Native name	Surat (સુરત) (सुरत)
Type	Metropolitan City
Type 2	Commercial Capital
Nickname	Diamond City / Silk City / Suryapur
Skyline	Surat Panaroma.jpg
State name	Gujarat
District	Surat
Altitude	13
Coastline	45
Population as of	2010
Population total	4786002
Population total cite
Population metro	6,512,000
Population metro as of	2009
Population metro rank	5
Area magnitude	2
Area total	326.515
Area metro	4207
Area telephone	91(0261)
Postal code	395 0xx
Vehicle code range	GJ 05 (Surat), GJ 21 (Navsari)
Official languages	Gujarati, Hindi, English
Website	www.Suratmunicipal.gov.in

Surat () also known as Suryapur is the commercial capital of the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative capital of Surat district and one of the fastest growing cities in India with a population in 2010 nearly the double of that in 2001. The city has been ranked 36th in the list of world's largest cities. Surat Metropolitan Region is widely regarded as one of the cleanest Metropolitan Regions in the country with the city proper being the third cleanest city in India.

The city is located 306 km south of state capital Gandhinagar, and is situated on the left bank of the Tapti River, 14 miles from its mouth. A moat divides the older parts of the city, with its narrow streets and handsome houses, and the newer suburbs. The city is largely recognized for its textile and diamond businesses. It is also known as the diamond capital of the world and the textile capital of India. 92% of the world's diamonds are cut and polished in Surat.

Surat eclipsed Khambhat as the major port of western India, when Khambhat's harbour began to silt up by the end of fifteenth century. During the reigns of the Mughal emperor Akbar, Jahāngīr and Shāh Jahān, Surat rose to become a chief commercial city of India and an imperial mint was established there. As the major port on the west coast of India, Surat also served as the port for the Hajj to Mecca. At the end of the 16th century, the Portuguese were undisputed masters of the Surat sea trade. There still is a picturesque fortress on the banks of the river built in 1540.

In 1608, ships from the British East India Company started docking in Surat, using it as a trade and transit point. In 1615, the British Captain Best, followed by Captain Downton, overcame Portuguese naval supremacy and obtained an imperial firman establishing a British factory at Surat following the Battle of Swally. The city was made the seat of a presidency under the British East India Company after the success of the embassy of Sir Thomas Roe to the court of emperor Jehangir. The Dutch also founded a factory.

At its zenith, Surat was popularly viewed as the city of Kubera, the God of Wealth. In 1664 the Maratha King Shivaji attacked Surat, a key Mughal power centre, and a wealthy port town which generated a million rupees in taxes. When Shivaji arrived in Surat, he demanded tribute from the Mughal commander of the army stationed for port security. The tribute was refused and instead of battling the Marathas, the Mughal commander(Stationed at the Surat fort) sent an emissary to assassinate Shivaji, but in vain. Shivaji conquered the city and forces under his command exacted their revenge. Shivaji's army sacked Surat for nearly 3 weeks, looting both the Mughal and Portuguese trading centers.

The prosperity of Surat received a fatal blow when Surat was ceded to the British as part of the dowry for Catherine of Braganza's wedding to Charles II in 1662. Shortly afterwards, in 1668, the British East India company established a factory in Bombay (Mumbai) and Surat began its relative decline concurrent with the rise of British interests in Bombay.

Surat was sacked again by Shivaji in 1670. By 1687, the British East India Company had moved the presidency to Bombay. At its height, Surat's population reached an estimated 800,000, but by the middle of the 19th century the number had fallen to 80,000. The British took control of Surat again in 1759, and assumed all government powers of the city in 1800.

The city and the surrounding district remained comparatively tranquil during British rule. Even during the Revolt of 1857 (also known as the first struggle for India's independence), peace was not disturbed, owing to the largely mercantile interests of the local population.In the 19th century the Bawamia family was the wealthiest and most powerful family in the city of Surat, they were also heavily involved in the development of the city by focusing on maximizing exports to increase revenue and hence increase savings which led to investment in the diamond industry.

A fire and a flood in 1837 destroyed many of buildings of Surat. Among the interesting monuments that survive that destruction are the tombs of English and Dutch merchants and their families, dating to the 17th century, including those of the Oxenden brothers.

By the early 20th century, the population had slowly climbed to 119,306 and Surat was a center of trade and manufacturing, although some of its former industries, such as shipbuilding, were extinct. There were cotton mills, factories for ginning and pressing cotton, rice-cleaning mills and paper mills. Fine cotton goods were woven on hand-looms, and there were special manufactures of silk brocade and gold embroidery (known as Jari). The chief trades were organized in guilds. Manufacturing and trading brought an eclectic mix of ethnicity to the city, making Surat's culture unique.

In 1992, violent riots took place between Hindus and Muslims, the first and worst of their kind in the modern history of Surat. In 1994, a combination of heavy rains and blocked drains led to flooding of the city. A number of dead street animals and public waste were not removed in time and a plague epidemic spread through the city, which caused a number of countries to impose travel and trade sanctions. The municipal commissioner during that time, S. R. Rao and the people of Surat worked hard in the late 1990s to clean the city.

Old English & Dutch Cemetery

The structure of the Old English and Old Dutch cemeteries in Surat is dominated by the largest monuments of Europeans in all over India. These graves are also some of the oldest tombs which have survived from the earliest times of British and Dutch activities at Surat.

The English traders settled in Surat in 1608 followed by the Dutch in 1617. French and also Swedes - even for just a short period - commenced trading-enterprises here. However, it seems that there are no re-mainders of their burial culture left today. Along with the Dutch also Armenian traders left a quite big cemetery in Surat. Both nations share the same burial ground only separated by a wall.

Geography

Surat the second capital of Gujarat is growing much as its neighboring metro Bombay and by 2020 it is estimated that Surat will be the largest city in Gujarat state and its urbanization will stretch from Kosamba in north to Billimora in south. Surat is a port city situated on the banks of the Tapti river (damming of the Tapti caused the original port facilities to close, the nearest port is now in the Hazira area of Surat Metropolitan Region). The city is located at . It has an average elevation of 13 meters. The Surat district is surrounded by Bharuch, Narmada (North), Navsari and Dang (South) districts. To the west is the Gulf of Cambay. The climate is tropical and monsoon rainfall is abundant (about 2,500 mm a year).

Surat has grown in area since the early 1700s. The oldest part of the city developed in the area between the train station and the area known as Athwalines. Since the 1970s most of the new development including the most desirable location for the city's burgeoning middle and upper class is the area between Athwalines and the coast at Dumas.

