Name	Billu
Caption	Promotional Poster
Director	Priyadarshan
Producer	Gauri Khan
Screenplay	Manisha KordeMushtaq Sheikh
Story	Sreenivasan
Starring	Irrfan KhanLara Dutta Om PuriRajpal Yadav Asrani
Music	Pritam
Cinematography	V.Manikandan
Editing	Arun Kumar
Distributor	Eros Labs
Released
Runtime	150 minutes
Country
Language	Hindi
Budget	23 crores
Gross	39.98 crores

Billu (), originally titled Billu Barber and released under that title in the United States, and Priyanka Chopra make guest appearances in item numbers. The film was released on 13 February 2009.

It is a remake of the 2007 Malayalam film Kadha Parayumbol and its screenplay closely imitating Rajinikanth guest starrer Kuselan, the Tamil remake of the Malayalam original. It is also a retelling of the story of Sudama and Krishna.

Plot

Billu (Irfan Khan) is a poor barber who lives with his wife Bindiya (Lara Dutta) and their two children, Gunja (Mitali Mayakar) and Ronak (Pratik Dalvi) in the village of Budbuda. He also spends time with his close friends Budbudiya (Rajpal Yadav) and Naubat Chacha (Asrani). Though struggling, Billu lives an uneventful life until Bollywood superstar Sahir Khan (Shahrukh Khan) comes to the village for a film shoot.

Billu has mentioned to his family that he knows Sahir from the past but has never elaborated how he knows the star. When his children talk about their father's friendship with the star, word spreads throughout the village. Virtually overnight, Billu, who had previously been scorned by most due to his lowly state, becomes the center of attention. People who had spurned him only the week before now call him a close friend so that he will introduce them to Sahir. Billu refuses and downplays the friendship. Even so, the powerful businessman Sahukaar Daamchand (Om Puri) demands to see Sahir and offers Billu expensive gifts in order to gain such a meeting. When Billu consistently fails to introduce the people of the village to Sahir, his situation changes once again. He is accused of lying about his friendship and everyone — including his wife and children — begin to doubt his character and integrity. Rather than defend himself, Billu remains quiet about the nature of his and Sahir's friendship.

On Sahir's last day in the village, the star speaks at a local school. He tells the children about his own impoverished childhood when he had nothing but a special friendship with another young boy, named Billu. It was Billu who had taken care of Sahir and eventually helped him travel to Mumbai where Sahir became a star. Billu, who is standing at the back of the event, leaves during the talk without revealing to Sahir that he is there. But the townspeople, realizing their error, take Sahir to Billu's house. Billu's children come home and apologize to their father. Then, Sahir appears in his Bentley Continental GT, and Billu and Sahir are reunited. In the end, Sahir must leave for another shoot but promises that his and Billu's friendship is reignited and will remain friends.

Production

Director Priyadarshan cast Shahrukh Khan and Lara Dutta in pivotal roles in the film. While these roles were initially offered to Akshay Kumar and Tabu, Kumar eventually opted out of the project as did Tabu. The director then offered Kumar's and Tabu's role to Shahrukh Khan and Amisha Patel respectively, and both of them agreed to do the film. Patel also opted out of the film and sources have indicated that Juhi Chawla was signed on for the role.

In April 2008, the director announced that he had cast Lara Dutta as Billu's wife. The cast began filming for the project on 8 April 2008 and according to Shahrukh Khan, "the film is a sweet story of friendship...quite similar to the bond shared between Krishna and Sudama."

Cast

;Special appearances

Kareena Kapoor in Marjaani

Priyanka Chopra in You Get Me Rockin & Reeling

Deepika Padukone in Love Mera Hit Hit

;An extended appearance by

Shahrukh Khan as Sahir Khan

Release

Box-office

Billu earned Rs.23.65 crore during its first six weeks. Box Office India rated the film as a flop. Lisa Tsering of The Hollywood Reporter states that Billu is a "Bollywood comedy about an unlikely friendship [that] is full of unexpected pleasures". Frank Lovece of Film Journal International describes the film as a "delight" and states, "What makes it work ... is that neither Billu nor his situation is played for laughs—his hardscrabble poverty isn't glossed over, and neither is his wife's longing for acceptance in the class-conscious village. And a climactic speech by Khan at a school gathering works fully well emotionally, despite a huge potential for hokiness—and incidentally provides concrete reason why real-life Khan, who's often starred in glowering action-hero roles, is a genuinely top-notch actor in addition to being a popular star". The Times of India gave the film three stars and describes it as "a moving ode to friendship and ordinariness". While CNN-IBN's Rajeev Masand gave the film two out of five stars, he stated that it "works smoothly as a simple, moral tale, its charm interrupted every time the director goes for broader, more 'commercial' appeal. But it's enjoyable and heart-felt too, and for that reason deserves to be watched". Shashi Baliga of the Hindustan Times said that, "Though the film has its share of stock characters, maudlin and over-the-top moments and sags in the latter half, there’s also good story-telling, some great acting, and a healthy dose of masala in the item numbers".

Soundtrack

Name	Billu Barber
Type	soundtrack
Artist	Pritam
Released
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Length	70:64
Label	T-Series
Producer	Gauri Khan

Released on 5 January 2009, the soundtrack for Billu has music by Pritam with lyrics from Gulzar, Neeraj Shridhar and Sayeed Quadri.

The song "Love Mera Hit" was sampled by Serbian pop singer Anabela Đogani in her song "Igra Istine".

Controversy

The film was originally titled Billu Barber, but salon and beauty parlour associations raised objections by finding the word "barber" derogatory. As head of the film's production company, Shahrukh Khan eventually removed the word from the movie title and promotions, renaming the film Billu. He also invited The Hairdressers' Association of Mumbai members to the premier of the movie in order to assuage their protests.

Notes

External links

Billu at BBC

Category:2009 films Category:Hindi-language films Category:Indian films Category:Film remakes

Name	Lara Dutta
Caption	Lara Dutta in 2009
Occupation	Actress, model
Birth place	Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Birthdate	April 16, 1978
Yearsactive	2001 – present

Lara Dutta (; born 16 April 1978) is an Indian actress, UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and former Miss Universe.

Biography

Early life

Dutta was born in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh to a Punjabi father and an Anglo-Indian mother. Her father is Wing Commander L.K. Dutta (retired) and her mother is Jennifer Dutta. She also has two older sisters, one of whom serves in the Indian Air Force and a well known younger sister. Famed composer and DJ Nitin Sawhney is Dutta's cousin. The Dutta family moved to Bangalore in 1981 where she completed high school from St.Francis Xavier Girls' High School and the Frank Anthony Public School. Lara graduated in economics with a minor in communications from University of Mumbai. She was crowned Miss Universe in 2000 which led to her appointment as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador in 2001.

