considerable amount of media coverage in India, and is often referred to as King Khan, The Baadshah of Bollywood, or The King of Bollywood. [219][220][221] Anupama Chopra cites him as an ever present celebrity, with two or three films a year, constantly running television ads, print ads and gigantic billboards lining the streets of Indian cities.[222] He is the object of a sometimes fanatical following, with a fan base estimated to exceed one billion.[223] In 2011 he was declared the biggest movie star you ve never heard of...perhaps the world s biggest movie star, period by Steven Zeitchik of the Los Angeles Times[d][225] and has been called the world s biggest movie star in other international media outlets.[6][225][226][227] According to a popularity survey, 3.2 billion people around the world know Shah Rukh Khan, more than who know Tom Cruise.[4] Khan is one of the wealthiest celebrities in India, topping the Forbes India s Celebrity 100 list in 2012, 2013 and 2015.[228][229] [230] He was named by Newsweek as one of their fifty most powerful people globally in 2008,[231][232] and his wealth has been estimated at US$ million.[5][233] Khan owns several properties in India and abroad, including a GB 20 million apartment in London,[234] and a villa on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai.[235] Khan frequently appears on listings of the most popular, stylish and influential people in India. He has regularly featured among the top ten on The Times of India s list of the 50 most desirable men in India,[236][237] and in a 2007 poll by the magazine Eastern Eye he was named the sexiest man in Asia.[238] Khan is often referred to as Brand SRK by media organisations because of his many brand endorsement and entrepreneurship ventures.[239][240] He is one of the highest paid Bollywood endorsers and

20 one of the most visible celebrities in television advertising, with up to a six per cent share of the television advertisement market.[241][242] Khan has endorsed brands including Pepsi, Nokia, Hyundai, Dish TV, D decor, LUX and TAG Heuer.[242][243] Books have been published about him,[244][245] and his popularity has been documented in several non-fiction films, including the two-part documentary The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan (2005),[246] and the Discovery Travel & Living channel s ten-part miniseries Living with a Superstar Shah Rukh Khan (2010).[241] In 2007, Khan became the third Indian actor to have his wax statue installed at London s Madame Tussauds museum, after Aishwarya Rai and Amitabh Bachchan.[247][248] Additional versions of the statue were installed at Madame Tussauds museums in Los Angeles, Hong Kong, New York and Washington.[249] Khan has been brand ambassador of various governmental campaigns, including Pulse Polio and National AIDS Control Organisation.[243] He is a member of the board of directors of Make-A-Wish Foundation in India,[250] and in 2011 he was appointed by UNOPS as the first global ambassador of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council.[251] He has recorded a series of public service announcements championing good health and proper nutrition, and joined India s Health Ministry and UNICEF in a nationwide child immunisation campaign.[252] In 2011, he received UNESCO s Pyramide con Marni award for his charitable commitment to provide education for children, becoming the first Indian to win the accolade.[253] In 2015, Khan received a privileged degree from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.[254] Awards Khan is one of the most decorated Bollywood actors.[53] He has received 14 Filmfare Awards from 30 nominations and special awards,[255][e] including eight for Best Actor; he is tied for the most in the category with Dilip Kumar.[147] Khan has won the Filmfare Best Actor award for Baazigar (1993), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Devdas (2002), Swades (2004), Chak De! India (2007) and My Name Is Khan (2010). At times, he has garnered as many as three of the five total Filmfare Best Actor nominations.[58] Although he has never won a National Film Award,[256] he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in [53] The Government of France has awarded him both the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2007),[257] and its highest civilian honour, the Légion d honneur (2014).[258] 20

21 Kajol

22 Kajol Devgan (née Mukherjee) (born 5 August 1974),[1] known mononymously as Kajol, is an Indian film actress who predominantly works in Hindi cinema. Born into the Mukherjee-Samarth family, she is the daughter of actress Tanuja and late filmmaker Shomu Mukherjee. Through her Bollywood career, Kajol has established herself as one of the most popular actresses in India. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including six Filmfare Awards, among twelve nominations, and along with her late aunt Nutan, holds the record for most Best Actress wins at Filmfare, with five.[2] In 2011, the Government of India awarded her with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian honour of the country. Kajol made her acting debut with the unsuccessful romantic drama Bekhudi (1992), while still in school. She quit her studies to pursue acting, and had her first commercial successes with the thriller Baazigar (1993). She subsequently rose to prominence by playing the lead female role in several romantic dramas, including Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya (1998), Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha (1998), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001). Kajol also garnered critical acclaim for playing against type in the 1997 mystery film Gupt: The Hidden Truth and the 1998 psychological thriller Dushman. Following a sabbatical from full-time acting in 2001, Kajol returned to films with the 2006 romantic thriller Fanaa, and continued working infrequently thereafter, playing leading roles in the dramas U Me Aur Hum (2008), My Name Is Khan (2010), We Are Family (2010), and the comedy-drama Dilwale (2015). She, thus, established herself as one of India s most successful actresses.[3][4] In addition to acting in films, Kajol is a social activist and is noted for her work with widows and children, for which she received the Karmaveer Puraskaar in She has featured as a talent judge for Zee TV s reality show, Rock-N-Roll Family and holds a managerial position at Devgn Entertainment and Software Ltd. Kajol has been married to actor Ajay Devgan since 1999 with whom she has two children. Early life and background Kajol was born in Mumbai to the Mukherjee-Samarth film family of Bengali-Marathi descent. Her mother, Tanuja, is an actress, while her father Shomu Mukherjee was a film director and producer.[5] Shomu died in 2008 after suffering cardiac arrest.[6] Kajol s younger sister, Tanishaa Mukherjee is also an actress. Her maternal aunt was actress Nutan and her maternal grandmother, Shobhna Samarth, and great grandmother, Rattan Bai, were both involved in Hindi cinema. Her paternal uncles, Joy Mukherjee and Deb Mukherjee, are film producers, while her paternal grandfather, Sashadhar Mukherjee, was a filmmaker. Kajol s cousins Rani Mukerji, Sharbani Mukherjee and Mohnish Behl are also Bollywood actors; whereas another cousin of hers, Ayan Mukerji is a director. 22

23 [7][8][9] Kajol describes herself as being extremely mischievous as a child. She added that she was very stubborn and impulsive from a very young age.[10] Her parents separated when she was young; but according to Tanuja, Kajol was not affected by the split as we never argued in front of [her].[11] In the absence of her mother, Kajol was looked after by her maternal grandmother, who never let me feel that my mother was away and working. [12] According to Kajol, her mother inculcated a sense of independence in her at a very young age. Growing up between two separate cultures, she inherited her Maharashtrian pragmatism from her mother and her Bengali temperament from her father.[12] Kajol studied at the St Joseph Convent boarding school in Panchgani. Apart from her studies, she participated in extra-curricular activities, such as dancing.[13] It was in school that she began to form an active interest in reading fiction, as it helped her through the bad moments in her life.[14] At the age of sixteen, she began work on Rahul Rawail s film Bekhudi, which according to her was a big dose of luck. She initially intended to return to school after shooting for the film during her summer vacations. However, she eventually dropped out of school to pursue a full-time career in film. On not completing her education, she quoted, I don t think I am any less well-rounded because I didn t complete school.[12] Career : Debut and breakthrough Kajol made her acting debut at the age of seventeen in the 1992 romantic drama Bekhudi alongside debutante Kamal Sadanah and her mother Tanuja, who in the film also played her mother.[15] Kajol played Radhika, a girl who falls in love with Sadanah s character despite her parents wish for her to marry another man. Although the film turned out to be a box office flop, Kajol s performance was noticed and she was signed for Baazigar (1993), a thriller by Abbas-Mustan, which emerged as a major commercial success.[3] Inspired from the Hollywood film A Kiss Before Dying, the film co-starred Shah Rukh Khan, Shilpa Shetty and Siddharth Ray, and saw Kajol portray the leading role of Priya Chopra, a girl who falls in love with her sister s murderer. The film marked the first of her many collaborations with Khan.[16] In 1994, Kajol featured in the melodrama Udhaar Ki Zindagi, as the granddaughter of the characters played by Jeetendra and Moushumi Chatterjee. The film, which was a remake of the hit Telugu film, Seetharamaiah Gari Manavaralu, failed to do well at the box-office. However, Kajol received praise for her performance and won the BFJA Award for Best Actress.[17] She subsequently starred in and earned public recognition

24 with Yash Raj Films s hit romantic drama Yeh Dillagi, alongside Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan. The film, which was an unofficial remake of the Hollywood film Sabrina, narrated the story of a chauffeur s daughter who becomes a model, and engages in a love triangle between two brothers.[18] The success of Yeh Dillagi proved a breakthrough for Kajol and her performance in the film fetched her a first Best Actress nomination at the annual Filmfare Awards. In 1995, Kajol starred in two major commercial successes Rakesh Roshan s Karan Arjun and Aditya Chopra s Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge both opposite Shah Rukh Khan. The former was a melodramatic thriller, based on the concept of reincarnation, in which she played Sonia Saxena, a supporting character who forms the love interest of Khan. The film eventually emerged as the second-highest grossing film of the year in India. [19] She justified playing a minor role in the film by saying, I did Karan Arjun because I wanted to know how it feels to be an ornament. I had nothing to do in the film except look good.[20] Kajol s next three releases that year Taaqat, Hulchul and Gundaraj failed to do well commercially; the latter two were her earliest collaborations with her future-husband, the actor Ajay Devgn.[21] Kajol s fifth and final release of the year, the romance Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, was not only the biggest commercial success of 1995, but also one of the most successful films of all time in India.[22][23] The film, which earned a worldwide gross of 1.23 billion (US$18 million) at the time of release,[24] has been continuously running in Mumbai ever since.[25] Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge was also a major critical success; it won ten Filmfare Awards, and Kajol s performance as Simran Singh, a young Non-resident Indian from London who falls for Shah Rukh Khan s character was praised, earning her a first Filmfare Award for Best Actress.[2] In 2005, Indiatimes Movies ranked the movie amongst the 25 Must See Bollywood Films, citing it as a trendsetter of sorts.[26] In that same year s retrospective review by Rediff, Raja Sen stated that Kajol was wisely picked... to play Simran, the real-as-life actress bringing warmth and credulity to the initially prudish and reluctant Simran. Not to mention the on-screen chemistry that has become the stuff of legend. [27] In 1996, Kajol starred in Vikram Bhatt s action drama Bambai Ka Babu, opposite Saif Ali Khan and Atul Agnihotri. Upon release, the film emerged as a major critical and commercial disaster.[28] : Widespread success In 1997, her portrayal of Isha Diwan, a psychopath serial killer and obsessive lover, in Gupt: The Hidden Truth, was lauded by critics and proved to be a major turning point in her career.[29] She explained that playing Diwan was the toughest role of her career as it was difficult to play a mean character.[30] In an interview with The Hindu, director Rajiv Rai quoted, [I] tapped the versatile artistry in Kajol in Gupt! [She] had a complex role and she certainly brought a rare finesse to her etching of that character in the film.[31] The suspense thriller, which co-starred Bobby Deol and Manisha Koirala, also emerged as a major commercial success.[32] Kajol eventually became the first actress to 24

25 be nominated in and win the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. [33] Following a leading role opposite Saif Ali Khan and Aditya Pancholi in Sanjay Gupta s box office flop, the reincarnation romance Hameshaa, Kajol starred as an aspiring nun in Rajiv Menon s Tamil film - the romantic drama Minsaara Kanavu - opposite Arvind Swamy and Prabhu Deva. Kajol revealed that she found dancing alongside Prabhu Deva difficult and it took me 20 retakes and 30 rehearsals to get the steps right.[34] Her performance met with appreciation with The Indian Express reviewing, Kajol is full of beans and fits into her character with commendable ease. Hers is perhaps one of the most expressive faces of the present. [35] The film was dubbed in Hindi as Sapnay and released in Northern India. The original Tamil version was a box-office success, but the dubbed version emerged as a commercial failure.[36] Her next release was Indra Kumar s romantic comedy Ishq alongside Aamir Khan, Juhi Chawla and Ajay Devgn, in which she played Kajal, a poor girl in love with a rich boy, played by Devgn. Upon release, the film emerged as a major commercial success, with critical praise directed to the performances of the four leads.[32] In 1998, Kajol established herself as a leading actress of contemporary Hindi cinema by featuring in three of the top-grossing productions of the year. Her first release that year was Sohail Khan s romantic comedy Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, in which she played Muskaan Thakur, a naive village girl who falls in love with a rich boy (played by Salman Khan), but faces difficulties in convincing her elder brother about her relationship. The film not just emerged as a box office hit, but also garnered positive comments from critics, as did Kajol s performance. In her next release, the psychological thriller Dushman, Kajol played the dual roles of twin sisters, Sonia and Naina Saigal, alongside Sanjay Dutt and Ashutosh Rana. Directed by Tanuja Chandra and written by Mahesh Bhatt, the film revolves around Naina avenging the rape and murder of her sister, and won Kajol critical appreciation with reviewer Sukanya Verma writing, Kajol is in superb form, both as the opinionated career-minded twin who is murdered, and as the avenger. Even she must have preferred less glycerine and more restraint. [37][38] Despite underperforming at the box-office, Dushman proved to be a major critical success. For her performance, Kajol won her first Screen Award for Best Actress and received a Best Actress nomination at Filmfare. She next starred opposite Ajay Devgn in Anees Bazmee s romantic comedy Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, a remake of the Hollywood hit French Kiss. In the film, she played the comic role of Sanjana, a clumsy woman who travels from Paris to India in search of her philandering fiancé, however, falls for another man, played by Devgn. A review from Planet Bollywood noted, Kajol, like usual, is brilliant in her role as Sanjana. She makes you cry, laugh, get angry, and smile all within the two and a half hour movie. Her acting is on par with Meg Ryan in the English flick. The film emerged as a super-hit commercially and fetched Kajol a second Best Actress nomination at Filmfare that year.[39]

26 However, her biggest success that year was her final release, Karan Johar s directorial debut, the romance Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Co-starring Shah Rukh Khan, her cousin Rani Mukerji and Salman Khan, the film emerged as an all-time blockbuster in both India and overseas with a worldwide gross of 1 billion (US$15 million).[40][41] Kajol played Anjali Sharma, an unattractive fun-loving tomboy, who later transforms into a feminine and beautiful girl, and is secretly in love with her best friend, played by Shah Rukh Khan. A review carried by The Times of India wrote, Kajol is almost mesmeric as Anjali, the firebrand youngster who doesn t know whether she should settle for best girl or basketball buddy. [...] Kajol with her baggy apparel, her bouncy bob cut and her boyish banter is absolutely riveting. [42] She eventually won her second Best Actress award at the 44th Filmfare Awards ceremony and first Zee Cine Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film.[2] Filmfare included Kajol s work in both Dushman and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in their listing of Indian cinema s 80 Most Iconic performances.[43] : Career fluctuations and reinvented success In 1999, post her marriage with Ajay Devgn, Kajol featured in a supporting role alongside him and Mahima Chaudhry in Prakash Jha s drama Dil Kya Kare. She played Nandita Rai, the other woman in the life of Anant Kishore, played by Devgn. In an interview with Filmfare she explained, The only reason, I agreed to play my character was because it had shades of grey. I would have probably refused the wife s role. Because I felt it had nothing for me to do. [30] Upon release, the film met with largely negative reviews. Critic Sharmila Taliculam, however, described Kajol as the only person who gives her role a semblance of sanity.[44] Commercially too, the film failed to do well. However, her next release, Satish Kaushik s woman s film, the drama Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain, emerged as a critical and commercial success.[45] Starring alongside Anil Kapoor, Kajol received another Best Actress nomination at the Filmfare ceremony for her portrayal of Megha, the deceived wife of Kapoor s character. The film met with wide media coverage for being one of the few woman-centered films to emerge as a commercial success in India. Kajol s third and final release of 1999 was the critically and commercially unsuccessful romantic drama Hote Hote Pyar Ho Gaya, alongside Jackie Shroff, Atul Agnihotri and Ayesha Jhulka.[46] The following year, she featured alongside her husband once again, in his home-production Raju Chacha. The children s film, with a production cost of 300 million (US$4.5 million) was described as the most expensive Bollywood film ever, at the time.[47] Upon release, the film met with negative reviews and flopped at the box-office.[48] Kajol s first release of 2001 was Rahul Rawail s comedy film Kuch Khatti Kuch Meethi, where she played the double role of Tina and Sweety Khanna, twin sisters who are separated at birth. The film was a major commercial failure and fetched negative reviews from critics. Writing for Rediff.com, Savera R Someshwar criticised Kajol s decision to star in the film; termed her as a glamorous prop and described her performance as uninspiring.[49] Later that year, she played a leading role in Karan Johar s family drama Kabhi Khushi 26

27 Kabhie Gham..., which was a blockbuster in India and the top-grossing Indian production of all-time in the overseas market until 2006.[50] Also featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor in prominent roles, Kajol played the role of Anjali Sharma, a young Punjabi woman from Delhi s Chandni Chowk area, who falls for the rich Rahul Raichand, played by Khan. Kajol, faced initial difficulties while filming for her scenes, as she was required to speak in Punjabi, a language she wasn t fluent in. However, she learnt the right pronunciation and diction with the help of producer, Yash Johar and the crew members.[51] Her comic-dramatic performance met with unanimous critical acclaim and won her several awards, including her third Filmfare Award and her second Screen Award in the Best Actress category. [2] Taran Adarsh labelled her as first-rate and predicted that her Punjabi dialect will win her immense praise.[52] The Hindu wrote, Kajol... steals the thunder from under very high noses indeed. With her precise timing and subtle lingering expression, she is a delight all the way. [53][54] Following the success of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..., Kajol took a sabbatical from full-time acting. In an interview with The Times of India she revealed, I m not quitting films, I m just being selective. Fortunately, I m in a position where I can pick and choose. [55] She added that the reason behind the break was to concentrate on her marriage and start a family.[56] ; 2015: Comeback and recent work Kajol returned to films in 2006 with Kunal Kohli s romantic thriller Fanaa, opposite Aamir Khan. She, however, refused to term Fanaa as her comeback film because, I never retired. I had just taken a break.[57] The film emerged as a major box-office success with a worldwide gross of 1 billion (US$15 million).[58] She portrayed the role of Zooni Ali Beg, a blind Kashmiri girl who unwittingly falls in love with a terrorist, played by Khan. Both the film as well as Kajol s performance were well received, with reviewer Sudish Kamat calling her the only reason to watch the film and adding, Kajol performs like she never took a break from celluloid and peps up the film with her presence. [59] A review carried by Bloomberg noted, [Kajol] still has the ability to light up the screen with ease, making her one of the few leading ladies who can more than match Khan s method-driven prowess. [60] Her work in Fanaa fetched Kajol a fourth Filmfare Award and second Zee Cine Award in Best Actress category.[2] After the success of Fanaa, Kajol worked intermittently through the rest of the decade. She next starred in her husband s directorial debut, the drama U Me Aur Hum (2008) as Piya, a woman suffering from Alzheimer s disease. Devgn described Kajol s participation in the project by saying, She is always thorough with the nitty-gritties of her character before she begins shooting. Since the screenplay work happened at home, Kajol was present for all the sittings and even gave her inputs. [61] Upon release, the film performed moderately well at the box-office and earned positive critical reviews for her performance. Udita Jhunjhunwala noted, Kajol completely comes into her own here as

