name	Black
director	Sanjay Leela Bhansali
producer	Sanjay Leela BhansaliAnshuman Swami
screenplay	Sanjay Leela BhansaliBhavani IyerPrakash Kapadia
starring	Amitabh BachchanRani MukerjiShernaz PatelNandana Sen
music	Monty Sharma
cinematography	Ravi K. Chandran
editing	Bela Sehgal
distributor	Applause Entertainment
released	February 4, 2005
runtime	123 minutes
country	India
language	Hindi
gross	}}

''Black'' (Hindi: ब्लैक, Urdu: ) is a 2005 Indian film in Hindi and Indian English directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. ''Black'' revolves around a blind and deaf girl, and her relationship with her teacher who himself later develops Alzheimer's disease. The film is a creative adaptation of the 1962 Hollywood film ''The Miracle Worker'' starring Anne Bancroft and Patty Duke directed by Arthur Penn. This critically acclaimed film was adapted with certain modifications for example the female protagonist was changed to a male protagonist etc. Miracle Worker was further adapted from the 1959 play of the same title which in turn was an inspiration from Helen Keller's life and struggle.

The film was screened at the Casablanca Film Festival and the International Film Festival of India. It won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi and eleven Filmfare Awards. ''Time Magazine'' (Europe) selected the film as one of the 10 Best Movies of the Year 2005 from across the globe. The movie was positioned at number five. ''Indiatimes Movies'' ranks the movie amongst the ''25 Must See Bollywood Films''.

Plot

The film begins with Michelle McNally (Rani Mukerji), a blind and deaf woman, visiting her former teacher Debraj Sahai (Amitabh Bachchan), who now has Alzheimer's disease, in a hospital. The film then flashbacks to the past to her childhood.

Michelle was a girl who lost her eyesight and hearing a few months after birth and exists in a black world where she is isolated in the darkness of her own existence, trapped by her inability to see, hear and express. She grows up becoming more and more frustrated by the black and dark world around her, making her a violent, uncontrollable eight-year old child. Her parents, Paul and Catherine, are at their wits' end trying to control her, until one day the light shines through the end of the tunnel.

Debraj Sahai enters their lives, an elderly alcoholic teacher for the deaf and blind, Debraj sees himself as a magician and is a disillusioned eccentric man. He takes it upon himself to bring young Michelle into the light. He uses harsh methods, although always for Michelle's long-term benefit. Initially, his methods are met with disapproval by Michelle's father, who asks Debraj to leave. Although her father thinks he is gone, Debraj stays as the teacher while her father is away on business for 20 days. Her mother grudgingly approves of his continuation given her fear of Michelle being sent to an asylum. By the 20th day, Debraj manages to teach Michelle some words and better manners, but he has difficulty teaching her the meaning of words. When Michelle's father returns, Debraj packs his bags. At the very last moment, as he is walking towards the door suitcase in hand, Debraj gets frustrated with Michelle's continuing insolent behavior and he throws her into a fountain full of water. Michelle suddenly takes to Debraj's lessons at that moment and begins to understand meaning. She is able to recognize her mother and father, and can vocalize the first syllables of some words. The McNallys decide to keep Debraj as Michelle's teacher.

Many years later, Michelle has learned a great deal, becoming relaxed and expressive, and she is even able to dance and expertly sign. Debraj convinces the Principal of a university to grant her an interview which she passes and gets admission to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree, the first deaf-blind person to do so at that university. Michelle moves away from home and lives with Debraj and one of her servants. Over the next 20 years, she struggles to gain her Bachelor of Arts degree, failing year after year, but she still maintains her spirit. One reason is that she must rely on Debraj completely for interpretation of the material and studying. This problem is overcome by the Principal of the school preparing the whole first-year Arts course of study in Braille. Another reason for her continuing failure is that her typing skills are lacking and typing is her only way to write down what she knows during exams. However, she also soon overcomes this deficiency through another flash of increased of competence when she almost quits the university and gets into an argument with Debraj.

As the same time as Michelle suffers through and triumphs over her challenges, we also witness numerous other changes. Debraj begins to succumb to Alzheimer's, first forgetting the way out of the Principal's office and then forgetting Michelle and leaving her stranded during an ice cream celebration for her improved typing. We also see Michelle reconcile with her sister Sara, who we find out was jealous of her parents' affection for Michelle throughout her life. After attending Sara's wedding, Michelle begins to wonder about love, which she has not experienced, and she even asks Debraj to kiss her on the lips. Debraj reluctantly does so but decides to leave Michelle on her own because of this demand and the position she has put him in. Twenty years after enrollment, Michelle does manage to gain her BA, and with her proud parents looking on her, she even gives a speech to the graduating class. Wearing no black graduation robe, she thanks her parents and her teacher and she announces that she will only wear the robe so that her teacher may see her first.

Debraj is in a mental hospital due to his almost complete inability to remember his past and even how to speak. Michelle visits him wearing her robe and we see glimmers of memory return as Debraj realizes that she has graduated and even does a victory dance. As the window opens to the rain outside, we see Debraj's hand in Michelle's reaching into the rain, and we hear the teacher-student pair say the first syllable of the word "water", with echoes of the scene in which Michelle first begins understanding the meaning of words earlier in the movie. However this time, it is Debraj who is beginning to learn to speak and understand.

The movie ends with a scene of Michelle amongst a crowd of people all dressed in black carrying candles walking towards a church. There is a voiceover of a letter Michelle has written to Debraj's friend Mrs Nair explaining that today was her teacher's first day of school, and that like her's, his alphabet began with "B L A C K", implying that Debraj had finally succumbed to his illness and died.

Cast

Amitabh Bachchan as Debraj Sahai

Rani Mukerji as Michelle McNally

Ayesha Kapoor as Young Michelle McNally

Shernaz Patel as Catherine McNally

Dhritiman Chaterji as Paul McNally

Nandana Sen as Sarah McNally

Sillo Mahava as Mrs. Gomes

Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal as Mrs. Nair

Production

Sanjay Leela Bhansali first came up with the idea for ''Black'' in 1995 while filming ''Khamoshi: The Musical''. He was inspired by Helen Keller's autobiography ''The Story of My Life'' and visited the Helen Keller Institute to do research. He also read the autobiography of deaf-mute pianist Geraldine Lawhorn for ideas. Much of the film was based on his observations between students, teachers and parents at the Institute. Bhansali originally planned for the film to be a low-budget film in Hindi and English which would provide a change from his prior film, the expensive ''Devdas''.

A self-described "diehard fan" of Amitabh Bachchan since he was a child, Bhansali was able to cast him after Bachchan watched ''Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam'' and approached him about starring in one of his films. When Bhansali first approached Rani Mukherjee to play the role of Michelle McNally, she declined because she believed it was too challenging for her. To prepare for his role, Bachchan watched documentaries. Rani Mukherjee wore coloured contacts to give her the appearance of a blind girl and both Bachchan and Mukherjee studied sign language and Braille for seven months. A team of deaf-blind students were also on set advising the actors and instructing them in sign language.

The film was shot in Mumbai and in Shimla. The sets of ''Black'' were closed to prevent details about the film from leaking. The cast and crew experienced many difficulties during the film's shooting. During filming in February 2004 a fire broke out at the Mumbai set, destroying costumes and props. The fire was started in the night when a plug sparked and ignited. Bhansali was forced to start the indoor sets from scratch. Also, during the outdoor shoot in Shimla the script required snow but there was none so the crew brought in snowmaking machines from Mumbai and created a man-made snowy landscape. Permission to shoot at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study's Viceregal Lodge was initially denied, delaying the film further.

Constantly on the sets of this movie was 'Zamir Dhale' - somebody who is blind and deaf. He stayed in Shimla during the time of the shooting to help Amitabh Bachchan and Rani Mukherjee understand the world of the blind and the deaf. He also taught them the usage of sign language and how to communicate with such people.

Release

''Black'' was originally scheduled to be released on 10 December 2004, but Bhansali decided to postpone its release. ''Black'' was released on 4 February 2005 in 170 different towns in India, a small number compared to most large-budget Bollywood films. ''Black'' was also screened at several international film festivals like the Casablanca Film Festival.

Critical reception

''Black'' was met by mostly positive reviews. The acting of Rani Mukerji and Ayesha Kapoor was especially praised by critics. Richard Corliss of ''Time'' magazine selected it as one of the best films of 2005. It was also listed at number one on the ''Indiatimes''' list of ''25 Must See Bollywood Movies''.

Box office

''Black'' grossed around 22,00,00,000 making it the eleventh highest grossing Bollywood film of 2005. It was designated as an "average" financial success by BoxOffice India.com. In addition, ''Black'' earned approximately $754,819 in the US and £473,862 in the UK.

Music

A. R. Rahman was originally roped in to score the music, but he had to refuse due to busy schedules. The film's music is composed by Monty Sharma. Unlike many other Bollywood films, ''Black'' has only one song, "Haan maine chookar dekha hain", performed by Gayatri Ganjawala.

Awards

''Black'' won the Best Feature Film in Hindi Award and Amitabh Bachchan received Best Actor award at the 53rd National Film Awards. ''Black'' made an all-time record at the Filmfare Awards by winning eleven awards, beating the previous record holders: ''Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge'' (1995) and ''Devdas'' (2002) with ten wins each. {| cellpadding="0" cellspacing="15" |- |width="50%" valign="top"|

National Film Awards (2006)

Best Feature Film in Hindi

Best Actor - Amitabh Bachchan

Filmfare Awards (2006)

Best Movie

Best Director - Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Best Actor - Amitabh Bachchan

Best Actress - Rani Mukerji

Critics Award Best Movie - Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Best Actor (Critics' Choice) - Amitabh Bachchan

Best Actress (Critics' Choice) - Rani Mukerji

Best Supporting Actress - Ayesha Kapur

Best Editing - Bela Sehgal

Best Cinematography - Ravi K. Chandran

Best Background Score - Monty Sharma

Star Screen Awards (2006)

Best Film

Best Director - Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Best Actor - Amitabh Bachchan

Best Actress - Rani Mukerji

Star Screen Award Best Supporting Actress(Nomination) - Ayesha Kapur

Best Cinematography - Ravi K. Chandran

Best Editing - Bela Sehgal

Best Sound Recording - Anup Dev

Best Background Score - Monty Sharma

IIFA Awards (2006)

Best Film

Best Director - Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Best Actor - Amitabh Bachchan

Best Actress - Rani Mukerji

Best Supporting Actress - Ayesha Kapur

Best Cinematography - Ravi K. Chandran

Best Editing - Bela Sehgal

Best Sound Recording - Anup Dev

Best Background Score - Monty Sharma

Zee Cine Awards (2006)

