Aaja Nachle (Hindi:आजा नचले English: Come, Let's Dance) is a 2007 Bollywood film. It was released in India and in the United States on 30 November 2007.^[2] The film stars Madhuri Dixit in her first film after six years, alongside Konkona Sen Sharma, Jugal Hansraj, Akshaye Khanna and Kunal Kapoor in pivotal roles. The film opened to mixed reviews and was declared a flop by Box Office India.^[3]

Plot[link]

Dia (Madhuri Dixit) is a choreographer who lives in New York with her daughter Radha. One day she receives word that her old dance guru is dying. She returns to her hometown called Shamli with Radha to find that he has already died and left her the responsibility of saving the deserted dance theatre Ajanta, which is to be demolished to make way for a shopping mall.

Shamli has changed a great deal since Dia left. Her parents left the town in shame after she eloped for her wedding and their house is now owned by the strict Mr. Chojar and his wife. Her childhood friend Najma is married to Farooque, a successful businessman. Both of them greet Dia coldly. The only ally she has left is her old friend Doctor Saab. To save Ajanta, Dia goes to petition the local MP Raja Uday Singh. He issues her a challenge; if she can put on a successful performance using only people from Shamli, he will cancel the demolition.

That night Dia dances in Ajanta and afterwards calls on the people to help her put on a performance of Laila-Majnu. Jeering at her, they leave the theatre one by one, but Raja remains behind to taunt her. Refusing to accept defeat, Dia goes out into the street the next day to scout for talent. When she returns to the theatre she finds that a group of thugs are burning the set, after being ordered by a local election candidate, Chaudhary Om Singh. Instead of being angry, she is intrigued by the ring-leader, Imram, and makes a deal with Chaudhary that she will help him win the next election if he will support Ajanta and if Imram plays Majnu. He agrees and Imram is forced to take on the role. In the town, the girls find out about this and flock to the theatre for the part of Laila. Among them is Anokhi, a tomboy who is in love with Imram. She begs Dia, who is reluctant because of her rough appearance and lack of talent, but agrees in the end thinking that her love for Imram will make her the ideal Laila. Other parts in the play go to Mr. Chojar, who wants to prove to his wife that he is not boring, Chaudhary who plays Laila’s father and Dia’s former fiancé Mohan, who is able to overcome his bitterness towards her.

With one month to put the show together, Dia struggles to get Imram and Anokhi to work together. With Dia’s support, Anokhi changes her attitude and appearance to get Imram to take her seriously and soon their relationship deepens. A few days before the show, Farooque pays Chaudhary to abandon Ajanta and makes Najma spread hurtful stories about Dia. Chaudhary tries to get Imram to give up his part, but Imram is aware of Chaudhary’s political intentions and refuses, leading him to be attacked by Chaudhary’s men while Anokhi tries to protect him. With the whole town against her, Dia loses hope until Najma arrives to apologise and asks to be in the show.

On the night of the show, Dia is amazed to find that the entire town has come to Ajanta. The troupe put on a performance that amazes and excites the audience, including Chaudhary who is moved to tears. Farooque is stunned to see his wife playing the part of Laila’s mother and Mrs. Chojar is shocked and thrilled when her husband appears singing and dancing on stage. At the end, the audience cheers loudly as the cast return to the stage for an encore. The night is a success and Ajanta is saved.

After Dia says her farewells to Shamli, she and Radha leave to find her parents in another part of India. Imram and Anokhi go on to teach dance classes at Ajanta with Doctor Saab’s help and dance becomes an inherent part of Shamli once again.

Cast[link]

• Madhuri Dixit as Dia
• Konkona Sen Sharma as Anokhi
• Jugal Hansraj as Sanjay Mehra
• Akshaye Khanna as MP.Raja Uday Singh
• Kunal Kapoor as Imran Pathan
• Divya Dutta as Najma
• Felix D'Alviella as Steve
• Dalai as Radha
• Raghubir Yadav as Doctor
• Vinay Pathak as Mr. Chojar
• Akhilendra Mishra as Chaudhary Om Singh
• Yashpal Sharma as S.H.O. Singh
• Nowaz as Dhan Kuber
• Darshan Zariwala as Makarand
• Sushmita Mukherjee as Mrs. Chojar
• Irrfan Khan as Farooque, Najma's husband
• Uttara Baokar as Mrs. Srivastav
• Boman Irani as Inspector Sahib