Modeling career

Dutta won the annual Gladsrags modeling competition in her native India, thus winning the right to be the first Indian representative at the 1997 Miss Intercontinental, in which she took first place. Later, she was crowned Femina Miss India Universe and Miss Universe in 2000.

At Miss Universe 2000 in Cyprus, Dutta was the clear favourite ahead of fierce competition from Venezuela, Spain, USA and Canada. She achieved the highest score in the swimsuit competition and her finalist interview score was the highest individual score in any category in the history of the Miss Universe contest, as her perfect interview saw a majority of the judges giving her the maximum 9.99 mark. After her final question, in which Dutta delivered a passionate defense of the Miss Universe contest (and other beauty pageants), she became the second Indian Miss Universe.

In the same year, Priyanka Chopra and Dia Mirza won their respective Miss World and Miss Asia Pacific titles which gave India a rare triple victory in the world of beauty pageants.

Acting career

Lara Dutta primarily signed up to do the Tamil film, Arasatchi in 2002, but due to financial problems, it only released in mid-2004. She made her Hindi debut in 2003 with the film Andaaz which was a box office success and won her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. She then appeared in a number of films, some of which failed at the box office and some of which were mildly successful. Her box office "hits" include Masti (2004), No Entry (2005) and Partner (2007) and House Full (film) (2010).

In 2006, she starred in the comedy, Bhagam Bhag which did well at the box office.

In 2007 Sania Mirza and Dutta both participated in Kaun Banega Crorepati on 13 November 2007. Dutta's first release of 2007 was Shaad Ali's Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. The film was a box office failure in India but did better overseas, especially in the U.K. She received mixed reviews for her performance in the film. Her later release, Partner opened to a good response and became a hit.

Her recent release Blue is one of the most expensive movies of Indian cinema and Dutta had walked out of the project because she did not know how to swim and the movie was entirely shot in the ocean. She initially refused to sign on to the movie, but the male protagonist Akshay Kumar encouraged her in learning how to swim and she immediately started training with a special coach. Blue was released on 16 October 2009.

In September 2010, she got engaged to Indian tennis player, Mahesh Bhupathi.

Filmography

Awards

2004: Star Screen Award Most Promising Newcomer - Female, Andaaz

2004: Filmfare Best Female Debut Award, Andaaz (joint winner with Priyanka Chopra)

2008: Rajiv Gandhi awards (female contribution to film cinema)

Nominations

2006: IIFA Awards Best supporting actress for No entry

2009: Stardust Awards Best Actress for Billu

References

External links

Official Website of Lara Dutta

Mpule Kwelagobe}} Denise Quiñones}}

Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:Femina Miss India winners Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian female models Category:Miss Universe winners Category:Miss Universe 2000 delegates Category:People from Uttar Pradesh Category:University of Mumbai alumni Category:People from Ghaziabad Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian actors Category:Indian Christians

Name	Shahrukh Khan
Other names	Shah Rukh Khan, King Khan, SRK‎
Birth date	November 02, 1965
Birth place	New Delhi, India
Years active	1988–present
Spouse	Gauri Khan (1991–present)
Occupation	Actor, producer, television presenter

Shahrukh Khan (}}, ; born 2 November 1965), calling himself and often (for instance on all his DVDs) being credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor and a prominent Bollywood figure, as well as a film producer and television host. Khan began his career appearing in several television serials in the late 1980s. He made his film debut in Deewana (1992). Since then, he has been part of numerous commercially successful films and has earned critical acclaim for many of his performances. Khan has won thirteen Filmfare Awards for his work in Indian films, seven of which are in the Best Actor category, thus establishing himself as one of the leading actors of Hindi Cinema. In 2005, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for his contributions towards Indian Cinema.

Khan's films such as Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Chak De India (2007), Om Shanti Om (2007) and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) remain some of Bollywood's biggest hits, while films like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001), Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), Veer-Zaara (2004), Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) and My Name Is Khan (2010) have been top-grossing Indian productions in the overseas markets, making him one of the most successful actors of India. Since 2000, Khan branched out into film production and television presenting as well. He is the founder/owner of two production companies, Dreamz Unlimited and Red Chillies Entertainment. Khan is today considered to be the world's biggest movie star, and a net worth estimated at over Rs 2500 crore (US$ 540 million). In 2008, Newsweek named him one of the 50 most powerful people in the world.

Biography

in New Delhi where he won the school's highest accolade, The Sword of Honour. ]] Khan was born in 1965 to Muslim parents of Pathan descent in New Delhi, India. His father, Taj Mohammed Khan, was an Indian independence activist from Peshawar, British India. According to Khan, his paternal grandfather was originally from Afghanistan. His mother, Lateef Fatima, was the adopted daughter of Major General Shah Nawaz Khan of the Janjua Rajput clan, who served as a General in the Indian National Army of Subash Chandra Bose. Khan's father came to New Delhi from Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar before the partition of India, while his mother's family came from Rawalpindi, British India. Khan has an elder sister named Shehnaz.

Growing up in Rajendra Nagar neighbourhood, Khan attended St. Columba's School where he was accomplished in sports, drama, and academics. He won the Sword of Honour, an annual award given to the student who best represents the spirit of the school. Khan later attended the Hansraj College (1985–1988) and earned his Bachelors degree in Economics (honors). Though he pursued a Masters Degree in Mass Communications at Jamia Millia Islamia, he later opted out to make his career in Bollywood.

After the death of his parents, Khan moved to Mumbai in 1991. In that same year, before any of his films were released, he married Gauri Chibber, a Hindu, in a traditional Hindu wedding ceremony on 25 October 1991. They have two children, son Aryan (b. 1997) and daughter Suhana (b. 2000). According to Khan, while he strongly believes in Allah, he also values his wife's religion. At home, his children follow both religions, with the Qur'an being situated next to the Hindu deities.

In 2005, Nasreen Munni Kabir produced a two-part documentary on Khan, titled The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan. Featuring his 2004 Temptations concert tour, the film contrasted Khan's inner world of family and daily life with the outer world of his work. The book Still Reading Khan, which details his family life, was released in 2006. Another book by Anupama Chopra, King of Bollywood: Shahrukh Khan and the seductive world of Indian cinema, was released in 2007. It describes the world of Bollywood through Khan's life.

Film career

Background

Khan studied acting under celebrated Theatre Director Barry John at Delhi's Theatre Action Group (TAG). In 2007, John commented thus on his former pupil that, "The credit for the phenomenally successful development and management of Shahrukh's career goes to the superstar himself." Khan made his acting debut in 1988 when he appeared in the television series, Fauji, playing the role of Commando Abhimanyu Rai. He went on to appear in several other television serials, most notably in the 1989 serial, Aziz Mirza's Circus, which depicted the life of circus performers. The same year, Khan also had a minor role in the made-for-television English-language film, In Which Annie Gives it Those Ones, which was based on life at Delhi University and was written by Arundhati Roy.