Best Film

Best Director - Sanjay Leela Bhansali

Best Actor - Amitabh Bachchan

Best Actress - Rani Mukherji

Best Supporting Actress - Ayesha Kapur

Best Cinematography - Ravi K. Chandran

Best Editing - Bela Sehgal

Best Sound Recording - Anup Dev

Best Background Music - Monty Sharma

|width="50%" valign="top"|

Other awards

2005, The Lycra MTV Style Awards Most Stylish in Films (Rani Mukerji)

2005, Anandolok Awards Best Actress (Rani Mukerji)

2005, Anandalok Awards Best Film

2005, Bollywood Fashion Awards Celebrity Style Female Award (Rani Mukerji)

2005, Lion Awards Achievement in Cinema (Rani Mukerji)

2006, Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards - Best Actress for Hindi Movies (Rani Mukerji)

2006, Sony Film Jury Best Actress of the Year (Rani Mukerji)

2006, Rediff Movie Awards Best Actress (Rani Mukerji)

2006, 2nd Apsara Awards Best Actress (Rani Mukerji)

2006, Idea Zee Fashion Awards Celebrity Model of the Year (Rani Mukerji)

2006, IndiaFM's Best Actress (Rani Mukerji)

2006, Stardust Star of the Year Award - Female (Rani Mukerji)

2006, Star's Sabsey Favourite Heroine (Rani Mukerji)

2006, Stardust Star of the Year Award - Male (Amitabh Bachchan)

2006, Bollyvista Film Awards: Best Actor (Amitabh Bachchan)

2006, Bollywood People's Choice Awards: Best Actor (Amitabh Bachchan) 2006, Apsara Awards: Best Actor (Amitabh Bachchan)

2006, Rediff Movie Awards: Best Actor (Amitabh Bachchan)

2006, Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards: Best Actor (Amitabh Bachchan) |}

References

External links

Category:Hindi-language films Category:Urdu-language films Category:English-language Indian films Category:2005 films Category:Filmfare Best Movie Award winners Category:Films directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali Category:Films about blind people in India Category:Films about disability in India Category:Indian films about Alzheimer's disease

de:Black (2005) es:Black (película de 2005) fr:Black (film, 2005) hi:ब्लैक (फ़िल्म) it:Black (film) mr:ब्लॅक (चित्रपट) new:ब्लैक (सन् २००५या संकिपा) pl:Black (film) pt:Black (filme)

name	Rani Mukerji
birth name	Rani Mukherjee
birth date	March 21, 1978
birth place	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
years active	1997–present
occupation	Film actress
other names	Rani Mukherji Rani Mukerjee }}

Rani Mukerji (born Rani Mukherjee on 21 March 1978) is an Indian film actress who works in Hindi movies. Born to the Mukherjee-Samarth family, Mukerji never harbored any ambitions to become an actress, but eventually joined films on the insistence of her parents. She made her acting debut with ''Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat'' (1997), and subsequently had her first, and still biggest commercial success with Karan Johar's romance ''Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'' (1998), which won her a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. She later starred in several films that fared below expectations, but in 2002 she tasted success with the critically acclaimed drama ''Saathiya'' for which she received numerous awards and nominations, including her first Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.

In 2004, her performances in the hit romantic comedy ''Hum Tum'' and the critically acclaimed ''Yuva'' earned her the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress awards, respectively at the 50th Filmfare Awards, making her the first actress to win two major awards in the same year. She later received unanimous praise for her portrayal of a blind, deaf and mute woman in ''Black'' (2005), for which she garnered numerous awards, including two more Filmfare Awards: Best Actress and Actress - Critics. She went on to play leading roles in the comedy ''Bunty Aur Babli'' (2005) and the adult drama ''Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna'' (2006), both of which emerged as major commercial successes in India as well as overseas. Mukerji thus established herself as a leading actress of Hindi cinema. She then featured in a series of commercially unsuccessful films, mostly under the Yash Raj Films banner, before re-inventing herself with Raj Kumar Gupta's semi-biographic thriller ''No One Killed Jessica'' (2011). During the course of her career, she has received seven Filmfare Awards, among thirteen nominations.

In addition to acting in films, Mukerji has featured as a talent judge for Sony Entertainment Television's reality show ''Dance Premier League''. Despite constant speculation, she remains guarded about her personal life and has consequently been termed a recluse by certain sections of the media. Mukerji currently lives in Juhu with her parents.

Early life and background

Mukerji comes from a film-oriented family of Bengali origin. Her father Ram Mukherjee is a retired director and one of the founders of Filmalaya Studios while her mother Krishna was a playback singer. Her brother Raja Mukherjee is a film producer turned director. Her maternal aunt, Debashree Roy, is a Bengali film actress and her cousin, Kajol, is a popular Bollywood actress. Another cousin of hers, Ayan Mukerji is the writer and director of ''Wake Up Sid'' (2009). As part of a tradition, the Mukherjee family celebrates the festival of Durga Puja at Santacruz, Mumbai every year. Mukerji, being a religious person, takes part in the festivities with her entire family.

Mukerji is a trained Odissi dancer and began learning the dance in the tenth grade. She was schooled at ''Maneckji Cooper High School'' in Juhu, and later enrolled at Mithibai College in Mumbai. Despite her background, she was never interested in becoming an actress, stating that, “I never thought I had any talent to be in films so it never occurred to me that I could be an actor.” However, she decided to join films on an experimental basis, on the insistence of her parents.

Acting career

Early work and breakthrough (1997–2002)

After doing a short cameo appearance for the first time in her father's Bengali film ''Biyer Phool'' (1996), Mukerji made her acting debut the following year, as the protagonist of ''Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat''. Her performance as a rape victim in the film was well-received, but the film failed to do well at the box office. Nevertheless, she received a Special Jury recognition at the Star Screen Awards. The film's commercial failure made her return to college to complete her education. However, upon seeing her cousin Kajol's success, she decided to try films again.

Mukerji had a successful comeback in 1998 with Vikram Bhatt's ''Ghulam'', opposite Aamir Khan. The film did moderately well at the box office, while the song "Aati Kya Khandala" made her popular among the masses. Karan Johar's directorial debut, ''Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'', starring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, followed for her that year. She played the supporting role of Tina Malhotra, a sophisticated girl in love with Khan. Of her performance, Rediff.com wrote, "Rani Mukherjee is a pleasant surprise — totally comfortable, clearly having suspended all disbelief". The movie was a blockbuster, with an adjusted worldwide gross of , and Mukerji went on to receive her first Filmfare Award in the Best Supporting Actress category. She later played lead roles in films like ''Mehndi'' (1998) and ''Hello Brother'' (1999), alongside Salman Khan. Both these films were critically and commercially unsuccessful.

Mukerji's first release of 2000 was Raj Kanwar's action drama ''Badal'' opposite Bobby Deol. The film emerged as one of the highest-grossing films of the year, but met with negative reviews from critics. She then essayed a brief role in Kamal Haasan's ''Hey Ram'' as Hassan's first wife, Aparna Ram. The controversial film, based on Mahatma Gandhi's assassination was a critical success and was chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars that year. Mukerji followed with a leading role in ''Bichhoo'', inspired by Luc Besson's ''Leon'', opposite Bobby Deol, as the foul-mouthed, coarse daughter of a drug dealer. The film, as well as her performance received negative reviews from critics. She also starred alongside Govinda, for the first time, in the comedy ''Hadh Kar Di Aapne''.

Later that year, she teamed up with Salman Khan for two films, Raj Kanwar's ''Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega'' and ''Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye''. While the former was inspired by the Sandra Bullock starrer ''While You Were Sleeping'' (1995), the later was a remake of Frank Coraci's ''The Wedding Singer'' (1998). She was appreciated for her performance in ''Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega'' and received her second Filmfare nomination in the Supporting Actress category.

In 2001, Mukerji starred in Abbas Mustan's romantic drama ''Chori Chori Chupke Chupke'', co-starring Salman Khan and Preity Zinta. The film was released after a one-year delay, and was one of the first Bollywood movies to handle the issue of surrogate childbirth. Mukerji's role was that of Priya Malhotra, a woman who is unable to conceive after a miscarriage and thus, hires a surrogate mother. Rediff.com wrote, "Rani Mukherji is handicapped with a role that doesn't give her much scope besides weeping and sobbing. To her credit, she manages to hold her own even while playing a stereotypical sacrificing ''bhartiya nari''." She next played the love-interests of Abhishek Bachchan and Anil Kapoor respectively, in two predominantly male-centric films: ''Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai'' and ''Nayak: The Real Hero''. Upon release, both films under-performed at the box-office.

Success (2002–06)

In 2002, Mukerji essayed the lead role of Pooja Sahani in Kunal Kohli's romance ''Mujhse Dosti Karoge!'', alongside Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor. The film marked the first of her many collaborations with one of India's largest production companies: Yash Raj Films. Although the movie flopped in India, it performed well overseas. That year, she acted opposite Govinda once again in two commercially unsuccessful films, ''Pyaar Diwana Hota Hai'' and ''Chalo Ishq Ladaaye''.

Later that year, Mukerji starred in Shaad Ali's critically acclaimed ''Saathiya'' opposite Vivek Oberoi. Essaying the role of Suhani Sharma, a medical student who deals with the tensions and discontent of being married at a young age, she won a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress, and among several other nominations, received her first Best Actress nomination at the Filmfare. While Khalid Mohamed described her performance as "sensitively nuanced", BBC noted, "Mukerji plays the character of a middle class girl with great conviction", and Udita Jhunjhunwala writing for Mid Day said "Her expressions and acting are understated in a role that fits her like a glove." The film, which earned a moderate domestic total of , rejuvenated her fading career. In an interview to ''Hindustan Times'', she said, "(Before ''Saathiya'') nothing that was coming my way excited me... I knew ''Saathiya'' was a special film. I felt it while making it."

Mukerji's first release of 2003 was Aziz Mirza's box-office hit ''Chalte Chalte'' opposite Shahrukh Khan. Though the film saw her play a role similar to the one she played in ''Saathiya'', her new look was well appreciated and her portrayal earned her a second nomination for ''Best Actress'' at the Filmfare awards. She next featured as the protagonist in Milan Luthria's ''Chori Chori'' opposite Ajay Devgan, Sudhir Mishra's ''Calcutta Mail'' alongside Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala and J.P. Dutta's multi-starrer war film ''LOC Kargil''. All three of them were critical as well as commercial failures.

