Subhash Ghai
Born	(1945-01-24) 24 January 1945 (age 67) Nagpur, Maharashtra, India[1]
Occupation	Film director, producer, Actor, screenwriter
Years active	1970–present
Spouse	Mukta Ghai
Website
http://muktaarts.com/

Subhash Ghai (born 24 January 1945 in Nagpur, India) is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. His most notable films include Kalicharan (1976), Karz (1980), Hero (1983), Meri Jung (1985), Karma (1986), Ram Lakhan (1989), Saudagar (1991), Khalnayak (1993), Pardes (1997) and Taal (1999). He launched Mukta Arts, a film production company in 1982, and is known as the "showman" of Hindi cinema, for making epic films that portray grandeur and very rich themes.

Early life[link]

Subhash Ghai belongs to a Punjabi Khukhrain family.^{[citation needed]} Born to a dentist father who practised in Delhi, Subhash did his higher secondary in Delhi and thereafter graduated in Commerce from Rohtak, Haryana.^[1] Next he moved to Pune, Maharashtra to join the Film and Television Institute of India, Law College Road (FTII). After attaining a diploma, he started working in the Indian film industry in 1970.

Career[link]

He started his career in Hindi cinema as an actor with small roles in six films, like Taqdeer (1967) and Aradhana (1971). He was the male lead in the 1970's Umang, which did not do well at the box office, and Gumraah (1976) with Reena Roy and Danny.^[1] His directorial debut was the film Kalicharan (1976) which he obtained through a recommendation by Shatrughan Sinha. Kalicharan was one of the biggest hits of its time. As of 2005, he had written and directed 15 movies out of which 13 were highly successful. In 1982, he started Mukta Arts Private Limited which, in 2000, became a public company, with Subhash Ghai as its chairman and managing director.

His most notable films in the 1980s were Karz (1980), Vidhaata (1982), Hero (1983), Karma (1986) and Ram Lakhan (1989). He went on to win a Filmfare Best Director Award for Saudagar (1991) which pitted legendary actors Dilip Kumar and Raaj Kumar against each other. His 1993 release Khalnayak which was known for its controversies for its use of the popular song "Choli Ke Peeche Kya Hai" and its star Sanjay Dutt's breakthrough performance.

Two of his films in the late 1990s, Pardes (1997) (Foreign) and Taal (1999) (The Beat) were released internationally and featured in the top 20 movies in the U.S. box office charts for several weeks. His following films, Yaadein (2001) and Kisna (2005) were box office and critical failures.

He then took a break from directing and turned producer having success with box office hits such as Aitraaz (2004), 36 China Town (2006) and Apna Sapna Money Money (2006). As a producer, most of his films were average except for Iqbal (2005) which was brilliantly written by Vipul K Rawal.

In 2006, he set up his own state-of-the-art film institute Whistling Woods International in Mumbai.^[2] The institute trains students in filmmaking: production, direction, cinematography, acting, animation, etc. Like Alfred Hitchcock he is known to give brief cameos in his directorial ventures.

After a three-year hiatus from directing he returned in 2008 with Black and White released on 7 March 2008 and, later Yuvvraaj also released in 2008, which was a flop at box office. Incidentally the song "Jai Ho" was to be part of this film, but Ghai felt it was unsuitable for the actor Zayed Khan to perform onscreen;^[3] later it was used in Slumdog Millionaire. After his Oscar win, A. R. Rahman revealed in an interview that it was Ghai who had asked him to use the words "Jai Ho" in a song.^[4]

Personal life[link]

Ghai is married to (Rehana Farooqui) Mukta Ghai after whom he named his company Mukta Arts. He has two daughters; the elder Meghna looks after his dream project Whistling Woods International Institute for Films, Media, Animation and Media Arts.

Awards[link]

Filmfare Awards

• 1992: Best Director: Saudagar
• 1998: Best Screenplay: Pardes ^[5]

Filmography[link]

1. Yuvvraaj (2008) - The musical extravaganza
2. Black & White (2008)
3. Om Shanti Om (2007) ... Special appearance in song, "Om Shanti Om" of Karz
4. Good Boy, Bad Boy (2007) (producer)
5. Apna Sapna Money Money (2006) (producer)
6. Shaadi Se Pehle (2006) (executive producer)
7. 36 China Town (2006) (producer)
8. Iqbal (2005) (producer)
9. Kisna: The Warrior Poet (2005)
10. Aitraaz (2004) (producer)
11. Joggers' Park (2003) (producer)
12. Yaadein (2001)
13. Taal (1999)
14. Pardes (1997)
15. Trimurti (1995) (producer)
16. Khalnayak (1993)
17. Saudagar (1991)
18. Ram Lakhan (1989)
19. Karma (1986)
20. Meri Jung (1985)
21. Hero (1983/II)
22. Vidhaata (1982)
23. Krodhi (1981)
24. Karz (1980)
25. Gautam Govinda (1979)
26. Vishwanath (1978)
27. Kalicharan (1976)
28. Aradhana (1969) ... as Suraj's (Rajesh Khanna) friend Prakash

References[link]

External links[link]

• Mukta Arts, Official website
• Official Biography
• Subhash Ghai at the Internet Movie Database
• Whistling Woods International Film School
• Whistling Woods International School of Animation

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Waheeda Rehman
Born	(1936-05-14) 14 May 1936 (age 76) Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, British India
Other names	Waheeda Rahman
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1955–1991, 2002–present
Notable work(s)	Reshma in Reshma Aur Shera Rosie Marco/Miss Nalini in Guide Rajkumari Neel Kamal/Sita in Neel Kamal Nurse Radha in Khamoshi
Spouse	Shashi Rekhi (1974–2000 his death)

Waheeda Rehman (born14 May 1936), is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood movies and is known for many successful and critically acclaimed movies from 1950's, 60's and early 70's most notably C.I.D. (1956) and Guru Dutt classics such as Pyaasa (1957), 12 O'Clock (1958), Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. Her other notable works include Solva Saal (1958), Baat Ek Raat Ki (1962), Kohra (1964), Guide (1965), Teesri Kasam (1966), Aadmi and Khamoshi (1969).