Crew[link]

• Director: Anil Mehta
• Producer: Aditya Chopra
• Story: Aditya Chopra
• Dialogue: Jaideep Sahni
• Music Director: Salim-Sulaiman
• Lyrics: Jaideep Sahni & Piyush Mishra
• Editing: Ritesh Soni
• Cinematographer: Mohanan
• Choreography: Vaibhavi Merchant
• Costumes: Mandira Shukla, Dolly Ahluwalia Tewari & Manish Malhotra

Production[link]

Shooting began on 15 January 2007 at Film City in Mumbai and ended in March 2007.^[4]

Soundtrack[link]

The film's soundtrack was released on 18 October 2007 composed by Salim-Sulaiman and lyrics by Jaideep Sahni and Piyush Mishra. A few songs from the final sequence of the movie have not been included on the soundtrack including "Yeh Ishq".

The title song "Aaja Nachle" is found to be an almost note-by-note copy of a much older Bengali folk song "Dada Paye Pori Re" made popular by Ansuman Roy. No legal action had yet been taken.^{[citation needed]}

The film's music was well received. This soundtrack debuted at number 9 for the first week.^[5] The song "O Re Piya" was later used in the 2009 Malaysian movie Talentime.

Response[link]

Box office[link]

Aaja Nachle opened to a poor response. The domestic performance of the film was below average mostly everywhere. Overseas the response was lukewarm as well.^[6] Aaja Nachle has grossed $484,108 from the US and has fared decently in the UK with $788,570.

Reviews[link]

The film was received with mixed reception from both critics and audiences. The lead performances received mixed reviews. Khalid Mohammed from the Hindustan Times wrote, "Madhuri Dixit has a cool time. Konkona is overacting while Kunal Kapoor is flustered",^[7] while Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN noted, "Madhuri is the one and only star of the film. Konkona Sen Sharma is nothing short of fantastic. Her greatest strength is that she isn't afraid of making a fool of herself and she doesn't worry about being laughed at. As a result, her performance in Aaja Nachle is fearless and uninhibited."^[8] Madhuri was nominated for the best actress award at the 54th Filmfare awards in 2008.

Controversy[link]

The movie was banned in Uttar Pradesh on the day of its release over alleged casteist remarks.^[9] Dia, the character played by Madhuri Dixit, sings the lines Mohalle mein kaisi maara-mar hai; bole mochi bhi khud ko sunar hai (translated "There is chaos in the neighborhood, even the Mochi (Cobbler) calls himself a Sunar (Goldsmith)". Dalit groups said the line implied that Mochis (the Jatav caste - a caste of cobblers) were inferior to Sunars (goldsmiths).^[10]

Punjab and Haryana followed suit, banning the film the next day. However the ban was later lifted in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, after a written apology from the producers and the removal of the disputed lyrics (bole mochi bhi khud ko sunar hai) in the title song. The lyrics were replaced by other words mere dar pe deewano ki bahaar hai(translated "there is a parade of lovers at my doorstep"). However, a ban was imposed in the city of Patna on 2 December 2007. The issue was also raised in the Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha) by RPI member Ramdas Athawale who sought a ban by the government for hurting Dalit sentiments, but Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said that it was the responsibility of state governments to take any such action.^[11]

Subsequent impact[link]

Although the movie was not received too well at the box office, it went on to become a favorite with a segment of the audience, notably Madhuri fans. The title song "Aaja Nachle" became a favorite at clubs and marriages. The movie is regarded as a pure dance film after a long time comparing it to the classics like Geet Gaya Patharon Ne, Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje, Jal Bin Machhli Nritya Bin Bijli and Navarang. It was aired on Sony Entertainment Television in the year 2008.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Aaja Nachle official site
• Aaja Nachle at the Internet Movie Database

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Madhuri Dixit
Madhuri Dixit in 2011
Born	(1967-05-15) 15 May 1967 (age 45) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1984–2002 2007–present
Spouse	Dr Shriram Madhav Nene (1999–present)
Website
www.madhuridixit-nene.com