In 2004, she acted in Mani Ratnam's composite film ''Yuva'' alongside Ajay Devgan, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivek Oberoi, Kareena Kapoor and Esha Deol. The film, which narrated the story of three youngsters from different stratums of society, saw Mukerji play a Bengali housewife opposite Bachchan. Though the film failed to do well at the box office, the film, as well as her performance was critically acclaimed. Rediff, as part of a performance analysis noted, "Her inspiring work in ''Yuva'' as the devoted yet frustrated wife of a local goon came alive every time she flashed those big fire-filled eyes at her husband or broke down angrily at an unsuspecting onlooker." The film fetched Mukerji her second ''Best Supporting Actress'' award at the Filmfare ceremony. She received further success by playing the leading role in Yash Raj Films' romantic comedy ''Hum Tum'', directed by Kunal Kohli, which became one of the biggest hits of the year with a non-adjusted gross of . The film starred Mukerji along with Saif Ali Khan and followed the arcs of their characters at different stages of their lives. Mukerji's portrayal of Rhea Sharma, an independent woman, won her several Best Actress awards, including her first Filmfare Award for ''Best Actress''. BBC observed, "Rani is fast becoming one of the more dependable and versatile actresses of her generation." She eventually became the first actor to have received both the Filmfare awards for ''Best Actress'' and ''Best Supporting Actress'' in the same year.

Her last release of the year was Yash Chopra's love saga ''Veer-Zaara'', in which she co-starred alongside Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta. The film, which emerged as a major commercial success, grossing worldwide, narrated the love story of the title characters, Veer Pratap Singh, played by Khan, and a Pakistani woman, Zaara Hayaat Khan, played by Zinta. Mukerji played the supporting role of Saamiya Siddiqui, a Pakistani lawyer who takes it upon herself to find the truth about Singh. The film, which was screened at the Berlin Film Festival met with positive reviews. A review carried by Rediff noted, "...Rani walks away with the best lines and a performance full of grit."

In 2005, Mukerji starred in four high-profile films: Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ''Black'', Shaad Ali's ''Bunty Aur Babli'', Amol Palekar's ''Paheli'' and Ketan Mehta's ''The Rising''. She was primarily noted for her performance in ''Black''. When Bhansali first came to Mukerji with the offer, she turned it down and stated that she was not confident enough to play a deaf-blind person. Once Bhansali reinforced his faith in her, she agreed to do it and went on to intensely study sign language with professionals at the Helen Keller Institute in Mumbai. ''Black'' was a major critical success, and Mukerji received universal acclaim for her performance. Rediff.com noted, "The performer in Rani Mukerji must have turned more than a few mental cartwheels when she got ''Black''. It is a pure, performance-driven role, and Rani does it with a fluid maturity that is great to watch.". She eventually won the ''Best Actress'' and the ''Best Actress - Critics'' at the Filmfare Awards ceremony. ''Filmfare'' included her performance in their list of the "80 Most Iconic performances", while commenting, }}

Her next release, ''Bunty Aur Babli'', surfaced as one of the biggest hits of the year. She played the character of Vimmi "Babli" Saluja, a con woman, opposite Abhishek Bachchan. The film, which became a box-office success with a gross of , opened to mixed reviews, and so did Mukerji's performance. A review carried by ''Variety''' mentioned, "Three years ago, in ''Saathiya'', helmer Shaad Ali managed to rediscover Mukerji's earlier vivacity, and he's done it again here in a role that the raspy-voiced diva-ette simply eats up" Consequently, Mukerji received another nomination for the [Filmfare Award for ''Best Actress'' for her work.

Her third release that year, ''Paheli'', opposite Shahrukh Khan, was screened at the Sundance Film Festival and was chosen as India’s official entry to the Oscars for the 79th Academy Awards. The film was critically acclaimed, as was Mukerji's performance, which Raja Sen called "another perfectly played part". Her final release of the year, ''The Rising'', saw her play a prostitute, Heera, the love interest of the protagonist Mangal Pandey, played by Aamir Khan. Derek Elley of ''Variety'' mentioned that she made "the most of her feisty nautch-girl," inpite of having "a small role for a star of her caliber."

In 2006 she starred in Karan Johar's drama ''Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna'', featuring Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Preity Zinta and Kirron Kher. The film opened to mixed reviews but emerged as the most successful movie ever overseas with a worldwide gross of . The film told the story of two unhappily married couples in New York, which later results in an extramarital affair. Mukerji played the role of Maya Talwar, a woman layered with self-doubt and question about the relationship between her and her husband, played by Abhishek Bachchan. Her performance was well-received with Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN concluding, "Rani looks a million bucks and she dives under the skin of her character to make that part one that we will remember for a long time." She received several nominations for the role, including her fifth Filmfare -''Best Actress'' nomination, and won the IIFA Best Actress Award for the third consecutive year.

Mukerji's next release was B.R. Chopra's tearjerker ''Baabul'' alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Salman Khan and John Abraham. The movie did not do well at the box-office in India, but proved to be a hit overseas. Her portrayal of Malvika, a young widow, met with mixed reviews from critics with Sarita Tanwar from ''Mid Day'' commenting, "Rani Mukerji breathes life into a somewhat confused character".

Professional setbacks and recent work (2007–present)

From 2007 to 2009, Mukerji featured primarily in films produced by Yash Raj Films (with the exception of ''Saawariya''). Her first release was Siddharth Anand's melodrama ''Ta Ra Rum Pum'', where she played Radhika Rai Banerjee, a pianist turned housewife opposite Saif Ali Khan. The film performed decently at the box-office, while her performance was generally well-received. Adarsh wrote, "Rani enacts the role of the mother/wife proficiently." Negative reviews, however were directed towards the film itself, with Rajeev Masand writing, "neither Saif Ali Khan nor Rani is able to make much of an impression because their characters are so unidimensional and boring." Her next release of the year was Pradeep Sarkar's drama ''Laaga Chunari Mein Daag'' alongside Jaya Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Konkana Sen Sharma and Kunal Kapoor. The film met with mixed reviews, while Mukerji was criticised for playing stereotypical roles that required her to cry often. A review carried by ''Indian Express'' noted, "Rani holds the film together, even if her part, both as the ingénue and the hooker, doesn’t have freshness." Her performance nonetheless fetched her yet another ''Best Actress'' nomination at the Filmfare ceremony. Her final release of the year was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's tragedy ''Saawariya'', where she essayed a smaller part of a sex-worker. The film, which featured debutants Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor in lead roles, was a critical and commercial failure, but Mukerji's performance earned her a fifth Filmfare Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

In 2008, Mukerji was paired with Saif Ali Khan again for Kunal Kohli's ''Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic''. This fantasy film had Mukerji play an angel who comes to Earth to help four troubled kids. The film, which flopped at the box office, met with generally positive reviews from critics. The box-office failure of her recent films made Mukerji lose weight and undergo a makeover in her following release, ''Dil Bole Hadippa'' (2009). The project, co-starring Shahid Kapoor, saw Mukerji portray a cricket-obsessed Punjabi village girl masquerading as a man. The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival under performed at the Indian box-office.

Though her performances in the films during this period were generally well-received, none of them performed well commercially, leading to major setbacks in her career. She was not seen in any 2010 releases. When questioned about working only under the Yash Raj Films banner, she said, "An actor is here to act and pick great roles and scripts. I was getting great roles from Yash Raj at that point, roles that any actor would give an arm to do. I stand by those films regardless of their fate".

In 2011, Mukerji starred in UTV Motion Pictures' semi-biographic thriller, ''No One Killed Jessica'' (2011), based on the Jessica Lal murder case. She played the fictional character of a foul-mouthed television journalist, Meera Gaity, deeply involved with the case. In an interview with ''The Calcutta Telegraph'' she said, "It was such a different role to portray. It wasn’t a role that was typical of a Hindi film heroine. Meera was more like a hero. It was a character that actually took the story forward.... Meera made a lot of things happen. It wasn’t something that I had ever done before. I actually had to play a man! " Upon release, Mukerji's performance received mostly positive reviews. ''The Times of India'' wrote, "Rani's character being fictional and glamourized seems superficial to an extent but she packs in the punch required for her dynamic character." While other critics praised her performance, with ''Daily News and Analysis'' describing it as "one of her best performances till date," several critics were less positive, including Anupama Chopra of ''NDTV'', who called her role, "the fatal, false note in ''No One Killed Jessica''," arguing that "The character is written superficially and Rani’s portrayal of her is equally banal. It’s all about externals. She argues a lot and proudly labels herself a bitch but her hair stays perfectly in place and in the end, she even gets to do a super-hero-like slow motion walk." The film eventually earned and was especially noted for being a commercial success, despite the absence of any prominent male actors. Consequently, Mukerji won her third Filmfare Award for ''Best Supporting Actress''.

As of March 2012, her upcoming films include Reema Kagti's suspense thriller ''Talaash'' co-starring Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor and Sachin Kundalkar's ''Aiyaa'' opposite Prithviraj.

Other work

Philanthropy and stage performances

Involved with several social causes, Mukerji remarked, "It's my dream too that every child in India is educated because the way India is growing I don't think without education, we can see a very bright future. So if we want a bright future for our country, I think education is foremost." In March 2004, Mukerji visited the sandy dunes of Rajasthan where she spent a day at the army training base to boost the morale of the jawan troops. The visit was conducted for a NDTV show, ''Jai Jawan'', on which entertainers and actors visit Indian troops. In February 2005, Mukerji performed at the ''HELP! Telethon Concert'' to help raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake alongside several other Bollywood stars. In March 2006, Mukerji bonded again with the physically challenged children of the ''Helen Keller Institute'' as they organised a birthday party for her. She had previously worked with these children while researching for her role in ''Black''.

Among her stage performances, Mukerji has participated in two world tours. Her first, ''Magnificent Five'' was in the year 1999 with actors Aamir Khan, Aishwarya Rai, Akshaye Khanna and Twinkle Khanna. Five years later, ''Temptations 2004'' came along. Mukerji performed alongside Shahrukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal and Priyanka Chopra in nineteen stage shows across the globe. Mukerji was also part of the ''Temptations 2005'' show in New Delhi. The actress helped to raise funds for the National Centre For Promotional of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), a leading disabled rights' group, with the show which also featured Shah Rukh Khan, Fardeen Khan, Ameesha Patel and Malaika Arora Khan. In 2010, Mukerji joined Shahrukh Khan, Arjun Rampal, Ishaa Koppikar, among others for a concert at the Army Stadium, Dhaka, Bangladesh to a packed audience.

Television

In 2009, Mukerji made her television debut as a talent judge with the reality show ''Dance Premier League'' on Sony Entertainment Television. She explained her stint with television, saying that it made her "more accessible" to the audience and helped her "gain visibility when [she was] not doing too many films." In 2011, she reprised her role of Meera Gaity on the TV series ''C.I.D.'' in a guest appearance to promote her film ''No One Killed Jessica''.

In the media

Rani uses the English transliteration of "Mukerji" instead of the original "Mukherjee" for her surname. It was widely reported that she did this for numerological reasons, but she has said it was printed as such on her passport and she wanted it to be consistent. Mukerji has three homes in Mumbai, including her childhood home. She bought a bungalow in Juhu for herself and her parents in mid-2005. The house went through a two year renovation with the interiors done by Twinkle Khanna and Sussanne Roshan.