28 an ailing woman unaware of her vulnerability and delicate situation. She is superb. [62] Raja Sen added, [Kajol] can span through happy-breezy with her eyes closed, and so the first half doesn t even pose her a challenge, but when Alzheimer s strikes Piya and she begins to forget all that matters in her life, Kajol raises the bar strikingly high. [63] The following year, Kajol received another Best Actress nomination at the Filmfare Awards ceremony.[2] Kajol was next cast opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Karan Johar s My Name Is Khan, a counter-terrorism drama based on the ethnic profiling and discrimination faced by American Muslims post the 9/11 terrorist attacks[64] My Name Is Khan released in February 2010 to highly positive reviews and emerged as an international success with a worldwide gross of 2 billion (US$30 million).[65] Kajol s portrayal of Mandira, a divorced, Hindu single mother who marries a Muslim autistic man was praised by critics, with Rajeev Masand observing, Bringing emotional depth to what is essentially Rizwan s story, Kajol is immensely likeable as Mandira, using her eyes to convey volumes, topping the performance off with a powerful breakdown scene that literally puts her through the wringer. [66] Kajol won her fifth Best Actress award at the Filmfare for the film, thereby sharing the record for the most Best Actress wins with her aunt, Nutan.[2] She next starred alongside Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in Siddharth Malhotra s moderately successful family drama We Are Family, an official adaptation of the Hollywood tearjerker Stepmom (1998). Kajol played the role of Maya, a character originally played by Susan Sarandon, and which she described as a control freak, believing it is something which every woman would identify with. [67] While reviewing the film for Hindustan Times, critic Mayank Shekhar stated, The premise is stuff dry tissues are made for. Yet, the pathos here is produced not from moments, but from performances alone: a stunning Kajol s in particular. She appears superior to Susan Sarandon, I suspect. [68] New York Times s Rachel Saltz wrote, The always appealing Kajol knows how to play melodrama without being melodramatic, and her naturalism gives the movie a genuine emotional kick. [69] Her final release of the year was Toonpur Ka Super Hero, a live-action/animated film, opposite Ajay Devgn. In an interview with The Express Tribune, Kajol mentioned that it was difficult to work on the film. She added, Dubbing and shooting was equally frustrating. You had to keep so many things in mind and there were a few action sequences too where I had to do action in front of a green space, so I was smiling, scowling, laughing all in the wrong places! [70] The film was a critical and commercial failure and fetched Kajol mostly negative reviews for playing a role that provided her with no scope to perform.[71] After another five-year absence from the screen, Kajol starred with Shah Rukh Khan for the seventh time (alongside Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon) in Rohit Shetty s comedy-drama Dilwale (2015). She portrayed Meera Dev Malik, the daughter of a mafia don who falls in love with a man from her rival family. Reviewers were generally negative about the film, however, Kajol s performance received a mixed-to-positive reception. Suhani Singh of India Today wrote: Kajol is a radiant presence on the screen and delivers 28

29 what s expected out of her - which is not much. [72] Dilwale emerged as a major commercial success and garnered Kajol another Filmfare Award for Best Actress nomination Off-screen work Managerial work In 1999, following the launch of Ajay Devgn s production company, Devgan Films (now renamed Devgn Entertainment and Software Ltd[75]), Kajol worked towards building a website for the company.[30] In 2000, she launched an online portal, Cineexplore for the production company. She explained, The portal takes into account every aspect of film-making. My role is that of a supervisor. I just have to overlook the proceedings. We have our hands in everything. We are making software for TV and music videos. [76] She, however, clarified that she wasn t involved in the production aspect of the company, but participated in supervising and overseeing everything.[77] She was named a parttime member of Prasar Bharati in 2016.[78] Stage performance and television In 1998, Kajol participated in a concert tour entitled Awesome Foursome alongside Shahrukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, and Akshay Kumar.[79][80] After travelling across United Kingdom, Canada and the United States of America, Kajol refused to participate in any more world tours, as she couldn t handle the stress.[81] In 2008, Kajol featured as a talent judge, alongside her husband, Ajay Devgn and mother, Tanuja, in Zee TV s family reality show, Rock-N-Roll Family.[82] She described her experience of working in television by saying, Working on television is much, much tougher than films. But television has a great connect with a live audience which is a refreshing change for us actors. [83] Social work Kajol with Mandira Bedi at the launch of the Women s Wellness event in 2016 Kajol has been actively involved in several philanthropic endeavours related to women and children. According to her, every child deserves education, as education is the basis of society.[84] In 2008, she was awarded with the Karmaveer Puraskaar, for her contribution in the field of social service.[85] Kajol is involved with Shiksha, an NGO that works in the field of children s education. [86] In 2009, she launched the Shiksha 2009 campaign, to support the cause.[87] In 2011, Kajol participated in a fashion show organised by the Cancer Patients Aid Asso-

30 ciation, to generate funds for the organisation.[88] Kajol is the international goodwill ambassador and patron of The Loomba Trust a charity organisation devoted to supporting widows and their children around the world, particularly in India.[89] Speaking about the issue, she said: It s sad to know that widows are still considered a blight in our society. There are widows who are still not marriageable. I strongly feel for them and take it as a social responsibility to eradicate the issue. [90] In 2012, Kajol was appointed as the brand ambassador of Pratham, a charity organisation for children. In April, she featured in a short film about education and literacy, with the children of Hanuman Basti Primary School in Mumbai, for the organisation.[91] Personal life Kajol began dating fellow actor, Ajay Devgn, in 1994, while filming for Gundaraj.[12] Members of the media, however, labelled them as an unlikely pair due to their contrasting personalities.[92] Devgn explained their relationship by saying, We never resorted to the usual I Love you routine. A proposal never happened. We grew with each other. Marriage was never discussed, but it was always imminent.[93] They subsequently got married on 24 February 1999 in a traditional Maharashtrian style ceremony at the Devgan house.[94] The wedding was subject to wide media scrutiny, as certain members of the media criticised Kajol s decision to settle down at the peak of her career.[95] Kajol, however, maintained that she would not quit films, but would cut down on the amount of work that she did.[55][96] Following her marriage, Kajol moved in with Devgn and his parents at the latter s ancestral house in Juhu. While media members speculated about a lack of compatibility between her in-laws and her, Kajol clarified that they were like parents to me and encouraged her to continue working in films.[12] Tabloids have often romantically linked Devgn with other Bollywood actresses, and have reported about an imminent divorce. Refuting the rumours, Kajol stated, I don t believe in those rumours because I know the way this industry functions. [...] You cannot continue a marriage without the basic trust. Frankly, I don t care for such talk. [76] In 2001, Kajol was pregnant with her first child. However, due to an ectopic pregnancy, she suffered from a miscarriage.[97] On 20 April 2003, Kajol gave birth to a daughter, Nysa.[98] Seven years later, on 13 September 2010, she gave birth to a son, Yug.[99] She described motherhood as fab and added that her kids brought out the best in her. In the media Film critic Sukanya Verma has described Kajol as a contrasting personality. She wrote, 30

31 Think Kajol, think emotions. Either she is the firebrand or the emotional sensitive types. [And sometimes] she is pure, wicked fun. [101] Initially termed by journalists as an impulsive and impetuous brat, Kajol has defied the stereotypical image of a Hindi film heroine in several ways.[95] Journalist Kaveree Bamzai elaborated, She hardly looks into the mirror, barely even glances at the set monitor, usually the crutch of every insecure actor, puts on make-up only under extreme duress, and [...] never watches her old movies. [12] Kajol has often been criticised in the media for her lack of interest in maintaining her appearance by means of slimming, grooming, jewellery or fashion.[102][103] Filmfare labelled her as an unconventional beauty and added, Not one to abide by the trending norms, Kajol set her own rules in the 90s, a time when individuality didn t work for most heroines..[104][105] After portraying leading roles in a series of family dramas, Kajol showed versatility as an actress with Gupt, and was subsequently noted in the media for her unconventional approach in selecting projects.[106] Her acting style has been described as being natural. According to the The Hindu, What Kajol abounds in is talent and a felicity for expression. Kajol does not act out her scenes and deliver her lines; she inhabits her characters. [3] Furthermore, unlike most of her contemporaries, Kajol has had a successful career post-marriage and motherhood. Certain members of the media, however, attribute her success to her friendship with Karan Johar, Aditya Chopra and Shahrukh Khan, who still find central roles for her in their movies.[107] Kajol featured in Box Office India s Top Actresses list for five consecutive years ( ).[108] In 2001 and 2006, following the commercial success of Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... and Fanaa, respectively, Kajol featured in Rediff s annual Top Bollywood actresses listing.[109] [110] In 2007, Kajol occupied the ninth spot in Rediff s listing of the Best Bollywood Actresses. Ever.[111] In 2011, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri for her contribution to Indian Cinema.[112] In 2006, Kajol was one of the four Bollywood actors, alongside Priyanka Chopra, Hrithik Roshan and Shahrukh Khan, whose miniature dolls were launched in the United Kingdom, under the name of Bollywood Legends.[113] In 2010, Kajol and her My Name is Khan co-star, Shahrukh Khan, became the first Indian actors to be invited by NASDAQ to open the American stock exchange.[114] In 2012, Kajol was placed at the fourth position by NDTV in the listing of The most popular actresses of all time, behind actresses Madhuri Dixit, Sridevi and Meena Kumari.[115] The same year, she was featured by Yahoo.com as one of the ten most iconic beauties of Hindi cinema.[116]

32 Filmography and awards Selected filmography Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997) Dushman (1998) Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha (1998) Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001) Fanaa (2006) U Me Aur Hum (2008) My Name Is Khan (2010) Dilwale (2015) Awards and nominations Kajol has received six Filmfare Awards, including five Best Actress awards for Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001), Fanaa (2006) and My Name Is Khan (2010), and a Best Villain award (also known as Filmfare Award for Best Performance In a Negative Role) for Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997). In 2011, she was awarded Padma Shri, the fourth-highest Indian civilian award, by the Government of India for her contributions to the arts. 32

33 Hrithik Roshan

34 Hrithik Roshan (English pronunciation: /ˈrɪtɪk ˈrɒʃən/, born 10 January 1974)[2] is an Indian film actor. He has established a successful career in Bollywood, has won six Filmfare Awards, and has been cited in the media as one of the most attractive male celebrities in India.[3][4] After making small appearances as a child actor in several films throughout 1980s, Roshan made his film debut with a leading role in his father Rakesh Roshan s romantic thriller Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000). His performance in the film earned him Filmfare Awards for Best Actor and Best Male Debut. He followed it with leading roles in Fiza (2000) and Mission Kashmir (2000) and the ensemble blockbuster Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001). After several critically and commercially unsuccessful films, he starred in the science fiction film Koi... Mil Gaya (2003) and its sequel Krrish (2006); the former won him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.[5] Roshan received his third Filmfare Award for Best Actor for his performance in the adventure film Dhoom 2 (2006), and his fourth win was for the historical romance Jodhaa Akbar (2008).[6] He received acclaim for his work as a paraplegic in Guzaarish (2010). His other notable films include the drama Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), the revenge film Agneepath (2012), and the superhero film Krrish 3 (2013); the latter two rank among the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time. These accomplishments have established him as a leading actor in Bollywood.[7][8] Apart from acting, Roshan is a stage performer[citation needed] and playback singer. [citation needed] He endorses several brands and products, has hosted the reality show Just Dance, and has also launched his own clothing line. Biography Early career Hrithik s maternal grandfather, Producer-Director J. Om Prakash, first brought Roshan on-screen at the age of 6 in the film Aasha (1980), by secretly having his camera crew filme without his knowledge as he danced spontaneously.[9] What followed over the next several years is what adult Hrithik describes as his childhood lucky mascot period:[10] iny ne- or two-shot uncredited appearances in various of his family s film projects, where his only task was to have fun and supposedly bring luck to the movie. He was seen in the song Ram Kare Allah Kare in his father Rakesh Roshan s production Aap Ke Deewane (1980). In his grandfather J. Om Prakash s Aas Paas (1981), he passes a love note from Dharmendra to Hema Malini during the song Shehar Main Charchi Hai. [citation needed] Roshan s only speaking role in this period came about at age was as Govinda, the title character s adopted son in director J. Om Prakash s Bhagwan Dada (1986).[11][12] 34

35 After completing school and college, Roshan turned down a master s degree scholarship for further study in the United States, to concentrate instead on film.[13] To learn filmmaking from the ground up he started off sweeping floors, then gradually progressed to more demanding responsibilities like story development, camera work, direction, and editing; he assisted his father, director Rakesh Roshan on several films, including Khel (1992) and Koyla (1997).[14] 2000: Debut and setback On 14 January 2000, Roshan made his film debut as leading man in the romantic drama Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai opposite another débutante, actress Amisha Patel. The film, which was directed by his father Rakesh Roshan and saw him playing a double role, proved to be very successful at the box office and was proclaimed a blockbuster. With a revenue of 620 million (US$9.2 million)[15] the feature became the highest grossing film in India for year 2000.[16] The film won several awards and Roshan s performance was extremely well-received; the film made him a star overnight.[17][18] The Hindu called Roshan, A perfect professional [19] while India Today s feature cover story in March 2000 compared him favourably to the industry-reigning Khan triumvirate before concluding: Finally you have an actor who is also a star. [20] Hrithik eventually received both the 2001 Filmfare Best Male Debut Award and the Filmfare Best Actor Award for his double-performance in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000).[21] Roshan was next seen in Khalid Mohammed s Fiza, portraying an innocent Muslim boy who becomes a terrorist after the Bombay Riots between Hindus and Muslims in The film was moderately successful at the box-office[22] and Roshan s performance was much praised, earning him a second nomination for Best Actor at the Filmfare ceremony. Critic Taran Adarsh noted, The mainstay of the film is undoubtedly Hrithik Roshan. His body language, his diction, his expressions, his overall persona deserves great praise. With this film, Hrithik proves that there is more to him than just being a fashionable rage, a Mills & Boon lover-boy and a sex symbol. His talent comes to the fore in several scenes, especially those with Karisma. All said and done, the show belongs to Hrithik, who saves Fiza to a major extent. A brilliant performance undoubtedly! [23] Roshan s last release of 2000 director Vidhu Vinod Chopra s Mission Kashmir with Sanjay Dutt, Preity Zinta, and Jackie Shroff became the third-highest grossing film of the year.[16] Roshan s performance, as a young man traumatised by the discovery that his adoptive father had been responsible for the death of his entire birth family, was well received. All these achievements established Roshan as one of the most prominent stars in the Hindi film industry[24] and the Indian media called it Hrithikmania.[25] Subhash Ghai s Yaadein was his first release in 2001, a straightforward romantic drama which for the first time paired him with Kareena Kapoor and also reunited him with vet-

36 eran lead actor Jackie Shroff from Mission Kashmir. Despite the major hype surrounding the film, Yaadein failed to do well critically and commercially within the Indian domestic market. Roshan next co-starred in director-producer Karan Johar s mammoth reaffirmation of traditional family values amid the global Indian diaspora Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham - which became the second-highest grossing film of 2001 and the highest grossing film overseas at that time.[26][27] Roshan had three releases in 2002, all of which failed to propel his career forward. The first Vikram Bhatt s Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage and the second one Arjun Sablok s Na Tum Jaano Na Hum- were both major failures. Roshan s final release that year was a Yash Raj Films production, Mujhse Dosti Karoge! co-starring Rani Mukerji and Kareena Kapoor. The film despite its hype, flopped at the box office.[28] Roshan s string of flops carried over into early 2003, with veteran director Sooraj R. Barjatya s Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon. Cast alongside Kareena Kapoor and for the first time Abhishek Bachchan, Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon was panned by critics and had a dismal response at the box office.[29] It was at this stage in his career that one magazine s cover famously described him as Finished, which Hrithik took forward as motivation to change his approach toward signing projects.[30] : Koi... Mil Gaya and other roles During a television appearance on Koffee With Karan with director-producer Karan Johar, Hrithik Roshan explained his decision to break from industry standard practice (overlapping film shoots) to focus his art on one single film at a time.[31] Consequently, Roshan appeared in Koi... Mil Gaya, India s first successful alien science fiction movie, which saw Roshan portraying a mentally disabled young man named Rohit Mehra who befriends an alien who had been stranded on Earth.[18] The film earned 800 million (US$12 million) and proved the highest-grossing and most critically successful Hindi movie of the year. It won several awards, including 2003 National Film Awards for Best Film on Other Social Issues, Best Special Effects, and Best Choreography [32] as well as many of the 2004 Filmfare awards including among others Best Film. Roshan won his second Filmfare Award for Best Actor and his first Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for his portrayal.[33][34] Taran Adarsh noted, Hrithik Roshan dominates the show and packs in a power-packed performance. The role of a mentally challenged person is no cakewalk, but the actor takes to it like a fish takes to water. He manages to pull off the zero to hero routine exceptionally well. As an actor, he scales dizzier heights with this splendid performance. [35] Roshan s performance in Koi... Mil Gaya was later included in the 2010 issue of the Top 80 Iconic Performances by Filmfare magazine.[36] Lakshya was Roshan s only release in 2004, a fictionalised coming-ofage story set against events from the real-life 1999 Kargil War fought between India and Pakistan at extreme high elevation in the Himalaya. Directed by Farhan Akhtar, Lakshya 36