Climate

Surat has a Tropical monsoon climate, moderated strongly by the Arabian Sea. The summer begins in early March and lasts till June. April and May are the hottest months, the average temperature being 30 °C. Monsoon begins in late June and the city receives about 800 mm of rain by the end of September, with the average temperature being around 28 °C during those months. October and November see the retreat of the monsoon and a return of high temperatures till late November. Winter starts in December and ends in late February, with average temperatures of around 22 °C, and little rain.

Very often heavy monsoon rain brings floods in the Tapi basin area. In last two decades, the city has witnessed major floods every four years, the worst being the flood of August 2006, perhaps the costliest in the city's history. In the second week of August 2006, a massive flood caused severe damage to the city of Surat. According to a report released by Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad (IIM-A), massive flood after release of water from Ukai Dam had caused major human tragedy and property damage estimated at Rs 22,000 cr on that day. In less than three days, at least 150 people died directly due to flood and many other due to water-borne diseases that followed. More than 1500 animal carcasses were later hauled out of the mud.

Economy

Surat is known for diamonds, textiles and recently for diamond-studded gold jewellery manufacturing. Real Estate is a new emerging business in Surat.

Diamond polishing

Surat is Commercial Capital of Gujarat and also one of the economic hubs of India. Surat is famous for its diamond industry and textile industry, along with silk and chemicals. It is at the heart of the world's diamond-polishing industry, which in 2005 cut 95% of the world's diamond pieces and earned India $15 billion in exports. Gujarati diamond cutters emigrating from East Africa established the industry in 1901 and by the 1970s Surat-based diamond cutters began exporting stones to the US for the first time. Though much of the polishing work takes place on small weight stones, Surat's workshops have set their eyes on the lucrative market for finishing larger, pricier stones in the future.

The November 18, 2008 issue of the Wall Street Journal had an article about the diamond industry in Surat. It claims that 80% of the world's finished diamonds are cut and polished in this city. However the wages of the industry's workers remained flat for years and 250,000 workers, or one-third of the city's diamond industry workforce, has left between 2005–2008, leaving about 500,000. Only after a July 2008 strike did the workers obtain a 20% salary raise, their first in a decade.

Textiles

Surat is known for producing world-class synthetic textiles. It is known as the "Manchester of the East.". Surti households have been declared the most prosperous in the country by the National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) and Future Capital Research's Roopa Purushothaman in their latest study. The average annual household income (AHI) in the diamond city is Rs 4.57 lakh - the highest in the country. The study says that Surat's AHI is almost equal to China's per capita income of 2007 and double the national per capita income. Even its GDP growth of 11.5 per cent for the many consecutive years is the fastest in the country. Recently Surat's diamond and textile industry faced the recession due to slowdown in US economy but is recovering. JARI, the oldest business in Surat, and 80000 embroidery units make the city a major center of the embroidery industry.

Surat also has many large industrial Giants such as KRIBHCO fertilizer plant, Reliance petrochemical plant, Essar's 10 million tonne steel plant, L&T; Engineering unit, gas processing plant of ONGC, NTPC gas power plant. All at Hazira and ABG Shipyard (Shipbuilding Yard) and Ambuja Cement (grinding Unit) at Magdalla port where as Torrent mega power plant and GIPCL are located at Kamrej.

Real Estate

Housing sector is the most preferred segment in Surat too like in other parts of the country. Leading property developers are coming up with all kinds of affordable and luxury homes to woo buyers from all classes i.e. to cater to the needs of both nationals and NRIs. Though the industrial sector of the city is quite well established, expansion work is going on in full swing. Even the retail property sector is developing manifold to meet the recreation needs of its growing population with number of malls, multiplexes and retail outlets opening up across the city. Surat real estate is at its best with builders taking keen interest in developing property in the peripheries of the ‘Silk City'.

Government and politics

The Surat Municipal Corporation is responsible for the maintaining city's civic infrastructure as well as carrying out associated administrative duties. At present, BJP is the ruling party with majority. Surat Municipal Corporation is one of the wealthiest municipal corporation in India. Surat has the maximum number of flyovers in India.

Transportation

Air

Till May 2006, Surat was the only city in the world with a population of over 4.6  million people without a functioning airport. The Surat Airport was closed down due to technical reasons in 2001. The new airport finally became functional with Surat-Delhi IA flight on 6 May 2007. Currently daily flight is operated to Delhi (Except Saturday). By June 2012, Surat will get a full fledged International Airport which is under construction at Magdalla-Dumas near Surat. The current plan proposed by Air India is to serve the Jeddah flight from Surat which will decrease pressure on Ahmedabad Airport in the peak season of Hajj.

Rail

Surat railway station is under the administrative control of the Western Railway zone of the Indian Railways. It connects Surat with Bombay, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Indore, Jaipur, Jabalpur, Satna, Patna, Bhopal and other cities of North India. There is also a connection to the Central Railway zone through Udhana Railway Junction and the Tapti line which connects Surat with cities of central India namely Jalgaon, Amravati and Nagpur. Passenger trains range from local trains that stop at all stations on the way to express trains like the August Kranti Rajdhani Express and the Mumbai Rajdhani Express. In addition, there are freight trains that move the goods produced by the city to the rest of the country and beyond, and bring supplies into the city. Surat Railway Station which was built by the British is one of its kind in India, as the railway platform is on the first floor of the railway station and the train reaches the platform through an inclined ramp.

Sea

Surat has its own port which is used for shipping freight. A plan to connect Surat with Bombay, Goa, Dubai, Bhavnagar through ferry services is moving forward. The Surat-Bhavnagar ferry service is much awaited by the citizens. This would help Surat connect with the Saurashtra region of Gujarat state reducing commuting time by at least 6 hours.

Road

Due to heavy traffic congestion on major highways passing through Surat city New expressways are planned and will be completed by 2013. Surat has excellent roads according to Business Today Magazine

The Golden Quadrilateral highway system passes through Surat. The city is connected to the National Highway 8 through a 16 km connector highway. National highway 6, also known as Surat - Kolkata Highway, starts from Hazira and passes through surat city and connects the city to Dhule, Amravati, Nagpur, Raipur, Sambalpur, Kharagpur and Calcutta. The National Highway 228, also known as Dandi Heritage highway, starts from Sabarmati in Ahmedabad and passes through Anand, Kheda, Ankleshwar and passes through Surat city to Navsari and ends up in Dandi. National Highway 50 also known as Surat-Pune(Poona) Highway starts near a Junction known as Kharvarnagar Junction and passes through Sachin, Navsari, Gandevi, Dharampur, Nasik and Pune. ;Local transport On 22^nd August 2008, the SMSS bus service was opened by the city Mayor Dr. Kanubhai Mavani. It is considered the best city bus services in India. These buses are CNG-fueled and have an LCD screen in the front giving details about the journey. The conductor uses an electronic machine to print out the tickets. The bus stops are modern and comfortable. The bus service in general is relatively hi-tech and modern. Bus rapid transit system is planned for the city and the project is expected to be completed by 2010.