Mukerji is extremely guarded about her personal life, and despite constant media speculation, has never spoken about her relationships. However, in an interview with Simi Garewal she quoted, "I am absolutely in love", without divulging the name of the person. As opposed to most of her contemporaries, Mukerji limits her media interactions and is often termed as a recluse. However in 2011, in an interview to ''Screen India'' she clarified, "Today actors have become more open with the media. But this has posed a problem for actors like me because if I don’t do that, then I end up being called reclusive. So now I have changed myself and am easily approachable." She is additionally known for her friendly image and shares a close friendship with several Bollywood stars including Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Karan Johar. Mukerji's distinctive features include her light green eyes and her slightly husky, broken voice. Due to this voice texture, her lines were dubbed by a dubbing artist in ''Ghulam'' (1998), but she eventually dubbed for her own lines in her next release, ''Kuch Kuch Hota Hai''. She noted, “When Karan Johar wanted my voice to be dubbed for ''Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'', I really thought that it [my voice] was bad and very husky and rough, but slowly I worked to improve my diction, and am now quite comfortable with it."

In June 2005, Mukerji was widely criticized following the publication of an interview with British newspaper ''Desi Xpress''. Mukerji was asked to name her idol and she replied, "Adolf Hitler". However, in an interview with Times Now a year later, she denied ever mentioning Hitler's name. In November 2006, Mukerji was shooting for the film ''Laaga Chunari Mein Daag'' in Varanasi when avid fans crowded the set. Security personnel beat the crowd back. A media storm followed as various groups insisted that Mukerji should have stopped the security guards. Mukerji later issued an apology.

Mukerji occupied the top slot of Box Office India's ''Top Actresses'' list for two years in a row (2005–2006). She was also placed number one on Rediff's 'Top Bollywood Female Stars' Rankings for three consecutive years (2004–2006), while in 2007, she was ranked at number five. In February 2006, Filmfare placed her eighth amongst the "Ten Most Powerful Names of Bollywood", an achievement she repeated from the previous year, where she was ranked at number ten, the only woman on the list. In 2007, she was ranked at number five. On Women's International Day 2007, Mukerji came in fourth on the ''Best Bollywood Actresses Ever'' listing. She was placed at number 36 by UK magazine ''Eastern Eye'' as one of "Asia's Sexiest Women" (Sept/2006). Mukerji is frequently featured in various lists by Rediff.com, including, ''Bollywood's Most Beautiful Actresses'', ''Bollywood's Best Dressed Women'' and ''Women of Many Faces''.

Filmography

Films

''Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat'' ''Ghulam'' ''Kuch Kuch Hota Hai'' ''Mehndi (film) ''Mann (film) ''Hello Brother (1999 film) ''Badal'' ''Hey Ram'' ''Hadh Kar Di Aapne'' ''Bichhoo'' ''Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega'' ''Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye (2000 film) ''Chori Chori Chupke Chupke'' ''Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai'' ''Nayak: The Real Hero'' ''Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...'' ''Pyaar Diwana Hota Hai'' ''Mujhse Dosti Karoge!'' ''Saathiya (film) ''Chalo Ishq Ladaaye'' ''Chalte Chalte (2003 film) ''Chori Chori (2003 film) ''Calcutta Mail'' ''Kal Ho Naa Ho'' ''LOC Kargil'' ''Yuva'' ''Hum Tum'' ''Veer-Zaara'' ''Black (2005 film) ''Bunty Aur Babli'' ''Paheli'' ''Mangal Pandey: The Rising'' ''Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna'' ''Baabul (2006 film) ''Ta Ra Rum Pum'' ''Laaga Chunari Mein Daag'' ''Saawariya'' ''Om Shanti Om'' ''Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic'' ''Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'' ''Luck by Chance'' ''Dil Bole Hadippa!'' ''No One Killed Jessica'' ''Aiyaa'' ''Talaash (2012 film) ''Koochie Koochie Hota Hain''

Year	! Film	! Role	! Notes
1996	''Biyer Phool''	Rimi
1997	|	Mala
1998	|	Alisha
1998	|	Tina Malhotra	Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
1998	Mehndi'' ||	Pooja
1999	Mann'' ||		Special appearance in the song "Kaali Naagin Ke"
1999	Hello Brother'' ||	Rani
2000	|	Rani
2000	|	Aparna Ram
2000	|	Anjali Khanna
2000	|	Kiran Bali
2000	|	Pooja Oberoi	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
2000	Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye'' ||	Priya Sharma
2001	|	Priya Malhotra
2001	|	Pooja Shrivastav
2001	|	Manjari
2001	|	Naina Kapoor	Cameo
2002	|	Payal Khuranna
2002	|	Pooja Sahani
2002	Saathiya'' ||	Dr. Suhani Sharma/Sehgal	Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2002	|	Sapna
2003	Chalte Chalte'' ||	Priya Chopra	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2003	Chori Chori'' ||	Khushi Malhotra
2003	|	Reema/Bulbul
2003	|		Special appearance in the song "Mahi Ve"
2003	|	Hema
2004	|	Sashi Biswas	Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
2004	|	Rhea Prakash	Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2004	|	Saamiya Siddiqui	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
2005	Black'' ||	Michelle McNally	Filmfare Award for Best Actress Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress
2005	|	Vimmi Saluja (Babli)	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2005	|	Lachchi Bhanwarlal
2005	|	Heera
2006	|	Maya Talwar	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2006	Baabul'' ||	Malvika "Milli" Talwar/Kapoor
2007	|	Radhika Shekar Rai Banerjee (Shona)
2007	|	Vibhavari Sahay (Badki)/ Natasha	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Actress
2007	|	Gulabji	Nominated—Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
2007	|	Herself	Special appearance in the song "Deewangi Deewangi"
2008	|	Geeta
2008	|		Special appearance in the song "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte"
2009	|	Herself
2009	|	Veera Kaur/Veer Pratap Singh
2011	|	Meera Gaity	Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress
2012	|	Meenakshi	Post-production (Releasing on September 28, 2012)
2012	Talaash'' ||		Post-production (Releasing on November 30, 2012)
2012	|	Tina	Post-production

Television

''C.I.D. (TV series)

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Year	Show	Role	Channel
2009	''Dance Premier League''
2011	CID'' ||	Guest Role: Meera Gaity	Sony Entertainment Television Asia>Sony TV

See also

List of Indian film actresses

List of Bengali actresses

List of Bengalis

List of Bollywood Clans: The Mukherjees

References

Further reading

External links

Rani Mukerji on Bollywood Hungama

Category:1978 births Category:Indian actors Category:Indian film actors Category:Bengali actors Category:Bengali people Category:Living people Category:People from Kolkata Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Indian Hindus Category:Hindi film actors Category:Mithibai College alumni

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name	Amitabh Bachchan
birth name
birth date	October 11, 1942
birth place	Allahabad, United Provinces, British India
residence	Prateeksha, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
occupation	Actor, producer, singer, television presenter
years active	1969–present
spouse	Jaya Bhaduri (1973–present)
website
signature	}}

Amitabh Bachchan (, born Amitabh Harivansh Bachchan on 11 October 1942) is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades. Bachchan is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema.

Bachchan has won numerous major awards in his career, including four National Film Awards, three of which are in the Best Actor category, and fourteen Filmfare Awards. He is the most-nominated performer in any major acting category at Filmfare, with 37 nominations overall. In addition to acting, Bachchan has worked as a playback singer, film producer and television presenter, and was an elected member of the Indian Parliament from 1984 to 1987.

Early life

Bachban was born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. His father, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was a Hindi poet, and his mother, Teji Bachchan, was a Sikh from Faisalabad (now in Pakistan). Bachchan was initially named Inquilaab, inspired from the famous phrase Inquilab Zindabad, during the Indian independence struggle. However, at the suggestion of fellow poet Sumitranandan Pant, Harivansh Rai changed the name to Amitabh which means, "the light that would never go off." Though his surname was Shrivastava, his father had adopted the pen-name Bachchan (meaning child-like in colloquial Hindi), under which he published all his works. It is with this last name that Amitabh debuted in films, and, for all public purposes, it has become the surname of all members of his family. Bachchan's father died in 2003, and his mother in 2007.

Amitabh is the eldest of Harivansh Rai Bachchan's two sons, the second being Ajitabh. His mother had a keen interest in theatre and had been offered a role in a film, but preferred her domestic duties. She had some degree of influence in Bachchan's choice of career because she always insisted that he should take the centre stage. He attended Allahabad's Jnana Prabodhini and Boys' High School (BHS), followed by Nainital's Sherwood College, where he majored in the art stream. He later went on to study at Kirori Mal College of the University of Delhi and completed a Bachelor of Science degree. In his twenties, Bachchan gave up a job as freight broker for the shipping firm, Bird and Co., based in Calcutta now known as Kolkata, to pursue a career in acting.

Career

Early work: 1969–1972

Bachchan made his film debut in 1969 as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen's National Award winning film ''Bhuvan Shome''. Thereafter he got his first acting role as one of the seven protagonists in '' Saat Hindustani'', a film directed by Khwaja Ahmad Abbas and featuring Utpal Dutt, Madhu and Jalal Agha. Though the film was not a financial success, Bachchan won his first National Film Award for Best Newcomer.

''Anand'' (1971) followed, where he starred alongside Rajesh Khanna. Bachchan's role as a doctor with a cynical view of life garned him his first Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. He then played his first negative role as an infatuated lover-turned-murderer in ''Parwaana'' (1971). This was followed by several films including ''Reshma Aur Shera'' (1971). During this time, he made a guest appearance in the film ''Guddi'' which starred his future wife Jaya Bhaduri. He narrated part of the film ''Bawarchi''. In 1972, he made an appearance in the road action comedy ''Bombay to Goa'', directed by S. Ramanathan. Many of his films during this early period did not do well, but that was about to change.

