Bgcolour	silver
Name	Mahesh Bhatt
Birth date	September 20, 1948
Birth place	Mumbai, India
Occupation	Director, producer, screenwriter
Spouse	Kiran Bhatt 1970- 90 Soni Razdan- Present
Children	Pooja Bhatt, Rahul Bhatt, Shaheen Bhatt & Alia Bhatt.
Awards	1984 Filmfare Best Screenplay Award: Arth1985 Filmfare Best Story Award: Saaransh1999 Filmfare Best Story Award: Zakhm

Mahesh Bhatt (born on 20 September 1948), is a prominent Indian film director, producer and screenwriter.

Bhatt's early directional career consisted of acclaimed films, such as Arth, Saaransh, Janam, Naam and Zakhm.

He was later the writer of numerous commercial films in a range of film genres, from dramas like Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke and comedies like Duplicate, though he was mostly recognised for thrillers like Inteha, Jism, Murder and Woh Lamhe.

Biography

Early life and family

Mahesh Bhatt was born to Nanabhai Bhatt, (1915–1999), a Hindi film director-producer. His father was a Gujarati Hindu and mother a Shia Muslim. Nanabhai's brother, Balwant Bhatt (1909–1965) was also a Hindi film director. In 1970 Bhatt dropped out of college to enter films.

Career

Bhatt began his career as an assistant to Hindi director Raj Khosla. At age 21 he made his debut as a director, with the film Sakat (1970), this was followed by Manzilein Aur Bhi Hain in 1974. His 1979 film, Lahu Ke Do Rang, starring Shabana Azmi and Vinod Khanna, bagged two Filmfare Awards in 1980.

Though his first major hit came with Arth (1982), when he turned to his personal life for inspiration.

Later, he made many more films taking insights from his personal life, where he highlighted personal narratives, ranging from illegitimate birth to extramarital affair and created critically acclaimed films such as Janam (1985) and Naam (1986).

A stand-out film from his earlier period is Saaransh (1984), an exploration of an old couple's anxieties in a universe governed by arbitrary violence, and dramatic films like Kaash (1987), which dealt with real-life family situations with a tragic end.

In 1987 he turned producer, when he set up his own banner Vishesh Films, with his brother Mukesh Bhatt. He went on to become one of the most recognised film directors of the Indian film industry in the coming decade, giving both serious films like Daddy (1989), launching his daughter Pooja Bhatt as a film actress, and Swayam (1991); as well as commercial romantic hits like Awaargi (1990), Aashiqui (1990) and Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin (1991), in which he cast his daughter Pooja with actor Aamir Khan. He next directed Sadak (1991) and won critical acclaim for the films Sir (1993), which saw Pooja Bhatt acting along with Naseeruddin Shah and Criminal (1994). In 1994 he won the National Film Award - Special Jury Award for his film, Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke'' (1993)

In 1995 he moved to television, then a newly opening up medium in India. He made two TV series, the English language "A Mouthful of Sky" written by Ashok Banker and the popular Hindi language serial "Swabhimaan" scripted by writer Shobha De.

Following this, he directed drama films like Dastak (1996), the debut film of actress Sushmita Sen, and Tamanna (1997), and tried his hand at comedy with Duplicate in 1998.

His film, Zakhm (1998), was returned to the censor board because of right-wing pressure critical of its references to the Mumbai riots of 1993.

His last film as director was Kartoos (1999). Thereafter, Bhatt retired a director, and took to screenwriting full-time, churning out stories and screenplays for over twenty films, many of which were box-office successes, like Dushman, Raaz, Murder (2004), Gangster (2006) and lastly Woh Lamhe (2006), based on the life of actress Parveen Babi, and on whom he has also scripted the 1982 film Arth.

Cinematic style

Bhatt's films show an unusual engagement with the psychological damage arising from infringement of social norms, situations which are characteristic deep mental/emotion damage and trauma. These films provided challenges of characterization to their actors, who included both parallel and mainstream stars. Bhatt himself is known for making both art films with realistic topics and commercial films which include a wide division of action, comedy and thriller films.

His serious films demanded strong performances from the performers, and actors who worked under Bhatt's hand have won awards for their performances in his films, like National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards. Whatever the concept may be his movies always contain a relationship of friendship. That can be marked in his Zeher, Woh Lamhein, Paap, Jism etc.

Personal life

He married Kiran Bhatt, in 1970, and the couple had two children, a daughter Pooja Bhatt, a former actress, now a producer, and Rahul Bhatt, an aspiring actor. His second wife is Soni Razdan, an accomplished film actress and director. He has two daughters from Soni Razdan, Shaheen Bhatt and Alia Bhatt. He also had an intimate affair with Parveen Babi.

Emraan Hashmi a Hindi film actor is his nephew.

In 1970s, he became a follower of Osho Rajneesh, and later found spiritual companionship and guidance with philosopher, U.G. Krishnamurti, whose biography he later wrote as, U.G. Krishnamurti: A Life, in 1992. Apart from this he has edited several books based on conversations with U.G. Krishnamurti. Mahesh Bhatt's latest book 'A Taste of Life: The Last Days of U.G. Krishnamurti' published in June-2009.

