name	Kamal Haasan
birth name	Kamal Haasan
birth date	November 07, 1954
birth place	Paramakudi, Madras State, India
residence	Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
occupation	Film actor, producer, director, screenwriter, songwriter, playback singer, lyricist
yearsactive	1959–present
spouse	Vani Ganapathy(1978–1988)Sarika Haasan(1988–2004)
domesticpartner	Gouthami Tadimalla (2004–present)
children	Shruti Haasan (born 1986)Akshara Haasan (born 1991) }}

Kamal Haasan (; born 7 November 1954) is an Indian film actor, screenwriter, and director, considered to be one of the leading method actors of Indian cinema. He is widely acclaimed as an actor and is well known for his versatility in acting. Kamal Haasan has won several Indian film awards, including four National Film Awards and numerous Filmfare Awards, and is known for having starred in the largest number of films submitted by India in contest for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In addition to acting, screenwriting and directing, he has also featured in films as a songwriter, playback singer, choreographer and lyricist. His film production company, Rajkamal International, has produced several of his films. In 2009, he became one of very few Indian actors to have completed 50 years in cinema. Kamal Haasan is also a recipient of an Honorary doctorate by Sathyabama University.

After several projects as a child artist, Kamal Haasan's breakthrough into lead acting came with his role in the 1975 drama ''Apoorva Raagangal'', in which he played a rebellious youth in love with an older woman. He secured his second Indian National Film Award for his portrayal of a guileless school teacher who tends a child-like amnesiac in 1982's ''Moondram Pirai''. He was particularly noted for his performance in Mani Ratnam's Godfatheresque Tamil film ''Nayagan'' (1987), which was ranked by ''Time'' magazine as one of the best films of all time. Since then he has gone on to appear in other notable films such as his own productions, ''Hey Ram'' and ''Virumaandi'', as well as the ''Dasavathaaram'', in which he appeared in ten distinct roles.

Career

Debut as child artiste: 1959-1963

After shifting from Paramakudi with his family for his mother's medical treatment, Kamal Haasan was enrolled at Holy Angels school in T. Nagar. As a child, he became interested in dance. There are two versions regarding his entry into films. One version has it that, as a little boy, he accompanied a doctor who went to treat an ill woman at the home of movie mogul A V Meyyappa Chettiar (father of AVM Saravanan). On hearing loud shouting from a first-floor tenant of the bungalow, the doctor became uneasy. Young Kamal Haasan strode up the stairway to ask the noisemaker not to shout over the phone as someone was ill, leaving the person astonished. An impressed Meyyappa Chettiar later provided him an entry into films. The other version is that when young boy Kamal Haasan accompanied a family doctor of Meyyappa Chettiar to his house, producer AVM Saravanan noticed Kamal as a hyperactive child. She took him over and introduced to AV Meyyappa Chettiar who was looking for a young boy to play a role in the movie ''Kalathur Kannamma''.

Kamal Haasan made his film debut as a four-year-old child artist in ''Kalathur Kannamma'', which was directed by A. Bhimsingh and released on 12 August 1959. He was cast along with the veteran Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan, winning the National Film Award for Best Child Artist. He acted as a child actor in five other Tamil films in the subsequent few years co-starring with Sivaji Ganesan and M. G. Ramachandran. On seeing Kamal's interests in arts, his parents supported and helped him join the TKS Nataka Sabha, an old-style theatre. T. K. Shanmugam was Kamal's guru in the theatre. During this period, he continued with his school education at Hindu High School in Triplicane while still being a prominent part of the theatre troupe. He learned acting by watching his guru Shanmugam perform on stage and acquired his interest in make-up from Shanmugam.

Breakthrough and experimentation: 1970-1975

Following a seven-year hiatus from films, Haasan returned to the industry with the hope of joining the technical crew in films but was selected to appear in supporting roles in several films. He re-entered the film industry playing his first adult role in ''Maanavan'' (1970), appearing only for a dance sequence. It was followed by supporting roles in films such as, ''Annai Velankani'' for which he was also an assistant director. His first notable role was in K. Balachander's ''Arangetram'' (1973). He played antagonistic characters in ''Sollathaan Ninaikkiren'' and Gumasthavin Magal, both co-starring Sivakumar. His first character role was in ''Aval Oru Thodar Kathai'' (1974), another female-centric film of K. Balachander. After a few more films in Tamil, he did ''Naan Avan Illai'', which was the final supporting role before establishing himself as a lead actor.

He won his first regional Filmfare Award in his Malayalam debut film ''Kanyakumari'' (1974), in which he played the lead role. Soon he graduated to play lead roles. However, his first major break as a lead actor came in ''Apoorva Raagangal'', for which he also won his first Filmfare award in Tamil. The film dealt with the exploration of age-gap relationships and went on to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil. For his role, he learned the mridangam. It is considered as one of the all-time classics of Tamil cinema and was directed by his mentor, K. Balachander. The film also saw the entry of Rajnikanth, who would play prominent roles in several films of Haasan and later went on to become one of the most successful actors in the Tamil film industry.

Success in the south: 1976-1980

The late 1970s was a period that saw Haasan's continued collaboration with K. Balachander, who cast him in many of his social-themed films. In 1976, Balachander cast him as a womaniser trying to woo many women in ''Manmadha Leelai'' which was followed by ''Oru Oodhappu Kan Simittugiradhu'', which won him his second consecutive Regional Filmfare (Tamil) Best Actor Award. Later, Kamal Haasan appeared in the drama ''Moondru Mudichu'' with Rajinikanth and Sridevi, another Balachander film. ''Avargal'' (1977) was one of the most sensitive movies on woman liberation, for which he learnt the art of ventriloquism. The film was also remade in Telugu as ''Idi Katha Kaadu'' (1979) with Haasan repeating his role. ''16 Vayathinile'' won him his third consecutive best actor award, where he appeared as a village bumpkin, along with Rajinikanth and Sridevi. In 1977, he starred in his first Kannada film, ''Kokila'', which was the directorial debut of another friend and mentor, Balu Mahendra. The same year, he acted in a Bengali film, Kabita. In 1978, he debuted in the Telugu film industry as a lead actor with the cross-cultural romantic film, ''Maro Charithra'' directed by K. Balachander. The film was regarded a cult-classic and was also Haasan's first major hit. His fourth consecutive Filmfare award came with ''Sigappu Rojakkal'', an anti-hero thriller in which he played a psychopathic sexual killer.

Few of the other famous films in this period were the Telugu film ''Sommokadidhi Sokkadidhi'', where he played dual roles, the musical entertainer ''Ninaithale Inikkum'', the snake horror film ''Neeya'' and ''Kalyanaraman''.

At the end of this period, he had won six regional Best Actor Filmfare Awards, including four consecutive Best Tamil Actor Awards and became a famous actor in South India by having starred in all languages.