Infrastructure

Surat has a computerized water distribution system and while computerized drainage system is under implementation. It has one of the best water treatment plants in India. Every part of Surat has drainage and street lights.. There are few other Engineering Colleges in Surat are Government Engineering College,Surat (GEC),Sarvajanik College of Engineering and Technology (SCET), C K Pithawala College of Engineering and Technology(CKPCET) and Bhagwan Mahavir College of Engineering and Technology.

The city holds the prestige of providing Medical Education to students.It has two medical colleges - "Government Medical College and New Civil Hospital" and "SMIMER", both giving the degrees of MBBS and MD,MS.The City also holds one Ayurvedic college namely "Shri O.H.Nazar Ayurvedic College and Hospital",giving BAMS degree affiliated to Gujarat Ayurved University,jamnagar,Gujarat,India.

Al Jamea tus Saifiyah is an Islamic Arabic Academy situated in the heart of Surat city, India, with a sister campus in the northern foothills of Karachi, Pakistan, which is a leading theological University for Dawoodi Bohras. It was founded in 1814 by the 43rd Dai Syedna Abdeali Saifuddin [R.A].

In 1920, Dawoodi Bohra's 51st Dai the late Dr Syedna Taher Saifuddin transformed this institution into a university that also promoted education for Bohra girls. Present Dai Dr Syedna Mohammad Burhanuddin has expanded it with the state-of-the-art facilities including International Baccalaureate Office (IBO) which has acceptance worldwide.

Under the 10+2+3 format, students attend primary and secondary schooling during the first ten years and then may complete two years of higher secondary education, followed by three years at college for commerce, arts or science degrees.Generally, engineering degree courses take four years, while medicine takes about five and half years or more. Most colleges in the city are affiliated with the Veer Narmad South Gujarat University.

A Parsi Theatre Academy is being opened in the Muglisara area of Surat, by Yezdi Karanjia, who has a long experience in staging Parsi plays. It is hoped that it will generate some interest among schoolgoers, and breath new cultural life into the dwindling community.

Media

Gujarat Mitra, one of the oldest and most respected dailies of the country, is the most popular daily newspaper of Surat and South Gujarat. Besides Gujarat Mitra, other dailies include Gujarat Samachar, Sandesh, Divyabhaskar and Commodity World. Local editions of these newspapers are published in Gujarati. Loktej was the first Hindi daily published in Surat. Rajasthan Patrika and Savera are now the top Hindi daily newspapers in Surat. The national English dailies such as The Times of India, Indian Express and Mid Day are the most popular English-language newspapers. DNA-Daily News and Analysis is a new addition to the list of English dailies available in Surat. Many Marathi newspapers like Loksatta, Lokmat, Sakal are also available in Surat.

Since the city has the largest synthetic textile manufacturing center in India, there is an exclusive textile newspaper called Textile Graph. It is published in Surat, since 1994, in Gujarati and Hindi versions. The 'Textile Directory of Surat' (5th. edition) comprising business information of textile traders and industry in and around Surat is also published by Textile Graph.

Most cable service providers have local television channels. Satellite TV DTH services are provided by DISH TV, TATA SKY,Airtel,SUN DIRECT, BIG TV. Broadband internet connections are also available in the city. Broadband service providers include BSNL, TATA Indicom, Reliance Communication, YOU Broadband and Hathway Communications. Wi-Fi connectivity is available at many cafes. Currently, Surat has four FM Radio stations - Radio City 91.1, Radio Mirchi 98.3, My FM 94.3, Big FM 92.7 along with the national radio Vividh Bharati.

Sports

Surat has many sports facilities, the majority of them are dedicated to cricket. The Lalbhai Contractor Stadium and the Pithawala Cricket stadiums have facilities for hosting cricket matches. In addition, Surat has an indoor stadium, used to host events like badminton and table tennis, with modern facilities and seating capacity for 7000. There are a few sports clubs which provide many types of indoor and outdoor games, including the Surat Tennis Club, Surat City Gymkhana and Rander Gymkhana (RG). Recently one of the biggest swimming pools in the city has been opened near Palanpur Patiya area. The Rander area also hosts the Royal Cricket Ground.''

An annual boat race takes place in Surat, in the Tapi river, starting from an island in Arabian sea, sailing upstream Tapi to Magdalla.

Satellite towns

Surat is a metropolitan city with a metropolitan region of around 4207 km². Thus it has many satellite towns within 30 to 100 km radius.

These are some of the important Satellite Towns of Surat Metropolitan Region:

#Bamroli #Hazira #Sachin #Bardoli #Billimora #Gandevi #Kanakpur-Kansad #Palsana #Kadodara #Kim #Kosamba

Places of interest

The Chintamani Jain Temple — The exquisite wooden carvings and paintings are the major attractions of the temple. The temple actively maintained and visited by the city's Jains is situated in the Shahpor area and dates back to 15 century and houses some extremely rare paintings of the Jain monk Acharya Hemachandra, and of the Solanki King Kumarpal. Any visit to the city would be incomplete without a visit here especially for Jains.

Dutch Garden — The ancient Dutch gardens, the Dutch cemetery and Makaipul, the ancient original port from where the ships sailed to other parts of the world are other attractions.

The Surat Fort — The Old Fort was built by Britishers in the 1616 to fortify the defence against the Bhils. It is now used for municipal offices.

The Sardar Patel Museum — Established in 1898, and originally called the Winchester Museum;, this museum has a collection of over 10,000 specimens of arts and crafts.

Gaurav Path — A well planned and well-built 6 lane Expresswayto decongest the traffic in Piplod area of the city. Home of multiplexes, shopping malls, show-rooms, restaurants and much more. This expressway connects Surat with its airport and Port of Magdalla. SVNIT is also located on it as well as the beautiful 'Lake View Garden'. Streching this expressway to Dumas is under consideration.

Choppati — This is also a very popular place in the city. It has a large garden and provides Indian fastfood like Paav Bhajee and Pani puri.