Bhatt is co-owner of film production house, Vishesh Films, with Mukesh Bhatt. He is also a member of the advisory board of U.S. nonprofit TeachAIDS.

Awards

1984 Filmfare Best Screenplay Award: Arth

1985 Filmfare Best Story Award: Saaransh

1994 National Film Award - Special Jury Award: Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke

1999 Filmfare Best Story Award: Zakhm

References

Real stories behind Mahesh Bhatt's movies by Paromita

External links

Category:Indian film directors Category:Indian screenwriters Category:1946 births Category:Living people Category:People from Mumbai Category:Hindi film directors Category:Indian film producers Category:Indian television directors

]]

''For others with the same name, see Meera (disambiguation)

Meerabai () (c.1498-c.1547CE) (alternate orthographies: Meera; Mira; Meera Bai) was an aristocratic Hindu mystical singer and sahajiya (apasampradaya) devotee of lord Krishna from Rajasthan and one of the most significant figures of the Sant tradition of the Vaishnava bhakti movement. Some 12-1300 prayerful songs or bhajans attributed to her are popular throughout India and have been published in several translations worldwide. In the bhakti tradition, they are in passionate praise of lord Krishna.

Details of her life, which has been the subject of several films, are pieced together from her poetry and stories recounted by her community and are of debatable historical authenticity, particularly those that connect her with the later Tansen. On the other hand, the traditions that make her a disciple of Ravidas who disputed with Rupa Goswami are consonant with the usual account of her life.

Biography

at Chittorgarh Fort, Rajasthan]]

Meera, a Rajput princess was born in Kudki (Kurki), a little village near Merta, which is presently in the Nagaur district of Rajasthan in northwest India. Her father, Ratan Singh Rathore, was a warrior of the Rathore clan, the son of Rao Jodha of Mandore (1416-1489 AD), founder of the city of Jodhpur in 1459 AD.

As an infant Meera became deeply enamored of an iconic idol of Krishna owned by a visiting holy man; she was inconsolable until she possessed it and probably kept it all her life. Her mother was supportive of her religious tendencies but she died early.

Meera’s marriage was arranged at an early age, traditionally to Prince Bhoj Raj, the eldest son of Rana Sanga of Chittor. However her new family did not approve of her piety and devotion when she refused to worship their family deity and maintained that she was only truly married to Krishna. ]]The Rajputana had remained fiercely independent of the Delhi Sultanate, the Islamic regime that otherwise ruled Hindustan after the conquests of Timur. But in the early 16th century AD the central Asian concquerer Babur laid claim to the Sultanate and some Rajputs supported him while others ended their lives in battle with him. Her husband's death in battle (in 1527 AD?) was only one of a series of losses Meera experienced in her twenties, including the death of her mother. She appears to have despaired of loving anything temporal and turned to the eternal, transforming her grief into a passionate spiritual devotion that inspired in her countless songs drenched with eroticism and separation.

Meera's devotion to Krishna was at first a private thing but at some moment it overflowed into an ecstasy that led her to dance in the streets of the city. Her brother-in-law, the new ruler of Chittorgarh, was Vikramaditya, an ill-natured youth who strongly objected to Meera's fame, her mixing with commoners and carelessness of feminine modesty. There were several attempts to poison her. ("guru miliyaa raidasjee") and left for the centre of Krishnaism, Vrindavan. She considered herself to be a reborn gopi, Lalita, mad with love for Krishna. Folklore informs us of a particular incident where she expressed her desire to engage in a discussion about spiritual matters with Rupa Goswami, a direct disciple of Chaitanya and one of the foremost saint of Vrindavan that time who, being a renunciate celibate, refused to meet a woman. Meera replied that the only true man (purusha) in this universe is lord Krishna. She continued her pilgrimage, "danced from one village to another village, almost covering the whole north of India". One story has her appearing in the company of Kabir in Kashi, once again causing affront to social mores. She seems to have spent her last years as a pilgrim in Dwarka, Gujarat.

Poetry

Meera's songs are in a simple form called a pada (verse), a term used for a small spiritual song, usually composed in simple rhythms with a repeating refrain, collected in her Padavali. The extant versions are in a Rajasthani and Braj, a dialect of Hindi spoken in and around Vrindavan (the childhood home of Krishna), sometimes mixed with Rajasthani, and in Gujarati:

:That dark dweller in Braj :Is my only refuge.

:O my companion, worldly comfort is an illusion, :As soon you get it, it goes. :I have chosen the indestructible for my refuge, :Him whom the snake of death will not devour.

:My beloved dwells in my heart all day, :I have actually seen that abode of joy. :Meera's lord is Hari, the indestructible. :My lord, I have taken refuge with you, your maidservant

Although Meera is often classed with the northern Sant bhaktis who spoke of a formless divinity, Schelling and Levi have offered anthologies in the USA. Snell has presented parallel translations in his collection The Hindi Classical Tradition.

