name	Jeans
director	Shankar
producer	Ashok AmritrajSunanda Murali Manohar
writer	Shankar
starring	PrashanthAishwarya RaiLakshmiRaadhikaNassar
music	A. R. Rahman
cinematography	Ashok Kumar
editing	B. LeninV. T. Vijayan
studio	Amritraj Solomon CommunicationsSri Surya Movies
distributor	Oscar Films (India)Eros Labs (U.S.)Cee I TV (UK)
released	24 April 1998
runtime	175 min.
country	India
language	Tamil
budget
gross	}}

''Jeans'' () is a 1998 Tamil romantic drama film written and directed by Shankar. Produced by Ashok Amritraj and Murali Manohar, it stars Prashanth, Aishwarya Rai and Nassar in the lead roles, whilst Raju Sundaram and Lakshmi played other supporting role characters. The film features a successful soundtrack from A. R. Rahman, whilst Ashok Kumar and the pair of B. Lenin and V. T. Vijayan took care of the cinematography and editing respectively.

The film revolves around a Non-resident Indian man, Nachiappan, who has twin sons, Vishwanathan and Ramamoorthy. As a result of Nachiappan's separation from his twin brother, he wants his sons to be married to twins. However, Visu falls in love with a girl, Madhumitha, who visits the United States to help her grandmother remove a brain tumour. Visu and Ramu are medical students who are attached to the hospital where Madhu's grandmother has her operation, and mistake requires Visu's intervention. After helping Madhu's grandmother, he eventually tells her his father's wishes. Eventually Vishwanathan and Madhumitha put on a double act attempting to deceive the father, who is insistent that his sons get married to twins, however their plans are foiled. How the couple manages to change his father's decision to marry his sons to twins forms the crux of the story.

The film opened to Indian audiences after several delays, on 24 April 1998 and was the most expensive film to be made in India at the time. Despite receiving mixed reviews on the actors' performances and the basic storyline, the film became a major hit at the South Indian box office. Owing to its success, it was later dubbed into the Hindi and Telugu language and released with the same name. The film was nominated by India as its entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1998.

Plot

Nachiappan (Nassar) is a restaurateur in Los Angeles, USA. His twin sons Vishwanathan (Visu) and Ramamoorthy (Ramu) (both played by Prashanth), are medical students, who help him out in the evenings and on weekends, alongside with the restaurant's chief cook, Juno (Senthil). One evening, Vishwanathan goes to the airport to check on the family's supply concession and sees that some fellow Indians – Madhumitha (Aishwarya Rai), her brother Madhesh (Raju Sundaram) and their grandmother Krishnaveny (Lakshmi) – have difficulty with an address. He pitches in to help and learns that they just flew in from India so that Krishnaveny can undergo a crucial surgery to remove her brain tumour.

The story shifts to the hospital where Vishwanathan, an intern, visits Krishnaveny's room after the operation, and notices she has been operated on the wrong side. Vishwanathan appeals aggressively to the doctors and has the error corrected by another surgery and then spearheads an angry fight for compensation. The hospital gives in to avoid a messy court case.

When the grandmother realises that Vishwanathan and Madhumitha have fallen in love, she extends the family's stay in the United States and takes a liking to Vishwanathan's good nature. However, Nachiappan objects to the budding romance and wants his sons to marry identical twins because he himself has an identical twin brother, Pechiappan. They both had married for love in their youth, but are now estranged because Pechiappan's wife Sundaramba (Raadhika) showed such tyrannical behaviour towards Nachiappan's wife (Geetha), that she died delivering the twin boys.

Krishnaveny tries to solve the problem by telling Nachiappan that Madhumitha has an identical twin, Vaishnavi. The story spun by Krishnaveny is that Vaishnavi has been brought up in an orthodox Brahmin household. At this point they ring in Madhumitha's alter ego, contrasting Madhumitha with a very demure, typically traditional Indian version. Ramamoorthy, falls for the act, unaware that Vaishnavi and Madhumitha are the same person. Meanwhile, Nachaippans brother Pechiappan arrives to a warm welcome by his brother, but later attempts suicide. Nachiappan then rescues him and comes to hear of his sad story and comes up with a plan. Accordingly, Nachiappan and his brother switch places. Nachiappan goes to his brother's wife and impersonate as his brother to reunite with her. He succeeds. Nachiappan's brother impersonated as Nachiappan. Ramamoorthy then meanwhile, figures out that Vaishnavi is Madhumitha and she was impersonating Vaishnavi. Vishwanathan in anger immediately leaves Madhumitha's household along with his family, but Ramamoorthy persuades his father who is not actually his father to have Madhumitha and Vishwanathan married. Though Ramamoorthy did not know it was not his father he talked about his father's brother who was right there impersonating. That made him guilty. He decided to have Vishwanathan married to Madhumitha. When Nachiappan figured out that Madhumitha doesn't have a twin,he goes and stops the wedding. There they figure out that the brothers impersonated each other as well to get along. Nachiappan's brother's wife persuades Nachiappan to have them married because Madhumitha did the same thing the brother's did. In the end, Visu and Madhu get married.

Cast

The cast features three actors who appear in multiple roles. As in previous films by Shankar, the supporting cast included guest appearances by prominent artists.

Prashanth as Vishwanathan and Ramamoorthy. The twin brothers are both medical students, who assist their father run a catering business. While Vishwanathan is more fun-loving and has a relationship with Madhumitha, Ramamoorthy is more reserved and emotional, especially after being deceived by the double act of Madhumitha.

Aishwarya Rai as Madhumitha and Vaishnavi. Madhumitha is a loving and optimistic young woman who leads her family to the United States seeking medical attention for her grandmother. Vaishnavi is the double act improvised by Madhumitha to deceive Nachiappan.

Lakshmi as Krishnaveny, Madhumitha's grandmother, who encourages her granddaughter to play a double act in order to meet with the groom's father's marriage requirements. She first begins her role by playing a brain patient who has come to America with her grandkids for a surgery.

Raadhika as Sundaramba, a vital cameo as Pachiappan's wife, who starts the friction between the brothers.

Nassar as Nachiappan and Pechiappan Rajamani. A naive father of twin sons, who remains upbeat on re-uniting with his own twin, Pachiappan. Nachiappan Rajamani insists on his twin sons getting married to twin daughters since his brother and him were split due to the non-chemistry between the women they both married. Because of this Nachiappan's wife and Visu and Ramu's mother died after giving birth.

Raju Sundaram as Madhesh, Madhumitha's energetic brother with a habit of ruining the situation due to his innocence and cracking jokes.

Senthil as Juno. A cook who works at Nachiappan's catering company. The character provides comic relief throughout the film, and instigates complicated situations for the bride's family.

Other characters are portrayed by S. V. Shekhar, Geetha and [[Janaki Sabesh]among others.