Madhuri Dixit (born on 15 May 1967)^[1] is an Indian film actress who has appeared in Hindi films. Often cited by the media as one of the best actresses in Bollywood,^[2][3] Dixit made her film debut in Abodh (1984) and received wider public recognition with Tezaab (1988). She went on to establish herself as one of Hindi cinema's leading actresses, acknowledged for several of her performances, her beauty, and her accomplished dancing.^[4]

Some of her proceeding films include such box-office hits as Dil (1990), Saajan (1991), Beta (1992), Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994) and Raja (1995). After a relatively low phase, she reinvented herself with the romance Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) and subsequently received critical acclaim for her work in films like Mrityudand (1997), Pukar (2000), Lajja (2001) and Devdas (2002). In 2002, she retired from films in order to raise her children and made a comeback with the musical Aaja Nachle in 2007.

Dixit has won five Filmfare Awards, four for Best Actress and one for Best Supporting Actress. She holds the record for the highest number of Best Actress nominations (13) at Filmfare. In 2008, she was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian award by the Government of India.^[5]

She is married to Dr Shriram Madhav Nene, with whom she has two children. The couple resided in the United States before moving to India in 2011.

Early life[link]

Madhuri Dixit is a native of Mumbai, India. She was born Madhuri Shankar Dixit to Shankar and Snehlata Dixit, of a Marathi Brahmin family. Dixit attended Divine Child High School and Mumbai University and studied to be a microbiologist.^[6] She is a trained Kathak dancer^[7] and a great admirer of it.^[8]

Film career[link]

1980s[link]

Madhuri Dixit made her acting debut in Rajshri Productions' movie Abodh in 1984. The film failed but minor and supporting roles continued to follow.

In 1988, Dixit attained stardom after she landed the lead female role of Mohini in N. Chandra's blockbuster Tezaab opposite Anil Kapoor. The film went on to become that year's highest grossing movie.^[9] Dixit received her first nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award.

In 1989, Dixit continued her success by starring in a number of successful hit movies. Her first release was Subhash Ghai's movie Ram Lakhan, in which she was paired once again with Anil Kapoor. The film became a super-hit movie and went on to become the second highest grossing film of the year.^[10] Dixit's next release Prem Pratigyaa, in which she starred opposite Mithun Chakraborty, earned her second nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award. Dixit's next big performance came in the multi-starrer Tridev, in which she was paired with Sunny Deol. The movie became the year's third highest grossing film. Dixit continued her success with her third pairing with Anil Kapoor in Parinda.

1990s[link]

In 1990, Dixit starred in Indra Kumar's romantic-drama Dil opposite Aamir Khan. She played the role of a rich and arrogant girl who falls in love with a poorer boy and later leaves her house to marry him. The film became the biggest box-office hit of the year in India^[11] and Dixit's performance earned her the first Filmfare Best Actress Award of her career.

After the success of Dil, Dixit became one of the top actresses of Bollywood. In 1991, she starred in Lawrence D'Souza's super-hit movie Saajan opposite Salman Khan and Sanjay Dutt. The movie became the year's highest-grossing movie. Dixit's performance earned her the fourth nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award.^[12]

In 1992, Dixit featured in Indra Kumar's blockbuster Beta opposite Anil Kapoor.^[13] Dixit's performance of Saraswati, a woman married to an illiterate, well-meaning man who exposes her scheming mother-in-law, won her a second Filmfare Best Actress Award. Following the film's success, Dixit became famously known as the "Dhak Dhak Girl" for her performance in the famous song "Dhak Dhak Karne Laga".

In 1993, Dixit starred in Subhash Ghai's super-hit Khalnayak opposite Sanjay Dutt and Jackie Shroff. Her portrayal of the police officer Ganga earned her a sixth nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award. Khalnayak became the year's second highest grossing film.^[14]

In 1994, Dixit starred in Rahul Rawail's Anjaam, being paired with Shahrukh Khan for the first time. Dixit's performance of a revenge-seeking wife and mother earned her a seventh nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award. Dixit was praised for her performance, though the film was a below average performer at the box office. Her next starring role was in Sooraj R. Barjatya's Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! opposite Salman Khan.The film became one of the biggest hits in the history of Hindi cinema. The film was a commercial success and made 135 crore in worldwide breaking the record of Sholay. It became the highest grossing Bollywood film in Hindi cinema history after its theatrical run and held the record for 7 years till the release of Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. Dixit's role of a modern yet family-oriented young girl fetched her the third Filmfare Best Actress Award of her career. In the Millenium Edition of the "Guinness Book of World Records" Hum Aapke Hain Kaun became the Bollywood's highest grossing film.^[15]

