name	Bipasha Basu
birth date	January 07, 1979
birth place	New Delhi, Delhi, India
yearsactive	2001–present
domesticpartner	Dino Morea (1996–2002) John Abraham (2002–2011)
occupation	Film actress, model
website	BipashaBasunet.com }}

Bipasha Basu (, Bengali: বিপাশা বসু ; born 7 January 1979) is an Indian actress who appears in Hindi language films. She has also worked in Telugu, Bengali and Tamil language films. She is a former model who had a successful modeling career before venturing into films.

She Debuted in a negative role in ''Ajnabee'' (2001) which earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. Her first blockbuster was ''Raaz'' (2002). She was then noticed for her bold role in the erotic thriller film, ''Jism'' (2003). She starred in top grossing films like 2005's biggest hit - ''No Entry'', ''Phir Hera Pheri'' (2006), ''Dhoom 2'' (2006) - her biggest commercial success till date and ''Race'' (2008). Her performances in ''Apharan'' (2005), ''Corporate'' (2006), ''Bachna Ae Haseeno'' (2008) and ''Lamhaa'' (2010) won her critical praise and multiple nominations for several awards. Known for her bold roles in Indian cinema, she has established herself as a leading actress and is frequented in the media as a "Sex Symbol".

She has been nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress Award and the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award twice each along with one nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. Roles apart, she is also well appreciated for her item songs like "Phoonk De" in ''No Smoking'' (2007), and "Beedi" and "Namak Ishq Ka" in ''Omkara'' (2006). Basu is slated to make her international film debut with the 2012 Australian film ''Singularity''.

Early life and modeling career

Basu was born in New Delhi to a Bengali Hindu family. She is the second of three sisters, the elder one being Bidisha and the younger one, Bijayeta. She lived in Delhi till the age of eight in Pampoosh Enclave, Nehru Place and studied at Apeejay High School. Her family then moved to Kolkata where she studied science till 12^th standard at Bhavan's Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir. Basu, who describes herself as a tomboy, was pampered as a kid and was very naughty. She was fondly called 'Lady Don' in her school as everyone was scared of her and she was short and round.

Basu moved to the commerce stream after 10^th standard, studying at Bhawanipur Education Society College in preparation for the 12^th standard board exams (which she never attempted). At this time, she began doing ramp shows and modeling part-time. In 1996, she participated in the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel Contest and won it.

Basu was flown to New York by the Ford Company and began her successful modelling career at the age of 17. She then appeared in the Caldia commercial along with her then-boyfriend Dino Morea which was controversial for picturising them sultrily. She was even jailed in Dubai for doing the ad but things cooled off soon.

Acting career

Debut and Breakthrough (2001–02)

One of the judges of the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel Contest in which Basu participated, Vinod Khanna, wanted to launch her alongside his son Akshaye Khanna in ''Himalay Putra'', but she felt she was too young and declined the role which eventually went to Anjala Zaveri. After returning home, she was convinced by another judge, Jaya Bachchan, to play the role of a village belle opposite her son Abhishek Bachchan in J. P. Dutta’s ''Aakhari Mughal''. However the film was cancelled, and Dutta instead changed the script and made ''Refugee'' with Kareena Kapoor. Basu was also offered a role in ''Refugee'' opposite Sunil Shetty, which she declined.

In 2001, Basu finally made her debut opposite Akshay Kumar in Vijay Galani’s ''Ajnabee''. The film was inspired by the American film, ''Consenting Adults'' and was directed by the duo, Abbas-Mustan. ''Ajnabee'' was a moderate box-office success and attracted unfavorable reviews from critics. However, Basu’s performance in a negative role was appreciated by critics and won her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.

In 2002, Basu starred in the year’s most successful thriller, ''Raaz''. The film, directed by Vikram Bhatt, not only established Basu in the Hindi film industry, but also revived the career of Bhatt, who went on to make similar films. Basu played the lead role of Sanjana Dhanraj, who is pursued by a spirit. She received positive reviews for her performance. One review in The Tribune noted, "...it is Bipasha Basu who steals the show with her fine performance." She was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for ''Raaz''. She then appeared in supporting roles in Sanjay Gadhvi’s ''Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai'' and David Dhawan’s ''Chor Machaaye Shor'', both of which failed critically and commercially. She also appeared in a supporting role opposite Mahesh Babu and Lisa Ray in the Telugu film, ''Takkari Donga'' as a mischievous thief, Panasa. Her last release of 2002, ''Gunaah'', opposite Dino Morea, was also a failure, but her performance was appreciated.

Initial success and struggle phase (2003–05)

In 2003, Basu starred in Pooja Bhatt’s thriller, ''Jism'', which was well received by critics and fared well at the box office. She essayed the role of seductive, ambitious wife of a millionaire who indulges in an extra-marital affair with an alcoholic lawyer and plots to kill her husband. The film ranked 92 in the top 100 sexiest movie scenes poll conducted by Channel 4. Film critic Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama commented, "…the real show stealer is Bipasha Basu ; her sexy look and seductive deep voice, in contrast with her cold and calculating personality, makes her the most impressive femme fatale since Zeenat Aman and Parveen Babi." She received a Filmfare Best Villain Award nomination for ''Jism''. Her next release, ''Zameen'', failed to make impact among audience.

Basu had four releases in 2004, all of which performed moderately and drew mixed reviews. She collaborated for the second time with Vikram Bhatt in her first release ''Aetbaar''. She played the role of a young girl who falls in love with a psychopath. Rediff.com noted that "…The characters are not convincing, the plot is not fast-paced or interesting." Her next film was Mani Shankar’s ''Rudraksh'' which was based on the Indian epic, ''Ramayana''. The film was a disaster at the box-office and was panned by the critics. She then starred in ''Rakht'' as a tarot card reader trying to solve a murder mystery. Critic Shruti Bhasin of ''Planetbollywood'' wrote, "Bipasha Basu impresses in a different look and role." Her final release that year was Anil Sharma’s ''Madhoshi'' which saw her playing a mentally unstable girl.

In 2005, she appeared in the love triangle, ''Barsaat''. Taran Adarsh commented, "…As an actor, she [Bipasha Basu] does show sparks only towards the end." She also starred in the Tamil film, ''Sachein'' which was a hit and then in Prakash Jha’s ''Apaharan'', which won the National Film Award for Best Screenplay. In this period, she refused to act in art-films due to salary problems. Besides acting, Basu did the video "Tu" for Sonu Nigam's album, ''Kismat''. She made a guest appearance in Jay Sean's music video ''Stolen''.

Success (2005–present)

After a slow start, Basu established herself as a successful actress with the success of ''No Entry'', ''Corporate'' and ''Dhoom 2''. ''No Entry'' grossed 71 crore at the box-office and was the highest grossing film of 2005. Basu essayed the role of a bargirl who acts as wife of two men. She earned Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination for the film. 2006 was a successful year for Basu. Her three major releases, ''Corporate'', ''Omkara'' and ''Dhoom 2'', performed well critically and commercially. In Madhur Bhandarkar’s ''Corporate'', Basu gave up her glamorous look for the role of a businesswoman who has no qualms in taking advantage of her sexuality to con the CEO of a rival company. She won accolades from critics for her performance. Critic Aparna wrote, "[...] she has done a fabulous job as an ambitious woman. The kind of shrewdness in a woman that she essays has never been seen before in India films." She was nominated for the second time for Filmfare Best Actress Award.

In Vishal Bharadwaj’s adaptation of Othello, ''Omkara'', Basu essayed the role of Bianca. She caught the attention of public with her dance number, ''Beedi'', which was highly popular in India and overseas. Critic Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN wrote, "…Bipasha Basu is brought in to lend oomph and she succeeds in doing just that." Basu became the talk of the town for donning a bikini in Aditya Chopra’s ''Dhoom 2''. She reportedly ate only oranges for three days and trained hard to shoot the scene. Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India commented, "Aah Bipasha! Looks great, brings back the bikini to Bollywood, and gently slips into the shadows as a pretty accessory."

In 2007, Ronnie Screwvala’s ''Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal'' performed below average at the box-office. The song picturised on John Abraham and Basu, "Billo Rani", became quite popular and earned her the nickname "Billo Rani", though equal credit must be given to ''Omkara'' in which her name was Billo Chanambahar. In 2008, she teamed up once again with Abbas-Mustan for ''Race''. She played the role of Sonia who is stuck in a love-triangle between two brothers (played by Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna) and through the course, she murders one of them. The film grossed 68 crores at the box office and was the fourth-biggest hit that year in India and performed good enough overseas as well. Her performance was appreciated by critics with Taran Adarsh citing it as "her best work so far. She’s superb". Basu’s work in Siddharth Anand’s ''Bachna Ae Haseeno'' as a successful supermodel who finds it hard to forgive her ex-lover for betraying her earned her a second nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. She completed 2008 by appearing in ''Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'' parodying the yesteryear actress, Nutan.

Her first release in 2009, ''Aa Dekhen Zara'' failed to do well at the box-office. Rohit Shetty’s ''All The Best: Fun Begins'' performed well and her comic role was appreciated by fans. Later that year, Basu surprised everybody with Rituparno Ghosh’s Bengali film, ''Shob Charitro Kalponik''. "I love saris and I'm wearing a lot of them in Ritu's film," she said. She gave up her glamorous look and was praised by critics for her performance. Critic Subhash K Jha spoke high of her. He said, "…Bipasha [Basu] pulls out all stops to deliver her career’s best performance. Her moments of anguish before and after her screen-husband’s death are expressed in tones of cathartic conviction that we never knew existed within Bipasha." He also compared her with the multiple award winning actress, Shabana Azmi, commenting that Basu’s anguished portrayal of bereavement can be equaled by Azmi only.

}}

With the 2010 film Pankh, Basu returned with her alluring image as an imaginary character who exists in the protagonist’s mind. She was then featured as a Kashmiri girl in Rahul Dholakia’s ''Lamhaa'' which explored socio-political problems in Kashmir. Principal photography of Lamhaa was disrupted many times by the locals in Kashmir due to the controversial theme. During the shooting of ''Lamhaa'', she left the sets at Anantnag and headed back to Mumbai citing she was afraid of the crowd there. Producer Bunty Walia thought of replacing her with Vidya Balan but she returned for the shoot later with necessary security arrangements. NDTV Movies wrote, "Bipasha sinks herself into her character imparting a dramatic resonance into the role without resorting to stock expressions. The sequence where she gets mauled by militant women is as traumatic to watch as it must have been for Bipasha to shoot." Basu then played the role of a ruthless cop’s wife in Priyadarshan’s ''Aakrosh'' who helps the police with investigation on honor killings in their village. She met with mixed reviews for the film. Nikhat Kazmi of Times of India commented, "Bipasha actually doesn't have much to do and does seem to be miscast as the much-abused, bruised and battered wife of Paresh Rawal." Apart from films, she also released a fitness DVD called Love Yourself which emphasized on being strong, healthy, and loving one’s self. She was also the brand ambassador of Sugar Free which helped her promoting the DVD. Hiren Gada, director of Shemaroo Entertainment said ,"A celebrity like Bipasha Basu, genuinely believes in staying healthy. She is also passionate about fitness."