Production

Development

The entire production of the movie took about a year and a half to be completed and released. Prior to ''Jeans'', Shankar had directed three films, ''Gentleman'', ''Kadhalan'' and ''Indian'', all three of which had been successful ventures at the box-office. ''Jeans'', unlike the others, was his first film which was shot outside of India for major portions of the film. The producers of the film were Ashok Amritraj, Michael Soloman and Murali Manohar, whom all made their Tamil film debuts with ''Jeans'' respectively, producing the most expensive Indian film till date in 1998. The film reunited Shankar with his award-winning technical crew from his previous film ''Indian'', whilst the cast was finalized by him after he had finalized the story. ''Genes'' was the title selected but Shankar felt it would not apply to the masses so he used the homonym, ''Jeans''.

The film's launch was held at the AVM Studios in Vadapalani, Chennai in December 1996. The ''Jeans'' invitation was printed, wrapped in Jeans cloth and was hand delivered by Shankar to his close colleagues and friends in Chennai, which included prominent actors in the Tamil filmdom, making it the grandest Tamil film launch to date in 1996. The cast and crew of the film, wore their favorite pair of blue jeans as per request from the producers to the launch.

Casting

The original actor considered for the dual roles of Vishwanathan and Ramamoorthy was Abbas, who rejected the project citing that his dates were booked for the full year of 1996. The second choice for the lead roles, Ajith Kumar, also opted out due to call sheet problems. The roles eventually went to Prashanth, who in comparison to the previous choices, was less prominent during the period. Prashanth dedicated almost a year and half to Jeans, sacrificing seven films in the process, as he considered it "a once in a lifetime" opportunity which would have straighten up his career. Aishwarya Rai, a former Miss World, was the original choice for the roles of Madhumitha and Vaishnavi. Aishwarya Rai too had not been a part of a commercially successful film in her two movies til date, despite winning critical acclaim in Mani Ratnam's ''Iruvar''. The supporting cast included Senthil, Nassar and Raju Sundaram, with the latter making his debut as an actor in films. Prominent supporting actresses Lakshmi and Geetha were signed up for the film, whilst Radhika agreed to appear in a guest appearance. Another supporting role was taken by S. Ve. Sekhar after noted playback singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam opted out of the role.

The other substitution in the project involved the cinematographer. Despite reports that Shankar would again sign on Jeeva, whom he had worked with in ''Kadhalan'', ''Gentleman'' and ''Indian'', Santhosh Sivan was announced as the cinematographer for the film. Though between the time of the announcement and the finishing stages of the film, cinematographer Ashok Kumar was publicized as the official cinematographer for the film. In mid-1997, film organisation FEFSI striked and in the midst of this, the film's art director Thotta Tharani, a FEFSI supporter, refused to sacrifice his position in FEFSI and stopped working in ''Jeans''. Without much choice, Shankar signed a newcomer Bala to take over the set design and art work for the film. The film's art direction is credited with both Thotta Tharani and Bala. Venki was signed up to deal with the special-effects in the film, with ''Jeans'' containing the most number of minutes of special effects amongst any film made til 1998, including Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park. The film also were assisted in graphics of having the effects created by the Pentafour company in Hollywood.

Filming

The filming of ''Jeans'', broke the record for the number of different foreign locations featured in an Indian film. The initial scenes of the Rajamani family's catering company was filmed in Las Vegas, whilst other scenes were shot in California at the Universal Studios, who usually do not grant permission for foreign films to conduct shooting there. However with influence from the film's producer Ashok Amritraj they were able to obtain special permission to film a few scenes inside. Besides the King Kong set, Jeans was also shot in the "simulated earthquake experience" sets. The filming in Los Angeles received much publicity as well as the filming at the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Other ''Jeans'' shooting locations in the United States of America included the Valley of Fire, Manhattan Beach, Malibu Lake and many scenic spots throughout California. The song ''Columbus'' was picturized at the shores of Venice Beach, California with some foreign male and female dancers. Shankar also filmed in New Jersey and New York at the World Trade Center when co-producer Michael Salomon and his wife, Luciana Balusia visited the sets of ''Jeans''.

After a 45 day schedule in the United States, Shankar and the team returned to India to film a couple of scenes in the climax. The team then visited several other countries to picturize the song ''Poovukkul'', with featured scenes with seven prominent buildings in the world, dubbing Aishwarya Rai as the "eighth wonder of the world". Shankar admitted that due to no real list being present, thought had been put into which wonders were selected. The team made a thirty day trip around the world stopping to can scenes at the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Empire State Building, the Great Wall of China, the Taj Mahal, the Egyptian pyramids, the Roman Colosseum and the Eiffel Tower. During the shooting in Paris the death of Princess Diana had taken place and shooting was delayed in the France, due to her death. Shankar, the cast and crew of the film described the experiences as "tremendously vivid and memorable". Three weeks prior to the release of the film, on 1 April 1998 a screening was held labelled the ''Making of Jeans'' with prominent personalities invited, however the short film showed the real manufacture of jeans. The prank was claimed by Shankar and his crew who utilized an April Fools joke.

Release

Reception

Jeans was released worldwide on 24 April 1998 soon after Tamil New Year's Day, over three months after its original release date of 14 January 1998. With 240 prints, the films holds the 1998 record for a Tamil film. Upon release the film was subsequently dubbed into two languages, Telugu and Hindi. The film completed 100 days of screening in the theaters in the state of Tamil Nadu. In local parlance, this is considered to be one of the measures for a film's success. The reception for ''Jeans'' in Malaysia was equally as celebrated, releasing in six major metropolises for a run which lasted up to 9 weeks, collecting $114,883 (then approximately Rs. 5 million) within its 50 day run. In Singapore, $ 125,000 on its opening day setting a nine year record, before the figure for the biggest Tamil film opening was surpassed by ''Sivaji''. The film was also released in limited screens in Japan, earning a favourable response commercially. The net gross was estimated to be 35 crore and this became one of the highest grossing Tamil films at that time.

The film was nominated by India as its entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1998, although the decision to enter it ahead of other films was criticized. The film won four Tamil Nadu State Film Awards in 1998 for Best Comedian, Best Female Playback Singer, Best Choreographer and Best Costume Designer with Senthil, Nithyasree Mahadevan, Raju Sundaram and Kasi picking up awards in their categories. The film also won a single Filmfare Award for Best Music for A. R. Rahman's musical score.

Reviews

''Jeans'' opened to positive reviews from most critics. A reviewer from Rediff praised the lead characters Prashanth, Aishwarya Rai and Nassar as "ever dependable", whilst singling out praise for Radhika whom she describes that " with her startling cameo, sweeps the acting honours". The reviewer praised the technical crew describing Venky's FX as a "virtual reality", Ashok Kumar's cinematography as "throughout and outstanding", Raju Sundaram's choreography as "memorable" and A. R. Rahman's score as "entirely hummable". Shankar's directorial attributes were described to be to a "perfect flow of narrative and a penchant for demanding and getting perfection out of every element of his cast and crew" and that the film was an "easy fit". The reviewer from The Indian Express called the film a "hilarious comedy" and drew significant praise to the performance of Aishwarya Rai and the music of Rahman. Another critic, labelled ''Jeans'' as "glossy and extravagant" and comments that the "film clicks". The lead actors were mixed with Prashanth labelled as "impressive", while Aishwarya Rai is described as "pretty" and that she "exhibits grace in dancing" but that "her performance leaves lots of room for improvement" and that she "overacts" in the character of Vaishnavi. Nassar, Lakshmi and Raju Sundaram were all appreciated for their roles. Rahman's musical composition of the film was described as "one of his best soundtracks", whilst Vairamuthu's "terrific lyrics" also stood in the song ''Poovukkul''.