Early life[link]

One of the most prominent actresses of the golden era, Waheeda Rehman was born into a traditional Telugu-speaking Muslim family in Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, British India.^[1] She and her sister learnt Bharatnatyam at Mumbai's Sri Rajarajeswari Bharata Natya Kala Mandir, where Guru T. K. Mahalingam Pillai, doyen among nattuvanars taught ^[2] and performed on stage together. Her father, who was a District Commissioner, died while she was still in her teens.^[3][4]

It is a common misconception that Rehman was born in Hyderabad.^[1] “It’s a long story,” she says, “When I was in Chennai, I did three to four Tamil and Telugu movies. In the first one, Kaalam Maari Pochu along with Gemini Ganesan a bilingual film which was made in Tamil and Telugu as Rojulu Maraayi, I did only a folk dance number in both Tamil and Telugu versions. However, it went on to become a hit! I was in Hyderabad celebrating its success and Guru Dutt happened to be there. He was on a lookout for new faces and heard that I could speak in Urdu. It is because he spotted me in Hyderabad that people assume I was born there.”^[1]

Her dream was to become a doctor but, due to circumstances and illness, she abandoned this goal. Instead helped by her supportive parents, she hit the silver screen with Telugu films Jayasimha (1955), followed by Rojulu Marayi (1955) and Tamil film Kaalam Maari Pochu (1956). It is in Vijaya-Suresh combines Ram aur Shyam (Remake of Telugu movie Ramudu Bheemudu) in 1967 that Waheeda acted again under the direction of the topnotch Telugu director Tapi Chanakya who incidentally directed her movies Rojulu Maaraayi in Telugu (1955) and Kaalam Maaripochu in Tamil (1956).

Career[link]

Waheeda Rehman, started her career in films in 1954 and her first successful films were the Telugu films Jayasimha (1955), followed by Rojulu Marayi (1955) and Tamil film Kaalam Maari Pochu (1956). In the success party of Rojulu Maaraayi, Guru Dutt noticed her and decided to groom her and make her act in Hindi Films. Waheeda considered Guru Dutt as her mentor.

Waheeda Rehman was discovered by Guru Dutt, after seeing her acting in Rojulu Maaraayi and was brought to Bombay (now Mumbai) and cast as a vamp in his production C.I.D. (1956), directed by Raj Khosla. A few years after joining the Hindi film industry, she lost her mother. After the success of C.I.D., Dutt gave her a leading role in Pyaasa (1957). Their next venture together, Kaagaz Ke Phool (1959), depicted the story of a successful director's decline after he falls for his leading lady. Dutt's existing marriage and her film successes with other directors caused them to drift apart personally and professionally, although they continued to work together into the 1960s Chaudhvin Ka Chand. She completed Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962) under some strain. They broke away from each other after the film's indifferent reception at the Berlin Film Festival in 1963. Soon afterward, Guru Dutt died on 10 October 1964 in Mumbai reportedly from an overdose of sleeping pills and alcohol.

Waheeda Rehman established a great working relationship with Dev Anand and together as a pair had number of successful films to their credit. The box office hits of the pair include C.I.D. (1956), Solva Saal (1958), Kala Bazar (1960), Baat Ek Raat Ki (1962) and Guide (1965) and box office duds were Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja(1961) and Prem Pujari (1970). She reached in her peak with Guide (1965) and was much in demand. Rehman was cast as "Gulabi" in Satyajit Ray's Bengali film Abhijan in 1962. She was offered lead actress's role in films even opposite actors junior to her by experience like Dharmendra but they flopped. But she continued to taste success in the late sixties when she was paired with well established stars. She delivered hits opposite Dilip Kumar like Ram Aur Shyam, Aadmi and some box office duds with Rajendra Kumar and this helped her continue to get lead roles in early seventies. Her career's biggest hit Khamoshi came in 1970, opposite Rajesh Khanna.

Her career continued throughout the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her roles in Guide (1965), where she hit the peak of her career and Neel Kamal (1968), but despite excellent offbeat roles in subsequent films, including a National Award winning performance in Reshma Aur Shera (1971), some of the films failed at the box office. Seeing her films being successful, Waheeda decided to experiment with roles, at this stage of career. She accepted Reshma Aur Shera, opposite her old co-star Sunil Dutt, with whom she had previously in sixties had hits like Ek Phool Char Kaante, Mujhe Jeene Do, Meri Bhabhi and Darpan. Her performance was appreciated by critics but the film failed at the box office. But Waheeda continued to experiment with roles and accepted the offer to play a mother to Jaya Bhaduri in Phagun(1973). This she regards the mistake of her career as after this film flopped, suddenly people started offering her motherly roles to heroes.

From the mid seventies, Waheeda's career as lead heroine ended and her career as character actor began. At around this time, Kamaljit who starred opposite her in Shagun (1964) proposed and then got married in 1974. After her appearance in Lamhe (1991) she retired from the film industry for 12 years.

In her new innings from seventies her successful films, where she played pivotal roles include, Kabhi Kabhie (1976),Trishul (1978), Jwalamukhi(1980), Namkeen and Namak Halaal (1982),Mashaal (1984), Chandni(1989), Rang De Basanti(2006).