Bollywood foray: 1980s

Kamal Haasan's pairing with the actress Sridevi continued with Tamil classic ''Varumayin Niram Sigappu'' in 1980, where he played an unemployed youth. Kamal Haasan also made a guest–cameo appearance in the Rajnikanth's ''Thillu Mullu''. He made his Bollywood debut with ''Ek Duuje Ke Liye'', the remake of his Telugu-language film, ''Maro Charithra'', also by K. Balachander which earned him his first Filmfare nomination. He made his 100th film appearance in 1981 with ''Raja Paarvai'', which also marked his debut in film production. Despite this film's relatively poor reception at the cinemas, his portrayal of a blind session violinist earned him a Filmfare Award. Following a year of starring in commercially-oriented films, he won his first of three National Awards for Best Actor with his portrayal of a school teacher who looks after an amnesia patient in Balu Mahendra's ''Moondram Pirai'', alter reprising the role in the Hindi version, ''Sadma''. During this time he concentrated more in Bollywood acting in remakes of his Tamil films, most famously ''Yeh To Kamaal Ho Gaya'' and ''Zara Si Zindagi''. In 1983, he appeared in ''Sagara Sangamam'', directed by Kasinadhuni Viswanath. His portrayal as a drunkard classical dancer fetched him his first Nandi Award for Best Actor and second Filmfare Best Telugu Actor Award.

After the successful multi starrer ''Raaj Tilak'' in 1984, he acted in ''Saagar'', released in 1985, for which he was awarded both the Filmfare Best Actor Award and was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Award at the same ceremony for this role. The film was India's representative for the Academy Award for the Best Foreign Language Film in 1985. ''Saagar'' portrayed him alongside Rishi Kapoor. The same year, he appeared in ''Geraftaar'' alongside Amitabh Bachchan. He featured in Tamil cinema's first sequel ''Japanil Kalyanaraman'', which followed up his previous ''Kalyanaraman''.

In 1986, he again colloborated with K. Vishwanath in ''Swathi Muthyam'' which portrayed him as an autistic person attempting to change society. The film was India's official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1986. The enormous response to these films in Tollywood helped him capture a strong audience in Andhra Pradesh, and many of his later Tamil films were regularly dubbed in Telugu. Following ''Punnagai Mannan'', in which he portrayed dual roles including a satire of Charlie Chaplin as Chaplin Chellappa and ''Vetri Vizha'' as an amnesiac, Kamal Haasan appeared in Mani Ratnam's 1987 film ''Nayagan''. ''Nayagan'' portrays the life of an underworld don in Bombay. The story revolved around the life of a real-life underworld don called Varadarajan Mudaliar, while sympathetically depicting the struggle of South Indians living in Mumbai. He received his third Indian National Award for his performance and ''Nayagan'' was nominated by India as its entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards in 1987. It was included in the Time top 100 movies list. In 1988, Kamal Haasan appeared in his only silent film to date, ''Pushpak'', a black comedy. In 1989, he appeared in three roles (one of which was that of a dwarf) in ''Apoorva Sagodharargal''. He then performed dual roles in ''Indrudu Chandrudu'', winning the Filmfare Best Actor Award and Nandi Awards for his performance. In 1989, Kamal Haasan starred in his last original Malayalam film as hero to date, titled ''Chanakyan''. The multi-starrer film was critically acclaimed and was a hit.

The 1980s saw the transformation of Kamal Haasan from a young heart-throb performer in Tamil films to a nationally acclaimed star appreciated for his method acting. By the end of 1980s, he had entered and tasted success in Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi film industries, had received Filmfare awards at each of these film industries, three National awards and had his performances recognized at international film festivals.

Tryst with comedy: 1990s

In 1990, ''Michael Madhana Kamarajan'' saw Kamal Haasan go one step further from ''Apoorva Sagodharargal'', acting in four different roles as quadruplets. It started an ongoing collaboration with Crazy Mohan, a dialogue writer, for future comedy films. The film became a blockbuster, and his portrayals were all critically praised; one cook role formed the crux for a future venture by his production house. Kamal Haasan won successive Best Actor awards for his portrayal of the deranged, obsessive protagonist in ''Guna'' and ''Thevar Magan'', where he played the son of actor Sivaji Ganesan. ''Guna'' met with critical acclaim but failed commercially, while the latter became a big success and was remade into Hindi as ''Virasat''. Kamal Haasan was credited for the story and became India's submission for the Academy Awards that year. After a series of films such as ''Singaravelan'', ''Maharasan'' and ''Kalaignan'', he played a cheated villager in the emotionally draining and underrated classic ''Mahanadi''. Six years after it released, it was premiered at the Rotterdam festival. He then began to appear in comedies such as ''Sathi Leelavathi'', based on the English film ''She-Devil''. The film, his home production, featured him opposite comedienne Kovai Sarala and its success led to further regional remakes. He also renewed his collobaration with Kasinadhuni Viswanath in his last Telugu-language film to date, ''Subha Sankalpam''. In 1995, Kamal Haasan starred in the police story ''Kuruthipunal''. His success in ''Kuruthipunal'' was followed by his third National Film Award for Best Actor, for the film ''Indian''. Playing dual roles of a freedom fighter and his untrustful son, the film also won Kamal Haasan regional awards and plaudits for his portrayal. Moreover, both films were also selected as India's submissions for the Academy Awards in their respective release years.

Kamal Haasan appeared as a woman in ''Avvai Shanmughi'', inspired by the Hollywood production ''Mrs. Doubtfire''. He initially chose noted adfilm maker Shantanu Sheorey to direct the Hindi remake of ''Avvai Shanmughi'', titled ''Chachi 420''. But unhappy with the complaints after five days of shoot and after checking the actual result, he took over as director. In 1997, Kamal Haasan began his first directorial venture, the biopic of Mohammed Yusuf Khan, ''Marudhanayagam'', which failed to complete its schedules with only half an hour and a trailer being recorded during its shoot. ''Marudhanayagam'' had been speculated to be the biggest and most expensive film in Indian cinema with a number of high profile actors technicians signing up for roles. Moreover, the film was launched in a highly publicized ceremony by Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom during her visit to India in 1997. Due to budget constraints, the film failed to materialize into a feature film, but he has since stated his interest in building up funds for the project.

''Hey Ram'' and onwards: 2000-present

Following a two-year hiatus in Indian cinema, he opted against reviving his magnum opus, ''Marudhanayagam'', and filmed his second directorial venture, ''Hey Ram'', a period drama told in flashback with a semi-fictional plot centering around India's Partition and the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Kamal Haasan also took on roles as the writer, the lyricist and the choreographer as well as producing the film under his home banner. The film, also featured Shahrukh Khan and was India's submission for the Academy Awards that year. His following film was ''Aalavandhan'', where he portrayed two distinct roles, for one of which he had his head shaved bald and gained ten kilograms. To play the other army major in Alavandaan (Abhay, in Hindi), he went to the NDA for a crash course. The Hindi version Abhay was distributed by reputed Shringar Films. Despite much publicity prior to release, the film failed commercially, and he opted to repay distributors who had suffered losses with the film.

Following a series of successful comedies in ''Thenali'', ''Panchathantiram'' and ''Pammal K. Sambandam'' and a couple of guest appearances, Kamal Haasan directed his third feature film in ''Virumaandi'', a film about the death penalty which won the Best Asian Film award at Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival. Kamal Haasan also appeared in ''Anbe Sivam'' alongside Madhavan. Priyadarshan, who started the film, departed allowing commercial director Sundar C to complete the film. ''Anbe Sivam'' told the story of Nallasivam, enacted by Kamal Haasan as a communist. Kamal Haasan's performance was highly lauded by critics with ''The Hindu'' stating that he "has once again done Tamil cinema proud".