1990s

Upon moving from New Delhi to Mumbai in 1991, Khan made his Bollywood movie debut in Deewana (1992). The movie became a box office hit, and launched his career in Bollywood. His performance won him a Filmfare Best Male Debut Award. He went on to star in Maya Memsaab, which generated some controversy because of his appearance in an "explicit" sex scene in the movie.

In 1993, Khan won acclaim for his performances in villainous roles as an obsessive lover and a murderer, respectively, in the box office hits, Darr and Baazigar. Darr marked his first collaboration with renowned film-maker Yash Chopra and his banner Yash Raj Films, the largest production company in Bollywood. Baazigar, which saw Khan portraying an ambiguous avenger who murders his girlfriend, shocked its Indian audience with an unexpected violation of the standard Bollywood formula. His performance won him his first Filmfare Best Actor Award. In that same year, Khan played the role of a young musician in Kundan Shah's Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, a performance that earned him a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. Khan maintains that this is his all-time favourite among the movies he has acted in. In 1994, Khan once again played an obsessive lover/psycho's role in Anjaam, co-starring alongside Madhuri Dixit. Though the movie was not a box office success, Khan's performance earned him the Filmfare Best Villain Award.

In 1995, Khan starred in Aditya Chopra's directorial debut Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, a major critical and commercial success, for which he won his second Filmfare Best Actor Award. In 2007, the film entered its twelfth year in Mumbai theaters. By then the movie had grossed over 12 billion rupees, making it as one of India's biggest movie blockbusters. Earlier in the same year he found success in Rakesh Roshan's Karan Arjun which became the second biggest hit of the year.

1996 was a disappointing year for Khan as all his movies released that year failed to do well at the box office. This was, however, followed by a comeback in 1997. He saw success with Subhash Ghai's social drama Pardes — one of the biggest hits of the year — and Aziz Mirza's comedy Yes Boss, a moderately successful feature. His second project with Yash Chopra as a director, Dil to Pagal Hai became that year's second highest-grossing movie, and he won his third Filmfare Best Actor Award for his role as a stage director who falls in love with one of his new actresses. His performance won him his fourth Best Actor award at the Filmfare. He won critical praise for his performance in Mani Ratnam's Dil Se. The movie did not do well at the Indian box office, though it was a commercial success overseas. Khan's only release in 1999, Baadshah, was an average grosser.

2000s

in Sun Tech City, Singapore, in 2008]] Khan's success continued with Aditya Chopra's 2000 film, Mohabbatein, co-starring Amitabh Bachchan. It did well at the box office, and Khan's performance as a college teacher won him his second Critics Award for Best Performance. He also starred in Mansoor Khan's action film Josh. The film starred Khan as the leader of a Christian gang in Goa and Aishwarya Rai as his twin sister, and was also a box office success. In that same year, Khan set up his own production house, Dreamz Unlimited with Juhi Chawla (see below). Both Khan and Chawla starred in the first movie of their production house, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani.

In 2002, Khan received acclaim for playing the title role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's award-winning period romance, Devdas. It was the third Hindi movie adaptation of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's well-known novel of the same name, and surfaced as one of the biggest hits of that year. Khan also starred opposite Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit in the family-drama Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam, which did well at the box office. That same year, he starred in the tearjerker, Kal Ho Naa Ho, written by Karan Johar and directed by Nikhil Advani. Khan's performance in this movie as a man with a fatal heart disease was appreciated. The movie proved to be one of the year's biggest hits in India and Bollywood's biggest hit in the overseas markets. The film relates the love story of Veer and Pakistani woman Zaara Haayat Khan, played by Preity Zinta. Khan's performance in the film won him awards at several award ceremonies. In that same year, he received critical acclaim for his performance in Ashutosh Gowariker's drama Swades. He was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award for all three of his releases in 2004, winning it for Swades. His second release that year saw him playing the title role in the action film , a remake of the 1978 hit Don. The movie was a success. The film was a major critical success. In the same year Khan also starred in Farah Khan's 2007 film, Om Shanti Om. The film emerged as the year's highest grossing film in India and the overseas market, and became India's highest grossing production ever up to that point. While on one shoot in Los Angeles, along with his wife Gauri and director Karan Johar, he took a break from filming to attend the 66th Golden Globe Awards, held in Los Angeles, California, on 11 January 2009. Khan introduced Slumdog Millionaire along with a star from the film, Freida Pinto. He is currently filming for Anubhav Sinha's science fiction Ra.One opposite Kareena Kapoor, which is due for release on June 3, 2011.

Producer

in Germany]] Khan turned producer when he set up a production company called Dreamz Unlimited with Juhi Chawla and director Aziz Mirza in 1999. The first two of the films he produced and starred in: Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000) and Asoka (2001) were box office failures.

In 2004, Khan set up another production company, Red Chillies Entertainment, and produced and starred in Main Hoon Na, another hit. It was, however, India's official entry to the Academy Awards for consideration for Best Foreign Language Film, but it did not pass the final selection. Also in 2005, Khan co-produced the supernatural horror film Kaal with Karan Johar, and performed an item number for the film with Malaika Arora Khan. Kaal was moderately successful at the box office.

In 2008, Red Chillies Entertainment became the owner of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the BCCI-backed IPL cricket competition.

Television host

In 2007, Khan replaced Amitabh Bachchan as the host of the third series of the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The previous had hosted the show for five years from 2000–05. On 22 January 2007, Kaun Banega Crorepati aired with Khan as the new host and later ended on 19 April 2007.

On 25 April 2008, Khan began hosting the game show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain?, the Indian version of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, whose last episode was telecasted on 27 July 2008, with Lalu Prasad Yadav as the special guest.

Awards and nominations

Khan has been awarded several honours which includes the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award from the Government of India in 2005. In April 2007, a life-size wax statue of Khan was installed at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, London. Another statue was installed at the Musée Grévin in Paris, the same year. During the same year, he was accorded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of the Arts and Literature) award by the French government for his “exceptional career”. There are also statues in Hong Kong and New York

In October 2008, Khan was conferred the Darjah Mulia Seri Melaka which carries the honorific Datuk (in similar fashion to "Sir" in British knighthood), by the Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob, the head of state of Malacca in Malaysia. Khan was honoured for "promoting tourism in Malacca" by filming One Two Ka Four there in 2001. Some were critical of this decision. He was also honoured with an honorary doctorate in arts and culture from Britain's University of Bedfordshire in 2009.