In 1995, Dixit starred in Indra Kumar's Raja opposite Sanjay Kapoor. The film became the fourth highest grosser of the year and she earned her ninth nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award.^[16] Her next release David Dhawan's Yaraana opposite Rishi Kapoor, in which she plays a dancer on the run from her abusive lover, earned her tenth nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress Award.

After Raja, Dixit's career went into a slump during 1996 and much of 1997. However, she bounced back commercially with Yash Chopra's musical-romance Dil To Pagal Hai in 1997 alongside Shahrukh Khan and Karisma Kapoor. Her portrayal of a young woman faced with a moral dilemma fetched her a fourth Filmfare Best Actress Award.^[17] The movie became the second highest grosser of the year.^[18] In that same year, Dixit starred in Prakash Jha's critically acclaimed Mrityudand.

2000s[link]

In 2002, she starred in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's melodrama Devdas. The film, which co-starred Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai saw Dixit portray the role of Chandramukhi, a prostitute in love with Khan. The film was a box-office success and her performance earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. The film was featured at the Cannes Film Festival. The following year a film named after her, Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon, was released^[19] in which a woman (played by Antara Mali) aspires to become the new Madhuri Dixit by trying her luck in Bollywood.^[20][21]

On 7 December 2006, Dixit returned to Mumbai with her husband and sons to start filming for Aaja Nachle (2007).^[22] The film released in November 2007 and, despite the critics panning it, Dixit's performance was highly appreciated,^[23][24][25] with the New York Times commenting about her that "she's still got it".^[26][27]

On Women's International Day in 2007, Dixit topped Rediff's list of the Best Bollywood Actresses Ever.^[2] In May 2008, she was given a tribute by Indian Film Festival at Los Angeles.^[28] In March 2010, The Economic Times named Madhuri Dixit in the list of the "33 women who made India proud".^[3] She also received a Filmfare Special Award in honor of her 25 years in the Bollywood industry. In 2011, Rediff.com listed her in top 10 "Readers Choice: The Greatest Actresses of all time".^[29]

Dance[link]

Madhuri Dixit dancing on stage for the Unforgettable Tour in 2008

Dixit is not only known for her acting skills,^{[2][20][21][30][30][31]} but for her dancing skills as well.^[32] Often referred to as the "Dhak Dhak Girl", she is famous for her dance in the song "Dhak Dhak Karne Laga" from the film Beta. She is also known for her dance sequences accompanying Bollywood songs such as "Ek Do Teen" (from Tezaab), "Humko Aaj Kal Hai" (from Sailaab), "Bada Dukh Deenha" (from Ram Lakhan), "Chane Ke Khet Mein" (from Anjaam), "Didi Tera Devar Deewana" (from Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!), "Choli Ke Peechhe" (from Khalnayak), "Akhiyan Milaun" (from Raja), "Mera Piya Ghar Aaya" (from Yaraana), "Kay Sera Sera" (from Pukar), and "Maar Daala" (from Devdas).

Pandit Birju Maharaj, a Kathak dancer, who choreographed Dixit in the film Devdas calls her as "the best Bollywood dancer due to her versatility." ^[33]

Television appearances[link]

Dixit on the sets of Nach Baliye

In 2001 on the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati's first season, hosted by Amitabh Bachchan, she won 50,00,000 that she donated for people affected in natural calamities. She also made an appearance in Season 4's Grand Finale that aired in 2010.

In 2002, Madhuri Dixit hosted a TV show Kahina Kahi Koi Hai which was a match-making show that aired on Sony Entertainment.^[34] She also made appearances on Koffee with Karan in Season 2 & Season 3 that aired in 2007 & 2011. Her Season 2 appearance was a solo appearance and in Season 3 she shared the chat show with Sonakshi Sinha.

Dixit has been guest on Nach Baliye Season 1 and 3, a celebrity-couple dancing competition in 2005 (aired on Star One) & 2007 (aired on Star Plus).