Rise to stardom: 1973–1983

Director Prakash Mehra cast him in the leading role for the film ''Zanjeer'' (1973) as Inspector Vijay Khanna. The film was a sharp contrast to the romantically themed films that had generally preceded it and established Amitabh in a new persona—the "angry young man" of Bollywood cinema. He earned a Filmfare nomination for Best Actor. Filmfare considers this one of the iconic performances of Bollywood history. The year 1973 was also when he married Jaya, and around this time they appeared in several films together; not only in ''Zanjeer'' but in films such as ''Abhimaan'' which followed and was released only a month after their marriage. Later, Bachchan played the role of Vikram in the film ''Namak Haraam'', a social drama directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee and scripted by Biresh Chatterjee addressing themes of friendship. His supporting role won him his second Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award.

left|thumb|Bachchan in ''[[Deewar (1975 film)|Deewar''.]]In 1974, Bachchan made several guest appearances in films such as ''Kunwara Baap'' and ''Dost'', before playing a supporting role in ''Roti Kapda Aur Makaan''. The film, directed and written by Manoj Kumar, addressed themes of honesty in the face of oppression and financial and emotional hardship. Bachchan then played the leading role in film ''Majboor'', released on 6 December 1974, which was a remake of the Hollywood film Zigzag. The film was only a moderate success at the box office. In 1975, he starred in a variety of film genres from the comedy ''Chupke Chupke'', the crime drama ''Faraar'' to the romantic drama ''Mili''. 1975 was the year when he appeared in two films which are regarded as important in Hindi cinematic history. He starred in the Yash Chopra directed film ''Deewaar'', opposite Shashi Kapoor, Nirupa Roy, and Neetu Singh, which earned him a Filmfare Nomination for Best Actor. The film became a major hit at the box office in 1975, ranking in at number 4. ''Indiatimes Movies'' ranks ''Deewaar'' amongst the ''Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films''. Released on 15 August 1975 was ''Sholay'' (meaning flames), which became the highest grossing film of all time in India, earning INR 2,36,45,00,000 equivalent to US$ 60 million, after adjusting for inflation. Bachchan played the role of Jaidev. In 1999, BBC India declared it the "Film of the Millennium" and like ''Deewar'', has been cited by ''Indiatimes movies'' as amongst the ''Top 25 Must See Bollywood Films''. In that same year, the judges of the 50th annual Filmfare Awards awarded it with the special distinction award called Filmfare Best Film of 50 Years.

Bachchan starred in comedies such as ''Chupke Chupke'' (1975) and ''Amar Akbar Anthony'' (1977) and in films such as ''Kabhie Kabhie'' (1976). In 1976, he was once again cast by director Yash Chopra in his second film, ''Kabhi Kabhie'', a romantic tale in which Bachchan starred as a young poet named Amit Malhotra who falls deeply in love with a beautiful young girl named Pooja played by actress Rakhee Gulzar. The film saw him again nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award. In 1977, he won his first Filmfare Best Actor Award for his performance in ''Amar Akbar Anthony'' where he played the third lead opposite Vinod Khanna and Rishi Kapoor as Anthony Gonsalves. In 1978 he starred in all four of the highest grossing films of India in that year. He once again resumed double roles in films such as ''Kasme Vaade'' as Amit and Shankar and ''Don'' playing the characters of Don, a leader of an underworld gang and his look alike Vijay. His performance won him his second Filmfare Best Actor Award. He also performed in ''Trishul'' and ''Muqaddar Ka Sikandar'' which both earned him further Filmfare Best Actor nominations. He was billed a "one-man industry" by the French director François Truffaut.

In 1979, for the first time, Amitabh was required to use his singing voice for the film ''Mr. Natwarlal'' in which he starred alongside Rekha. His performance in the film saw him nominated for both the Filmfare Best Actor Award and the Filmfare Best Male Playback Awards. In 1979, he also received Best Actor nomination for ''Kaala Patthar'' (1979) and then went on to be nominated again in 1980 for the Raj Khosla directed film ''Dostana'', in which he starred opposite Shatrughan Sinha and Zeenat Aman. ''Dostana'' proved to be the top grossing film of 1980. In 1981, he starred in Yash Chopra's melodrama film ''Silsila'', where he starred alongside his wife Jaya and rumoured lover Rekha. Other films of this period include ''Ram Balram'' (1980), ''Shaan'' (1980), ''Lawaaris'' (1981), and ''Shakti'' (1982) which pitted him against legendary actor Dilip Kumar.

1982 injury while filming ''Coolie''

On 26 July 1982, while filming ''Coolie'' in the University Campus in Bangalore, Bachchan suffered a near fatal intestinal injury during the filming of a fight scene with co-actor Puneet Issar. Bachchan was performing his own stunts in the film and one scene required him to fall onto a table and then on the ground. However as he jumped towards the table, the corner of the table struck his abdomen, resulting in a splenic rupture from which he lost a significant amount of blood. He required an emergency splenectomy and remained critically ill in hospital for many months, at times close to death. The public response included prayers in temples and offers to sacrifice limbs to save him, while later, there were long queues of well-wishing fans outside the hospital where he was recuperating. Nevertheless, he spent many months recovering and resumed filming later that year after a long period of recuperation. The film was released in 1983, and partly due to the huge publicity of Bachchan's accident, the film was a box office success.

The director, Manmohan Desai, altered the ending of ''Coolie'' after Bachchan's accident. Bachchan's character was originally intended to have been killed off but after the change of script, the character lived in the end. It would have been inappropriate, said Desai, for the man who had just fended off death in real life to be killed on screen. Also, in the released film the footage of the fight scene is frozen at the critical moment, and a caption appears onscreen marking this as the instant of the actor's injury and the ensuing publicity of the accident.

Later, he was diagnosed with Myasthenia gravis. His illness made him feel weak both mentally and physically and he decided to quit films and venture into politics. At this time he became pessimistic, expressing concern with how a new film would be received and stated before every release, "Yeh film to flop hogi!" ("This film will flop").

Politics: 1984–87

In 1984, Bachchan took a break from acting and briefly entered politics in support of long-time family friend, Rajiv Gandhi. He contested Allahabad's seat of 8th Lok Sabha against H. N. Bahuguna, former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and won by one of the highest victory margins in general election history (68.2% of the vote). His political career, however, was short-lived: he resigned after three years, calling politics a cesspool. The resignation followed the implication of Bachchan and his brother in the "Bofors scandal" by a newspaper, which he vowed to take to court. Bachchan was eventually found not guilty of involvement in the ordeal.

His old friend, Amar Singh, helped him during a financial crisis due to the failure of his company ABCL. Therefore Bachchan started to support Amar Singh's political party, the Samajwadi party. Jaya Bachchan joined the Samajwadi Party and became a Rajya Sabha member. Bachchan has continued to do favors for the Samajwadi party, including advertisements and political campaigns. These activities have recently gotten him into trouble again in the Indian courts for false claims after a previous incident of submission of legal papers by him, stating that he is a farmer.

A 15 year press ban against Bachchan was imposed during his peak acting years by ''Stardust'' and some of the other film magazines. In his own defense, Bachchan claimed to have banned the press from entering his sets until late 1989.

Slump and retirement: 1988–1992

In 1988, Bachchan returned to films, playing the title role in ''Shahenshah'', which was a box office success due to the hype of Bachchan's comeback. After the success of his comeback film however, his star power began to wane as all of his subsequent films failed at the box office. The 1991 hit film, ''Hum'', for which he won his third Filmfare Best Actor Award, looked like it might reverse this trend, but the momentum was short-lived as his string of box office failures continued. Notably, despite the lack of hits, it was during this period that Bachchan won his first National Film Award for Best Actor, for his performance as a Mafia don in the 1990 film ''Agneepath''. These years would be the last he would be seen on screen for some time. After the release of ''Khuda Gawah'' in 1992, Bachchan went into semi-retirement for five years. In 1994, one of his delayed films ''Insaniyat'' was released but was also a box office failure.

Producer and acting comeback 1996–99

Bachchan turned producer during his temporary retirement period, setting up Amitabh Bachchan Corporation, Ltd. (A.B.C.L.) in 1996, with the vision of becoming a 10 billion rupees (approx 250 million $US) premier entertainment company by the year 2000. ABCL's strategy was to introduce products and services covering the entire section of the India's entertainment industry. Its operations were mainstream commercial film production and distribution, audio cassettes and video discs, production and marketing of television software, celebrity and event management. Soon after the company was launched in 1996, the first film was produced by the company. ''Tere Mere Sapne'' failed to do well at the box office but launched the careers of actors such as Arshad Warsi and South films star Simran. ABCL produced a few other films, none of which did well.

In 1997, Bachchan attempted to make his acting comeback with the film ''Mrityudata'', produced by ABCL. Though ''Mrityudaata'' attempted to reprise Bachchan's earlier success as an action hero, the film was a failure both financially and critically. ABCL was the main sponsor of the ''1996 Miss World beauty pageant'', Bangalore but lost millions. The fiasco and the consequent legal battles surrounding ABCL and various entities after the event, coupled with the fact that ABCL was reported to have overpaid most of its top level managers, eventually led to its financial and operational collapse in 1997. The company went into administration and was later declared a failed company by Indian Industries board. The Bombay high court, in April 1999, restrained Bachchan from selling off his Bombay bungalow 'Prateeksha' and two flats till the pending loan recovery cases of Canara Bank were disposed of. Bachchan had, however, pleaded that he had mortgaged his bungalow to Sahara India Finance for raising funds for his company.

Bachchan attempted to revive his acting career and had average success with ''Bade Miyan Chote Miyan'' (1998), and received positive reviews for ''Sooryavansham'' (1999) but other films such as ''Lal Baadshah'' (1999) and ''Hindustan Ki Kasam'' (1999) were box office failures.

Return to prominence: 2000–present

In 2000, Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Yash Chopra's box-office hit, ''Mohabbatein'', directed by Aditya Chopra. He played a stern, older figure that rivalled the character of Shahrukh Khan. His role won him his third Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. Other hits followed, with Bachchan appearing as an older family patriarch in ''Ek Rishtaa: The Bond of Love'' (2001), ''Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...'' (2001) and ''Baghban'' (2003). As an actor, he continued to perform in a range of characters, receiving critical praise for his performances in ''Aks'' (2001), ''Aankhen'' (2002), ''Khakee'' (2004) and ''Dev'' (2004). One project that did particularly well for Bachchan was Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ''Black'' (2005). The film starred Bachchan as an aging teacher of a deaf-blind girl and followed their relationship. His performance was unanimously praised by critics and audiences and won him his second National Film Award for Best Actor and fourth Filmfare Best Actor Award. Taking advantage of this resurgence, Amitabh began endorsing a variety of products and services, appearing in many television and billboard advertisements. In 2005 and 2006, he starred with his son Abhishek in the hit films ''Bunty Aur Babli'' (2005), the ''Godfather'' tribute ''Sarkar'' (2005), and ''Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna'' (2006). All of them were successful at the box office. His later releases in 2006 and early 2007 were ''Baabul'' (2006), ''Ekalavya'' and ''Nishabd'' (2007), which failed to do well at the box office but his performances in each of them were praised by critics.