In contrast, the film was described by the Deccan Herald as a "colossal waste" criticizing Shankar's story and direction and the performances of Prashanth and Lakshmi.

Music

name	Jeans
type	Soundtrack
artist	A. R. Rahman
released	1 April 1998|
recorded	Panchathan Record Inn|
genre	Soundtrack|
length	34 Minutes|
label	WestopT-Series
producer	A.R. Rahman
last album	''Kabhi Na Kabhi'' (1997)
this album	''Jeans'' (1998)
next album	''Dil Se...'' (1998) }}

The ''Jeans'' soundtrack was released by Westop on 1 April 1998. All songs are composed by A. R. Rahman. The songs were dubbed into Hindi, using Javed Akhtar's lyrics when it was released in Northern region of India.

Song title !! Singers !! Length(m:ss)
"Hai Ra Hai Ra Hai Rabba"	Unnikrishnan, Pallavi	7:11
"Columbus Columbus"	A. R. Rahman
"Poovukkul"	Unnikrishnan, Sujatha Mohan
"Kannodu Kaanbadhellam"	Nithyasree Mahadevan
"Varayo Thozhi"	Sonu Nigam, Shahul Hameed, Harini, Sangeetha
"Anbe Anbe"	Hariharan (singer)>Hariharan, Anuradha Sriram
"Kehta Hai Mera Yeh Dil"	Kavita Krishnamurthy

References

External links

Category:1998 films Category:1990s comedy-drama films Category:Indian films Category:Tamil-language films Category:Tamil-language films dubbed into Telugu

fr:Jeans (film, 1997) ta:ஜீன்ஸ் (திரைப்படம்) te:జీన్స్

Birth date	November 01, 1973
Birth place	Mangalore, Karnataka, India
Birthname	Aishwarya Rai
Othername	Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Spouse	Abhishek Bachchan (2007–present)
Children	Aaradhya Bachchan
Occupation	actor, model
Yearsactive	1991–present
Signature	Signature_of_Aishwarya_Rai_Bachchan.svg }}

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (pronounced əjɕʋərjaː rəj; born 1973) is an Indian film actress. She worked as a model before starting her acting career, and ultimately won the Miss World pageant in 1994. Rai has featured in films in various languages including Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, and Bengali.

Often cited by the media as the "most beautiful woman in the world", Rai made her acting debut with Mani Ratnam's Tamil film ''Iruvar'' (1997), and had her first commercial success in ''Jeans'' (1998). She found success in Bollywood with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'' (1999) and ''Devdas'' (2002) and eventually won two Filmfare Awards in the Best Actress category.

After a series of unsuccessful films during 2003–2005, she appeared in the blockbuster action thriller ''Dhoom 2'' (2006) and subsequently featured in such films as ''Guru'' (2007), ''Jodhaa Akbar'' (2008), and ''Enthiran'' (2010). She gained critical acclaim for her performances in offbeat, independent films such as ''Chokher Bali'' (2003), ''Raincoat'' (2004), and ''Provoked'' (2007). Rai has thus established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses of Indian cinema.

Rai's off-screen roles include duties as brand ambassador for various charity organisations and campaigns. She is married to fellow actor Abhishek Bachchan. In 2009 she was honoured with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award given by the Government of India.

Early life

Rai was born into an ethnic Bunt family in Mangalore, Karnataka. Her father, Krishnaraj, was a marine biologist, while her mother, Brindya, is a housewife. She has one elder brother, Aditya Rai, who is an engineer in the merchant navy. He co-produced one of her movies, ''Dil Ka Rishta'' (2003).

The family moved to Mumbai, where Rai attended the Arya Vidya Mandir High School. Rai did her intermediate schooling at Jai Hind College for a year, and then joined DG Ruparel College in Matunga, securing 90 percent in the HSC exams. She trained in classical dance and music for five years during her teens. Her favourite subject was zoology, so she initially considered a career in medicine. With plans to become an architect, she enrolled at Raheja College, but later gave up her education to pursue a career in modelling.

Modelling career

One of her earliest modelling assignment was, when she was in the ninth grade, for Camlin Pencils. One of her professors at Jai Hind College took pictures of her which were published in a fashion magazine. In 1991 Rai took part in the Ford Supermodel Contest and also appeared in ''Vogue Magazine''. She has been on the cover of ''Vogue'' three times.

Rai became popular after appearing in a Pepsi commercial with actor Aamir Khan. She modelled for Longines watches, Coca-Cola, Lakmé Cosmetics, Casio pager, Philips, Palmolive, Lux, and Fuji films. She continued to model while pursuing her studies in architecture. She was named the official brand ambassador for De Beers diamonds in India.

In the 1994 ''Miss India'' contest, she won second place, behind Sushmita Sen, and was crowned ''Miss India World''. She went on to win the ''Miss World'' title the same year, where she also won the ''Miss Photogenic'' award. After winning the pageant, she gave up her studies and spent one year reigning as Miss World in London. Rai continued to pursue a career as a model until she became an actress.

Film career

Early career (1997–98)

Rai made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam's Tamil biopic film ''Iruvar'' (1997), where she worked alongside Mohanlal. The film was a critical success and won many awards, including Best Film award at the Belgrade International Film Festival, and two National Film Awards. Rai appeared in dual roles, one of which was a depiction of political leader and former actress J. Jayalalithaa. Rai made her Bollywood debut in the film in ''Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya'', opposite Bobby Deol, which released the same year; the film was unsuccessful at the box office. Her third project, ''Jeans'' (1998), a high-budget Tamil film directed by S. Shankar, was a commercial success. The film included the song "Poovukkul", written by Vairamuthu, in which Rai's character is compared to the seven wonders of the world and described as the eighth. The film was India's official entry to the Academy Awards in that year.

Success (1999–2002)

In 1999 Rai starred in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'', opposite Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan. The film had Rai playing Nandini, who is forced to marry Devgan despite being in love with another man (Khan). Her husband tries to help her locate her previous love, and his caring attention eventually wins her over. Rai's portrayal won her critical acclaim, with a review on Rediff.com stating, "Aishwarya looks beautiful as usual ... This film will most likely draw her accolades from all over, may be even get her recognised as an actress the way Manisha Koirala did in ''Khamoshi''. In many scenes, there is no trace of makeup and she looks very fresh". The film was her first box office success in Bollywood, and earned her a Filmfare Best Actress Award.