In recent years she made a comeback playing elderly mother and grandmother roles in Om Jai Jagadish (2002), Water (2005) and Rang De Basanti (2006) and Delhi 6 (2009) which were all critically acclaimed.

In October 2004, a Waheeda Rehman film retrospective was held at the Seattle Art Museum and the University of Washington where Waheeda participated in spirited panel and audience discussions on her most memorable films—Pyaasa, Teesri Kasam and Guide—although her most successful film is still considered to be Khamoshi, with costar Rajesh Khanna.

Personal life[link]

After her marriage with Shashi Rekhi (screen name Kamaljeet) ^[5] on 27 April 1974, she shifted to a farmhouse in Bangalore. She bore two children named Sohail and Kashvi, who are both writers. On 21 November 2000, her husband died following a prolonged illness. She moved back to her ocean view bungalow in Bandra, Mumbai where she currently lives.

Awards[link]

• National Film Award for Best Actress for Reshma Aur Shera in 1971.
• Filmfare Best Actress Award for Guide in 1966^[6]
• Filmfare Best Actress Award for Neel Kamal in 1968^[7]
• Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards, Best Actress (Hindi) for Teesri Kasam in 1967.^[8]
• Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1994^[9]
• NTR National Award for 2006.
• Padma Shri in 1972.
• Padma Bhushan in 2011.^[10]

Nominations[link]

• Filmfare Nomination as Best Supporting Actress — Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam (1962)^[11]
• Filmfare Nomination as Best Actress — Ram Aur Shyam (1967)^[12]
• Filmfare Nomination as Best Actress — Khamoshi (1970)^[13]
• Filmfare Nomination as Best Supporting Actress — Kabhi Kabhie (1976)^[14]
• Filmfare Nomination as Best Supporting Actress — Namkeen (1982)^[15]
• Filmfare Nomination as Best Supporting Actress — Lamhe (1991)^[16]

Filmography[link]

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Gulzar, Govind Nihalani, Saibal Chatterjee, ed. (2003). Encyclopaedia of Hindi cinema. Popular Prakashan. ISBN 81-7991-066-0. http://books.google.co.in/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC&pg=PT533&dq=Waheeda+Rehman&cd=1#v=onepage&q=Waheeda%20Rehman&f=false. 

External links[link]

• Waheeda Rehman at the Internet Movie Database
• Waheeda Rehman Interview
• A Film Retrospective in Seattle. October 2004 *[1]

Popular Waheeda Rehman songs

Vilasrao Dagadojirao Deshmukh
Minister of Science and Technology
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 July 2011
President	Pratibha Patil
Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Preceded by	Pawan Kumar Bansal
Minister of Earth Sciences
Incumbent
Assumed office 12 July 2011
Preceded by	Pawan Kumar Bansal
Mumbai Cricket Association
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 July 2011
Preceded by	Sharad Pawar
Minister of Rural Development
In office 19 January 2011 – 12 July 2011
Preceded by	C. P. Joshi
Succeeded by	Jairam Ramesh
Minister of Panchayati Raj
In office 19 January 2011 – 12 July 2011
Preceded by	C. P. Joshi
Succeeded by	Kishore Chandra Deo
Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises
In office 28 May 2009 – 19 January 2011
Preceded by	Santosh Mohan Dev
Succeeded by	Praful Patel
Chief Minister of Maharashtra
In office 7 September 2004 – 5 December 2008
Preceded by	Sushil Kumar Shinde
Succeeded by	Ashok Chavan
Chief Minister of Maharashtra
In office 18 October 1999 – 16 January 2003
Preceded by	Narayan Rane
Succeeded by	Sushil Kumar Shinde
Personal details
Born	(1945-05-26) 26 May 1945 (age 67) India
Political party	Indian National Congress
Spouse(s)	Vaishali Deshmukh
Children	3
Occupation	Lawyer
Religion	Hinduism

Vilasrao Dagadojirao Deshmukh (born May 26, 1945), popularly known as Vilasrao is the current Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Earth Sciences. He has previously held the posts of Minister of Rural Development and Minister of Panchayati Raj, Government of India and Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Government of India.^[1] He is member of Rajya Sabha representing Maharashtra. He was also a two-time Chief Minister of Maharashtra, from 1999 to 2003 and from 2004 to 2008. He is a member of the Indian National Congress and originally belongs to Latur district in the Marathwada region of the state of Maharashtra.

Early life and family[link]

Deshmukh was born on May 26, 1945 in Babhalgaon in the Latur district. He graduated with a degree in Science (B.Sc.) and Arts (B.A.) from M.E.S Abasaheb Garware College, (Pune University) and went on to study law (L.L.B.) from the ILS Law College (Pune University).^[2] He started social activities in his early youth with particular interest in drought relief work. He was elected as the Director of the Osmanabad district Central Cooperative Bank and also of the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank in 1979.^[2]

His wife is Vaishali Deshmukh, and he has three sons from her, Amit Deshmukh who is a MLA of Latur city, Ritesh and Dheeraj.^[2] His son Ritesh Deshmukh is an actor in Bollywood movies.^[3]

He has one younger brother Diliprao Deshmukh, who is a MLC and served as Minister of Relief, Rehabilitation, Sports, Youth Welfare and Protocol. in the Maharashtra Government.^[4]

Political career[link]

Deshmukh entered active politics and became member of the Babhalgaon Village Panchayat from 1974 to 1979 and its Sarpanch (village chief) from 1974 to 1976. He was a member of Osmanabad Zilla Parishad and Deputy Chairman of Latur Taluka Panchayat Samiti (Latur District Panchayat Committee) from 1974 to 1980.^[2]