Some bhajans of Meera have been rendered by Robert Bly in his Mirabai Versions (New York; Red Ozier Press, 1984). Bly has also collaborated with Jane Hirshfield on Mirabai: Ecstatic Poems.

Popular culture

Composer John Harbison adapted Bly's translations for his Mirabai Songs. There is a documentary film A Few Things I Know About Her by Anjali Panjabi. Two well-known films of her life have been made in India.

Meera Bai's life has been interpreted as a musical story in Meera - The Lover..., a music album based on original compositions for some well known Meera bhajans, releasing 11 October 2009.

Bibliography

Chaturvedī, Ācārya Parashurām(a), Mīrāʼnbāī kī padāvalī,(16. edition)

Goetz, Hermann, Mira Bai: Her Life and Times, Bombay 1966

Mirabai: Liebesnärrin. Die Verse der indischen Dichterin und Mystikerin. Translated from Rajasthani into German by Shubhra Parashar. Kelkheim, 2006 (ISBN 3-935727-09-7)

Hawley, John Stratton. The Bhakti Voices: Mirbai, Surdas, and Kabir in Their Times and Ours, Oxford 2005.

See also

Andal

Bhajan

List of Rajputs

Rana Sanga

References

External links

Mirabai at Kavita Kosh (Hindi)

Largest collection of Meera Bai Bhajans in Gujarati on Swargarohan

Bridal Mysticism: Story of Meerabai By Dr. Jyotsna Kamat

Category:1498 births Category:1547 deaths Category:Hindu devotees Category:Hindu religious figures Category:Hindu saints Category:Hindi poets Category:Indian religious leaders Category:Indian women religious leaders Category:Indian women writers Category:People from Rajasthan Category:People related to Krishna Category:Ravidasi Category:Sant Mat Category:Mystics

Caption	President of IRF
Birth name	Zakir Abdul Karim Naik
Birth date	October 18, 1965
Birth place	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Education	Kishinchand Chellaram College
Alma mater	University of Mumbai
Occupation	President of Islamic Research Foundation, Orator, Public speaker
Years active	1991–present
Boards	Islamic Research Foundation
Religion	Islam
Influenced by	Ahmed Deedat
Spouse	Farhat Zakir Naik
Website	IRF.net PeaceTV

Zakir Abdul Karim Naik (Urdu: ذاکر عبدالکریم نائیک; born 18 October 1965) is the founder and president of the Islamic Research Foundation (IRF), which is a non-profit organization that owns Peace TV channel based in Mumbai, India. A prominent Muslim figure in the Muslim world, Naik is also a public speaker and a writer on the subject of Islam and other comparative religion.

Naik originally began his career as a medical doctor, having attained a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBS) from the University of Mumbai. After being inspired by Ahmed Deedat, Naik began part-time and later switching to a full-time career by giving Islamic speeches to the public.

Biography

Zakir Abdul Karim Naik was born on 18 October 1965 in Mumbai, India. He attended St. Peter's High School (ICSE) in the city of Mumbai. Later he joined the Kishinchand Chellaram College and then studied medicine at Topiwala National Medical College and Nair Hospital in his native city and received his MBBS degree from the University of Mumbai. In 1991 he started working in the field of Da'wah Islam.

Naik says he was inspired by the late Ahmed Deedat, who had been active in the field of Da'wah for more than 50 years. According to Naik, his goal is to "concentrate on the educated Muslim youth who have become apologetic about their own religion and have started to feel the religion is outdated", He considers it a duty of every Muslim to remove perceived misconceptions about Islam, to counter what he views as the Western media's anti-Islamic bias in the aftermath of September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks upon the United States. Some of his articles are also published in magazines like the Islamic Voice.

Anthropologist Thomas Blom Hansen has written Topics he speaks on include: "Islam and Modern Science", "Islam and Christianity", and "Islam and secularism".

Apart from IRF, Naik is also the founder and chairman of the Islamic International School (IIS), Mumbai. He is also the founder of Peace TV Network.

Lectures and debates

Naik has held many debates and lectures around the world as well as in Mumbai, India. One of Naik's most cited debates took place in Chicago in April, 2000 featuring William Campbell of Pennsylvania, USA on the topic "The Qur'an and the Bible: In the Light of Science".

Naik also stated that "despite the strident anti-Islam campaign, 34,000 Americans have embraced Islam from September 2001 to July 2002." He cited an article by Edward Said published in the Time magazine, which said that 60,000 books about Islam and the Orient have been written between 1800 and 1950 alone.

In a lecture at Melbourne University, Naik argued that only Islam gave women true equality. He stressed the importance of the headscarf by arguing that the more "revealing Western dress" makes women more susceptible to rape.

On 21 January 2006, Naik held an inter-religious dialogue with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The event was about the concept of God in Islam and Hinduism, the aim being to bring understanding between the two major religions of India, and at best to point out the commonalities between them. It was held in Bangalore, India with up to 50,000 attending at the Palace Grounds.

In a lecture delivered on 31 July 2008 on Peace TV, Naik stated, regarding 9/11: "it is a blatant, open secret that this attack on the Twin Towers was done by George Bush himself", to give Bush reason to attack and control oil-rich countries.