Saputara is a hill station in the Sahyadri Hills only 170 km from Surat at an altitude of 1140 meters above sea level. Lying at a higher altitude Saputara has a cool climate and dense forest. Also known as the Nilgiris of Gujarat.

Wilson Hills, Gujarat is a hill station in the Sahyadri ranges of Valsad district near dharampur at an altitude of 850 meters (2700 feet) above sea level. The nearest hill station of Surat. It enjoys a cool and a serenity climate throughout the year. The place is also famous for the Asia's most dense forest. It is only 120 km from Surat.

Vansda National Park — It is situated in the Navsari district and is home to leopards, tigers, panthers,pythons and wild boars. The best time to visit is between July and January.

Beaches — There are a number of beaches near Surat. Only 16 km away, Dumas is a popular resort with locals. Suvali is 28 km from the city and Ubhrat is 42 km out, while Tithal is 108 km away and only five km from Valsad on the Mumbai to Vadodara railway line. Suvali has two wells with water rich in iron and sulphur. Suvali beach is fringed by feathery casurina trees.

Thirty-nine kilometres south of Surat, Navsari- The Twin city of Surat has been a headquarters for the Parsi community since the earliest days of their settlement in India. Udvada, only 10 km north of Vapi, the station for Daman, has the oldest Parsi sacred fire in India. It is said that the fire was brought from Persia to Diu, on the opposite coast of the Gulf of Cambay, in AD 700. Sanjan, in the extreme south of the state, is the small port where the Parsis first landed; a pillar marks the spot.

The Dutch Cemetery — Located near Kataragam Gate, this impressive mausoleum is that of Baron Hendrik Adriaan Van Rheede tot Drakenstein, who died in 1691. A massive Dome, beautiful pillars and the huge gallery make it a very outstanding monument.

Science City — One of the best Science City in India. Developed by the Surat Municipal Corporation in City Light Town and is one of the most attractive places in the city.

Photo gallery

References

External links

Website of Surat Municipal Corporation

Science Centre, Surat

Public Parks and Garden, Surat

Municipal Commissioner, Surat

South Gujarat University, Surat

Surat Collectorate

Surat City Portal

Category:Gulf of Khambhat Category:Diamond Category:Metropolitan cities in India Category:Populated places on the Tapti River Category:Former Indian capital cities Category:Cities and towns in Surat district

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	B. Saroja Devi
Caption	B.Saroja Devi with Latha Rajendran at Dr. MGR-Janaki College of Arts and Science for Women
Birth date	January 07, 1938
Birth place	Karnataka, India
Death date
Occupation	Actress
Yearsactive	1955-present
Spouse	Sri Harsha

B. Saroja Devi (, , , ) is an Indian actress. She is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan award and has acted in Tamil, Kannada, and Telugu movies.

She made her film debut in Honappa Bhagavathar's Kannada film Mahakavi Kalidasa (1955).

Early life

Saroja Devi was born in Karnataka in 1938 to Bhairappa and Rudramma. Bhairappa worked for the police department.

Saroja Devi was first spotted by B.R. Krishnamurthy singing at a function at the age of 13. Initially, she declined his offer to act in movies. She debuted with the Kannada film Sri Rama Puja in 1955-56, which went on to win the National Award.

Saroja Devi was married to Sri Harsha, an engineer by profession, on 1 March 1967.

She has acted in more than 170 films in Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and Telugu languages. Her kannada film Kittuura Rani Chennama won the national award. She is also known in Tamil filmdom as "கன்னடத்து பைங்கிளி" (Kannadathu Paingkili, meaning Kannada's Parrot).

Her debut movie in Telugu was Panduranga Mahathmyam (1957) in which she acted opposite N.T. Rama Rao. Another Telugu actress Krishna Kumari dubbed her voice in this movie for Saroja devi. Later, without any dubbing for her voice Saroja Devi acted in many Telugu films.

B. Saroja Devi was Chairperson of the Karnataka Film Development Corporation. She was also the chairperson of Kantheerava Studios, Bangalore.

Life and social work

Saroja Devi has organized many donation camps in the name of her late husband Sri Harsha, daughter Bhuvaneshwari and her mother and has organized Charitable Trusts, Rehabilitation centers and health programs.

Awards

Life Time Achievement Award for 60th Independence. (National award) in 2008

Padma Bhushan(National award)in 1992

Padma Sri (National award)in 1969

N.T.R award from ntr fan association bengalore in 2007

Honorary Doctorate from Bangalore University in 2006

Dinakaran award for All-round Achievement in 2003

Tamil Nadu Government’s M.G.R award in 1997

Cinema Express award in 1997

Filmfare award for All-round Achievement

Karnataka Government’s Rajyothsava award in 1989

Abhinandana-Kanchana Mala award in 1980

N.T.R. National Award from Andhra Pradesh Government for the year 2001.

N.T.R. National Award from Andhra Pradesh Government for the second time for the year 2009.

Filmography

Saroja Devi has acted in nearly 180 films in four languages (Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Hindi). They are arranged by year of release and alphabetical order.

1964

Beti Bete (Hindi) Sunil Dutt

Dooj Ka Chand (Hindi) Bharat Bhushan

Amarashilpi Jakanacharya (Kannada) Kalyan Kumar

Vaazhkai Vaazhvatharke (Tamil) Gemini Ganesan

Pannakkara Kudumbam (Tamil) M.G.R

Thayin Madiyil (Tamil) M G Ramachandran

Padagotti (Tamil) M.G.Ramachandran

Deivathai (Tamil) M.G.Ramachandran

Paasamum Nesamum (Tamil) Gemini Ganesan

Puthiya Paravai (Tamil) Sivaji Ganesan

En Kadamai (Tamil) M.G.Ramachandran

Dagudu moothalu (Telugu) N.T.R

Aathma Balam (Telugu) A.N.R

Amarashilpi Jakanna (Telugu) A.N.R

1965

Beretha Jeeva (Kannada) Kalyan Kumar

Aasai Mugam (Tamil) M G Ramachandran

Enga Vettu Pillai (Tamil) M G Ramachandran

Kalangarai Vilakkam (Tamil) M G Ramachandran

Prameelaarjunaeyathum (Telugu) N T R

1966

Preet Na Jaane Reet (Hindi) Shammi Kapoor

Naan Anayittaal (Tamil) M G Ramachandran

Nadodi (Tamil) M G Ramachandran

Thaali Bhagyam (Tamil) M. G. Ramachandran

Parakkum Paavai (Tamil) M G Ramachandran

Anbe Vaa (Tamil) M G Ramachandran

Petralthaan Pillaiya (Tamil) M G Ramachandran

Shakuntala (Telugu) N T R

1967

Dilwaar (Hindi)