Kamal Haasan then appeared in the remake film ''Vasool Raja'' alongside Sneha. In 2006, Haasan's long delayed project, ''Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu'' emerged as a blockbuster. In 2008, he appeared in K. S. Ravikumar's ''Dasavathaaram'' portraying ten distinct roles in the venture, which remains one of the most expensive Indian films ever made. Featuring him opposite Asin Thottumkal, the film became the highest grossing film ever in Tamil cinema, beating the previous 2007 record, and won him critical praise for his performance. In Canada, the film was distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, the first Tamil film to be done so. The film ultimately grossed more than 250 crores worldwide. He had written the story and screenplay for the project.

Following the completion of ''Dasavathaaram'', Kamal Haasan opted to direct his fourth directorial venture, with a film tentatively titled ''Marmayogi'', which after a year of pre-production became stalled. He then opted to produce and star in a venture, ''Unnaipol Oruvan'', co-starring him with Mohanlal. The film, which had Shruti Haasan appear as the music director, became a successful venture for him at the box office. Kamal Haasan worked on his fifth collaboration with Ravikumar, in ''Manmadan Ambu'', for which he also wrote the dialogues and screenplay. The film also featured Madhavan and Trisha Krishnan and was released in December 2010. The story revolves around a man who hires a detective to find out if he is being cheated by his fiancée. This film completed one month successfully but was officially declared an average film.

Off-screen contributions

In addition to acting, Kamal Haasan has also played various roles behind the camera and is known for his involvement in several aspects of film-making. He wrote the story and/or screen-play for many of his films including ''Raja Paarvai'', ''Apoorva Sagodharargal'', ''Guna'', ''Thevar Magan'', ''Mahanadhi'', ''Hey Ram'', ''Aalavandhan'', ''Anbe Sivam'', ''Nala Damayanthi'', ''Virumaandi'', ''Dasavathaaram'' and ''Manmadhan Ambu''. His film production company, Rajkamal International, has produced several of his films. He also directed the films ''Chachi 420'', ''Hey Ram'' and ''Virumaandi''. He considered taking up film direction full time, if ''Hey Ram'' was a success, but did not do so as the film was a box office failure. In 2010, he stated his intention to direct more films as many young actors had wished to work under him and gain his direct guidance. He wanted to turn a technician after his comeback into adult roles. Speaking about it in a lighter vein, he once said, "Film makers like K. Balachander told me that I won’t be able make much money by being a technician. So the end result is that the star Kamal funds the technician Kamal in pursuing his dreams". Kamal has attended workshops for make-up techniques in US for several years and once trained as a make-up man under Michael Westmore.

Kamal Haasan is also well known as a song-writer. He first penned lyrics for ''Hey Ram'' and followed it with films like ''Virumaandi'', ''Unnai Pol Oruvan'' and ''Manmadhan Ambu''. They were well received by his peers in the Tamil film industry. Kamal Haasan is also a playback singer. He has sung close to 70 songs in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, Malayalam and English.

Personal life

Family

Kamal Haasan was born in the town of Paramakudi in the Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu, to a criminal lawyer named D. Srinivasan and his wife Rajalakshmi. He was born as an Iyengar Brahmin. Kamal Haasan was the youngest of four children, the others being Charuhasan, Chandrahasan and Nalini Raghu. His father was a martinet. He wanted all his sons (Chandrahasan, Charuhasan, Kamalahaasan) to study and do well. The two elder brothers followed their father’s example and studied law. Kamal spent his childhood learning everything except staying focussed on his studies.

Kamal Haasan had referred to his parents in couple of his films, with references being made in ''Unnaipol Oruvan'' as well as in the song Kallai Mattum from ''Dasavathaaram''. His eldest brother Charuhasan, like Kamal Haasan, is a National Film Award-winning actor, who appeared in the Kannada film ''Tabarana Kathe'', among others. Kamal's niece (Charuhasan's daughter), Suhasini is also a National Film Award winner and is married to director and fellow Award winner Mani Ratnam, who collaborated with Kamal Haasan on 1987's ''Nayagan''. Chandra Haasan has appeared as the producer for several of Kamal Haasan's films as well as being an executive of Kamal Haasan's home production company, Rajkamal International. His brother's daughter Anu Hasan has appeared in several films in supporting roles, most notably in Suhasini's ''Indira''. His sister Nalini Raghu is a dance teacher. Kamal Haasan later named an auditorium after his sister as Nalini Mahal. Her son, Gautham, played Kamal Haasan's grandson in his directorial venture, ''Hey Ram''.

Relationships

Despite his celebrated film career, his personal life had some setbacks which have been exploited by the media. In his early career, he co-starred in several films with actress Srividya. The pair were reported to have been a part of a notorious affair in the 1970s, with their relationship being explored in the 2008-released Malayalam film, ''Thirakkatha'' by Renjith, with Anoop Menon portraying Kamal Haasan and Priyamani playing Srividya. Srividya, who died in 2006, was visited by Kamal Haasan at her bedside during her final days. In 1978, at the age of 24, Kamal Haasan married danseuse Vani Ganapathy, who was older than he was. Vani put on the mantle of costume designer for her husband's movies and was publicized for walking along with Haasan into the Filmfare Awards South ceremony of 1980 immediately after their wedding. However, the couple split after ten years together, after Kamal Haasan began dating fellow actress Sarika, confirming in a later interview that he and Vani have never been in touch since their divorce.

Subsequently, Kamal Haasan and Sarika lived together from 1988, opting to marry only after having their second child. Of the two children: Shruti Haasan (born 1986) and Akshara Haasan (born 1991), the former is a singer as well as an upcoming actress, while the latter is pursuing higher studies in Bangalore. Sarika took a break from acting soon after her marriage with Kamal Haasan. However, she replaced his ex-wife, Vani Ganapathy, as Haasan's costume designer, with acclaimed work in ''Hey Ram''. The couple filed for divorce in 2002, with Sarika estranging herself from Kamal Haasan by the end of the procedure in 2004. His intimate relationship with co-star Simran Bagga, who is twenty-two years younger, became the reason for the split. However, Haasan's relationship with Simran, who appeared opposite him in two consecutive ventures with ''Pammal K. Sambandam'' and ''Panchathantiram'', was short-lived as Simran went on to marry her childhood friend in late 2003. Haasan now lives with former actress Gouthami Tadimalla, who co-starred with him in several films in the late 80s and early 90s. He had helped her during her traumatic experience suffering from breast cancer and the pair have been in a domestic relationship since 2005. Along with Shruti and Akshara, Gouthami's daughter, Subbalakshmi, from an annulled marriage also lives with them.

Religious views

Kamal Haasan, despite being born into a Hindu Brahmin family, has declared himself as an atheist; many of his films, notably ''Mahanadi'' and the two films co-written by Kamal Haasan (''Anbe Sivam'' and ''Dasavathaaram''), have featured anti-theistic views. Kamal Haasan, has also been mistaken for a Muslim due to the Islamic nature of his surname, and was famously stopped for his name at Toronto Pearson International Airport in 2002. The name originated from a friend of his father, Yaakob Hassan, a Muslim freedom fighter who spent time in prison with Kamal Haasan's father while imprisoned by the British. Yaakob Hassan had protected Srinivasan from other prisoners who hated the Brahmins. Later, he paid tribute to his friend by incorporating part of his name into his sons’ names.