37 reunited Roshan with Amitabh Bachchan (Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham), who played his commanding officer, and Preity Zinta (Mission Kashmir, Koi... Mil Gaya), who played a female war correspondent inspired by the real-life Barkha Dutt. The film was critically acclaimed but achieved poor box office receipts.[37] Hrithik s performance as the central character was praised by critics,[38] and once again was included in the 2010 issue of the Top 80 Iconic Performances by Filmfare, writing Hrithik Roshan s evolution is marked by a certain self discovery that spreads through the film as it goes on. It s cinematic translucence at its best. [39] Roshan next surfaced on-screen in June 2006 with Naseeruddin Shah and Priyanka Chopra in the innovative Krrish, a sequel to his family s 2003 production Koi... Mil Gaya. Directed by his father Rakesh Roshan, Krrish saw Roshan play a triple-role for the first time which included a superhero. Krrish was a box office success which became the second-highest grosser of 2006 with a worldwide revenue of 1.17 billion (US$17 million).[40] His performance as a superhero was praised, earning him many Best Actor awards at various award ceremonies, including Star Screen and the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA).[5] IndiaFM wrote, To state that Hrithik is the soul of Krrish would be an understatement. If the actor walked away with all noteworthy awards in Koi... Mil Gaya, it s going to be an encore with Krrish. You cannot imagine any other actor enacting the role of a gifted child with aplomb. If his mask and robe look is splendid, watch his makeup, gait and mannerisms as the aged father and you had to agree, he s one of the finest talents on the Indian screen today. Krrish is yet another ground-breaking film in his dazzling repertoire! [41] His next release was Dhoom 2- a sequel to the 2004 film Dhoom co-starring Aishwarya Rai, Bipasha Basu and Abhishek Bachchan. Roshan s portrayal of an enigmatic master thief, earned him widespread critical acclaim.[5][42] Variety, Loaded with enough attitude, Bollywood starpower and buff bodies to stop a speeding train [43] to The New York Times, [O]ld-fashioned star power is what animates and elevates it [44] to CNN- IBN, Hrithik Roshan is the heart, the soul, and the spirit of the film. [45] The movie grossed 1.50 billion (US$22 million) worldwide; the feature at time of its release emerged the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time.[46][47] He won his third Filmfare Best Actor Award for Dhoom 2. Roshan s next project did not release until February 2008, due its sheer size and scale: Ashutosh Gowariker s Jodhaa Akbar. He played a historical person for the first time, as the young Muslim Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great who marries the Hindu princess Jodhabai as his Empress (Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) in a political alliance to ensure peace in the realm, and thus must learn respect and tolerance in his personal relations as well as the empire he governs. Jodhaa Akbar did very good business, both in India and abroad, earning 1.12 billion (US$17 million).[27][48] Hrithik s performance was widely appreciated by both audiences and critics,[5] earning him his fourth Filmfare Best Actor Award as well as his first international award Best Actor at the Golden Minbar International Film Festival in Kazan, Russia.[49]

38 Roshan appeared briefly in Zoya Akhtar s directorial début, Luck by Chance in January 2009, a comedy-satire set against the Hindi film industry. Hrithik played a movie superstar named Zaffar Khan, who slyly dodges a not-so-enthralling project he s already shooting in favour of a higher-profile movie with another producer, thus creating the vacuum which allowed the protagonist played by Farhan Akhtar (Zoya s brother) to get his first shot at being a Film Hero. Luck by Chance failed to find an audience but was well received by critics,[50][51] earning a 75% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes.[52] Throughout 2009 Hrithik Roshan was heavily involved with his family s next home production, the ambitious multi-national romantic thriller Kites, which did not release until May Largely shot in the United States (Nevada and New Mexico), Kites was produced by his father Rakesh Roshan but directed by Anurag Basu (Gangster, Life in A... Metro, Barfi!). Hrithik played a grey character, an American-born man in Las Vegas running a green card scam where he has married 11 different women in exchange for money. All hell breaks loose when he falls in love with his 11th illegal wife, played by Uruguayan-Mexican actress Barbara Mori, who is engaged to a casino gangster s son. Kites received a huge national and international release on what was then a record number of screens, becoming the first Bollywood movie to break into the North American top 10.[53] However, its mixed Hindi-English-Spanish dialogues seemed to confuse domestic Indian audiences.[54] The film took a strong opening but eventually underperformed in India,[55] although was better welcomed by international audiences and critics.[56][57][58] November 2010 saw Hrithik s first collaboration with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali (Black, Devdas): the bittersweet drama Guzaarish, which united him for the third time with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Upon release, the film received overwhelmingly positive reviews. As, for instance, Subhash K. Jha: No film in living memory has brought out the sheer blessing of being alive with such spirit and glory. [59] Roshan s deft portrayal of Ethan Mascarenhas, a quadriplegic, was universally acclaimed as one of the best performances of his career [60][61][62] and earned him several Best Actor nominations. [citation needed] 2011 present In July 2011, he appeared in Zoya Akhtar s ensemble comedy-drama Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara alongside Abhay Deol and Farhan Akhtar as three 30-something lifelong friends and apparently secure professionals who rediscover their lives and their relationship during a road trip in Spain. This film also paired Hrithik romantically with Katrina Kaif for the first time. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara opened to extremely positive reviews, and Roshan s portrayal of a compulsive workaholic (a financial trader in London) was much praised. According to Rajeev Masand, Hrithik Roshan once again brings real depth to his character with a spectacular performance. He s shy and restrained, then lets go with such fantastic intensity that you make the inward journey with his character.[63] The film was widely successful at the box-office and grossed 1.53 billion (US$23 million) 38

39 worldwide.[64][65] Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara dominated year-end awards for Hindi film, winning 33 awards out of a total 66 nominations, sweeping 7 Filmfare Awards including both Best Film and Best Film (Critics) [66] as well as 9 International Indian Film Academy Awards (IIFA) including Best Film [67] and 2 National Film Awards.[68] In 2012, he then appeared in Agneepath directed by Karan Malhotra for Karan Johar s Dharma Productions, a reworking of the classic 1990 Agneepath revenge drama produced by Yash Johar. Cast alongside Priyanka Chopra and opposite villains played by Sanjay Dutt (as Kancha Cheena) and Rishi Kapoor, Roshan reinterpreted one of the iconic characters of Hindi cinema Vijay Deenanath Chauhan, originally given played by Amitabh Bachchan. Agneepath is worth a watch essentially to savor Hrithik s performance. [69] Agneepath (2012) took a historic opening and broke all opening-day records.[70] The movie finished its theatrical run with a worldwide gross of 1.93 billion (US$29 million), making it one of the highest-grossing movies in Bollywood.[71] Roshan also earned another Filmfare Best Actor nomination. His next film, the mega-project Krrish 3 (2013) a sequel to Koi... Mil Gaya (2003) and Krrish (2006), in which Hrithik Roshan again plays the triple role of superhero Krrish, his alter ego Krishna Mehra, and the father Rohit Mehra was released on 1 November 2013 after a long gap of more than 21 months, due to Hrithik s heavy personal involvement in all phases of this home production directed by his father Rakesh Roshan with music composed by his uncle Rajesh Roshan. Krrish 3 reunites Hrithik with his female lead from the second film, Priyanka Chopra, and pits him against villains played by Vivek Oberoi and Kangana Ranaut.[72] Krrish 3 upon release attracted positive to mixed reviews while Roshan s performance was well received. Critic Komal Nahta noted, Hrithik Roshan lives the role of Rohit Mehra and delivers an absolutely stunning performance. He is extremely endearing in that role and should easily pick up awards for the film on the strength of his performance in this role. As Krishna, he is lovely. His physique is to die for. And as Krrish, he is heroic to the core. [73] While Roshan received yet another Filmfare Best Actor nomination for the film, Krrish 3 emerged a box-office phenomenon, grossing over 3 billion (US$45 million) worldwide and attaining a blockbuster status.[74] Roshan s next release was the Fox Star Studios produced thriller Bang Bang (2014) with Katrina Kaif. While filming in Thailand, Roshan suffered a head injury from a stunt accident and underwent brain surgery to relieve a chronic subdural hematoma.[75][76] The film released on 2 October 2014 to diverse rection from critics, though Roshan garnered praise for his performance. Critic Mohar Basu noted that Roshan was pitch perfect and breez[ed] through his part brilliantly [77] Commercially, the film earned around 3 billion (US$45 million) in global ticket-sales.[78] He will feature in Ashutosh Gowariker s period drama Mohenjo Daro for which he will be paid 500 million (US$7.4 million), a record breaking remuneration for an Indian ac-

40 tor.[79][80][81] Later he will feature alongside with Yami Gautam in a film titled Kaabil which will be produced by his father Rakesh Roshan and directed by Sanjay Gupta.[82] Industry related activities Roshan is among Bollywood s highest-paid actors.[83] Besides acting, Roshan made his debut as a playback singer in Kites (2010), and has also sung for the films Guzaarish (2010) and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011).[84] In 2011 Roshan featured as a judge for the television dance competition reality show, Just Dance along with famed choreographers Farah Khan and Vaibhavi Merchant.[85][86] He was paid 17.5 million INR per episode which makes him the highest paid Bollywood actor in television entertainment.the show got the highest opening (a cumulative TRP of 4.7) for a reality show that year for which he was voted as the best TV host by a poll conducted by Ormax Media.[87] A life-size wax figure was installed at London s Madame Tussauds Wax Museum on 20 January 2011, making him the fifth Indian actor to have been replicated as a wax statue in the museum.[88] Another statue was installed in Washington, D.C. in 2012.[89] Roshan launched his own casual wear brand HRx in November 2013.[90] Personal life Roshan was born in Mumbai to a Punjabi family of Hindi cinema personalities. His father, film director Rakesh Roshan, is the son of music director Roshan, while his mother, Pinky, is the daughter of producer and director J. Om Prakash. Hrithik has an elder sister, Sunaina. His uncle Rajesh Roshan is a music director. As a child, Roshan attended the Bombay Scottish School.[91] He later attended Sydenham College, where he earned a bachelor s degree in Commerce.[92] During an interview he revealed that his childhood was traumatised because of stammering, a speech disorder that surfaced when he was around six years old and plagues him even today. For oral tests at school, I used to bunk school, I used to fall sick, I used to break my hand, I used to get a sprain, the actor said. He said that things improved for him gradually, after he started practising speech therapies on a daily basis.[93] Roshan married Sussanne Khan, daughter of actor Sanjay Khan, on 20 December Hrithik had known Sussanne since the age of twelve.they moved among the same circle of friends while they were growing up in Juhu but Hrithik was shy to confess his feelings. [94] Sussanne became his girlfriend for 4 years before their marriage.[95] The couple has two sons, Hrehaan (born in 2006) and Hridhaan (born in 2008).[96][97] Roshan has two thumbs on his right hand.[98] Although it is usually hidden in his films, 40

41 it was shown in Koi... Mil Gaya and was even used as a minor plot point, as Jaadoo the alien was also designed to have two thumbs.[99] On 13 December 2013, Hrithik announced that he and his wife Sussanne has decided to separate and end their 17-year-long relationship.[100][101][102] Their divorce was finalized by Bandra family court in Mumbai on 1 November 2014.[103][104][105] Filmography and awards Roshan has won or received nominations at the Filmfare Awards ceremony for the following films: Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000) Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (2001) Koi... Mil Gaya (2003) Lakshya (2004) Krrish (2006) Dhoom 2 (2006) Jodhaa Akbar (2008) Guzaarish (2010) Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) Agneepath (2012) Krrish 3 (2013) Bang Bang! (2014) Krrish Krrish ([ˈkrɪʃ]) is a 2006 Indian science fiction superhero film directed, produced, and written by Rakesh Roshan, and starring Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Rekha and Naseeruddin Shah. It is the second film in the Krrish series, being the sequel to Koi... Mil Gaya, and relates the story of Krishna, the son of the previous film s protagonists, who inherits his father s superhuman abilities. After falling in love with Priya, he follows her to Singapore, where he takes on the persona of Krrish to keep his identity secret while saving children from a burning circus. From that moment on he is regarded as a superhero, and must later thwart the plans of the evil Dr. Siddhant. The film is inspired from the Hollywood film Paycheck.[3] Krrish was conceived to be a film of global significance and a trendsetter in Indian cinema, with visual effects on par with those from Hollywood. To that end, the effects team was aided by Hollywood s Marc Kolbe and Craig Mumma, and the stunts were choreographed by Chinese martial arts film expert Tony Ching. The music was composed by Rajesh Roshan, with the background score by Salim-Sulaiman. Filming was done to a

42 large extent in Singapore as well as India. The film was released worldwide in June 2006 at a cost of over 450 million (US$6.7 million) and on 1000 prints, both near-record amounts for an Indian film at the time. Krrish received mixed reviews from critics in India, but got a record opening week at the box office. The film became the second highest earning Indian film of 2006 and grossed a worldwide total of 1.17 billion (US$17 million). The film won both the National and Filmfare awards for special effects, while actor Hrithik Roshan received praise and numerous best actor awards for his role. The third film in the series, Krrish 3 was released in

43 Kangana Ranaut

44 Kangana Ranaut (pronounced [kəŋɡənaː raːɳoːʈʰ]; born 23 March 1986) is an Indian film actress. She has established a career in Bollywood and is one of the highest-paid actresses in India. Ranaut is particularly known in the media for expressing her honest opinions in public and is frequently credited as one of the most fashionable Indian celebrities. She is the recipient of several awards, including three National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards in four categories. Born in Bhambla, a small town in Himachal Pradesh, Ranaut initially aspired to become a doctor at the insistence of her parents. Determined to build her own career path, she relocated to Delhi at age sixteen, where she briefly became a model. After training under the theatre director Arvind Gaur, Ranaut made her feature film debut in the 2006 thriller Gangster, for which she was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She received praise for portraying emotionally intense characters in the dramas Woh Lamhe (2006), Life in a... Metro (2007) and Fashion (2008). For the last of these, she won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Filmfare Award in the same category. Ranaut featured in the commercially successful films Raaz: The Mystery Continues (2009) and Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010), though she was criticised for being typecast in neurotic roles. A comic role opposite R. Madhavan in the 2011 box office hit Tanu Weds Manu was well-received, though this was followed by a series of brief, glamorous roles in films that failed to propel her career forward. She then played a mutant opposite Hrithik Roshan in the science fiction film Krrish 3 (2013), one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films, and won the Filmfare and National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in the comedy-drama Queen (2014). In 2015, Ranaut portrayed dual roles in Tanu Weds Manu Returns, the most successful Bollywood film featuring a female protagonist, for which she won a Filmfare Critics Award and a second consecutive National Film Award for Best Actress. Early life and background Ranaut was born on 23 March 1986 at Bhambla (now Surajpur), a small town in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, into a Rajput family.[1][2][3][4] Her mother, Asha Ranaut, is a school teacher, and her father, Amardeep Ranaut, is a businessman.[5] She has an elder sister, Rangoli, who as of 2014 works as her manager and a younger brother, Akshat.[6][7] Her great-grandfather, Sarju Singh Ranaut, was a Member of the Legislative Assembly and her grandfather was an officer for the Indian Administrative Service. [8] She grew up in a joint family at their ancestral haveli (mansion) in Bhambla, and described her childhood as simple and happy.[7][9] According to Ranaut, she was stubborn and rebellious while growing up: If my father would gift my brother a plastic gun and get a doll for me, I would not accept that. I 44

45 questioned the discrimination. [10] She did not subscribe to the stereotypes that were expected of her and experimented with fashion from a young age, often pairing up accessories and clothes that would seem bizarre to her neighbours.[9][10] Ranaut was educated at the DAV School in Chandigarh, where she pursued science as her core subject, remarking that she was very studious and always paranoid about [...] results. [11][12] She initially intended to become a doctor on the insistence of her parents.[13] However, a failed unit test in chemistry during her twelfth grade led Ranaut to reconsider her career prospects and despite preparing for the All India Pre Medical Test, she did not turn up for the exam.[13] Determined to find her space and freedom, she relocated to Delhi at the age of sixteen.[6][14] Her decision not to pursue medicine led to constant feuding with her parents and her father refused to sponsor a pursuit he considered to be aimless.[10] In Delhi, Ranaut was unsure which career to choose; the Elite Modelling Agency were impressed by her looks and suggested that she model for them.[5][14] She took on a few modelling assignments, but generally disliked the career as she found no scope for creativity.[5][14] Ranaut decided to shift focus towards acting and joined the Asmita Theatre Group, where she trained under the theatre director Arvind Gaur.[15] She participated in Gaur s theatre workshop at the India Habitat Centre, acting in several of his plays, including the Girish Karnad-scripted Taledanda.[16] During a performance, when one of the male actors went missing, Ranaut played his part along with her original role of a woman.[17] A positive reaction from the audience prompted her to relocate to Mumbai to pursue a career in film and she enrolled herself for a four-month acting course in Asha Chandra s drama school.[18] Ranaut struggled with her meager earnings during this period, eating only bread and aachar (pickle). Refusing her father s financial assistance led to a rift in their relationship which she later regretted.[8][10] Her relatives were unhappy with her decision to enter the film-making industry,[6] and they did not correspond with her for several years.[3] [7][10] She reconciled with them after the release of Life in a... Metro in 2007.[7] Career : Film debut and critical acclaim In 2004, the producers Ramesh Sharma and Pahlaj Nilani announced that Ranaut would make her film debut with the Deepak Shivdasani-directed I Love You Boss.[4][20] The following year, an agent took her to the office of the producer Mahesh Bhatt, where she interacted with the director Anurag Basu and auditioned for the lead role in the romantic thriller Gangster.[14][21] Bhatt felt that she was too young for the role and signed Chitrangada Singh instead. However, Singh was later unavailable to do the film and Ranaut was contracted as a replacement for Gangster,[21] opting out of I Love You Boss. [20] She was cast in the central role of Simran, an alcoholic woman caught in a roman-