Her only release in 2011 was ''Dum Maaro Dum'' which performed reasonably well at the box-office and met with good reviews from critics. Talking of the film, she said, "My next release is DMD [''Dum Maaro Dum''], in which I play a lively, colourful, happy-go-lucky girl called Zoey, who is the representation of Goa as we see it." Basu collaborated with Abbas-Mustan for the third time in ''Players'' which became the first release of 2012. The film was an official remake of ''The Italian Job''. ''Players'' was heavily compared to ''The Italian Job'' and was criticized for its execution and performances, including that of Basu. She made her English language debut with Roland Joffé’s epic drama ''Singularity'' which will be premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2012. She plays the role of a Maratha warrior Taluja Naik in the film. Basu is also signed by Vikram Bhatt for the third time for ''Raaz 3D'', the third film in the ''Raaz'' series. Principal photography of the film shall begin in Januray, 2012. She will also be seen in a guest appearance reprising her role of ''Race'' in the upcoming film by Abbas-Mustan, ''Race 2''.

Personal life

Basu was in a relationship with her ''Raaz'' co-star Dino Morea since 1996 but they broke up in 2002. Soon afterwards, during the filming of ''Jism'', Basu began to date her co-star John Abraham, and they were in a relationship till early 2011 when the couple officially broke off. While together, the two were often referred to as a supercouple in the Indian media. Basu has been in the limelight since her bold role in ''Jism''. Her relationships with various co-stars have been often covered by the media. She is known to be freely expressing herself in the public and jovial with her co-stars. She has been described by the media as sultry, dusky Bengali beauty. She ranked 8 in Times 50 most desirable Women in 2011. In 2005 and 2007, UK magazine ''Eastern Eye'' named her the "Sexiest Woman in Asia".

Filmography

''Takkari Donga'' ''Raaz (2002 film) ''Aankhen (2002 film) ''Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai'' ''Chor Machaaye Shor'' ''Gunaah (2002 film) ''Jism (film) ''Footpath (2003 film) ''Rules: Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula'' ''Zameen (film) ''Ishq Hai Tumse'' ''Aetbaar'' ''Rudraksh (film) ''Rakht: What If You Can See the Future'' ''Madhoshi'' ''Chehraa'' ''Sachein'' ''Viruddh... Family Comes First'' ''Barsaat (2005 film) ''No Entry'' ''Apaharan'' ''Shikhar (film) ''Hum Ko Deewana Kar Gaye'' ''Darna Zaroori Hai'' ''Phir Hera Pheri'' ''Alag'' ''Corporate (film) ''Omkara (film) ''Jaane Hoga Kya'' ''Dhoom 2'' ''Nehlle Pe Dehlla'' ''No Smoking (2007 film) ''Om Shanti Om'' ''Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal'' ''Race (2008 film) ''Bachna Ae Haseeno'' ''Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'' ''Aa Dekhen Zara'' ''All The Best: Fun Begins'' ''Shob Charitro Kalponik'' ''Pankh (film) ''Lamhaa'' ''Aakrosh (2010 film) ''Dum Maro Dum (film) ''Players (2011 film) ''Jodi Breakers'' ''Singularity (film) ''Raaz 3D'' ''Race 2'' ''Ghayal Returns''

Year	! Film	! Role	! Notes
2001	Ajnabee (2001 film)>Ajnabee''	Sonia/Neeta
2002	|	Panasa	Telugu language>Telugu film
2002	Raaz'' ||	Sanjana Dhanraj	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2002	Aankhen'' ||	Raina
2002	|	Ria
2002	|	Ranjita
2002	Gunaah'' ||	Prabha Narayan
2003	Jism'' ||	Sonia Khanna	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role
2003	Footpath'' ||	Sanjana Rai Shingla Khan
2003	|		Special appearance
2003	Zameen'' ||	Nandini
2004	|	Kushboo
2004	|	Ria Malhotra
2004	Rudraksh'' ||	Gayetri
2004	|	Drishti
2004	|	Anupama Kaul
2005	|	Megha
2005	|	Manju	Tamil language>Tamil film
2005	|		Special appearance
2005	Barsaat'' ||	Anna
2005	|	Bobby	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
2005	|	Megha
2005	Shikhar'' ||	Natasha
2006	|	Sonia Berry
2006	|	Varsha
2006	|	Anuradha
2006	|		Special appearance in song "Sabse Alag"
2006	Corporate'' ||	Nishigandha Dasgupta	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2006	Omkara'' ||	Billo Chamanbahar
2006	|	Aditi
2006	|	ACP Shonali Bose/ Monali Bose
2007	|	Pooja
2007	No Smoking'' ||		Special appearance in song "Phoonk De"
2007	|	Herself	Special appearance
2007	|	Rumana
2008	Race'' ||	Sonia
2008	|	Radhika/Shreya Rathod	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
2008	|		Special appearance in song "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte"
2009	|	Simi Chatterjee
2009	|	Jhanvi Chopra
2009	|	Radhika	Bengali language>Bengali film
2010	Pankh'' ||	Nandini (Alter-ego)
2010	|	Aziza
2010	Aakrosh'' ||	Geeta
2011	Dum Maro Dum'' ||	Zoey
2012	Players'' ||	Riya
2012	|	Sonali	Releasing on February 24, 2012
2012	Singularity'' ||	Tulaja Naik	English language>English film (Releasing in May 2012)
2012	|	Shanaya	Filming (Releasing on August 31, 2012)
2012	|	Sonia	Guest appearance (Releasing on November 30, 2012)
2012	|		Pre-production (Shooting stats in February, 2012)

See also

List of Indian film actresses

References

External links

Category:1979 births Category:Living people Category:Indian film actors Category:Bengali people Category:Bengali actors Basu,Bipasha Category:Indian female models Category:Apeejay School alumni Category:Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan schools alumni Category:Bhawanipur Education Society College alumni Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian Hindus Category:People from Kolkata Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:People from Mumbai

bn:বিপাশা বসু de:Bipasha Basu el:Μπιπάσα Μπάσου es:Bipasha Basu fr:Bipasha Basu hi:बिपाशा बसु it:Bipasha Basu jv:Bipasha Basu kn:ಬಿಪಾಶಾ ಬಸು ml:ബിപാഷ ബസു mr:बिपाशा बासू nl:Bipasha Basu ja:ビパシャ・バスー pl:Bipasha Basu pt:Bipasha Basu rmy:बिपाशा बसु ru:Бипаша Басу simple:Bipasha Basu fi:Bipasha Basu sv:Bipasha Basu ta:பிபாசா பாசு wuu:Bipasha Basu zh:比帕莎·巴蘇

Name	Brad Pitt
Alt	A Caucasian with light brown hair, blue eyes, and a mustache and short brown beard, in front of a turquoise background. He is wearing a white shirt and white hat.
Birth name	William Bradley Pitt
Birth date	December 18, 1963
Birth place	Shawnee, Oklahoma, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Missouri
Occupation
Spouse	(divorced)
Partner	Angelina Jolie (2005–present)
Children	6 }}

William Bradley "Brad" Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received three Academy Award nominations and five Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one Golden Globe. He has been described as one of the world's most attractive men, a label for which he has received substantial media attention.

Pitt began his acting career with television guest appearances, including a role on the CBS prime-time soap opera ''Dallas'' in 1987. He later gained recognition as the cowboy hitchhiker who seduces Geena Davis's character in the 1991 road movie ''Thelma & Louise''. Pitt's first leading roles in big-budget productions came with ''A River Runs Through It'' (1992) and ''Interview with the Vampire'' (1994). He was cast opposite Anthony Hopkins in the 1994 drama ''Legends of the Fall'', which earned him his first Golden Globe nomination. In 1995 he gave critically acclaimed performances in the crime thriller ''Seven'' and the science fiction film ''12 Monkeys'', the latter securing him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and an Academy Award nomination. Four years later, in 1999, Pitt starred in the cult hit ''Fight Club''. He then starred as Rusty Ryan in the major international hit ''Ocean's Eleven'' (2001) and its sequels, ''Ocean's Twelve'' (2004) and ''Ocean's Thirteen'' (2007). His greatest commercial successes have been ''Troy'' (2004) and ''Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' (2005). Pitt received his second Academy Award nomination for his title role performance in the 2008 film ''The Curious Case of Benjamin Button''.

Following a high-profile relationship with actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Pitt was married to actress Jennifer Aniston for five years. Pitt lives with actress Angelina Jolie in a relationship that has attracted wide publicity. He and Jolie have six children—Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne. Since beginning his relationship with Jolie, he has become increasingly involved in social issues both in the United States and internationally. Pitt owns a production company named Plan B Entertainment, whose productions include ''The Departed'' (2006), which won an Academy Award for Best Picture.

Early life

The son of Jane Etta (née Hillhouse), a high school counselor, and William Alvin Pitt, a truck company owner, Pitt was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The family soon moved to Springfield, Missouri, where he lived together with his younger siblings, Doug (born 1966) and Julie Neal (born 1969). He was raised as Southern Baptist in a conservative household.

Pitt attended Kickapoo High School, where he was a member of the basketball, golf, tennis, wrestling and swimming teams. He participated in the school's Key and Forensics clubs, in school debates, and in musicals. Following his graduation from high school, Pitt enrolled in the University of Missouri in 1982, majoring in journalism, with a focus on advertising. As a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity, he acted in several fraternity shows. As graduation approached, Pitt did not feel ready to settle down. He loved films—"a portal into different worlds for me"—and, since films were not made in Missouri, he decided to go to where they were made. Two weeks before earning his degree, Pitt left the university and moved to Los Angeles, where he took acting lessons and worked odd jobs.

Career

Early work

While struggling to establish himself in Los Angeles, Pitt took lessons from acting coach Roy London.