In 2011, she appeared as a judge on the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 4 along with other co-judges Remo D'souza and Malaika Arora Khan.^[35]

Social work[link]

In 2009 Madhuri Dixit performed for NDTV Toyota Greenathon — India's first-ever nationwide campaign for save the environment and creating awareness about environmental issues. NDTV organised India's first 24-hour live telethon — a fund-raising event that brings in people to donate money to support TERI's initiative — Lighting a Billion Lives which aims at providing solar power to villages without electricity. Dixit became a part of this great social cause, and she performed her hit numbers on the live show.^[36][37]

On 3 February 2011 Dixit spent an evening with 75 orphanage kids of farmers at an ashram in Trimbakeshwar and participated in the birthday of two children: Hrishikesh and Rani. "We artists are ready to help such children. People from the higher society should come forward and stand firmly behind them," she said on the occasion.^[38]

Madhuri Dixit is a brand ambassador and a patron for Emeralds for Elephants — a charity project for the conservation of Asian Elephants and other endangered species. This project has been designed to create awareness and raise vital funds for the protection of the critically endangered Asian Elephant. A collaborative project between the World Land Trust (a UK based nonprofit environmental organisation) and the Wildlife Trust of India that is creating protected wildlife corridors connecting National Parks and protected areas to others. Speaking about the issue she said: "Elephants are one of my favourite animals and I love them. So what we need to do today is to see how we can preserve our animals. I feel very strongly about this."^[39]

Personal life[link]

Madhuri Dixit with Shriram Madhav Nene at the Filmfare 2011 Nominations Bash

On 17 October 1999, Madhuri Dixit married Shriram Madhav Nene, a UCLA-trained cardiovascular surgeon who practiced in Denver.^[40][41][42] Nene is also from a Marathi Brahmin family.^[43] They have two sons, Arin (born in March 2003) and Raayan (born in March 2005). After marriage, Dixit had relocated to Denver, US for almost a decade. In October 2011, Dixit again shifted her base back to Mumbai, India, along with her family.^[44]

Madhuri Dixit has been the muse for the famous Indian painter M.F. Husain. He was so fascinated by Madhuri Dixit in Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! that he watched the film 67 times, and in 2007 he booked an entire theatre to see her comeback movie Aaja Nachle.^[45] He made a series of paintings of her, and in 2000 made a film named Gaja Gamini starring her, which was intended as a tribute to Dixit herself.^[46]

Awards and nominations[link]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Madhuri Dixit

• Madhuri Dixit at the Internet Movie Database
• Official website
• Madhuri Dixit on Twitter

Akshaye Khanna
Born	(1975-03-28) 28 March 1975 (age 37) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1997–present

Akshaye Khanna (Hindi: अक्षय खन्ना) (born 28 March 1975) is an Indian film actor who works in Hindi cinema.

Background[link]

Akshaye Khanna was born in Mumbai in 1975. He is the middle son of Bollywood actor and politician Vinod Khanna, and the younger brother of actor Rahul Khanna.

Career[link]

After studying in Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Institute in Mumbai, Khanna made his acting debut in Bollywood in 1997 with the movie Himalay Putra, which went without much success at box office.^[1] His performance in his next release, J. P. Dutta-directed Border (1997), earned him the Filmfare Best Debut Award and a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1998.^[2] After that a string of unsuccessful films followed such as Mohabbat (1997), Kudrat (1998), Laawaris (1999), Love You Hamesha (1999) and Dahek: A Burning Passion (1999).

In 1999, he starred in Rishi Kapoor's Aa Ab Laut Chalen; though the film did average business, he was praised for his acting in this film. He next starred in the 1999 release of Subhash Ghai's Taal opposite Aishwarya Rai. The film became a critical and commercial success.^[3]

In 2001, Khanna appeared in Farhan Akhtar's cult classic Dil Chahta Hai which turned out to be a turning point in his career; the film was a commercial and critical success and Khanna's performance was particularly applauded, later validated by first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2002.^[4] Also, the film launched both Akshaye Khanna and Saif Ali Khan's careers. In 2002, Khanna appeared in a Abbas-Mustan thriller Humraaz; his role as a convincing con-artist in this film earned him much critical acclaim, and a nomination for a Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role.^[5] Khanna then plunged into the comedy genre with Priyadarshan’s Hungama (2002) and Hulchul (2004) that became box office hits.^[6][7]

