Name	Sholay (Embers)
Director	Ramesh Sippy
Producer	G.P. Sippy
Writer	Salim-Javed
Starring	DharmendraAmitabh BachchanHema MaliniSanjeev KumarJaya BhaduriAmjad Khan
Music	Rahul Dev Burman
Distributor	Sippy Films
Released	15 August 1975
Runtime	188 mins
Country	India
Language	Hindi
Budget
Gross

Sholay (Hindi: शोले, Urdu: شعلے, English: Embers) is an Indian film directed by Ramesh Sippy. It is considered among the greatest classic hits in the history of Bollywood, India's Hindi film industry. is the story of two petty criminals hired to capture a ruthless dacoit by the name of Gabbar Singh.

When first released, Sholay opened to a tepid response, but word of mouth convinced movie-goers to give the film a chance, and soon it became a box-office phenomenon. It ran for 286 weeks straight (more than five years) in one Mumbai theatre. Sholay racked up a still-standing record of 60 golden jubilees (50 consecutive weeks) across India. By some accounts, Sholay is the highest grossing film of all time in Indian cinema when inflation is considered.

In 2005, Indiatimes ranked the movie amongst the "Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films". That same year, the judges of the 50th annual Filmfare Awards gave it a special award called Filmfare Best Film of 50 Years.

Plot

The small village of Ramgarh is home to ex-policeman Thakur Baldev Singh (Sanjeev Kumar). The movie begins with Thakur summoning an old colleague and requesting him to track down a pair of small-time thieves he once apprehended in the line of duty. Though the two petty criminals Veeru (Dharmendra) and Jai (Amitabh Bachchan) are notorious, Thakur feels that they would be the ideal men to help him end the tyranny of Gabbar Singh (Amjad Khan) - an infamous dacoit (bandit) wanted by the authorities for a Rs 50,000 reward. After scenes showing how the three fought together during a train robbery attempt, and how the criminals often get in and out of jail, Veeru and Jai are found and brought to Ramgarh. They are told by Thakur that they are to bring Gabbar to him alive for Rs 20,000, plus the Rs 50,000 reward.

Later, three of Gabbar's enforcers arrive in Ramgarh to collect supplies from the defenseless villagers. This time, however, they go back empty-handed, due to Veeru and Jai's intervention. The villagers show their gratitude by hailing their new heroes.

In Gabbar's camp, the tyrant interrogates the three men he sent to Ramgarh about why they were defeated by only two men. His psychotic nature is shown when he subjects his men to a twisted version of Russian roulette, but eventually shoots the three men dead.

Gabbar's attacks Ramgarh on Holi, and in a tough battle, Veeru and Jai meet their match and are held at gunpoint. With his two recruits facing death, Thakur has a chance to throw a gun to Veeru. Instead of helping, Thakur simply stands watching. With quick thinking, Veeru and Jai manage to save their lives. They then state their intentions to walk away from Ramgarh, leaving the villagers to defend themselves, due to Thakur's cowardice. Before they can, Thakur tells them the real reason of why he wants Gabbar and why he could not help them.

Some time ago, Thakur had caught Gabbar and had him imprisoned only for the dacoit to escape and plot an evil revenge against him. Gabbar made his way to Thakur's home and killed his two sons, daughter, elder daughter-in-law and his only grandson. The only person in the family to survive this massacre was Thakur's younger daughter-in-law, Radha (Jaya Bhaduri). Thakur tracked down Gabbar, but this time the tyrant held the upper hand thanks to his gang, and cut off both of Thakur's arms. Thakur had hidden this disability from Veeru and Jai, but now it was clear why he could not physically help them.

Living in Ramgarh, the cynical young Jai and lively Veeru find themselves growing fond of the villagers, especially two girls. Veeru is attracted to Basanti (Hema Malini), a feisty, talkative young woman who makes her living driving a horse-cart. However, Basanti's aunt, thanks to Jai's meddling, is reluctant to let Veeru marry her niece. Only after Veeru drunkenly swears that he will commit suicide by jumping off a water tower does she agree to let him marry Basanti. Jai is drawn to Radha, the Thakur's reclusive widowed daughter-in-law, who very subtly returns his affections. Thakur's servant, Ramlaal, tells of when Radha used to be full of life and color until the day Gabbar killed her husband. After discussing it with Radha's father, Thakur agrees that she can marry Jai.

When a young boy is killed while trying to leave town, Veeru and Jai fight back and send a message to Gabbar by killing four of his men. Gabbar, angered by this, swears death on Jai, Veeru, Thakur, and all of Ramgarh.

The battle approaches its climax when Basanti and Veeru are captured and Jai follows. Veeru and Basanti escape while Jai holds back the dacoits from a distance with a rifle. Once they are safe, Jai slowly draws back and heads for his friends, only to be wounded grievously by a bullet as he is running away. Jai is reunited with Veeru and Basanti and they realize they are running out of ammunition. As Veeru is unaware of Jai's wound, Jai orders him to go back to the village where he can take Basanti and then return with some ammunition.

Jai, slowly dying and with only a few bullets, manages to fend off advances by the bandits, and takes out most of Gabbar's men. Veeru returns to find Jai dying and sadly talks with him before he dies in his arms. Some of the villagers rush to the scene, including Radha, who once again must endure the anguish of losing someone.

Veeru becomes hell-bent on revenge and goes after Gabbar. He catches Gabbar and beats him up badly, when Thakur appears and reminds him of the promise to bring Gabbar to him alive. Thakur reveals his spike-soled shoes, made to make Gabbar beg for a quick death. Gabbar is kicked around by Thakur but is saved in the nick of time by the police, who tell Thakur that Gabbar must be arrested and dealt with by the law. As Gabbar is taken away, Thakur is denied vengeance, but knows that Ramgarh is free once again.

In the alternate ending to the film, Gabbar actually dies as he is kicked into a spike that is protruding from the posts where Thakur's arms were cut off. Thakur then falls to his knees and is comforted by Veeru. Thakur then begins to cry which he did not do even when his family was killed.

The movie drew heavily from the conventions of Western films, especially Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Westerns, such as Once Upon a Time in the West, and John Sturges' film The Magnificent Seven, itself being a remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1954 film, Seven Samurai. Some plot elements were also borrowed from the Indian films Mera Gaon Mera Desh and Khote Sikkay.

The character of Gabbar Singh was modeled on a real-life dacoit of the same name who menaced the villages around Gwalior in the 1950s. He terrorized the local police. Any policeman captured by the real Gabbar Singh had his ears and nose cut off, and was then released as an object lesson to other policemen.

Casting

Sippy at first wanted Shatrughan Sinha to play the part of Jai, but Amitabh Bachchan lobbied hard to get the part for himself. The producers wanted Danny Denzongpa to play the bandit chief, but he was committed to Feroz Khan's Dharmatma. Amjad Khan was a second choice. Khan prepared to play the bandit chief Gabbar Singh by reading a book titled Abar Abhishapta Chambal, which told of the exploits of Chambal dacoits. The book was written by Taroon Kumar Bhaduri, the father of Jaya Bhaduri.

During the film's production, four of the leads became romantically involved.

Filming

The film was a lavish production for its time. It took two and a half years to make, and went Rs. 300,000 over budget. One reason for its high cost was that Ramesh Sippy re-filmed scenes many times to get his desired effect. The "Yeh dosti" sequence took 21 days to shoot while two short scenes where Radha is lighting lamps took 20 days due to lighting problems. Another shoot for the scene in which Gabbar kills the son of the Imam lasted 19 days. The train robbery sequence, shot on the Mumbai-Pune railway route near Panvel, took more than 7 weeks to shoot.

Much of the film is set in the rocky terrain of Ramanagaram, a village near Bangalore, Karnataka. The filmmakers had to build a road from the Bangalore highway to Ramanagaram for convenient access to the sets. One part of Ramanagaram town was renamed "Sippynagar" after the director of the movie. Even to this day, a visit to the "Sholay rocks" (where the movie was shot) is offered to tourists traveling through Ramanagaram (on the road between Bangalore and Mysore), and plans are being made to build a resort in the area.