Humanitarian work

Kamal Haasan is actively involved in several social service activities through his fan clubs under the banner ''Kamal Narpani Iyakkam''. (Kamal Welfare Association) His fan clubs are involved in organising blood and eye donation drives and donating education materials to school students. He received the first Abraham Kovoor National Award for his Humanist Activities and Secular Life in 2004. He has turned his fan associations into social service organisations. He was also the project ambassador of Hridayaragam 2010, a fundraiser to set up an orphanage for HIV/AIDS-affected children. In September 2010, Kamal Haasan launched a children’s cancer relief fund and presented roses to children with cancer at Sri Ramachandra University in Porur on the outskirts of Chennai. He has also pledged to endorse consumer products and use the money for social service.

Literary contributions

Kamal Haasan was involved in running the magazine ''Mayyam'', which was run by the Kamal Haasan Welfare Association (Narpani Iyakkam). His views on a wide range of issues including cinema, child and drug abuse and the Kashmir conflict, have been collected and published as a book titled ''Thedi Theerpom Va'' (''Come, Let's Solve Together''), by his fan association. His interest in Tamil literature and his own writing skills are well known.

Awards and honours

Kamal Haasan, a Padma Shri holder, is the most decorated actor in terms of awards in the history of Indian cinema. He holds the record for the most number of National Film Awards for an actor; three awards for Best Actor, one each for Best Child Artist and Best Film. The 1992 Tamil film ''Thevar Magan'' which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil was produced by Kamal Haasan. He also won the President's Gold Medal for his debut film ''Kalathur Kannamma'' which was later categorised as the National Film Award for Best Child Artist in 1960, thus taking his tally to five. Moreover, Kamal Haasan holds a record nineteen Filmfare Awards, ranging across five languages. After his latest award in 2000, he wrote to the organization requesting exemption from further awards. In 2003, his films ''Hey Ram'', ''Pushpak'', ''Nayagan'' and ''Kuruthipunal'' were showcased under the "Director in Focus" category at the Rotterdam Film Festival. In 2004, ''Virumaandi'' won the very first "Best Asian film" award at Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival (PiFan).

In 2005, Sathyabama Deemed University awarded Kamal Haasan an honorary doctorate. He received the Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan Award for Excellence in Indian Cinema at the 2006 ceremony of the inaugural Vijay Awards. He received the Living Legend Award in 2007 from FICCI, which recognizes outstanding personalities from the entertainment arena and honors them with awards at their annual global convention, FRAMES. In 2010, the United Progressive Alliance government organised a retrospective of Kamal Haasan's films. During that event, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said the actor fell under a special category, as his cinema broke barriers of language and region. The same year, the Government of Kerala honoured him for completing 50 years in Indian cinema during the inauguration of statewide Onam celebrations in Thiruvananthapuram. A light-and-sound show titled “Suvarna Kamalam” to mark Kamal’s 50 years in Indian cinema, conceived by director T. K. Rajiv Kumar, was the highlight of the evening.

Kamal Haasan is also a recipient of the Kalaimamani Award from the Government of Tamil Nadu in 1979. Other recognitions includes a string of Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, Nandi Awards, Screen Awards and Vijay Awards, including four separate awards for his performance in ''Dasavathaaram''. In 2009, Kamal Haasan was appointed as the chairman of FICCI Media and Entertainment Business Conclave, organised by the entertainment division of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Acclaim and criticism

Kamal Haasan, widely respected and admired in the Indian film industry, is often praised as someone who would have won many Oscars, if he had been born outside India. His mentor K. Balachandar, while agreeing with such sentiment, says in that case Kamal would not have been able to have a diverse acting career and the adulation he has now. Mani Ratnam, who directed Kamal in ''Nayagan'', has claimed he has missed working with Kamal. Veteran Tamil actor Nagesh rated Kamal Haasan as the best actor he had seen. Kamal Haasan's contributions to films have been lavishly praised by his peers in the Indian film industry like Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachan and Aamir Khan. Younger actors and film makers like Surya, Madhavan, Bala consider Kamal Haasan as their inspiration. His list of admirers go beyond cinema. M. F. Husain has claimed, he found Kamal Haasan as the most exciting Indian film-maker/actor.

Kamal Haasan has been accused of reusing story lines, plot elements from Western films without crediting them and also for using sexually explicit scenes and themes. He has also been accused of elitism, of offending religious sentiments and of being superficial about the social issues he depicts in his films. He has also been dubbed as an actor who consciously overshadows his co-artists. Other criticisms of Kamal Haasan include complaints about his obsession with needless perfection, which has caused some of his films to overshoot their budgets.

Notable filmography

! Year	! Film	! Role	! Language	Notes
1959	''Kalathur Kannamma''	Selvam	Tamil
1974			Malayalam	Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Malayalam
1975	''Apoorva Raagangal''	Prasanna	Tamil	Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil
1977	''16 Vayathinile''	Chappani	Tamil	Filmfare Award for Best Actor – TamilTamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor
1977		Vijayakumar
1978	''Maro Charitra''	Balu
1978	''Sigappu Rojakal''	Dileep	Tamil	Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Tamil
1978	''Yaetta''	Ramu	Malayalam	Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Malayalam
1981	''Aakali Rajyam''	Rangadu	Telugu	Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu
1982	''Moondram Pirai''	Srinivasan	Tamil	National Film Award for Best ActorTamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor
1983	''Sagara Sangamam''	Balakrishna	Telugu	Filmfare Award for Best Actor – TamilNandi Award for Best Actor
1985	''Saagar''	Raja		Filmfare Award for Best ActorNominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor
1986	''Swathi Muthyam''	Sivayya	Telugu	Nandi Award for Best Actor
1987	''Nayagan''		Tamil	National Film Award for Best Actor
1988	''Pushpak''	Pushpak		Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Kannada
1989	''Apoorva Sagodharargal''	Sedhupathy,Raja,Appu	Tamil	Filmfare Award for Best Film – TamilTamil Nadu State Film Award for Best ActorAlso producer and screenwriter
1989	''Indrudu Chandrudu''	Indrudu,Chandrudu	Telugu	Filmfare Award for Best Actor – TeluguNandi Award for Best Actor
1992	''Thevar Magan''	Shakthivelu Thevar	Tamil	Filmfare Award for Best Actor – TamilTamil Nadu State Film Award for Best ActorAlso producer and screenwriter
1996		Senapathy Bose,Chandra Bose	Tamil	National Film Award for Best ActorFilmfare Award for Best Actor – TamilTamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor
2000	''Hey Ram''	Saket Ram	Tamil	Filmfare Award for Best Actor – TamilAlso producer, director, and screenwriter
2004	''Virumaandi''	Virumaandi	Tamil
2008	''Dasavathaaram''		Tamil	Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best ActorNominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actor – TamilAlso screenwriter

References

External links

Category:National Film Award winners Category:Indian film directors Category:Tamil actors Category:Tamil film directors Category:Tamil playback singers Category:Indian agnostics Category:1954 births Category:Living people Category:Indian film actors Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Indian amateur radio operators Category:Telugu film actors Category:Tamil people Category:Kannada film actors Category:Non Malayali actors acted in Malayalam-language films Category:Indian actors Category:People from Chennai Category:Tamil screenwriters Category:Kollywood playback singers Category:People from Tamil Nadu Category:Indian screenwriters Category:Indian film producers Category:Hindi film actors

bn:কমল হাসান de:Kamal Haasan fr:Kamal Haasan kn:ಕಮಲ್ ಹಾಸನ್ ml:കമലഹാസൻ mr:कमल हासन pl:Kamal Hassan ta:கமல்ஹாசன் te:కమల్ హాసన్ wuu:卡茂尔·哈珊

Abid Tounssi, also known as Salah Edin (born 23 June 1980, Alphen aan den Rijn), is a Dutch rapper. He was raised in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. He lived in Morocco for about 2 years. After a brief career in English, Salah began recording in Darija Arabic.