On 7 March 2010 Naik participated in a live discussion with Soha Ali Khan and others on a TV show We The People on NDTV.

Peace conferences

Every year since November 2007, Naik has lead a 10-day "Peace Conference" at Somaiya Ground, Sion, Mumbai. Lectures on Islam have been presented by Naik as well as twenty other Islamic scholars from around the world. Another prominent personality was the Malaysian politician, Anwar Ibrahim in 2008.

During one of the lectures at the Peace Conference, Naik provoked anger among members of the Shia and Sunni communities, when he mentioned the words "Radiallah ta'la anho" (meaning 'May Allah be pleased with him') after mentioning the name of Yazid I and made remarks that the battle of Karbala was political. Others, however, believed the comment was blown out of proportion.

In November 2009, the IRF organized a 10-day international Islamic conference and exhibition titled 'Peace – the solution for humanity' at the Somaiya grounds in Mumbai. Lectures on Islam were presented by Naik as well as thirty other Islamic scholars from around the world.

Writings

In 2007, the Saudi publishing house, Dar-us-Salam Publications, published two titles written by Naik, entitled "The Concept of God in Major Religions" and "The Qur'an and Modern Science: Compatible or Incompatible?".

Criticism and controversy

On the issue of the theory of evolution, Naik commented that it contradicts Islam since it remains "just a theory and not a fact". According to Naik, scientists "support the theory, because it went against the Bible – not because it was true." According to Naik, there are hundreds of scientists and Nobel Prize winners who speak against Darwin's theory.

In 2004, Naik visited New Zealand and then the Australian capital at the invitation of Islamic Information and Services Network of Australasia. At his conference in Melbourne, senior Age writer and columnist Sushi Das commented that "Naik extolled the moral and spiritual superiority of Islam and lampooned other faiths and the West in general", further criticizing that Naik's words "fostered a spirit of separateness and reinforced prejudice".

In August 2006, Naik's visit and conference in Cardiff (UK) were the object of controversy, when Welsh MP David Davies called for his appearance to be cancelled. He argued that Naik was a 'hate-monger', and said his views did not deserve a 'public platform'; Muslims from Cardiff, however, defended Naik's right to speak in their city. Saleem Kidwai, Secretary General of the Muslim Council of Wales, disagreed with Davies, stating that "people who know about him (Naik) know that he is one of the most uncontroversial persons you could find. He talks about the similarities between religions, and how should we work on the common ground between them", whilst also inviting Davies to discuss further with Naik personally in the conference. The conference went ahead, after the Cardiff council stated it was satisfied that he would not be preaching extremist views. Khushwant Singh, a prominent Indian journalist, politician and author argues that Naik's pronouncements are "juvenile" and said that "they seldom rise above the level of undergraduate college debates, where contestants vie with each other to score brownie points". Singh disagreed with Naik's statement that "Western society claims to have uplifted women. On the contrary, it has actually degraded them to the status of concubines, mistresses, and society butterflies who are mere tools in the hands of pleasure seekers and sex marketers". Singh wrote: "Dr. Naik, you know next to nothing about the Western society and are talking through your skull cap. People like you are making the Muslims lag behind other communities." Singh also noted that Naik's audiences "listen to him with rapt attention and often explode in enthusiastic applause when he rubbishes other religious texts".

Fatwas

In August 2008, Darul Uloom Deoband issued a fatwa stating: "The statements made by Dr Zakir Naik indicate that he is a preacher of Ghair Muqallidin. One should not rely upon his speeches.".

The Shariah Board of America has also issued more than 20 fatwas against Naik on their website. They believe Naik has gone astray, as he is not a scholar and issues Islamic teachings without authority or any knowledge to do so, which is dangerous to Islam; "Naik is known for discussions on comparative religions. He is not a qualified Aalim of deen. His comments on fiqh have no merit. If it is true that he condemned the fiqh of the Imams, then that in itself is a clear indication of his lack of fiqh and understanding of Shariah. We have come across a fatwa from Darul Ifta Jamia Binnoria, Pakistan regarding Zakir Naik not being a certified Aalim of Deen. He should consult with Ulama in his endeavor of propagating deen."

In November 2008 the Lucknow-based cleric Abul Irfan Mian Firangi Mahali issued a fatwa against Naik, describing Naik as a "Kafir" (non-believer) and stating in the fatwa, that Naik should be ex-communicated from Islam. He argued that "Naik is not an Islamic scholar. His teachings are against the Quran. In his speeches, he insults Allah and glorifies Yazeed, the killer of Imam Hussain", and that Naik had supported Osama bin Laden and called upon all Muslims to become terrorists. Naik, however, said that his speeches had been misquoted and that he was allegedly targeted by people with vested interests and said of the fatwa: "fatwas mean nothing. They should also issue fatwas against Imam Bukhari. Some clerics who have limited understanding of Islam are doing these things. It doesn't affect me". The All-India Sunni Board and Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani Foundation have also defended Naik.