Filmography

Film actor

Producer

Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000)

Asoka (2001)

Chalte Chalte (2003)

Main Hoon Na (2004)

Kaal (2005)

Paheli (2005)

Om Shanti Om (2007)

Billu (2009)

Ra.One (2011)

Playback singer

Main to hoon Pagal - Baadshah (1999)

Apun Bola - Josh (2000)

Khaike Paan Banaraswala - Don - The Chase Begins Again (2006)

Ek Hockey Doongi Rakhke - Chak De India (2007)

Sattar Minute - Chak De India (2007)

Stunts director

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998)

Main Hoon Na (2004)

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)

Chak De India (2007)

Om Shanti Om (2007)

Television appearances

Dil Dariya (1988)

Fauji (1988) ... Abhimanyu Rai

Doosra Keval (1989)

Circus (1989)

In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones (1989)

Idiot (1991) ... Pawan Raghujan

Kareena Kareena (2004) ... Special appearance

Rendezvous with Simi Garewal.....Guest

Koffee with Karan (2004–2007) ... Guest (3 episodes)

Kaun Banega Crorepati (2007) ... Host

Jjhoom India (2007) ... Guest

Nach Baliye (2008) .... Guest

Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? (2008)  .... Host

Oye! It's Friday! (2009)  ... Guest

Tere Mere Beach Mein (2009)  ... Guest

Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (2010)  ... Guest

See also

List of Indian Actors

Newark Airport Incident

Notes

Bibliography

Nasreen Munni Kabir. The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan (Documentary, 2005).

Shahrukh Khan - Still Reading Khan. A1Books Distributor 2007. ISBN 9788187107798.

Gahlot, Deepa; Agarwal, Amit. King Khan SRK. Augsburg Weltbild 2007. ISBN 9783828988699.

Ghosh, Biswadeep. Hall of fame: Shahrukh Khan (in English). Mumbai: Magna Books, 2004. ISBN 8178092379.

Chopra, Anupama. King of Bollywood : Shah Rukh Khan and the seductive world of Indian cinema (English). New York: Warner Books, 2007. ISBN 9780446578585.

External links

Category:1965 births Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian actors Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian film producers Category:Indian Muslims Category:Indian Premier League franchise owners Category:Indian singers Category:Indian television actors Category:Indian television presenters Category:Indian people of Afghan descent Category:Jamia Millia Islamia alumni Category:Living people Category:Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Category:Pashtun people Category:People from Delhi Category:People from Peshawar Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:University of Delhi alumni

Name	Kareena Kapoor
Alt	A young Indian woman. Her face is brightly lit. She has dark brown hair falling upto her chest and is clad in a red sari. Her eyes are bluish in color and she appears to be smiling while looking at the camera.
Caption	Kapoor at the Global Indian TV Honours in Mumbai, February 2008
Birth date	September 21, 1980
Birth place	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Film actress
Years active	2000–present
Partner	Saif Ali Khan (2007–present)
Signature	KareenaKapoor sig.jpg
Signature alt	"Kareena Kapoor"
Website

Kareena Kapoor (, pronounced ; born on September 21, 1980), often informally referred to as Bebo, is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. During her career, Kapoor has received five Filmfare Awards and has been noted for her performances in a range of film genres; these include her work from contemporary romantic dramas to comedies, period films to major Bollywood productions, as well as less publicised independent films.

Born into a family where both her parents, Randhir Kapoor and Babita, and her elder sister Karisma were actors, Kapoor faced the media spotlight from a very young age, but did not make her acting debut until the 2000 film Refugee. Her melodrama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... became India's highest-grossing film in the overseas market in 2001, and is one of her biggest commercial successes to date. After receiving negative reviews for a series of repetitive roles, Kapoor accepted more demanding parts in order to avoid being typecast, and was consequently recognized by critics for displaying greater versatility as an actress. Her portrayal of a sex worker in Chameli (2004) proved to be the turning point in her career Having done so, Kapoor has established herself as a leading actress of the Hindi film industry.

Early life and background

Born in Mumbai, India, on September 21, 1980, into the Kapoor film family, Kapoor is the youngest daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita (née Shivdasani); her elder sister Karisma Kapoor, is also an actress. She is the granddaughter of actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor, great-granddaughter of actor Prithviraj Kapoor, and niece of actor Rishi Kapoor. Often informally referred to as Bebo, and on her mother's side she is Sindhi.

As a child, she had strong aspirations to become an actress, and was particularly inspired by watching the films of Bollywood actresses Nargis and Meena Kumari. Kapoor, who describes herself as a "very naughty [and] spoilt child", would regularly dress up in her mother's clothes and perform in front of the mirror. Despite her family background, her father disapproved of women entering the acting profession because he believed it conflicted with the traditional maternal duties and responsibility of women in the family. This led to a conflict between her parents and resulted in Kapoor's mother leaving the house with her two daughters. After her parents' separation, she was raised in Lokhandwala by her mother, who worked several jobs to support her daughters until Karisma debuted as an actress in 1991. In an interview with Vir Sanghvi, Kapoor said that growing up in a household filled with women helped her become strong and independent. She began training at an acting institute in Andheri, mentored by Kishore Namit Kapoor, a member of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).

Acting career

Debut and breakthrough (2000–03)

Kapoor was initially scheduled to make her debut in Rakesh Roshan's Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000), opposite the director's son Hrithik Roshan. On the experience of making her first film, she described it as "...tough ... [but] also a great learning experience." and Kapoor's performance earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. A review in The Hindu, in regards to her performance, noted that she was "definitely the actress to watch out for, if her debut with Abhishek in Refugee and now Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai are any indication [...] Kareena shines throughout the flick, with the grace of a seasoned sizzler already." Kapoor next starred in Subhash Ghai's family drama Yaadein alongside Jackie Shroff and Hrithik Roshan. The drama centers on the character of Raj Singh Puri, a middle-class man, and his daughters' marriages. Kapoor played the part of the youngest daughter and Roshan's love interest, Isha Singh Puri. The film was met with negative reactions from reviewers and garnered poor box office returns. and was a moderate box office success in India. Featured opposite Shahrukh Khan who played Ashoka, Kapoor portrayed the character of Kaurwaki, a princess of Kalinga with whom Ashoka falls in love, and received her first Filmfare Best Actress nomination. Meanwhile, David Rooney from Variety wrote, "Kapoor plays ornately tattooed Kaurwaki as a lively mix of flirtatious coquette and feisty warrior woman, kind of like J.Lo meets Michelle Yeoh."