Sholay was the first Indian movie to have a stereophonic soundtrack, and to be presented in the 70 mm widescreen format. Director Ramesh Sippy said, }}

Alternate versions

An alternate director's cut of Sholay, where Gabbar Singh dies at the end, was not shown in theaters but was later released on video. Also there are some additional scenes with some different dialogues. Gabbar's death scene, and the scene in which the imam's son is killed were cut from the film by the Censor Board, as was the scene in which Thakur's family is killed. The DVD packaging does not always state clearly which version is inside. Filmfare said that the film was an unsuccessful mincing of Western style with Indian milieu, making it a "imitation western—neither here nor there." On the film's 35th anniversary, the Hindustan Times said that it was a "trailblazer in terms of camera work as well as music," and that "practically every scene, dialogue or even a small character was a highlight." In the obituary of the director, The New York Times said that Sholay "revolutionized Hindi filmmaking and brought true professionalism to Indian script writing".

Sholay earned about Rs. 15 crore rupees in its first run, equivalent to over US$ 3 million, which was many times its Rs. 2 crore budget.

Awards

When it was first released, Sholay was nominated for several Filmfare Awards but only won a single one: film editor M. S. Shinde won for Best Editing. He had edited 300,000 feet of film into 20,000 feet of theatrical release. After the censors mandated cuts, the film was 18,000 feet and ran for 3 hours and 20 minutes. Although the film did not received any of the major awards when it was released, at the 50th Filmfare Awards it received a special award as the Best Film of 50 Years.

It also won the following at the Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards (Hindi section):

Best Actor in Supporting Role - Amjad Khan

Best Cinematographer (Colour) - Dwarka Divecha

Best Art Director - Ram Yadekar

Sholay has received more honors in the years that followed. It was declared "Film of the Millennium" by BBC India and in internet polls in 1999, and in 2002 topped the British Film Institute's poll of "Top 10 Indian Films" of all time. In 2006, Sholay was voted best film in Iran.

Soundtrack

Name	Sholay
Type	Soundtrack
Artist	R. D. Burman
Cover	Sholay CD cover.jpg
Released
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Length
Label	Universal Music India Pvt. Ltd.

R. D. Burman composed the music for the film, and the lyrics were given by Anand Bakshi. It is revered as one of the best Hindi soundtracks.

Among the songs, two versions of "Yeh Dosti" were released, an extended version which was cited as the 'happy version' and a shorter one called the 'sad version'. "Yeh Dosti" has been called the perfect friendship song. This song was remixed in the 2010 Malayalam film Four Friends.

The song "Mehbooba Mehbooba", performed and composed by Burman, is often featured on Bollywood hit song compilations. The song has been highly anthologized, remixed, and recreated. A notable recent version is one created by the Kronos Quartet for their Grammy-nominated album You've Stolen My Heart. However, "Mehbooba Mehbooba" is itself said to be inspired by a song from Demis Roussos called "Say You Love Me".

Legacy

Sholay has inspired many imitations, in cinema and television, and has spawned a whole sub-genre of films, the "Curry Western", which is a play on the term Spaghetti Western. Sholay is also considered the most important of the early Masala films, which popularized this genre in India. The film was also a watermark for scriptwriters, who until Sholay were not paid very well. Film scriptwriting has become a more respected and lucrative profession since then.

Comedian Jagdeep, who played Soorma Bhopali in the film, also attempted to capitalize on his Sholay success; he directed and played the lead role in the 1988 film Soorma Bhopali; Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan also played cameos.

The last attempt to trade on Sholay's fame was Ram Gopal Varma's film Aag (2007), which was pulled from theaters after two weeks. Aag was originally also called Ram Gopal Varma Ki Sholay and was apparently meant to be a tribute to and "in the spirit of Sholay." The name was changed to Aag after legal action was taken by the makers of the original Sholay. Amitabh Bachchan played the villain, Babban Singh.

Due to television, VCRs, and DVDs, Sholay is widely available and still extremely popular. In the year 1996, Sholay was first shown on the Indian government-run Doordarshan television channel; streets were virtually empty during the show.

Sholay has been the subject of at least two books. Wimal Dissanayake and Malti Sahai's Sholay, a cultural reading (1992), attempts a comprehensive scholarly study that sets the film within the broader history of popular cinema in India. Anupama Chopra's Sholay, the making of a classic (2000) is an inside look at the film's production, based on interviews with the director, stars, and crew members. Anupama Chopra, who wrote one of the books on the film, while attending the screening was quoted as saying, }}

References

Further reading

External links

Sholay at Bollywood Hungama

Sholay 30th Annivesary site at BBC Asian Network

Category:1975 films Category:Hindi-language films Category:Epic films Category:Indian films Category:Compositions by Rahul Dev Burman

Name	Dharmendra
Caption	All India Jat Mahasabha Centenary Celebrations 2007, Seen in the image are Dharmendra, Dara Singh and Kamal Patel
Birth name	Dharminder Singh Deol
Birth date	December 08, 1935
Occupation	Actor, Producer, Politician
Birth place	Phagwara, Punjab, India
Origin	Sahnewal, Ludhiana
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Birthname	Dharmendra Singh Deol
Spouse	Prakash Kaur (1954-present) Hema Malini (1980- present)
Children	Sunny Deol (Ajay Singh Deol) Bobby Deol (Vijay Singh Deol) Esha Deol Ahana Deol Ajeita Deol Vijeta Deol
Religion	Sikhism
Date	October 8
Year	2010
Source	http://164.100.24.209/newls/homepage.aspx?mpsno=4003 Link
Othername	Dharminder

Dharmendra Singh Deol (, born 8 December 1935 in Punjab), better known as Dharmendra, is an award-winning legendary Hindi film star who has appeared in more than 247 Hindi-language films upto 2011. In 1997 he received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Hindi cinema. He is regarded as the Undisputed "Action King" of Hindi cinema having starred in numerous action blockbusters and is greatly considered a living legend. He is father of notable actors Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and Esha Deol. He was the main lead of the all-time blockbuster film, Sholay (1975) and also went on to star in numerous successful Bollywood films cutting across four decades. Dharmendra has thus established himself as one of the most prominent figures of the Hindi film industry.

Early life

He was born into a Punjabi family in the Kapurthala district of Punjab state to Kewal Kishan Singh Deol and Satwant Kaur. He spent his early life at village Sahnewal, Ludhiana. His father was a school headmaster in the village of Lalton Ludhiana where the family later moved. At the peak of his film career he was considered the most handsome actor in Bollywood and a matinée idol. He was a member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India representing Bikaner constituency in Rajasthan from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He was awarded the Lifetime achievement award for his contribution to Hindi cinema at the 2007 IIFA Awards.

Film career

Dharmendra won the Filmfare new talent award and came to Mumbai from Punjab looking for work. Starting with Arjun Hingorani's Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere (1960), he worked in several romantic black and white films in the early 1960s, hitting solo hero stardom with Phool Aur Patthar (1966). At the start of his career, he was usually cast as a romantic hero and later in the period from 1974 onwards as an action hero. He starred with several leading actresses at the beginning of his career. He worked with Nutan in Soorat Aur Seerat (1962) and Bandini (1963), Mala Sinha in Anpadh (1962) and Pooja Ke Phool (1964), Saira Banu in Shaadi (1962) and Ayee Milan Ki Bela (1964) and with Meena Kumari in Main Bhi Ladki Hoon (1964), Kaajal (1965), Poornima (1965) and Phool Aur Paththar (1966).