Salah Edin is named after Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn the Muslim Kurdish warrior, Sultan of Egypt, who reconquered Jerusalem and forestalled attempts at its recovery by Philip Augustus and Richard the Lion Heart in the Third Crusade.

Salah Edin is determined to "bring back the essence of music to where it originally came from, Arabia".

Most of Salah Edin’s music since 1998 has been produced by Mohalim, who is responsible for the distinct Salah Edin sound, embedding the Arabic sound in hiphop. In 2003, Salah Edin met with Moroccan Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Cilvaringz and soon after Salah signed an exclusive management deal with the Ringz & Partners Entertainment Group. The deal included live performances in 28 countries as the opening act of a variety of prominent Hiphop artists including the second leg of the Cilvaringz & RZA World Tour which became the biggest international world tour in the history of Hiphop (37 countries).

Discography

Demos

2003 - ''Hakma''

Albums

2007 - ''Nederlands Grootste Nachtmerrie'' ''(Holland's Biggest Nightmare)''

2009 - ''HORR'' ''(Pure)''

2011 - ''WWII'' ''(World War 2)''

Mixtapes

2006 - ''The Official Mixtape''

Fitna controversy

In the first edition of the film Fitna, and subsequently removed from the second release, when referring to the murder of Theo van Gogh, instead of the murderer's face (Mohammed Bouyeri), a picture of Edin is displayed. The picture was shot for the rapper's album ''Nederlands Grootste Nachtmerrie'' (Netherlands' Worst Nightmare), which, according to the rapper's website, was shot to be "exactly like the mugshot of convicted killer Mohamed B". A 2007 article by Dutch newspaper De Dag had captioned an article about the killer with the shot. On that occasion, Salah Edin's received an out-of-court libel settlement for the publication. The photo was said by the rapper to be intended to depict "the way the average white Dutch citizen sees me, as a young Moroccan Muslim radical. That's why I chose to do this picture and use it for the front cover of my album. It is in no way supporting the deeds of Mohamed B". Edin has accepted a settlement of 25,000 euros for the infringement.

External links

Salah Edin – official website.

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Dutch people of Moroccan descent Category:Dutch rappers Category:People from Alphen aan den Rijn Category:Arab rappers

de:Salah Edin nl:Salah Edin nn:Salah Edin

name	Kamal Heer
background	solo_singer
birth name	Kamaljeet Singh Heer
born	January 23, 1974''Halluwal'', Punjab, India
origin	Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
instrument	Chimta, Harmonium and Vocals
genre	Punjabi, Bhangra, Pop, Folk, Classical, Sad
occupation	Singer and Music composer
years active	''Singing:'' 2000–Present ''Music Director:'' 1993–2000
label	Plasma Records (India) Kiss Records (UK)
associated acts	Manmohan Waris and Sangtar
website	Official website
notable instruments	}}

Kamaljeet Singh Heer aka Kamal Heer is an award-winning Punjabi musician. Born on 23 January 1973, he is the younger brother of Manmohan Waris (the eldest of the brothers) and Sangtar, two other esteemed musicians. His live performances showcase his virtuosity with taan and his command of the art of traditional Punjabi music.

Career

Kamal Heer was born in the Village of Halluwal, Punjab, India. He learned music from Ustaad Jaswant Singh Bhanwra. After Kamal's family moved to Canada in 1990, Kamal and older brother Sangtar started composing music. In 1993 they composed music for Manmohan Waris's album, ''Gaairan Naal Penghan Jhotdiye'' which became a huge hit. Kamal continued composing till 1999. Kamal's debut album, ''Kamli'' released in 2000, which mostly avoided success. In 2002 Kamal Heer released ''Masti-Kanthay Vala'' which became very successful especially the superhit song ''"Kanthay Vala"''. Kamal Heer released ''Masti 2'' in 2003 which contained superhit tracks ''"Nachne Nu Kare Mera Ji"'', ''"Kinnu Yaad Kar Kar Hasdi"'', ''"Hick Da Taveet"'' and ''"Ishq Ne Kamle Karte"''. Kamal Heer continued his success with ''Punjabi Virsa 2004-Toronto Live'', a live album recorded in Toronto. The immense success of this live album lead to ''Punjabi Virsa'' concerts happening every year all around the world. Punjabi Virsa 2005, Punjabi Virsa 2006 and Punjabi Virsa 2008 have also been recorded live. After moderately successful studio albums, ''Masti Three'' (2006) and ''Chan Jiha Gabhru'' (2007), Kamal Heer released ''Jinday Ni Jinday'' in 2009. This album is considered his biggest hit to date. After the Punjabi Virsa 2009 tour of Australia and New Zealand Kamal is currently touring in Punjabi Virsa 2010.

Discography

Compilations

Music videos

Year	! Song	! Album
rowspan="2"	2000		''Kamli''
		''Bhajjan Kurray''	rowspan="4"	Masti-Kanthav Vala
		''Nachne Nu Kare Mera Ji''	rowspan="3"	Masti 2
		''Gaaia Na Karne''	rowspan="3"	Masti Three
		''Chan Jiha Gabhru''	rowspan="7"	Chan Jiha Gabhru
		''Huss Ho Gia''	rowspan="3"	Punjabi Reloaded
		''Jinday Ni Jinday(Vancouver)''	rowspan="6"	Jinday Ni Jinday
	2010		''Pendu Jatt''
	TBA

Videography

! Release	! DVD	! Record Label	! Notes
August 2003	''Shaunki Mela 2003-Surrey Live''	Plasma Records	Recorded Live in Surrey. Special Tribute Concert to ''Dhadi Amar Singh Shaunki''. Along with Manmohan Waris, Gurpreet Ghuggi and Sangtar
July 2004	''Plasma Framed Vol. 1''	Plasma Records	Videos Along with Manmohan Waris
October 2004	''Punjabi Virsa 2004-Wonderland Live''	Plasma Records/Kiss Records	Recorded Live In Toronto Along with Manmohan Waris and Sangtar
November 2005		Plasma Records/Kiss Records	Recorded Live In London Along with Manmohan Waris and Sangtar
2006	''Punjabi Virsa Behind The Scenes''	Plasma Records	Making Of Whole Punjabi Virsa Tour, Along with Manmohan Waris and Sangtar
December 2006		Plasma Records/Kiss RecordS	Recorded Live In Toronto Along with Manmohan Waris and Sangtar
February 2009		Plasma Records	Recorded Live in Vancouver Along with Manmohan Waris and Sangtar