Kapoor's final release of 2001 was Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..., a melodrama, in which she was featured as part of an ensemble cast that included Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Kajol and Hrithik Roshan. Directed by Karan Johar, the movie was a major financial and critical success and became India's second highest-grossing film of the year, as well as Kapoor's highest-grossing movie up until then. It also performed well internationally and became the biggest Bollywood success of all time in the overseas market up until then, earning over worldwide. Kapoor's performance as "Poo", a good-natured but superficial girl, was described as "one of the main ... highlights of the film", and her portrayal earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress nomination. Kapoor's performances were often identified by critics as unoriginal and repetitive, with little inspiration.

Critical acclaim (2004–06)

(2004), Kapoor's performance earned her much acclaim and garnered her the Filmfare Special Performance Award.]]

Following the negative period in Kapoor's career, 2004 marked the beginning of her work in more serious films, most of which would bring her critical acclaim rather than commercial success. Another reviewer, however expressed concern that they found her portrayal unconvincing and excessively stereotypical, describing her as "sounding more like a teenager playacting than a brash, hardened streetwalker", and likening her mannerisms to that of a caricature. Nonetheless, Kapoor's portrayal of Chameli garnered her the Filmfare Special Performance Award Subhash K Jha described her role as "fey and insubstantial", but further stated that "she turns these character traits to her own advantage to create a girl who is at once enigmatic and all-there, a bit like the film itself which is both mysterious and voluptuous". She then appeared alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Fardeen Khan in Govind Nihalani's critically acclaimed film Dev, which revolved around the 2002 Hindu-Muslim riots in the Indian state of Gujarat. Kapoor's role was that of a Muslim victim named Aaliya, modelled after Zaheera Sheikh, a key witness in Vadodara's Best Bakery case.

Shortly afterwards, she was cast for the first time as a villain in the thriller Fida. The film follows the story of an on-line robbery and the Mumbai underworld with which her character Neha Mehra becomes involved. During the filming of Fida, Kapoor entered into a relationship with actor Shahid Kapoor, whom she later described as having "a major positive influence in my life." Although the film did not succeed at the box office, Kapoor garnered positive reviews for her performance, with some critics noting a distinct progression from her earlier roles. Her subsequent releases that year included Abbas-Mustan's moderately successful thriller Aitraaz and Priyadarshan's comedy Hulchul, her first box office success since 2002. Later that year, she appeared in Priyadarshan's romantic drama Kyon Ki, which was set in a psychiatric hospital, and relates the love story of a mentally ill patient, played by Salman Khan, and his physician, played by Kapoor. The film was a box office failure, though Kapoor's performance was generally enjoyed by critics, with the BBC reporting, "It goes without saying that she is a pure natural when it comes to acting." Kapoor then was cast in the romance . While not a success in India, the film became the highest-grossing Bollywood film of 2005 in the United Kingdom.

In 2006, Kapoor appeared in three films. She first starred in the thriller 36 China Town followed by the comedy Chup Chup Ke; both films performed reasonably well. She next portrayed the Shakespearean character of Desdemona in Omkara, the Hindi adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello. Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, the film is a tragedy of sexual jealousy set against the backdrop of the political system in Uttar Pradesh. The film premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and was also selected for screening at the Cairo International Film Festival. Omkara was embraced by critics and Kapoor's portrayal earned her a fourth Filmfare Award and first Star Screen Award; Kapoor herself considers her role in Omkara as a "new benchmark" in her career and has made comparisons between her portrayal of Dolly and her own evolving maturity as a woman.

Following Omkara, she stopped acting for a short time, as she felt that "nothing [was] challenging enough for me to say yes". She later described this period as a way to "relax and unwind" herself.

Jab We Met and other works (2007–present)

Kapoor returned to film as the female protagonist Geet Dhillon, a vivacious Sikh girl with a strong zest for life, in the Imtiaz Ali directed romantic comedy Jab We Met (2007). Featured opposite Shahid Kapoor, the film relates the story of two people with contrasting personalities who meet on a train and eventually fall in love. The film was received favourably by critics and became one of the year's most successful films, with a domestic box office of . She won several awards for her performance, including the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and her second Star Screen Award for Best Actress. While shooting for Jab We Met, Kapoor and Shahid ended their three-year relationship. Asked in Mumbai Mirror about their well-publicized break-up, she stated that "I hold him in utmost regard, and I hope one day we could be good friends. He is a great guy." the film eventually became a commercial and critical failure. She next provided her voice for the character of Laila, the love interest of a street dog named Romeo, in the Yash Raj Films and Walt Disney Pictures animated film Roadside Romeo. It was the second Bollywood film to receive a North American release by a Hollywood studio. In preparation for the role, Kapoor viewed several Hollywood animated films to analyse how actors delivered their dialogues. Kapoor then appeared in Rohit Shetty's comedy Golmaal Returns, the sequel to the 2006 film Golmaal. A part of an ensemble cast that included Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi and Tusshar Kapoor, Kapoor played a distrustful wife who believed her husband to be unfaithful. The film received ambivalent reception from critics and Kapoor herself received mixed reviews. The Indian Express believed the screenplay was unoriginal, concluding, "There is nothing particularly new about a suspicious wife keeping tabs on her husband, and there is nothing particularly new in the way Kareena plays it." Golmaal Returns was nonetheless a major financial success, with revenues of internationally. The film earned over worldwide, but was a critical failure. She next starred in Prem Soni's directorial debut, Main Aurr Mrs Khanna. Kapoor featured as the protagonist, Raina Khanna, a woman who becomes the sole breadwinner of the family, and therefore struggles with her marriage. The film was critically and financially unsuccessful, with the Daily News and Analysis concluding that "Kapoor shows moments of the talent we associate with her, but then slumps with a silly drunken scene or by just smiling beatifically through emotional moments."

Following Main Aurr Mrs Khanna, Kapoor's next release was Kurbaan, a dramatic thriller set against the backdrop of global terrorism. It was directed by Rensil D'Silva and written by Karan Johar, co-starring Saif Ali Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Om Puri and Kirron Kher. Kapoor played the role of Avantika Ahuja, a woman who is confined to house arrest after finding out that her husband is a terrorist. She described the film as "an emotionally draining experience", which did not let her disconnect from her character during shooting.