In May 2007, two of his films ''Cheeni Kum'' and the multi-starrer ''Shootout at Lokhandwala'' were released. ''Shootout at Lokhandwala'' did very well at the box office and was declared a hit in India, while ''Cheeni Kum'' picked up after a slow start and only had average success. A remake of his biggest hit, ''Sholay'' (1975), entitled ''Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag'', released in August of that same year and proved to be a major commercial failure in addition to its poor critical reception. The year also marked Bachchan's first appearance in an English-language film, Rituparno Ghosh's ''The Last Lear''. The film premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2007. He received positive reviews from critics who hailed his performance as his best ever since ''Black''. Bachchan was slated to play a supporting role in his first international film, ''Shantaram'', directed by Mira Nair and starring Hollywood actor Johnny Depp in the lead. The film was due to begin filming in February 2008 but due to the writer's strike, was pushed to September 2008. The film is currently "shelved" indefinitely. Vivek Sharma's ''Bhoothnath'', in which he plays the title role as a ghost, was released on 9 May 2008. ''Sarkar Raj'', the sequel of the 2005 film ''Sarkar'', released in June 2008 and received a positive response at the box-office. ''Paa'', which released at the end of 2009 was a highly anticipated project as it saw him playing his own son Abhishek's Progeria-affected 13-year-old son, and it opened to favourable reviews, particularly towards Bachchan's performance. It won him his third National Film Award for Best Actor and fifth Filmfare Best Actor Award. In 2010, he debuted in Malayalam film through ''Kandahar'', directed by Major Ravi and co-starring Mohanlal. The film was based on the hijacking incident of the Indian Airlines Flight 814. Bachchan did not receive any remuneration for this film.

Television career

In the year 2000, Bachchan stepped up to host India's adaptation of the British television game show, ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' entitled, ''Kaun Banega Crorepati''. As it did in most other countries where it was adopted, the program found immediate success. He has hosted all but one of the seasons of the show. Canara Bank withdrew its law suit against Bachchan in November 2000. Bachchan hosted ''KBC'' till November 2005, when he fell ill. At that time he was admitted to Lilavati Hospital's ICU once more, to undergo surgery for diverticulitis of the small intestine. During the period and that following his recovery, most of his projects were put on hold, including ''KBC''. He has hosted all but one season of the show. Its success set the stage for his return to film popularity. In 2009 Oscar winning movie ''Slumdog Millionaire'' in the first question of ''Who Wants to be a Millionaire?'' contest "Amitabh Bachchan" was the correct answer to the question "Who was the star of ''Zanjeer''? Feroz Abbas Khan performed as Amitabh Bachchan in a scene in the movie while Anil Kapoor performed as the host of the contest. Bachchan hosted the third season of the reality show ''Bigg Boss'' in 2009.

Voice

Bachchan is known for his deep, baritone voice. He has been a narrator, a playback singer and presenter for numerous programmes. Renowned film director Satyajit Ray was so impressed with Bachchan's voice, that he decided to use his voice as commentary in ''Shatranj Ke Khilari'' since he could not find a suitable role for him. In 2005, Bachchan has lent his voice to the Oscar-winning French documentary March of the Penguins, directed by Luc Jacquet.

Controversies and criticism

Barabanki land case

In the runup to the Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections, 2007, Bachchan made a film extolling the virtues of the Mulayam Singh government. His Samajwadi Party was routed, and Mayawati came to power.

On 2 June 2007 a Faizabad court ruled that he had legally acquired agricultural land designated specifically for landless Dalit farmers. It was speculated that he might be investigated on related charges of forgery, as he has allegedly claimed he was a farmer. On 19 July 2007, after the scandal broke out, Bachchan surrendered the land acquired in Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh and Pune. He wrote to the chief minister of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Deshmukh, to donate the lands that were allegedly acquired illegally in Pune. However, the Lucknow Court has put a stay on the land donation and said that the status quo on the land be maintained.

On 12 October 2007, Bachchan abandoned his claim in respect of the land at Daulatpur village in Barabanki district. On 11 December 2007, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court gave a clean chit to Bachchan in a case pertaining to alleged fraudulent allotment of government land to him in Barabanki district. A single Lucknow bench of Justice said there was no finding that the actor "himself committed any fraud or manipulated any surreptitious entry in the revenue records".

After receiving a positive verdict in Barabanki case, Amitabh Bachchan intimated to Maharashtra government that he did not wish to surrender his land in Maval tehsil of Pune district.

Raj Thackeray's criticism

In January 2008 at political rallies, Raj Thackeray, the chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, targeted Amitabh Bachchan, asserting that the actor was "more inclined" towards his native state than Maharashtra. He expressed his disapproval of Amitabh's inaugurating a girls' school named after his daughter-in-law, actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, at Barabanki in Uttar Pradesh, rather than in Maharashtra. According to media reports, Raj's censure of Amitabh, whom he admires, stemmed out of his disappointment of not being invited to Amitabh's son Abhishek's marriage to Aishwarya, despite invitations to his estranged uncle Bal and cousin Uddhav.

Responding to Raj's accusations, the actor's wife, SP MP Jaya Bachchan, said that the Bachchans were willing to start a school in Mumbai, provided the MNS leader donated the land to build it. She told the media, "I heard that Raj Thackeray owns huge properties in Maharashtra, in Mumbai—Kohinoor Mills. If he is willing to donate land, we can start a school in the name of Aishwarya here." Raj responded to it saying, "Jaya bachchan claims she does not know me then how come she knows how much property I own?". Amitabh abstained from commenting on the issue. However, he apologized to Raj for controversial remarks from Jaya in some other incidence. "

Bal Thackeray refuted the allegations, stating, "Amitabh Bachchan is an open-minded person, he has great love for Maharashtra, and this is evident on many occasions. The actor has often said that Maharashtra and specially Mumbai has given him great fame and affection. He has also said that what he is today is because of the love people have given him. The people of Mumbai have always acknowledged him as an artiste. It was utter foolishness to make these parochial allegations against him. Amitabh is a global superstar. People all over the world respect him. This cannot be forgotten by anyone. Amitabh should ignore these silly accusations and concentrate on his acting."

On 23 March 2008, more than a month and half after Raj's remarks, Amitabh finally spoke out in an interview to a local tabloid saying, "Random charges are random; they do not deserve the kind of attention you wish me to give." Later, on 28 March at a press conference for the International Indian Film Academy, when asked what his take was on the anti-migrant issue, Amitabh said that it is one's fundamental right to live anywhere in the country and the constitution entitles so. He also stated that he was not affected by Raj's comments.

Awards, honours and recognitions

Apart from National Film Awards, Filmfare Awards and other competitive awards which Bachchan won for his performances throughout the years, he has been awarded several honours for his achievements in the Indian film industry. In 1991, he became the first artist to receive the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award, which was established in the name of Raj Kapoor. Bachchan was crowned as Superstar of the Millennium in 2000 at the Filmfare Awards. The Government of India awarded him with the Padma Shri in 1984 and the Padma Bhushan in 2001. France's highest civilian honour, the Knight of the Legion of Honour, was conferred upon him by the French Government in 2007 for his "exceptional career in the world of cinema and beyond". In 2011, actor Dilip Kumar blogged that ''Black'' should have been nominated for an Oscar. Kumar added: "If any Indian actor, in my personal opinion, deserves the world's most coveted award, it is you."

In 1999, Bachchan was voted the "greatest star of stage or screen" in a BBC ''Your Millenium'' online poll. The organisation noted that "Many people in the western world will not have heard of [him] ...[but it] is a reflection of the huge popularity of Indian films." In 2001, he was honoured with the Actor of the Century award at the Alexandria International Film Festival in Egypt in recognition of his contribution to the world of cinema. Many other honours for his achievements were conferred upon him at several International Film Festivals, including the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2010 Asian Film Awards.

In June 2000, he became the first living Asian to have been immortalised in wax at London's Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. Another statue was installed in New York and Hong Kong in 2009.

In 2003, he was conferred with the Honorary Citizenship of the French town of Deauville. He was honoured with an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Jhansi, India, in 2004, the University of Delhi in 2006, the De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, in 2006, the University Brandan Foster by the Leeds Metropolitan University in Yorkshire, UK, in 2007, and the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, in 2011.

Severals books have been written about Bachchan. ''Amitabh Bachchan: the Legend'' was published in 1999, ''To be or not to be: Amitabh Bachchan'' in 2004, ''AB: The Legend: (A Photographer's Tribute)'' in 2006 /, ''Amitabh Bachchan: Ek Jeevit Kimvadanti'' in 2006, ''Amitabh: The Making of a Superstar'' in 2006, ''Looking for the Big B: Bollywood, Bachchan and Me'' in 2007 and ''Bachchanalia'' in 2009. Bachchan himself also wrote a book in 2002: ''Soul Curry for you and me – An Empowering Philosophy That Can Enrich Your Life''.

Personal life

Bachchan is married to actress Jaya Bhaduri. They have two children, Shweta Nanda and Abhishek Bachchan. Abhishek is also an actor and is married to actress Aishwarya Rai.

Filmography

Latest films

''Eklavya: The Royal Guard'' ''Jodhaa Akbar'' ''Delhi-6'' ''Rann (film) ''Department (film) ''Taalismaan''

Year !! Film !! Role !! Notes
rowspan="4"	2006	''Family — Ties of Blood''	Viren Sahi
''Darna Zaroori Hai''	Professor
''Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna''	Samarjit Singh Talwar (aka. Sexy Sam)
''Baabul (2006 film)	Baabul''	Balraj Kapoor
rowspan="7"	2007	|	Eklavya
''Nishabd''	Vijay
''Cheeni Kum''	Buddhadev Gupta/Ghaspus
''Shootout at Lokhandwala''	Special appearance, Dingra
''Jhoom Barabar Jhoom''	Special appearance, Sutradhar
''Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag''	Babban Singh
''Om Shanti Om (film)	Om Shanti Om''	Special appearance, Himself
rowspan="5"	2008	|	Narrator
''Bhoothnath''	Bhoothnath (Kailash Nath)
''Sarkar Raj''	Subhash Nagre aka Sarkar
''God Tussi Great Ho''	God Almighty
''The Last Lear''	Harish 'Harry' Mishra
rowspan="3"	2009	|	Special appearance, Dadaji
''Aladin (2009 film)	Aladin''	Genius the Gennie
''Paa (film)	Paa''	Auro
rowspan="3"	2010	Rann'' ||	Vijay Harshvardhan Malik
''Teen Patti (film)	Teen Patti''	Venkat
''Kandahar (2010 film)	Kandahar''	Lokanathan Sharma
rowspan="4"	2011	Department'' ||
''Bbuddah... Hoga Terra Baap''
''Aarakshan''	Prabhakar Anand
''Shoebite (2010 film)	Shoebite''	John Periera
	2012	|		Filming

Producer

! Year !! Film
1996
	''Ullaasam''
''Mrityudata''
1998	''Major Saab''
1998	''Saat Rang Ke Sapne''
2001
2005	''Viruddh... Family Comes First''
2006	''Family — Ties of Blood''

Playback singer

! Year !! Film
	''The Great Gambler''
''Mr. Natwarlal''
''Silsila''
	''Mahaan''
1984	''Sharaabi''
	''Toofan''
''Jaadugar''
1992	''Khuda Gawah''
1998	''Major Saab''
1999	''Sooryavansham''
''Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...''
2002
''Aetbaar''
2006
	''Nishabd''
''Cheeni Kum''
2008	''Bhoothnath''
2011	''Bbuddah... Hoga Terra Baap''

Further reading

Mazumdar, Ranjani.'' Bombay Cinema: An Archive of the City''. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2007.

