Simran (born Rishibala Naval on 4 April 1976) is an Indian actress who has predominantly appeared in Tamil and Telugu films. She debuted in Bollywood and acted in several Hindi films, before starring in her first Tamil film V.I.P and her first Telugu film Abbai Gari Pelli in 1997. Rediff has called her "one of Tamil cinema's top female draws."^[1][2]

She appeared in many commercially successful films such as Nerrukku Ner (1997), Natpukkaga (1998), Kannedhirey Thondrinal (1998), Aval Varuvala (1998), Thulladha Manamum Thullum (1999), Samarasimha Reddy (1999), Anari No.1 (1999), Jodi (1999), Kalisundam Raa (2000), Priyamaanavale (2000), Parthen Rasithen (2000), Nuvvu Vastavani (2000), Narasimha Naidu (2001), Thamizh (2002), Panchathantiram (2002), Ramana (2002) and New (2004),^[3] and gained critical praise for her performances in Vaali (1999), Kannathil Muthamittal (2002) and Vaaranam Aayiram (2008).

Personal life and background[link]

Simran was born as Rishibala Naval (Punjabi: ਰਿਸ਼ਿਬਾਲਾ ਨਾਵਲ, Riśibālā Nāval ^?) in Mumbai; her father name is Ashok Naval and mother is Saradha.Simran is said to be the best dancer by many actors who she worked with. She has two sisters, Monal and Jyothi Naval and a brother named Sumith.^[4] She did her schooling from St. Anthony's high school, Versova and finished her B.Com in Mumbai and was modelling simultaneously. Then she came to the film industry. She speaks Punjabi, Hindi, English, and Tamil.

Simran is a trained dancer and can perform Bharatanatyam and Salsa. She married Deepak Bagga, her childhood family friend, in December 2003. They have two sons, Adheep and Aadit, born in June 2005 and March, 2011.^[5][6][7]

Career[link]

Early career (1995–1999)[link]

Simran made her debut in the 1995 Hindi film Sanam Harjai directed by Saawan Kumar. Jaya Bachchan (ABCL Corp), who saw her in Superhit Muqabla on Doordarshan’s Metro channel (produced by Nimbus TV & Sports and directed by Sushil Datta), offered her a leading role in Tere Mere Sapne. She then starred in supporting roles in Muqaddar, Angaara and Daadagiri, Bal Bramhachari, Agni Morcha, Gunda Gardi opposite Ayub Khan and along with Dharmendra.^[8] Meanwhile she was acting in South Indian languages and was a huge star in Tamil and Telugu. In 1999 she starred in Anari No.1.

She moved to south Indian movies by acting first in a high-budget Malayalam film, Indraprastham with megastar Mammootty in the lead role and she tasted success, too. Then she was introduced in the Tamil movie industry by Vasanth with Nerukku Ner opposite Surya in 1997; the movie was a huge success and she was highly appreciated for her dancing in the song "Manam Virumbudhe." Then Simran starred in several successful movies such as V.I.P (1997), Natpukkaga (1998), Aval Varuvala (1998) and Kannedhirey Thondrinal (1998) with leading actors Prabhu Deva, Sarath Kumar, Ajith Kumar and Prasanth respectively . She got her first break through the movie Thulladha Manamum Thullum opposite Vijay in 1999.It was a super hit Movie.

Rise and stardom (1999–2004)[link]

In the same year she acted in blockbuster Vaali opposite Ajith Kumar and she won several awards for her acting which includes a Kalaimaamani award; she was nominated for Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Later in 1999 she acted in Jodi which was a super hit. Her success streak continued in 2000 with the films Priyamaanavale and Parthen Rasithen in which she acted in a negative role.

She saw a low in her Tamil career in 2001, as she concentrated in Telugu, and once again became the leading actress in 2002 with several successes such as Ramana opposite Vijaykanth, Pammal K. Sambandam and Panchathantiram opposite Kamal Haasan, Thamizh opposite Prasanth and Mani Ratnam’s Kannathil Muthamittal opposite Madhavan. She won several accolades for her performance in Kannathil Muthamittal including a Filmfare award. However the movie was an average grosser, although it won several accolades from the audience.

Comeback[link]

She appeared in the 2008 blockbuster Tamil film Vaaranam Aayiram directed by Gautham Menon, costarring Surya Sivakumar, for which she won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.