After acting in a string of unsuccessful and lukewarm box-office films like Shaadi Se Pehle (2006), Aap Ki Khatir (2006),^[8] Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love (2007), Mere Baap Pehle Aap (2008), Gandhi, My Father (2007),^[9] and Naqaab (2007),^[10] Khanna appeared in the 2008 release Race. The Abbas-Mustan’s thriller was the fourth highest-grossing Bollywood film in 2008 and Khanna's performance in a negative role brought him couple of awards in the Best Villain category. However, Khanna’s portrayal of Harilal Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's eldest son, in the critically acclaimed 2007 film Gandhi, My Father that is unanimously acknowledged his best performance yet as an actor.^[11]

In 2010, he starred in Anees Bazmee's No Problem, co-starring with Sanjay Dutt, Anil Kapoor and Kangna Ranaut.^[12] His later releases did not fare well at the box office but his performances in Aakrosh (2010) and Tees Maar Khan (2010) were well-received by critics and audiences alike.

Awards and nominations[link]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Akshaye Khanna at the Internet Movie Database

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Akshaye Khanna

v t e Bollywood (Hindi cinema) Directors · Actors · Playback singers · Music Directors · Songs · Bibliography Hindi films A–Z—Highest-grossing Films by year: 1930s · 1940 · 1941 · 1942 · 1943 · 1944 · 1945 · 1946 · 1947 · 1948 · 1949 · 1950 · 1951 · 1952 · 1953 · 1954 · 1955 · 1956 · 1957 · 1958 · 1959 · 1960 · 1961 · 1962 · 1963 · 1964 · 1965 · 1966 · 1967 · 1968 · 1969 · 1970 · 1971 · 1972 · 1973 · 1974 · 1975 · 1976 · 1977 · 1978 · 1979 · 1980 · 1981 · 1982 · 1983 · 1984 · 1985 · 1986 · 1987 · 1988 · 1989 · 1990 · 1991 · 1992 · 1993 · 1994 · 1995 · 1996 · 1997 · 1998 · 1999 · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 · 2003 · 2004 · 2005 · 2006 · 2007 · 2008 · 2009 · 2010 · 2011 · 2012

Sunidhi Chauhan
Sunidhi Chauhan at the launch of Indian Idol 6.
Background information
Birth name	Nidhi Chauhan
Born	(1983-08-14) 14 August 1983 (age 28) New Delhi, India
Genres	playback singing, Indipop
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocalist
Years active	1996–present

Sunidhi Chauhan (born Nidhi Chauhan^[1] on 14 August 1983) is an Indian playback singer, best known for her Hindi film songs in Bollywood. She has also recorded songs for Marathi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Assamese and Gujarati films .^[2]

Chauhan began to sing at the age of four^[3] and was discovered by a local TV anchor.^[4] She won recognition through a televised singing contest, Meri Awaz Suno, which she won, and made her entrance into playback singing with the Hindi film Shastra.^[4]

Her breakthrough was Ram Gopal Varma's film Mast, in which she sang the hit song, "Ruki Ruki Si Zindagi."^[4] She has been nominated for fourteen Filmfare Awards, winning it on three occasions. She has won two Star Screen Awards, two IIFA Awards and one Zee Cine Award.

Early career[link]

Sunidhi Chauhan family hail from Uttar Pradesh. She started her singing career as a child, giving her first performance at the age of four, in a local temple in Delhi.^[3] Thereafter, she began to participate in, and sing for, competitions and local gatherings. When local TV anchor, Tabassum, spotted her talent, her family shifted to Mumbai in a bid to further develop the young singer's skills, and Chauhan became the lead singer in Kalyanji's 'Little Wonders' troupe.^[4]

Recognition first met her in 1996, through the music show Meri Aawaz Suno — the first such televised contest in India — which was broadcast through the Indian national television channel, Doordarshan. She won the competition and bagged the top prize of recording an album, Aira Ghaira Nathu Khaira, with HMV.^[4]

Unluckily for Chauhan, Aira Ghaira Nathu Khaira was promoted as a children's album and failed to get the recognition it deserved.^[4] In 2002, Chauhan herself observed this in an interview:

"My first song and the contest did not help me much. Nothing happened for a while. But by then, I had made up my mind that I will pursue singing as a career."^[5]

Chauhan stepped into the world of playback singing with the 1996 Bollywood film, Shastra,^[2][4] after Aadesh Srivastava asked her to lend her voice to the song "Larki Deewaani Dekho, Ladka Deewaana."^[5] She followed it with work in films like Gang, Veergati, Dahek, Bade Dilwala, Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat and Samar. By the age of nineteen, Chauhan had already lent her voice to over 350 songs.^[5]

Breakthrough and later work[link]

Chauhan's breakthrough was Ram Gopal Varma's Mast, in which she sang the hit song, "Ruki Ruki Si Zindagi" and three others, including the title song.^[4] In an interview, while speaking of Mast, she said:

"Whatever I am today, I owe to Mast. I met Sandeep Chowta through Sonu Nigam, and fifteen days later, Mast was in my lap. I was only sixteen then."^[5]

In February 2007, as part of its marketing campaign and launch of Windows Vista in India, Microsoft hired Sunidhi Chauhan to sing the "Windows Vista Song"^[2] titled "Wow is Now". This song features English and Hindi lyrics proclaiming the many 'glamorous' features of the Windows Vista operating system.

Chauhan sung for the Hindi-dubbed version of Disney's movie, High School Musical^[2] — songs which were sung by Vanessa Anne Hudgens in the English version. Moreover, she was the singer of the English language song "Reach Out" at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Asian Games at Doha, Qatar.^[2]

2008 was a highly successful year for the young singer, as she went on to deliver a huge number of superhit songs like "Chhaliya" (Tashan), "Rock Mahi," "Lucky Boy," "Desi Girl" (Dostana), "Dance Pe Chance" (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi), and "Race Saanson Ki" (Race), and which resulted in her winning the "Kelvinator GR8! FLO Women Award 2009" for her contribution to music.^[6][7]

In April 2010, Chauhan joined Anu Malik and Salim Merchant as a judge on the fifth season of the immensely popular singing talent show, Indian Idol 5. She will also be judging the sixth season of Indian Idol alongside Anu Malik and Salim Merchant.

Due to her high pitch voice and outstanding stage performances Sunidhi got "Chevrolet GIMA (Global Indian Music Awards) of Best Live Performer- Female"

Sunidhi Chauhan also joined Pitbull, John Ledend, K'Naan and Alicia Keys in the Western Union's World Of Betters to raise fund. Sunidhi sang two English songs, "Call me" and "Valentine". She moved the money to disadvantaged girls of Mumbai to help them discover their inner beauty

Collaborations[link]

Chauhan has collaborated with Indian singers such as Alka Yagnik, Shaan and Udit Narayan. She is known for her popular pairing with Sukhwinder Singh (in films such as Omkara and Aaja Nachle). She is most often paired with singer Sonu Nigam and with the female playback singer Shreya Ghoshal, whom critic's view as a stiff competitor of Chauhan.^[8] She had done a duet with Pakistani singer Faakhir Mehmood for album Mantra, She has also colaborated with Enrique Iglesias, on a song titled as "Heartbeat (India Mix)" which was included on Iglesias' album Euphoria (Special Indian Edition).

Lyricists she has worked with include Jaideep Sahni, Irshad Kamil, Gulzar, Sameer, Prasoon Joshi, Swanand Kirkire, Javed Akhtar and Anand Bakshi;^{[9][unreliable source?]} and the music directors include Vandemataram Srinivas, Bappi Lahiri, A. R. Rahman, Ilaiyaraja, Yuvan, Himesh Reshammiya, Anu Malik, Jatin Lalit, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Pritam Chakraborty, Rajesh Roshan, Nadeem-Shravan, Anand-Milind, Vishal-Shekhar, M. M. Keeravani and others.^[5][9]

Chauhan is one of the few female singers of the present generation who have lent there voice for most of the leading actressess in the Hindi entertainment industry, among those include Madhuri Dixit, Kajol, Aishwarya Rai, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor, Bipasha Basu, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone and Konkona Sen Sharma. She has also sung for actresses of yester year cinema, such as Rekha.^[10] She was the main singer who lent voice for the comebacks of two leading Bollywood actresses; Kajol, in the movie (Fanaa), and Madhuri Dixit (Aaja Nachle).^[10]

In 2011, Chauhan got her breakthrough in international pop world by collaborating with international pop star Enrique for Hindi version of song Heartbeat and becomes first Indian female singer for an international collaboration.