Pitt's onscreen career began in 1987, with uncredited parts in the films ''No Way Out'', ''No Man's Land'' and ''Less Than Zero''. His television debut came in May 1987 with a two-episode role on the NBC soap opera ''Another World''. In November of the same year Pitt had a guest appearance on the ABC sitcom ''Growing Pains''. He appeared in four episodes of the CBS primetime series ''Dallas'' between December 1987 and February 1988 as Randy, the boyfriend of Charlie Wade (played by Shalane McCall). Pitt described his character as "an idiot boyfriend who gets caught in the hay." Speaking of his scenes with McCall, Pitt later said, "It was kind of wild, because I'd never even met her before." Later in 1988, Pitt made a guest appearance on the Fox police drama ''21 Jump Street''.

In the same year, the Yugoslavian–U.S. co-production ''The Dark Side of the Sun'' (1988) gave Pitt his first leading film role, as a young American taken by his family to the Adriatic to find a remedy for a skin condition. The film was shelved at the outbreak of the Croatian War of Independence, and was not released until 1997. Pitt made two motion picture appearances in 1989: the first in a supporting role in the comedy ''Happy Together''; the second a featured role in the horror film ''Cutting Class'', the first of Pitt's films to reach theaters. He made guest appearances on television series ''Head of the Class'', ''Freddy's Nightmares'', ''Thirtysomething'', and (for a second time) ''Growing Pains''.

Pitt was cast as Billy Canton, a drug addict who takes advantage of a young runaway (played by Juliette Lewis) in the 1990 NBC television movie ''Too Young to Die?'', the story of an abused teenager sentenced to death for a murder. Ken Tucker, television reviewer for ''Entertainment Weekly'' wrote: "Pitt is a magnificent slimeball as her hoody boyfriend; looking and sounding like a malevolent John Cougar Mellencamp, he's really scary." The same year, Pitt co-starred in six episodes of the short-lived Fox drama ''Glory Days'', and took a supporting role in the HBO television movie ''The Image''. His next appearance came in the 1991 film ''Across the Tracks''; Pitt portrayed Joe Maloney, a high school runner with a criminal brother, played by Ricky Schroder.

After years of supporting roles in movies and frequent television guest appearances, Pitt attracted wider recognition in his supporting role in the 1991 road film ''Thelma & Louise''. He played J.D., a small-time criminal who befriends Thelma (Geena Davis). His love scene with Davis has been cited as the event that defined Pitt as a sex symbol.

After ''Thelma & Louise'', Pitt starred in the 1991 film ''Johnny Suede'', a low-budget picture about an aspiring rock star, and the 1992 film ''Cool World'', although neither furthered his career, having poor reviews and box office performance.

Pitt took the role of Paul Maclean in the 1992 biographical film ''A River Runs Through It'', directed by Robert Redford. His portrayal of the character has been described as a career-making performance, proving that Pitt could be more than a "cowboy-hatted hunk." He has admitted to feeling under pressure when making the film and thought it one of his "weakest performances ... It's so weird that it ended up being the one that I got the most attention for." Pitt believed that he benefited from working with such a talented cast and crew. He compared working with Redford to playing tennis with a superior player, saying "when you play with somebody better than you, your game gets better."

In 1993, Pitt reunited with Juliette Lewis for the road film ''Kalifornia''. He played Early Grayce, a serial killer and the boyfriend of Lewis's character in a performance described by Peter Travers of ''Rolling Stone'' as "outstanding, all boyish charm and then a snort that exudes pure menace." Pitt also garnered attention for a brief appearance in the cult hit ''True Romance'' as a stoner named Floyd, providing much needed comic relief to the action film. He capped the year by winning a ShoWest Award for Male Star of Tomorrow.

Critical success

1994 marked a significant turning point in Pitt's career. Starring as the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac in the feature film ''Interview with the Vampire'', based on Anne Rice's 1976 novel of the same name, he was part of an ensemble cast that included Tom Cruise, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Slater, and Antonio Banderas. Despite his winning two MTV Movie Awards at the 1995 ceremony, his performance was poorly received. According to the ''Dallas Observer'', "Brad Pitt ... is a large part of the problem [in the film]. When directors play up his cocky, hunkish, folksy side ... he's a joy to watch. But there's nothing about him that suggests inner torment or even self-awareness, which makes him a boring Louis."

Following the release of ''Interview with the Vampire'', Pitt starred in ''Legends of the Fall'' (1994), based on a novel by the same name by Jim Harrison, set in the American West during the first four decades of the twentieth century. Portraying Tristan Ludlow, son of Colonel William Ludlow (Anthony Hopkins) a Cornish immigrant, Pitt received his first Golden Globe Award nomination, in the Best Actor category. Aidan Quinn and Henry Thomas co-starred as Pitt's brothers. Although the film's reception was mixed, many film critics praised Pitt's performance. Janet Maslin of ''The New York Times'' said, "Pitt's diffident mix of acting and attitude works to such heartthrob perfection it's a shame the film's superficiality gets in his way." The ''Deseret News'' predicted that ''Legends of the Fall'' would solidify Pitt's reputation as a lead actor.

In 1995, Pitt starred alongside Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow in the crime thriller ''Seven,'' playing a detective on the trail of a serial killer (played by Kevin Spacey). Pitt called it a great movie and declared the part would expand his acting horizons. He expressed his intent to move on from "this 'pretty boy' thing [...] and play someone with flaws." His performance was critically well received, with ''Variety'' saying that it was screen acting at its best, further remarking on Pitt's ability to turn in a "determined, energetic, creditable job" as the detective. ''Seven'' earned $327 million at the international box office.

Following the success of ''Seven'', Pitt took a supporting role as Jeffrey Goines in Terry Gilliam's 1995 science-fiction film ''12 Monkeys''. The movie received predominantly positive reviews, with Pitt praised in particular. Janet Maslin of the ''New York Times'' called ''Twelve Monkeys'' "fierce and disturbing" and remarked on Pitt's "startlingly frenzied performance", concluding that he "electrifies Jeffrey with a weird magnetism that becomes important later in the film." He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film and received his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

The following year he had a role in the legal drama ''Sleepers'' (1996), based on Lorenzo Carcaterra's novel of the same name. The film received mixed reviews. In the 1997 movie ''The Devil's Own'' Pitt starred, opposite Harrison Ford, as the Irish Republican Army terrorist Rory Devany, a role for which he was required to learn an Irish accent. Critical opinion was divided on his accent; "Pitt finds the right tone of moral ambiguity, but at times his Irish brogue is too convincing – it's hard to understand what he's saying", wrote the ''San Francisco Chronicle.'' ''The Charleston Gazette'' opined that it had favored Pitt's accent over the movie. ''The Devil's Own'' grossed $140 million worldwide, but was a critical failure. Later that year he led as Austrian mountaineer Heinrich Harrer in the Jean-Jacques Annaud film ''Seven Years in Tibet''. Pitt trained for months for the role, which demanded significant mountain climbing and trekking practice, including rock climbing in California and the European Alps with his co-star David Thewlis. The film received mostly negative reviews, and was generally considered a disappointment.

Pitt had the lead role in 1998's ''Meet Joe Black''. He portrayed a personification of death inhabiting the body of a young man to learn what it is like to be human. The film received mixed reviews, and many were critical of Pitt's performance. According to Mick LaSalle of the ''San Francisco Chronicle'', Pitt was unable to "to make an audience believe that he knows all the mysteries of death and eternity." Roger Ebert stated "Pitt is a fine actor, but this performance is a miscalculation."

From 1999 to 2003

In 1999, Pitt portrayed Tyler Durden, an uncompromising and charismatic individual, in ''Fight Club'', a film adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel of the same name, directed by David Fincher. Pitt prepared for the part with lessons in boxing, taekwondo, and grappling. To look the part, Pitt consented to the removal of pieces of his front teeth which were restored when filming ended. While promoting ''Fight Club'', Pitt said that the film explored not taking one's aggressions out on someone else but to "have an experience, take a punch more and see how you come out on the other end." ''Fight Club'' premiered at the 1999 Venice International Film Festival. Despite divided critical opinion on the film as a whole, Pitt's performance was widely praised. Paul Clinton of CNN noted the risky yet successful nature of the film, while ''Variety'' remarked upon Pitt's ability to be "cool, charismatic and more dynamically physical, perhaps than [...] his breakthrough role in ''Thelma and Louise''". In spite of a worse-than-expected box office performance, ''Fight Club'' became a cult classic after its DVD release in 2000.

Following ''Fight Club'', Pitt was cast as an Irish Gypsy boxer with a barely intelligible accent in Guy Ritchie's 2000 gangster film ''Snatch''. Several reviewers were critical of ''Snatch''; however, most praised Pitt. Mick LaSalle of the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' said Pitt was "ideally cast as an Irishman whose accent is so thick even Brits can't understand him", going on to say that, before ''Snatch'', Pitt had been "shackled by roles that called for brooding introspection, but recently he has found his calling in black comic outrageousness and flashy extroversion;" while Amy Taubin of ''The Village Voice'' claimed that "Pitt gets maximum comic mileage out of a one-joke role".

The following year Pitt starred opposite Julia Roberts in the romantic comedy ''The Mexican'', a film that garnered a range of reviews but enjoyed box office success. Pitt's next role, in 2001's $143 million-grossing Cold War thriller ''Spy Game'', was as Tom Bishop, an operative of the CIA's Special Activities Division, mentored by Robert Redford's character. Mark Holcomb of Salon.com enjoyed the film, although he noted that neither Pitt nor Redford provided "much of an emotional connection for the audience". On November 22, 2001, Pitt made a guest appearance in the eighth season of the television series ''Friends'', playing a man with a grudge against Rachel Green, played by Jennifer Aniston, to whom Pitt was married at the time. For this performance he was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. In December 2001, Pitt had the role of Rusty Ryan in the heist film ''Ocean's Eleven'', a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack original. He joined an ensemble cast including George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy García, and Julia Roberts. Well-received by critics, ''Ocean's Eleven'' was successful at the box office, earning $450 million worldwide.

Pitt appeared in two episodes of MTV's reality series ''Jackass'' in February 2002, first running through the streets of Los Angeles with several cast members in gorilla suits, and participating in his own staged abduction in another episode. In the same year, Pitt had a cameo role in George Clooney's directorial debut ''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind''. He took on his first voice-acting roles in 2003, speaking as the titular character of the DreamWorks animated film ''Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas'' and playing Boomhauer's brother, Patch, in an episode of the animated television series ''King of the Hill''.