Phool Aur Paththar became the highest grossing film of 1966 and Dharmendra received his first Filmfare nomination for Best Actor. He formed a very successful pairing with actresses like Meena Kumari, Saira Banu, Sharmila Tagore, Mumtaz, Asha Parekh, Parveen Babi, Zeenat Aman and Hema Malini. His most successful pairing was with Hema Malini, who went on to become his future wife. and Sholay, where he appeared as the inimitable Veeru. Dharmendra went on to star in numerous successful Bollywood films in the 1970s and 80s like Pratigya, Dharam Veer, Charas, Azaad, Katilon Ke Kaatil, Ghazab, Bhagavat, Dharam Aur Kanoon, Hukumat, Watan Ke Rakhwale, Aag Hi Aag, Ghulami, Hathyar and Loha.

He has worked with various directors, each having different styles in their film-making, like Bimal Roy and Mohan Kumar in drama films, Yash Chopra and Raghunath Jhalani in romance films, Raj Khosla, Ramesh Sippy, Arjun Hingorani, Anil Sharma and Rajkumar Santoshi in action films and Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Basu Chatterji and Rajkumar Kohli in comedy films. He also has the distinction of appearing in quite a few films opposite actresses who have also starred opposite his son Sunny Deol. Notable amongst those are Sridevi in Naaka Bandi, Jaya Prada in Elaan-E-Jung, Dimple Kapadia in Shehzaade, Amrita Singh in Sachai Ki Taaqat, Kimi Katkar in Humlaa and Poonam Dhillon in Sone Pe Suhaaga.

He has also periodically done films in his native tongue of Punjabi, starring in Do Sher (1974), Dukh Bhanjan Tera Naam (1974), Teri Meri Ik Jindri (1975), Putt Jattan De (1982) and Qurbani Jatt Di (1990). Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, he continued to appear in many more films playing leading roles or supporting roles. In 1997, he received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award. While receiving the award from Dilip Kumar and his wife Saira Banu, Dharmendra became emotional and remarked that he never received any Filmfare award in the Best Actor category despite having worked in so many successful films and nearly a hundred popular movies. He was glad that his contributions had finally been recognized. Speaking on the occasion Dilip Kumar commented, "Whenever I get to meet with God Almighty I will set before Him my only complaint-why did You not make me as handsome as Dharmendra?".

He has also experimented with film production; he launched both of his sons in films: Sunny Deol in Betaab (1983) and Bobby Deol in Barsaat (1995) as well as his nephew Abhay Deol in Socha Na Tha (2005). In one of her interviews, actress Priety Zinta has been quoted as saying that Dharmendra is her favourite actor. She has gone on to recommend him to play her father's role in Har Pal (2008).

After a few years hiatus from acting since the early 2000s, he is reappearing in films as a character actor. His 2007 films Life in a Metro and Apne were both successful at the box office. In the latter, he appears with both his sons, Sunny and Bobby for the first time. His other release was Johnny Gaddaar, where he played a villainous role. His latest film Yamla Pagla Deewana co-starring his sons Sunny and Bobby was released on January 14, 2011.

Political career

Dharmendra has also been active in politics. He was elected as a Member of the Parliament in the 2004 general elections, from Bikaner in Rajasthan, on a Bharatiya Janata Party ticket. During his election campaign, he made an ironic remark that he should be elected Dictator Perpetuus to teach "basic etiquette that democracy requires" for which he was severely criticized. Dharmendra has rarely attended the Parliament when the house was in session, preferring to spend the time shooting for movies or doing farm-work at his farm house. He has also not participated in any debates or raised any queries. Along with actor Govinda, Dharmendra has been criticised for ignoring his duties as a Member of Parliament.

Personal life

Dharmendra maintained two relationships at same time. His first marriage was to Prakash Kaur at the age of 19 in 1954. His second marriage took place with actress Hema Malini. They are said to have fallen in love on the set of Sholay (1975) although they had made films together before. He married Hema while he was still married to his first wife Prakash Kaur.

From his first marriage, he has two sons, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol who are also successful actors, and two daughters named Vijeta and Ajeeta. It was revealed by Amitabh Bachchan after their marriage that on the sets of Sholay, Dharmendra paid Rs. 20 each times to the light boys who were asked to disturb the scene while Dharmendra teaching Hema Malini how to try a revolver. So more than Rs. 2000 were given to the light boys for hugging Hema at his will. From his second marriage to Hema Malini, Dharmendra has two daughters Esha Deol, who is an actress and Ahana Deol. Dharmendra was also romantically involved with his Phool Aur Patthar co-star Meena Kumari.

Dharmendra has gone on record saying he does not believe that the Mumbai film industry is a place suitable for girls. He was unperturbed by his sons Sunny and Bobby joining the industry, but was vocal about his displeasure regarding his daughter Esha's choice of profession. He has received the World Iron Man award.

He has also received a Special Award for "contribution in Indian Cinema" at the Kalakar Awards.

He is a recipient of the prestigious "Living Legend Award" by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the Indian entertainment industry. In 2003 he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Sansui Viewers' Choice Movie Awards. In 2004, he was honoured for Best Contribution to Indian Cinema.

In 2005, he received the Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement.

In 2007, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Pune International Film Festival (PIFF).

In 2007, he received an IIFA Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 2007, he received an award for Humanitarian Services to the Indian Nation. In 2007, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement award by DBR Entertainment. In 2007, the Punjabi newspaper Quami Ekta honoured him for his contributions to the Indian cinema. In 2008, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 10th Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image International Film (M.A.M.I). In 2009, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Nashik International Film Festival (NIFF). In 2010, he was honoured as the Big Star Entertainer for his 50 years of excellence at the Big Star Entertainment Awards. In 2011, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Apsara Film and Television Producers Guild Awards.

Filmography

Subway to Nowhere (1955)

1960s

Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere (1960)

''Shola Aur Shabnam(1961)

Boy Friend (1961) ….

Soorat Aur Seerat (1962)

Shaadi (1962)

Anpadh (1962)

Begaana (1963)

Bandini (1963) (as

Pooja Ke Phool (1964) ….

Mera Qasoor Kya Hai (1964)

Main Bhi Ladki Hoon (1964)

Haqeeqat (1964) ….

Ganga Ki Lahren (1964)

Ayee Milan Ki Bela (1964) (

Aap Ki Parchhaiyan (1964) ….

Purnima (1965)

Neela Aakash (1965) ….

Kaajal (1965) ….

Chand Aur Suraj (1965)

Akashdeep (1965)

Phool Aur Patthar (1966) ….

Mohabbat Zindagi Hai (1966) ….

Mamta (1966) ….

Dil Ne Phir Yaad Kiya (1966)

Devar (1966)

Baharen Phir Bhi Aayengi (1966) ….

Anupama (1966) …. Ashok

Aaye Din Bahar Ke (1966)

Majhli Didi (1967) ….

Jab Yaad Kisi Ki Aati Hai (

Ghar Ka Chiraag (1967)

Dulhan Ek Raat Ki (1967) .

Chandan Ka Palna (1967) ….

Shikar (1968

Mere Hamdam Mere Dost (1968) …. Sunil

Izzat (1968)

Baharon Ki Manzil

Baazi (1968)

Aankhen (1968) …. Sunil

Yakeen (1969) ….

Satyakam (1969)

Pyar Hi Pyar (1969) ….

Aya Sawan Jhoom Ke (1969)

Aadmi Aur Insaan (1969) ….

Khamoshi (1969) …. Mr. Dev (Pat

Aadmi aur Insaan (1969) ….