46 tic triangle between a notorious gangster (played by Shiney Ahuja) and a sympathetic friend (played by Emraan Hashmi). Ranaut was only seventeen while filming and said that she had difficulty first in understanding and then unwinding from the character, describing her craft as raw and immature.[22] Released in 2006, Gangster emerged as a critical and commercial success and her performance was praised.[23][24] Raja Sen of Rediff.com said that Kangana is a remarkable find, the actress coming across with great conviction. Hers is the pivotal character and an extremely difficult role to essay, but she manages it well [...] Kangana s nuances [of an alcoholic character] are disconcertingly realistic. [25] She won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut, along with various other debut awards.[26] Ranaut s next role was in the Mohit Suri-directed drama Woh Lamhe (2006), a semi-biographical film based on the schizophrenic actress Parveen Babi and her relationship with the director Mahesh Bhatt.[27] She said that portraying Babi had left her emotionally drained, as she had begun to feel her desolation and loneliness. [28] Film critic Subhash K. Jha wrote that Ranaut is the first female performer of Bollywood since Smita and Shabana who isn t scared to strip her soul naked for the camera, adding that she is a hugely expressive actress with a phenomenal ability to convey torment, hurt and incredulity through the eyes.[29] Despite positive reviews, the film underperformed at the box office.[30][31] The following year, Ranaut portrayed an aspiring musician in Suneel Darshan s musical thriller Shakalaka Boom Boom, alongside Bobby Deol, Upen Patel and Celina Jaitly. [32] The film s production was marred by a dispute between Ranaut and Darshan; she objected to her voice being dubbed by another artist, but he insisted that he needed a particular twang and accent for her character.[33] India Today described the film as an amateur mess and the film proved to be a box office flop.[24][34] She next reunited with Anurag Basu for the ensemble drama Life in a... Metro, playing the supporting role of Neha, a shrewd socialite engaged in an affair with her married boss (played by Kay Kay Menon). Despite a poor initial run at the box office, the film emerged as a profitable venture.[35] Khalid Mohamed of Hindustan Times was critical of the film, noting its lack of originality and realism.[36] In a more positive review, Raja Sen wrote that Ranaut is refreshing [...] and manages to herd her emotions well, playing a complex role but hardly ever overreaching, but criticised her delivery of English lines.[37] For her role, Ranaut was awarded the Stardust Award for Breakthrough Performance Female.[26] Ranaut next portrayed a village girl in Dhaam Dhoom (2008), a Tamil romantic thriller, opposite Jayam Ravi. Production on the film was temporarily halted when the director, Jeeva, died of cardiac arrest and the film was completed by the crew members.[38] A review carried by Post wrote that Ranaut had little scope in a role that did not suit her.[39] India Today described her next film, the Madhur Bhandarkar-directed drama Fashion (2008), as a landmark in her career.[23] Set against the backdrop of the Indian fashion industry, the film co-starred Priyanka Chopra and Mugdha Godse and featured Ranaut as Shonali Gujral, a substance abusing supermodel struggling to cope with her 46

47 foundering career. Because the media speculated that her role was based on the former model Geetanjali Nagpal (which both Ranaut and Bhandarkar denied),[40] the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW), ordered a stay on the film s release, approving it only after a script narration.[a][41] With a worldwide revenue of 600 million Indian rupees ( ), approximately US$10 million, Fashion emerged as a commercial success,[42] and was listed by Subhash K. Jha as one of the best films of the decade with women protagonists.[43] Ranaut s performance drew unanimous critical acclaim.[23] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama praised her confident portrayal of the character and believed that she was the real star of the film,[44] and Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India added that she does an exquisite metamorphosis from a wispy, high-strung, nervous child-woman to a stunning ramp diva. [45] Ranaut s portrayal earned her several awards, including the National Film Award and Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.[26] : Career fluctuations The supernatural horror film Raaz: The Mystery Continues from director Mohit Suri was Ranaut s first film release of 2009, in which she played a successful model who is possessed by a ghost.[46] The film co-starred Emraan Hashmi and Adhyayan Suman and proved to be a financial success.[24] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express noted that Ranaut was becoming stereotyped in roles that required her to be hysterical, adding that she needed a radical change of image.[47] Also that year, she played the leading lady in the drama Vaada Raha and the Telugu action film Ek Niranjan, neither of which were particularly notable.[23] In a brief role in Anurag Basu s romantic thriller Kites (2010), Ranaut portrayed the fiancée of Hrithik Roshan s character. She said that she felt cheated after watching the film, as her role proved to be much smaller than what she had initially signed on for.[48] She then portrayed fictional film actress Rehana in the Milan Luthria-directed gangster film Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai. Also starring Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi and Prachi Desai, the film chronicles the rise and subsequent fall of an underworld don (played by Devgn) in the 1970s. Ranaut said that her character was a mix of the actress Madhubala and the gangster Haji Mastan s wife and that to prepare she observed the work of the actresses Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi.[49] The film was one of the most successful releases of the year and garnered positive reviews from critics.[50][51] Sudish Kamath of The Hindu labelled her a delight and Mid Day s Sarita Tanwar praised her for being totally convincing in the role.[52][53] After playing a television reporter in the thriller Knock Out, Ranaut actively looked for a comedy and found the role in Anees Bazmee s No Problem, but both films failed to propel her career forward.[23][54] According to Bollywood Hungama, after establishing a reputation for portraying neurotic characters, Ranaut was seeking projects that would be less emotionally exhausting for her.[55] Her first release of 2011 was Anand L. Rai s Tanu Weds Manu, a romantic comedy opposite R. Madhavan, which Ranaut considers a game changer for her. [56][57] Rai stated that he cast her for the role to illustrate that the actress was capable

48 of playing other roles and that her character in the film was unlike any of those that she had played previously.[58] Critical reaction to the film was mixed, though Ranaut s performance was praised.[24][26][59] Rajeev Masand wrote, Kangana Ranaut is a pleasant surprise in a cheery, upbeat part that we haven t seen her take on before. She rises to the challenge, only hampered occasionally by her mangled dialogue delivery. [60] [61] Ranaut received Best Actress nominations at several award ceremonies, including Screen and Zee Cine.[62][63] Ranaut followed the success of Tanu Weds Manu by starring in a series of brief, glamorous roles in four other films of 2011: Game, Double Dhamaal, Rascals and Miley Naa Miley Hum. With the exception of Double Dhamaal, none of these films performed well. [23][24] In a review for Rascals, the critic Gaurav Malani wrote: Kangana Ranaut is ill at ease in comedy. She struggles to hold her own and emerges as a bimbo in her act. [64] Ranaut later said that she did some of these films due to a dearth of film offers.[65][66] The following year, Ranaut portrayed a supporting role opposite Ajay Devgn in Priyadarshan s action thriller Tezz, another box office flop.[24] 2013 present: Established actress The director Sanjay Gupta cast Ranaut in a brief role opposite John Abraham in the crime thriller Shootout at Wadala (2013) due to her ability to stand out in a predominantly male-centric film.[67] The Daily News and Analysis Tushar Joshi wrote that her role was written to provide the sex quotient and critic Vinayak Chakravorty opined that she does not get much scope [...] beyond the steamy lovemaking grind.[68][69] Commercially, the film performed moderately well.[24] Ranaut achieved success later in 2013 for her portrayal of Kaya, a shapeshifting mutant, in Rakesh Roshan s science fiction film Krrish 3, alongside Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra and Vivek Oberoi.[70][71] When Rakesh Roshan first offered the role to her, she declined it due a disappointing prior association with him on Kites, in which Roshan had served as producer.[48] Following Ranaut s rejection, other actresses also turned down the role.[72] Roshan approached her again and after assuring her that the role would not be a minuscule one, Ranaut accepted the part.[48] Critics thought that Krrish 3 was entertaining but lacking in originality, though Ranaut s performance garnered praise. [23][73] The critic Sarita Tanwar of Daily News and Analysis said: Kangana Ranaut is delightful as an alien making the weird hair and clothes work for her. She even manages to make you feel her pain. Quite an accomplishment that! [74] With global ticket sales of 3 billion (US$45 million), the film emerged as one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time, becoming Ranaut s most financially profitable venture.[24][75] Also that year, Ranaut played the eponymous lead in the musical drama Rajjo. The film was a critical and commercial failure and Ranaut s portrayal of a nautch girl was largely criticised.[24][76] Paloma Sharma of Rediff.com commented that Kangana Ranaut struggles with her Mumbaiyya dialogues and is not as graceful in the dance sequences as one would have expected. [77] 48

49 In 2014, Ranaut established herself in Hindi cinema when she featured alongside Rajkummar Rao and Lisa Haydon in the coming-of-age dramedy Queen; she also co-wrote the dialogues with Anvita Dutt Guptan.[78][79] The film tells the story of Rani, a naive girl who embarks on her honeymoon alone after her fiancé calls off their wedding. Ranaut, who describes herself as independent and confident, reflected that the role was one of the toughest she had played, as the character s personality traits contrasted with her own.[80][81] The film and Ranaut s performance received unanimous acclaim from critics.[82] Devesh Sharma of Filmfare wrote that the fact that she flits from one aspect of her character to another without breaking stride shows her maturity as an actor. Her efforts make you clap for Rani s small and big victories, you root for her character to come up trumps and are glad about the glorious transformation at the end. [83] With a worldwide total of 970 million (US$14 million), the film also emerged as a box office hit.[84] She won both the Filmfare Award and the National Film Award for Best Actress for the film.[85][86] Ranaut followed Queen by playing an aggressive politician in the black comedy Revolver Rani and a medical intern in the political drama Ungli (both 2014).[87][88] The following year, Ranaut starred in Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015), a sequel to Tanu Weds Manu, in which she portrayed dual roles she reprised the character of Tanuja from the original and also portrayed an aspiring athlete in it.[89] In preparation for the latter role, she interacted with students of the University of Delhi in disguise; in addition, she attended workshops to learn the Haryanvi language and trained in the sport of triple jump.[90] The film received positive reviews from critics and Ranaut s performance was considered its prime asset.[91] Sweta Kaushal of Hindustan Times praised her for perfecting the body languages and accents of the two women, and Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV wrote that she fleshes out this pair of distinct individuals with such energy and finesse that it becomes difficult at times to tell that it is the same actress playing the two roles.[92][93] Tanu Weds Manu Returns earned over 2.4 billion (US$36 million) worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Bollywood film featuring a female protagonist.[84][94] Ranaut won a Filmfare Critics Award and a second consecutive National Film Award for Best Actress, and received an additional Best Actress nomination at Filmfare.[95][96][97] Also in 2015, Ranaut appeared in the romantic comedies I Love NY (a production delayed since 2013) and Nikhil Advani s Katti Batti, both of which failed at the box office. [23][98] The latter saw her play opposite Imran Khan as a cancer patient, a role that critic Uday Bhatia of Mint thought lack[ed] the sort of definition she s had in her last few roles.[99] Upcoming projects As of May 2016, Ranaut has completed filming for the part of an actress in Vishal Bhardwaj s Rangoon, a romantic drama set during World War II, co-starring Saif Ali Khan

50 and Shahid Kapoor.[100] In addition, Ranaut is committed to star in Simran, a drama from the director Hansal Mehta, in which she will play a Gujarati immigrant in America involved in criminal activities, and in Ketan Mehta s biopic on Rani Laxmibai.[101][102] Ranaut will also be making her production and directorial debut with an English language short film entitled The Touch, dealing with the relationship between a four-yearold boy and a dog; she co-wrote the screenplay with an Australian writer and completed principal photography in America.[103][104] Personal life Ranaut has stated that her initial years in the film industry were marred with difficulties as she was unprepared to be an actress.[22] She was conscious of her poor command of the English language and struggled to fit in.[22] In a 2013 interview with Daily News and Analysis, Ranaut recollected: People in the industry treated me like I didn t deserve to be spoken to and I was some unwanted object. I couldn t speak English fluently and people made fun of me for that. So dealing with rejection became a part of life.... All that has taken a toll, I guess. I find it hard to deal with praise. Today, when people say that I have made it and made it on my own, I feel like locking up myself somewhere... It scares me. [105] During the struggle, Ranaut found support in the actor Aditya Pancholi and his wife Zarina Wahab and considered them her family away from home.[106] She became embroiled in a well publicised scandal when the media speculated on the nature of her relationship with Pancholi.[107] She declined to speak about it openly, although she made several public appearances with him.[108] In 2007 it was reported that Ranaut had filed a police complaint against Pancholi for physically assaulting her under the influence of alcohol.[109][110] The following year Pancholi confirmed the affair in an interview, saying that he had been cohabiting with Ranaut in the past and accused her of owing him 2.5 million (US$37,000).[111] In response, Ranaut s spokesperson said that after physically assaulting her in the middle of a road, he has no right to expect anything from her, adding that she had already given 5 million (US$74,000) to [him] as a goodwill gesture.[111] Ranaut later said that the incident had left her physically and mentally damaged.[10] While filming Raaz: The Mystery Continues in 2008, Ranaut began a romantic relationship with co-star Adhyayan Suman.[112] On Suman s insistence that he focus on his professional career, the couple separated the following year.[113] From 2010 to 2012, Ranaut was involved in a long-distance romance with Nicholas Lafferty, an English doctor;[114][115] she described the relationship as the most normal she ever had, but the couple split amicably as she was not ready for marriage.[22][105] She has since maintained that she will never get married,[22][114] and has expressed a desire to not be 50

51 bound by a relationship.[116] In 2016, Hrithik Roshan, her co-star from Krrish 3, filed a lawsuit against Ranaut accusing her of cyber stalking and harassment. Denying the charges, Ranaut filed a counter-charge against Roshan, claiming that his lawsuit was an attempt to cover-up their affair for the benefit of his divorce proceedings.[117] Ranaut lives in Mumbai with her sister Rangoli, who was the victim of an acid attack in 2006.[118] She makes yearly visits to her hometown of Bhambla.[10] A practicing Hindu, Ranaut follows the teachings of the spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda and considers meditation to be the highest form of worshipping God.[119] She practices vegetarianism and was listed as India s hottest vegetarian in a poll conducted by PETA in [120] Since 2009 Ranaut has been studying the dance form of kathak from the Nateshwar Nritya Kala Mandir.[121] She has said that the technical process of filmmaking is of tremendous interest to her,[122] and to better her understanding of it Ranaut enrolled in a two-month screenplay writing course at the New York Film Academy in 2014.[123] [124] In an interview with Filmfare she said that despite her stardom, she wants to lead a normal life: I don t want to lose my rights as a common person to learn and grow.[65] In the media In the book Acting Smart: Your Ticket to Showbiz, Tisca Chopra describes Ranaut as a free-spirited, original creative person who cannot really be slotted in a particular mould.[125] Ranaut is particularly known for her forthrightness in expressing her opinions in public on issues ranging from film to feminism.[6][126] A televised interview hosted by Anupama Chopra in which Ranaut spoke out against gender bias and nepotism in Bollywood went viral online, which led Sunaina Kumar of Tehelka to write: In this age of cookie-cutter heroines with stock responses, Kangana Ranaut is refreshingly real and honest. [126] Analysing Ranaut s career, the journalist Parmita Uniyal, in 2014, noted that she loves to challenge herself with tricky roles and manages to add a different dimension to her character every time. [17] A reviewer for Rediff.com described her as a director s actress who is susceptible to both shine and crumble under the right/wrong guidance. [127] Anand L Rai (the director of Tanu Weds Manu) says that Ranaut actively pursues roles in which she can work in her own space and not become a mere prop in the male-dominated Bollywood.[17] Alongside actress Vidya Balan, Ranaut has been credited for spearheading a movement that breaks stereotypes of a Hindi film heroine by playing the protagonist in films not starring a well-known male star.[128] Following the success of Queen and Tanu Weds Manu Returns, Deccan Chronicle labelled her as one of the most bankable actresses in the industry, and Daily News and Analysis reported that she had emerged as one of the highest-paid actresses in Bollywood.[129][130] Ranaut is considered a sex symbol and a style icon in India.[131][132] Analysing

52 Ranaut s off-screen persona, Hindustan Times published that she was initially written off by Indian journalists due to her funny accent and the negative publicity generated by her troubled relationships; however, her defining fashion choices and her unconventional film roles eventually established her as a star.[133] Ranaut has frequently featured in listings of the most attractive and stylish celebrities in India. She ranked among the top 10 on The Times of India s listing of the Most Desirable Woman in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2015.[134][135][136] Ranaut was featured on Verve s listing of the most powerful women of 2010 and in 2012 she was named the Best Dressed Personality by the Indian edition of People magazine.[137][138] In 2013, Ranaut featured as one of the best-dressed women celebrities by Vogue India.[139] The journalist Jagmeeta Thind Joy credits the actress for her quirky, almost non-bollywood take on personal style, adding that she likes to shock and awe with her choices.[11] She has collaborated with the fashion brand Vero Moda to launch two clothing lines for the company, named Marquee and Venice Cruise, in 2015 and 2016, respectively.[140][141] Filmography and awards Selected filmography Gangster (2006) Fashion (2008) Tanu Weds Manu (2011) Krrish 3 (2013) Queen (2014) Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015) Awards Ranaut has been the recipient of three National Film Awards: Best Supporting Actress for Fashion (2008) and Best Actress for Queen (2014) and Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015). She has also won four Filmfare Awards: Best Female Debut for Gangster (2006), Best Supporting Actress for Fashion (2008), Best Actress for Queen (2014), and Best Actress - Critics for Tanu Weds Manu Returns (2015).[26][85][95] 52

53 Ranveer Singh

54 Ranveer Singh Bhavnani (born 6 July 1985) is an Indian film actor who appears in Hindi films. After completing a bachelor s degree from Indiana University, Bloomington, Singh returned to India to pursue a career in film. He made his acting debut in 2010 with a leading role in Yash Raj Films romantic comedy Band Baaja Baaraat. The film emerged as a critical and commercial success, earning Singh a Filmfare Award in the Best Male Debut category. Singh went on to star in the romantic drama Lootera (2013), Sanjay Leela Bhansali s tragic romance Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013), his biggest commercial successes to that point, and in the action-drama Gunday (2014). In 2015, he starred in the ensemble comedy-drama Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), and portrayed Bajirao I in the historical romance Bajirao Mastani, one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films, for which he garnered critical acclaim and won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Early life and background Singh was born on 6 July 1985[1] into a Sindhi family to Anju and Jagjit Singh Bhavnani. [2][3][4] His grandparents, Sunder Singh Bhavnani and Chand Burke, moved to Mumbai from Karachi, Sindh, during the Partition of India.[5][6] He has an elder sister named Ritika Bhavnani.[1][7][8][9] Singh is the maternal cousin of actress Sonam Kapoor and producer Rhea Kapoor, daughters of actor Anil Kapoor and wife Sunita Kapoor (née Bhavnani).[10] Singh explains that he dropped his surname Bhavnani, since he felt that the name would have been too long, too many syllables, thus downplaying his brand as a saleable commodity.[11] Singh always aspired to be an actor, participating in several school plays and debates.[12] Once when he had gone for a birthday party, his grandmother asked him to dance and entertain her.[13] Singh remembers that he suddenly jumped in the lawn and started dancing to the song Chumma Chumma from the 1991 Bollywood action film, Hum. [12] He felt the thrill of performing and was interested in acting and dancing.[12] However, after he joined H.R. College of Commerce and Economics in Mumbai, Singh realised that getting a break in the film industry was not at all easy, as it was mostly people with a film background who got these opportunities. Feeling that the idea of acting was too far-fetched, Singh focused on creative writing.[12] He went to the United States where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Indiana University.[8] At university, he decided to take acting classes and took up theatre as his minor.[12] After completing his studies and returning to Mumbai in 2007, Singh worked for a few years in advertising as a copywriter, with agencies like O&M and J. Walter Thompson. [8][13] He then worked as an assistant director, but left it to pursue acting. He decided to send his portfolio to directors.[13] He would go for all kinds of auditions, but did not get any good opportunities, while only getting calls for minor roles: Everything was so 54