After 2003

Pitt had two major film roles in 2004, starring as Achilles in ''Troy'', and making a second appearance as Rusty Ryan, in the sequel ''Ocean's Twelve''. He spent six months sword training before the filming of ''Troy'', based on the ''Iliad''. An on-set injury to his Achilles tendon delayed production on the picture for several weeks. With a total worldwide gross of $497 million, ''Troy'' remains Pitt's most commercially successful picture to date. The film earned $364 million outside the U.S. and $133 million domestically. Stephen Hunter of ''The Washington Times'' stated that Pitt excelled at such a demanding role. ''Ocean's Twelve'' earned $362 million worldwide, and Pitt and Clooney's dynamic was described (by CNN's Paul Clinton) as "the best male chemistry since Paul Newman and Robert Redford."

In 2005, Pitt starred in the Doug Liman-directed action comedy ''Mr. & Mrs. Smith'', in which a bored married couple discover that each is an assassin sent to kill the other. The feature received reasonable reviews but was generally lauded for the chemistry between Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who played his character's wife Jane Smith. The ''Star Tribune'' noted that "while the story feels haphazard, the movie gets by on gregarious charm, galloping energy and the stars' thermonuclear screen chemistry." ''Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' earned $478 million worldwide, making it one of the biggest hits of 2005.

For his next feature film, Pitt starred opposite Cate Blanchett in Alejandro González Iñárritu's multi-narrative drama ''Babel'' (2006). Pitt's performance was critically well-received, and the ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' said that he was credible and gave the film visibility. Pitt later said he regarded taking the part as one of the best decisions of his career. The film was screened at a special presentation at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and was later featured at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. ''Babel'' received seven Academy and Golden Globe award nominations, winning the Best Drama Golden Globe, and earned Pitt a nomination for the Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe.

Reprising his role as Rusty Ryan in a third picture, Pitt starred in 2007's ''Ocean's Thirteen''. While less lucrative than the first two films, this sequel earned $311 million at the international box office. Pitt's next film role was as American outlaw Jesse James in the 2007 Western drama ''The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'', adapted from Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same name. Directed by Andrew Dominik and produced by Pitt's company Plan B, the film premiered at the 2007 Venice Film Festival, with Pitt playing a "scary and charismatic" role, according to Lewis Beale of ''Film Journal International'', and earning Pitt the Volpi Cup award for Best Actor at the 64th Venice International Film Festival. Although Pitt attended the festival to promote the film, he left early after being attacked by a fan who pushed through his bodyguards. He eventually collected the award one year later at the 2008 festival.

Pitt's next appearance was in the 2008 black comedy ''Burn After Reading'', his first collaboration with the Coen brothers. The film received a positive reception from critics, with ''The Guardian'' calling it "a tightly wound, slickly plotted spy comedy", noting that Pitt's performance was one of the funniest. He was later cast as Benjamin Button, the lead in David Fincher's 2008 film ''The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'', a loosely adapted version of a 1921 short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story follows a man who is born an octogenarian and ages in reverse, with Pitt's "sensitive" performance making ''Benjamin Button'' a "timeless masterpiece," according to Michael Sragow of ''The Baltimore Sun''. The performance earned Pitt his first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, as well as a fourth Golden Globe and second Academy Award nomination, all in the category for Best Actor. The film received thirteen Academy Award nominations in total, and grossed $329 million at the box office worldwide.

Since 2008, Pitt's work has included a leading role in Quentin Tarantino's ''Inglourious Basterds'', released in August 2009 at a special presentation at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Pitt played Lieutenant Aldo Raine, an American resistance fighter battling Nazis in German-occupied France. The film was a box office hit, taking $311 million worldwide, and garnered generally favorable reviews. The film received multiple awards and nominations, including eight Academy Award nominations and seven MTV Movie Award nominations, including Best Male Performance for Pitt. He voiced the superhero character Metro Man in the 2010 animated feature ''Megamind''. Pitt appeared in Terrence Malick's drama ''The Tree of Life'', co-starring Sean Penn, which won the Palme d'Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. He has signed on to appear as a British explorer searching for a mysterious Amazonian civilization in ''The Lost City of Z'', based on David Grann's 2009 book of the same name. In a performance that attracted strong praise, he portrayed the Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane in the drama ''Moneyball'', which is based on the 2003 book of the same name written by Michael Lewis. ''Moneyball'' received six Academy Award nominations including Best Actor for Pitt.

Other projects

Film and television work

Along with Jennifer Aniston and Brad Grey, CEO of Paramount Pictures, Pitt founded the film production company Plan B Entertainment in 2002, although Aniston and Grey withdrew in 2005. The company has produced several films, including ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' starring Johnny Depp in 2005, as well as 2007's ''The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford'' and ''A Mighty Heart'', starring Angelina Jolie. Plan B was also involved in producing ''The Departed'', the winner of the 2007 Academy Award for Best Picture. Pitt was credited onscreen as a producer; however, only Graham King was ruled eligible for the Oscar win. Pitt has been reluctant to discuss the production company in interviews.

Pitt has appeared in several television commercials: one for the U.S. market, a Heineken commercial aired during the 2005 Super Bowl; it was directed by David Fincher, who had directed Pitt in ''Seven'', ''Fight Club'' and ''The Curious Case of Benjamin Button''. Other commercial appearances came in television spots designed for Asian markets, advertising such products as the Acura Integra, in which he was featured opposite Russian model Tatiana Sorokko, as well as SoftBank and Edwin Jeans.

Humanitarian causes

Pitt supports the ONE Campaign, an organization aimed at combating AIDS and poverty in the developing world. He narrated the 2005 PBS public television series ''Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge'', which discusses current global health issues and traveled to Pakistan in November 2005 with Angelina Jolie to see the impact of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake. The following year Pitt and Jolie flew to Haiti, where they visited a school supported by Yéle Haïti, a charity founded by Haitian-born hip hop musician Wyclef Jean. In May 2007, Pitt and Jolie donated $1 million to three organizations in Chad and Sudan dedicated to those affected by the crisis in the Darfur region. Along with Clooney, Damon, Don Cheadle, and Jerry Weintraub, Pitt is one of the founders of "Not On Our Watch", an organization that tries to focus global attention and resources to stop and prevent genocides such as that in Darfur.

Pitt has a sustained interest in architecture and has narrated ''Design e2'', a PBS television series focused on worldwide efforts to build environmentally friendly structures through sustainable architecture and design. He founded the Make It Right Foundation in 2006, organizing housing professionals in New Orleans to finance and construct 150 sustainable, affordable new houses in New Orleans's Ninth Ward following the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. The project involves 13 architectural firms and the environmental organization Global Green USA, with several of the firms donating their services. Pitt and philanthropist Steve Bing have each committed $5 million in donations. The first six homes were completed in October 2008, and in September 2009 Pitt received an award in recognition of the project from the U.S. Green Building Council, a non-profit trade organization that promotes sustainability in how buildings are designed, built and operated. Pitt met with U.S. President Barack Obama and Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi in March 2009 to promote his concept of ''green housing'' as a national model and to discuss federal funding possibilities.

In September 2006, Pitt and Jolie established a charitable organization, the Jolie-Pitt Foundation, to aid humanitarian causes around the world. The foundation made initial donations of $1 million each to Global Action for Children and Doctors Without Borders, followed by an October 2006 donation of $100,000 to the Daniel Pearl Foundation, an organization created in memory of the late American journalist Daniel Pearl. According to federal filings, Pitt and Jolie invested $8.5 million into the foundation in 2006; it gave away $2.4 million in 2006 and $3.4 million in 2007. In June 2009 the Jolie-Pitt Foundation donated $1 million to a U.N. refugee agency to help Pakistanis displaced by fighting between troops and Taliban militants. In January 2010 the foundation donated $1 million to Doctors Without Borders for emergency medical assistance to help victims of the Haiti earthquake.

In the media

Pitt's sex appeal has been picked up by many sources including ''Empire'', who named him one of the 25 sexiest stars in film history in 1995. The same year, Pitt won ''People'''s Sexiest Man Alive, an accolade he won again in 2000. Pitt appeared on ''Forbes'''s annual Celebrity 100 list of the 100 most powerful celebrities in 2006, 2007, and 2008, at No. 20, No. 5, and No. 10 respectively. In 2007 he was listed among the Time 100, a compilation of the 100 most influential people in the world, as selected annually by ''TIME''. The magazine credited Pitt with using "his star power to get people to look [to where] cameras don't usually catch". Pitt was again included in the Time 100 in 2009, this time in the Builders and Titans list.

Pitt visited the University of Missouri campus in October 2004 to encourage students to vote in the 2004 U.S. presidential election, in which he supported John Kerry. Later in October he publicly supported the principle of public funding for embryonic stem-cell research. "We have to make sure that we open up these avenues so that our best and our brightest can go find these cures that they believe they will find," he said. In support of this he endorsed Proposition 71, a California ballot initiative intended to provide federal government funding for stem-cell research.

Starting in 2005, Pitt's relationship with Angelina Jolie became one of the most reported celebrity stories worldwide. After confirming that Jolie was pregnant in early 2006, the unprecedented media hype surrounding the couple reached what Reuters, in a story titled "The Brangelina fever," called "the point of insanity". To avoid media attention the couple flew to Namibia for the birth of their daughter Shiloh, "the most anticipated baby since Jesus Christ." Similarly intense media interest greeted the announcement two years later of Jolie's second pregnancy; for the two weeks Jolie spent in a seaside hospital in Nice, reporters and photographers camped outside on the promenade to report on the birth.

In September 2008 Pitt donated $100,000 to the campaign against California's 2008 ballot proposition Proposition 8, an initiative to overturn the state Supreme Court decision that had legalized same-sex marriage. Pitt stated his reasons for the stance: "Because no one has the right to deny another their life, even though they disagree with it, because everyone has the right to live the life they so desire if it doesn't harm another and because discrimination has no place in America, my vote will be for equality and against Proposition 8."

Personal life

Relationships

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Pitt was involved in successive relationships with several of his co-stars, including Robin Givens (''Head of the Class''), Jill Schoelen (''Cutting Class''), and Juliette Lewis (''Too Young to Die?'' and ''Kalifornia''), who, at the age of 16, was ten years his junior when they started dating. In addition, Pitt had a much-publicized romance and engagement to his ''Seven'' co-star Gwyneth Paltrow, whom he dated from 1994 to 1997.

Pitt met ''Friends'' actress Jennifer Aniston in 1998 and married her in a private wedding ceremony in Malibu on July 29, 2000. For years their marriage was considered a rare Hollywood success; however, in January 2005, Pitt and Aniston announced that they had decided formally to separate after seven years together. Two months later Aniston filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Pitt and Aniston's divorce was finalized by the Los Angeles Superior Court on October 2, 2005, legally ending their marriage. Despite media reports that Pitt and Aniston have an acrimonious relationship, Pitt said in a February 2009 interview that he and Aniston "check in with each other", adding that they were both big parts of each others' lives.