1970s

Tum Haseen Main Jawaan (1970) ….Sunil

Sharafat (1970) …. Rajesh

Mera Naam Joker (1970) …. Mahender

Kankan De Ole (1970) …. Banta Singh

Kab? Kyoon? Aur Kahan? (1970) …. CID Inspector Anand

Jeevan Mrityu (1970) …. Ashok Tandon/Bikram Singh

Ishq Par Zor Nahin (1970)

Rakhwala (1971)...Deepak

Naya Zamana (1971) …. Anoop

Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971) …. Ajit

Guddi (1971)Dharmendra himself

Seeta Aur Geeta (1972) …. Raka

Samadhi (1972) …. Lakhan Singh/Ajay (double role)

Raja Jani (1972) …. Rajkumar Singh

Lalkaar (1972) …. Major Ram Kapoor

Anokha Milan (1972) …. Ghanshyam "Ghana"

Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973) …. Shankar

Phagun (1973)

Keemat (1973) …. Mr. Gopal (Agent 116)

Kahani Kismat Ki (1973) …. Ajit Sharma

Jugnu (1973) …. Ashok/Jugnu

Black Mail (1973/I) …. Kailash Gupta

Loafer (1973) …. Ranjit

Jheel Ke Us Paar challenge (1973) …. Sameer Rai

Jwar Bhata (1973)

Reshma Ki jawani (1974)

Patthar Aur Payal (1974) …. Ranjeet Singh

Dukh Bhanjan Tera Naam (1974)

Do Sher (1974)

Dost (1974) …. Maanav

International Crook (1974) …. Shekar

Teri Meri Ik randwi (1975)

Saazish (1975)

Pratigya (1975) …. Ajit Singh

Kahte Hain Mujhko Raja (1975)

Ek Mahal Ho Sapnon Ka (1975)

Dhoti Lota Aur Chowpatty (1975) …. Madman

Chupke Chupke (1975) …. Dr. Parimal Tripathi/Pyare Mohan

Chaitali (1975)

Apne Dushman (1975) …. Brijesh

Sholay (1975) …. Veeru

Santo Banto (1976)

Charas (1976) …. Suraj Kumar

Tinku (1977)

Swami (1977)

Mit Jayenge Mitane Wale (1977)

Kinara (1977)

Khel Khiladi Ka (1977) …. Shaki Lutera/Raja Saab/Ajit

Dream Girl (1977) …. Anupam Verma

Do sholay gaaf mein daale (1977)

Do Chehere (1977) …. Kanwar Pran (Drunkard)/C.I.D. S.P. Shukla

Dharam Veer (1977) …. Dharam Singh

Charandas (1977)

Chala Murari Hero Banne (1977)

Chacha Bhatija (1977) …. Shanker

Shalimar / ''Raiders of Shalimar (1978) …. S.S. Kumar

Phandebaaz (1978)

Dillagi (1978)

Azaad (1978) …… Ashok (Azaad)

Dil Kaa Heera (1979)

Kartavya (1979)

1980s

Ram Balram (1980) …. Ram/

The Burning Train (1980) …. Ashok singh

Chunaoti (1980)

Alibaba Aur 40 Chor (1980) …. Ali-Baba

Insaaf Ka Tarazu (1980) …. Soldier (Guest Appearance)

Putt Jattan De (1981) …. Chaudhary Dharam Singh

Professor Pyarelal (1981) …. Ram/Professor Pyarelal

Krodhi (1981) …. Vikramjit Singh/Acharya Shradhanand (Vicky)

Katilon Ke Kaatil (1981) …. Ajit/Badshah

Aas Paas (1981) …. Arun Choudhury

Naseeb (1981)

Teesri Aankh (1982)

Samraat (1982)

Main Intequam Loonga (1982) …. Kumar Agnihotri 'Bitto'

Ghazab (1982) …. Ajay Singh 'Munna'/ Vijay singh (double role)

Do Dishayen (1982)

Baghawat (1982) …. Sandeep Kumar Rohilla

Badle Ki Aag (1982) …. Sher Singh 'Shera'

Rajput (1982) …. Manu Pratap Singh

Meharbaani (1982)

Razia Sultan (Movie) (1983) …. Yakut Jamaluddin

Naukar Biwi Ka (1983) …. Deepak Kumar/Raja

Jaani Dost (1983)

Andha Kanoon (1983) …. Truck Driver (Guest Appearance)

Qayamat (1983)

Sunny (1984) …. Inderjeet

Ranjhan Mera Yaar (1984)

Raaj Tilak (1984) …. Zohravar Singh

Jeene Nahi Doonga (1984)…. Shaka

Jagir (1984) …. Shankar

The Gold Medal (1984)

Dharam Aur Kanoon (1984) …. Rahim Khan

Baazi (1984) …. Ajay

Insaaf Kaun Karega (1984)

Jhootha Sach (1984)

Karishma Kudrat Kaa (1985) …. Vijay/Karan (double role)

Ghulami (1985) …. Ranjit Singh

Sitamgar (1985)

Saveray Wali Gaadi (1986)

Mohabbat Ki Kasam (1986) …. Shop-owner

Main Balwan (1986) …. Inspector Chowdhury

Sultanat (1986) …. General Khalid

Watan Ke Rakhwale (1987)

Mera Karam Mera Dharam (1987) …. Ajay Shankar Sharma

Mard Ki Zabaan (1987)

Insaaf Ki Pukar (1987)

Dadagiri (1987) …. Dharma (Dada)

Aag Hi Aag (1987) …. Sher Singh

Insaniyat Ke Dushman (1987) …. Insp. Shekhar Kapoor

Loha (1987) …Amar

Hukumat (1987) …. Arjun Singh

Jaan Hatheli Pe (1987) …. Soni

Zalzala (1988) …. Inspector Shiv Kumar

Soorma Bhopali (1988)

Sone Pe Suhaaga (1988) …. Vikram/CBI Officer Ashwini Kumar

Saazish (1988)

Khatron Ke Khiladi (1988) …. Balwant

Mardon Wali Baat (1988) …. Yadvinder Singh

Mahaveera (1988) …. Ajay Verma

Paap Ko Jalaa Kar Raakh Kar Doonga (1988) …. Shankar

Ganga Tere Desh Mein (1988) …. Cobra/Vijay Nath

Sachai Ki Taqat (1989) …. Havaldar Ram Singh

Nafrat Ki Aandhi (1989) …. Sonu

Hathyar (1989) …. Khushal Khan

Kasam Suhaag Ki (1989)

Ilaaka (1989) …. Inspector Dharam Verma

Batwara (1989) …. Sumer Singh

Elaan-E-Jung (1989)

Sikka (1989) …. Vijay

Shehzaade (1989) …. Subedhar Zorawar Singh/Inspector Shankar Shrivastav (double role)

1990s

Veeru dada (1990) …. Veeru dad (siddhartha barbarity)

Vardi (1990) …. Havaldar Bhagwan Singh

Qurbani Jatt Di (1990)

Pyaar Ka Karz (1990)

Nakabandi (1990)

Humse Na Takrana (1990)

Trinetra (1991) …. Raja

Mast Kalandar (1991)

Kohraam (1991)

Hag Toofan (1991)

Farishtay (1991) …. Veeru

Paap Ki Aandhi (1991) …. Dharma/Mangal (double role)

Dushman Devta (1991) …. Shiva

Zulm Ki Hukumat (1992) …. Pitamber Kohli

Waqt Ka Badshah (1992)

Tahalka (1992)

Virodhi (1992) …. Inspector Shekhar

Khule-Aam (1992) …. Shiva

Humlaa (1992) …. Bhawani

Kal Ki Awaz (1992)

Agnee Morcha (1993)

Kundan (1993)

Kshatriya (1993) …. Maharaj Prthivi Singh (Surjangarh)

Maha Shaktishaali (1994)

Jodh Juaari (1994)

Policewala Gunda (1995)

Maidan-E-Jung (1995) …. Shankar

Aazmayish (1995) …. Shanker Singh Rathod

Taaqat (1995) …. Shakti Singh

Hum Sab Chor Hain (1995)

Veer (1995)

Smuggler (1996)

Return of Jewel Thief (1996) …. Police Commissioner Surya Dev Singh

Himmatvar (1996) …. Sultan

Aatank (1996) …. Jesu

Mafia (1996) …. Fauji Ajit Singh

Loha (1997) …. Shankar

''Jeeo shaan se (1997)…….triple role

Gundagardi (1997)

Dharma Karma (1997) …. Dharma

Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya (1998) …. Thakur Ajay Singh (Chacha)