Views on apostasy

Naik has stated that any Muslim is free to convert out of Islam if the person so chooses, but added that if a Muslim converts and then speaks against Islam it should be considered as treason. Naik stated that under Islamic law this is punishable by death.

During a question and answer session at Naik's lecture on May 29 on the Maldives, a 37-year old Maldivian citizen named Mohamed Nazim stood up and announced that he was struggling to believe in any religion and did not consider himself to be a Muslim. Nazim further asked what Naik's verdict would be under Islam and in the Maldives. Dr Naik responded that he considers the punishment for apostasy does not necessarily mean death, since Muhammed was reported in the Hadith scriptures on some occasion to have shown clemency towards apostates, but added that if a Muslim apostate speaks and propagates against Islam under Islamic Shari’a rule then the apostate should be put to death.

Views on homosexuality

During a 16 October, 2006 lecture, Naik said that "one-third of New York are gays" and that homosexuality is "a problem" in the United States.

Views on terrorism

Naik's views and statements on terrorism have at times been criticised in the media and by the United Kingdom Home Secretary. In a YouTube video speaking of Osama bin Laden, Naik said that he would not criticise bin Laden because he had not met him and did not know him personally. He added: "If he is fighting the enemies of Islam, I am for him. If he is terrorizing the terrorists, America, the biggest terrorist, I am with him. Every Muslim should be a terrorist. ... A terrorist is a person who causes terror. The moment a robber sees a policeman he is terrified. A policeman is a terrorist for the robber. Similarly every Muslim should be a terrorist for the antisocial elements of society, such as thieves, dacoits and rapists. Whenever such an anti-social element sees a Muslim, he should be terrified. It is true that the word ‘terrorist’ is generally used for a person who causes terror among the common people. But a true Muslim should only be a terrorist to selective people i.e. anti-social elements, and not to the common innocent people. In fact a Muslim should be a source of peace for innocent people." This evoked strong criticism from Hindus in general and Arya Samaj in particular, who consider Vedas to be revealed texts. Because Naik claimed to have defeated Sri Sri Ravi Shankar in a debate, he was challenged to debate Arya Samaj on this issue. After he refused to officially respond, a detailed rebuttal of Naik's views along with the details of communications with IRF was made online by Arya Samaj.

2010 exclusion from the UK and Canada

Naik has been denied entry into the United Kingdom and Canada since June 2010. He was banned by the Home Secretary Theresa May. He had arranged to give talks in London and Sheffield. May said of the exclusion order regarding Naik, "Numerous comments made by Dr Naik are evidence to me of his unacceptable behavior". She noted statements from Naik such as, "every Muslim should be a terrorist". Naik's full quote is: "Every Muslim should be a terrorist. A terrorist is a person who causes terror. The moment a robber sees a policeman he is terrified. A policeman is a terrorist for the robber. Similarly every Muslim should be a terrorist for the antisocial elements of society, such as thieves, dacoits and rapists".

Naik believed that the Home secretary was making a "political decision and not a legal one". It was reported that Naik would attempt to challenge the ruling in the High court. His application for judicial review was dismissed on 5 November 2010.

Influence as revealed by published newspaper rankings

On 31 January 2010, the Sunday Express published The Indian Express list of the “100 Most Powerful Indians in 2010”. It ranked Naik at 89. Of the Muslims in this list, Naik was the only Islamic preacher. The other Muslims were a political secretary, a politician, a government official, a business magnate and three film personalities. He was the third most influential religious figure listed in 2009, whereas in 2010 he rose to become the highest placed religious leader at No. 89 followed by Jaggi Vasudev at 94, Baba Ramdev at 99 and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar at 100.

References

External links

Islamic Research Foundation (official website)

Peace TV (official website)

Articles and Answers of Zakir Naik

Here’s Zakir Naik, ‘Fundamentalist, not Fanatic’ Mumbai Newsline

Correct Islamic Faith International Association

Second opinion: Zakir Naik’s ‘reverse orientalism’ —Khaled Ahmed’s TV Review

Response of Arya Samaj to Zakir Naik's views on Hinduism

Official Peace Conference Website

Zakir Naik Exlusion Official Website

Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:Muslim scholars Category:Indian Muslims Category:Muslim apologists Category:Konkani Muslims Category:People from Mumbai Category:Indian religious leaders Category:University of Mumbai alumni Category:Personae non gratae

Name	Shiney Ahuja
Birthdate	May 15, 1973
Birthplace	Delhi, India
Birthname	Shiney Ahuja
Occupation	Actor, model
Yearsactive	2003 — present
Residence	Mumbai,Maharashtra,India
Filmfareawards	Best Debut : Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi (2006)
Spouse	Anupam Pandey

Shiney Ahuja (born 15 May 1973) is an Indian actor who won the Filmfare Best Debut Award for Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi in 2006.

Early life

Ahuja was born in New Delhi. His father was in the Indian army. His early schooling was at St. Xavier's School, Ranchi; later, he studied at The Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi. His initial plans were to join the armed forces. While studying at Hansraj College University of Delhi from 1992–1996, he was attracted to theater and joined the Barry Johns Acting School in Delhi. Sometime after 1996, he moved to Mumbai.