In the same year she appeared in Subhash Ghai's ''Taal'', in which she played Mansi, a young village woman who becomes a big pop star after being hurt by her lover, played by Akshay Khanna. The film was an average grosser in India but was a big success outside India, especially in the United States, where it became the first Indian film in the top 20 on ''Variety's'' box office list. Her performance was praised, with a reviewer from Rediff.com writing, "After being praised for her looks and acting talent in ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'', Aishwarya has excelled in ''Taal''. She looks ethereal and unlike the former film, has a very sober and soft role. Though she looks pained and tragic in most of the film, she does a good job of a woman who is very protective of her father and one who doesn't think twice before rejecting a lover who has insulted her father." She received another Best Actress nomination from the Filmfare Awards for her work in the film.

In 2000 she appeared in Mansoor Khan's ''Josh'' alongside Shahrukh Khan and Chandrachur Singh, in which she plays a Catholic named Shirley who falls in love with the sibling of her brother's enemy. The film was a commercial success. Later that year she appeared in Satish Kaushik's ''Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai'', opposite Anil Kapoor. It was a moderate success, and her performance earned her a Filmfare Best Actress Award nomination. Later that year she played a supporting role in Aditya Chopra's ''Mohabbatein'', alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan. The second-highest grosser of the year, the film was a major commercial success, and earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award nomination. Later that year, she starred in the Tamil film ''Kandukondain Kandukondain'', alongside Mammooty, Ajith Kumar, and Tabu. Rai plays Tabu's younger sibling, a dreamer at heart, whose hopes come crashing down when she discovers she's been cheated by her lover. Directed by Rajiv Menon, the movie was a successful venture commercially.

In 2002 Rai appeared alongside Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ''Devdas'', an adaptation of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same name. She played the role of Paro (Parvati), the love interest of the protagonist, played by Khan. The film received a special screening at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. It became the highest-grossing film of the year in India and overseas, earning a revenue of Rs domestically. ''Devdas'' won numerous awards, including 10 Filmfare Awards, and Rai received her second Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance.

Professional setback (2003–05)

In 2003 she acted in Rituparno Ghosh's Bengali film ''Chokher Bali'', an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's novel of the same name. She portrays the character of a young woman called Binodini, who is left on her own when her sickly husband dies soon after they are married. Rai's performance in the film was well-received by critics, with "Derek Elley" from Variety writing, "Rai dominates the film with her delicately sensual presence and physical grace". The film was critically acclaimed and did well at the box office, That year she appeared in the Bollywood film ''Dil Ka Rishta'', with Arjun Rampal, and Rohan Sippy's ''Kuch Na Kaho'', alongside Abhishek Bachchan, neither of which fared well at the box office.

In 2004 she appeared alongside Martin Henderson in ''Bride and Prejudice'', Gurinder Chadha's Bollywood-style English adaptation of Jane Austen's ''Pride and Prejudice''. She played Lalita Bakshi, the film's version of Austen's character Elizabeth Bennet. Based on 131 reviews, the film has a rating of 64 percent at the review website Rotten Tomatoes. She played a negative role for the first time in Rajkumar Santoshi's ''Khakee'', which also featured Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan, and Jayapradha. The film was a box office success. In the same year she worked with director Rituparno Ghosh for the second time, in ''Raincoat'', where she starred alongside Ajay Devgan. The film was highly acclaimed by critics, with Rai receiving rave reviews for her performance. The Hindu commented "Raincoat can easily be Aishwarya Rai's best performance, and as Neerja, the former beauty queen appears to have shed her inhibitions about looking unglamorous. What is more, she seems to have made an earnest effort to emote, using less of her body and limbs and more of her face, and eyes in particular".

In 2005 she appeared in ''Shabd'', a film based on a love triangle, alongside Sanjay Dutt and Zayed Khan. The film was unsuccessful at the box office; it received average reviews from critics. Her next release was Paul Mayeda Berges's ''The Mistress of Spices'', based on the novel of the same name by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, in which she starred alongside Dylan McDermott. The film received negative reviews from critics, and was a commercial failure. The same year she made a special appearance in a hugely popular seven-minute dance sequence for the song "Kajra Re", with Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan, in Shaad Ali's ''Bunty Aur Babli''.

Recent work (2006–present)

In 2006 Rai portrayed the title role in J P Dutta's ''Umrao Jaan'', the story of a courtesan and poetess from 19th-century Lucknow. The movie is the second adaptation of the Urdu novel ''Umrao Jaan Ada'' (1905), by Mirza Hadi Ruswa. Rai's work received mixed reviews, and the film was a critical and commercial failure. Critics particularly felt the new version is poor when compared to the acclaimed 1981 version by Muzaffar Ali, which starred Rekha in the title role. BBC critic Poonam Joshi wrote, "While only Aishwarya could emulate the grace and poise of Rekha, she doesn't quite capture the intensity of Umrao's abiding melancholy", commenting that "her incandescent beauty and artistry... does indeed keep the audience watching, though not necessarily emotionally engaged." Later that year she appeared as a master thief, Sunheri, in the Yash Raj Films production of ''Dhoom 2'', directed by Sanjay Gadhvi. The ensemble cast included Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu, and Uday Chopra. The movie was a blockbuster, and became the highest grossing film of the year in India, earning revenues of over Rs domestically. A controversy arose regarding a scene containing a kiss between her and Hrithik Roshan. Rai's performance received mostly negative reviews, with a reviewer on Rediff.com writing, "Ash's character too is all gloss and no depth. You seldom feel any tension in her behaviour and expressions as she accompanies the master thief on potentially dangerous missions. Sunehri enters the film nearly 50 minutes after its opening in a disguise. In no time, she is wearing the flimsiest of clothes. Once she opens her mouth—and she does it two minutes after appearing in the film—she spoils the image. There is no sensuality any more, and half an hour later, one wonders what made the master thief fall for her." Nonetheless, her performance earned her a sixth nomination for Filmfare Best Actress Award.

In 2007 she appeared in Mani Ratnam's ''Guru'' as Sujata. Speculated to be based on the life of Indian businessman Dhirubhai Ambani, it is a rag to riches story about an ambitious small-town man who ends up as the owner of the biggest corporation in India. The film premièred at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto, Canada, the first Indian film to have a mainstream international premiere in that country. The film was critically acclaimed, and performed well at the box office. Critical reception for Rai was mixed. While Nikhat Kazmi from ''The Times of India'' wrote that she is "just okay, and fails to register the growth in her character", Rediff.com's Raja Sen described it as "arguably her finest performance, visible especially when she takes over the film's climax." Rai received her seventh Filmfare nomination for Best Actress for her performance. In the same year she starred alongside Naveen Andrews and Miranda Richardson in Jag Mundhra's British film ''Provoked'', as Kiranjit Ahluwalia, an Non-resident Indian woman who kills her abusive husband after facing severe domestic violence. Rai received mostly positive reviews for her portrayal. It was screened in the Marché du Film Cannes Film Market during the 2006 Cannes Film Festival. Ahluwalia sat next to Rai during the screening, reportedly holding her hand and sobbing during the most violent scenes. In the same year Rai appeared as a warrior from Kerala named Mira in Doug Lefler's epic film ''The Last Legion'', alongside Sir Ben Kingsley, Colin Firth, and Thomas Sangster. The film was a critical failure.

