Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif in 2012
Born	(1984-07-16) 16 July 1984 (age 27) Hong Kong
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Nationality	British[1]
Ethnicity	British Indian
Occupation	Model, Actress
Years active	2003 – present

Katrina Kaif (born 16 July 1984^[2]) is a British Indian actress and former model who appears in Indian films, mainly in the Hindi-language film industry.^[3][4] She has also appeared in Telugu and Malayalam films. She was voted the sexiest Asian woman in the world by Eastern Eye in the years 2008, 2009 and 2010.^[5][6] Being a British citizen, she works in India on an employment visa.^[1]

Kaif made her acting debut with Kaizad Gustad's box office bomb Boom (2003). She tasted success in 2007 with Vipul Shah's Namastey London and followed with such films as Anees Bazmee's Welcome (2007), Abbas-Mustan's Race (2008) and Kabir Khan's New York (2009).^[7] She has since appeared in critically and commercially successful films like Prakash Jha's political thriller Rajneeti (2010) and Zoya Akhtar's dramedy Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011).^[8]

Early years and personal life[link]

Kaif was born in Hong Kong,^[9] to an Indian Kashmiri father,^[10][11][12] Mohammed Kaif, and an English mother, Susanna Turquotte,^[13] both of whom are British citizens. Her parents divorced when she was very young. Kaif once stated, "My dad, unfortunately, and not out of choice, has had no influence on our upbringing, on our religious or social or moral bearings."^[14] When she came to India, she changed her surname to Kaif, because it was Indian in origin.^[15] Furthermore, Ayesha Shroff has maintained that the actress' original name is Katrina Turquotte.^[15] Kaif has seven siblings; a brother and six sisters.^[16] From Hong Kong, she and her family moved to China, then to Japan. From there she went to France when she was 8, and thereafter lived for a few months at a time in Switzerland, Poland, Germany, Belgium, and other European countries.^[17] Then she moved with her family to Hawaii, and eventually to her mother's home country of England. Although it is often assumed that Kaif is from London, she lived there only for three years before finally moving to Mumbai.^[17]

Religious views[link]

Kaif is known to have secular religious views, and has been to various religious places in India,^[18] including Hindu, Sikh and Islamic places of worship.^[19] She has been seen worshipping at Siddhivinayak temple, Hindu temples in Haridwar, Shirdi, Amritsar's Golden temple and Ajmer Sharif dargah.^[19][20][21]

Career[link]

Modeling and early film career (1998–2004)[link]

Kaif began her modeling career at age fourteen; her first assignment was for a jewelry campaign. She continued modeling in London under a contract with the Models 1 Agency and did campaigns for houses such as La Senza and Arcadius, and even walked on the London Fashion Week.^[22]

Kaif's modeling work led to her discovery by London-based filmmaker Kaizad Gustad, who gave her a part in his film Boom (2003). The film, which starred Amitabh Bachchan and Gulshan Grover, failed to make an impact. She then moved to Mumbai and was offered a number of modeling assignments, but filmmakers were hesitant to cast Kaif due to her poor command of Hindi.^[23][24]

Breakthrough (2005–2006)[link]

In 2005, Kaif made a cameo in Ram Gopal Verma's drama Sarkar, as Abhishek Bachchan's girlfriend. The same year, she landed her first major role in David Dhawan's adaptation of Cactus Flower, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya, where she was paired opposite Salman Khan. The film also featured Sushmita Sen, Arshad Warsi, Isha Koppikar and Sohail Khan in leading roles. Upon release, the film became a moderate success with Taran Adarsh, a prominent film critic, mentioning Kaif as a "complete revelation".^[25] The following year, she was paired opposite Akshay Kumar for the first time in Raj Kanwar's box-office flop Humko Deewana Kar Gaye. However, for her portrayal of Jia A. Yashvardhan, Adarsh wrote, "Taking giant strides as an actor, Katrina is, without doubt, the star of the show. It's her magnetic presence and dependable performance that you carry home once the show has ended." ^[26]

Success (2007– present)[link]