As a President of Osmanabad District Youth Congress from 1975 to 1978, he worked for the implementation of Five Point Programme of the Youth Congress. He organised the youth in Osmanabad district and became President of District wing of the Indian National Congress.^[2]

He was Member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly from 1980 to 1995 winning 1980, 1985 and 1990 elections.^[5] During this period, as the Minister of State and the Cabinet Minister, Deshmukh handled departments such as Home, General Administration, Cooperation, Public Works, Transport, Legislative Affairs, Tourism, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development Fisheries, Industry, Rural Development, Education, Technical Education, Sports and Youth Welfare,

He has been a minister in various governments in Maharashtra from 1982 to 1995 holding portfolios of revenue, cooperation, agriculture, home, industries and education.^[2]

He lost the elections in 1995 with a margin of 35,000. He was re-elected to the State Legislature from Latur Constituency in the elections held in September 1999 with a strong comeback winning with a margin of nearly 91,000 in two successive election, the highest in Maharashtra. He took oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra on October 18, 1999. He was Chief Minister till 17 January 2003, but had to step down in January 2003 and make way for Sushilkumar Shinde, a prominent Dalit member of Congress, following factionalism in the state unit of the party.

He was re-elected to the State Legislative Assembly from Latur Constituency in the Elections held in October 2004.^[5]

He took oath of Chief Ministership for the second time on November 1, 2004.^[6][7]

In the aftermath of the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, he took the moral responsibility and offered to resign, which was then accepted by the party.^[8][9]

He subsequently entered the Rajya Sabha and was appointed to the Council of Ministers as Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 28 May 2009.^[10]

He was appointed as Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises on 19 January 2011 cabinet reshuffle.^[11] Later on he was appointed Minister of Rural Development.

He was appointed as Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Earth Sciences on July 12, 2011

Educational activities[link]

Deshmukh founded the Manjra Charitable Trust which runs a number of colleges in Latur & Mumbai. Some of them are Manajara Ayurvedic Medical College & Hospital Latur, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology at Versova, Andheri in Mumbai^[12] and Sushiladevi Deshmukh Vidyalaya at Airoli, Navi Mumbai. His interests include reading, classical music, volleyball and table tennis.^[2]

Vilasrao Deshmukh- Subhash Ghai land deal[link]

On 9 February 2012, the Bombay High Court has ordered filmmaker Subhash Ghai to return to Maharashtra government 20-acres allotted for his film institute. The court indicted the former chief minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh for "misusing his official position" as chief minister by showing "undue favours" to Ghai. The Bombay high court on Thursday said Vilasrao Deshmukh misused his position to allot 20 acres at Film City, Goregaon, to film producer Subhash Ghai for just Rs 3 crore a decade ago. The Mumbai collector said the market value of the plot, where Ghai's institute Whistling Woods stands, was Rs 66.21 crore in 2000. The court cancelled the land allotment and directed Ghai to immediately return 14.5 acres. The remaining land will be taken back in 2014. In quashing the agreement, the judges were particularly harsh on Deshmukh, who is now the cabinet minister in Central Government. "The role played by Respondent 7 (Deshmukh) in the entire transaction is deprecable. As highest functionary of state executive, (he) must be held to be aware of the legal provisions regarding public property," they said. "(Deshmukh) has clearly misused his official position as CM and it is certainly not acceptable that a chief minister will personally sign an agreement as a witness, though such agreement is completely illegal and does not have any support or authority even in the form of a resolution," they said. The land was allotted to Ghai at a price of Rs 3 crore during Deshmukh's tenure as CM. The judges said the Mumbai collector's report valued the land at Rs 45.56 crore as of January 1, 1995. Even if it were to be given at a concessional rate of 10.75% of the market value per year, the amount would be Rs 2.34 crore every year. By January 2000, the market value, according to the Mumbai collector, shot up to Rs 66.21 crore and the rent, after applying the concessional rate, would be Rs 7.11 crore, said the judges. ^[13]

On 4 April 2012, the supreme court of India has ordered Mr. Subhash Ghai to return the 21 acres allotted to his film academy, Whistling Woods, in Film City, Goregaon, which was given to him in 2000 by then chief minister of Maharashtra Mr. Vilasrao Deshmukh. The Supreme Court has agreed with the Bombay High Court's decision in February 2012, that said Mr Ghai would have to return 14.5 acres that are currently vacant at his academy immediately to the government. Another 5.5 acres that are in use are to be given back in 2014 so that students currently enrolled can complete their courses without any disruptions. Mr Ghai had appealed to the Supreme Court against the High Court's ruling.

^{[14] [15]}

Supreme Court imposed Rs 10 lakhs fine on Maharashtra government[link]

On 14 December 2010, the Supreme Court imposed a staggering Rs 10 lakhs fine on Maharashtra government on a complaint that the then Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh influenced police against registering an FIR against his brother. A bench of justices G S Singhvi and A K Ganguly chided Deskmukh saying, "The (former) Chief Minister should not have interfered with the criminal justice system." The apex court passed the order while dismissing the Maharashtra government's appeal challenging imposition of Rs 25,000 as fine on it earlier by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on a petition by Buldhana district's farmers alleging that the police refused to register a criminal case against Deshmukh's brother Dilip Kumar under the Money Lending Act. It was alleged that Deshmukh's personal secretary Amba Das had called up the then district superintendent of police (SP) to inform that the chief minister did not want any FIR to be registered in the case. Accordingly, the SP asked his subordinates not to register any FIR but reportedly recorded the same in its file. Aggrieved by the refusal of the police to register an FIR, the victims approached the Bombay High Court which, apart from ordering registration of an FIR, also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the state. ^[16]

Justice Ganguly slams Vilasrao Deshmukh[link]