During Pitt's divorce from Aniston, his involvement with his ''Mr. & Mrs. Smith'' co-star Angelina Jolie attracted vigorous media attention. While Pitt denied claims of adultery, he admitted that he "fell in love" with Jolie on the set. In April 2005, one month after Aniston filed for divorce, a set of paparazzi photographs emerged showing Pitt, Jolie and her son Maddox at a beach in Kenya; the pictures were construed in the press as evidence of a relationship between Pitt and Jolie. During the summer of 2005, the two were seen together with increasing frequency, and the entertainment media dubbed the couple "Brangelina". On January 11, 2006, Jolie confirmed to ''People'' that she was pregnant with Pitt's child, thereby publicly acknowledging their relationship for the first time.

In an October 2006 interview with ''Esquire'', Pitt said that he and Jolie would marry when everyone in America is legally able to marry. He reaffirmed his stance to ''Parade'' in August 2009, and again to ''People'' in July 2011. In February 2010, Pitt and Jolie successfully sued British tabloid ''News of the World'' for falsely reporting that they were separating, a story that had been widely picked up by credible media outlets.

Children

In July 2005, Pitt accompanied Jolie to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she adopted her second child, six-month-old Zahara Marley, a decision which Jolie later stated she and Pitt had made together. Pitt's publicist announced in December 2005 that Pitt was seeking to legally adopt Jolie's two children, Zahara and Cambodia-born Maddox Chivan. On January 19, 2006, a California judge granted Jolie's request to change the children's surnames from "Jolie" to "Jolie-Pitt". The adoptions were finalized soon after.

Jolie gave birth to daughter Shiloh Nouvel in Swakopmund, Namibia, on May 27, 2006. Pitt confirmed that their newborn daughter would have a Namibian passport. The couple sold the first pictures of Shiloh through the distributor Getty Images; the North American rights were purchased by ''People'' for over $4.1 million, while ''Hello!'' obtained the British rights for approximately $3.5 million. The proceeds from the sale were donated to charities serving African children. Madame Tussauds in New York unveiled a wax figure of two-month-old Shiloh; it marked the first time an infant was recreated in wax by Madame Tussauds.

On March 15, 2007, Jolie adopted three-year-old Pax Thien from an orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Since Vietnam does not allow unmarried couples to adopt, Jolie adopted Pax as a single parent. In April 2007, Jolie filed a request to legally change her son's surname from "Jolie" to "Jolie-Pitt", which was approved on May 31, 2007. The rights for the first post-adoption images of Pax were sold to ''People'' for a reported $2 million, as well as to ''Hello!'' for an undisclosed amount. Pitt adopted Pax in the United States on February 21, 2008.

At the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008, Jolie confirmed that she was expecting twins. She gave birth to son Knox Léon and daughter Vivienne Marcheline on July 12, 2008 in Nice, France. The rights for the first images of Knox and Vivienne were jointly sold to ''People'' and ''Hello!'' for $14 million—the most expensive celebrity pictures ever taken. The couple donated the proceeds to the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.

Religion

In an October 2007 interview, Pitt revealed that he is no longer a Christian and does not believe in an afterlife. "There's peace in understanding that I have only one life, here and now, and I'm responsible." In a July 2009 interview he said that he did not believe in God, and that he was "probably 20 percent atheist and 80 percent agnostic."

Filmography

+ Actor
! Year	! Film	! Role	Notes
1987		Officer at party
1987		Waiter
1987		Partygoer
1987		Chris	Appeared on the May 14 and 15, 1987 episodes
1987	''Growing Pains''	Jeff	Episodes: "List of Growing Pains episodes#Season 3: 1987-1988
1987–88		Randy	4 episodes
1988	''[[21 Jump Street''	Peter	Episode: "Best Years of Your Life"
1987		Brian
1987	''Cutting Class''	Dwight Ingalls
1987	''Head of the Class''	Chuck	Episode: "Partners"
1987	''Freddy's Nightmares''	Rick Austin	Episode: "Black Tickets"
1990	''''	Cameraman	TV movie
1990	''Too Young to Die?''	Billy Canton	TV movie
1990	''Glory Days''	Walker Lovejoy	6 episodes
1991	''Across the Tracks''	Joe Maloney
1991	''Thelma & Louise''	J.D.
1991	''Johnny Suede''	Johnny Suede
1992	''Contact''	Cox
1992	''Cool World''	Detective Frank Harris
1992	''''	Paul Maclean
1993	''Kalifornia''	Early Grayce
1993	''True Romance''	Floyd
1994	''''	Elliott Fowler
1994		Louis de Pointe du Lac	MTV Movie Award for Best Performance - MaleMTV Movie Award for Most Desirable MaleNominated–MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo shared with Tom CruiseNominated–Saturn Award for Best Actor
1994	''Legends of the Fall''	Tristan Ludlow	Nominated–Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama
1995		David Mills	MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable MaleNominated–MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo shared with Morgan FreemanNominated–MTV Movie Award for Best Performance - Male
1995	''12 Monkeys''	Jeffrey Goines
1996		Michael Sullivan
1997	''''	Francis "Frankie" Austin McQuire/Rory Devaney
1997		Heinrich Harrer
1997	''''	Rick
1998	''Meet Joe Black''	Joe Black/Man in the Coffee Shop
1999	''Fight Club''
1999	''Being John Malkovich''	Himself	Cameo
2000		Mickey O'Neil	Nominated–Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
2001	''''	Jerry Welbach
2001	''Spy Game''	Tom Bishop
2001	''''	Rusty Ryan
2001	''Friends''	Will Colbert
2002		Himself
2002	''Confessions of a Dangerous Mind''	Brad, Bachelor No.1
2003	''Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas''		Voice
2003		Himself	Cameo
2004		Achilles
2004	''''	Rusty Ryan	Nominated–Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Cast
2005		John Smith
2006		Richard
2007	''''	Rusty Ryan
2007	''''	Jesse James
2008	''Burn After Reading''	Chad Feldheimer
2008	''''	Benjamin Button
2009	''Inglourious Basterds''	Lt. Aldo Raine
2010	''Megamind''	Metro Man	Voice
2011	''''	Mr. O'Brien
2011		Billy Beane
2011	''Happy Feet Two''	Will the Krill	Nominated – Central Ohio Film Critics Association Award for Actor of the Year
2012	''Cogan's Trade''	Jack Cogan	Post-production
2012		Gerry Lane	Post-production

+ Producer
! Year	! Film	Notes
2006	''God Grew Tired of Us''	Executive producer
2006	''''	Nominated–BAFTA Award for Best Film
2006
2007	''''	Executive producer
2007		Executive producer
2007	''''	Nominated–Independent Spirit Award for Best Film
2007	''''
2008	''Pretty/Handsome''	Executive producer (TV)
2009	''''	Executive producer
2009	''''	Executive producer
2010
2010	''Eat Pray Love''
2011	''''	Palme d'Or
2011		Pending–Academy Award for Best Picture
2012	''Cogan's Trade''
2012

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Not On Our Watch – Founded by: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Jerry Weintraub

Category:1963 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:Actors from Oklahoma Category:American agnostics Category:American film actors Category:American film producers Category:American television actors Category:American vegans Category:American voice actors Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Former Baptists Category:LGBT rights activists from the United States Category:Living people Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners Category:People from Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma Category:University of Missouri alumni

af:Brad Pitt ar:براد بيت an:Brad Pitt ast:Brad Pitt az:Bred Pitt bn:ব্র্যাড পিট zh-min-nan:Brad Pitt be:Брэд Піт bg:Брад Пит bo:པ་རའི་པི་ཏ། bs:Brad Pitt br:Brad Pitt ca:Brad Pitt cs:Brad Pitt cy:Brad Pitt da:Brad Pitt de:Brad Pitt et:Brad Pitt el:Μπραντ Πιτ es:Brad Pitt eo:Brad Pitt eu:Brad Pitt fa:برد پیت fr:Brad Pitt ga:Brad Pitt gv:Brad Pitt gd:Brad Pitt gl:Brad Pitt ko:브래드 피트 hy:Բրեդ Փիթ hi:ब्रैड पिट hr:Brad Pitt id:Brad Pitt is:Brad Pitt it:Brad Pitt he:בראד פיט jv:Brad Pitt kn:ಬ್ರ್ಯಾಡ್‌ ಪಿಟ್‌ ka:ბრედ პიტი kk:Брэд Питт la:Brad Pitt lv:Breds Pits lb:Brad Pitt lt:Brad Pitt li:Brad Pitt hu:Brad Pitt mk:Бред Пит ml:ബ്രാഡ് പിറ്റ് mr:ब्रॅड पिट ms:Brad Pitt mn:Брэд Питт nah:Brad Pitt nl:Brad Pitt ja:ブラッド・ピット pih:Brad Pitt no:Brad Pitt nn:Brad Pitt uz:Brad Pitt ps:براډ پېت pl:Brad Pitt pt:Brad Pitt ro:Brad Pitt ru:Питт, Брэд sq:Brad Pitt simple:Brad Pitt sk:Brad Pitt sl:Brad Pitt sr:Бред Пит sh:Brad Pitt su:Brad Pitt fi:Brad Pitt sv:Brad Pitt tl:Brad Pitt ta:பிராட் பிட் tt:Брэд Питт te:బ్రాడ్ పిట్ th:แบรด พิตต์ tr:Brad Pitt uk:Бред Пітт vi:Brad Pitt wuu:孛拉特 皮此 yi:ברעד פיט zh:畢·彼特

birth name	Madhavan Balaji Ranganathan
occupation	Actor, writer, producer, television presenter
birth date	June 01, 1970
birth place	Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India
years active	1994–present
spouse	Sarita Birje(1999–present)
nationality	Indian
alma mater	}}

R. Madhavan (, born 1 June 1970) is an Indian actor, writer, film producer and television host. Madhavan has received a Filmfare Award, an award from the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards alongside recognition and nominations from other organisations. He has been described as one of the few actors in India who is able to achieve pan-Indian appeal, appearing in films from eight different languages.