Special appearances[link]

In October 2008, Chauhan appeared on a special episode of the singing contest, Star Voice of India, alongside composer Ashu Dhruv, to promote their film, Drona.^[11]

She was a guest RJ for India's Radio City 91.1 FM's new morning show, Musical-e-Azam^[12] where, over her week-long stint, she interviewed the likes of Kunal Ganjawala, Daler Mehendi, Sukhwindar, Adnan Sami and Gulzar.

She also appeared on the Femina Miss India 2011 contest and X-factor India to promote her song HEARTBEAT, a song in collaboration with the international pop star Enrique Iglesias in his album Euphoria.

Personal life[link]

Chauhan was born in Delhi. Her father is a minor theatre personality who pushed her into the music industry from a young age. She has a younger sister, Suneha.^[13]

Chauhan, who believes herself to be "the most versatile singer today," attributes her success to her parents and Indian singer Sonu Nigam.^[2] She has cited Sadma (1983) as her favourite film; gymnastics and cricket as her favourite sports; and Akshaye Khanna and Madhuri Dixit as her favourite actors.^[14] Chauhan also loves western music and cites Mariah Carey and Michael Jackson as her inspirations. She has noted that one of her ambitions is to achieve global fame like they did.^[4] She is known for her admiration of international divas Celine Dion and Whitney Houston.

After entering the film industry, Chauhan upgraded her wardrobe and lost twelve kilos by jogging and working out.^[5] In an early interview, she revealed a "secret dream" of seeing herself as a Bollywood actress, saying, "I have many acting offers too, but I don't want to rush it. Frankly, I would like to do just one or two films to fulfill that secret dream of seeing myself as an actress. But my life is singing and my aim is to keep singing better."^[5]

In 2002, at the age of 18, Chauhan ran away with director and choreographer Bobby Khan, after working on the music video for "Pehla Nasha."^[15] It was reported that the couple married in a secretly arranged ceremony, attended only by very close friends and vigilantly watched over by security.

Chauhan was initially happy with the marriage. In an interview, she said:

"My in-laws don't make me feel I am 'married'. I don't feel I have stepped into a new house. I am so comfortable. And Bobby is a darling. I am very, very happy."^[5]

On the downside, the marriage caused a rift between the young singer and her parents, who considered the union unsuitable and consequently disowned her.^[16] However, Chauhan and Khan separated a year later, bringing about a reconciliation between the estranged parents and daughter.^[17] Chauhan, who lived with mentor, actor and TV anchor, Annu Kapoor and his wife Arunita during the separation, filed for divorce the same year, citing that she had realized she and Khan "wanted different things from life."

On April 27, 2012, Sunidhi Chauhan tied the knot childhood friend and music composer Hitesh Sonik at a low profile wedding ceremony in Mumbai, but the reception the couple threw saw some colleagues from the industry in attendance. Asha Bhonsle, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Smita Thackeray, Alka Yagnik, Konkona Sen Sharma were spotted at the reception.

^[18]

Filmography[link]

• Ehsaas - A Feeling (Released November 30, 2001) (Special Appearance)
• Bhoot (Special Appearance in Promotional Song Bhoot Hoon Main)
• Bas Ek Pal (Special Appearance in Promotional Song Dheeme Dheeme with singer K.K.)

Awards and honors[link]

Other Awards and Honors

2009: Kelvinator GR8! FLO Women Award

2010: Chevrolet GIMA (Global Indian Music Awards) of Best Live Performer- Female

2010: Best Visualized Song Track (Female) - Udi - Aishwarya Rai Bachchan & Sunidhi Chauhan

2010: Big Star Entertainment Award for Singer of The Decade- Sunidhi Chauhan

2011: Massal Award for Best International Female Vocalist Award- Sunidhi Chauhan

Kannada Film[link]

• Mungaru Male. Director Yograj Bhat

References[link]