Justice Ganguly, in Mumbai to address lawyer-activists, called Deshmukh's shift by the UPA government from heavy industries to rural development during the recent reshuffle a "shameless act". He further added "It is sad and shocking to see how the government allows and appreciates such ministers. Not only that, (it) also gives them a cabinet post. It is not a dignified act, I would call it a shameless act." ^[17]

Taj Controversy[link]

Vilasrao Deshmukh found himself in controversy after he visited the Hotel Taj after 26/11 attack in 2008, with actor son Riteish and filmmaker Ram Gopal Verma. Opposition Leader of BJP Sudhir Mungattiwar criticized him saying "He has misused his position when he took Ram Gopal Varma to the Taj (Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel) after the terror attack." ^[18]

Probe against Deshmukh for shielding MLA from farmers[link]

On 28 March 2012, the metropolitan magistrate's court has directed the Marine Drive police station to investigate allegations that Union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh shielded a congress MLA from complaints by poor farmers in Buldhana district of Marathwada. The incident in question took place in May 2006 when Deshmukh was the chief minister of Maharashtra. Farmers from Vidarbha, led by one Sarangdharsingh Chavan, filed complaints against MLA Dilip Kumar Sananda and his family for torturing them to recover the loan amount and charging an interest of 10% per month.

As many as 34 complaints were registered against the MLA and his family till June 28, 2006. However, the petitioners alleged that Deshmukh's interference ensured that no subsequent cases were registered by the police, forcing the distressed farmers to move the high court.

The high court held that Deshmukh acted in violation of the law by asking the district collector of Buldhana and Khamgaon police station not to register cases against MLA Sananda and his family members.

The state government appealed against the verdict in the Supreme Court. The apex court, however, dismissed the government's appeal and instead, increased the fine levied on the Maharashtra government from Rs25,000 per head to Rs10 lakh.

In its December 2010 order, the division bench of justices G S Singhavi and AK Ganguly condemned Deshmukh's actions in no uncertain terms and made some hard-hitting observations. The court termed the erstwhile chief minister's actions as “condemnable”, as he acted beyond “all legal norms” for “political consideration” despite the Vidharbha region having a dubious distinction of witnessing the largest number of farmer suicides.

“The chief minister's instructions are so incongruous and anachronistic, being in defiance of all logic and reason, that our conscience is deeply disturbed. We condemn the same in no uncertain terms,” the bench had said.

“The message conveyed in this case is extremely shocking and it shocks the conscience of this Court about the manner in which the Constitutional functionaries behaved in the state of Maharashtra,” the bench had said.

Last year, a private complaint was filed by one Abdul Malik Chaudhary who sought to issue process and also sought criminal proceedings against Deshmukh and the MLA. Chaudhary's lawyer, Ashish Giri, said that the court has directed the Marine Drive police to file a report after inquiry by June 11. ^{[19] [20]}

CAG Report 2012[link]

According to the 2012 Comptroller's and Auditor General's (CAG) Report, Vilasrao Deshmukh, as Chief Minister in 2005, allotted a 23,840 square metre plot of land in Mumbai to a trust held by his family: The Manjra Charitable Trust. The market value of the land was worth Rs. 30 crore, but it was allotted at one-fifth the price, Rs. 6.56 crore. And while the land was given for a dental college, and the construction should have begun within two years as per the law, nothing has been built on the plot until four years after, indicating motivations for a land grab. The CAG report says: "Our scrutiny of land records revealed that the collector while allotting land did not mention the basic condition regarding completion of entire work within the period of two years so as to commence educational activity. It was also revealed that the chief minister had approved the application of Manjara trust for allotment of land in preference to three other applications without assigning any reason for this preferential allotment." ^{[21] [22]}

Adarsh Scam[link]

An affidavit filed in the Bombay high court, on 27 April 2012 alleges that Vilasrao Deshmukh might be owning two flats through proxies in the scam-tainted Adarsh Housing Society in Mumbai. The affidavit was filed by social activist Pravin Wategaonkar, one of the petitioners who have sought action under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against politicians and bureaucrats in the Adarsh case through a PIL. "It was noticed in the CAG audit that in most cases decisions that were taken resulted in undue favour to the Society. Many of the officials who were involved in such decisions were direct beneficiaries. Either they or their relatives already were, or later became, members of the Society," it says, quoting the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report. According to the affidavit, Deshmukh, during his tenure as Maharashtra chief minister, recommended three persons—Uttam Ghakare, Amol Karbhari and Kiran Bhadange—for membership in the Adarsh Society, and they were allotted flats in the high-rise. It alleges that Karbhari and Bhadange, who hold adjacent flats 1503 and 1504, appear to be proxies for Deshmukh. "Both these people have received finances totalling Rs. 104.5 lakh from former Congress MLC and chief promoter of the Society Kanhaiyalal Gidwani (an accused in Adarsh case) and the company Apeksha Impex, reportedly owned by the Gidwanis themselves," the affidavit claims. Further, it alleges, allotment of flats to the persons recommended by Deshmukh appears to be a quid-pro-quo for the clearances given to the Society in his capacity as chief minister and minister-in-charge of the Urban Development. Deshmukh recently was rebuked by the high court and later by the Supreme Court in the Whistling Woods land allotment case. ^[23]

Notes[link]