Madhavan began his acting career with television guest appearances, including a role on the Zee TV prime-time soap opera ''Banegi Apni Baat'' in 1996. After appearing in commercials and in small roles, he later gained recognition as the husband going through the traumas of his marriage in Mani Ratnam's successful romantic film ''Alaipayuthey'' (2000). Madhavan soon developed an image as a romantic hero with notable roles in two of 2001's biggest grossers, Gautham Menon's directorial debut ''Minnale'' and Madras Talkies' ''Dumm Dumm Dumm''. He worked with Ratnam again in the critically acclaimed 2002 film ''Kannathil Muthamittal'' playing the father of an adopted girl, whilst he enjoyed commercial success with his role in Linguswamy's action film, ''Run'' (2002). He was cast opposite Kamal Haasan in the 2003 drama ''Anbe Sivam'', which earned him two notable awards for supporting actor. In 2004 he gave critically acclaimed performances in the multi-starring drama ''Aayutha Ezhuthu'' and the film secured him his first Filmfare Award for the intense portrayal of a rogue. In the mid 2000s Madhavan also pursued a career in Hindi films, writing the dialogues for the comedy ''Ramji Londonwaley'', before appearing in supporting roles in two big-budget productions, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's ''Rang De Basanti'' and Mani Ratnam's biopic ''Guru''. He then won critical acclaim for his portrayal of angry man in his home production in 2007, ''Evano Oruvan'', whilst two years later he appeared in the successful bilingual horror film ''Yavarum Nalam''. He also played a critically acclaimed role in the 2009 blockbuster by Rajkumar Hirani, ''3 Idiots'', portraying a student with actors Aamir Khan and Sharman Joshi.

Madhavan has been a brand ambassador appearing in many commercials, whilst he has also played television hosts to Hindi television programmes, most notably ''Deal Ya No Deal'' in 2006. Before his breakthrough role as a romantic actor in 2000, he was married to Sarita Birje and has a young son. He has been a supporter of the PETA programme in India and has appeared in events organised for the group's promotion. Madhavan owns a production company named Leukos Films, who produced his 2007 film ''Evano Oruvan''.

Early life

Madhavan was born on 1 June 1970 in Jamshedpur, India, to a Hindu Tamil Brahmin family. His father Ranganathan was a management executive with Tata Steel whilst his mother, Saroja was a manager with the Bank of India. His sister, Devika, is a software engineer settled in the United Kingdom. He had a Tamil-speaking upbringing in Bihar.

In 1988, Madhavan was chosen to represent India as its cultural ambassador from Rajaram College, Kolhapur to Canada after his graduation in electronics. At 22, he was awarded the Maharashtra Best Cadet, allowing him to make a trip with three others as NCC Cadets to England. Because of this honour, he received training with the Royal Army, the Navy and the Air Force, which he previously planned to join. However he was rejected from the opportunity, as he missed the age cut-off by six months. After he lost out on the place, he began taking courses in public speaking which eventually helped him venture into the film industry. He won the Indian Championship for Public Speaking and was subsequently selected to represent India at the Young Businessmen Conference in Tokyo, Japan in 1992.

Acting career

Early work

In early 1996, Madhavan did a sandalwood talc advertisement for Santosh Sivan, who later recommended him to Mani Ratnam for a screen test for a role in ''Iruvar''. Later in the same year, Mani Ratnam called Madhavan for the screen test, but left him out of the project citing that he thought his eyes looked too young for a senior role. As his film career failed to take off, Madhavan went on to feature in Hindi television serials, appearing as a crook in his first venture ''Yule Love Stories''. He appeared in a leading roles in Zee TV's ''Banegi Apni Baat'' and later in ''Tol Mol Ke Bol''. He went on to as a captain in ''Sea Hawks'', as a convict in ''Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum'', and as an anchor in ''Tol Mol'' amongst others. His popularity on television, led to him securing his first film role in ''Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin'', where he made a cameo appearance in a song as a club singer.

In 1997, Madhavan appeared in his first film role as an Indian police officer in Fred Olen Ray's ''Inferno'' alongside Don Wilson. His first chance in Indian movies came in the form of ''Shanti Shanti Shanti'', a Kannada film, in which he acted in the second lead role to Abbas, an established actor. However, the film failed to make an impact and went unnoticed. During the period, Hindi film director Vinod Pandey launched Madhavan as a Bollywood hero, with a project titled ''Lakheli'', however the film was abandoned by the producers soon after production began and the film was cancelled.

1999-2003

In 1999, director Mani Ratnam called Madhavan back after his unsuccessful audition for ''Iruvar'' to feature in his Tamil romantic film, ''Alaipayuthey'', which consequently went on to become a blockbuster, earning positive reviews from critics. In ''Alaipayuthey'', Madhavan paired with actress Shalini and portrayed the role of Karthik, a young husband experiencing difficulties with his marriage. Madhavan's performance was well-received by critics and the film became a cult hit, leaving way to several spoofs of his character. A critic from The Hindu, described that Madhavan "sails through the litmus test with ease", whilst another review cited that Madhavan was a promising debutant into the film industry. After the success of his first Tamil film, the producers of his previous Kannada film, ''Shanti Shanti Shanti'', dubbed the film into Tamil and released it as ''Relax'', to capitalize on Madhavan's new found success. Madhavan's second lead role was in the romantic film ''Ennavale'' featuring Sneha. The film garnered poor reviews, although Madhavan's portrayal was praised as the "mainstay of the film", with claims that the film for him was a "merely a prosaic exercise".

In 2001, Madhavan enjoyed success starring opposite Reemma Sen in Gautham Menon's directorial debut, ''Minnale''. The film opened well due to the popular soundtrack by Harris Jayaraj and the marketing as a Valentine's Day release, and won favourable reviews from critics which led to commercial success. He collaborated with Mani Ratnam for the second time by appearing in his production house, Madras Talkies' romantic comedy ''Dumm Dumm Dumm'' alongside Jyothika. The film won positive acclaim and became a success, with Madhavan establishing himself as a bankable actor in South India. Madhavan next starred in ''Parthale Paravasam'', the hundredth venture of veteran director, K. Balachander. Madhavan, in the film, acted as a husband in a troubled marriage again after ''Alaipayuthey''. Despite being highly anticipated, the film failed at the box-office, with critics citing that Madhavan looked "rather bored" with the proceedings. Similarly his first lead role in a Hindi film, ''Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein'', a remake of his ''Minnale'', was also was unsuccessful at the box office, with the film and Madhavan's performance receiving mixed reviews.

Following ''Parthale Paravasam'', Madhavan again starred opposite Simran Bagga in his third Mani Ratnam production, ''Kannathil Muthamittal''. He portrayed the role of the father of an adopted child, who wishes to return to her native homeland amidst the Sri Lankan civil war. The film was critically acclaimed and went on to win six National Awards as well as over ten awards at various International Film Festivals around the world. Madhavan gained acclaim for his portrayal with a critic citing "he lived the role of the character he portrays". Madhavan's next large success came in ''Run'', a film recognized for its screenplay, with Madhavan appearing in an action film for the first time in his career. Despite another unsuccessful Hindi venture with ''Dil Vil Pyar Vyar'', the success of his previous films helped him secure the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor for 2002, being jointly recognized for both films.

After the success of ''Run'', several of Madhavan's films were critically acclaimed but failed to succeed at the box office. ''Anbe Sivam'' featuring and written by Kamal Haasan, won critical acclaim but failed to become a grosser. Portraying a young frustrated filmmaker with capitalist beliefs who travels with a handicapped communist played by Kamal Haasan, Madhavan's performance was described as a "milestone in his career" and that "his portrayal will remain with the viewer for long" by a critic from The Hindu. During the period he went on to feature in Kamal Haasan's home production, ''Nala Damayanthi'' as a Brahmin cook lost in Australia and in Vikraman's ''Priyamana Thozhi'' as a budding cricketer, however both films were average grossers though Madhavan's performances were appreciated by reviewers. He appeared in guest role as a teacher in ''Lesa Lesa'' directed by Priyadarshan, and then featured in Saran's ''Jay Jay'' alongside Priyanka Kothari and Pooja , where his performance won mixed reviews.

2004-2008

Madhavan played an impostor gangster in K. S. Ravikumar's comedy ''Aethiree'' before being selected to feature in his fourth Mani Ratnam production. ''Aayutha Ezhuthu'' featured an ensemble cast of Suriya, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, Esha Deol and Trisha Krishnan and featured music from A. R. Rahman. Madhavan portrayed the character of Inba Sekhar, a hitman living in the slums of Chennai who eventually is taken under the wings of a politician. His role also featured him in a struggling marriage with Sasi, played by Meera Jasmine, who desperately tries to claw him away from his profession. Madhavan has since stated that the role was his hardest to date and the one which he enjoyed the most. He received praise from critics, claiming he outplayed Abhishek Bachchan's interpretation of the character in the Hindi version of the bilingual, ''Yuva''. Madhavan won the South Indian Filmfare Award for the Best Supporting Actor, whilst a critic from The Hindu cited that he "sparkles as an anti-hero" and that the "character ought to find a very special place in his repertoire".

In 2005, Madhavan went on to feature in Rajiv Anchal's crossover film ''Nothing But Life'', also filmed simultaneously in Malayalam as ''Made in USA'' with the film being shot in a single schedule in Las Vegas and Albuquerque. Portraying an orphaned youth with suicidal tendencies being treated by a Malayali psychiatrist in the USA, the film and his portrayal received mixed reviews. He appeared in another marriage drama film, ''Priyasakhi'', co-starring Sadha - with the pair playing an estranged husband and wife. The film received praise for the lead pair's performances with Madhavan being praised as "top class", while it also became the first Tamil film to be dubbed into Zulu. Madhavan made a return to Hindi films by writing the dialogues and starring in the comedy ''Ramji Londonwaley'', a remake of ''Nala Damayanthi''. However despite critics despite his performance as "a master stroke", the film fared averagely at the box office due to other big budget films releasing during the period. Madhavan's three releases in 2006 were commercial successes with ''Rang De Basanti'', ''Thambi'' and ''Rendu''. His appearance in vital cameo role as a pilot in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's ''Rang De Basanti'' earned him his first major hit in Hindi films, with the ensemble cast including Aamir Khan being described as "near perfect". ''Thambi'' directed by Seeman was shot for over a year and faced a delayed release, but became a major success in town and village centres. Madhavan's portrayal of a rustic do-gooder, received positive reviews from critics though it was claimed he was "unable to shed off his classy looks". In ''Rendu'', a Sundar C comedy, Madhavan appeared in dual roles for the first time in his career and was cast opposite Reemma Sen and Anushka Shetty.