Telugu cinema career[link]

She enjoyed stupendous success in Telugu movie industry as she acted with the superstars of Tollywood such as Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, Nagarjuna and Venkatesh. Her debut Telugu movie was Abbai Gari Pelli in 1997 opposite Suman which was a flop. After starring in some unsuccessful movies in 1997 and 1998, she became overnight sensation with her first blockbuster Samarasimha Reddy opposite Balakrishna in 1999. In 2000 she starred in Kalisundam Raa opposite Venkatesh and Nuvvu Vastavani opposite Nagarjuna. Both of the movies were blockbusters.

2001 was a mixed year in her career since her movie Mrigaraju opposite Chiranjeevi becoming a flop and Bava Nachadu opposite Nagarjuna and Daddy opposite Chiranjeevi becoming above-average grossers. But her movie Narasimha Naidu opposite Balakrishna became a huge blockbuster.

In 2002 she starred with Balakrishna in Seema Simham and the film was just an average grosser in spite of great openings. This was her only release in 2002. With Seetayya opposite Harikrishna in 2003, she left the industry after her marriage. She made a comeback with Okka Magadu opposite Balakrishna in 2008 and John Appa Rao 40 plus.

Olympics[link]

Simran participated in the Olympic Torch Rally as one of the escort runners selected by Coca-Cola India. She was one of those represented India in the Athens 2004 Olympic Torch Relay on June 10 at New Delhi.^[9]

Brand ambassador[link]

On March 2002, Simran was signed up to endorse Fanta, the tangy orange-flavoured drink from Coca-Cola. According to a company spokesperson, "Film stars cut across various segments to establish a direct connect with the brand." The ad eas been conceived by the Lowe and directed by filmmaker Latha Menon.^[10][11] On the same year, Jyoti Labs launched Jeeva soap with Simran to endorse the brand and the ad. The brand uses the tagline "The complete Ayurvedic Soap" which is further reinforced by the focus on 27 ingredients.^[12]

On June 4, 2008, PepsiCo India Holdings (FritoLay Division) announced superstar Simran as the new brand ambassador for Kurkure for their first brand ambassador in the South Indian market. She joined the brand's long-standing endorser Juhi Chawla as a part of the Kurkure family.^[13]

Simran was chosen as the brand ambassador for a low calorie sugar substitute — 'Sugar Free Gold' by Cadila Healthcare Ltd. Anand Deo, senior vice-president, consumer division told reporters that the star was chosen since she was a "fitness icon."^[14] Simran says it's her fitness secret and poses for that brand with her slim figure.^[15] She is also tied with General Mills India for Pillsbury Atta to help spread the health message and has appeared in several TV commercials.^[16]

Philanthropy[link]

Simran's real estate firm in collaboration with the Andhra Pradesh Housing Board for low-income groups has developed a proposal to buy acreage in the outskirts of major cities and develop them into self-sustained communities for people under the poverty line. She has donated rupees 10 lakhs towards Kargil cause.

Simran's has 70 acres of land on Mumbai Nasik Highway named Rishi Farms out of which 7 acres was donated for old age homes managed by her father.

Awards[link]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Simran (actress) at the Internet Movie Database

For other meanings see Simran (disambiguation).

Simran (Punjabi: ਸਿਮਰਨ, Hindi: सिमरन ) is a Punjabi word derived from the Sanskrit word स्मरण (smaraṇa, "the act of remembering or calling to mind, remembrance, reminiscence, recollection of"), thus 'realization of that which is of the highest aspect and purpose in one's life', thus introducing spirituality. Through the years, it has been adapted into many languages.

Gurmukhi[link]

Simran is a commonly used term as a verb in Gurmukhi, which refers to 'meditating' of the Nām. Sikhism is a distinct contemporary faith , whereby the Realization of God can be most easily had through the process of individual devotion, without recourse to avaracious priests, costly rites or rituals or strict sartorial or dietary practices (though all of these have eventually come to threaten the modern practice of sikhism ).

It says in the Guru Granth Sahib that by practising Simran one is purified and attains salvation or 'mukti'. This is because 'si-mar' means 'to die over' something for which one must kill their ego in order to have union with the ultimate truth or sat.

Meditating, meditating in remembrance, I have found peace.
(simar simar sukh paa-i-aa.)

—On page 202 of the Guru Granth Sahib, Guruji writes:

This japna teaches a person who wishes to gain from this human life, one must attain a higher spiritual state by become free of attachment by realizing that all that is, is empty as outlined in the Heart Sutra. Thereby, merit is acquired by devoutly repeating, comprehending and living by the sacred word every day so as to progressively reveal the divine and ultimate truth to the person who earnestly seeks it:

Nām, the incorruptible is beyond our comprehending. At the same time, it is our constant companion and preserves all creation. Therefore, truth will disclose itself unto us and lets us perceive it in our hearts. It is through earnestness that we can meet with such a truth.