In 2008 Rai starred alongside Hrithik Roshan in Ashutosh Gowariker's historical drama ''Jodhaa Akbar''. The story is a partly fictionalised account of the life of Muslim Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, played by Roshan, and his Hindu wife Jodha Bai, played by Rai. The film was a critical and commercial success, earning revenues of over Rs domestically. Rai's performance in the film was praised by critics, with Rajeev Masand writing, "Aishwarya Rai is wonderfully restrained and uses her eyes expertly to communicate so much, making this one of her finest outings on screen". She earned her eighth nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards for her performance. Later that year she co-starred with husband Abhishek Bachchan and father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan in Ram Gopal Verma's ''Sarkar Raj'', a sequel to his previous film, ''Sarkar''. She plays the CEO of a major power company that is proposing a new power plant in rural Maharashtra. The film was a critical and commercial success.

In 2009 she appeared in Harald Zwart's spy comedy film ''The Pink Panther 2'', playing the role of criminology expert Sonia Solandres. Like its predecessor, the sequel received negative reviews from critics, and did a moderate business of $34,590,360 at the U.S box office. In 2010 she collaborated with Mani Ratnam for a bilingual project, two films featuring Rai portraying a character based on the goddess Sita. The films were shot simultaneously, with Rai's role being one of the only roles which were played by the same performer in both versions. Upon release, the project received mixed reviews. Though both her portrayals of Ragini were praised, the Hindi version—''Raavan'', alongside Abhishek Bachchan—failed commercially, whilst the Tamil version—''Raavanan''—was successful. The Hindi version of the film got decent reviews in various US media, including the ''New York Times'' and ''Los Angeles Times'', with the former saying, "Raavan has Bollywood glamour aplenty, with the lovely if occasionally dramatically challenged Aishwarya Rai Bachchan", and the latter describing Rai as a scene-stealer.

Rai paired with Rajinikanth in the science fiction Tamil film ''Enthiran'' (2010), directed by S. Shankar. The film—the most expensive ever made in India—was released worldwide in 2010, and is the highest-grossing Indian film when all its versions are totalled. She appeared in Vipul Shah's ''Action Replayy'' opposite Akshay Kumar, which received mixed reviews from critics. Rai's final release in 2010 was ''Guzaarish'', her third collaboration with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali and actor Hrithik Roshan. The film tells the story of Ethan Mascarenhas (Roshan), a former magician who has been quadriplegic for twelve years; after years of struggle he files an appeal to the court for euthanasia. Rai played Ethan's strict, devoted, and supportive nurse Sophie D'Souza. The film opened to positive reviews, and Rai's portrayal was praised. According to Nikhat Kazmi, "Aishwarya is a stunning picture of fire and grace, walking away with certain scenes by her sheer vitality." In 2011 she received her ninth nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. As of May 2011, she is set to appear in Rajkumar Santoshi's next film, ''Ladies and Gentlemen'', along with Abhishek Bachchan, and in Madhur Bhandarkar's next directorial venture, ''Heroine''. The shooting of both films was postponed, due to Rai's pregnancy. She will not appear in ''Heroine'', which is going forward with Kareena Kapoor.

Social work

In 1999 Rai participated in a world tour called the ''Magnificent Five'', along with Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji, Akshaye Khanna, and Twinkle Khanna. In the same year, she was appointed as Longines Ambassador of Elegance. In 2003 she became the first Indian actress to be a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2003 she became a global brand ambassador of L'Oréal, alongside Andie MacDowell, Eva Longoria, and Penélope Cruz. Rai is the brand ambassador for The Eye Bank Association of India's nationwide campaign to promote eye donation in India. In 2005 she became a brand ambassador for Pulse Polio, a campaign established by the Government of India in 1994 to eradicate polio in India. In the same year, Rai was appointed spokesperson for the International Year of Microcredit, raising awareness of the main goals and priorities of the United Nations' poverty alleviation efforts.

In February 2005 Rai performed alongside other Bollywood stars at the ''HELP! Telethon Concert'', an event to raise money for the victims of the 2004 tsunami earthquake. Along with other members of the Bachchan family, she laid the foundation of a special school for underprivileged girls in Daulatpur village in Uttar Pradesh in 2008. Construction is being funded by the Bachchan family, and the school will be named after Rai. She appeared along with various other Bollywood actors at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. The performance showcased Indian culture as a lead-up to India hosting the 2010 Commonwealth Games.

In 2009 Rai was appointed as the first Goodwill Ambassador of Smile Train, an international charity that provides free Cleft lip and palate surgery to children in need. Her work with Smile Train will focus not only on India, but on 76 different developing countries around the world.

Personal life

In 1999 Aishwarya began dating Bollywood actor Salman Khan; their relationship was often reported in the media until the couple separated in 2001. Rai cited "abuse (verbal, physical and emotional), infidelity and indignity" on the part of Khan as reasons for ending the relationship. In a 2009 ''Times of India'' article, Khan denied ever beating her: "It's not true that I hit a woman."

Rai is married to actor Abhishek Bachchan, they met in 1997. Their engagement was announced on 2007 and later confirmed by his father, Amitabh Bachchan. The couple married on 2007 according to traditional Hindu rites of the Bunt community, to which she belongs. Token North Indian and Bengali ceremonies were also performed. The wedding took place in a private ceremony at the Bachchan residence, "Prateeksha", in Juhu, Mumbai. They have been described as a supercouple in the Indian media. Rai is very close to her family and lived with them in Bandra, Mumbai, until her marriage. Rai is Hindu and deeply religious.

Rai gave birth to a baby girl on 16 November 2011. Her daughter became quite popular by the name of "Beti B" which was christened by the fans and the media, since the couple took over four months to name their daughter. The baby girl was finally named as Aaradhya Bachchan in March 2012.

Awards and honours

Aishwarya Rai is a two-time winner of the Filmfare Best Actress Award, and has been nominated for Filmfare Awards eleven times. She has won numerous times at the International Indian Film Academy Awards, Star Screen Awards, Zee Cine Awards, and others. In 2009 Rai was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest Indian civilian award, for her contributions to Indian cinema. In 2001 Forbes named Rai among the top five Indian movie stars. In a reader poll conducted by UK's ''Hello!'' magazine, she was voted "the most attractive woman of 2003". In the same year, Rai appeared in ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's annual "Hot List". In 2004 she was chosen by ''TIME'' magazine as one of the world's most influential people, and appeared on the cover of its 2003 Asia edition. In October 2004 a wax figure of Rai was put on display in London's Madame Tussaud's wax museum. She was the sixth Indian and the second Bollywood personality—after her father-in-law, Amitabh Bachchan—to get this honour. In 2007 the same figure was displayed at Madame Tussaud's Museum in Times Square in New York.