Career

Before making his debut in films, Ahuja modeled and acted in commercials. He also appeared in a music video for the British-Asian band Stereo Nation.

He made his acting debut in the critically acclaimed Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi which debuted at various film festivals in 2004 and was released in theaters in 2005. In 2006, Ahuja was awarded Best Male Debut by Filmfare Awards, Screen Awards, IIFA Awards, Zee Cine Awards and Stardust Awards. He also played the lead role in Mahesh Bhatt's Gangster, a more popular movie.

Personal life

Ahuja is married to Anupam Ahuja. They have a daughter named Arshiya, born in 2007. He was accused of the rape of his maid and was arrested, but was later released on bail.

Awards

2006

Screen Awards: Most Promising Newcomer - Male - Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi

Zee Cine Award for Best Male Debut- Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi

IIFA Awards: Best Debut- Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi

Stardust Awards: Best debut actor- Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi

2007-2008

IIFA Awards: Best Actor (Critics) - Gangster

Society Young Achiever's Award - Gangster

Kalakar Awards: Best actor - Khoya Khoya Chand

Filmography

References

External links

Police release preliminary medical results

|- ! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | Filmfare Awards |- |-

Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:Indian film actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:People from Delhi Category:University of Delhi alumni Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Indian prisoners and detainees

Name	Raj Thackeray
Caption	Raj Thackeray
Birth date	June 14, 1968
Birth place	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Party	Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Founder & President (Since 2006)
Religion	Hindu
Spouse	Sharmila Thackeray
Children	1 son (Amit Thackeray); 1 daughter (Urvashi Thackeray)
Alternate profession	Cartoonist, Photographer, Painter.

Raj Shrikant Thackeray (Swar-raj Shrikant Thackeray) () (born 14 June 1968) is the founder and president of the right-wing Marathi ethnocentric regional political party, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena ("Maharashtra Reformation Army") in the state of Maharashtra, India. He is the nephew of Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, and a cousin of the current Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray.

Personal life

Raj Thackeray was born on 14 June 1968. His official name is Swarraj Thackeray. His father, Shrikant Thackeray was the younger brother of Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thackeray, and his mother, Kunda Thackeray is the younger sister of Balasaheb Thackeray's wife Meena Thackeray. Raj is married to Sharmila, daughter of the Marathi actor, producer and director Mohan Wagh. They have a son named Amit and a daughter named Urvashi.

Raj Thackeray was schooled at Bal Mohan Vidya Mandir School in the Central Mumbai suburb of Dadar, and graduated from the Sir J.J. College of Art.

Raj is a painter and a cartoonist. When asked what he would have done had he not joined politics Raj Thackeray said: "In my college days, I wanted to work with Walt Disney Studios. I drew cartoons even before my foray in politics. Film making is also a passion. I would have been doing either of these things." Raj operates an infrastructure development company – Matoshree Builders –, which operates in Mumbai and its suburbs.

Like his cousin Uddhav Thackeray Raj is also an avid photographer. He has published a photo-biography on his uncle titled 'Bal Keshav Thackeray' - a photo-biography.

Controversies & Agitations

2008 violence against UP & Biharis

In February 2008 Raj Thackeray led a violent movement in what was labelled an andolan (uprising/ protest) against the supposed dominance of migrants from the North Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in Maharashtra and more so in its commercial capital of Mumbai. His party and Shiv Sena banned Australian cricketers participating in IPL 3 from playing in Mumbai as a protest against the attack on Indian students down under. At a rally in Shivaji Park, Raj warned that if the dadagiri (intimidating dominance) of these people in Mumbai and Maharashtra continued, he would be compelled to make them leave the metropolis. Raj was arrested along with a Samajwadi Party leader, Abu Azmi, for their involvement in the fracas, but was released on paying a penalty of .

Acquittal in Kini murder case

In July 1996, Ramesh Kini was found dead in a cinema in Pune. Kini was a tenant in a ramshackle tenement in central Mumbai, whose landlord, Laxmikant Shah, was trying to evict him. Shah also happened to be a close childhood friend of Raj Thackeray. Raj and his men allegedly killed Ramesh in order to vacate the house. A CBI enquiry was later issued for the case, but the CBI dismissed the case as one of suicide.

Kohinoor mill controversy

Shiv Sena opposed sale of mill land, but Raj Thackeray bid for and won mill land in prime Mumbai real estate. On 21 July, 2005, Raj and Unmesh Joshi purchased a five acre plot of land, Kohinoor Mill No. 3, located across the road from the Shiv Sena party headquarters in Dadar, Mumbai for . The NCP leader from Mumbai, Sachin Ahir, objected to the sale of the Kohinoor Mill land, saying that there were forty bids, yet only three were short-listed. He demanded a re-bid as there was a lack of transparency in the move.

Insistence on Marathi signboards for Mumbai shops

In July 2008, Raj issued a public warning that Mumbai shops needed to have Marathi signboards in addition to the existing English signboards. He warned that after one month, MNS workers would start blackening non-Marathi signboards. While there had been a law to this effect passed earlier by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, it had not been enforced.