Live performances

Concerts/Tours

! Date	! Concert/Tour	! Notes
August 2003	''Shaunki Mela 2003''	Special Tribute Concert to ''Dhadi Amar Singh Shaunki'' Along with Manmohan Waris, Sangtar and Gurpreet Ghuggi
October 2004	''Punjabi Virsa 2004''	Toured Canada and the USA Along with Manmohan Waris and Sangtar
May–June 2005	''Punjabi Virsa 2005''	Toured Europe Along with Manmohan Waris and Sangtar
April–October 2006	''Punjabi Virsa 2006''
August/September 2007	''Punjabi Virsa 2007''	Toured Europe Along with Manmohan Waris and Sangtar
August/September 2008	''Punjabi Virsa 2008''	Toured Canada and the USA Along with Manmohan Waris and Sangtar
August 2009	''Punjabi Virsa 2009''	Toured Australia and New Zealand Along with Manmohan Waris and Sangtar
June–September 2010	''Punjabi Virsa 2010''	Is going to tour the UK in June and July 2010, USA in July and August 2010 and Canada in September 2010. Along with Manmohan Waris and Sangtar

Other

! Date	! Performance	! Notes
2008	''Parbat Ali Vijay Diwas''	Special Concert for the Indian Armed Forces Along with Manmohan Waris
March 21, 2009	''2009 Punjabi Music Awards''	Performed During the Awards

Awards and nominations

! Year	! Category	! For	! Result
2006	Album of the Year	''Punjabi Virsa 2006''	Won
2009	Best Folk Pop Vocalist	''Hathiyar Na Chalaiye''	Lost
2009	Best Folk Pop Album	''Moti Chun Ke''	Lost
2010	Best Non Resident Punjabi Vocalist	''Jinday Ni Jinday''	Won
2010	Best Non Resident Punjabi Vocalist	''Punjabi Virsa Vancouver Live''	Lost
2010	Best Folk Oriented Album	''Punjabi Virsa Vancouver Live''	Won
2010	Best Duel Vocalists	''Vasde Raho Pardesio'' (Along with Manmohan Waris and Sangtar)	Lost
2010	Best Non Resident Punjabi Album	''Punjabi Virsa Vancouver Live''	Lost

References

External links

Kamal Heer.com (Flash needed)

Kamal Heer on MySpace Music

Plasma Records official Website

Category:1973 births Category:Living people Category:Bhangra Category:Indian male singers Category:Indian musicians Category:Indian Sikhs Category:Punjabi-language singers Category:Punjabi people Category:Punjabi Virsa Category:Waris Brothers

Kamal Khan is a fictional character and the main antagonist in the James Bond film ''Octopussy''. He is portrayed by Louis Jourdan.

Khan is a suave exiled Afghan prince living in India in the Monsoon Palace. He has a penchant for fine food and liquor, priceless jewels, "hunting" humans, and atomic weaponry. In the film, he associates with the power-crazed General Orlov in an attempt to unleash nuclear holocaust in Western Europe, by planning to detonate a nuclear bomb inside a US airbase, using his jewel smuggling partner Octopussy's Circus as a cover. The ensuing outrage at this "accident" will encourage NATO to abandon nuclear arms, and allow Orlov's armies to invade the West. In return, Khan gets valuable jewels stolen directly from the Kremlin.

Unfortunately for Khan, his activities catch the attention of British Intelligence, who send Agent 009 to investigate to East Germany. When 009 is killed by henchmen Mischka and Grischka, James Bond is sent instead.

After a humiliating defeat by Bond at backgammon, Khan tries multiple times to kill the spy. First he sends Gobinda in pursuit of him in a tuk tuk, only for Bond to outrun him. He then sends Gobinda to knock him out in his hotel room after sending Magda to seduce him, after which Bond is held captive in Khan's palace, only for him to escape through the jungle the next day. He then sends his henchman to raid Octopussy's palace after finding out that Bond is staying there, only for Bond to escape once more.

Bond pursues Khan from East Germany to West Germany, as he travels with Octopussy's circus. General Orlov is shot dead by soldiers when trying to cross the border into West Germany, while Bond manages to reach the circus at the American Air Force base to deactivate the bomb that Khan and Orlov had transported there. During the commotion, Khan's pay is lost in a car accident and confiscated by the KGB.

After Khan and Gobinda raid Octopussy's palace in India and kidnap her, they climb aboard Khan's plane. Bond jumps onto the outside of the plane and defeats Gobinda in hand-to-hand combat while Khan makes the plane do dangerous flips and turns in an attempt to kill Bond, who then detaches the fuel line causing the plane to nosedive, leaping off with Octopussy just as Khan desperately tries to land on a runway. Due to the runway being too short, Khan ends up going over a cliff and perishes when he crashes into the side of a mountain and the plane explodes.

Henchmen

Kamal Khan Category:Fictional Afghan people Category:Fictional princes Category:Octopussy Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1983 es:Kamal Khan nl:Kamal Khan pt:Kamal Khan sv:Kamal Khan

name	Shriya Saran
birth name	Shriya Saran
birth date	September 11, 1982
birth place	Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
other names	Shriya, Shreya
occupation	Actress, Model, Host, Philanthropist
years active	2001–present
website	http://www.shriyasaran.com
parents	}}

Shriya Saran (; born September 11, 1982), also known by the mononym Shriya, is an Indian film actress, model and presenter. She has worked in several of the regional industries of Indian cinema; acting in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi language films, as well as a few films in English, Malayalam and Kannada languages. Saran made her film debut in 2001 with ''Ishtam'' and had her first commercial success with the Telugu film ''Santhosham'' (2002). She would subsequently appear in several Telugu films, while making in-roads in the Hindi and Tamil film industries.

In 2007, Saran starred in ''Sivaji: The Boss'', the highest grossing Tamil film at that time. She also gained critical acclaim for her role in the 2007 Bollywood film ''Awarapan''. Her following projects included Tamil films such as ''Kanthaswamy'' (2009), and high-budget Hindi productions like ''Mission Istanbul'' (2008), her roles in which have established her as one of the leading actresses in the South Indian film industry. In 2008, Saran played the lead role in the American-Indian co-production ''The Other End of the Line''.

Apart from her work in films, Saran has been the brand ambassador for several stores across India, endorsing beauty and health products. Among other activities, she has volunteered for a number of charity organisations, and in 2011 opened a spa employing visually challenged people.

Early life

Shriya Saran was born in Dehradun to Pushpendra Saran and Neeraja Saran. Her father worked for Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and her mother was a chemistry teacher in Delhi Public School, Haridwar, from where Saran completed her schooling. Her family lived in the small town BHEL colony in Haridwar when she was growing up. She later studied at Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in literature. Saran is an accomplished Kathak dancer, trained by Shovana Narayan during her youth. She has a brother named Abhiroop who lives in Mumbai.

Career

Early career (2001–03)

While in her sophomore year at the LSR College in Delhi, Saran got her first opportunity to appear in front of the camera for a video shoot. Following her dance teacher's recommendation, she was invited to appear in the music video of Renoo Nathan's "Thirakti Kyun Hawa". Shot in Banaras, the video was seen by Ramoji Films who offered her the lead role of Neha in their film ''Ishtam''. Saran accepted the part, and even before it was released she was signed to four more films, including ''Nuvve Nuvve'', in which she played a millionaire's daughter who falls for a middle class man. In 2002, she starred in ''Santosham'', co-starring Nagarjuna, Prabhu Deva and Gracy Singh, which was her first commercial success. For her work in the film, Saran earned a nomination for the CineMAA Award for Best Actor- Female, giving her a good foothold in the Telugu industry in the early part of her career.