Penn Endral Penn (Tamil)Gemini Ganesan (100th film )

Arasa Kattalai (Tamil) M G Ramachandran

Rahasyam (Telugu) Akkineni Nageswara Rao

1968

En Thambi (Tamil) Sivaji Ganesan Nagesh

Panamaa Paasama (Tamil) Gemini Ganesan

Thamarai Nenjam (Tamil) Gemini Ganesan

Bahagyachakram (Telugu) N T R

Uma Chandi Gauri Shankarula katha (Telugu) N T R

1969

MalamaPavada (Kannada) Rajkumar

Thanga Malar (Tamil) Gemini Ganesan

Anbalippu (Tamil) Sivaji Ganesan

Anjal Petti 520 (Tamil) Sivaji Ganesan

Aindhu Laksham (Tamil) Gemini Ganesan

Kula Vilakku (Tamil) Gemini Ganesan

Odum Nadhi (Tamil) Ravichandran

1970

Lakshmi Saraswathi(Kannada) Ramesh

Malathy (Tamil) GeminiGanesan

Kann Malar (Tamil) Gemini Ganesan

Snehithi (Tamil) Gemini Ganesan

Vijayam manade(Telugu) N T R

Mayani Mamata(Telugu) N T R

1971

Purnima (Kannada) Srinath

Thande Makkalu(Kannada) Srinath

Papa Punya (Kannada)Kalyan Kumar

Sri Krishna Rukmini Satya Bhama (Kannada) Rajkumar

Nyayave Devaru (Kannada) Rajkumar

Thenum Palum (Tamil)Sivaji Ganesan

Arunothayam(Tamil) Sivaji Ganesan

1972

Hari Darshan (Hindi)Randhava

Sakthi Leelai (Tamil)A V M Rajan

Pandanti Kapuram (Telugu)

Mathru Moorthy (Telugu) Haranath

1973

Sahadharmini(Kannada)K S Aswath

1974

Chamundeswarei Mahemai(Kannada) Uthyakumar

Sri Srinivasa Kalyana(Kannada) Rajkumar

Grihini (Kannada) Rajesh

Paththu Matha Bandham (Tamil) R. Muthuraman

Sri Chamundeeswari Mahimai (Tamil)

1975

Shri Ramanjaneya Yudhamu (Telugu) N T R

Sri Renukadevi Mahathme(Kannada)Rajesh (150th film)

Gunavanthudu (Kannada) Rajes

Shani Prabhava (Kannada)Vishnuvardhan

Katha Sangama (Kannada) G K Govinda Rao

Sree Ram Hanuman Yudh (Hind) N T R

1976

Sri Ram Vanavas (Hindi) Ravi Prasad

Chiranjeevi (Kannada) K Srinath

1977

Babruvahana (Kannada) Rajkumar

Bhagyavantharu (Kannada) Rajkumar

Sree Tirupathi Kshetra Mahathmyam (Telugu) Rajkumar

1978

Daana Veera Shoora Karna (Telugu) NTR

Ellaiamman (Tamil) Rajesh

1980

Sri Raghavendra Karuna (Kannada) Gangadhar

In Eighties

1981 Nammina Thayi Annamma (Kannada)

1983 Rudra Naga (Kannada) Vishnuvardhan

1984 Guru Bhakthi(Kannada)Kalyan Kumar

1984 Thai Thande(Kannada) Kalyan Kumar

1985 Ugra Naagu (Telugu) Vishnuvardhan

1987 Ladies Hostel (Kannada) Rajesh

1988 Thaimel Aanai (Tamil) Arjun

1989 Poovukkul Bhoogambam (Tamil)

1989 Guru (Kannada) Ambarish Srinath

1989 Dharma Devan (Tamil) Murali

1989 Ponmana selvan (Tamil) Vijaykanth, Gemini Ganesan

1990 Oray Thai Oray Kulam (Tamil) Shobana

1990 Bhale Chatura (Kannada) Shankar Nag

In Nineties

1993 Parambhariyam (Tamil) Sivaji Ganesan

1994 Emergency (Kannada) Devaraj

1995 Anuragasangama (Kannada) Ramesh Aravind

1995 Putmalli (Kannada) Bharat,Sai Kumar

1996 Agni I P S (Kannada) Sai Kumar, Ranjitha

1996 Jannai Janma Bhoomi Kannada Vishnuvardhan, Rashika

1997 Once More (Tamil) Sivaji Ganesan, Vijay

1998 Mangala Suitra (Kannada) Rekaha das

2010 Elankathir selvan (Tamil) Kathir

In 2009

Aadhavan (Tamil) Surya Sivakumar, Nayanthara

References

External links

sarojadevi homme page

Devi,Saroja B Category:Tamil actors Category:Kannada film actors Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan Category:People from Karnataka Category:1938 births Category:Living people

Name	Dr. Rajendra Kumar
Birthdate	July 20, 1929
Birthplace	Sialkot, Punjab, British India
Deathplace	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Actor, Producer, Director
Yearsactive	1950-1998 (His Death)
Spouse	Shukla
Children	2 Daughters and son Kumar Gaurav
Deathdate	July 12, 1999

Rajendra Kumar (20 July 1929 - 12 July 1999) was an Indian movie actor, who acted in Bollywood films and was one of the most successful actors in the 1960s and 1970s. He also produced several films in the 1980s starring his son Kumar Gaurav.

Early life

Rajendra Kumar Tuli was born in a Punjabi, Hindu family in Sialkot, in the West Punjab province of British India, currently in Pakistan.

Career

Rajendra Kumar made his debut in the 1950 film Jogan in which he starred opposite Dilip Kumar and Nargis. He then shot to fame in the blockbuster hit Mother India in 1957 in which he played Nargis's son. His first major success as a romantic leading man was in Vijay Bhatt's musical superhit Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959), co-starring Ameeta.

The 1960s saw Rajendra Kumar rose like no other star had risen in which voice of Mohammad Rafi played biggest role. The songs of his film in Mohammed Rafi`s voice used to become mega hit giving movie the fine opening, and there was a time when every film starring him was a silver jubilee hit. There were times when he had six or seven films running in their silver jubilee weeks at the same time. It was a success that was unbelievable and Rajendra Kumar was soon known as "Jubilee Kumar".