55 bleak. It was very frustrating. There were times I would think whether I was doing the right thing or not. [13] Career Early work ( ) In January 2010, Singh was called for an audition by Shanoo Sharma, the head of the casting division for Yash Raj Films.[13] They informed him that it was for a lead role in their film titled Band Baaja Baaraat, a romantic comedy set in the world of wedding planning. Aditya Chopra, the vice president of the company, later saw the audition tapes on video and was impressed by Singh s acting, and decided that he fit the part of Bittoo Sharma, the hero of the film.[14] However, the director Maneesh Sharma needed some more convincing and he was called for a few more auditions over the next two weeks until they were completely convinced of his caliber.[8] After the two weeks of testing, Singh was confirmed for the role of Bittoo, with Anushka Sharma playing the female lead.[14] Singh described the role of Bittoo Sharma as a typical Delhi boy.[8] To prepare for the role, he spent time with students at the Delhi University campus.[12] Prior to the release of the film, trade analysts were skeptical of the film s commercial potential, citing the middling response to Yash Raj Films last few productions, the lack of a male star and the fact that the female lead, Anushka Sharma, was by then an almost-forgotten actress. [15] However, Band Baaja Baaraat went on to become a sleeper hit. Singh s portrayal of Bittoo was praised, with Anupama Chopra of NDTV writing that Singh was pitch perfect in the role of the uncouth but good-hearted small town slacker who is a bit of a duffer when it comes to matters of the heart.[16] The film earned approximately 214 million (US$3.2 million) at the domestic box office.[17] At the 56th Filmfare Awards, Singh won the award for Best Male Debut.[18] Following Band Baaja Baarat, Singh signed on for Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, a romantic comedy produced by Chopra and directed by Maneesh Sharma. He played a conman Ricky Bahl who cons girls for a living but finally meets his match. The film co-starred Anushka Sharma, Parineeti Chopra, Dipannita Sharma and Aditi Sharma.[19] According to Singh, the title character had various avatars in the film, including a chirpy, entertaining side and a sinister side.[7] Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India wrote, Ranveer is, well Ranveer: your average Joe kind of hero who looks convincing enough as Sunny, Deven, Iqbal, Ricky, his sundry avatars. [20] Commercially, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl earned 370 million (US$5.5 million) domestically.[21] Success (2013 present) Singh s next release was Lootera (2013), a period romance, written and directed by

56 Vikramaditya Motwane, and co-starring Sonakshi Sinha.[22] An adaptation of O. Henry s short story The Last Leaf, Lootera was critically acclaimed.[23][24] Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN wrote that Singh brings a quiet sensitivity to Varun, and occasionally a smoldering intensity. Offering a finely internalized performance, he leaves a lasting impression. [25] However, Lootera performed poorly at the box office.[26] Singh next starred opposite Deepika Padukone in Sanjay Leela Bhansali s adaptation of William Shakespeare s Romeo and Juliet, entitled Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, in which he played Ram, a Gujarati boy based on the character of Romeo.[27] Bhansali was impressed by Singh s performance in Band Baaja Baaraat and decided to cast him for the film.[28] Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela generated positive reviews from critics, as did Singh s performance.[29] Writing for India Today, Rohit Khilnani commented that Singh has everything going for him here. His Bollywood hero entry scene lying down on a bike in the song Tattad Tattad is outstanding. He learnt a new language to better his performance for the character Ram and it paid off. In his fourth film he has the presence of a star. [30] The film emerged as Singh s biggest commercial success,[31][32] with worldwide revenues of 2.02 billion (US$30 million).[33][34] For his portrayal, he received several recognitions, including a Best Actor nomination at Filmfare.[35] In 2014, Singh starred as a Bengali criminal in Ali Abbas Zafar s Gunday, alongside Arjun Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan Khan.[36][37] David Chute of Variety praised Singh s screen presence and wrote that he tucks the movie s center of interest under his arm and takes it with him even though he has the could-be-thankless good brother role.[38] Also, Singh s chemistry with Kapoor was considered by critic Rohit Khilnani to the prime asset of the film.[39] Gunday proved to be Singh s biggest box office opener,[40] and eventually emerged a box-office success with a revenue of 1 billion (US$15 million) worldwide.[41] After a cameo appearance in Finding Fanny, Singh starred as a gangster in Shaad Ali s unsuccessful crime drama Kill Dil opposite Parineeti Chopra and Ali Zafar and received negative reviews.[42][43] In Zoya Akhtar s ensemble comedy-drama Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), Singh starred with Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah and Priyanka Chopra as the younger sibling of a dysfunctional Punjabi family. Writing for Mumbai Mirror, critic Kunal Guha found Singh to be the surprise element of the film; he praised his immaculate comic timing and particularly noted on the subtelty of his performance.[44] The film further was an economic success, grossing 1.47 billion (US$22 million) worldwide within seventeen days of release.[45] Singh next reunited with Sanjay Leela Bhansali for the epic romance Bajirao Mastani (2015) opposite Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra. He portrayed Bajirao I, for which he shaved his head and locked himself up in a hotel room for 21 days.[46] [47] Raja Sen in his review mentioned: Ranveer Singh brings his character to life and does so with both machismo and grace, his Peshwa Bajirao slicing down soldiers like a lehnga-clad golfer wielding a too-sharp niblick.[48] The film was a box-office success and Singh won the Filmfare Award for Best Actor.[49][50] 56

57 As of July 2016, Singh has completed work on Aditya Chopra s romance Befikre in Paris, opposite Vaani Kapoor.[51] In addition, he has committed to star in Sanjay Leela Bhansali s Padmavati, a film based on Rani Padmavati, along with Deepika Padukone and an untitled Rohit Shetty film, co-starring Tamannaah.[52] Filmography and awards Filmography 2010 Band Baaja Baaraat 2011 Ladies vs Ricky Bahl 2013 Bombay Talkies 2013 Lootera 2013 Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela 2014 Gunday Bikram Bose 2014 Finding Fanny 2014 Kill Dil 2015 Dil Dhadakne Do 2015 Bajirao Mastani 2016 BefikreFilms Awards and nominations Singh is the recipient of two Filmfare Awards: Best Male Debut for Band Baaja Baaraat (2010) and Best Actor for Bajirao Mastani (2016). He has received an additional Best Actor nomination at the ceremony for Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013). Bajirao Mastani Bajirao Mastani is a 2015 Indian epic historical romance film directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who also composed the music of the film. It is jointly produced by Bhansali and Eros International. The film stars Ranveer Singh as Bajirao I and Deepika Padukone as Mastani, with Priyanka Chopra playing Bajirao s first wife Kashibai. Tanvi Azmi, Vaibbhav Tatwawdi and Milind Soman appear in supporting roles. Based on the Marathi novel Raau by Nagnath S. Inamdar, the film narrates the story of the Maratha Peshwa Bajirao ( AD) and his second wife Mastani. The film was in development for 15 years, with Bhansali wanting to make the film after Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. However, several times, the production was delayed due to

58 the changing cast. Principal photography started in mid 2014 after the casting of principal roles was finalised. The film was released on 18 December 2015 to positive reviews from critics, who praised the direction, cinematography, production design, costumes, music and performances, particularly of Chopra, and Singh. The film has grossed over 350 crore (US$52 million) at the box-office,[3] emerging both as a commercial and critical success and one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time. The film received several accolades at various award ceremonies across India. At the 63rd National Film Awards, Bajirao Mastani received seven awards, including Best Direction and Best Supporting Actress for Azmi. The film received fourteen nominations at the 61st Filmfare Awards, and won nine awards including Best Film, Best Director for Bhansali, Best Actor for Singh, and Best Supporting Actress for Chopra. 58

59 Deepika Padukone

60 Deepika Padukone (pronounced [d iːpɪkaː pəɖʊkoːɳ]; born 5 January 1986) is an Indian film actress. She is one of the highest-paid Indian celebrities and is cited in the media as one of the nation s most popular and attractive personalities. Padukone has established a career in Hindi films, and is the recipient of several awards, including three Filmfare Awards. Padukone, the daughter of the badminton player Prakash Padukone, was born in Copenhagen and raised in Bangalore. As a teenager she played badminton in national level championships, but left her career in sport to become a fashion model. She soon received offers for film roles, and made her acting debut in 2006 as the title character of the Kannada film Aishwarya. Padukone then played dual roles in her first Bollywood release the 2007 blockbuster Om Shanti Om and won a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Padukone received praise for portraying the lead female roles in the romance Love Aaj Kal (2009) and the drama Lafangey Parindey (2010), but her performances in the romance Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008) and the comedy Housefull (2010) met with negative reviews. The 2012 box office hit Cocktail marked a turning point in Padukone s career, earning her praise and Best Actress nominations at several award ceremonies. She rose to prominence with starring roles in the comedies Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013), Chennai Express (2013), and Happy New Year (2014), and the historical romance Bajirao Mastani (2015), all of which rank among the highest-grossing Bollywood films. Padukone s acclaimed portrayal of a character based on Juliet in the tragic romance Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013) and a headstrong architect in the comedy-drama Piku (2015) won her two Best Actress awards at Filmfare. Alongside her acting career, Padukone participates in stage shows, has written columns for an Indian newspaper, is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products, and is vocal about issues such as feminism and depression. She has designed her own line of clothing for women and is the founder of The Live Love Laugh Foundation, which creates awareness on mental health in India. Early life and modelling career Deepika Padukone was born on 5 January 1986 in Copenhagen, Denmark, to Konkani-speaking parents.[1][2] Her father, Prakash, is a former badminton player of international repute, and her mother, Ujjala, is a travel agent.[3] Her younger sister, Anisha, is a golfer.[4] Her paternal grandfather, Ramesh, was a secretary of the Mysore Badminton Association.[5] The family relocated to Bangalore, India, when Padukone was a year old. [6] She was educated at Bangalore s Sophia High School, and completed her pre-university education at Mount Carmel College.[7] She subsequently enrolled at the Indira 60

61 Gandhi National Open University for a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology, but later quit it due to scheduling conflicts with her modelling career.[6][8] Padukone has admitted to being socially awkward as a child, and did not have many friends.[6] The focus of her life was badminton, which she played competitively from a young age. Describing her daily routine in a 2012 interview, Padukone said, I would wake up at five in the morning, go for physical training, go to school, again go for playing badminton, finish my homework and go to sleep. [6] Padukone continued to pursue a career in badminton throughout her school years, and played the sport in national level championships. She also played baseball in a few state level tournaments.[9] While concentrating on her education and sporting career, Padukone also worked as a child model, first appearing in a couple of advertising campaigns at the age of eight.[10] In the tenth grade, she changed focus and decided to become a fashion model. She later explained, I realised that I was playing the game only because it ran in the family. So, I asked my father if I could give up the game and he wasn t upset at all. [11] In 2004, she began a full-time career as a model under the tutelage of Prasad Bidapa.[11][12] Early in her career, Padukone gained recognition with a television commercial for the soap Liril, and modelled for various other brands and products.[13][14] In 2005, she made her runway debut at the Lakme Fashion Week for designer Suneet Varma, and won the Model of the Year award at the Kingfisher Fashion Awards.[15][16] Padukone s fame increased when she appeared in a highly popular print campaign for the 2006 Kingfisher Calendar;[17] the designer Wendell Rodricks commented, Since Aishwarya Rai, we haven t had a girl as beautiful and fresh. [18] Rodricks had spotted her at a Ganjam jewellery class he was teaching and signed her up with the Matrix agency.[19] At the age of 21, Padukone relocated to Mumbai and stayed at her aunt s home.[6] That year, she gained wider recognition by featuring in the music video for Himesh Reshammiya s song Naam Hai Tera. [20] Padukone soon began to receive offers for film roles.[21] Believing herself to be too inexperienced as an actor, she instead enrolled for a course at Anupam Kher s film academy. [22] Following much media speculation, the director Farah Khan, who had noticed her in Reshammiya s music video, made the decision to cast her for a role in Happy New Year.[6][17] Acting career Film debut and breakthrough ( ) Padukone announced in 2006 that she would make her film debut with Aishwarya, a Kannada film directed by Indrajit Lankesh.[17] The romantic comedy was a remake of the Telugu film Manmadhudu, and she was cast in the title role opposite the actor

62 Upendra. The film proved a major commercial success.[23] RG Vijayasarathy of Rediff. com was appreciative of Padukone s screen presence but added that she needs to work on her emotional scenes. [24] By the end of 2006, Farah Khan s Happy New Year was shelved, and Khan had instead cast Padukone for the reincarnation melodrama Om Shanti Om (2007).[25] Set against the backdrop of the Hindi film industry, the film tells the story of a struggling actor in the 1970s who dies soon after witnessing the murder of the woman he loved, and is reincarnated to avenge her death. Shah Rukh Khan starred as the protagonist, and Padukone featured in dual roles Shantipriya, a leading actress of the 1970s, and later as Sandy, an aspiring actress. She said, I ve grown up watching [Shah Rukh] and always admired him so much. To get to work with him... is quite wonderful. It was also fantastic that Farah showed faith in my talent and cast me opposite him. [26] In preparation for her role, Padukone watched several films of actresses Helen and Hema Malini to study their body language, which she felt were more graceful and completely different from today s actors. [27] However, her voice was dubbed by the voice artist Mona Ghosh Shetty.[28] For one of the songs in the film, Dhoom Taana, Padukone drew upon Indian classical dance, and according to Dorling Kindersley, mesmeriz[ed] audiences by using hasta mudras (hand gestures).[29] Om Shanti Om was a commercial success, and emerged as the highest-grossing film of the year, with a global revenue of 1.49 billion (US$22 million).[30] Taran Adarsh of the entertainment portal Bollywood Hungama reviewed, Deepika has all it takes to be a top star the personality, the looks and yes, she s supremely talented too. Standing in the same frame as [Shah Rukh] and getting it right is no small achievement. She comes as a whiff of fresh air! [31] At the annual Filmfare Awards ceremony, Padukone was awarded the Best Female Debut Award and received her first nomination in the Best Actress category.[32] Bollywood Hungama reported that the success of Om Shanti Om proved a breakthrough for Padukone.[33] She followed this success with the role of Gayatri (one of star Ranbir Kapoor s love interests), a feisty student in Australia who moonlights as a cab driver in Yash Raj Films romantic comedy Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008). The film was a financial success,[34] but Namrata Joshi of Outlook wrote that Padukone s performance was disappointing: She is mannequin-like and utterly lacks fire and zing. [35] Padukone s first release of 2009 came alongside Akshay Kumar in the Nikhil Advani-directed kung fu comedy Chandni Chowk To China, in which she portrayed the dual roles of Indian-Chinese twin sisters Sakhi and Suzy. Produced by Warner Bros., it had one of the widest international releases ever given to an Indian film.[36] Padukone learned the Japanese martial art form of jujutsu, and performed her stunts without the use of a body double.[37][38] Despite the hype, Chandni Chowk To China proved a major financial failure with worldwide earnings of million (US$8.2 million) on a budget of 800 million (US$12 million).[39][40] Film critics were generally disappointed with the picture and Padukone s performance;[41] Justin Trout of Orlando Weekly noted that she is so wasted in Chandni Chowk, my mind often wandered back to Om Shanti Om during 62

63 her scenes, possibly as a defense mechanism. [42] That same year, Padukone featured in an item number (for a song called Love Mera Hit Hit ) in the drama Billu,[43] following which she appeared alongside Saif Ali Khan in the romantic drama Love Aaj Kal from the writer-director Imtiaz Ali. The film documented the changing value of relationships among the youth, and had Padukone play the part of Meera Pandit, a head-strong career woman. With a worldwide gross of 1.2 billion (US$18 million), Love Aaj Kal proved to be the third highest-grossing film of 2009.[30] Aniruddha Guha of Daily News and Analysis said that Padukone delivers the best of her four performances so far and Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India mentioned her as definitive and strong. [44][45] At the 55th Filmfare Awards Padukone received a nomination for Best Actress.[46] Career struggles ( ) Padukone had five film releases in Her first role was in Vijay Lalwani s psychological thriller Karthik Calling Karthik, where Padukone was cast as the supportive girlfriend of a depressed man (played by Farhan Akhtar) who goes through a series of changes after receiving mysterious phone calls every morning. Derek Elley of Variety found the film to be thinly plotted but added that the uncomplicated ingenuousness of Padukone... helps make the tall tale convincing. [47] Commercially, the film performed poorly.[48] Her most economically profitable film that year was Sajid Khan s 1.15 billion (US$17 million)-grossing comedy film Housefull in which she featured alongside an ensemble cast including Akshay Kumar, Ritesh Deshmukh, Lara Dutta, Arjun Rampal, Jiah Khan and Boman Irani.[30] Raja Sen described the film as a festival of bad acting and attributed Padukone s poor performance to her plasticky expressions. [49] Pradeep Sarkar s drama Lafangey Parindey (2010) saw Padukone star opposite Neil Nitin Mukesh in the role of Pinky Palkar, a blind girl determined to win a skating competition. In preparation for her role, she observed the interactions of blind people and rehearsed scenes while blindfolded.[50] Writing for The Hindu, Sudhish Kamath was particularly impressed by Padukone and wrote that she exercises considerable restraint in playing her part.[51] Later that year, Hindustan Times published that the film helped change people s perception of Padukone, with focus directed on her acting prowess rather than her appearance.[52] Her next role was opposite Imran Khan in the Danish Aslam-directed romantic comedy Break Ke Baad. CNN-IBN s Rajeev Masand found the film to be reasonably engaging and noted that it was watchable largely for the performance of its leading lady. [53] Both Lafangey Parindey and Break Ke Baad underperformed at the box office.[48] Padukone s final release of 2010 was Ashutosh Gowarikar s period film Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey opposite Abhishek Bachchan. Based on the book Do and Die by Manini Chatterjee, the film is a retelling of the 1930 Chittagong armoury raid.[54] Bachchan