In 2003, Saran acted a supporting role in her first Hindi film, ''Tujhe Meri Kasam'', starring debutants Ritesh Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza in leading roles. She also performed the lead female role in several Telugu films including ''Tagore'', which was a commercial success. She followed it with her Tamil film debut in ''Enakku 20 Unakku 18'', alongside Tarun and Trisha Krishnan, which was simultaneously shot in Telugu as ''Nee Manasu Naaku Telusu'', in which she played a football coach. Though she acted in films in three languages that year, overall eight of her first ten films were in Telugu.

Ups and downs (2004–07)

In 2004, Saran acted in two Hindi and two Telugu films, including ''Nenunnanu'', where she played a student in classical singing. She had ten 2005 releases, nine of which were Telugu films, the most notable for her being ''Chatrapathi''. There she appeared opposite Prabhas, and earned her first nomination for the Filmfare Best Telugu Actress Award. A reviewer for Moviebuzz said that as an action film, Saran's character of the lead's love interest was not well developed; that she was there primarily for the songs. Meanwhile, she tried to make her comeback in Tamil with ''Mazhai'', a remake of the Telugu film ''Varsham''. Neither the movie nor her performance were received well. Also in 2005, she appeared as one of only three characters in the film ''Mogudu Pellam O Dongodu'', and made a guest appearance in a children's film called ''Bommalata'', which won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu. Saran's only lead role in 2006, excluding three special appearances, was in the Tamil film ''Thiruvilayadal Arambam''.

In 2007, she was chosen to play the lead female role opposite Rajinikanth in S. Shankar's ''Sivaji: The Boss'', which was the most expensive Indian film at that time. R. G. Vijayasarathy wrote in his review for Rediff that aside from her beauty, Saran "proves that she can act too". Her performance earned her a South Scope Style Award for Best Tamil Actress, her first award win, and a nomination at the Vijay Awards. The role also made her a star in the south Indian film industry.

Also in 2007, Saran made her comeback in Hindi cinema with ''Awaarapan'', which was a joint production between India and Pakistan, and in which she played a Muslim girl and had to learn Urdu. This was her fourth Hindi film, but the others had failed to make any impact. Sanjay Ram, writing for Business of Cinema, gave the film 2.5 of 5 stars, and said that Saran provided a brief but compelling performance. Saran later said that the film strengthened her conviction that all religions are equal. Later that year she appeared in one more Tamil film, ''Azhagiya Tamil Magan'' opposite Vijay. Though critics exalted her looks, her performance received mixed reviews, with one reviewer, Nandhu Sundharam of Rediff, going so far as to say that her "acting is as bad as her looks are good". That same year Saran made her Kannada cinema debut with a small part in the film ''Arasu''. In all she appeared in six films in 2007, in four different languages.

Recent work (2008–present)

In 2008, Saran acted in the Hindi film ''Mission Istanbul'' with Zayed Khan, Vivek Oberoi and Shabbir Ahluwalia. She played the character of Anjali Sagar which was inspired by the character of Romila Dutta played by Preity Zinta in the film Lakshya; a journalist who desires to have a child with her husband, which leads to their separation, since he is reluctant. Bollywood Hungama critics said that her character was wasted, as again she gets very little screen time. However, she did pick up the Stardust Exciting New Face Award.

Saran then made her Hollywood debut in Ashok Amritraj's ''The Other End of the Line''. She played the role of Priya Sethi who works as a telephone operator in an Indian call centre, while acting alongside Jesse Metcalfe, Anupham Kher and Tara Sharma. Shriya's performance was praised by critics, particularly her on-screen chemistry with Jesse Metcalfe. John Anderson, writing for ''Variety'' magazine, said it was "a winning Stateside debut for beautiful Indian actress Shriya Saran."

Her most important 2009 release was the Tamil film ''Kanthaswamy''. It was commercially successful and she earned a nomination at the Vijay Awards, as well as her third award win, this time the Amrita Mathrubhumi Award for Best Actress in Tamil. Of her character in the film, Saran said that it was the best she has done so far. She then appeared in another English film, ''Cooking with Stella'', which is a comedy, but also takes a look at the serious nature of relationships between servants and employers. It was selected to the Toronto International Film Festival, which Saran attended.

In 2010, Saran made her Malayalam debut with ''Pokkiri Raja'', in which she appeared opposite Mammootty and Prithviraj. The film was declared a super hit in the first week, breaking the record in Malayalam cinema for opening week gross income, though it was not received well critically. She then enacted her first lead role in a Telugu film after five years, in the commercially successful action-comedy film ''Don Seenu'' opposite Ravi Teja, where she plays the sister of a mobster. In the opinion of some critics, she stole the show with her dances and romantic scenes. The year 2010 was her second busiest after 2005, having appeared in eight films in all, this time in four languages.

In 2011, Saran appeared in ''Rowthiram'', where she worked with Tamil actor Jeeva for the first time. The film received fairly low reviews, and Saran was not given much opportunity to show her acting skills.

Upcoming projects

Saran will star in Deepa Mehta's long delayed English project ''Winds of Change'', which is based on Salman Rushdie's highly acclaimed novel ''Midnight's Children''. Saran has also signed her second Malayalam project, ''Casanovva'' with Mohanlal, directed by Rosshan Andrrews. The movie was delayed many times, and it was rumored that Saran would leave the project, but in October 2010, the producer of the film announced that shooting would commence in Dubai with Saran among the cast. It has been reported that she will appear in another Malayalam film, entitled ''Hero'', to begin production with director Deepan in late 2011. She has also signed to star in ''Gali Gali Mein Chor Hai'', from director Rumy Jafry, which begins shooting in September 2011.

Other work

In 2003, Saran hosted the 50th Filmfare South Award with actor R. Madhavan. She was a part of Tamil director Mani Ratnam's stage show, ''Netru, Indru, Naalai'', an event which sought to raise funds for The Banyan, a voluntary organisation which rehabilitates homeless women with mental illness in Chennai. She was one of the guests alongside actor Surya Sivakumar at the season 3 finale of TV dance show ''Maanada Mayilada''.

Saran was the first actress, and the third celebrity after Shahrukh Khan and Aamir Khan to deliver a lecture to students at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) on 12 February 2010. She said that, "The Indian Media and entertainment industry is the fastest growing sector at present, so considering this IIM Ahmedabad had started a new program CFI — Contemporary Film Industry — A Business Perspective. I was there to give a lecture to 2nd year students of CFI and did a lot of research for the lecture for nearly five days." She held a lecture on marketing and branding of a film. In 2011, she gave a lecture to students at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Madras on the history of films, and films as a medium of cultural exchange.

Saran started her modelling career by acting in a Pond's Creams advertisement. She then did a Coca-Cola advertisement alongside Tamil actor Vijay which was directed by prominent director Rajiv Menon. She also starred in a Fair & Lovely creams advertisement during her early career. In 2007, she become the brand ambassador of Saravana Stores. She is now the brand ambassador of the Lux and Head & Shoulders. Saran was also signed as brand ambassador along with actor Saif Ali Khan for Brooke Bond Taj Mahal Tea. Saran says no to soft drinks advertisements because she feels that soft drinks may harm children's health. In 2011, Saran was appointed as the promotional model for McVitie's by United Biscuits along with actress Bipasha Basu.

On the sports front, Saran is brand ambassador of Celebrity Cricket League (CCL), a concept that mixes two passions in India, film and cricket. In April 2001, she danced with Shahrukh Khan at the fourth season opening ceremony of the Indian Premier League (IPL), another cricket league.