References

External links

Amitabh Bachchan's official blog

Amitabh Bachchan Documentary, Classic BBC Archive video and exclusive interview conducted in Amitabh's own house for BBC Asian Network

British Academy of Film and Television Arts brochure

Category:1942 births Category:Bigg Boss Category:Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Hindi film actors Category:Indian actors Category:Indian actor–politicians Category:Indian amateur radio operators Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian film producers Category:Indian Hindus Category:Indian hip hop singers Category:Indian male singers Category:Indian playback singers Category:Indian pop singers Category:Indian socialists Category:Indian television presenters Category:Indian vegetarians Category:Kirori Mal College alumni Category:Living people Category:National Film Award winners Category:People from Allahabad Category:People from Uttar Pradesh Category:Recipients of the Padma Bhushan Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:Uttar Pradesh politicians Category:Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Category:8th Lok Sabha members Category:University of Delhi alumni

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name	Gary Moore
background	solo_singer
birth name	Robert William Gary Moore
born	April 04, 1952Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
died	February 06, 2011Estepona, Malaga Province, Spain
instrument	Vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, harmonica
genre	Blues-rock, hard rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz fusion
occupation	Musician, songwriter, producer
years active	1969–2011
label	Virgin, Eagle
associated acts	Skid Row, Thin Lizzy, Colosseum II, Phil Lynott, Greg Lake, BBM
website
notable instruments	Gary Moore Signature Les PaulFender Stratocaster }}

Robert William Gary Moore (4 April 1952 – 6 February 2011), better known simply as Gary Moore, was a British musician from Belfast, best recognised as a blues rock guitarist and singer.

In a career dating back to the 1960s, Moore played with artists including Phil Lynott and Brian Downey during his teens, leading him to membership with the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy on three separate occasions. Moore shared the stage with such blues and rock luminaries as B.B. King, Albert King, Colosseum II, George Harrison, Greg Lake and Skid Row (not to be confused with the hard rock band of the same name), as well as having a successful solo career. He guested on a number of albums recorded by high profile musicians, including a cameo appearance playing the lead guitar solo on "She's My Baby" from ''Traveling Wilburys Vol. 3''.

Moore died of a heart attack in his hotel room while on holiday in Estepona, Spain, in February 2011.

Early life and career

Moore started performing at a young age, having picked up a battered acoustic guitar (a Framus guitar ) at the age of eight. He got his first quality guitar at the age of 14, learning to play the right-handed instrument in the standard way despite being left-handed. He moved to Dublin in 1968 at the age of 16. His early musical influences were artists such as Albert King, Elvis Presley, The Shadows and The Beatles. Later, having seen Jimi Hendrix and John Mayall's Bluesbreakers in his home town of Belfast, his own style was developing into a blues-rock sound that would be the dominant form of his career in music.

Moore's greatest influence in the early days was guitarist Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac who was a mentor to Moore when performing in Dublin. Green's continued influence on Moore was later repaid as a tribute to Green on his 1995 album ''Blues for Greeny'', an album consisting entirely of Green compositions. On this tribute album, Moore played Green's 1959 Les Paul Standard guitar which Green had lent to Moore after leaving Fleetwood Mac. Moore ultimately purchased the guitar, at Green's request, so that "it would have a good home".

While less popular in the US, Moore's work "brought substantial acclaim and commercial success in most other parts of the world – especially in Europe". Throughout his career, Moore was recognised as an influence by many notable guitarists including Vivian Campbell, Patrick Rondat, John Norum, Paul Gilbert , Gus G, Joe Bonamassa, Adrian Smith, Zakk Wylde, Randy Rhoads, John Sykes, John Norum and Kirk Hammett

He collaborated with a broad range of artists including George Harrison, Trilok Gurtu, Dr. Strangely Strange, Colosseum II, Travelling Wilburys, Albert Collins, Jimmy Nail, Mo Foster, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, Jim Capaldi, B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Vicki Brown, Cozy Powell, Rod Argent, the Beach Boys, Ozzy Osbourne, Paul Rodgers, Keith Emerson, Roger Daltrey, Albert King and together with Colosseum II with Andrew Lloyd Webber on the composer's ''Variations'' album in 1978. He experimented with many musical genres, including rock, jazz, blues, country, electric blues, hard rock and heavy metal.

In 1968, aged 16, Moore moved to Dublin to join the group Skid Row with Noel Bridgeman and Brendan "Brush" Shiels. It was with this group that he earned a reputation in the music industry, and his association with Phil Lynott began.

Solo career

Moore released his first solo album in 1973, ''Grinding Stone'' (billed as "the Gary Moore Band"). 'Grinding Stone' was issued in North America on Neil Kempfer-Stocker's fledgling record label imprint Cosmos. It received 'Album of the Year' accolades on KTAC-FM/Seattle-Tacoma, Washington in 1974. In 1978 his solo career continued with help from Phil Lynott. The combination of Moore's blues-based guitar and Lynott's voice produced "Parisienne Walkways", which reached the Top Ten in the UK Singles Chart in April 1979 and the Thin Lizzy album ''Black Rose: A Rock Legend'' which reached number two in the UK album chart. Moore appears in the videos for ''Waiting for an Alibi'' and ''Do Anything You Want To''.

In 1987, he collaborated on the UK charity record "Let It Be", a cover of the Beatles track. He performed a guitar solo for inclusion on the recording, which was released under the group-name of 'Ferry Aid'. The record raised substantial funds for the survivors of the ''MS Herald of Free Enterprise'' disaster.

In 1993, he was included on a cassette called ''Rock Classics Vol. 1'' with "Run to Your Mama", and "Dark Side of the Moog". After a series of rock records, Moore returned to blues music with ''Still Got the Blues'', with contributions from Albert King, Albert Collins and George Harrison. The album was well received by fans. He stayed with the blues format until 1997, when he decided to experiment with modern dance beats on ''Dark Days in Paradise''; this left many fans, as well as the music press, confused. He also contributed guitar sections to Richard Blackwood's 2000 album, ''You'll Love to Hate This''.

With ''Back to the Blues'', Moore return to his tried and tested blues format in 2001: he continued with this style on ''Power of the Blues'' (2004), ''Old New Ballads Blues'' (2006), ''Close As You Get'' (2007) and ''Bad For You Baby'' (2008).

In January 2005, Moore joined the One World Project, which recorded a song for the 2004 Asian Tsunami relief effort. The group featured Russell Watson, Boy George, Steve Winwood, Barry Gibb, Brian Wilson, Cliff Richard, Dewey Bunnell, Gerry Beckley and Robin Gibb on vocals (in their order of appearance), and featured a guitar solo by Moore. The song, entitled "Grief Never Grows Old", was released in February 2005, reaching #4 on the UK Singles Chart.

In what has been described as "a brave and principled stand", Gary declared his support for the cultural boycott of Israel. At a press conference in Russia he announced that he would not visit the ‘criminal state’ of Israel ‘because of its racist policies against the Palestinian people’.

He also took part in a comedy skit entitled "The Easy Guitar Book Sketch" with comedian Rowland Rivron and fellow musicians Mark Knopfler, Lemmy from Motorhead, Mark King from Level 42, and David Gilmour.

Personal life

Moore grew up on Castleview Road opposite Stormont's Parliament Buildings, off the Upper Newtownards Road in east Belfast, as one of five children of a promoter named Bobby and housewife, Winnie, but he left the city as a teenager, because all was not well in their household. His parents parted a year later. He left just as The Troubles were starting in Northern Ireland.

Aiming to become a musician he moved to Dublin at the age of 16 and joined Skid Row, a band that then included Phil Lynott. Moore would later join Lynott again in 1973 when he first joined Thin Lizzy, after the departure of founding member Eric Bell and again in 1977. He moved to England in 1970 and remained there, apart from two short periods in America. In 2002 he bought a five-bedroom detached Edwardian house in Hove, just west of Brighton, Sussex, to be near his sons, Jack and Gus, from his former marriage which had lasted from 1985 to 1993. Since 1997 he was living with his partner, an artist named Jo, and their daughter Lily (b. 1999) and Saoirse. His residence was reported to be on Vallance Gardens in Hove, East Sussex.

Death

Gary Moore died of a suspected heart attack, at the age of 58 during the early hours of 6 February 2011. At the time, he was on holiday at the Kempinski Hotel in Estepona, Spain, with his girlfriend, who raised the alarm at 4:00 am. His death was confirmed by Thin Lizzy's manager Adam Parsons.

Legacy

Since his death, many fellow musicians have commented on Gary Moore's talents including Ozzy Osbourne, Eric Singer, Doug Aldrich, Tony Iommi, Bob Geldof, Roger Taylor, Brian Downey, Andy DiGelsomina, Ricky Warwick, Glenn Hughes, Bryan Adams, Henry Rollins, Scott Gorham, Ignacio Garay, Mikael Åkerfeldt. In March 2011 ''Guitarist'' produced their tribute special with unreleased footage from 2009. Musicians including Former Thin Lizzy Guitarist Eric Bell, Silverbird and Mick and Dave Pyro from the Republic of Loose on the 18 April, gathered for a tribute concert in Whelans bar in Dublin, Ireland entitled 'The Gig For Gary'.

Fans have called for popular magazines such as ''Classic Rock'', ''Guitarist'' and ''Total Guitar'' to do tributes. Twitter was flooded with tributes from fans for several days after the news was revealed.

Discography

''Grinding Stone'' (1973)

''Back on the Streets'' (1978)

''G-Force'' (1980)

''Corridors of Power'' (1982)

''Dirty Fingers'' (1984)

''Victims of the Future'' (1984)

''Run for Cover'' (1985)

''Wild Frontier'' (1987)

''After the War'' (1989)

''Still Got the Blues'' (1990)

''After Hours'' (1992)

''Blues for Greeny'' (1995)

''Dark Days in Paradise'' (1997)

''A Different Beat'' (1999)

''Back to the Blues'' (2001)

''Scars'' (2002)

''Power of the Blues'' (2004)

''Old New Ballads Blues'' (2006)

''Close As You Get'' (2007)

''Bad for You Baby'' (2008)

Tributes:

We Want Moore! - Gary Moore Tribute (Lion Music 2004)

References

External links

Official Gary Moore web site

Category:1952 births Category:2011 deaths Category:Deaths from myocardial infarction Category:People from Belfast Category:Male singers from Northern Ireland Category:Irish musicians Category:Irish songwriters Category:English-language singers Category:Irish rock singers Category:Irish guitarists Category:Irish rock guitarists Category:Rock musicians from Northern Ireland Category:Thin Lizzy members Category:The Gary Moore Band members Category:Lead guitarists Category:Jazz fusion guitarists Category:Guitarists from Northern Ireland Category:Blues rock musicians Category:Electric blues musicians Category:People educated at Ashfield Boys' High School

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name	Phil Lynott
background	solo_singer
birth name	Philip Parris Lynott
born	August 20, 1949, West Bromwich, West Midlands, United Kingdom
died	January 04, 1986, Salisbury, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom
instrument	Vocals, bass, keyboards, guitar, harmonica, Irish harp, percussion
Years active	1965–1985
label	Vertigo, Warner Bros. (US)
genre	Rock, pop, heavy metal, folk
occupation	Musician, songwriter, producer, poet
associated acts	Thin Lizzy, , Wild Horses, The Greedies, Skid Row, Grand Slam, John Sykes, Midge Ure
notable instruments	Rickenbacker 4001 bass (early)Fender Precision BassFender StratocasterFender Telecaster }}

Philip Parris "Phil" Lynott (; 20 August 1949 – 4 January 1986) was an Irish musician who first came to prominence as a founding member, principal songwriter, and frontman of the Irish rock band Thin Lizzy. As leader of the band, Lynott's vocals and bass guitar were a key element in the commercial success of thirteen albums, in addition to a string of hit songs. Lynott also embarked upon a solo career, published two books of poetry, and after Thin Lizzy disbanded, he assembled and fronted the band Grand Slam, of which he was a member until his death in January 1986 at the age of 36.