64 featured as the revolutionary leader Surya Sen and Padukone played Kalpana Dutta, his confidante.[55] Padukone said that she did not research for the role as there were hardly... any reference points as to what Kalpana looked like other than a few photos, and relied completely on Gowarikar s direction.[56] A review published in The Telegraph was appreciative of Padukone s portrayal, and the film received a generally positive critical reception.[57][58] Despite this, it proved a major commercial disappointment.[59] Padukone began 2011 with an item number in Rohan Sippy s Dum Maaro Dum. The song was a remixed version of the iconic song Dum Maro Dum, from the 1971 film Hare Rama Hare Krishna, which featured Zeenat Aman.[60] Padukone referred to it as the wildest song any actress has done; the song s suggestive lyrics and raunchy moves attracted controversy including a court case for indecency.[61][62] Her next film was Prakash Jha s socio-political drama Aarakshan, co-starring Amitabh Bachchan, Saif Ali Khan, Manoj Bajpayee and Prateik Babbar, which dealt with the political issue of caste-based reservations in India. Trade journalists had high expectations for the film which ultimately flopped at the box office.[63][64] Critical reaction was largely negative, though Pratim D. Gupta mentioned Padukone as the most refreshing thing about [the] movie. [65][66] Her final appearance that year was in Rohit Dhawan s comedy-drama Desi Boyz alongside Akshay Kumar, John Abraham and Chitrangada Singh, a role that failed to propel her career forward.[67][68] The series of poorly received films led critics to perceive that Padukone had [lost] her sparkle. [69] Establishing with Cocktail ( ) In an interview for The Indian Express, Padukone said that her starring role in the 2012 Homi Adajania-directed romantic comedy Cocktail marked a significant turning point in her career.[70] Raja Sen of Rediff.com opined that she had successfully proved to be a stunning girl who can also act. [71] Set in London, Cocktail tells the story of a software engineer (played by Saif Ali Khan) and his relationship with two temperamentally different women an impulsive party girl (Veronica, played by Padukone) and a submissive girl next door (Meera, played by Diana Penty). During the script narration, the producer Dinesh Vijan offered Padukone the choice of which woman to play; she decided on Veronica to expand her horizons as an actress.[72] Portraying the role was a creative and physical challenge for her, and to achieve the physical requirements of her character she exercised extensively and followed a rigorous diet.[73][74] Critics were divided in their opinion of the film, but particularly praised Padukone s performance;[75] Devesh Sharma of Filmfare credited her as the soul of the film and wrote that she excels in every scene, whether as a material girl who enjoys sex, drugs and rock and roll or as the jealousy ridden girl out to destroy herself. [76] Cocktail earned Padukone Best Actress nominations at several award ceremonies, including Filmfare, Screen, and IIFA.[77] The film proved a box office hit as well.[78] In 2013, Padukone established herself as a leading actress of contemporary Hindi cinema by featuring in four of the top-grossing productions of the year.[79][80] She collab- 64

65 orated with Saif Ali Khan for the fourth time (alongside John Abraham, Jacqueline Fernandez, Ameesha Patel, and Anil Kapoor) in Abbas-Mustan s Race 2, an ensemble action thriller that served as a sequel to the 2008 film Race. The film received predominantly negative reviews from critics,[81] but with a total collection of 1.62 billion (US$24 million), it proved to be a commercial success.[82][83] In a particularly scathing review, Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV wrote that both Padukone and Fernandez strut around like wound-up automatons that are all decked-up but have nowhere to go. [84] Ayan Mukerji s romantic comedy Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani was Padukone s next film release. Co-starring alongside Ranbir Kapoor, Kalki Koechlin, and Aditya Roy Kapoor, she was cast as Naina Talwar, a shy wallflower, which marked a departure from the glamorous characters that she had a reputation for portraying.[85] Film critics praised Padukone s performance, though their response to the film was mixed.[86][87] Raja Sen thought that the film lacked a good story but added that Padukone acts within herself and eschews exaggeration, and the results are impressive... This may be her most selfaware performance so far.[88] The pairing of Padukone with her former boyfriend was highly anticipated,[89] and the film proved a major success with a worldwide revenue of 3.02 billion (US$45 million).[82][90] Her next appearance was opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Rohit Shetty s action-comedy film Chennai Express. She played Meenalochini Azhagusundaram, a Tamil girl on the run from her father (a local don), which required that she adopt a Tamil accent. Critical opinion on her accent was mixed,[91] but her performance received praise;[86] film critic Aseem Chhabra concluded, Padukone is delightful in the film beautiful, smiling, and often a lot more playful and funny than Khan. [92] Chennai Express was Padukone s second consecutive release to earn over 3 billion (US$45 million) in worldwide ticket sales; both Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Chennai Express rank among the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time.[82][93] Padukone next played opposite Ranveer Singh in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, an adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy of Romeo and Juliet from director Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Her role was Leela, a Gujarati girl based on the character of Juliet.[94] Initially titled Ram-Leela, the film s title was changed after a court case was registered against Bhansali, Padukone, and Singh for offending the religious sentiments of the Hindu community by showcasing sex and violence under a title that referred to the life of Lord Rama.[95] Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela released among protests across several states in India, but was generally well received by critics.[96][97] Meena Iyer of The Times of India mentioned Padukone as breathtaking, and writing for Deccan Chronicle, Khalid Mohamed concluded that it s Deepika Padukone whom the film belongs to. Looking drop dead gorgeous and going at her part with a wallop, she s the prime asset of Ram-Leela. [98][99] The film earned 2.02 billion (US$30 million) worldwide, making it Padukone s fourth consecutive box office hit of the year.[80][83] Her performances in Chennai Express and Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela won her several awards,[100] including the Screen Award for Best Actress for both films and the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for the latter.[101][102]

66 In 2014, Padukone featured opposite Rajinikanth in the Tamil film Kochadaiiyaan, a period drama that was shot using motion capture technology.[103] In Homi Adajania s widely praised satire Finding Fanny, Padukone played a young widow who takes a road trip with her dysfunctional friends (played by Arjun Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia and Pankaj Kapur) in search of a woman named Fanny.[104] The film was screened at the 19th Busan International Film Festival;[105] critic Anuj Kumar of The Hindu wrote that Padukone successfully takes off the fineries of Bollywood and you can sense the freedom from baggage in her performance.[106] Later that year, she starred opposite Shah Rukh Khan for the third time in Farah Khan s renewal of Happy New Year. She played a bar dancer who trains a group of underachievers for a dance competition. Sanjukta Sharma of Mint found her role to be of minimal importance that required her only to be a pretty thing to be laughed at and pitied, but the film became one of her most successful, earning over 3.4 billion (US$51 million) worldwide.[107][108] Piku and beyond (2015 present) Following an appearance in an online video on feminism, entitled My Choice, under the direction of Homi Adajania,[109] Padukone took on the role of a headstrong Bengali architect who cares for her hypochondriac father (played by Amitabh Bachchan) in Shoojit Sircar s comedy-drama Piku (2015). Reviews for the film were positive;[110] Tanmaya Nanda of Business Standard praised the film s feminist tone, and wrote that Padukone proves what she is capable of when given something more to do than look pretty and be the crazy-dance girl at parties.[111] NDTV s Saibal Chatterjee opined that she holds Piku together with a restrained star turn.[112] With a worldwide gross of over 1.40 billion (US$21 million), the film emerged as a box office hit, and garnered Padukone several awards, including second Best Actress awards at Filmfare and Screen.[113][114] Later that year, Padukone played the part of a businessperson who helps Ranbir Kapoor s character overcome his conflicts in Imtiaz Ali s romantic drama Tamasha. Despite poor financial returns, Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com named Padukone s performance as the best by an actress that year, writing that she is so potent in Tamasha, it s almost as if you can hear her heartbeat across the screen.[115][116] In her final release of 2015, Padukone reunited with Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Ranveer Singh in Bajirao Mastani, a historical drama about a tragic extramarital affair. Singh was cast as the maratha general Bajirao I, while Priyanka Chopra and Padukone featured as his first and second wife, respectively. In preparation for the role of the warrior-princess Mastani, Padukone learnt sword-fighting, horse-riding and kalaripayattu.[117] With a revenue of over 3.3 billion (US$49 million), Bajirao Mastani proved to be the fourth highest-grossing Bollywood film of the year.[118] Anupama Chopra found Padukone riveting in the film, but Subhash K. Jha while praising her grace and dignity thought that she was way too subtle and silken, and not steely enough as [a] firebrand warrior-princess.[119][120] At the 61st Filmfare Awards, Bajirao Mastani was named Best Film and Padukone received her second Best Actress nomination in that year.[113][121] 66

67 As of June 2016, Padukone has completed filming for her first project in Hollywood the action film xxx: The Return of Xander Cage in which she plays the lead female role opposite Vin Diesel.[122][123] She has also filmed for an item number in Dinesh Vijan s romance film Raabta.[124] In addition, Padukone will collaborate with Bhansali and Singh for the third time in Padmavati, a historical drama based on the life of Rani Padmini.[125] Other work In addition to acting, Padukone has written opinion columns and has been involved with women s health and fitness magazines. She has also supported charitable organisations, and has performed for stage shows. In 2009, she was hired by Hindustan Times to write weekly columns for their lifestyle section; through these columns she interacted with her fans and passed details of her personal and professional life.[126][127] That year, she participated in the World 10K Bangalore marathon, which raised 13.1 million (US$190,000) in support of 81 NGOs.[128][129] In 2010, Padukone adopted the Maharashtrian village of Ambegaon as part of NDTV s Greenathon Campaign, to provide the village with a regular supply of electricity.[130] She visited Indian jawans (troops) in Jammu, for an Independence Day special episode of NDTV s reality show Jai Jawaan. [131] Padukone took part in the opening ceremony of the third season of the Indian Premier League at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai.[132] Three years later, she performed alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif, and Pitbull for the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League.[133] In 2014, she participated in a concert tour across North America, entitled SLAM! The Tour, in which she performed alongside her co-stars from Happy New Year.[134] Padukone has also been involved with the Olympic Gold Quest team, established by her father and Geet Sethi to support Indian athletes at the Olympic Games, along with sports personalities such as Leander Paes and Viswanathan Anand and several other actors.[135] In 2013, she launched her own line of clothing for women, in association with the retail chain Van Heusen.[136] Padukone has also been outspoken on issues such as feminism and has said, New feminism isn t about being aggressive; it s about reaching the top yet being soft. It s about being you feminine, strong and full of will power. [137] In a 2015 interview, Padukone spoke about her personal experience of overcoming depression, and in October that year she formed a foundation to create awareness on mental health in India, named The Live Love Laugh Foundation.[138][139] The following year, she launched a campaign named More Than Just Sad to assist general physicians in their treatment of patients suffering from depression or anxiety.[140] Also in 2016, the foundation teamed with Facebook and the AASRA organisation to launch multilingual tools and educational resources in Facebook s networking site to support people with suicidal tendencies.[141]

68 Personal life Padukone shares a close bond with her family, and visits them regularly in her hometown of Bangalore.[142] She lives by herself in Prabhadevi, a neighbourhood in Mumbai, and admits to missing the presence of her family there.[6][143] She says, I miss them, but luckily I have a life of my own, which keeps me from getting homesick. I wouldn t want them to uproot their lives from Bengaluru just to be with me. [144] A practicing Hindu, Padukone considers religion to be an important aspect of her life and makes frequent visits to temples and other religious shrines.[145] While filming Bachna Ae Haseeno in 2008, Padukone began a romantic relationship with co-star Ranbir Kapoor.[146] She spoke openly about the relationship and sported a tattoo of his initials on the nape of her neck.[147] She has said that the relationship had a profound effect on her, transforming her into a more confident and social person.[6] The Indian media speculated on an engagement, and reported that this had occurred in November 2008, although Padukone had stated that she had no plans to marry within the next five years.[148] The couple broke up a year later;[149] she professed in an interview to feeling angry and betrayed for a long time, but insisted that they remained on good terms.[6] In a 2010 interview, Padukone made a comment that the media speculated was a reference to her break-up with Kapoor:[150] The first time he cheated on me, I thought there was something wrong with me or the relationship, but when someone makes a habit of it, you know the problem lies with him. Yet I was foolish enough to give him a second chance because he begged and pleaded, despite the fact that everyone around me said he was still straying. I guess I really wanted to believe in him. Then I actually caught him red-handed. It took me a while to get out. But having done that, nothing can make me go back.[151] Kapoor initially denied the allegations, but according to The Times of India, he later admitted to the infidelity.[152] In 2013, following the production of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Padukone told Filmfare that she now shares a great comfort level with him.[153] In 2011, a set of pictures showing Padukone kissing the actor Siddharth Mallya at an Indian Premier League match were made available on the web.[154] This led to wide speculation in the media about the nature of their relationship,[155] which Padukone declined to talk about publicly. The following year there were reports about a break-up, to which she said: Just because we are not seen together, it doesn t mean that we are not friends anymore. [156] She has since denied reports of her link-up to Ranveer Singh, stating that she is not in a frame of mind to be in a relationship. [157] 68

69 In the media The journalist Vir Sanghvi, in 2013, described Padukone as strong, someone who makes up her own mind, [and] has motivation within herself. [158] She is particularly known in the media as a professional, disciplined performer, whose work takes precedence over everything else. [69] A reviewer for Rediff.com described her personality as simple, grounded, and accessible, and wrote, She takes criticism in her stride, acknowledges her limitations and strives to work hard at getting better. She handles praise with equal composure. [159] Ayan Mukerji (the director of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani) considers her to be a woman who will flirt with you but you will love to take her home to meet your mom as well. [69] Padukone has maintained a Twitter account since 2010, and launched an official Facebook page in 2013.[160] She is the most followed Indian actress on Twitter and most liked Indian actor on Facebook.[161][162] One of the highest-paid actresses in Bollywood,[163] Padukone is considered among the most popular and high-profile celebrities in India.[32][86] Analysing her career, Reuters published that after making a successful debut with Om Shanti Om, she featured in a series of films for which critics labelled her as wooden and mocked her accent. [164] The Indian Express added, Not too long ago after a few unwise script calls and the public blow up of her high profile relationship with Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika was written off. Credit to her much touted professionalism, dedication, discipline and perseverance that she bounced back. [165] Following the major success of Cocktail, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, and Chennai Express, several media publications began crediting her as the most successful contemporary actress in India.[30][166] From , she has featured on the Indian edition of the Forbes Celebrity 100, a list based on the income and popularity of India s celebrities.[163] She ranked among the top 25 each year, peaking at the eighth position in 2014 with an estimated annual earning of 672 million (US$10 million).[167] Padukone is considered a sex symbol and style icon in India the media cites her figure, height 1.74 m (5 ft in), smile, and eyes as her distinctive physical features.[168] The actress ranks high on various listings of the most attractive Indian celebrities.[169] In 2008, she topped Indian Maxim s Hot 100 list,[170] and in 2012, she was named India s Most Beautiful Woman by the Indian edition of People magazine.[171] Padukone was ranked first on The Times of India s listing of the Most Desirable Woman in 2012 and 2013, after being ranked third and fourth, respectively, for the preceding two years; she was placed second in both 2014 and 2015.[172][173][174] In 2010 and 2014, she was named the World s Sexiest Woman by the Indian edition of FHM.[175] She has additionally featured in the UK magazine Eastern Eye s World s Sexiest Asian Women list from 2009 to 2015, ranking among the top ten each year.[176] In 2013, Filmfare declared her as the winner of the Most Fashionable Star poll, and credited her as one of the few actresses who experiments with colours, cuts and silhouettes. [177] In the fitness book The Four-Week Countdown Diet, the actress was cited by Namita Jain as the ultimate

70 role model for a healthy, fit and active lifestyle. [178] Padukone is an active celebrity endorser for several brands and products, including Tissot, Sony Cyber-shot, Nescafe, Vogue eyewear, Maybelline and Pepsi, among others. [179] In 2012, it was reported that Padukone had signed on for an endorsement deal with Garnier worth 60 million (US$890,000), a record breaking remuneration for an Indian actress.[180][181] Filmography and awards Om Shanti Om (2007) Love Aaj Kal (2009) Cocktail (2012) Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) Chennai Express (2013) Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013) Happy New Year (2014) Piku (2015) Bajirao Mastani (2015) Awards Padukone has been the recipient of three Filmfare Awards: Best Female Debut for Om Shanti Om (2007), and two Best Actress awards for Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013) and Piku (2015).[32][102] 70

71 Varun Dhawan

72 Varun Dhawan (born 24 April 1987) is an Indian actor who appears in Hindi films. The son of film director David Dhawan, he studied Business Management from the Nottingham Trent University after which he worked as an assistant director to Karan Johar on the 2010 drama My Name Is Khan. Dhawan made his acting debut with Johar s 2012 romantic comedy Student of the Year, for which he received a Filmfare nomination for Best Male Debut. Dhawan established a career in Bollywood by starring in the romance Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014) and the dance film ABCD 2 (2015), both of which earned over 1 billion (US$15 million) worldwide. He garnered critical acclaim and received a Filmfare Award for Best Actor nomination for portraying an avenger in Sriram Raghavan s crime thriller Badlapur (2015) Life and career Early life and film debut Dhawan was born on 24 April 1987 in a Punjabi family to David Dhawan, a film director, and Karuna Dhawan.[1][2] He has an elder brother, Rohit, who is a film director.[3] He has a degree in Business Management from the Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom.[4][5] Prior to his acting career, Dhawan worked as an assistant director to Karan Johar on his directorial My Name Is Khan (2010).[6] Two years later, Dhawan made his acting debut with Johar s romantic comedy Student of the Year alongside Sidharth Malhotra and Alia Bhatt.[6] He was Confidence as Rohan Nanda, the teenage son of a rich businessman, who competes with his girlfriend (played by Bhatt) and best friend (played by Malhotra) to win an annual school championship. Film critic Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama found Dhawan to be a talent one can t help but marvel at and CNN-IBN s Rajeev Masand added: It s Varun Dhawan who stands out with a confident, charming turn, able to tackle both comical and vulnerable scenes with ease.[7][8] Student of the Year was a success, grossing 970 million (US$14 million) worldwide.[9] In 2014, Dhawan had two film releases. His first appearance was in the comedy Main Tera Hero (2014), a remake of the Telugu film Kandireega, which was produced by Balaji Motion Pictures and directed by his father.[10][11] He played the leading role of Sreenath Seenu Prasad, an impetuous brat, who is in love with Ileana D Cruz s character but is seduced by the character played by Nargis Fakhri. Raedita Tandon of Filmfare commended Dhawan on his comic timing and compared him favorably to Govinda and Prabhudheva.[12] Main Tera Hero proved to be a commercial success. Dhawan then played Rakesh Humpty Sharma, a flirtatious Punjabi boy who engages in a romantic 72