Saran was featured in, and appeared on the cover of the June 2008 issue of ''Maxim India''. Editor Anup Kutty said, "We had been thinking of getting someone who bridges this strange divide we have between the North, South and the West ... Shreya fit the bill perfectly." She has appeared on various other magazine covers over the years, including ''Jade'' and ''South Scope''.

Personal life

Shriya Saran is unmarried. According to media reports, she has been linked with several gentlemen, some for long periods of time. She is very reluctant to talk about this aspect of her personal life. She is Hindu, but has been known to celebrate Muslim holidays as well.

Saran is well known for her charity work. She describes herself as someone used to "sharing time and resources with the underprivileged since childhood." She says that "celebrities can show the way by sensitising people to social issues, campaigning for causes or being part of fund-raisers." Her family has always encouraged her to think of the needy.

Saran is a brand ambassador for the Naandi Foundation, and for the Save A Child's Heart Foundation (SACH), which works for the benefit of poor children and people affected by natural calamities. She helps finance a Prevention of Aids foundation. In 2009, Saran joined with other eminent personalities to promote 'The Joy of Giving Week', to encourage people from all walks of life to engage in acts of giving. She regularly participates in carnivals and campaigns that associate with children benefits. She is associated with animal welfare and the Blue Cross of India. She is also associated with an NGO called World Vision that finds parents for deprived kids, and works for Apollo’s RDF to raise funds for underprivileged children.

Saran is a long time patron for the blind. In 2011, she opened a spa which exclusively employs the visually challenged. It is called Shree Spa, and is located in Mumbai. Saran has said "When I studied in DPS Mathura Road in Delhi, there was a school for blind exactly opposite to our school. I used to go there every week and spend time seeing how these students played cricket and did other things normally. That is what inspired me to do something for these people".

In January 2008, Saran was the subject of a controversy, when a Hindu organisation in Chennai lodged a police complaint against Saran, objecting to the outfit worn by her during the 175th day celebration of her film, ''Sivaji: The Boss''. In a complaint, the Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK) alleged that Shriya's outfit had "offended Hindu culture". Shriya publicly apologised to Tamils and Hindus, saying it was a mistake, and that she had "great respect for the tradition and culture of Tamil Nadu [...] I was shooting for a Hindi film in Thanjavur. I came to the function directly from the shooting, [...] I was unaware of the repercussions because of the attire I wore during the function."

On working in the different regional film industries in India she has stated, "I don’t consider Kollywood or Bollywood as separate entities. For me, there’s only a single category, the Indian film industry, which is extremely rich owing to its diverse genres and languages.

Awards

; Wins 2008 – South Scope Style Award – Best Tamil Actress for ''Sivaji: The Boss'' 2009 – Stardust Exciting New Face Award for ''Mission Istanbul'' 2010 – Amrita Mathrubhumi Award for Best Actress in Tamil for ''Kanthaswamy''

; Nominations 2003 – CineMAA Award for Best Actress for ''Santhosham'' 2006 – Filmfare Best Telugu Actress Award for ''Chatrapathi''

2008 – Vijay Award for Favourite Heroine for ''Sivaji: The Boss''

2008 – Stardust Award for Breakthrough Performance for ''Awaarapan'' 2010 – Vijay Award for Favourite Heroine for ''Kanthaswamy''

; National honours and recognitions 2010 – T. Subbarami Reddy Lalitha Kala Parishath Awards for Contributions to Telugu Cinema 2010 – Featured in a poll conducted by Rediff about woman achievers in Indian entertainment, ranking her among the top actresses 2010 - Ranked thirteenth on The Times of India's list of "50 Most Desirable Women"

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Language	Notes
2001	''Ishtam''	Neha
2002		Bhanu	Telugu
2002	''Chennakeshava Reddy''	Preethi	Telugu
2002	''Nuvve Nuvve''	Anjali	Telugu
2003	''Tujhe Meri Kasam''	Girija		Bollywood debut
2003	''Neeku Nenu Naaku Nuvvu''	Seeta Lakshmi	Telugu
2003		Devaki	Telugu
2003	''Ela Cheppanu''	Priya	Telugu
2003	''Enakku 20 Unakku 18''	Reshma
2003	''Nee Manasu Naaku Telusu''	Reshma	Telugu
2004	''Nenunnanu''	Anu	Telugu
2004	''Thoda Tum Badlo Thoda Hum''	Rani	Hindi
2004		Roopa	Telugu
2004	''Shukriya: Till Death Do Us Apart''	Sanam	Hindi
2005	''Balu ABCDEFG''	Anu	Telugu
2005	''Naa Alludu''	Meghana	Telugu
2005	''Sadaa Mee Sevalo''	Kanthi	Telugu
2005		Shriya	Telugu	Cameo appearance
2005		Svarajyam	Telugu
2005	''Mogudu Pellam O Dongodu''	Satyabhama	Telugu
2005	''Mazhai''	Shailaja	Tamil
2005		Neelu	Telugu	Nominated, Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Telugu
2005		Shweta	Telugu
2005	''Bommalata''	Swathi	Telugu	Cameo appearance
2006	''Devadasu''	Shriya	Telugu	Special appearance
2006			Telugu	Special appearance
2006	''Boss, I Love You''	Sanjana	Telugu	Special appearance
2006	''Thiruvilayadal Arambam''	Priya	Tamil
2007		Dancer in the bar	Telugu	Special appearance
2007		Ankita	Kannada	Special appearance, Kannada cinema debut
2007		Thamizhselvi	Tamil	Nominated, Vijay Award for Favourite Heroine
2007	''Awaarapan''	Aaliya	Hindi
2007		Dancer in club	Telugu	Special appearance
2007	''Azhagiya Tamil Magan''	Abinaya	Tamil
2008	''Indiralohathil Na Azhagappan''	Pidariatha	Tamil	Special appearance
2008	''Mission Istanbul''	Anjali Sagar	Hindi
2008	''The Other End of the Line''	Priya Sethi
2009	''Ek - The Power of One''	Preet	Hindi
2009	''Thoranai''	Indhu	Tamil
2009		Subbulakshmi	Tamil	Nominated, Vijay Award for Favourite Heroine
2009	''Cooking with Stella''	Tannu	English
2010		Geetha	Tamil
2010	''Jaggubhai''	Monisha Jagannathan	Tamil
2010	''Na Ghar Ke Na Ghaat Ke''		Hindi	Guest appearance
2010		Aswathy		Malayalam cinema debut
2010	''Don Seenu''	Deepti	Telugu
2010		Dancer in Casino	Telugu	Special appearance
2010		Kalpana	Tamil	Guest appearance
2010	''Chikku Bukku''	Anu	Tamil
2011	''Rowthiram''	Priya	Tamil
2011	''Casanovva''	Sameera	Malayalam	Post-production
2012		Parvati	English	Filming
2012	''Gali Gali Mein Chor Hai''		Hindi	Filming from 2 September
2012	''Hero''		Malayalam	Announced

References

External links

Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:People from Haridwar Category:Tamil film actors Category:Telugu film actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian actors Category:Indian film actors Category:Kannada film actors Category:Non Malayali actors acted in Malayalam-language films Category:University of Delhi alumni Category:People from Delhi Category:Indian Hindus

de:Shriya Saran fr:Shriya Saran hi:श्रिया सरन it:Shriya ml:ശ്രിയ ശരൺ mr:श्रिया सरन ms:Shriya Saran ta:சிரேயா சரன்