1. ^ "Department of Heavy Industry". Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. http://dhi.nic.in/. Retrieved 6 February 2010. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "Shri. Vilasrao Dagadoji Deshmukh". Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. http://dhi.nic.in/min-biodata.pdf. Retrieved 6 February 2010. 
3. ^ "Ritesh Deshmukh Biography". apunkachoice.com. http://www.apunkachoice.com//names/rit/ritesh_deshmukh/cid_609/biography/. Retrieved 6 February 2010. 
4. ^ "Dilip Deshmukh takes oath as Cabinet Minister". webindia123.com. 1 March 2009. http://news.webindia123.com/news/Articles/India/20090301/1188874.html. Retrieved 6 February 2010. 
5. ^ ^{a b} "Election result Analysis 1978-2004". Election Commission of India. http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/electionanalysis/AE/S13/partycomp206.htm. Retrieved 27 January 2010. 
6. ^ "Wheel has taken full circle for Vilasrao Deshmukh". Rediff.com. 30 October 2004. http://www.rediff.com/election/2004/oct/29maha1.htm. Retrieved 6 February 2010. 
7. ^ "Deshmukh sworn in Chief Minister of Maharashtra". The Hindu. 2 November 2004. http://www.hindu.com/2004/11/02/stories/2004110209660100.htm. Retrieved 6 February 2010. 
8. ^ . Hindustan Times. 5 December 2008. http://www.hindustantimes.com/Chavan-to-be-new-Maharashtra-CM/Article1-356150.aspx. Retrieved 30 October 2010. 
9. ^ "Mumbai: the aftermath". World Press. 5 December 2008. http://inside.org.au/mumbai-the-aftermath/. Retrieved 30 October 2010. 
10. ^ "Big comeback: Deshmukh in Union Cabinet". CNN-IBN. 28 May 2009. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/big-comeback-deshmukh-in-union-cabinet/93527-37.html. Retrieved 6 February 2010. 
11. ^ "Vilasrao Deshmukh's promotion in Union Cabinet". CNN-IBN. 19 January 2011. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/maha-cm-gets-rural-development-ministry/140962-37.html. Retrieved 19 January 2011. 
12. ^ "MANJARA Charitable Trust". Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology, Mumbai. http://mctrgit.ac.in/aboutus.php. Retrieved 6 February 2010. 
13. ^ "Bombay HC slams Vilasrao Deshmukh- Subhash Ghai land deal - Times Of India". Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-02-10/mumbai/31045559_1_land-allotment-joint-venture-cultural-development-corporation. Retrieved 2012-04-05. 
14. ^ "Supreme Court orders Subhash Ghai to return land, slams Vilasrao Deshmukh". Movies.ndtv.com. http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_story.aspx?ID=ENTEN20120198613&keyword=bollywood&subcatg=MOVIESINDIA&nid=193699. Retrieved 2012-04-05. 
15. ^ "Supreme Court orders Subhash Ghai to return land, slams Vilasrao Deshmukh". Ndtv.com. http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/supreme-court-orders-subhash-ghai-to-return-land-slams-vilasrao-deshmukh-193700. Retrieved 2012-04-05. 
16. ^ "SC fines Maharastra Govt Rs 10 lakhs for shielding ex-CM's brother". Sify.com. 2010-12-14. http://www.sify.com/news/sc-fines-maharastra-govt-rs-10-lakhs-for-shielding-ex-cm-s-brother-news-national-kmomObefbcb.html. Retrieved 2012-04-05. 
17. ^ "Vilasrao's cabinet post a shameless act: SC judge - Times Of India". Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-02-07/india/28366079_1_sc-judge-moneylender-rural-development. Retrieved 2012-04-05. 
18. ^ "BJP demands Vilasrao Deshmukh's resignation - Politics - Politics News - ibnlive". Ibnlive.in.com. http://ibnlive.in.com/news/bjp-demands-vilasrao-deshmukhs-resignation/229475-37-64.html. Retrieved 2012-04-05. 
19. ^ "Probe against Deshmukh for shielding MLA from farmers". Hindustan Times. 2012-03-29. http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/Probe-against-Deshmukh-for-shielding-MLA-from-farmers/Article1-832360.aspx. Retrieved 2012-04-05. 
20. ^ "Vilasrao Deshmukh faces inquiry for shielding 'friend' Dilip Sananda : West News - India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. 2012-03-29. http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/vilasrao-deshmukh-inquiry-congress-mla-dilip-sananda/1/179823.html. Retrieved 2012-04-05. 
21. ^ http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2012-04-06/news/31300068_1_land-allotment-cag-report-manjara
22. ^ http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/chaos-in-maharashtra-assembly-after-cag-report-on-land-grab-indicts-ministers-198593
23. ^ http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/Deshmukh-might-be-owning-flats-in-Adarsh-through-proxies/Article1-846652.aspx

Ali Zafar
Background information
Birth name	Ali Zafar
Also known as	Prince Of Pop, Choclate Boy
Born	(1980-05-18) May 18, 1980 (age 32)
Origin	Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Genres	Pop, Electronic, Folk, Classical, Sufi rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician, composer, actor, model, music director, painter, producer, director
Instruments	Vocals, Multiple instruments
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Universal Records, Sony Music, Alif Records, Frank Finn, Fire Records
Website	www.alizafar.net www.facebook.com/aly.zafar www.twitter.com/alizafarsays
Notable instruments
Guitars, Keyboards

Ali Zafar (Punjabi, Urdu: علی ظفر, born May 18, 1980 in Lahore, Pakistan) is a Pakistani musician, composer, song writer, singer, actor, painter and model,^[1] popular for his music and now movies. His popular numbers include his hits like "Channo", "Rangeen", "Chal Dil Merey", "Dekha", "Masty", "Jhoom", "Sajania", "Madhubala","Voh Dekhney Mein", "Dastan-e-ishq" and "Yar Dhadhi Ishq". He started his singing career with the song "Jugnuon Se Bhar Le Aanchal" in the film Shararat, directed by Pakistani actress and director Samina Peerzada but made a big mark with his first single "Channo" from his first album "Huqa Pani" that sold more than seven million copies worldwide. The album turned out to be one of the biggest hits ever in Pakistan with "Channo" topping the charts all the way for a long time. Zafar made his acting debut in the 2010 Indian film Tere Bin Laden by director Abhishek Sharma.^[2] His second movie was Mere Brother Ki Dulhan followed by London, Paris, New York. He has sold over 15 million copies worldwide.