Madhavan appeared in his fifth film under Mani Ratnam's Hindi production, ''Guru'' in 2007 featuring in the biopic with Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Vidya Balan. His role of Shyam Saxena was inspired from the life of real-life journalist S. Gurumurthy, who was a challenger to business tycoon, Dhirubhai Ambani, whose role drew allusions with Bachchan's role. The film became a blockbuster and won critical acclaim, with a reviewer citing that Madhavan acts with "extreme, believable sincerity" dubbing him as "truly a poster boy for India", whilst another claimed he performed " a weak role with elan". After appearing in guest roles as himself in the Hindi film ''Delhi Heights'' and in Sudhish Kamath's English film ''That Four-Letter Word'', he featured in the long-delayed romantic comedy ''Aarya'' which gained poor reviews. Madhavan wrote the dialogues, produced and featured in the lead role in Nishikanth Kamat's ''Evano Oruvan'', where he played a middle class bank employee, Sridhar Vasudevan, who becomes so disgusted with the corruption he faces in his day to day life that he loses it one day and become a vigilante. After setting up his production house, Leukos Films, he helped promote the film in international film festivals before the theatrical release in December 2007. Though the film only became an average grosser, critics called the film a "must watch" with The Hindu dubbed the film as "Madhavan's best performance" and he went on to win the ITFA Best Actor Award. In January 2008, he appeared in the unsuccessful ''Vaazhthukal'' with Bhavana, although his performance was described as the "only thing which kept the film engaging" by a critic. Madhavan's final release of the year was the docudrama ''Mumbai Meri Jaan'', based upon the 2006 Mumbai Bombings. The film, which pitted him with Soha Ali Khan, Irrfan Khan and Kay Kay Menon became a critically acclaimed venture with Madhavan's portrayal of a man with a post-traumatic stress disorder being appreciated.

2009 - present

Madhavan won positive acclaim for playing the lead role of an engineer experiencing eerie events in Vikram Kumar's bilingual horror films, ''Yavarum Nalam'' and ''13B''. The film, which became a commercial and critical success upon release resulted in critics claiming "he carried the film on his shoulders" while he was nominated for the Vijay Award for Best Actor. His following two films, the romantic comedy ''Guru En Aalu'' and the action film ''Sikandar'' in which he played a supporting role of an army officer, both fetched average reviews and failed financially. Madhavan went on to appear as Farhan Qureshi, the narrator, in Rajkumar Hirani's ''3 Idiots'' alongside Aamir Khan and Sharman Joshi. The film, a critical and commercial blockbuster, went on to become the highest grossing Indian film of all time, with Madhavan's portrayal earning him nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor and for the IIFA Best Supporting Actor Award. Critics described his performance as "incredible", and Madhavan claimed that the film changed how he was viewed as an actor in Hindi films for the better. His role alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Ben Kingsley in ''Teen Patti'' as a young professor won him mixed reviews with critics citing he was "excellent" whilst other suggested his "energy and zest from ''Guru'' is missing", but the film went on to become a colossal failure at box office. His two guest appearances in the year also received mixed feedback with his performance in the Telugu anthology film ''Om Shanti'' being praised, whilst a role in the John Abraham starrer ''Jhootha Hi Sahi'' drew him criticism. Madhavan then re-collaborated with Kamal Haasan and K. S. Ravikumar in the romantic comedy, ''Manmadan Ambu'', playing a wealthy businessman whose suspicious nature makes him hire a spy to follow his actress girlfirend, played by Trisha Krishnan, on an European cruise tour. The film opened to rave reviews and became a profitable venture commercially, with Madhavan's performance being described as "excellent" and that he is the "scene stealer".

His first release in 2011 was the romantic drama film, ''Tanu Weds Manu'' alongside Kangana Ranaut, which saw him play the role of a sensible doctor hoping to get an arranged marriage with a girl who has as dramatically diverse personality to him. Prior to release, the film's promotion created anticipation and upon release, the film became a large success at the box office. Madhavan's portrayal of Manoj "Manu" Sharma won predominantly positive acclaim, with a reviewer citing that his performance was "real, restrained, yet forceful" and another claiming he was "perfectly cast". Madhavan has signed up to appear as a police officer in Linguswamy's Tamil film ''Vettai'', an action entertainer featuring an ensemble cast of Arya, Amala Paul and Sameera Reddy, while the producers of that film have confirmed his appearance in Vikram Kumar's trilingual tentatively titled ''Adhirstasaali''. He has also signed up to appear in ''Shaadi Fast Forward'', a Hindi romantic comedy film shot in Greece also featuring Bipasha Basu.

Other projects

Film and television work

Madhavan has appeared as host for television programmes on Hindi channels, while he has also been a host at film award functions. He was announced as the host of Sony Entertainment Television's ''Deal Ya No Deal'', the Indian version of the American game show ''Deal Or No Deal'', in October 2005. However, Madhavan quit as the lead anchor of the show in January 2006 claiming he was "unhappy with the way the shoot schedules were handled by the production house". According to the actor, when he took on the show, he had "made it clear that he would continue with his South film assignments, and as the show was being filmed in Mumbai, he had found it hard to keep travelling throughout India from Chennai to film the ten days a month he had signed up for". The ever-changing look of the show meant Madhavan had to constantly rehearse. Madhavan added that he was restricted by the producers to spend one day rehearsing technically, which left him with fatigue. Mandira Bedi replaced Madhavan as the anchor in February for Series 2 of the game show. In June 2010, Madhavan made a comeback to the game show format by accepting a contract with Imagine TV's Big Money show, signing on to host a single season. Furthermore he has been a guest judge, in the Indian television show, Fame Gurukul. He was the host of the 55th Filmfare Awards South in Chennai in 2008 alongside Sindhura Gadde.

Madhavan secured the rights to remake his Tamil film ''Nala Damayanthi'' into Hindi as ''Ramji Londonwaley'', and played an active role in determining the crew of the movie. Moreover, Madhavan also wrote the dialogues for the film. In October 2007, Madhavan founded the production company, Leukos Films, and consequently bought the rights of his film, ''Evano Oruvan'' from producers Abbas-Mustan and K. Sera Sera. Securing sponsorship deals with HSBC and Santoor, Madhavan premiered the film across North America and the Middle East before theatrical release which became the first of its kind promotion in Tamil cinema. However since the relative failure of the project, Madhavan has downplayed any future involvement in production ventures. The film which Madhavan referred to as a "part of his life", saw him write the dialogues for the film along with Seeman, translating lines from the original version in Marathi.

Madhavan has enjoyed considerable success as a brand ambassador for a wide range of products in India. His early work involved advertisements for prominent brands like Bajaj, Ponds, Fair and Lovely and TVS, before signing a major endorsing deal with Pepsi and marketing company, IMG. Madhavan signed a contract with mobile phone network, Airtel for promotions in South India before being promoted as the pan-Indian ambassador for it a year later. His advertisements with Vidya Balan for the brand won critical acclaim, and brought in film offers for the pair. In June 2010, marketers from Arun Excello promoted a housing project in Oragadam, Chennai as like a film would be promoted with Madhavan being featured as the face of the project. The teaser advertisement campaign attracted huge curiosity and the project became a success. His long-term work with jewellery, Joy Alukkas, led to the company creating life size wax models of him to place in their showrooms from January 2011.

Humanitarian causes

Madhavan, who is a vegetarian, endorses the brand, PETA. Since joining them after starring in his first film, he has appeared voluntarily in several advertisements and released an E-Card for the brand. In July 2006, Madhavan was voted the "cutest male vegetarian" by an online poll conducted by the NGO, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), while Kareena Kapoor won the female award respectively. In turn he cited that his success in the competition was due to his "healthy vegetarian diet". In October 2010, he wrote a letter to the CEO of Kentucky Fried Chicken, on behalf of PETA, urging them to stop mistreatment of birds by the fast-food industry outlets and the killing of animals. He requested the boycott of KFC in India over animal welfare and conditions and was joined by Raveena Tandon and Rakhi Sawant in supporting the work of PETA in India.

He has lent his support for the Chennai-based charity, The Banyan, and appeared in the charity musical Netru, Indru, Naalai directed by Mani Ratnam for the cause. He appeared as a guest cook and newly launched restaurant in Chennai and cooked dosas for auction for the charity, helping raise forty five thousand rupees. He has been a part of an AIDS awareness programme initiated by Richard Gere in India and helped advertise the ''A Time for Heroes'' campaign appearing in a short film. Similarly he featured in a four minute film produced by Agaram Foundation, ''Herova? Zerova?'' campaigning for educational awareness alongside Surya, Vijay and Jyothika. In 2010, along with his cast and crew from ''3 Idiots'', he helped raise Rs.25 lakh for the renovation of the school in Leh, which was damaged by flash floods. Madhavan laid bricks and tiles at the London Business School in July 2011, building a symbolic house to represent the 100,000 houses that will be built in India by 2015 as a part of Habitat for Humanity's campaign to improve substandard houses in India.

In the media

Madhavan is one of the few actors in India who receives pan-Indian appeal, with his success in establishing himself in the North and the South helping him receive offers as a brand ambassador. Furthermore, it has led to producers offering him lead roles in bilingual films with ''Nothing But Life'' and ''Made in USA'' being shot in Malayalam and English, ''13B'' and ''Yavarum Nalam'' being shot in Hindi and Tamil and ''Vettai'' and ''Veta'' in Tamil and Telugu. Moreover, most of his Tamil films are dubbed into Telugu, where he has created a box office market without appearing in a straight Telugu film. Madhavan has also been active in keeping in contact with fans, maintaining a fan email account, a Facebook fan page and a Twitter account as well as being one of the first actors of Tamil films to turn blogger with entries in the year 2000.

He has appeared at functions as a special guest, and has enjoyed particularly close links with technology company, Sify, who he signed on as his media partner for all his future releases after expressing satisfaction at the website they created for ''Rendu''. Madhavan sat amongst a six man jury for the selection of CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2006. He inaugurated the Chennai International Film Festival in 2007, taking the opportunity to deliver a message on preserving the environment.

A gaming company, Paradox Studios Limited, launched a new game compatible with mobile phones in July 2006, with Madhavan as the lead character. The company released two mobile game titles featuring Madhavan as their lead character. The first of the two games, ''Madhavan's MIG'', featured the actor making a reprise of his Rang De Basanti pilot's role. In the other game titled ''Madhavan'', the player had to help the actor get to the premiere of his latest movie evading the paparazzi. In 2007, prominent entrepreneur N. R. Narayana Murthy requested Madhavan to be his interviewer at the India-Singapore Exposition and Madhavan went on to claim that the experience was "unforgettable" as Murthy was an idol to him.