Early life

Lynott was born in Hallam Hospital (now Sandwell General Hospital) in West Bromwich (then in Staffordshire), England, and christened at St. Edwards Church in Selly Park, Birmingham. His mother, Philomena (or Phyllis) Lynott (b. 22 October 1930), is Irish, and his father was Cecil Parris, an Afro-Guyanese. Some news and fan-site sources said that he was an Afro-Brazilian, but in an August 2009 interview Parris's wife said that he was from Georgetown, British Guiana. This was confirmed by Philomena Lynott in July 2010. Lynott's mother met Parris in Birmingham in 1948 and they saw each other for a few months, until Parris was transferred to London. Shortly afterwards, Philomena found she was pregnant and, after Philip was born, she moved with her baby to a home for unmarried mothers in Selly Oak, Birmingham. When Parris learned of Philip's birth, he returned to Birmingham and arranged accommodation for Philomena and Philip in the Blackheath area of the city. Her relationship with Parris lasted two more years although he was still working in London and they did not live together. Philomena subsequently moved to Manchester but stayed in touch with Parris and, although she turned down a marriage proposal from him, he agreed to pay towards his son's support.

Parris's wife stated in 2009 that Philomena also had a daughter and a second son with Parris, both of whom were given up for adoption. Philomena finally spoke of these children in July 2010, nearly twenty-five years after Philip's death, when the ''Irish Mail on Sunday'' and ''Irish Daily Mail'' ran a twelve page interview with her over three days. She revealed that her three children all had different fathers, and that her daughter was white. She had met her now-grown children, but they had never met their brother Philip. He knew he had a sister, but never knew he had a brother. Lynott did not see his father again until the late 1970s.

When he was four years old, Philip went to live with his grandmother, Sarah Lynott, in Crumlin, Dublin; his mother stayed in Manchester.

Music career

In the mid 1960s, Lynott began singing in his first band, the Black Eagles. Around this time, he befriended Brian Downey, who was later persuaded to join the band from the 'Liffey Beats'. Before long the Black Eagles broke up and Lynott joined 'Kama Sutra' before singing in Skid Row (not to be confused with an American band of the same name), a band that featured guitarist Gary Moore, bassist Brendan 'Brush' Shiels and drummer Noel Bridgeman. Lynott was let go by Skid Row following a temporary absence to have his tonsils removed. Shiels gave him a bass guitar he had bought from former musician Robert Ballagh and some lessons to help him on his way. Lynott and Downey quickly put together a new band called 'Orphanage', with guitarist Joe Staunton and bassist Pat Quigley. At the end of 2006 a number of Skid Row and Orphanage demo tapes featuring Phil Lynott were discovered. These were his earliest recordings and had been presumed lost for decades.

In 1969, Lynott and Downey quit Orphanage to form Thin Lizzy with guitarist Eric Bell and keyboard player Eric Wrixon (both ex-Them, but from different line-ups). Lynott was the main songwriter for Thin Lizzy, as well as the lead singer and bassist. Their first top ten hit was in 1973, with a rock version of the traditional Irish song "Whiskey in the Jar", featuring a cover by Irish artist and friend, Jim Fitzpatrick. Their biggest international hit, the 1976 song "The Boys are Back in Town", featured Lynott's lead vocals. The song reached the top 10 in the UK, Ireland and Canada, and peaked at #12 in the US.

In 1978, he was featured in ''Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds'', singing and speaking the role of The Parson. In 1979, under the name "The Greedies" (originally "The Greedy Bastards", but shortened for obvious reasons), he recorded a Christmas single, "A Merry Jingle", featuring other members of Thin Lizzy as well as Steve Jones and Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols. The previous year he had performed alongside Jones and Cook on Johnny Thunders' solo album "So Alone".

In 1980, though Thin Lizzy were still enjoying considerable success, Phil Lynott launched a solo career with the album, ''Solo in Soho'': this was a Top 30 UK album and yielded two hit singles that year, "Dear Miss Lonelyhearts" and "King's Call". The latter was a tribute to Elvis Presley, and featured Mark Knopfler on guitar. His second solo venture, ''The Philip Lynott Album'' was a chart flop, despite the presence of the single "Old Town". The song "Yellow Pearl" (1982), was a #14 hit in the UK and became the theme tune to ''Top Of The Pops''.

In 1980, Lynott married Caroline Crowther, the daughter of British comedian Leslie Crowther. They had two children: Sarah (1978), for whom the 1979 song was written, and Cathleen (1980). Lynott also had a son, born in 1968, who had been put up for adoption. In 2003, Macdaragh Lambe learned that Lynott was his biological father, and this was confirmed by Philomena Lynott in a newspaper interview in July 2010.

In 1983, Thin Lizzy disbanded. Later that year, Lynott recorded a rock'n'roll medley single, "We Are The Boys (Who Make All The Noise)" with Roy Wood, Chas Hodges, and John Coghlan. Phil regularly collaborated with former bandmate blues/rock guitarist Gary Moore on a number of tracks including the singles "Out in the Fields" (a No. 5 UK hit in 1985), his highest-charting single ever, "Parisienne Walkways" (a UK no. 8 hit in 1978), "Back On The Streets" and "Spanish Guitar" in 1979. In 1984, he formed a new band, Grand Slam, with Doish Nagle, Laurence Archer, Robbie Brennan, and Mark Stanway.

Sometime around 1984 or 1985, Lynott co-wrote an unknown number of songs with British R&B; artist Junior Giscombe. The songs were never officially released. Most remain as demos, but one of the songs, "Lady Loves to Dance", was mastered and nearly released before being pulled by the record company.

His last single, "Nineteen", released a few weeks before his death, was produced by Paul Hardcastle. It bore no relation to the producer's chart-topping single of the same title some months earlier. Throughout December 1985, Lynott had been promoting the track and this included performing live on various television shows. The same month, he gave his final interview in which he promulgated his possible plans for near future; these included more work with Gary Moore and even the possibility of reforming Thin Lizzy, something which he had privately discussed with Scott Gorham previously. He also recorded some material with Archer, Huey Lewis, and members of Lewis's band the News in 1985, which was not released.

Poetry books

Lynott's first book of poetry, "Songs for While I'm Away", was published in 1974. It contained 21 poems which were all lyrics from Thin Lizzy songs, except one titled "A Holy Encounter". Only 1000 copies of the book were printed. In 1977, a second volume was released, titled "Philip". Again, most of the 25 poems were song lyrics, except for "Legend of the Vagabond" and the short piece of prose from the back sleeve of the ''Jailbreak'' album.

In 1997, both books were brought together in a single volume, again titled "Songs for While I'm Away". This compendium edition also featured illustrations by Tim Booth and Thin Lizzy artist Jim Fitzpatrick, and the original introductions by Peter Fallon and John Peel.

Death and legacy

Lynott's last years were dogged by drug and alcohol dependency leading to his collapse on Christmas Day 1985, at his home in Kew. After his estranged wife Caroline drove him to a drug clinic in East Knoyle, near Warminster, he was taken to Salisbury Infirmary where he was diagnosed as suffering from septicemia. He died of pneumonia and multiple organ failure due to sepsis in the hospital's intensive care unit on 4 January 1986, at the age of 36.

In 2005, a life-size bronze statue of Phil Lynott was unveiled on Harry Street, off Grafton Street in Dublin. The ceremony was attended by former band members Gary Moore, Eric Bell, Brian Robertson, Brian Downey, Scott Gorham, Darren Wharton (keyboards) and by Lynott's mother. The attending Thin Lizzy members paid tribute with a live performance. His grave in St. Fintan's cemetery in Sutton, northeast Dublin, is regularly visited by family, friends and fans.

In April 2007, ''The Rocker: A Portrait of Phil Lynott'' was released on DVD in the UK.

In August 2010, ''Yellow Pearl'' was released. This is a collection of songs from Phil Lynott's solo albums, B-Sides and album tracks. The album comes with rare pictures of Phil Lynott as well as an introduction to the album written by Malcolm Dome.

Discography

''Solo in Soho'' (1980)

''The Philip Lynott Album'' (1982)

''Live In Sweden 1983'' (2001)

''Yellow Pearl'' (2010)

With others

'' Parisienne Walkways ''with Gary Moore, MCA Records 1979''

'' Spanish Guitar ''with Gary Moore, MCA Records 1979''

''Out in the Fields ''with Gary Moore, Virgin Records 1985''

''Please Don't Leave Me'' with John Sykes, MCA Records 1982

Notable instruments and gear

Rickenbacker 4001 bass (Early years)

Rickenbacker 4000 bass

Fender Precision bass with custom 'mirror' pickguard

Ibanez Roadster RS900 (Late years)

Danelectro Six String Bass

Dan Armstrong Lucite Bass (Early years)

Fender Stratocaster guitar

Fender Telecaster guitar (Above two seen in promo videos for "Whiskey in the Jar")

See also

Black people in Ireland

List of people on stamps of Ireland

List of drug-related deaths

References

Category:1949 births Category:1986 deaths Category:Irish musicians Category:People from County Dublin Category:Burials at St. Fintan's Cemetery Category:Drug-related deaths in England Category:Irish bass guitarists Category:Irish male singers Category:Irish people of African descent Category:Irish people of Guyanese descent Category:Irish pop singers Category:Irish rock musicians Category:Irish rock singers Category:English-language singers Category:Irish singer-songwriters Category:Mercury Records artists Category:People from Moss Side Category:People from West Bromwich Category:Thin Lizzy members Category:Music from Dublin (city) Category:Blues rock musicians Category:Warner Bros. Records artists

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