Biography[link]

Early life and career[link]

Ali was born to two professors at the University of the Punjab. He initially attended the C.A.A. Public School and later moved to the Beaconhouse School System from where he topped in his matric examinations. He then went onto Government College, Lahore and completed his FA. Later he graduated from the National College of Arts as a painter in 2002 with honors. Before entering the Pakistani musical scene, Zafar worked as a model for several commercial advertisement besides acting in television. He also worked as a portrait artist in a hotel lobby of a five star hotel in Lahore namely Pearl Continental where he used to draw 20 minutes wuick sketches of visitors and guests. It was there where he was spotted for a modelling campaign. He later worked in some Pakistan television miniseries like Kollege Jeans. He was also in the music video of Preeto sung by Abrar-ul-Haq. In college he also acted in a Musical theatre based on "Ten things i hate about you".

Music career[link]

Ali Zafar made his debut as a musician with the album Huqa Pani, released in Pakistan in 2003 and worldwide in 2005. The album was an instant hit, selling over 600,000 copies worldwide and winning several major awards and nominations. It also put him into the league of the most popular artists ever to have come out of Pakistan with a massive fan following locally and internationally. With time he proved to be perhaps one of the most versatile singer in the modern generation with a distinct vocal tone and qualities, specially during his folk and Sufi renditions in the "Coke Studio (Pakistan)", where he surprised his audiences with live renditions of difficult notes with much ease and ranging his singing from pop to folk to semi-classical. His new songs, namely "Allah Hu", "Yaar Dhadhi Ishq" (a cover), "Nahin Ray Nahin" and "Daastan-e-Ishq" won the hearts of millions all over the world once again and earned him a new era of fan following.

His first two albums namely "Huqa Pani" and "Masty" were pop albums but with his third album "Jhoom" Zafar made a shift towards more serious and spiritually inclined music. The album,besides his own, had verses from the great Sufi poets like Bulley Shah, Baba Ghulam Fareed and Mirza Ghalib. The album that Zafar produced, arranged, mixed and engineered himself showcased a visible transition and growth in him both as a musician and as a writer and elevated him into a space of a well respected and serious musician with multiple talents rarely witnessed.

He won the award for "Best Album" category at the Lux Style Awards in 2004 for his massive hit album Huqa Pani and also the "Best Male Artist" at the 2008 MTV awards.^[3] In addition to the album's popularity being reflected in the music stores and by critics, it has been widely claimed that Himesh Reshammiya plagiarized one of the most well-known tracks from the album, Rangeen, for his song Dillagi Mein Jo.^[4][5] Soon Pritam too copied his track "Channo" as "Chori ki Baatein" in the film Fight Club.

Zafar launched his second album "Masty" nationwide in November 2006. He has since released four videos from the album called "Masty", "Sajania", "Dekha" and "Aasmaan" which again went to becoming a big hit.

He released his third and long awaited video of the single, "Dekha", from his second album, which was the most expensive music video of Pakistan, costing more than ten million rupees. The video was shot in Malaysia, produced by the Lux Company, and had the famous Pakistani actresses/models, Reema Khan, Meera, and Amina Haq, starring in it. Zafar also won the "Youth Icon" award in the Lux Style Awards 2007, in Malaysia.

Besides being a singer, painter, model and an actor, Zafar has also produced and directed his music video Ek Pal from his first album Huqa Pani. His song "Dekha" of his album Masty was part of the soundtrack of American film Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps which was released on September 24, 2010. He is the fourth Pakistani artist after Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Strings and Atif Aslam to have their song(s) featured in an American film.

On February 14th, Zafar released his third album which was much different from his earlier works consisting of sufi semi classical rendition of folk and sufi verses fuzed with modern instruments. It also included renditions from Coke studio and Ghazals from Mirza Ghalib. This time Zafar seemed more mature and thoughtful in his approach to music revealing a more seious side to his personailty and music. Tracks such as the title track "Jhoom", "Jee Dhoondta Hai", "Koi Umeed" and "Jaane-e-Man" had a timeless feel to them and earned him further respect and popularity in the field of serious music listening.

Zafar also became the first of sorts to have rendered his services as an actor, singer, composer, lyricist, writer, arranger, programmer, recordist for his recent film London, Paris, New York. Amongst the popular tracks from the album are the title track "London, Paris, New York", "Voh Dekhnay Mein", "Thehree Si Zindagee" and "Ting Rang".

Acting career[link]

Being a pioneer in his craft, Ali has yet again set a precedent by being the first ever Pakistani star/singer to be featured as a solo main lead in a Bollywood movie namely Tere Bin Laden, directed by Abhishek Sharma which was a success both critically and commercially.^[6] Tere Bin Laden released on the 16th of July, 2010 and was a major hit for a low budget movie. The film grossed over US $1.11 million in its opening weekend, internationally it grossed $150,000 from Britain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Australia, during the period. At the end of its theatrical run, the movie had collected US $1.83 million. This phenominal success of Tere Bin Laden made Ali Zafar a Bollywood star over night. Not only did he receive more than 40 offers post Tere Bin Laden but he also made history by being the first Pakistani actor to be nominated for any Bollywood awards. He got nominated for IIFA, Star Screen, Zee Cine and Filmfare awards of 2011 in the best male debut category. He was also the first Pakistani to be called to Indian Film Festival at Australia in March 2011 for his movie screening.