In 2005 she was the subject of a ''60 Minutes'' profile on , which said that "at least according to thousands of Web sites, Internet polls and even Julia Roberts", she was "the world's most beautiful woman". The same year, a tulip in the Netherlands was named "''Aishwarya Rai''" after her. Also in 2005, Mattel released a limited edition of Barbie dolls of Aishwarya Rai in the United Kingdom. The British magazine ''Maxim'' ranked Rai first on their list of "Hottest Women of India".

Rai appeared on such shows as ''Late Show with David Letterman'', and was the first Bollywood personality to appear on ''Oprah's'' "Women Across the Globe" segment. In 2005 Harpers and Queen's list of "Most Beautiful Women in The World" ranked her ninth. In May 2006 Aishwarya was featured in ''People Magazine'' as one of the "World's Most Beautiful People". The UK magazine ''Eastern Eye'' ranked her third in the list of "Asia's Sexiest Women" in 2006, and she was ranked eighth in 2009. In 2008 American television channel E!: Entertainment listed Aishwarya's eyes as the sexiest on their Sexiest Body Parts list. In 2009 she made appearances on Martha Stewart's show ''Martha'' and on the ''The Tyra Banks Show''. In the same year Forbes listed Rai at 387th out of 1,411 actors on their list of the most bankable stars in Hollywood. She is the highest-ranked Indian actor on the list.

In 2009, Rai refused to accept the second-highest Order Of France, ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'', as her father was suffering from a serious illness, and she wanted her whole family to attend the award ceremony. She is the fourth Indian actor—after Sivaji Ganesan, Nandita Das, and Shahrukh Khan—to be chosen for the award. Amitabh Bachchan was chosen for another Order Of France, the Legion of Honour. In June 2009 she was declared the ''Female Star of The Decade'' at the tenth International Indian Film Academy Awards, held in Macau. In December 2010 she was declared the "Actress of the Decade" at the BIG Star Entertainment Awards. In March 2011 Rai was honoured by Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yeddyurappa at World Kannada Meet (Vishwa Kannada Sammelana) for her contributions to the arts. Later that month she was presented with the "Decade of Global Achievement Honour" by FICCI. She attended the 83rd Academy Awards, along with her husband, Abhishek.

Filmography

scope="col"	Year	Title	Language	Role	Notes
1997	''Iruvar''		Pushpa / Kalpana
1997	''Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya''		Ashi Kapoor
1998		Tamil	Madhumita	Dubbed into Telugu and Hindi with the same title
1999	''Aa Ab Laut Chalen''	Hindi	Pooja
1999	''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam''	Hindi	Nandini	Filmfare Best Actress Award
1999	''Ravoyi Chandamama''			Special appearance
1999		Hindi	Mansi
2000		Hindi	Champakali	Guest appearance
2000	''Kandukondain Kandukondain''	Tamil	Meenakshi Bala	Dubbed into Telugu as ''Priyuralu Pilichindi''
2000		Hindi	Shirley
2000	''Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai''	Hindi	Preeti Virat	Nominated—Filmfare Best Actress Award
2000	''Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke''	Hindi	Sahiba Grewal
scope="row">2000	''Mohabbatein''	Hindi	Megha	Nominated—Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award
2001		Hindi	Sonia
2002	''Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam''	Hindi	Suman	Guest appearance
2002		Hindi	Komal Rastogi
scope="row">2002	''23 March 1931: Shaheed''	Hindi		Special appearance
2002		Hindi	Parvati (Paro)	Filmfare Best Actress Award
2002		Hindi	Herself	Special appearance in song "Ishq Kamina"
2003			Binodhini
2003	''Dil Ka Rishta''	Hindi	Tia Sharma
2003	''Kuch Naa Kaho''	Hindi	Namrata Shrivastav
2004	''Bride & Prejudice''	English	Lalita Bakshi	Dubbed into Hindi as ''Balle Balle Amritsar to LA''
2004	''Khakee''	Hindi	Mahalakshmi
2004	''Kyun...! Ho Gaya Na''	Hindi	Diya Malhotra
2004		Hindi	Neerja	Nominated—Filmfare Best Actress Award
2005		Hindi	Antara Vashist/Tammana
2005	''Bunty Aur Babli''	Hindi		Special appearance in the song "Kajra Re"
2005		English	Tilo
2006		Hindi	Umrao Jaan
2006	''Dhoom 2''	Hindi	Sunehri	Nominated—Filmfare Best Actress Award
2007		Hindi	Sujata	Nominated—Filmfare Best Actress AwardDubbed into 2007		English	[[Kiranjit Ahluwalia">Tamil language
2007		English	[[Kiranjit Ahluwalia	Dubbed into Hindi with the same title
2007	''The Last Legion''	English	Mira
2008	''Jodhaa Akbar''	Hindi	Mariam-uz-Zamani>Jodhaa Bai	Nominated—Filmfare Best Actress AwardDubbed into 2008	''[[Sarkar Raj">Tamil language
2008	''[[Sarkar Raj''	Hindi	Anita Rajan
2009	''The Pink Panther 2''	English	Sonia Solandres	Dubbed into French as ''La Pantera Rosa 2''
2010	''Raavan''	Hindi	Ragini Sharma
2010	''Raavanan''	Tamil	Ragini Subramaniam
2010	''Enthiran''	Tamil	Sana
2010	''Action Replayy''	Hindi	Mala
2010	''Guzaarish''	Hindi	Sofia D'Souza	Nominated—Filmfare Best Actress Award

See also

List of Indian film actresses

References

Further reading

External links

}}

Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:Femina Miss India winners Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Indian female models Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian Hindus Category:Mangaloreans Category:Miss World 1994 delegates Category:Miss World winners Category:Officiers of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Category:People from Mangalore Category:People from Mumbai Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:Tulu people Category:University of Mumbai alumni

ar:آيشواريا راي az:Ayşvariya Ray bn:ঐশ্বর্যা রাই br:Aishwarya Rai bg:Айшвария Рай ca:Aishwarya Rai cs:Aishwarya Rai de:Aishwarya Rai dv:އައިޝްވާރިޔާ ރާއީ es:Aishwarya Rai eo:Aishwarya Rai fa:آیشواریا رای fr:Aishwarya Rai gu:ઐશ્વર્યા રાય hi:ऐश्वर्या राय id:Aishwarya Rai it:Aishwarya Rai he:אישווריה ראי jv:Aishwarya Rai kn:ಐಶ್ವರ್ಯಾ ರೈ ka:აიშვარია რაი kk:Айшвария Рай Баччан ky:Айшвария Рай sw:Aishwarya Rai ku:Aishwarya Rai lt:Aishwarya Rai hu:Aisvarja Rai ml:ഐശ്വര്യ റായ് mr:ऐश्वर्या राय ms:Aishwarya Rai nl:Aishwarya Rai ne:ऐश्वर्या राय ja:アイシュワリヤー・ラーイ no:Aishwarya Rai pnb:ایشوریہ راۓ ps:اېشواريه رای pl:Aishwarya Rai pt:Aishwarya Rai ro:Aishwarya Rai ru:Рай, Айшвария sa:ऐश्वर्या रै sq:Aishwarya Rai simple:Aishwarya Rai sr:Ајшварија Рај sh:Aishwarya Rai fi:Aishwarya Rai sv:Aishwarya Rai ta:ஐஸ்வர்யா ராய் (நடிகை) te:ఐశ్వర్యా రాయ్ th:ไอศวรรยา ราย tg:Айшвария Рай tr:Aishwarya Rai uk:Айшварія Рай vi:Aishwarya Rai wuu:阿西华丫 yo:Aishwarya Rai zh:艾西瓦娅·巴克罕