Zulm O Situm (1998) …. SP. Arun

Nyaydaata (1999) …. DCP Ram

2000s

Sultaan (2000)…. Sultan Singh

Meri Jung Ka Elaan (2000) …. Ajit Singh

Jallad No. 1 (2000) …. Shankar

Bhai Thakur (2000)

Kaise Kahoon Ke Pyaar Hai (2003)

TADA (2003) …. Balraj Singh Rana

Hum Kaun Hai? (2004) …. Virendra 'Viru' (Guest Appearance)

Kis Kis Ki Kismat (2004) …. Hasmukh Mehta

Metro (2007) …. Amol

Apne (2007) ….. Baldev Singh Chaudhary

Johnny Gaddaar (2007) ….. Sheshadri

Om Shanti Om 2007 …. Himself in song Deewangi Deewangi

Har Pal (2009)… Baba

2010s

Yamala Pagla Deewana (2011) - Dharam Singh

References

External links

Category:14th Lok Sabha members Category:1935 births Category:Bharatiya Janata Party politicians Category:Indian Sikhs Category:Indian film actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Indian film producers Category:Jat people Category:Living people Category:People from Mumbai Category:Indian actors Category:Indian actor-politicians Category:Punjabi people

Birth name	Hema Malini R. Chakravarty
Name	Hema Malini
Birth date	October 16, 1948
Birth place	Ammankudi, Tamil Nadu, India
Spouse	Dharmendra (1980-present)
Years active	1961 – present
Occupation	Actress, Director and Producer

Hema Malini (; ) (born 16 October 1948) is an Indian actress, director and producer, as well as a Bharatanatyam dancer-choreographer. Making her acting debut in Sapno Ka Saudagar (1968), she went on to appear in numerous successful Bollywood films, most notably those with actor and future-husband Dharmendra. She was initially promoted as "Dream Girl", and in 1977 starred in a film of the same name. During this period, she established herself as one of Hindi cinema's leading actresses, noted for both her comic and dramatic roles, and her accomplished classical dancing.

Malini is one of the most successful female filmstars in the history of Indian cinema. Appearing in over 150 films in a career span of 40 years, she has starred in a large number of hit films, and her performances in both commercial and arthouse cinema, were often recognised. She now spends most of her time involved in charitable and social ventures, though she still makes occasional appearances in films. In 2000, she was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India.

Early life

Hema Malini Chakravarty was born in Ammangudi, Tamil Nadu, India, to V.S.R.Chakravarty and Jaya Chakravarthy. Her mother was a film producer. Hema Malini's mother tongue is Tamil.

Career

Hema Malini was educated at Chennai. She acted in a short episode as dancer in Pandava Vanavasam, a 1961 Telugu film. Hema first tried to enter films in 1964, but was rejected; Tamil director Sridhar said she had no star appeal. She persisted and found her niche in Bollywood. She debuted in a 1968 film Sapnon Ka Saudagar ("The Dreamseller"), playing a young teen opposite the ageing superstar Raj Kapoor. With Dev Anand in Johnny Mera Naam (1970), Hema became a top star. She worked with him again in other films as well, with the latest being Aman Ke Farishtey (2003). Hema double-roled with Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar in 1972s Seeta Aur Geeta as the top female star in Bollywood. She became one of the reigning divas of the Bollywood film industry, and her fans called her The Dream Girl of Bollywood (an allusion to the movie of the same name where she starred opposite Dharamendra).

Hema starred in many movies throughout the 1970s and 1980s and is perhaps best remembered for her glamour, style, and accomplished classical dancing. She formed a hit pair with Dharmendra, and the duo performed a number of hit movies like Sholay, Charas, Aas Paas, Jugnu, Seeta Aur Geeta, The Burning Train. She also achieved some strong dramatic or comic moments in films like Trishul, Joshila, Lal Patthar, Meera, Khushboo and Kinara.

After taking a long break from films for a number of years in the 1990s and early 2000s, Hema has recently made a comeback of sorts. She co-starred with Amitabh Bachchan in the successful film Baghban (2003), and played a cameo role (also opposite Bachchan) in the 2004 blockbuster Veer-Zaara. In both films, she played a self-possessed, old married woman rather than the ingenuinee roles of her earlier career.

She tried her hand at directing and made the 1992 film Dil Aashna Hai which featured an all-star cast including Shahrukh Khan and the late Divya Bharti. She also directed and starred in the TV serial Noopur, in which she was depicted as a Bharatanatyam dancer going to America.

Personal life

She is a dedicated Bharatanatyam artiste, a classical dance of India. Her two daughters have trained in the same dance form and the three have performed together at several charity dance concerts.

Top Bollywood stars like Sanjeev Kumar and Jeetendra proposed to her, but she married Dharmendra on 2 May 1980.

Awards, honours and recognitions

Filmfare Awards

Won

1973 – Filmfare Best Actress Award, Seeta Aur Geeta

1999 – Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award

Nominated

1974 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Amir Garib

1974 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Prem Nagar

1975 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Khushboo

1975 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Sanyasi

1976 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Mehbooba

1977 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Kinara

1979 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Meera

1981 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Naseeb

1990 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Rihaee

2003 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Baghban

Other Awards

1998 – Guest of Honour Award at the 18th Ujala Cinema Express Awards

2003 – Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement

2003 – Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1, Baghban (with Amitabh Bachchan)

2003 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bollywood Movie Awards.

2004 – Bollywood Movie Award – Most Sensational Actress for Baghban.

2004 – Sports World's "Jodi of the Year" along with Amitabh Bachchan for Baghban 2004 – Icon of the year 2009 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the 7th Pune International Film Festival (PIFF)

Honours

2000 – Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award from the Government of India.

2004 – "Living Legend Award" by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in recognition of her contribution to the Indian entertainment industry. 2007 - Rashtrabhushan Award From FIE Foundation Ichalkaranji 2007 – The 2007 Bangkok International Film Festival screened several films starring Hema Malini in a special tribute programme. 2008 – Honoured for her contribution to classical dance.

Selected filmography

Sadiyaan (2010)

Gangotri (2007)

Laaga Chunari Mein Daag (2007)

Baabul (2006)

Ganga (2006)

Bhagmati (2005)

Veer-Zaara (2004)

Baghban (2003)

Aman Ke Farishtey (2003)

Censor (2001)

Hey Ram (2000)

References

Further reading

External links

Category:Indian dancers Category:Indian vegetarians Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian television actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:Hindi film directors Category:Indian film producers Category:Tamil actors Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:People from Tamil Nadu Category:Bharatiya Janata Party politicians Category:Nominated Rajya Sabha members Category:Indian Hindus Category:Indian film directors Category:Indian actor-politicians Category:1948 births Category:Living people

Name	Raju Srivastav
Birth place	Kanpur, India
Birthname	Satyaprakash Srivastav
Birth date
Birth place	Kanpur, India
Occupation	Comedian
Yearsactive	1993–present
Website	http://www.rajusrivastav.com/
Notable role	Standup Comedy on The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, an Indian comedy show

Raju Srivastav (; born Satyaprakash Srivastava on December 25, 1963) often credited as Raju Shrivastav or Raju Srivastava, is an Indian comedian, and more popularly, an observational comedian. He is known most for his acute scrutiny and comical timing about various Indian aspects of life.

Early life

Satyaprakash Srivastava was born on 25 December 1963, in Kanpur, India in a middle class Kayastha family. His father is a very famous poet, Mr. Rameshchandra Srivastava known as Balai Kaka. Being a good mimic, Raju nursed the dream of becoming a comedian since childhood. In his school time he used to imitate his teachers. He gained initial stardom as an Amitabh Bachchan impressionist. He landed in Mumbai (then Bombay), and after a few years did a small role in the superhit Rajshri movie Maine Pyar Kiya. He did many other small roles in a number of movies. Raju was a participant on Bigg Boss (Season 3), anchored by Amitabh Bachchan.