Her final release of 2009 was Rajkumar Hirani's drama 3 Idiots, a film loosely based on the novel Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat. Co-starring alongside Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan and Sharman Joshi, Kapoor starred as Pia, an independent-minded medical student and Khan's love interest. On acting alongside Khan, Kapoor revealed that it was "a dream come true" and further stated that her journey as an actress was "finally complete". The feature received much critical devotion and emerged as the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time, grossing at the Indian box office. Rediff.com opined that Kapoor dazzled with her "brief role, and even though a lot of her spunk seems significantly Jab We Met in tone, she lights up the screen when she is around." During the 55th Filmfare Awards, Kapoor received another Best Actress nomination for her role. The feature garnered negative reviews and poor box office returns. Kapoor's role was small and was not well-received. Prior on commencing work for the project, Kapoor explained that she did not want to watch Stepmom in an attempt to "interpret the role...in my own style". At the same time, The New York Times noted: "Kapoor [...] manages to make something of a role that often beggars belief." She followed with the leading female role in Rohit Shetty's comedy Golmaal 3, the sequel to the 2008 release Golmaal Returns. A part of an ensemble cast that included most of the actors from the previous film, the project was met with mixed reactions from reviewers, though became the most successful entry in the Golmaal film series, earning more than domestically. A review in MiD DAY described Kapoor's portrayal of the tomboy Daboo as "[the film's]...real hero...who takes the story forward."

Kapoor is scheduled to appear in a leading role in Anubhav Sinha's science fiction Ra.One. The film, which stars her alongside Shahrukh Khan and Arjun Rampal began filming in India in March 2010. She is also set to star opposite Saif Ali Khan in Sriram Raghavan's action-thriller Agent Vinod. At the end of the year, she performed alongside several Bollywood stars at the Kings Park Stadium in Durban, South Africa, for the show Now or Never. Four years later, Kapoor took part in the Rockstars Concert world tour, along with Salman Khan, Zayed Khan, John Abraham, Shahid Kapoor, Esha Deol and Mallika Sherawat. The concert was showcased in 19 cities across the United Kingdom, United States and Canada, and went on to become a success. In 2008, Kapoor participated in Shahrukh Khan's Temptation Reloaded 2008, a series of concerts showcased across several different countries. The show, which also featured Arjun Rampal, Katrina Kaif, Ganesh Hegde, Javed Ali and Anusha Dandekar, took place at the Ahoy Rotterdam venue in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Several months later, she again joined Khan, Rampal and Kaif to perform for 15,000 spectators at Dubai's Festival City Arena.

Humanitarian work

During her years in the film industry, Kapoor has also been involved with various humanitarian causes. In November 2003, Kapoor performed at the Marco Ricci Each One Reach One Benefit Concert, a fundraiser for the World Youth Peace Summit, while in 2005, along with other Bollywood stars, she took part in the HELP! Telethon Concert, to help raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Later that year, she visited the desert heartland of Rajasthan to boost the morale of the jawans for a special Holi weekend episode on the NDTV show, Jai Jawan. The show consists of entertainers and stars visiting Indian troops in isolated regions along with the NDTV team. The following year, Kapoor, along with Priyanka Chopra, donated her half-share of from her winnings on Kaun Banega Crorepati (India's version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?) to St. Anthony's Old Age Home and Mount Mary's Bandra. In June 2008, Kapoor appeared on the game show Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? alongside Saif Ali Khan, and donated half of her winnings to St. Anthony's Old Age Home. In 2009, she once again donated her winnings of from 10 Ka Dum to the old age home.

At the end of 2009, Kapoor joined the efforts of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to create awareness about cleanliness. The project consisted of a group of individuals who would be responsible for interacting with the shopkeepers and residents of Nehru Nagar, to support a door-to-door campaign for the collection of garbage. The following year, Kapoor attended the NDTV Greenathon, where she adopted the village of Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh to provide them with electricity. While there, she also raised awareness on creating a greener future for the environment. She said, "You want to live in an environment that is clean [and] healthy, and especially now everything affects the society so much. Actors have a voice, which can be heard and I am really happy that Priyanka [Chopra] has taken this iniative of being a brand ambassador. When our voice can be heard, we should use it and I am really happy that we all are spreading this awareness."

Clothing line

In August 2007, Kapoor replaced actress Soha Ali Khan, when she was hired as the brand ambassador for the clothing chain Globus on a two-year contract. Vinay Nadkarni, CEO of Globus Stores Pvt Ltd, explained that in an attempt to move away from being a multi-branded retail chain to adopting a single brand strategy for its stores, the clothing chain decided to appoint a different brand ambassador for its new business ventures. On being appointed by Globus, Kapoor commented, "I am delighted to be the face of Globus [...] I look forward to spreading this new language of fashion across the nation".

In February 2008, Kapoor announced that she would be launching her own line of clothing, thus becoming the first Indian actress to do so. She said, "I will be launching my exclusive line of clothes soon and I am quite sure people will like it. My clothing line is very reflective of my personal sense of style and will have my label on it. Just like I am pretty casual about my dressing, my line will also consist of an extremely wearable yet stylish collection. I am taking out this line in association with Globus, a brand that I am also the ambassadress for".

Following the end of her contract with Globus, Kapoor expressed her desire of working with an international design house from the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in France, to release her clothing line internationally. In January 2010, she explained that "I have the plans in place [and] I just have to execute them". However, Kapoor later noted that due to her prior commitments, her "plans [...] have had to take a backseat".

In the media

in February 2008]]

Hailing from a family deeply involved in the Bollywood film industry, Kapoor faced the media spotlight from a very young age despite not making her acting debut until 2000. Kapoor's off-screen life has been subject to wide media coverage in India with frequent press coverage of her weight and diet. her relationship with Khan has become one of the most reported celebrity stories in India since 2007. Her off-screen image has been open to much debate and criticism. While a section of the press has described her as friendly and extremely close to her family, She subsequently went on to play similar type of characters in her films from 2002–03, which further established her off-screen as well as her on-screen image as an actress. Following the release of Chameli, which helped her gain a new on-screen image,

at the 2009 India Couture Week]]

In 2004, Kapoor appeared third on Rediff's list of "Top Bollywood Female Stars". She was later ranked seventh and fifth in 2005–2006 respectively, and came back to the third position in 2007. She has been featured frequently on other Rediff lists, including "Bollywood's Most Beautiful Actresses", and "Women of Many Faces". During 2005, Kapoor made her first appearance on Karan Johar's talk show Koffee with Karan alongside Rani Mukerji, whilst she later appeared along with Shahid Kapoor in 2007 and 2010 respectively. In 2006, she was chosen to model and walk the runway for Manish Malhotra's fashion display at the Fashion Week 2006, along with actors Shahid Kapoor and Urmila Matondkar. Three years later, Kapoor once again walked the runway for Malhotra's bridal collection titled Destination Wedding during the 2009 India Couture Week.

Today, Kapoor is considered as one of the most popular Bollywood celebrities in India. Her look and performances have established her as a style icon for young girls and women. In a 2009 poll conducted by the newspaper DNA, she was voted as one of India's most popular icons. According to the UK magazine Eastern Eye, Kapoor was ranked fourth in the list of "Asia's Sexiest Women" in 2009; she had been previously ranked eighth in 2007 and third in 2008. She became the only actress to be featured on CNNGo's list of "Who Mattered Most in India" and was described as "India's Most Beautiful Woman" by People in 2010. In July 2010, Kapoor was placed eighth in Filmfare Magazine's annual power list, an achievement she repeated from the previous year, where she was ranked at number ten.