Name	Nithyasree Mahadevan
Background	solo_singer
Birth date	August 25, 1973
Origin	Thiruvaiyaru, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation	Singer
Years active	1987 - Present
Genre	Carnatic music - Indian Classical Music and Playback singing
Label	HMV, EMI, RPG, AVM Audio, Inreco, Vani, Amutham Inc., Charsur Digital Workshop, Carnatica, Rajalakshmi Audio etc. }}

Nithyasree Mahadevan, (born August 25, 1973) also previously referred to as S. Nithyashri, is an eminent Carnatic musician and playback singer for film songs in many Indian languages. Nithyashree has performed in all major sabhas in India and has presented her concerts in many destinations around the world. She has received multiple awards and honours, and has released more than 100 commercial albums.

Early life

Nithyasree was born to Lalitha Sivakumar and I. Sivakumar. Her paternal grandmother, D. K. Pattammal, and her granduncle, D. K. Jayaraman, were prominent Carnatic vocalists who were established disciples of Ambi Dikshithar, Papanasam Sivan, Muthiah Bhagavathar, and others. Her maternal grandfather was the ''mridangam'' maestro, Palghat Mani Iyer.

Her mother, Lalitha Sivakumar, was her first ''guru'' (teacher). Like her mother, Nithyashree was also the disciple of D. K. Pattammal, and would accompany her in concert. Nithyashree's father, an accomplished ''mridangist'' and disciple of Palghat Mani Iyer, would constantly show his support and accompany Nithyashree when she performed.

Music career

Touring

Nithyashree has performed in all major sabhas all over India and has presented her concerts in the United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, United Arab Emirates, Germany, France, Singapore, Malaysia and various other destinations throughout the world.

Titles and Awards

Nithyashree's maiden performance was titled 'best concert of the series'. She is an A.I.R. Prize Winner (1990) and has been an 'A' grade artist. She has been awarded the "Yuva Kala Bharathi" title by Bharath Kalachar in 1994, "Innisai Maamani" by Tamil Nadu Welfare Association, "Kalaimamani" by Hamsadhwani in 2000, "Isai Paeroli" by Kartik Fine Arts in 2001, and various other prestigious awards such as ", "Padma Sadhana" (2004), and "Naada Kovida" (2006). She has received "Best Concert Award" from The Music Academy during the music festivals a couple of times and has also performed for the "Sangeeth Natak Academy" twice in their International Music Festivals in Bombay and Hyderabad. She has also received the "Best Promising Artiste" from "Mohanam" Music Club, and made a thematic album of compositions popularising the raga Mohanam. She was awarded a doctorate degree from Sathyabama university of Jeppiar in Chennai in late 2007.

Performances

Nithyashree's first Carnatic performance was for the Youth Association For Classical Music on 10 August 1987. The concert lasted 1 hour, and was scheduled between 6:00pm and 7:00pm. Prominent Carnatic musicians that were present at the concert, included D. K. Pattammal, D. K. Jayaraman, Vijay Siva, R. K. Sriramkumar, as well as the chief guest at that concert, K. V. Narayanaswamy.

She has given numerous concerts consisting of only patriotic songs to commemorate the 50th year of Indian Independence, a few with D. K. Pattammal before her grandmother stopped performing in public.

D. K. Jayaraman and D. K. Pattammal were known for singing and popularising the compositions of Papanasam Sivan, having learnt them directly from the composer himself. Nithyashree has continued this tradition. She has also given a lecture demonstration in Coimbatore for Manoranjitham on "Papanasam Sivan - A Legend", and made two special thematic albums that solely contained his compositions.

Like D. K. Pattammal, Nithyashree has also popularised compositions of Gopalakrishna Bharathi. She presented a paper on the Life and Contribution of Gopalakrishna Bharathi for the Music Department of PSG College, Coimbatore. Her two thematic albums that solely consisted of his compositions have been very popular, both online and offline.

Nithyashree's commanding, high-pitched voice is well suited to various genres of music including Carnatic music, devotional music, as well as patriotic and popular songs.

Playback singing

Nithyashree's introduction to Tamil playback singing came when A.R. Rahman called her to Panchathan Recording Inn, in Chennai, for a voice test sometime in the 1990s. The output from her visit was used for the song "Kannodu Kanbadellam" in the movie ''Jeans'' starring Aishwarya Rai and Prashanth. This became particularly popular which resulted in many songs in the same combination like "Minsara Kanna" from ''Padayappa'', "Sowkiyama Kannae" from ''Sangamam'', and "Manmatha Maasam" from ''Parthale Paravasam''.

Some of her other songs include "Kumbakonam Sandhayile" from ''New'', "Oru Nadhi Oru Pournami" from ''Samurai'', "Kana Kaangiren" from ''Ananda Thandavam'' as well as "Thaai Thindra Mannae" from the film ''Aayirathil Oruvan''.

She also successfully branched out to Telugu and Kannada playback singing, with songs such as "Ra Ra..." from ''Apthamitra''.

Personal life

Nithyashree and her husband, Mahadevan, have two daughters, Tanujasree and Tejasree.

Notes

References

Musical Nirvana biography

Category:Living people Category:Performers of Hindu music Category:Carnatic singers Category:Carnatic musicians Category:Kannada playback singers Category:1973 births Category:Tamil Nadu State Film Awards winners

ta:நித்யஸ்ரீ மகாதேவன்

Name	Chris de Burgh
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Christopher John Davison
Born	October 15, 1948, Venado Tuerto, Santa Fe Province, Argentina
Origin	County Wexford, Ireland
Religion	Church of Ireland
Instrument	Vocals, Guitar, Piano
Genre	Soft rock, pop rock, rock
Occupation	Musician, singer-songwriter
Years active	1974–present
Label	A&M; Records, Ferryman Productions, Edel Records
Website
Height	}}

Chris de Burgh (born Christopher John Davison, 15 October 1948) is an Argentinian born British-Irish singer-songwriter. He is most famous for his 1986 love song "The Lady in Red", which reached number-one in Belgium, Canada, Ireland, Norway, and the United Kingdom.

Early life

De Burgh was born in Venado Tuerto, Argentina, to Colonel Charles Davison, a British diplomat, and Maeve Emily de Burgh, an Irish secretary. His father had substantial farming interests, and he spent much of his early years in Malta, Nigeria and Zaire, as he, his mother and brother accompanied Colonel Davison on his diplomatic and engineering work.