—Guru Ram Das says in Sarang ki var (Guru Granth Sahib, 1242):

Sant Mat[link]

In Sant Mat the word Simran is used for the spiritual practice of repeating the mantra given by the Satguru during initiation. The mantra itself is also called Simran. Simran repetition must be done during meditation and possibly also outside it.^[1]

References[link]

An actor (sometimes actress for female; see terminology) is a person who acts in a dramatic or comic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity.^[1] The ancient Greek word for an "actor," ὑποκριτής (hypokrites), means literally "one who interprets";^[2] in this sense, an actor is one who interprets a dramatic character.^[3]

Terminology[link]

After 1660, when women first appeared on stage, actor and actress were initially used interchangeably for female performers, but later, influenced by the French actrice, actress became the usual term. The etymology is a simple derivation from actor with ess added.^[4] The word actor refers to a person who acts regardless of gender, and this term "is increasingly preferred", while actress refers specifically to a female person who acts. Actress "remains in general use",^[4] although in a survey of a "wide cross-section of current British English", compiled in 2010, actor was almost twice as commonly found as actress.^[5] Within the profession, however, the re-adoption of the neutral term dates to the 1950s–60s, the post-war period when women's contribution to cultural life in general was being re-evaluated.^[6] Actress remains the common term used in major acting awards given to female recipients.^[7]

The gender-neutral term "player" was common in film in the early days of the Motion Picture Production Code with regards to the cinema of the United States, but is now generally deemed archaic. However, it remains in use in the theatre, often incorporated into the name of a theatre group or company (such as the East West Players)^{[citation needed]}.

History[link]

Actors Jim Brochu and Steve Schalchlin performing in The Big Voice: God or Merman play.

The first recorded case of an actor performing took place in 534 BC (though the changes in calendar over the years make it hard to determine exactly) when the Greek performer Thespis stepped on to the stage at the Theatre Dionysus and became the first known person to speak words as a character in a play or story. Prior to Thespis' act, stories were only known to be told in song and dance and in third person narrative. In honour of Thespis, actors are commonly called Thespians. Theatrical legend to this day maintains that Thespis exists as a mischievous spirit, and disasters in the theatre are sometimes blamed on his ghostly intervention.

Actors were traditionally not people of high status, and in the Early Middle Ages travelling acting troupes were often viewed with distrust. In many parts of Europe, actors could not even receive a Christian burial, and traditional beliefs of the region and time period held that this left any actor forever condemned. However, this negative perception was largely reversed in the 19th and 20th centuries as acting has become an honoured and popular profession and art.^[8]

Techniques[link]

Method acting[link]

Method acting is a technique developed from the acting 'system' created in the early 20th century by Konstantin Stanislavski in his work at the Moscow Art Theatre and its studios. The Group Theatre first popularised the Method in the 1930s; it was subsequently advanced and developed in new directions by Stella Adler, Sanford Meisner, Uta Hagen, Lee Strasberg (at the Actors Studio in the 1940s and 50s), and others.^[9] In Stanislavski's system', the actor analyzes the character in order to play him or her with psychological realism and emotional authenticity. Using the Method, an actor may recall emotions or reactions from his or her own life and use them to identify with the character being portrayed.

Method actors are often characterized as immersing themselves so totally in their characters that they continue to portray them even off-stage or off-camera for the duration of the project. However, this is a popular misconception. While some actors do employ this approach, it is generally not taught as part of the Method. Stella Adler, who was a member of the Group Theatre, along with Strasberg, emphasised a different approach of using creative imagination.^[10]

Method acting offers a systematic form of actor training in which the actor's sensory, psychological, and emotional abilities are developed; it revolutionized theatre in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Presentational and representational acting[link]

Presentational acting refers to a relationship between actor and audience, whether by direct address or indirectly by specific use of language, looks, gestures or other signs indicating that the character or actor is aware of the audience's presence.^[11] (Shakespeare's use of punning and wordplay, for example, often has this function of indirect contact.)