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 2000 | Refugee | Nazneen "Naaz" Ahmed | Winner, Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut |- |rowspan="5"|2001 | Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai | Pooja Saxena | |- | Yaadein | Isha Singh Puri | |- | Ajnabee | Priya Malhotra | |- | Asoka | Kaurwaki | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actress |- | Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... | Pooja "Poo" Sharma | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress |- |rowspan="2"|2002 | Mujhse Dosti Karoge! | Tina Kapoor | |- | Jeena Sirf Merre Liye | Pooja/Pinky | |- |rowspan="4"|2003 | | Tina | |- | Khushi | Khushi Singh (Lali) | |- | Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon | Sanjana | |- | LOC Kargil | Simran | |- |rowspan="6"|2004 | Chameli | Chameli | Winner, Filmfare Special Award |- | Yuva | Mira | |- | Dev | Aaliya | Winner, Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance |- | Fida | Neha Mehra | |- | Aitraaz | Priya Saxena/Malhotra | |- | Hulchul | Anjali | |- |rowspan="3"|2005 | Bewafaa | Anjali Sahai | |- | Kyon Ki | Dr. Tanvi Khurana | |- | | Anjali | |- |rowspan="4"|2006 | 36 China Town | Priya | |- | Chup Chup Ke | Shruti | |- | Omkara | Dolly Mishra | Winner, Filmfare Critics Award for Best PerformanceNominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actress |- | Don - The Chase Begins Again | Kamini | Cameo |- |rowspan="2"|2007 | Kya Love Story Hai | Herself | Special appearance in song It's Rocking |- | Jab We Met | Geet Dhillon | Winner, Filmfare Award for Best Actress |- |rowspan="4"|2008 | Halla Bol | Herself | Special appearance |- | Tashan | Pooja Singh | |- | Roadside Romeo | Laila | Voice |- | Golmaal Returns | Ekta | |- |rowspan="6"|2009 | Luck by Chance | Herself | Special appearance |- | Billu | Herself | Special appearance in song Marjaani |- | Kambakkht Ishq | Simrita Rai | |- | Main Aurr Mrs Khanna | Raina Khanna | |- | Kurbaan | Avantika Ahuja/Khan | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actress |- | 3 Idiots | Pia Sahastrabudhhe | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actress |- |rowspan="3"|2010 | Milenge Milenge | Priya Malhotra | |- | We Are Family | Shreya Arora | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress |- | Golmaal 3 | Daboo | Nominated – Filmfare Award for Best Actress |- |rowspan="3"|2011 | Ra.One | | Filming |- | Agent Vinod | Iram | Filming |- | Short Term Shaadi | | Filming |}

References

Further reading

, ,

External links

Category:1980 births Category:Indian film actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:People from Mumbai Category:Punjabi people Category:Indian vegetarians Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Living people

Name	Irrfan Khan
Caption	Khan at the launch of NDTV Lumiere's The Orphanage, May 2008
Birthname	Sahabzade Irrfan Ali Khan
Birth date	November 30, 1962
Birth place	Jaipur, Rajasthan, India
Spouse	Sutapa Sikdar Khan (1995-present)
Othername	Irfan
Occupation	Actor
Yearsactive	1989–present
Website	http://www.irrfan.com

Sahabzade Irrfan Ali Khan, popularly known as Irrfan Khan (; born 30 November 1962), is an Indian actor in film, television and theatre. He received recognition for his roles in The Warrior (2001), Maqbool (2003), Haasil (2004), The Namesake (2006), A Mighty Heart (2007), Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Billu (2009), New York (2009), New York, I Love You (2009), and Vodafone commercials. He has won two Filmfare Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and an Independent Spirit Award nomination.

Early life and background

Khan was born in Jaipur to a Muslim Nawab family. Khan's mother, Sayeeda Begum, was from the Tonk Hakim family, and his father, the late Jagirdar, was from the Khajuriya village near the Tonk district, and ran a tyre business. Khan was studying for his M.A. degree when he earned a scholarship to study at National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi in 1984.

Career

After graduating in 1987, Khan moved to Mumbai, where he acted in numerous television serials like Chanakya, Sara Jahan Hamara, Banegi Apni Baat, Chandrakanta (Doordarshan), Star Bestsellers (Star Plus), and Sparsh. He was the main villain in a series called Darr (which aired on Star Plus), where he played the role of a psycho serial killer, opposite Kay Kay Menon. He also played the role of famous revolutionary Urdu poet and Marxist political activist of India Makhdoom Mohiuddin in Kahkashan produced by Ali Sardar Jafri.

He acted in some of the episodes of Star Bestsellers (aired on Star-Plus). In one of the episodes, his role was of a parchoon shopkeeper who has a misconception that his landlord's wife is trying to seduce him and it turns out that his own wife (Tisca Chopra) is cheating on him. In the other one, he played the role of an office-accountant who, after being insulted by his female boss, took revenge by making her mad. He also appeared in a serial called Bhanvar (aired on SET India) for two episodes. In one episode, he performed the role of a thug who somehow lands in court, where he presents himself as a lawyer.

Theatre and television kept him afloat until Mira Nair offered him a cameo in Salaam Bombay (1988) though his role was edited out in the final film.

In the 1990s he appeared in the critically acclaimed film Ek Doctor Ki Maut and Such a Long Journey (1998) and various other films which went unnoticed.

After many unsuccessful films, things changed when London-based director Asif Kapadia gave him the lead in The Warrior, a historical film completed in 11 weeks on location in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. In 2001 The Warrior opened in international film festivals, making Irrfan Khan a known face.

In 2003 he acted in Indian born writer-director, Asvin Kumar's short film, "Road to Ladakh". After the film received rave reviews at international festivals, the film is now being made into a full length feature, again starring Irrfan Khan. That same year he played the title role in the critically acclaimed Maqbool, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

His first Bollywood main lead role came in 2005 with film Rog. Thereafter he appeared in several films either playing the leading role or a supporting role as a villain. In 2004 he won the Filmfare Best Villain Award for his role in film Haasil.

In 2007, he appeared in the box office hits Metro, for which he received a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, and The Namesake. They were closely followed by his appearance in the international films A Mighty Heart and The Darjeeling Limited.

Even after becoming a successful actor in Bollywood, he has not severed his ties with television. He anchored a show Mano Ya Na Mano (airing on Star One). He hosted another programme named Kyaa Kahein which was similar to Mano Ya Na Mano.