The Davisons finally settled in Bargy Castle, County Wexford, a twelfth-century castle in Ireland bought by his maternal grandfather, General Sir Eric de Burgh, a former Chief of the General Staff in India and from a distinguished Hiberno-Norman family. The castle was converted into a hotel where Chris gained much early experience performing to the guests and he later assumed de Burgh as his stage name.

After attending Marlborough College in Wiltshire, England, de Burgh went on to graduate from Trinity College, Dublin with a Master of Arts degree in French, English and History.

Musical career

Chris de Burgh signed his first contract with A&M; Records in 1974, and supported Supertramp on their Crime of the Century tour, building himself a small fan base. His début album, ''Far Beyond These Castle Walls'', was a folk-tinged stab at fantasy in the tradition of the Moody Blues that failed to chart upon its release in February 1975. Five months later, he released a single called "Turning Round" from the album, released outside the UK and Ireland as "Flying". It failed to make an impression in the UK, but it stayed on top of the Brazilian charts for 17 weeks. This became a familiar pattern for the singer/songwriter, as every one of his '70s albums failed to chart in the UK or US while they racked up big sales in European and South American countries. In 1981, he had his first UK chart entry with ''Best Moves'', a collection culled from his early albums. It set the stage for 1982's Rupert Hine produced ''The Getaway'', which reached number 30 in the UK charts and number 43 in the US, thanks to the eerie single "Don't Pay the Ferryman". Chris de Burgh's follow-up album, ''Man on the Line'', also performed well, charting at 69 in the US and 11 in the UK.

Chris de Burgh had an across-the-board success with the ballad "The Lady in Red" in late 1986; the single became a number one hit in the UK (number three in America) and its accompanying album, ''Into the Light'', reached number two in the UK. (number 25 in the U.S.). That Christmas season, a re-release of de Burgh's 1976 Christmas song "A Spaceman Came Travelling" became a Top 40 hit in the UK. ''Flying Colours'', his follow-up to ''Into the Light'', entered the British charts at number one upon its 1988 release, yet it failed to make the American charts. De Burgh never hit the US charts again and his commercial fortunes began to slide slightly in Britain in the early 1990s, yet he retained a following around the world. This is mainly due to inactivity of his previous recording label A&M; Records UK division in U.S.

In 2007, a concert in Tehran was planned for mid-2008, together with local band Arian, which would have made Chris de Burgh the first western pop singer to perform in Iran since the 1979 revolution. However the concert never went ahead because he had not been given permission by the Iranian authorities to perform in the country.

Famous songs

Chris de Burgh's most famous song is "The Lady in Red" from the 1986 album ''Into the Light''. In a recent interview, de Burgh revealed how Diana, Princess of Wales came to see him perform at a private concert; and how after the performance, Diana approached him backstage to thank him for writing the song "The Lady in Red". Apparently, Diana was under the impression that the song was written for (or dedicated to) her, since she was known for loving to wear the colour red. De Burgh was honoured for the compliment and admiration, but he revealed to her the real story behind the song. Speaking on the BBC series ''This Is Your Life'' in the 1990s, de Burgh said that the song was inspired by the memory of meeting his wife Diane, and how men so often cannot even remember what their wives were wearing when they first met. His own website states:

Q. Is the song "The Lady In Red" written about Diane, Chris' wife? A. There are a lot of different answers to this that Chris has apparently been heard to say. However, the real answer is that this song was inspired by a moment when Chris saw Diane across a crowded nightclub, without at first realising it was her. As a result he realised that often people never quite appreciate that the most important person in their lives is taken for granted, and how after a while you fail to notice the things that brought you together. This was the basis of the song but it wasn't written either for or about Diane.

Band line-up

1977–1978 – Jeff Philips, Glenn Morrow, Ken Allardyce, Colin Vallance (joined in 1978)

1979–1982 – Tim Wynveen, Jeff Philips, Glenn Morrow, Al Marnie, Ian Kojima

1983–1994 – Danny McBride (not to be confused with Daniel "Dirty Dan" Hatton McBride), Jeff Philips, Glenn Morrow, Al Marnie, Ian Kojima

1997–2001 ("Love Songs" and "Quiet Revolution" Tour) – Neil Taylor, Peter Oxendale, Tony Kiley, Dave Levy, Al Vosper

2002–2004 ("Timing Is Everything" Tour) – Gary Sanctuary, Tim Cansfield, Dave Levy, Tony Kiley, Al Vosper

2006–present ("The Storyman" Tour) – Ebbe Ravn, Al Vosper, Dave Levy, Tony Kiley, Nigel Hopkins

Personal life

Chris de Burgh has been married to his wife Diane since 1977 and lives in Enniskerry, County Wicklow in Ireland. They have two sons, Hubie and Michael, and a daughter, Rosanna, who won the Miss World competition in 2003 for Ireland. He is an avid Liverpool F.C. supporter as is Rosanna, and they often attend matches at Anfield.

In 1994, he was found to have had an affair with his children's 19-year-old Irish nanny, Maresa Morgan, who was assisting the family while de Burgh's wife Diane was recuperating in the hospital from a broken neck during a horse-riding accident. His daughter Rosanna, a model, indicated during an interview with ''The Irish Independent'' that she held little sympathy for Morgan, regarding the latter's portrayal of herself as a victim as "pathetic" and hoped "she pays" for her mistake". She forgave her father for his affair.

De Burgh has pursued and won 16 defamation actions. The Irish Independent said he has always been a bit prickly about criticism. Peter Crawley, a theatre reviewer at The Irish Times, found this out the hard way when he wrote a less than sympathetic review of de Burgh's show in Dublin's Gaiety Theatre in September 2009. Crawley noted: "He departs the stage for 'Lady in Red', invading boxes and draping himself over audience members ... Certain toes will never uncurl after this experience, but it is almost admirable how unaltered de Burgh has remained by the flow of time." In a lengthy, much-publicised reply to the critic, de Burgh made his feelings known, particularly in the postscript:-

"We were wondering by way of explanation and, as you seem to portray yourself as a bitter and unfulfilled man, were you much teased by your school chums in the schoolyard and called 'Creepy Crawley'?" De Burgh wrote.

Discography

Albums and compilations

Chris de Burgh was signed to A&M; Records for many years (1974–2004), but he now has his own label, ''Ferryman Productions''. His recent albums are released by German label, Edel Records.

Filmography

''How to Cheat in the Leaving Certificate'' (Petrol Pumper)

References

External links

CdeB.com, official Web site

CdeB.net, official record store and merchandise site

Chrisdeburgh.net, Multi-Language Chris de Burgh Website

Audio interview at BBC Wiltshire

Interview with Akira The Don

Category:1948 births Category:Alumni of Trinity College, Dublin Category:Living people Category:Irish male singers Category:Irish pop singers Category:Irish singer-songwriters Category:Irish songwriters Category:British male singers Category:British pop singers Category:British singer-songwriters Category:British songwriters Category:Old Marlburians Category:People from Santa Fe Province

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