In representational acting, "actors want to make us 'believe' they are the character; they pretend."^[11] The illusion of the fourth wall with the audience as voyeurs is striven for.^[12]

As opposite gender[link]

In the past, only men could become actors in some societies. In the ancient Greece and Rome^[13] and the medieval world, it was considered disgraceful for a woman to go on the stage, and this belief persisted until the 17th century, when in Venice it was broken. In the time of William Shakespeare, women's roles were generally played by men or boys.^[14]

When an eighteen-year Puritan prohibition of drama was lifted after the English Restoration of 1660, women began to appear on stage in England. Margaret Hughes is credited by some as the first professional actress on the English stage.^[15] This prohibition ended during the reign of Charles II in part due to the fact that he enjoyed watching actresses on stage.^[16] The first occurrence of the term actress was in 1700 according to the OED and is ascribed to Dryden.^[7]

In Japan, men (onnagata) took over the female roles in kabuki theatre when women were banned from performing on stage during the Edo period. This convention has continued to the present. However, some forms of Chinese drama have women playing all the roles.

In modern times, women sometimes play the roles of prepubescent boys. The stage role of Peter Pan, for example, is traditionally played by a woman, as are most principal boys in British pantomime. Opera has several "breeches roles" traditionally sung by women, usually mezzo-sopranos. Examples are Hansel in Hänsel und Gretel, Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro and Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier.

Women in male roles are uncommon in film with the notable exceptions of the films The Year of Living Dangerously and I'm Not There. In the former film Linda Hunt played the pivotal role of Billy Kwan, for which she received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In the latter film Cate Blanchett portrayed Jude Quinn, a representation of Bob Dylan in the sixties, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Women playing men in live theatre is particularly common in presentations of older plays, such as those of Shakespeare, that have large numbers of male characters in roles where the gender no longer matters in modern times.^{[citation needed]}

Having an actor dress as the opposite sex for comic effect is also a long-standing tradition in comic theatre and film. Most of Shakespeare's comedies include instances of overt cross-dressing, such as Francis Flute in A Midsummer Night's Dream. The movie A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum stars Jack Gilford dressing as a young bride. Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon famously posed as women to escape gangsters in the Billy Wilder film Some Like It Hot. Cross-dressing for comic effect was a frequently used device in most of the thirty Carry On films. Dustin Hoffman and Robin Williams have each appeared in a hit comedy film (Tootsie and Mrs. Doubtfire, respectively) in which they played most scenes dressed as a woman.

Occasionally, the issue is further complicated, for example, by a woman playing a woman acting as a man pretending to be a woman, like Julie Andrews in Victor/Victoria, or Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love. In It's Pat: The Movie, filmwatchers never learn the gender of the androgynous main characters Pat and Chris (played by Julia Sweeney and Dave Foley).

A few roles in modern films, plays and musicals are played by a member of the opposite sex (rather than a character cross-dressing), such as the character Edna Turnblad in Hairspray—played by Divine in the original film, Harvey Fierstein in the Broadway musical, and John Travolta in the 2007 movie musical. Linda Hunt won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for playing Billy Kwan in The Year of Living Dangerously. Felicity Huffman was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for playing Bree Osbourne (a male-to-female transsexual) in Transamerica.

See also[link]

References[link]

Sources[link]

• Csapo, Eric, and William J. Slater. 1994. The Context of Ancient Drama. Ann Arbor: The U of Michigan P. ISBN 0-472-08275-2.
• Elam, Keir. 1980. The Semiotics of Theatre and Drama. New Accents Ser. London and New York: Methuen. ISBN 0-416-72060-9.
• Weimann, Robert. 1978. Shakespeare and the Popular Tradition in the Theater: Studies in the Social Dimension of Dramatic Form and Function. Ed. Robert Schwartz. Baltimore and London: The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-3506-2.

Further reading[link]

• An Actor's Work by Constantin Stanislavski
• A Dream of Passion: The Development of the Method by Lee Strasberg (Plume Books, ISBN 0-452-26198-8, 1990)
• Sanford Meisner on Acting by Sanford Meisner (Vintage, ISBN 0-394-75059-4, 1987)
• Letters to a Young Actor by Robert Brustein (Basic Books, ISBN 0-465-00806-2, 2005).
• The Empty Space by Peter Brook
• The Technique of Acting by Stella Adler

External links[link]

Look up actor, actress, or player in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Actors' Equity Association (AEA): a union representing U. S. theatre actors and stage managers.
• American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA): a union representing U. S. television and radio actors and broadcasters (on-air journalists, etc.).
• British Actors' Equity: a trade union representing UK artists, including actors, singers, dancers, choreographers, stage managers, theatre directors and designers, variety and circus artists, television and radio presenters, walk-on and supporting artists, stunt performers and directors and theatre fight directors.
• Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance: an Australian/New Zealand trade union representing everyone in the media, entertainment, sports, and arts industries.
• Screen Actors Guild (SAG): a union representing U. S. film and TV actors.