Personal life

Madhavan's parents are Ranganathan and Saroja. Despite Madhavan's ambition of wanting to join the army, his parents insisted he went to management school and pursue a degree in electronics. After completing the degree, he went on to teach communication and public speaking at workshops around India. At the Maharashtra workshop, he encountered his wife Sarita Birje in 1991, an air hostess, who attended his class. After completing the course, the pair began dating and married in 1999, before Madhavan entered mainstream films. The pair's successful marriage has been covered by the media, with Madhavan citing that advise from his mentor Mani Ratnam was useful. Sarita has worked as a costume designer in a few of Madhavan's films, most notably for ''Guru En Aalu'' (2009) when she worked along with Erum Ali, the wife of Madhavan's co-star, Abbas, for their respective husbands. Their first son, Vedant was born in August 2005, which eventually led to relocating towards to the boat-club area in Chennai from Kilpauk. Madhavan's parents lived with him as did his parents-in-law. In 2009, he relocated to Kandivali, Mumbai with his wife and son, as he pursued a career in Hindi films ahead of films in the South Indian industries.

Madhavan, since his debut, has received significant following from female fans. Madhavan has maintained close links with fellow actors in the Hindi and Tamil film industry with his close links with director Mani Ratnam and actors Kamal Haasan, Aamir Khan and Surya. He has also helped out actresses Reemma Sen, Sadha and Nisha Kothari by signing them on for roles in his films, when they were going through a barren spell.

Madhavan took a sabbatical from films from September 2010 announcing an eight month break from films citing he would take the time off to visit London, go on a European motorcycle ride, lose weight, play golf, take treatment for his knee injury and spend time with family. Though he kept away from starting new projects, during the period he was involved in heavy promotions of two of his releases, ''Manmadan Ambu'' and ''Tanu Weds Manu''. He has been a keen golf player, appearing in a celebrity charity event in 2007 and has played alongside actor Amitabh Bachchan and director Mani Ratnam. His experiences flying Cessna planes when he was with National Cadet Corps, also led to a passion for aero-modelling, claiming it justified his decision to pursue a degree in electronics.

Filmography

{|class="wikitable" " border="2" cellpadding="4" background: #f9f9f9; |- align="center" ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Year ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Film ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Role ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Language ! style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Notes |- |rowspan="1"| 1996 ||''Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin'' || Singer in club || Hindi || Uncredited role |- |rowspan="1"| 1997 ||''Inferno'' || Ravi || English || |- |rowspan="1"| 1998 || ''Shanti Shanti Shanti'' || Siddharth || Kannada || |- |rowspan="2"| 2000 || ''Alaipayuthey'' || Karthik Varadharajan || Tamil || |- | ''Ennavale'' || James Vasanth || Tamil || |- |rowspan="4"| 2001 || ''Minnale'' || Rajesh Shivakumar || Tamil || |- | ''Dumm Dumm Dumm'' || Aditya || Tamil || |- | ''Parthale Paravasam'' || Madhava || Tamil || |- | ''Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein'' || Madhav Shastri || Hindi || Nominated, Zee Cine Award Best Male DebutNominated, Star Screen Award for Most Promising Male Newcomer |- |rowspan="3"| 2002 ||''Kannathil Muthamittal'' || Thiruchelvan || Tamil ||Winner, Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor also for ''Run'' and ''Anbe Sivam'' |- | ''Run'' || Siva || Tamil || Winner, Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor also for ''Kannathil Muthamittal'' and ''Anbe Sivam'' |- | ''Dil Vil Pyar Vyar'' || Krish || Hindi || |- |rowspan="5"| 2003 || ''Anbe Sivam'' || Anbarasu || Tamil || Winner, ITFA Best Supporting Actor AwardWinner, Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor also for ''Kannathil Muthamittal'' and ''Run'' Nominated, Filmfare Best Tamil Supporting Actor Award |- | ''Nala Damayanthi'' || Ramji || Tamil || |- | ''Lesa Lesa'' || Deva Narayanan || Tamil || Guest appearance |- | ''Priyamana Thozhi'' || Ashok || Tamil || |- | ''Jay Jay'' || Jegan || Tamil || |- |rowspan="3"| 2004 || ''Aethiree'' || Subramani || Tamil || |- | ''Aayutha Ezhuthu'' || Inba Shekar || Tamil || Winner, Filmfare Best Tamil Supporting Actor Award |- | ''Nothing But Life'' || rowspan="2" |Thomas Roberts || English || |- |rowspan="3"| 2005 || ''Made in USA'' || Malayalam || |- |''Priyasakhi'' || Sandhana Krishnan || Tamil || |- | ''Ramji Londonwaley'' || Ramji Tiwari || Hindi || Also writer |- |rowspan="3"| 2006 || ''Rang De Basanti'' || Ajay Rathod || Hindi || Guest appearance |- | ''Thambi'' || Velu Thondaiman || Tamil || |- | ''Rendu'' || Sakthi,Kannan || Tamil || |- |rowspan="5"| 2007 || ''Guru'' || Shyam Saxena || Hindi || |- | ''Delhii Heights'' || Himself || Hindi || Cameo appearance |- | ''Aarya'' || Aarya || Tamil || |- | ''That Four-Letter Word'' || Himself || English || Cameo appearance |- | ''Evano Oruvan'' || Sridhar Vasudevan || Tamil || Winner, ITFA Best Actor AwardNominated, Vijay Award for Best Story, Screenplay WriterAlso producer and writer |- |rowspan="3"| 2008 || ''Vaazhthugal'' || Kathiravan || Tamil || |- | ''Mumbai Meri Jaan'' || Nikhil Agarwal || Hindi || |- | ''Tipu Kanan Tipu Kiri'' || Himself || Malay || Cameo appearance |- |rowspan="5"| 2009 || ''Yavarum Nalam'' || rowspan="2" |Manohar || Tamil || Nominated, Vijay Award for Best Actor |- | ''13B'' || Hindi || |- | ''Guru En Aalu'' || Guru || Tamil || |- | ''Sikandar'' || Rajesh Rao || Hindi || |- | ''3 Idiots'' || Farhan Qureshi || Hindi || Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Supporting ActorNominated, IIFA Best Supporting Actor Award |- |rowspan="4"| 2010 || ''Om Shanti'' || Maddy || Telugu || Guest appearance |- | ''Teen Patti'' || Shantanu Biswas || Hindi || |- | ''Jhoota Hi Sahi'' || Kabir || Hindi || Guest appearance |- | ''Manmadan Ambu'' || Madanagopal || Tamil ||Nominated, Filmfare Best Tamil Supporting Actor AwardNominated, Vijay Award for Best Supporting Actor |- |rowspan="2"| 2011 || ''Tanu Weds Manu'' || Manoj Sharma (Manu) || Hindi || |- |''Vettai '' || Thirumoorthy || Tamil || Filming |- |rowspan="2"| 2012 || ''Shaadi Fast Forward'' || || Hindi || Pre-production |- |''Adhirstasaali '' || || Tamil || Pre-production |}

References

External links

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

Category:1970 births Category:Living people Category:Tamil actors Category:Indian game show hosts Category:Indian vegetarians Category:Tamil people Category:Kannada film actors Category:Indian television actors Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian television presenters Category:People from Jamshedpur Category:People from Tamil Nadu Category:Indian screenwriters Category:Indian film producers Category:Indian actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:Tamil Brahmins

de:R. Madhavan es:R. Madhavan fr:Madhavan it:R. Madhavan ml:ആർ. മാധവൻ mr:आर. माधवन pl:R. Madhavan ta:மாதவன்

name	Komal Nahta
birth date	December 25, 1974
birth place	Calcutta, India
nationality	Indian
yearsactive	2000–present
occupation	Film editor
spouse	}}

Komal Nahta is the editor and publisher of "Film Information", India's largest film trade journal. He is also an anchor of the Trade show ETC Bollywood Business on the Bollywood TV channels ETC and Zee Cinema. Well known for his harsh criticism of Movies.

Career

His interviews are carried by many satellite channels, including CNBC, STAR, Zee, B4U, NDTV, Zoom and Doordarshan. He was also the Bollywood representative of the BBC for almost 10 years. The Asian Development bank(ADB) has appointed him advisor for its film financing division, the first person from the film industry to be so appointed. He has recently launched a new tabloid called "The Film Street Journal".

On 26 April 2010, Nahta replaced Taran Adarsh as the host of ETC Bollywood Business on the indian TV channels ETC (India) and Zee Cinema (UK). The show airs daily on weekdays at 8:30 pm in India and at 7:30 pm in the UK. On Mondays, the show is about the previous fridays collections. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Nahta speaks to various artists from the film industry. Thursdays preview films releasing on Friday. On Fridays, Nahta will be review films released on that day. The show launched the first episode with Sajid Nadiadwala as the guest. He is also the Editor of Entertainment website www.koimoi.com He has also starred in the 2010 comedy, ''Tees Maar Khan'', along with Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif and Akshaye Khanna.

References

External links

Profile from Sify.com

Komal Nahta on Twitter

Box Office Half-Yearly Report Card: RED MARKS ALL THE WAY!

Alliance Against Copyright Theft To Combat Piracy: A Joke

Google search results

Category:Indian magazine editors Category:Living people Category:Indian film critics

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)
Occupation	actor, model
Yearsactive	1991–present
Signature	}}

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (''née'' Aishwarya Rai, , 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 acted in over 40 films in Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, and Bengali.

Often cited by the media as the "most beautiful woman in the world", Rai made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam's Tamil film ''Iruvar'' (1997), and had her first commercial success in the Tamil movie ''Jeans'' (1998). She gained the attention of Bollywood through the film ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'' (1999), directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Her performance won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award. In 2002 she appeared in Bhansali's ''Devdas'', for which she won her second Filmfare Best Actress Award.

After a setback in her career during 2003–2005, she appeared in ''Dhoom 2'' (2006), which was her biggest commercial success in India. She later appeared in films like ''Guru'' (2007), ''Jodhaa Akbar'' (2008), and ''Enthiran'' (2010), which were commercially and critically successful. Rai has established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses in Bollywood.

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 Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award given by the Government of India.

Early life

Rai was born into a Tulu-speaking 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.

Career (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. 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.

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'Oreal, alongside Andie Macdowell, Eva Longoria, and Penelope 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.

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 Category:Tamil film actors

ar:أيشواريا راي az:Ayşvariya Ray bn:ঐশ্বর্যা রাই bg:Айшвария Рай br:Aishwarya Rai 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 sw:Aishwarya Rai ku:Aishwarya Rai ky:Айшвария Рай 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