He had many successful box office hits including Dhool Ka Phool (1959), Mere Mehboob (1963), Sangam (1964), Arzoo (1965), Suraj (1966) and Ganwaar (1970).. He received Filmfare Nominations as Best Actor for Dil Ek Mandir (1963), Ayee Milan Ki Bela (1964), Arzoo (1965), and as Best Supporting Actor for Sangam (1964). He was considered a golden boy for the movie producers in the sense that he was the actor who could recover the producers' money in a matter of few weeks.

However, the mid-1970s from 1972 onwards proved devastating for Rajendra Kumar due to the phenomenon Rajesh Khanna. Several of his films bombed at the box office, and he was not getting the offers he used to receive earlier. It was the bleakest point in his career as he said in an interview. However, the sunshine came when he was offered an interesting role in the film Saajan Bina Suhaagan opposite Nutan. The film was a huge blockbuster of 1978. Rajendra Kumar had regained his 'Midas Touch'. He then switched from leading roles and played many character roles in the late 1970s and 1980s.

He also starred in a number of Punjabi films like Teri meri ek jindari.

In 1981 Rajendra introduced his son Kumar Gaurav in the film Love Story which he produced, directed and also starred in. The film was declared the blockbuster of 1981. But the success was short-lived as Kumar Gaurav's later films were huge disappointments at the box office and his son's career declined as soon as it began. Rajendra produced several other films starring his son which did not do well. In 1986 he produced Naam with his son and his son's brother-in-law Sanjay Dutt in leading roles which was a box office success but the success was short-lived. His last attempt to revive his son's career was with the 1993 film Phool where he once again acted alongside his son but this film was also a box office failure.

Rajendra appeared in only a few films after this and his last film appearance was a minor role in Deepa Mehta's critically acclaimed film Earth in 1998.

He died on 12 July 1999 of cancer only 8 days before his 70th birthday. He was known to never have taken medicines in his entire life.

Personal life

He married Shukla and had a son Kumar Gaurav also an actor and two daughters. His son married Namrata Dutt, the daughter of actors Sunil Dutt and Nargis and sister of actor Sanjay Dutt.

Rajendra had acted with Sanjay's father and mother Sunil Dutt and Nargis in the blockbuster film Mother India (1957) where both Sunil Dutt and Rajendra Kumar played natural sons of Nargis. He had a special relationship with Sunil Dutt, who is quoted as having said that "Even though Rajendra Kumar did not win any award through out his career, he was one of the most genuine human being I have ever encountered. When I was struggling with the troubles related to the arrest of my son Sanjay Dutt and my house was repeatedly being searched by means of numerous police raids, Rajendra Kumar was the one who came to my rescue by staying at my house and ensuring that raids were conducted using due procedures, false evidences were not planted in the house and valuables were not stolen". He was a gentleman to the true sense of the word -- very disciplined on the film sets and polite with his co-stars. Meena Kumari, the legendary actress paired with him in a number of films. Although, being a major star at the time, he would modestly address Meena Kumari as 'Mem Sahab'. Rajendra Kumar lived his life astutely and conserved his resources very well and was known to be a rich person.

He earned a Ph.D. and became Dr. Rajendra Kumar.

Honours and recognitions

Rajendra Kumar was honoured with the Padma Shri Award in 1969.

He was also conferred with Justice of Peace honour and served as Honorary Magistrate.

He was awarded the National Honour by late Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru simultaneously for “Kanoon” (Hindi) and “Mehandi Rang Lagyo” (Gujarati film).

He received a special Shastri National Award and was associated with several charity schemes.

Awards and nominations

Rajendra kumar nominated for Best Actor category three times. But he did not win a single Filmfare Awrds throughout his career, in spite of his multiplicity of blockbuster movie successes.

Trivia

Father of Kumar Gaurav.

Films started coming his way when he played the role of a son of Nargis in Mother India.

His daughter-in-law (Namrata) is Sunil Dutt's and Nargis Dutt's daughter.

Started as an assistant director before getting a role in Vachan.

Was nicknamed as "Jubilee Kumar" by the trade people because majority of his movies used to do either Silver or Golden Jubilee.

He used to actively participate in campaigning for friend, Sunil Dutt, whenever the latter used to contest for elections.

For the premier of his first movie, Vachan, he was asked if he wanted any seats for his relatives or friends, and thinking that it would be complimentary, he answered ten. After some days when he went to get his fees from the producer's accountant, he was given a lesser amount and when he asked why he was told that the money was deducted for the seats he took for his relatives and friends. He took this lesson as a principle of production and when he produced Naam, he deducted some amount from Amrita Singh's fees for the long calls she had made from Hong Kong to India.

Was best friends with Raj Kapoor, so much so that his son Kumar Gaurav was engaged to the latter's daughter, Reema. As fate would have it, this friendship could not last long after their children broke the engagement.

Filmography

Actor:

Earth (1998) .... Refugee police

Diya Aur Toofan (1995)

"Andaz" (1995) TV series

Phool (1993) .... Dharamraaj

Insaaf Ka Khoon (1991) .... Judge Kumar

Clerk (1989) .... Rahim U. Khan

Main Tere Liye (1988) .... Shiva

Lovers (1983) .... Christian Priest

Rustom (1982) .... J. D. Mehta

Yeh Rishta Na Tootay (1981) .... Police Inspector Vijay Kumar

Saajan Ki Saheli (1981) .... Barrister Avinash Kumar

Love Story (1981) .... Vijay Mehra

Oh Bewafa (1980) .... R.K

Dhan Daulat (1980) .... Raj Saxena

Badla Aur Balidan (1980)

Gunehgaar (1980)

Bin Phere Hum Tere (1979) .... Jagdish Sharma

Saajan Bina Suhagan (1978) .... Raj Kumar

Aahuti (1978) .... CID Inspector Ram Prasad/Rocky

Sone Ka Dil Lohe Ke Haath (1978) .... Shankar

Daku Aur Mahatma (1977)

Do Sholay (1977)

Shirdi Ke Sai Baba (1977) .... Doctor (Pooja's husband)

Mazdoor Zindabaad (1976) (uncredited) .... Ram Singh

Do Jasoos (1975) .... Karamchand Jasoos

Rani Aur Lalpari (1975) .... Rani's dad

Sunehra Sansar (1975) .... Chandrashekhar

Teri Meri Ik Jindri (1975) .... Jaggar Singh Fauji

Do Sher (1974) (as Rajender Kumar)