73 affair with an engaged woman, in the romantic comedy Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. Co-starring Alia Bhatt and Siddharth Shukla, the film was described as a tribute to Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) by Johar, who served as producer.[14] Rohit Khilnani of India Today praised Dhawan s screen presence, and Nandini Ramnath of Mint noted how much he stood out in the few quieter scenes of the film.[15][16] Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania emerged as one of top-grossing productions of the year, earning 1.11 billion (US$16 million) worldwide.[9] Badlapur and beyond The crime thriller Badlapur (2015) from director Sriram Raghavan saw Dhawan play a man who over the course of 15 years avenges the murder of his wife and son.[17] Portraying the character was a terrifying experience for Dhawan, who slipped into depression as after a point it no longer felt like I was acting in a film.[18] Raja Sen of Rediff.com praised Dhawan s acting range, writing that he sheds his easy-breezy charm but, crucially, not his slightly hapless natural likeability and bubbles up volcanically, his eyes frequently doing the talking. [19] He received a Filmfare Award for Best Actor nomination for his performance.[20] Dhawan next starred opposite Shraddha Kapoor in a sequel to the dance film ABCD: Any Body Can Dance, entitled ABCD 2, in which he portrayed the real life character of Suresh Mukund, a dancer from Mumbai who wins the 2012 World Hip Hop Dance Championship.[21] Critic Shilpa Jamkhandikar of Reuters criticised the film, finding Dhawan to be the only asset of the film, writing that except for the honest note he strikes, the rest of the film could have been just a bunch of music videos.[22] ABCD 2 earned 1.57 billion (US$23 million) worldwide;[9] the film s commercial performance led Box Office India to consider it an emergence of Dhawan s star power.[23] His final appearance that year was in Rohit Shetty s ensemble action drama Dilwale, co-starring Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Kriti Sanon, in which he played the younger sibling of Khan s character.[24] Despite negative reviews from critics, the film was a commercial success.[25] As of May 2016, Dhawan has completed work on the action drama Dishoom, directed by his brother Rohit, alongside John Abraham and Jacqueline Fernandez.[26] He is filming opposite Alia Bhatt for the romantic comedy Badrinath Ki Dulhania, which will serve as the second installment of a franchise that began with Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. [27] In addition, he has committed to feature in Judwaa 2, a sequel to the 1997 comedy film Judwaa.[28] Other work Alongside his acting career, Dhawan performs on stage and has co-hosted two award

74 ceremonies. In 2013, he performed at the Filmfare, Screen, and Stardust award ceremonies, and at an event in Hong Kong.[29] He hosted the 2013 Stardust Awards ceremony with Sidharth Malhotra and Ayushmann Khurrana, and a segment of the 59th Filmfare Awards.[30] He was also part of the 20th Screen Awards, co-hosting the show alongside Shahrukh Khan and Richa Chadda.[31] In 2013, Dhawan performed at a special event alongside Malhotra, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur, Shraddha Kapoor and Huma Qureshi to raise funds for the flood-affected victims of Uttarakhand.[32] Filmography 2010 My Name Is Khan 2012 Student of the Year 2014 Main Tera Hero 2014 Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania 2015 Badlapur 2015 ABCD Dilwale 2016 Dishoom 74

75 Parineeti Chopra

76 Parineeti Chopra (pronounced [pəriːniːt iː ˈtʃoːpɽaː]; born 22 October 1988) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi films. She has received several awards and nominations, including a Filmfare and National Film Award. In addition to her acting career, Chopra is a humanitarian and is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products. Chopra initially aspired to pursue a career in investment banking, but after obtaining a triple honours degree in business, finance and economics from Manchester Business School she returned to India during the 2009 economic recession and joined Yash Raj Films as a public relations consultant. Later, she signed a deal with the company as an actress. She made her acting debut in the 2011 romantic comedy Ladies vs Ricky Bahl. Chopra s breakthrough performance in the film earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut and a nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In 2012, she garnered wide critical acclaim for her starring role in the romantic drama Ishaqzaade, a critical and commercial success, winning the National Film Award Special Mention and several Best Actress nominations including the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She subsequently received praise for her performances in the successful romantic comedies Shuddh Desi Romance (2013) and Hasee Toh Phasee (2014). Her prime accomplishments have made her one of the most promising new actresses in India.[2] Early life and work Parineeti Chopra was born on 22 October 1988 in Ambala, Haryana into a Punjabi family.[3][4][5] Her father, Pawan Chopra, is a businessman and supplier to the Indian Army at Ambala Cantonment and her mother is Reena Chopra. She has two brothers: Shivang and Saraj; actress Priyanka Chopra, Meera Chopra and Mannara are her cousins.[5] [6][7][8][9] Chopra received her early education at the Convent of Jesus and Mary in Ambala Cantonment.[10] In an Interview published in The Hindu, she revealed that she was a very good student and had always wanted to become an investment banker.[4] At the age of 17, Chopra moved to London, where she received a triple honours degree in business, finance and economics from Manchester Business School in the United Kingdom.[4][11] She used to take orientation classes for new students at the University.[12] While studying, she worked part-time for the Manchester United Football Club as the team leader of the catering department.[13] In 2009, she returned to India in the wake of the economic recession and moved to Mumbai to stay with her cousin, Priyanka. During a visit to Yash Raj Films studio, Priyanka (who was shooting for Pyaar Impossible!) introduced Parineeti to the head of the public relations team of the company. Chopra obtained an internship in the marketing department, joining the production company as a public-relations consultant. 76

77 [4][11][14] She considered it a perfect job, because she could use what she had learned and work in films. Chopra had disliked actors and acting; to her, the profession seemed like an excuse to wear too much makeup. This changed when she observed Priyanka s preparations for her role in 7 Khoon Maaf, which highly influenced her and changed her perception towards acting and actors.[15] Once she learnt more about filmmaking, her respect for the profession increased.[16][17] Acting career Debut and breakthrough ( ) While working on promotions for Band Baaja Baaraat, Chopra realised that she wanted to become an actress and decided to resign from her executive position with Yash Raj Films to attend acting school. Film director Maneesh Sharma suggested signing Chopra to Aditya Chopra, vice-president of Yash Raj Films. Appalled by the idea of recruiting someone from his marketing team as an actress, the vice-president refused.[17] When Parineeti Chopra told Sharma she was leaving her job to attend acting school he advised her to meet the company s casting director,[11] who asked her to do a dummy audition for fun. Chopra remembered fooling around with a camera and delivering lines by the character Geet from the film Jab We Met, never expecting producer Aditya Chopra to see the tape. However, when the producer saw the tape he was impressed with her acting. With Sharma describing her phenomenal in the screen test,[18] Chopra was signed to a three-film deal;[19] Chopra s colleagues later told her she was a misfit in an office situation.[17] In 2011, Chopra made her screen debut in the romantic comedy Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, in a supporting role with Ranveer Singh and Anushka Sharma. The film describes how three girls who are tricked by a con artist take revenge on him by plotting the same trick for him. Chopra played the Delhi-based rich and spoiled brat Dimple Chadda, who is betrayed by the film s central character. The film received mixed reviews from critics, and was moderately successful at the box office;[20][21] however, Chopra s performance was praised by film critics. Komal Nahta said, Of the three other girls, Parineeti Chopra is undoubtedly the best. She has the best role, the best lines and hers is the best performance among the three. In fact, she provides a lot of light moments in the first half and, more importantly, in the second half too.[22] Priyanka Roy of The Telegraph described Chopra as natural and wrote Among the ladies, debutante Parineeti almost steals the show from Anushka. As a spoilt and nouveau-riche Delhi girl. [23] The film earned her several awards, including the Filmfare Award, the Screen Award, the Apsara Award and the IIFA Award for Best Debut. Chopra also received nominations in the supporting actress category at Filmfare) and won the Apsara and IIFA Awards in the same category. Chopra s second release was Habib Faisal s romantic drama Ishaqzaade in which she

78 played a leading role opposite Arjun Kapoor. The film revolves around two political families, whose rivalry (and mutual hatred) go back generations. Chopra played the boisterous and feisty tomboy Zoya, a Muslim girl who marries a Hindu boy and gives birth to new rivalry in both families. The film received positive reviews from critics, and Chopra earned critical acclaim for her performance.[26] Taran Adarsh observed, Parineeti Chopra is simply fantastic in this high-voltage drama. Playing the part of a spirited gun-toting girl, she is not the regular timid, decorous, withdrawn Hindi film heroine. She portrays the violent behavior coupled with the audacious and brash attitude with aplomb,[27] and Rajeev Masand labelled her the biggest strength of the film.[28] The film grossed over 46 crore (US$6.8 million) at the domestic box office, and was termed a super hit by Box Office India.[29] Chopra earned a National Film Award Special Mention at the 60th National Film Awards, and received first nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, Screen and Apsara Awards.[24][30][31] 2013 present Chopra next appeared alongside Sushant Singh Rajput and Vaani Kapoor in the romantic comedy-drama Shuddh Desi Romance (2013), her second collaboration with Maneesh Sharma. The film, set in Jaipur, received positive feedback from the critics and Chopra s portrayal of Gayatri, an outspoken and rebellious girl, was particularly praised. CNN-IBN noted that the film belonged to Chopra, who turns Gayatri into the most real woman one have encountered on screen,[32] and the critic Mayank Shekhar added Parineeti s act in the film s first half is nothing short of National Award winning material. [33] Shuddh Desi Romance collected 46 crore (US$6.8 million) at the domestic box-office and emerged as a commercial success.[34] Chopra garnered several Best Actress nominations, including her second Filmfare nomination for Best Actress.[35] Chopra s first of three releases of 2014 was Dharma Productions romantic comedy Hasee Toh Phasee, her first role outside the Yash Raj Films banner. She featured in the role of a mad scientist alongside Sidharth Malhotra and Adah Sharma. Directed by Vinil Matthew and jointly produced by Anurag Kashyap and Karan Johar, the film was a moderate success and received generally positive reviews.[36][37] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV wrote that Chopra was pitch-perfect with her goofball act and Hindustan Times published that she re-defined the concept of a Bollywood heroine with the film. [37][38] Habib Faisal s dowry-based social comedy film Daawat-e-Ishq marked Chopra s second collaboration with Faisal. She was cast as Gulrez Gullu Qadir, a middle-class salesgirl from Hyderabad alongside Aditya Roy Kapoor and Anupam Kher.[39] The film received mixed reviews though Chopra was praised. Film critic Sarita A Tanwar from Daily News Analysis found Chopra to be the best thing about the film and added, She shines in every scene. She does what she does every single time rises head and shoulders above the film and her costars. [40] Chopra next played her first glamorous role in Shaad 78

79 Ali s crime film Kill Dil, co-starring Govinda, Ranveer Singh and Ali Zafar.[41] Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com found the film to be a disaster and wrote that Chopra is terribly miscast and wears clothes that should have never left the wardrobe.[42] Both Daawat-e- Ishq and Kill Dil were unsuccessful at the box office.[43] Upcoming projects As of July 2016, Chopra is filming Yash Raj Film s romantic drama Meri Pyaari Bindu opposite Ayushmann Khurana directed by debutant Akshay Roy. She has been cast as the titular character, Bindu (an aspiring singer), and will be making her singing debut in the film.[44][45] She has also signed Homi Adajania s Takadum opposite Sushant Singh Rajput.[46] In the media In addition to acting in films, Chopra is active in charity work and supports a number of causes. She walked the ramp at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week to support the Shabana Azmi Mijwan Welfare Society, an NGO dedicated to empowering girls. Chopra said, I don t want it to be just about ramp walk, but I seriously and genuinely feel for what Mijwan and what Manish and Shabanaji are doing. For such an initiative, I just could not say no. I had to be a part of it. [47] She also appeared on NDTV s Greenathon, an initiative to support eco-friendliness and investigate poor electricity supplies in rural villages, to lend her support.[48] Apart from charity work, she serves as an ambassador for a number of brands. Chopra endorses brands such as Kurkure, Nivea, Maaza and Spinz, WeChat, Pantene and Mahindra scooty.[49] She became the first Bollywood star to endorse products from both Coke (Maaza) and PepsiCo (Kurkure) at the same time. [50] The actress roles and performances have been studied by critics. NDTV noted, [Chopra]...is as far removed from the standard Bollywood bombshell as it is possible for a lead actress to be. She s more girl next door than glamour doll, with no obvious oomph in evidence, and freely confesses to a battle with the weighing scale.[14] Following her debut, she has been widely regarded as one of the most promising actresses in Hindi cinema.[51] The Indian Express labelled her the most brightest and talented newcomer of this generation, noting her infectious amount of energy.[52] While discussing her career in a 2013 article, CNN-IBN noted, [she]...is one of the few actresses in the current lot who has a strong screen presence which demands absolute attention from the viewer. When she is on screen, one can t notice other actors Parineeti engages you in such a way.[53] In a 2013 interview with Hindustan Times, Chopra revealed that she intends to do films, where she has lot to perform and not the films, which has high production value.[54] The actress appeared on Verve s list of most powerful women in 2011.[55] In 2012, she featured on Rediff.com s annual list of Bollywood s Best Actresses.

80 Filmography 2011 Ladies vs Ricky Bahl 2012 Ishaqzaade 2013 Shuddh Desi Romance 2014 Hasee Toh Phasee Daawat-e-Ishq Kill Dil 2015 Man s World 2016 Dishoom Television 2014 India s Best Cinestars Ki Khoj Awards and nominations Chopra is a recipient of a National Film Award Special Mention for Ishaqzaade (2012) and a Filmfare Best Female Debut for Ladies vs Ricky Bahl (2011). Additionally, she has been nominated for three more Filmfare Awards: Best Supporting Actress for Ladies vs Ricky Bahl (2011) and Best Actress for Ishaqzaade (2012) and Shuddh Desi Romance (2013). 80

81 Sidharth Malhotra

82 Sidharth Malhotra (born 16 January 1985)[1][2] is an Indian actor and former model who appears in Bollywood films. Malhotra began a career as a model at the age of 18. Dissatisfied by the profession, he went on to work as an assistant director to Karan Johar in the 2010 film My Name Is Khan. He made his acting debut with a leading role in Johar s comedy-drama Student of the Year (2012), for which he received a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut nomination. Malhotra played an aspiring businessman in the critically praised comedy-drama Hasee Toh Phasee in 2014, following which he starred as a hardened criminal in the romantic thriller Ek Villain (2014) and an aspiring author in the family drama Kapoor & Sons (2016). The latter two rank among Malhotra s highest-grossing films, with a worldwide gross of over 1 billion (US$15 million) each. Life and career Early life and film debut Malhotra was born in Delhi, into a Punjabi family,[3] to Sunil, a former captain in the Merchant Navy, and Rimma Malhotra, a homemaker.[4] He was schooled at Delhi s Don Bosco School and Birla Vidya Niketan, and later attended Shaheed Bhagat Singh College.[5] At the age of 18, Malhotra began modelling. Although he was successful, he decided to quit after four years because he was dissatisfied with the profession.[6] Interested to pursue an acting career, he successfully auditioned for a film to be directed by Anubhav Sinha. However, the film was shelved, following which he worked as an assistant director to Karan Johar on the 2010 film My Name Is Khan.[5][7] In 2012, Malhotra made his acting debut with Johar s Student of the Year alongside Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt. He was cast as Abhimanyu Singh, a scholarship student of limited financial means, who competes with his wealthy best friend Rohan (played by Dhawan) to win an annual school championship. Film critic Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN considered Malhotra s performance to be earnest, adding that he had a pleasing presence. [8] Student of the Year was a financial success,[9] grossing 700 million (US$10 million) domestically.[10] Malhotra was next paired opposite Parineeti Chopra and Adah Sharma for the romantic comedy Hasee Toh Phasee (2014), which tells the love story of a drug-abusing scientist and an under-confident aspiring businessman. Mohar Basu of Koimoi found his performance to be restrained and described his chemistry with Chopra as lively and heartfelt ; Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV praised his screen presence and compared it to the early work of Amitabh Bachchan.[11][12] The film performed moderately well at the box office, with global revenues of 620 million (US$9.2 million).[13] 82

83 Ek Villain and beyond Malhotra s second release of 2014 was the Mohit Suri-directed romantic thriller Ek Villain. Malhotra was cast as Guru, a hardened criminal whose terminally-ill wife (played by Shraddha Kapoor) is murdered by a serial killer (played by Riteish Deshmukh). Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express reviewed: Sidharth Malhotra is watchable even if he has a hard time doing menace he just seems so nice and wholesome all the time, even when he is crunching bones. [14] The film was generally perceived to be plagiarised from the Korean film I Saw the Devil, although Suri dismissed the allegations.[15] The film eventually emerged as a major commercial success with domestic revenues of over 1 billion (US$15 million).[16] The box office performance of the film established Malhotra as one of the most successful among the new generation of Bollywood actors.[17][18] In 2015, Malhotra appeared in the remake of the Hollywood film Warrior (2011), entitled Brothers, directed by Karan Malhotra and co-starring Akshay Kumar, Jacqueline Fernandez and Jackie Shroff.[19][20] Despite high expectations from trade analysts, the film received negative reviews and under-performed at the box office.[21] However, his next release, the Shakun Batra-directed family drama Kapoor & Sons, proved to be a critical and commercial success.[22][23] Featuring an ensemble cast including Rishi Kapoor, Ratna Pathak Shah, Rajat Kapoor, Fawad Khan, and Alia Bhatt, the film tells the story of two brothers of contrasting personalities (Malhotra and Khan) who return home to their dysfunctional family after their grandfather suffers from a cardiac arrest. A reviewer for India Today thought that Malhotra was overshadowed by Khan in the film, though Namrata Joshi of The Hindu wrote that he holds his own with his solid presence and vulnerable glances.[24][25] As of May 2016, Malhotra has completed work on Nitya Mehra s Baar Baar Dekho, a romantic drama involving time travel, in which he stars opposite Katrina Kaif.[26] He is filming an untitled action-comedy film with Jacqueline Fernandez from the director duo Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K.,[27] and has also committed to reunite with Bhatt in the romance Aashiqui 3, which will mark his second collaboration with director Mohit Suri.[28] In addition, Malhotra will star in a remake of the 1969 mystery film Ittefaq.[29] Other work Apart from acting in films, Malhotra is an endorser of several brands and products, such as Coca-Cola Corneto American Swan[30] He also does charity work. In 2013, Malhotra performed at an event alongside Varun Dhawan, Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur, Shraddha Kapoor and Huma Qureshi to raise funds for the flood-affected victims of Uttarakhand.[31] and he collaborated with PETA for a campaign to create awareness about dogs.[32]

84 Filmography 2010 My Name Is Khan 2012 Student of the Year 2014 Hasee Toh Phasee 2014 Ek Villain 2015 Brothers 2016 Kapoor & Sons 2016 Baar Baar Dekho honours 2014: Times of India s Most Desirable Men of 2013[47] 2013: Times of India s Most Desirable Men of 2012[48] 2013: The Times of India Hotlist Most Promising Newcomer 2012 [49] 2013: The Times of India 50 Handsome Hunks in 100 years of Indian Cinema [50] 2014: Vogue Beauty Awards Most Beautiful Man[51] 84