Ali Zafar who took up movies as a serious career after his debut film has proved himself once again with his second film under Yash Raj Films, banner Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, directed and written by Ali Abbas Zafar and produced by Aditya Chopra. Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, was one of the most anticipated films of 2011. Released on 9th September, the film was both critically acclaimed and a commercial success like his first film. Ali's performance was specially praised by the industry.^[7] The film also stars Imran Khan and Katrina Kaif.^[7]

Before MBKD could release, he had already started shooting for a love story, "London, Paris, New York". This Rose movies and Star 20th century Fox production, is in post production phase and will be hitting theaters by end of February 2012, which also received great critical acclaim as well as impressive overseas revenue. Apart from acting as male protagonist in the film opposite Aditi Rao, Ali Zafar is also the music director.

Currently, he is shooting his next venture, Chashme Buddoor which is a remake of the 1981 cult-classic. He has also signed his first action film which is the remake of 2012 Tamil blockbuster "Vettai" opposite Shahid Kapoor.

Personal life[link]

Zafar married his long-time fiancee Ayesha Fazli(paternally related to Indian actor Aamir Khan)^[8][9] on July 28, 2009 in Lahore. On March 6, 2010, he became a father to a baby boy, whom he named Azaan Zafar.^[10]

Filmography[link]

Feature films[link]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

For films[link]

Single(s)[link]

Awards and Nominations[link]

====Other Awards & Honors=== [11]

• 18th Sexiest Man Of Asia (Eastern Eye - 2006)
• 8th Sexiest Man Of Asia (Eastern Eye - 2007)
• YAN National Youth Forum 2007 - Youth Ambassador
• 4th Sexiest Man Of Asia (Eastern Eye - 2008)
• 8th Sexiest Man Of Asia (Eastern Eye - 2009)
• 4th rank in "51 Most Beautiful and Handsome Men" (fortnightly newspaper)
• 5th Sexiest Man Of Asia (Eastern Eye - 2010)
• 19th Most Desirable Man (itimes.com - 2010)
• Indian Poll : Face of the Year - 2010 (More Than 400000 Votes)

See also[link]

• Music of Pakistan
• History of Pakistani pop music

References[link]

External links[link]

• AliZafar.net - Official Website
• Ali Zafar at the Internet Movie Database
• Ali Zafar at Bollywood Hungama

Gul Panag
Born	Gul Panag (1977-01-03) January 3, 1977 (age 35) [1] Chandigarh, India
Other names	Gul Panag-Attari
Occupation	Actress, Voice actress, Model
Years active	2000–present
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Spouse	Rishi Attari (March 13, 2011-)
Website
http://www.gulpanag.net

Gul Panag (born 3 January 1977;^[1] Chandigarh, India) is an Indian actress, voice actress, model, and former beauty queen who competed in the Miss Universe pageant. Her notable films include Dor, Dhoop, Manorama Six Feet Under, Hello, and Straight.

Biography[link]

Gul started her education in Sangrur, in Punjab.^[2] However, her father's army career ensured that, she moved to different places across India (and abroad). As a result of this, she studied in 14 different schools including Kendriya Vidyalayas (Chandigarh, Mhow, Leh and Wellington, Tamil Nadu), The Lawrence School, Lovedale and the International School of Lusaka, Zambia.^[2] She did her Bachelors in Mathematics from Punjabi University, Patiala, and Masters in Political Science from Panjab University, Chandigarh.^[2] As a student, Panag was interested in sports and public speaking. She won numerous state and national level debate competitions, including two gold medals at the Annual National Inter University Debate competition.^[1][3]

Career[link]

Gul won the coveted Miss India title in 1999, and was crowned Miss Beautiful Smile at the same pageant.^[4] At the Miss Universe 1999 pageant, she was ranked among the Top 10 contestants. Gul began her career in Bollywood, with the 2003 film Dhoop. Since then, she has worked in films like Jurm (2005) and the TV series Kashmeer.^[5] She played a commoner, fighting hard to save her husband from going to the gallows, in the 2006 Nagesh Kukunoor film, Dor. In 2008, she acted in the films Hello and Summer 2007. In 2009, she was seen in the movie Straight. She featured in Rann in a role attempting to stop her boy friend from doing the right thing. Gul appeared on the front page of Maxim with whom she did a photo shoot in September 2008.^[6][7]

Gul has appeared in numerous advertisements on television and print media over the past decade or so (most notably - The Titan Raga watches ads, and most recently in the Tata Sky ads along with Aamir Khan). Gul is the brand ambassador for Tata Sky, along with Aamir Khan.

She ran at the Delhi Half Marathon in November 2010, but endured eve teasing from male runners at the event. She later remarked that the attitude of men in Delhi needed to change and that the city was unsafe for women.^[8]

Personal life[link]

Gul is techno-savvy, with strong and interesting views on most subjects. She is highly active on Twitter. She was the Twitter Face for the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week held in 2009, to cover the happenings/proceedings on the micro-blogging site.^[9]

Gul Panag got married to her long time boyfriend Rishi Attari on March 13, 2011 in a gurudwara in Chandigarh in a traditional Punjabi Sikh ceremony.^[10][11]

Awards[link]

Nominated

• Stardust Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (2009) for Hello
• Screen Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (2007) for Dor

Won

• Zee Cine Critics Award - Best Actress, tied with Ayesha Takia for Dor (2007).

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

^[12]

Television[link]

References[link]

http://thekashmirscenario.com/en/2012/celebrityunplugged/148/%E2%80%98I-stand-for-what-I-believe-is-right%E2%80%99-Gul-Panag.htm

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gul Panag

• Official website
• Gul Panag at the Internet Movie Database

Gul Panag on twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/gulpanag