Career

Srivastav has done stage shows with Kalyanji Anandji, Bappi Lahiri and Nitin Mukesh in India and abroad. Raju’s mimicry was liked and applauded by the masses.

His big break, however, was the comedy talent show The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. Although he didn't win the competition and only received a 1st runner-up title, he followed that stint with some memorable stage performances in the spin-off, The Great Indian Laughter Challenge - Champions, where he was unofficially given the coveted title “The King of Comedy”. After that, he was noticed by many filmmakers and got regular assignments in movies with bigger roles. Raju has been an avid supporter of good comedy and criticized vulgarity. Raju's daughter, Antra Srivastava got National Bravery Award from the prime minister Dr.Manmohan Singh in presence of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam (President of India), Sonia Gandhi and other dignitaries.

Raju Srivastav received threatening calls from Pakistan warning him not to crack jokes on underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and Pakistan during his shows in Mumbai. The police had tightened security around the popular comedian after he received threat calls from Pakistan for making fun of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.

CBSE Board has added one chapter based on Mr. Raju Srivastava's Life. They have added it in class 8th Hindi text book of NCERT. This is a very big achievement as no other film actor has got any chapter written on him in text books till date.

He participated in Big Boss - 3, Indian counterpart of the Big Brother. After staying in the house for more than two months he was voted out on December 4, 2009.

'Gajodhar Bhaiya', a fictional name used by Raju Srivastava in his various acts has become a popular character among his fans.

Filmography

Actor

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- |rowspan="1"| 1988 || Maine Pyaar Kiya || Extra || |- |rowspan="1"| 1988 || Tezaab || Extra || |- |rowspan="1"| 1993 || Baazigar || College Student || |- |rowspan="1"| 2001 || Aamdani Atthani Kharcha Rupaiyaa || Baba Chin Chin Choo || |- |rowspan="1"| 2002 || Waah! Tera Kya Kehna || Banne Khan's assistant || |- |rowspan="1"| 2003 || Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon || Kareena's servant || |- |rowspan="1"| 2007 || Big Brother (film) || Auto rickshaw driver & Sunny Deol's friend || |- |rowspan="1"| 2007 || Phir Hera Pheri || |- |rowspan="1"| 2007 || Bombay to Goa || Anthony Gonsalves || |- |rowspan="1"| 2010 || Bhavnao Ko samjho || Daya from Gaya (Money Lender) || |}

Television

The Great Indian Laughter Challenge

Bigg Boss He was evicted after staying 9 weeks in the show on day 61.

Shaktiman

Tea Time Manoranjan

Masti TV

References

External links

Raju Srivastava Fan Site

Raju Srivastav on IMDb

Dipoo Srivastava Raju's Brother is also a Standup Comedian

|}

Category:Indian comedians Category:People from Kanpur Category:Living people Category:1963 births Category:Bigg Boss participants Category:Indian stand-up comedians Category:Hindi film actors

Name	Amitabh Bachchan
Caption	Amitabh Bachchan
Birth name
Birth date	October 11, 1942
Birth place	Allahabad, United Province, British India
Occupation	Actor, producer, singer, television presenter
Years active	1969–present
Spouse	Jaya Bhaduri (1973–present)

Amitabh Bachchan (, , born Amitabh Harivansh Bachchan on 11 October 1942), is an Indian film actor and producer. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Bollywood cinema, and has since become one of the most prominent figures in the history of Indian cinema.

Bachchan has won numerous major awards in his career, including four National Film Awards, three of which are in the Best Actor category, and thirteen Filmfare Awards. He holds the record for most number of Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor nominations at the Filmfare Awards. In addition to acting, Bachchan has worked as a playback singer, film producer and television presenter, and was an elected member of the Indian Parliament from 1984 to 1987.

Early life

Born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, Amitabh Bachchan hails from a Hindu family. His father, Dr. Harivansh Rai Bachchan was a well-known Hindi poet, while his mother, Teji Bachchan was a Sikh-Punjabi from Faisalabad (now in Pakistan). Bachchan was initially named Inquilaab, inspired from the famous phrase Inquilab Zindabad, during the Indian independence struggle. However, at the suggestion of fellow poet Sumitranandan Pant, Harivansh Rai changed the name to Amitabh which means, "the light that would never go off." Though his surname was Shrivastava, his father had adopted the pen-name Bachchan (meaning child-like in colloquial Hindi), under which he published all his works. It is with this last name that Amitabh debuted in films, and, for all public purposes, it has become the surname of all members of his current family.

Amitabh is the eldest of Harivansh Rai Bachchan's two sons, the second being Ajitabh. His mother had a keen interest in theatre and had been offered a role in a film, but preferred her domestic duties. She had some degree of influence in Bachchan's choice of career because she always insisted that he should take the centre stage. He attended Allahabad's Jnana Prabodhini and Boys' High School (BHS), followed by Nainital's Sherwood College, where he majored in the art stream. He later went on to study at Kirori Mal College of the University of Delhi and completed a Bachelor of Science degree. In his twenties, Bachchan gave up a job as freight broker for the shipping firm, Bird and Co., based in Calcutta now known as Kolkata, to pursue a career in acting.

Career

Early work: 1969–1972

Bachchan made his film debut in 1969 as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen's National Award winning film Bhuvan Shome. Thereafter he got his first acting role as one of the seven protagonists in Saat Hindustani, a film directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and featuring Utpal Dutt, Madhu and Jalal Agha. Though the film was not a financial success, Bachchan won his first National Film Award for Best Newcomer.

Anand (1971) followed, where he starred alongside Rajesh Khanna. Bachchan's role as a doctor with a cynical view of life garned him his first Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. Amitabh then played his first negative role as an infatuated lover-turned-murderer in Parwaana (1971). This was followed by several films including Reshma Aur Shera (1971). During this time, he made a guest appearance in the film Guddi which starred his future wife Jaya Bhaduri. He narrated part of the film Bawarchi. In 1972, he made an appearance in the road action comedy Bombay to Goa, directed by S. Ramanathan.

Rise to stardom: 1973–1983

Director Prakash Mehra cast him in the leading role for the film Zanjeer (1973) as Inspector Vijay Khanna. The film was a sharp contrast to the romantically themed films that had generally preceded it and established Amitabh in a new persona—the "angry young man" of Bollywood cinema,. In 1975, he starred in a variety of film genres from the comedy Chupke Chupke, the crime drama Faraar to the romantic drama Mili. 1975 was the year when he appeared in two films which are regarded as important in Hindi cinematic history. He starred in the Yash Chopra directed film Deewar, opposite Shashi Kapoor, Nirupa Roy, and Neetu Singh, which earned him a Filmfare Nomination for Best Actor. The film became a major hit at the box office in 1975, ranking in at number 4. Indiatimes Movies ranks Deewaar amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films. Bachchan played the role of Jaidev. In 1999, BBC India declared it the "Film of the Millennium" and like Deewar, has been cited by Indiatimes movies as amongst the Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films. In that same year, the judges of the 50th annual Filmfare awards awarded it with the special distinction award called Filmfare Best Film of 50 Years.

Bachchan starred in comedies such as Chupke Chupke (1975) and Amar Akbar Anthony (1977) and in films such as Kabhie Kabhie (1976). In 1976, he was once again cast by director Yash Chopra in his second film, Kabhi Kabhie, a romantic tale in which Bachchan starred as a young poet named Amit Malhotra who falls deeply in love with a beautiful young girl named Pooja played by actress Rakhee Gulzar. The film saw him again nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award. In 1977, he won his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in Amar Akbar Anthony where he played the third lead opposite Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor as Anthony Gonsalves. In 1978 he starred in all four of the highest grossing films of India in that year. He once again resumed double roles in films such as Kasme Vaade as Amit and Shankar and Don playing the characters of Don, a leader of an underworld gang and his look alike Vijay. His performance won him his second Filmfare Best Actor Award. He also performed in Trishul and Muqaddar Ka Sikander which both earned him further Filmfare Best Actor nominations. He was billed a "one-man industry" by the French director François Truffaut.