In 2008, he was featured as a narrator in an Arts Alliance production, id - Identity of the Soul. The performance toured worldwide, with tens of thousands turning out to see the event as it toured the West Bank. He also plays the police inspector in the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire, for which he and the cast of the movie won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

In 2009, he featured in the film Acid Factory. Khan has stated that he wants to do more and more action films in the future. He also appeared as an FBI agent in New York and as a Gujarati diamond merchant in New York, I Love You. His future films include Paan Singh Tomar in which he will essay the role of real-life Rajput runner Paan Singh Tomar.

He recently worked on the third season of the HBO series In Treatment, enacting the part of Sunil, who is finding it difficult to come to terms with his wife's death and loneliness after moving to New York, USA.

Khan said in an IGN interview that he will be playing a character named Nels Van Atter in the 2012 Spider-Man reboot, also the true identity of Proto-Goblin, an adversary of Spider-man.

Personal life

On 23 February 1995, Khan married writer Sutapa Sikdar, who is also a NSD graduate. They have two children named Babil and Ayan.

He has two brothers, Imran Khan and Salman Khan and one sister Rukhsana Begum. They still live in Jaipur and run their businesses.

Awards

Wins

2003: Filmfare Best Villain Award - Haasil

2007: Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award - Life in a Metro

2008: Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture - Slumdog Millionaire

Nominations

2007: Independent Spirit Award: Best Supporting Male - The Namesake

2008: Stardust Best Supporting Actor Award - The Namesake

2008: IIFA Award: IIFA Best Supporting Actor - Life in a Metro

Filmography

References

External links

Irrfan Khan Official Website

TIME Magazine coverage of Irrfan Khan

TIME Magazine photo feature

Category:1962 births Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian Muslims Category:Indian stage actors Category:Indian television actors Category:Living people Category:National School of Drama alumni Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Jaipur Category:People from Rajasthan

Name	Deepika Padukone
Birthdate	January 05, 1986
Birth place	Copenhagen, Denmark
Occupation	Actress, Model
Yearsactive	2006–present
Filmfareawards	Best Female Debut2008: Om Shanti Om Face of the Year2008: Om Shanti Om

Deepika Padukone (, ); born 5 January 1986) is an Indian actress and a former model. Padukone made her acting debut in the 2006 Kannada film Aishwarya. The following year, she made her Hindi film debut in the blockbuster Om Shanti Om which earned her the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award.

Early life and background

Deepika was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. Her family moved to Bangalore, Karnataka, India, when she was eleven months old. Deepika is of Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin origin, and her mother tongue is Konkani. Her father, Prakash Padukone, is a retired badminton player of international repute, and her mother is a travel agent. Padukone also has a younger sister, Anisha, born on February 2, 1991.

Padukone attended Sophia High School in Bangalore, and completed her pre-university studies at Mount Carmel College Bangalore. While in high school she played badminton at the state level. However, she was not keen on pursuing a career as a badminton player.

Career

Modeling

While in college, Padukone pursued a career in modeling. She was spotted in a ramp competition in NLS, Bangalore. Over the years, she has modeled for such Indian brand names as Liril, Dabur Lal powder, Close-Up toothpaste and Limca, and has been "brand ambassador" for the Jewels of India retail jewelry show. The cosmetics company Maybelline made her its international spokesperson.

At the fifth annual Kingfisher Fashion Awards she was awarded the title "Model of the Year". Shortly afterward, she was chosen as one of the models for the Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar for 2006 and won two trophies at the Idea Zee Fashion Awards: "Female Model of the Year - (Commercial Assignments)" and "Fresh Face of the Year". Padukone was also chosen as the brand ambassador of Kingfisher Airlines and later Levi Strauss and Tissot SA. In addition, she appeared in the music video for Himesh Reshammiya's song Naam Hai Tera.

Acting

In 2006, Padukone made her cinematic debut in the Kannada film Aishwarya opposite actor Upendra. She later made a successful Bollywood debut in 2007 with Farah Khan's blockbuster Om Shanti Om opposite Shahrukh Khan. Her performance was well received, earning the actress a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award as well as her first Filmfare Best Actress nomination. Taran Adarsh from indiaFM noted, "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 SRK and getting it right is no small achievement. She comes as a whiff of fresh air!" Padukone was then seen in Siddharth Anand's romantic comedy Bachna Ae Haseeno opposite Ranbir Kapoor and alongside Bipasha Basu and Minissha Lamba. The film, which released on 15 August 2008, performed reasonably well at the box office. Her next film Chandni Chowk To China, released on 16 January 2009, and was a critical and commercial disaster. Padukone's fourth release Love Aaj Kal, released on 31 July 2009 and proved to be one of the biggest hits of 2009. Her first release in 2010 was Excel Entertainment’s Karthik Calling Karthik opposite Farhan Akhtar.

Other work

In 2009, Deepika started writing weekly columns for HT City, the lifestyle supplement of Hindustan Times. These columns appear online on social network, Desimartini.

Personal life

In March 2008, Padukone began dating Ranbir Kapoor, her co-star from the film Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008). The couple broke up in November 2009. She is rumored to be dating Sidhartha Mallya these days.

Awards and nominations

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;" border="1" cellpadding="5" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- | 2006 | Aishwarya | Aishwarya | Kannada film |- | 2007 | Om Shanti Om | Shantipriya,Sandhya (Sandy) | Double-Winner, Filmfare Best Female Debut Award & Sony Head N Shoulders Fresh Face of the Year Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award |- | 2008 | Bachna Ae Haseeno | Gayatri | |- |rowspan="5"| 2009 | Chandni Chowk to China | Sakhi (Ms. TSM),Meow Meow (Suzy) | Double role |- | Billu | Herself | Special appearance in the song Love Mera Hit Hit |- | Love Aaj Kal | Meera Pandit | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award |- | Main Aurr Mrs Khanna | Raina Khan | Special appearance |- | Love 4 Ever | Herself | Special appearance (item number) Telugu film |- |rowspan="5"| 2010 | Karthik Calling Karthik | Shonali Mukherjee | |- | Housefull | Sandy | |- | Lafangey Parindey | Pinky Palkar | |- | Break Ke Baad | Aaliya Khan | |- | Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey | Kalpana Datta | |- |rowspan="4"| 2011 | Dum Maro Dum | | Filming (Special appearance) |- | Desi Boyz | | Filming |- | Aarakshan | | Filming |- | Housefull 2 | | Pre-production |}

See also

List of Indian film actresses

Notes

External links

Category:1986 births Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian female models Category:Indian Hindus Category:Living people Category:Kannada film actors Category:People from Bangalore Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian actors Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Konkani people