Dukh Bhanjan Tera Naam (1974) .... Boatsman

Lalkar (The Challenge) (1972) .... Wing Commander Rajan Kapoor

Aan Baan (1972) .... Suraj

Gaon Hamara Shaher Tumhara (1972) .... Brij "Birju" Bhushan

Gora Aur Kala (1972) .... Karan Singh/Kali Singh (Kalua)

Tangewala (1972) .... Rai Bahadur Kishandas/Raju/Dilbahadur Khan

Aap Aye Bahaar Ayee (1971) (as Rajinder Kumar) .... Rohit Kumar Verma

Dharti (1970) .... Bharat

Ganwaar (1970) .... Gopal Rai

Geet (1970) .... Suraj 'Sarju' Kumar

Mera Naam Joker (1970) (as Rajender Kumar) .... Mahender Kumar

Anjaana (1969) .... Raju

Shatranj (1969) (as Rajinder Kumar) .... Jai/Vijay/Shinranz

Talash (1969) .... Raj Kumar 'Raju'

Jhuk Gaya Aasman (1968) (as Rajinder Kumar) .... Sanjay/Tarun Kumar 'Battu' 'Pappu' Saxena

Saathi (1968) .... Ravi

Aman (1967) .... Dr. Gautamdas

Palki (1967) .... Naseem Baig

Suraj (1966) .... Suraj Singh

Arzoo (1965) (as Rajinder Kumar) .... Gopal/Sarju

Ayee Milan Ki Bela (1964) (as Rajinder Kumar) .... Shyam

Sangam (1964) .... Magistrate Gopal Verma

Zindagi (1964) .... Rajendra "Rajan"

Akeli Mat Jaiyo (1963) (as Rajendrakumar) .... Prince Amardeep

Amar Rahe Yeh Pyaar (1963)

Dil Ek Mandir (1963) .... Dr. Dharmesh

Gehra Daag (1963) .... Shanker

Hamrahi (1963) (as Rajender Kumar) .... Shekhar

Mere Mehboob (1963) .... Anwar

Aas Ka Panchhi (1961) .... Rajan 'Raju' Khanna

Dharmputra (1961) (uncredited) .... Special appearance

Gharana (1961) .... Kamal

Pyaar Ka Saagar (1961) .... Kishen Chand Gupta

Sasural (1961) .... Shekhar

Zindagi Aur Khwab (1961) .... Inspector Manoj

Kanoon (1960) .... Advocate Kailash Khanna

Maa Baap (1960) .... Raj Kumar 'Raju'

Mendi Rang Lagyo (1960) .... Anil

Patang (1960) (as Rajender Kumar) .... Dr. Rajan

Chirag Kahan Roshni Kahan (1959) .... Dr. Anand

Dhool Ka Phool (1959) (as Rajinder Kumar) .... Mahesh Kapoor

Do Behnen (1959)

Goonj Uthi Shehnai (1959) .... Kishan

Santan (1959)

Devar Bhabhi (1958)

Ghar Sansar (1958) .... Deepak

Khazanchi (1958) .... Harish Mohan

Talaaq (1958) .... Ravi Shankar Chaube

Mother India (1957) .... Ramu

Ek Jhalak (1957)

Aawaz (1956) .... Ashok

Toofan Aur Deeya (1956) .... Satish Sharma/Master-Ji

Vachan (1955) .... Kishore

Jogan (1950) .... Vijay's friend

Producer:

The Jungle Book (1994) (co-executive producer) (co-producer)

Phool (1993) (producer)

Jurrat (1989) (producer)

Naam (1986) (producer)

Lovers (1983) (producer)

Love Story (1981) (producer)

Miscellaneous Crew:

The Train (1970) (presenter)

Ganwaar (1970) (presenter)

Talash (1969) (presenter)

Phool Aur Patthar (1966) (presenter)

Editor:

Jurrat (1989)

Director:

Love Story (1981)

Soundtrack:

Mere Mehboob (1963) (performer: "Mere Mehboob Tujhe", "Allah Bachaye", "Tere Pyar Mein Dildar", "Janeman Ek Nazar", "Yaad Mein Teri", "Tumse Izhar e Haal", "Mere Mehboob Mein Kya", "Ae Husn Zara Jaag", "Yaad Mein (revival)")

Thanks:

Mera Naam Joker (1970) (acknowledgment) (as Rajender Kumar)

Self:

Raj Kapoor (1987) .... Himself (during funeral)

Star (1982) .... Himself (Guest Appearance)

Shrimanji (1968) .... Himself

Kala Bazar (1960) .... Himself

Archive Footage:

Film Hi Film (1983) (uncredited)

Footnotes

External links

On Rajendra Kumar's Contribution to Indian Cinema

Rajendra Kumar profile at Rediff.com

Category:Indian actors Category:1929 births Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:1999 deaths Category:Indian film directors Category:Indian film producers Category:Hindi film directors Category:People from Sialkot Category:Cancer deaths in India Category:Indian film actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:Gujarati-language films

Region	Pakistani scholar
Era	Modern era
Color	#B0C4DE
Image name	Jgham.jpg
Name	Javed Ahmad Ghamidi
Birth date	April 18, 1951
School tradition	Farahi-Islahi
Main interests	Islamic law and Quranic exegesis
Influences	Amin Ahsan Islahi, Hamiduddin Farahi, Abul Ala Maududi
Notable ideas	Separation of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) from Sharia (Divine law); Clear delineation of rules governing the primary sources of religion; Complete framework for study of Islam

Javed Ahmad Ghamidi (Urdu: جاوید احمد غامدی) (born 1951) is a well-known Pakistani Muslim theologian, Koran scholar and exegete, and educationist. A former member of the Jamaat-e-Islami, who extended the work of his tutor, Amin Ahsan Islahi. Ghamidi is the founder of Al-Mawrid Institute of Islamic Sciences and its sister organization Danish Sara. a constitutional body responsible for giving legal advice on Islamic issues to Pakistan Government and the Parliament. He has also taught at the Civil Services Academy from 1980 until 1991.

Ghamidi's discourse is primarily with the traditionalists on the one end and Jamaat-e-Islami and its seceding groups on the other. Initially, he was more interested in literature and philosophy. Later on, he worked with renowned Islamic scholars like Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi and Amin Ahsan Islahi on various Islamic disciplines particularly exegesis and Islamic law.