Raj had also insisted that the Marathi signboards had to be at least as big as the English signboards. A number of big shopowners, notably Viren Shah (Roopam chain) went to court against this move. The high-court provided them relief, passing a judgement that the Marathi signboards did not have to be as big as English signboards.

In September 2008, MNS workers resorted to blackening signboards, to enforce the demand, after which most shop owners complied. Six MNS workers were arrested but later released on bail. The Congress government was dilatory in filing chargesheets against them, following which the Maharashtra high-court passed strictures against the government. When the government prosecutor submitted in December that the chargesheets had not been filed as investigation was ongoing, the judge remarked sarcastically whether this was a murder case to warrant such long investigations, three months after the arrest of the MNS workers, but Raj was attempting to enforce a rule previously on the books.

Reaction to Jaya Bachchan's controversial statement

The words of Jaya Bachchan, veteran actor and sitting Rajya Sabha MP of Samajwadi Party (with whom Raj's MNS has crossed swords a number of times), during the Music launch of the Hindi film Drona, were deemed hurtful by Raj Thackeray.

Jaya's words 'Hum UP ke log hain, isliye Hindi mein baat karenge, Maharashtra ke log Maaf Kijiye' (We are from UP region, so we will speak in Hindi. People of Maharashtra, please excuse) after her candid response to the film's Director, Goldie Behl, making his introductory speech in English and subsequently encouraging the actress Priyanka Chopra to speak in Hindi.

Raj commented that Jaya had no business alluding to all the people of Maharashtra in that statement. He threatened to ban all Bachchan films unless Jaya apologised in a public forum for hurting Maharashtrians. MNS workers began to attack theatres screening The Last Lear starring Jaya Bachchan's husband, Amitabh Bachchan. Shivsena MP Sanjay Raut also criticized Jaya's statement saying: "After making all your success & fortune in Mumbai, if you feel like saying that, We are From UP, its very unfortunate." It was only after Amitabh tendered an apology that the screening resumed.

Following Raj's threat, Mumbai police acted against Raj, issuing a gag order preventing him from speaking to the media.

Agitation against Jet Airways Lay-offs

In October 2008, on the eve of the major Indian festival Diwali, Jet Airways laid-off 800 temporary workers & announced lay-offs of an additional 1100 workers. The laid off workers included Marathi as well as North-Indians. These workers met Raj Thackeray & asked him to intervene. Following this, Raj Thackeray declared that most of these workers had paid security deposits to the company, and he would meet Jet management to plead their case. Unless Jet Airways cancelled the lay-offs, his party would not allow any Jet Airways plane to take off from any airport in Maharashtra.

Within 12 hours of Raj Thackeray's declaration, Jet chairman Naresh Goyal reversed the lay-offs & reinstated the sacked employees. He claimed that he did it on his own & that there was no political pressure on him. Leftist Unions, Shivsena & Civil Aviation minister Praful Patel later tried to take credit for the decision. On announcement of the layoffs, Praful Patel had claimed that he had no jurisdiction over the layoffs issue. Sacked Jet employees on the other hand stated that they were warned by Jet management on reinstatement, not to meet Raj Thackeray to thank him.

Remarks on Chhath Puja and Migrants

Raj reproached North Indian leaders for politicizing Chhath Puja, a festival popular in Bihar, calling it a "drama" and a "show of numerical strength". He stated that the Chhath Puja was a political gimmick by some parties to attract the north Indian vote. He questioned the motives by citing that the puja is performed on the banks of a river, not the sea as it was being performed. He demanded that they only celebrate Maharashtra day and not UP day in Maharashtra. A petition was filed in the Patna civil court on February 8 against him for his remarks. His statements drew flak from political leaders across the board, especially those from the North Indian states. The then Indian Railways minister and former chief minister of Bihar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, vowed that he would come to Mumbai and perform Chhath Puja in front of Raj's house, which he failed to perform. He also ridiculed Raj saying, "He [Raj] is a child in politics".

The MNS chief also accused migrants of disrespecting the local culture. On February 9, expressing his stance on new migrants settling in Mumbai, Raj said, "New immigrants to the city should be denied entry into the city, while those already staying here should show respect to the Marathi 'manoos' and his culture".

Mumbai-Bombay Controversy: Wake Up Sid

On 2 October 2009, MNS workers disrupted the screening of the film Wake Up Sid on its release in a few Pune and Mumbai theatres, after Raj objected to references in the movie to "Bombay" rather than "Mumbai". The city of Mumbai was referred to as "Bombay" in many scenes and in some songs (lyrics by noted poet, Javed Akhtar) to evoke romantic nostalgia. The film's producer, Karan Johar, rushed to Raj's residence, profusely apologising and agreed to all of Raj's terms, including an apology on each of the 700 frames in the film.