85 Alia Bhatt

86 Alia Bhatt (born 15 March 1993) is a British actress who appears in Bollywood films. [2] The daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and actress Soni Razdan, Bhatt first appeared on screen as a child artist in a minor role in the thriller Sangharsh (1999). As an adult, she made her acting debut alongside Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan in Karan Johar s romantic drama Student of the Year (2012). Bhatt s portrayal of a teenage girl who develops stockholm syndrome in Imtiaz Ali s road movie Highway (2014) won her praise. She won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress and also received a Best Actress nomination at the same ceremony. She went on to establish herself in Bollywood by starring in the romantic drama 2 States (2014), the romantic comedy Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014), and the drama Kapoor & Sons (2016), all of which earned over 1 billion (US$15 million) worldwide. Also in 2016, Bhatt received critical acclaim for playing a poverty-stricken migrant in the crime drama Udta Punjab. In addition to acting in films, Bhatt has sung three of her film songs. She participates in stage shows, and has launched her own line of clothing for women. Life and career Early life and film debut Bhatt was born on 15 March 1993,[3][4] to Indian film director Mahesh Bhatt and actress Soni Razdan. Her father is of Gujarati descent[5][6] and her mother is of Kashmiri and German ancestry.[7][8][9] Bhatt has an elder sister, Shaheen (born 1988)[10] and two half-siblings, Pooja Bhatt and Rahul Bhatt. Actor Emraan Hashmi and director Mohit Suri are her paternal cousins, while producer Mukesh Bhatt is her uncle.[11] Bhatt was educated at the Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai.[12] Bhatt s first acting role was as a child artist in Sangharsh (1999), starring Akshay Kumar and Preity Zinta where she played the younger version of Zinta s character.[13] She had her first leading role in 2012 with Karan Johar s Student of the Year, alongside Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan.[14] She portrayed the role of Shanaya Singhania, a sophisticated teenage girl who is in a relationship with Dhawan s character but is attracted to the character played by Malhotra. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama wrote of her performance, Alia s role is reminiscent of Kareena Kapoor in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Stylish, classy, born with a silver spoon, she s someone who loves to flaunt not just her clothes and bags, but also her riches. Extremely photogenic, Alia makes a super-confident debut. [15] Anupama Chopra of Hindustan Times also mentioned the similarities with Kapoor s character, but noted that her performance was without the killer attitude. [16] Student of the Year grossed 960 million (US$14 million) at the box 86

87 office.[17] Rise to prominence ( ) Bhatt established herself in Bollywood with her three film releases of 2014.[18][19] She played the protagonist of Imtiaz Ali s road film Highway opposite Randeep Hooda. Her portrayal of a lonely teenage girl who develops stockholm syndrome after being abducted was acclaimed by the critics.[20] Rachit Gupta of Filmfare mentioned that [a]t 20, it s surprising how Alia has got so many deft nuances right. It s as if the actor has grown with the character. She is truly one of the most promising new actors in Hindi films. [21] Sonia Chopra of Sify added that Bhatt is [c]ompletely immersed in her role, and that Alia s uninhibited and raw performance will have you emotionally invested in her character all through. [22] Though the film underperformed at the box office,[23] Bhatt won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress and also garnered a Best Actress nomination at the ceremony.[24][25] In Karan Johar and Sajid Nadiadwala s joint production 2 States, Bhatt starred opposite Arjun Kapoor. An adaptation of Chetan Bhagat s novel of the same name, it narrates the story of two IIM Ahmedabad students who encounter trouble in convincing their parents to approve of their relationship. For her role as Ananya Swaminatham, a headstrong Tamil girl, she learnt the language.[26] Critics were appreciative of her performance with Rediff.com publishing that Bhatt really grows into the character and makes you believe that she s a career-oriented IIM-A grad. [27] Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express added that Bhatt was a surprise and was easy and fresh and natural. [28] The film emerged as a top-grossing production, earning over 1.7 billion (US$25 million) worldwide.[17] Bhatt s final film role in 2014 was as Kavya Pratap Singh, a Punjabi girl who engages in a romantic affair with a stranger a few days prior to her wedding, in the romantic comedy Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. Co-starring Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Shukla, the film was described as a tribute to Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) by Johar, who served as producer.[29] Writing for India Today, Rohit Khilnani thought that Bhatt had pitched in one of her best performances so far, though Nandini Ramnath of Mint found her performance to be lacking in subtlety, writing that she was more comfortable acting out her feelings through dialogue and actions.[30][31] Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania proved to be her second consecutive release to earn over 1 billion (US$15 million).[17] Her accomplishments in 2014 led Box Office India to label her as the top Bollywood actress of the year.[32] Also in 2014, Bhatt appeared in a short film on women s safety, entitled Going Home, from director Vikas Bahl.[33] She next reunited with Bahl to film the romantic comedy Shaandaar. Released in 2015, the film featured Shahid Kapoor and Bhatt as two insomniacs who fall in love during a destination wedding.[34] Kunal Guha of Mumbai Mirror criticised the film and wrote that Bhatt socks life into her character but fails to pump

88 any into this film.[35] Shaandaar earned little at the box office.[36] 2016 onward In 2016, Bhatt played the supporting role of a lively young girl with a buried past in Kapoor & Sons, a drama about a dysfunctional family starring Sidharth Malhotra and Fawad Khan. The film proved to be a critical and commercial success.[37][38] Bhatt then took on the part of a poverty-stricken Bihari migrant in the Indian state of Punjab in Udta Punjab (2016), a crime drama about substance abuse from the director Abhishek Chaubey. The intense role marked a significant departure from the mostly light-hearted parts she had previously played, and in preparation, she watched documentaries on drug abuse and learned to speak a Bihari dialect.[39] The film, co-starring Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, and Diljit Dosanjh, generated controversy when the Central Board of Film Certification deemed that the film represented Punjab in a negative light and demanded extensive censorship before its theatrical release.[40] The Bombay High Court later cleared the film for exhibition with one scene cut.[41] Bhatt s performance in the film was critically acclaimed, with several commentators believing that it was her best performance to that point.[42] Raja Sen of Rediff.com wrote that Bhatt commits to her accent and deals with the film s most unsavoury section, and is stunning during an incendiary speech that elevates the entire film to a whole other level. [43] As of June 2016, Bhatt has four upcoming projects. She has completed filming for Gauri Shinde s drama Dear Zindagi, in which she plays the lead role opposite Shah Rukh Khan. [44][45] She is filming opposite Varun Dhawan for the romantic comedy Badrinath Ki Dulhania, which will serve as the second installment of a franchise that began with Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.[46] In addition, she has committed to star with Ranbir Kapoor in Ayan Mukerji s untitled fantasy film about a man with superpowers,[47] and to Mohit Suri s romantic drama Aashiqui 3 with Sidharth Malhotra.[48] Other work In addition to acting in films, Bhatt has performed at the Filmfare, Screen and Stardust award ceremonies, and has also participated in a stage show in Hong Kong alongside Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Malhotra.[49] In 2013, she performed at a charity event with Dhawan, Malhotra, Aditya Roy Kapur, Shraddha Kapoor and Huma Qureshi to raise funds for the flood-affected victims of Uttarakhand.[50] She also took part in a campaign for PETA to raise awareness about homeless animals.[51] Bhatt has performed playback singing for the song Sooha Saaha in Highway (2014). A. R. Rahman, the composer of the film, invited her to his music school to undergo training.[52] Also in 2014, she sang the unplugged version of the song Samjhawan, for the composers Sharib-Toshi, in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.[53] In 2016, she sung 88

89 an alternate version of the song Ikk Kudi, for the soundtrack of Udta Punjab, with her co-star Dosanjh.[54] In 2014, Bhatt launched her own line of clothing for women, in association with the online fashion portal Jabong.com; she described the collection to be very simple and very me.[55] She is also the celebrity endorser for a number of brands and products, including Coca-Cola, Garnier and Maybelline.[56][57] Filmography 1999 Sangharsh 2012 Student of the Year 2014 Highway States 2014 Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania 2014 Going Home 2014 Ugly 2015 Shaandaar Alia Arora 2016 Kapoor & Sons Tia Malik 2016 Udta Punjab Mary Jane 2016 Dear Zindagi Student of the Year Student of the Year is a 2012 Indian romantic drama film directed by Karan Johar and produced by Hiroo Yash Johar under the banner of Dharma Productions and in collaboration with Shah Rukh Khan s Red Chillies Entertainment.[3] The movie features newcomers Sidharth Malhotra, Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt in the lead roles with Rishi Kapoor, Sana Saeed, Ronit Roy, Ram Kapoor and Farida Jalal in supporting roles. The movie also features Boman Irani, Kajol, Farah Khan and Vaibhavi Merchant in guest appearances. This is Karan Johar s first directorial venture without Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role. Student of the Year was released on 19 October 2012 in over 1400 locations across India. It was a critical and commercial success and gained positive to mixed reviews from critics and good box office collections.[4][5] The movie remained the second highest grossing Bollywood film in the month of October and is one of the highest grossing Bollywood films of 2012.[6] The story starts by showing the principal (Dean) Yogendra Vashisht (Rishi Kapoor) of

90 a high school, St. Teresa, who has fallen ill after retirement. Eight of the students, once friends, are shown calling each other to inform about the fatally ill principal. As they talk about their past in the college, they stumble upon old memories. They can clearly recall many events they haven t gotten over yet. The story revolves mostly around three characters, Abhimanyu, Shanaya, and Rohan. Abhimanyu (Sidharth Malhotra) is shown as a new, middle class kid who has planned to be achieve success, which will be led by him winning the Student of the Year trophy. Rohan Nanda (Varun Dhawan) is the son of a business tycoon who shares a complex relationship with his father, which can only be changed by his win of the trophy. Rohan and Abhimanyu have the same goal (to win Student of the Year) which they will later fight for. Their rivalry takes an unexpected turn to friendship when Abhi takes blame for a prank Rohan played on the coach. This softens Rohan s heart and a friendship happens to bloom. When introduced to Rohan s father (Ram Kapoor), Abhi admits that he wanted to be like him, which prompts Ashok to say that he d rather have Abhi as a son, not Rohan. Things are further knotted up when Shanaya (Alia Bhatt) enters the equation. While Shanaya and Rohan are childhood sweethearts, Abhi is attracted to Shanaya at first, but when confronted by Rohan, dismisses her as not his type. Tanya (Sana Saeed) continues to try and weaken the relationship of Shanaya and Rohan by flirting unabashedly with Rohan who enjoys her attention, upsetting Shanaya time and again. She seeks the help of Abhimanyu to make Rohan realize what he is missing out. As Shanaya flirts with Abhimanyu to try and reclaim Rohan s attention, which she eventually does, Abhi falls in love with Shanaya. Shanaya s friend Shruti (Manasi Rachh) tells her about Abhi s one sided love. Abhi lets go of his feelings by saying he only wants to focus on the Student of the year competition. Meanwhile, Abhimanyu invites Rohan to come to his house for dinner. After the dinner, Abhimanyu s grandmother (Farida Jalal) suffers a heart attack. Rohan and Shanaya are there to cheer up Abhi. Due to this, Shanaya gets attracted towards Abhimanyu. Abhi s grandmother soon dies. Shanaya goes to Abhimanyu to show empathy for his loss. They end up kissing. Rohan catches them and they start fighting over who Shanaya loves. Following all of this drama is the Student of the Year competition, which is won by Rohan but he refuses to take the trophy. After graduation, Shanaya and Abhi get married; Rohan becomes a musician. While at the hospital, Rohan and Abhimanyu engage in a fight. It comes out to be that Abhi let Rohan win on purpose after seeing that his father would be happy at his son s failure. They both forgive each other and start joking. At the end, they decide to give their friendship a new chance. 90

91 Tiger Shroff

92 Tiger Shroff (born as Jai Hemant Shroff; 2 March 1990) is an Indian film actor and martial artist who works in Hindi films.[1] Born to actor Jackie Shroff, he made his film debut in 2014 with Heropanti, which earned him a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut nomination.[2][3][4][5] He then starred in the action drama Baaghi (2016), which earned over 1 billion (US$15 million) worldwide. Early life Shroff was born as Jai Hemant Shroff on 2 March 1990[6][7][8][9] to Indian film actor Jackie Shroff and Ayesha Shroff (née Dutt). He is the elder of two siblings, his sister Krishna Shroff is three years younger than him.[10][11][12] Shroff is a heritage of a mixed ethnic group. From his paternal side, he is of Gujarati and Turkish ancestry[13] [14] and from his maternal side, he is of Bengali and Belgian descent.[15][16][17][18] He did his schooling at American School of Bombay and later enrolled at Amity University. Shroff helped Aamir Khan build his physique for Dhoom 3.[19] He also holds a fifth degree black belt in Taekwondo.[1] Acting career In September 2009, Shroff was said to have declined the lead role in the remake of TV show Fauji.[20] In January 2010, it was reported that Subash Ghai would be launching Shroff in the remake of his father s 1983 film Hero,[21] though Shroff eventually rejected the offer.[22] In May 2011, it was reported that Aamir Khan was also keen on signing Shroff,[23] however, the news was eventually termed as false.[24][25] In June 2012, Shroff was finally signed on by Sajid Nadiadwala to make his debut in Heropanti. Heropanti released on 23 May 2014 and proved to be a box office success, despite mixed reviews from critics.[28][29] For his debut performance, Shroff garnered mainly mixed to positive reviews, with critics predominately praising his dancing skills and ability to perform stunts.[30][31] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama appreciated his performance, saying [Tiger] registers an impact in several sequences and that he scores brownie points in action and stunts. Adarsh also added that for a first-timer, he exudes supreme confidence,[32] whereas Subhash K. Jha praised him for his versatility, saying he emotes, he dances and yes, he can fight.[33] However, Sweta Kaushal of Hindustan Times disagreed, calling his dialogues forced and said his expressions do nothing in a given situation. In spite of terming his performance a little unconvincing, Kaushal called his action sequences admirable and said he s a great dancer.[34] Furthermore, Anupama Chopra, though noting that he has star-like qualities and very solid screen presence, called his dialogue delivery off. Shroff then appeared in Sabbir Khan s action drama Baaghi, which turned out to be a box office success grossing over 1 billion 92

93 worldwide.[36] His upcoming release is Remo D Souza s superhero film, A Flying Jatt. Filmography 2014 Heropanti as Bablu 2016 Baaghi as Ronny 2016 A Flying Jatt as a Super Hero Discography 2015: Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Main with Atif Aslam 2015: Chal Wahan Jaate Hain with Kriti Sanon 2016: Befikra with Disha Patani Baaghi Baaghi (English: Rebel) Baaghi is a 2016 Indian martial arts film directed by Sabbir Khan and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala under his banner of Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment. It features Tiger Shroff and Shraddha Kapoor in lead roles, with Sudheer Babu in a supporting role. Journalists noted similarities between the film and the 2011 Indonesian film The Raid: Redemption[3] and the 2004 Telugu-language Indian film Varsham.[4] The film was released worldwide on 29 April Made on a budget of 350 million (US$5.2 million), Baaghi has earned over 1.20 billion (US$18 million) worldwide. The film has grossed 100 crores from India.[5] Plot The movie starts with martial arts champion Raghav (Sudheer Babu) kidnapping Sia (Shraddha Kapoor) from her film s set and taking her to Bangkok. Sia s father P.P. Khurana (Sunil Grover) goes to government offices for help but no one is ready to help them since Raghav is a powerful and influential man. Khurana then turns to the man that shares a past with Sia: Ronny (Tiger Shroff). In a flashback, Ronny & Sia meet on a train. Raghav sees Sia at the train station and tells his men to get information about her. Ronny visits the school of Guruswamy (Grandmaster Shifuji Shaurya Bharadwaj) in Kerala. In a letter to Guruswamy, Ronny s father explains that Ronny is a Baaghi (rebel), and asks Guruswamy to make Ronny a good human being. While training, Ronny once again encounters Sia, who is there to visit her

94 grandmother. Slowly, they fall in love, and Sia gives him a ring she got from her father, asking him to always keep it with him. Raghav asks for Sia s hand from Khurana, who becomes overcome by greed when he sees how much money Raghav is offering for Sia, and agrees to the marriage. However, when Khurana sees Sia s ring on Ronny s finger, he realises that Sia is in love with Ronny, and informs Raghav, who decides to kill Ronny. He sends his men to attack Ronny. They take Subbu, a mute boy Ronny has befriended, hostage. In anger, Ronny brutally beats up Raghav s men and rescues Subbu, only for Raghav to arrive and overpower him. Raghav threatens to kill Ronny if he does not stay away from Sia but Ronny bluntly refuses and dares Raghav to attack after dousing himself in petrol. He is then arrested by policemen on Raghav s payroll. Guruswamy tries to intervene and persuade Raghav to stop pursuing Sia, but Raghav poisons and kills Guruswamy to get him out of the way. Ronny is heartbroken to hear of Guruswamy s death, since he had seen him as a father figure. Khurana then creates a misunderstanding between Sia and Ronny to separate them by alleging that Ronny beat him up. This works, Sia does not believe Ronny when he tells her what her father did, and the two part ways. Back in the present, Ronny reaches Bangkok and visits Raghav s fight club, beating the strongest fighter there to get Raghav s attention. The next day, Ronny is attacked by Raghav s goons but beats them and obtains the address of Raghav s right-hand man, Viju. He breaks into Viju s house and threatens Viju s wife at gunpoint, supposedly killing her, and forces him to divulge Sia s location. Viju reveals that Raghav took Sia to the hospital for an injury she got while fighting back. Under the disguise of a doctor, Ronny slips into the ward, finds Sia, and escapes the hospital with her while Raghav and his men try to capture them. The two stop at an island on their way back to India, where Sia, initially hostile, finally realises her father s deceit, when she sees that Ronny is still wearing the ring he gave her, showing that he had been telling her the truth all this time. The couple reconciles but Raghav attacks them. After his goons beat up Ronny, Viju shoots him, and he falls off a cliff into a lake. Raghav takes a disbelieving Sia back to his place. It is then revealed that Ronny is alive. It turns out that Viju had used blank bullets in his gun, since Ronny had spared his wife s life earlier. Raghav kills Viju when he says that he believes Ronny to be right. Ronny now storms Raghav s building and single-handedly fights off all the killers, goons and swordsmen in Raghav s employ. He reaches Raghav, but Raghav overpowers him. When Raghav reveals that he was the one who murdered Guruswamy, Ronny becomes enraged and uses special tactics he learned from Guruswamy to kill Raghav. At the end, Ronny becomes the new teacher in Guruswamy s school, where a statue of Guruswamy now stands. 94

95 Jacqueline Fernandez