Interaction with other Islamic scholars

Ghamidi worked closely with Abul Ala Maududi (alternative spelling Syed Maudoodi; often referred to as Maulana Maududi) (1903–1979) for about nine years before voicing his first differences of opinion, which led to his subsequent expulsion from Mawdudi's political party, Jamaat-e-Islami in 1977. Later, he developed his own view of religion based on hermeneutics and ijtihad under the influence of his mentor, Amin Ahsan Islahi (1904–1997), a well-known exegete of the Indian sub-continent who is author of Tadabbur-i-Qur’an, a Tafsir (exegeses of Qur'an). Ghamidi's critique of Mawdudi's thought is an extension of Wahid al-Din Khan’s criticism of Mawdudi. Khan (1925- ) was amongst the first scholars from within the ranks of Jamaat-e-Islami to present a full-fledged critique of Mawdudi’s understanding of religion. Khan’s contention is that Mawdudi has completely inverted the Qur’anic worldview. Ghamidi, for his part, agreed with Khan that the basic obligation in Islam is not the establishment of an Islamic world order but servitude to God, and that it is to help and guide humans in their effort to fulfill that obligation for which religion is revealed. Therefore, Islam never imposed the obligation on its individual adherents or on the Islamic state to be constantly in a state of war against the non-Islamic world. In fact, according to Ghamidi, even the formation of an Islamic state is not a basic religious obligation for Muslims.

Ideology

Ghamidi’s understanding of Islamic law has been presented concisely in his book Mizan. Ghamidi's inspiration from his mentor, Amin Ahsan Islahi and non-traditionalist approach to the religion has parted him from traditionalist understanding on a number of issues, but he never goes out of the traditional framework. According to him Jihad can only be waged by an organized Islamic state. No person, party or group can take arms into their hands (for the purpose of waging Jihad) under any circumstances. Another corollary, in his opinion, is that death punishment for apostasy was also specifically for the recipients of the same Divine punishment during the Prophet's times—for they had persistently denied the truth of the Prophet's mission even after it had been made conclusively evident to them by God through the Prophet.

The formation of an Islamic state is not a religious obligation per se upon the Muslims. However, he believes that if and when Muslims form a state of their own, Islam does impose certain religious obligations on its rulers as establishment of the institution of salah (obligatory prayer), zakah (mandatory charity), and 'amr bi'l-ma'ruf wa nahi 'ani'l-munkar (preservation and promotion of society's good conventions and customs and eradication of social vices; this, in Ghamidi's opinion, should be done in modern times through courts, police, etc. in accordance with the law of the land which, as the government itself, must be based on the opinion of the majority). While in surah Al-Ahzab, there are special directives for wives of Muhammad and directives given to Muslim women to distinguish themselves when they were being harassed in Medina. The Qur'an has created a distinction between men and women only to maintain family relations and relationships.

Penal laws

The Islamic punishments of hudud (Islamic law) are maximum pronouncements that can be mitigated by a court of law on the basis of extenuating circumstances. The shariah (Divine law) does not stipulate any fixed amount for the diyya (monetary compensation for unintentional murder); the determination of the amount—for the unintentional murder of a man or a woman—has been left to the conventions of society. Rape is hirabah and deserves severe punishments as mentioned in the . It doesn't require four witnesses to register the case as in the case of Zina (Arabic) (consensual sex). Those who were punished by stoning (rajm) in Muhammad's time were also punished under hirabah for raping, sexually assaulting women, and spreading vulgarity in society through prostitution. Just like Quran, Sunnah (the way of the prophet) is only what Muslim nation received through ijma (consensus of companions of the prophet) and tawatur (perpetual adherence of Muslim nation). from the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), Ghamidi's resignation was prompted by the Pakistani government's formation of a separate committee of ulema to review a Bill involving women's rights; the committee was formed after extensive political pressure was applied by the MMA. Ghamidi argued that this was a breach of the CII's jurisdiction, since the very purpose of the council is to ensure that Pakistan's laws do not conflict with the teachings of Islam. He also said that the amendments in the bill proposed by the Ulema committee were against the injunctions of Islam. This event occurred when the MMA threatened to resign from the provincial and national assemblies if the government amended the Hudood Ordinance, which came into being under Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization. The Hudood Ordinances have been criticised for, among other things, insisting upon an exceptionally difficult and dangerous procedure to prove allegations of rape.

Media

Ghamidi had appeared on several TV Channels and appears regularly on dedicated programs. His television audience consists of educated, urban-based middle-class men between the ages of 20-35, as well as lay Islamic intellectuals and professionals. Ghamidi's religiously oriented audience tends to be dissatisfied with the positions of traditional ulema and Western-eudcated secular-liberal elite, and find his interventions and ideas more sensible, moderate, and relevant.

Alif on Geo Tv (In multiple airings)

Ghamidi on Geo Tv (First season while the second season is on schedule)

Live with Ghamidi on AAJ Tv (Usually Q/A format but with occasional special programs)

*AAJ Tv also airs other Islamic programs by Javed Ahmad Ghamidi and his associates.

And other channels like PTV.

Al-Mawrid has video recording setup of its own. http://www.al-mawrid.org/

Ghamidi on the Taliban's Islamism

Ghamidi is one of the Pakistani religious scholars who, from the beginning, has been opposing this kind of Islamism. One of his recent essays on this subject Islam and the Taliban

Bibliography

Primary sources

Al-Mawrid Website

Al-Mawrid International

Al-Mawrid Multimedia

— A comprehensive treatise on the contents of Islam — A dissertation in which contemporary religious thoughts have been critically analyzed -- An annotated translation of the Divine message with a view to unfold its coherence

Secondary Sources

Notes

See also

Al-Mawrid

Dr Muhammad Farooq Khan

Islamic scholars

Amin Ahsan Islahi

Khalid Masud

Mizan

Tadabbur-i-Qur’an

Contemporary Islamic philosophy

Islamism

External links

Profile:

Link for Al-Mawrid website that contains all of the Javed Ahmed Ghamidi lectures:

TV talk shows with Javed Ahmed Ghamidi:

Debate on Hudood Ordinance:

Books written by Ghamidi

Articles available on the internet written by Javed Ahmed Ghamidi.

Ghamidi's criticism on Arm forces in politics (Urdu).

Resignation of Javed Ahmed Ghamidi from CII; The News International

The Fundamentalist Moderate; The Boston Globe

The extremist case for Islamic moderation; Robin Moroney(Columbia University)

An Islamic fundamentalist we can support; Dinesh D'Souza(Stanford University)

Audio and Video debates and lectures:

Ghamidi views on Ahmadiyya/Qadianism

Category:Islamic studies scholars Category:Muslim scholars Category:Pakistani educators Category:Pashtun people Category:Pakistani scholars Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:People from Lahore