In 1979, for the first time, Amitabh was required to use his singing voice for the film Mr. Natwarlal in which he starred alongside Rekha. His performance in the film saw him nominated for both the Filmfare Best Actor Award and the Filmfare Best Male Playback Awards. In 1979, he also received Best Actor nomination for Kaala Patthar (1979) and then went on to be nominated again in 1980 for the Raj Khosla directed film Dostana, in which he starred opposite Shatrughan Sinha and Zeenat Aman. Dostana proved to be the top grossing film of 1980. In 1981, he starred in Yash Chopra's melodrama film Silsila, where he starred alongside his wife Jaya and rumoured lover Rekha. Other films of this period include Ram Balram (1980), Shaan (1980), Lawaaris (1981), and Shakti (1982) which pitted him against legendary actor Dilip Kumar.

1982 injury while filming Coolie

On 26 July 1982, while filming Coolie in the University Campus in Bangalore, Bachchan suffered a near fatal intestinal injury during the filming of a fight scene with co-actor Puneet Issar. Bachchan was performing his own stunts in the film and one scene required him to fall onto a table and then on the ground. However as he jumped towards the table, the corner of the table struck his abdomen, resulting in a splenic rupture from which he lost a significant amount of blood. He required an emergency splenectomy and remained critically ill in hospital for many months, at times close to death. The public response included prayers in temples and offers to sacrifice limbs to save him, while later, there were long queues of well-wishing fans outside the hospital where he was recuperating. Nevertheless, he spent many months recovering and resumed filming later that year after a long period of recuperation. The film was released in 1983, and partly due to the huge publicity of Bachchan's accident, the film was a box office success.

The director, Manmohan Desai, altered the ending of Coolie after Bachchan's accident. Bachchan's character was originally intended to have been killed off but after the change of script, the character lived in the end. It would have been inappropriate, said Desai, for the man who had just fended off death in real life to be killed on screen. Also, in the released film the footage of the fight scene is frozen at the critical moment, and a caption appears onscreen marking this as the instant of the actor's injury and the ensuing publicity of the accident.

Politics: 1984–1987

In 1984, Bachchan took a break from acting and briefly entered politics in support of long-time family friend, Rajiv Gandhi. He contested Allahabad's seat of 8th Lok Sabha against H. N. Bahuguna, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and won by the one of the highest victory margins in general election history (68.2% of the vote). His political career, however, was short-lived: he resigned after three years, calling politics a cesspool. The resignation followed the implication of Bachchan and his brother in the "Bofors scandal" by a newspaper, which he vowed to take to court. Bachchan was eventually found not guilty of involvement in the ordeal.

His old friend, Amar Singh, helped him during a financial crisis due to the failure of his company ABCL. Therefore Bachchan started to support Amar Singh's political party, the Samajwadi party. Jaya Bachchan joined the Samajwadi Party and became a Rajya Sabha member. Bachchan has continued to do favors for the Samajwadi party, including advertisements and political campaigns. These activities have recently gotten him into trouble again in the Indian courts for false claims after a previous incident of submission of legal papers by him, stating that he is a farmer.

A 15 year press ban against Bachchan was imposed during his peak acting years by Stardust and some of the other film magazines. In his own defense, Bachchan claimed to have banned the press from entering his sets almost till the end of 1989.

Slump and retirement: 1988–1992

In 1988, Bachchan returned to films, playing the title role in Shahenshah, which was a box office success due to the hype of Bachchan's comeback. After the success of his comeback film however, his star power began to wane as all of his subsequent films failed at the box office. The 1991 hit film, Hum, for which he won his third Filmfare Best Actor Award, looked like it might reverse this trend, but the momentum was short-lived as his string of box office failures continued. Notably, despite the lack of hits, it was during this period that Bachchan won his first National Film Award for Best Actor, for his performance as a Mafia don in the 1990 film Agneepath. These years would be the last he would be seen on screen for some time. After the release of Khuda Gawah in 1992, Bachchan went into semi-retirement for five years. In 1994, one of his delayed films Insaniyat was released but was also a box office failure.

Producer and acting comeback 1996–1999

Bachchan turned producer during his temporary retirement period, setting up Amitabh Bachchan Corporation, Ltd. (A.B.C.L.) in 1996, with the vision of becoming a 10 billion rupees (approx 250 million $US) premier entertainment company by the year 2000. ABCL's strategy was to introduce products and services covering the entire section of the India's entertainment industry. Its operations were mainstream commercial film production and distribution, audio cassettes and video discs, production and marketing of television software, celebrity and event management. Soon after the company was launched in 1996, the first film was produced by the company. Tere Mere Sapne failed to do well at the box office but launched the careers of actors such as Arshad Warsi and South films star Simran. ABCL produced a few other films, none of which did well.

In 1997, Bachchan attempted to make his acting comeback with the film Mrityudaata, produced by ABCL. Though Mrityudaata attempted to reprise Bachchan's earlier success as an action hero, the film was a failure both financially and critically. ABCL was the main sponsor of the 1996 Miss World beauty pageant, Bangalore but lost millions. The fiasco and the consequent legal battles surrounding ABCL and various entities after the event, coupled with the fact that ABCL was reported to have overpaid most of its top level managers, eventually led to its financial and operational collapse in 1997. The company went into administration and was later declared a failed company by Indian Industries board. The Bombay high court, in April 1999, restrained Bachchan from selling off his Bombay bungalow 'Prateeksha' and two flats till the pending loan recovery cases of Canara Bank were disposed of. Bachchan had, however, pleaded that he had mortgaged his bungalow to Sahara India Finance for raising funds for his company.

Bachchan attempted to revive his acting career and had average success with Bade Miyan Chote Miyan (1998), but other films such as Lal Baadshah (1999) and Hindustan Ki Kasam (1999) were box office failures.

Television career

In the year 2000, Bachchan stepped up to host India's adaptation of the British television game show, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? entitled, Kaun Banega Crorepati. As it did in most other countries where it was adopted, the program found immediate success. Canara Bank withdrew its law suit against Bachchan in November 2000. Bachchan hosted KBC till November 2005, and its success set the stage for his return to film popularity. In 2009 Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire in the first question of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? contest "Amitabh Bachchan" was the correct answer to the question "Who was the star of Zanjeer? Feroz Abbas Khan performed as Amitabh Bachchan in a scene in the movie while Anil Kapoor performed as the host of the contest. Bachchan hosted the third season of the reality show Bigg Boss in 2009.

Return to prominence: 2000–present

In 2000, Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Yash Chopra's box-office hit, Mohabbatein, directed by Aditya Chopra. He played a stern, older figure that rivalled the character of Shahrukh Khan. His role won him his third Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. Other hits followed, with Bachchan appearing as an older family patriarch in (2001), Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) and Baghban (2003). As an actor, he continued to perform in a range of characters, receiving critical praise for his performances in Aks (2001), Aankhen (2002), Khakee (2004) and Dev (2004). One project that did particularly well for Bachchan was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Black (2005). The film starred Bachchan as an aging teacher of a deaf-blind girl and followed their relationship. His performance was unanimously praised by critics and audiences and won him his second National Film Award for Best Actor and fourth Filmfare Best Actor Award. Taking advantage of this resurgence, Amitabh began endorsing a variety of products and services, appearing in many television and billboard advertisements. In 2005 and 2006, he starred with his son Abhishek in the hit films Bunty Aur Babli (2005), the Godfather tribute Sarkar (2005), and Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna (2006). All of them were successful at the box office. His later releases in 2006 and early 2007 were Baabul (2006), Eklavya and Nishabd (2007), which failed to do well at the box office but his performances in each of them were praised by critics.