MLA attacked in Maharashtra State Assembly

On Monday 9 November 2009, during the oath-taking ceremony of the Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly, MLAs from MNS physically attacked Samajwadi party leader, MLA Abu Asim Azmi, as he began his oath in Hindi instead of Marathi; Raj Thackeray had earlier warned the legislators to "take their oaths in Marathi only or else face dire consequences". In response, Azmi had declared that he would take his oath in Hindi, maintaining that he did not know Marathi. Azmi was pushed, punched and slapped by MNS legislators even as other legislators who tried to protect Azmi were pushed away. Other slogan-shouting MNS members displayed cloth banners they had smuggled into the house and also damaged the fittings on legislators' desks. Condemning the incident, the Assembly swiftly passed a resolution suspending the four MNS legislators — Shishir Shinde, Ramesh Wanjale, Ram Kadam and Vasant Gite for four years. They were also barred from entering Mumbai and Nagpur whenever the assembly met in the two cities. Abu Azmi was the only MLA the MNS members protested against; they did not object to members who took their oath in other languages such as Sanskrit and English.

Demand for introduction of Telecom customer service in Marathi

Telecom companies in Maharashtra had been providing customer service in English & Hindi only. Raj demanded that all telecom companies operating in Maharashtra start providing the service in Marathi also & set a deadline of February 27, 2010, after which his party MNS would launch an agitation. Following this demand, all telecom companies complied, introducing Marathi as an additional option in their customer service.

Kalyan Dombivali 2010 Elections

Raj Thackeray had a spat with his uncle Balasaheb Thackeray during election rallies for the first time since the inception of MNS. Both the parties declared war of words. The result of election were MNS winning 28 seats and Shiv Sena winning 31 seats.

References

External links

MNS Party Website

Raj Thackerey's response in The Indian Express to Sudheendra Kulkarni's criticism

New legal strategy to tame Raj

Category:Indian politicians Category:Living people Category:1968 births Category:Marathi people Category:Maharashtra politicians Category:Sir J. J. School of Art alumni Category:Maharashtra Navnirman Sena politicians

Name	Emraan Hashmi
Caption	Hashmi at the Percept Picture Company and Vishesh Films' press conference, 2008.
Birthname	Emraan Anwar Hashmi
Birthdate	March 24, 1979
Birthplace	Mumbai, India
Occupation	Actor
Yearsactive	2003—present
Spouse	Parveen Shahani (2006—present)
Website	http://www.emraan-hashmi.net/

Emraan Anwar Hashmi (}}; born 24 March 1979 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India), is a Filmfare Award-nominated Indian actor.

Early life

Hashmi was born to Anwar Hashmi and Maherahh Hashmi. His father is a Muslim while his mother a Roman Catholic. He studied graphics and animation from Sydenham College in Mumbai. He and co-star Mallika Sherawat shot to fame with the thriller, Murder (2004), which went on to become a super hit at the box office. In 2005, he appeared in several films such as Zeher, Aashiq Banaya Apne and Kalyug, which did moderately well at the box office. In 2006, his film, Gangster was a semi-hit, while Aksar and The Killer were flops. In 2007, Hashmi had three back to back releases, while Good Boy Bad Boy and The Train both failed at the box office, the big budgeted, Awarapan did moderately well. In 2008, Hashmi's first release, Jannat had a 100% opening making it a critical and commercial success. His first release in 2009, Raaz - The Mystery Continues, opened well and became the first box office success of the year. His second film of the year, Tum Mile, opened to mixed reviews and was rated a box office failure. In 2010, he appeared in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, which opened to positive reviews and was declared a hit at the box office.

Personal life

Hashmi graduated from Sydenham College in Mumbai, India. Pooja Bhatt, an actress turned director, is his cousin, while Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt are his uncles. They are both producers, while the former is also a writer and director. Hashmi married his long time girl friend, Parveen Shahani in December 2006. He became father to a baby boy on 4 February 2010 and named him Ayaan.

Controversies

In July 2009, Hashmi claimed that a housing society in Mumbai's upmarket Pali Hill locality refused to grant him permission to buy an apartment because he is a Muslim. The housing society rejected the allegations and in turn accused Hashmi and his family of intimidatory behavior. Hashmi's allegations were condemned by other Muslim actors in Bollywood, especially Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan. while the Indian-Islamic Cultural Center accused Hashmi of spurring communal tensions in India.

On 10 August 2009, Hashmi backtracked from his accusation and said that the housing society has not discriminated against him and termed the incident as a "miscommunication".

Filmography

Awards

2005 Nominated Star Screen Award For Best Villain in Murdrer

2005 Won Stardust Award Best Actor in a Negative Role in Murder

2007 Nominated Filmfare Award For Best Villain in Gangster

2007 Nominated IIFA Award For Best Actor in a Negatve Role in Gangster

2011 Nominated Star Screen Award Best Vllain in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai

2011 Nominated Apsara Award Best Villain in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai

2011 Nominated Filmfare Award Best Actor in Supporting Role in Once Upon Time In Mumbaai

References

External links

Category:1979 births Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian Muslims Category:Living people Category:People from Mumbai Category:Hindi film actors Category:University of Mumbai alumni