In May 2007, two of his films Cheeni Kum and the multi-starrer Shootout at Lokhandwala were released. Shootout at Lokhandwala did very well at the box office and was declared a hit in India, while Cheeni Kum picked up after a slow start and was declared an overall average hit. A remake of his biggest hit, Sholay (1975), entitled Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, released in August of that same year and proved to be a major commercial failure in addition to its poor critical reception. Bachchan was slated to play a supporting role in his first international film, Shantaram, directed by Mira Nair and starring Hollywood actor Johnny Depp in the lead. The film was due to begin filming in February 2008 but due to the writer's strike, was pushed to September 2008. The film is currently "shelved" indefinitely. Vivek Sharma's Bhoothnath, in which he plays the title role as a ghost, was released on 9 May 2008. Sarkar Raj, the sequel of the 2005 film Sarkar, released in June 2008 and received a positive response at the box-office. His latest movie was Paa, which released at the end of 2009. Paa was a highly anticipated project as it saw him playing his own son Abhishek's Progeria-affected 13-year-old son, and it opened to favourable reviews, particularly towards Bachchan's performance. It won him his third National Film Award for Best Actor and fifth Filmfare Best Actor Award. In 2010, he debuted in Malayalam film through Kandahar, directed by Major Ravi and co-starring Mohanlal. The film was based on the hijacking incident of the Indian Airlines Flight 814. Bachchan didn't took any remuneration to do this film.

Health

2005 hospitalisation

In November 2005, Amitabh Bachchan was admitted to Lilavati Hospital's ICU once more, to undergo surgery for diverticulitis of the small intestine. This occurred after Bachchan complained of pains in his abdomen some days prior. During the period and that following his recovery, most of his projects were put on hold, including the television show he was in the process of hosting, Kaun Banega Crorepati. Amitabh returned to work in March 2006.

Voice

Bachchan is known for his deep, baritone voice. He has been a narrator, a playback singer and presenter for numerous programmes. Renowned film director Satyajit Ray was so impressed with Bachchan's voice, that he decided to use his voice as commentary in Shatranj Ke Khiladi since he could not find a suitable role for him.

Controversies and criticism

Barabanki land case

In the runup to the Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections, 2007, Bachchan made a film extolling the virtues of the Mulayam Singh government. His Samajwadi Party was routed, and Mayawati came to power.

On 2 June 2007 a Faizabad court ruled that he had legally acquired agricultural land designated specifically for landless Dalit farmers. It was speculated that he might be investigated on related charges of forgery, as he has allegedly claimed he was a farmer. On 19 July 2007, after the scandal broke out, Bachchan surrendered the land acquired in Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh and Pune. He wrote to the chief minister of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh, to donate the lands that were allegedly acquired illegally in Pune. However, the Lucknow Court has put a stay on the land donation and said that the status quo on the land be maintained.

On 12 October 2007, Bachchan abandoned his claim in respect of the land at Daulatpur village in Barabanki district. On 11 December 2007, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court gave a clean chit to Bachchan in a case pertaining to alleged fraudulent allotment of government land to him in Barabanki district. A single Lucknow bench of Justice said there was no finding that the actor "himself committed any fraud or manipulated any surreptitious entry in the revenue records".

After receiving a positive verdict in Barabanki case, Amitabh Bachchan intimated to Maharashtra government that he did not wish to surrender his land in Maval tehsil of Pune district.

Raj Thackeray's criticism

In January 2008 at political rallies, Raj Thackeray, the chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, targeted Amitabh Bachchan, asserting that the actor was "more inclined" towards his native state than Maharashtra. He expressed his disapproval of Amitabh's inaugurating a girls' school named after his daughter-in-law, actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, at Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh, rather than in Maharashtra. According to media reports, Raj's censure of Amitabh, whom he admires, stemmed out of his disappointment of not being invited to Amitabh's son Abhishek's marriage to Aishwarya, despite invitations to his estranged uncle Bal and cousin Uddhav.

Responding to Raj's accusations, the actor's wife, SP MP Jaya Bachchan, said that the Bachchans were willing to start a school in Mumbai, provided the MNS leader donated the land to build it. She told the media, "I heard that Raj Thackeray owns huge properties in Maharashtra, in Mumbai—Kohinoor Mills. If he is willing to donate land, we can start a school in the name of Aishwarya here." Raj responded to it saying, "Jaya bachchan claims she does not know me then how come she knows how much property I own?". Amitabh abstained from commenting on the issue. However, he apologized to Raj for controversial remarks from Jaya in some other incidence. "

Bal Thackeray refuted the allegations, stating, "Amitabh Bachchan is an open-minded person, he has great love for Maharashtra, and this is evident on many occasions. The actor has often said that Maharashtra and specially Mumbai has given him great fame and affection. He has also said that what he is today is because of the love people have given him. The people of Mumbai have always acknowledged him as an artiste. It was utter foolishness to make these parochial allegations against him. Amitabh is a global superstar. People all over the world respect him. This cannot be forgotten by anyone. Amitabh should ignore these silly accusations and concentrate on his acting."

On 23 March 2008, more than a month and half after Raj's remarks, Amitabh finally spoke out in an interview to a local tabloid saying, "Random charges are random; they do not deserve the kind of attention you wish me to give." Later, on 28 March at a press conference for the International Indian Film Academy, when asked what his take was on the anti-migrant issue, Amitabh said that it is one's fundamental right to live anywhere in the country and the constitution entitles so. He also stated that he was not affected by Raj's comments.

Awards, honours and recognitions

Apart from National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards and other competitive awards which Bachchan won for his performances throughout the years, he has been awarded several honours for his achievements in the Indian film industry. In 1991, he became the first artist to receive the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, which was established in the name of Raj Kapoor. Bachchan was crowned as Superstar of the Millennium in 2000 at the Filmfare Awards. The Government of India awarded him with the Padma Shri in 1984 and the Padma Bhushan in 2001. France's highest civilian honour, the Knight of the Legion of Honour, was conferred upon him by the French Government in 2007, for his "exceptional career in the world of cinema and beyond".

In 1999, Bachchan was voted the Greatest Star of stage or screen of the Millennium by BBC online poll where he defeated many Hollywood legends. In 2001, he was honoured with the Actor of the Century award at the Alexandria International Film Festival in Egypt in recognition of his contribution to the world of cinema. Many other honours for his achievements were conferred upon him at several International Film Festivals, including the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 Asian Film Awards.

In June 2000, he became the first living Asian to have been immortalised in wax at London's prestigious Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Another statue was installed at New York and Hong Kong in 2009.

In 2003, he was conferred with the Honorary Citizenship of the French town of Deauville. He was honoured with an Honorary Doctorate by the Jhansi University in 2004, the Delhi University in 2006, the De Montfort University in Leicester, UK in 2006, the University Brandan Foster by the Leeds Metropolitan University in Yorkshire in 2007. Another an Honorary Doctorate was conferred by the Queensland University of Technology in Australia in 2009. But he turns down the honour as mark of protest to racial attacks on Indian students.

Severals books have been written about Bachchan. Amitabh Bachchan: the Legend was published in 1999, To be or not to be: Amitabh Bachchan in 2004, AB: The Legend: (A Photographer's Tribute) in 2006 /, Amitabh Bachchan: Ek Jeevit Kimvadanti in 2006, Amitabh: The Making of a Superstar in 2006, Looking for the Big B: Bollywood, Bachchan and Me in 2007 and Bachchanalia in 2009. Bachchan himself has also written a book in 2002: Soul Curry for you and me - An Empowering Philosophy That Can Enrich Your Life.

Personal life

Bachchan is married to actress Jaya Bhaduri. They have two children, Shweta Nanda and Abhishek Bachchan. Abhishek is also an actor and is married to actress Aishwarya Rai.

Filmography

Latest films

Producer

Playback singer

Further reading

Dwyer, Rachel. "Amitabh Bachchan: the Angry Young Man." British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 16 November 2007.

Mazumdar, Ranjani. Bombay Cinema: An Archive of the City. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2007.

References

External links

Amitabh Bachchan's official blog

Amitabh Bachchan Documentary, Classic BBC Archive video and exclusive interview conducted in Amitabh's own house for BBC Asian Network

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