Katrina Kaif at Book launch of 'Raajneeti - The Film & Beyond, 2012

In 2007, Kaif appeared in four films, all of which were successful at the box office. Her first release was Vipul Shah's romantic-comedy Namastey London. Kaif portrayed the character of a British Indian girl named Jasmeet "Jazz" Malhotra, alongside Rishi Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and Clive Standen. Upon its release, the film became a major hit, with Nikhat Kazmi, of the The Times Of India praising the chemistry between the leading couple.^[27] She next played a supporting role in Anil Sharma's melodrama Apne. Featuring Dharmendra, Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol, Kirron Kher and Shilpa Shetty, the film was a box-office hit.^[28] Her next release was David Dhawan's unofficial remake of Hitch, Partner, where she starred alongside Salman Khan, Govinda, and Lara Dutta. Her final film of 2007, Welcome, directed by Anees Bazmee and co-starring Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal and Anil Kapoor, was declared a blockbuster in India,^[28] despite negative reviews from critics.

Her first release of 2008 was Abbas-Mustan's action-thriller Race; she played Saif Ali Khan's secretary, Sophia, who is secretly in love with his hostile stepbrother (played by Akshay Khanna). The film also featured Anil Kapoor, Bipasha Basu and Sameera Reddy in leading roles. Despite its success, Kazmi wrote, "Katrina is too pale as the blousy secretary who comes into her own only when she gets seductive with a Touch me, kiss me tenor. " ^[29]

Kaif was next seen in Anees Bazmee's action comedy Singh Is Kinng, portraying Akshay Kumar's love interest and Ranvir Shorey's fiancée. After its release, the film was declared a blockbuster, making it Kaif's sixth consecutive success at the box office. The movie also emerged as the third highest grossing film of 2008.^[30] Kaif's final release of the year, Subhash Ghai's Yuvvraaj, was a commercial failure,^[31] but its script made its way into the Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences for artistic merit, original screenplay with a substance, and the film as a whole.^[32][33]

In 2009, she featured in Kabir Khan's terrorism drama New York, with John Abraham and Neil Nitin Mukesh. It was a critical and commercial success in both India and overseas.^[34] Kaif's performance was highly praised: Taran Adarsh wrote, "Katrina gives you the biggest surprise. Known for her glamour roles, Katrina proves that she can deliver if the director and writer offer her a role of substance. She's outstanding. In fact, people will see a new, different Katrina this time."^[35] For her performance, Kaif received her first Filmfare nomination in the Best Actress category.^[7] She next had a cameo in the star-studded action-thriller Blue, popularly known as India's first underwater thriller, with Akshay Kumar and Zayed Khan.^[36] However, it was declared a flop. In November 2009, she appeared along with Ranbir Kapoor, in Rajkumar Santoshi's blockbuster comedy Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, as Jennifer Pinto. Critics mostly praised her fresh chemistry with Kapoor rather than her performance as a whole.^[37] Her final release that year was Priyadarshan's star-studded De Dana Dan with Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Paresh Rawal and Neha Dhupia. Despite a good opening, the film failed to do well at the box office.^[38]

Kaif's first release of 2010 was Prakash Jha's political thriller Raajneeti, where she appeared opposite Ranbir Kapoor and Arjun Rampal. The film was a modern-day adaptation of The Mahabharata set against the political backdrop of Delhi. Nana Patekar, Manoj Bajpai and Shruti Seth also played starring roles. Upon release, the film performed extremely well at the box office, and earned Kaif favourable reviews for her portrayal of the dynamic Indu Sakseria.^[39] Her final release that year was Farah Khan's brainless comedy Tees Maar Khan with Akshay Kumar.^[40] The film received unanimous negative reviews from critics and was declared a flop. However, Kaif's item number Sheila Ki Jawani became a major chartbuster.^[41]

Kaif (second from left) promoting ZNMD in Chandigarh with the cast of the film

In 2011, she was seen alongside Hrithik Roshan, Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol and Kalki Koechlin in Zoya Akhtar's dramedy Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara,^[42] which emerged as a major critical and commercial success. Kaif was praised for her portrayal of a fun-loving diving instructor Laila. Taran Adarsh wrote, "Katrina is a revelation...the actress continues to surprise you with her performances in film after film."^[43] She next featured in Yash Raj Films' comedy Mere Brother Ki Dulhan opposite Imran Khan and Ali Zafar.^[44] The film was successful at the box office, and earned Kaif positive notice for her portrayal of vivacious punk-rock girl Dimple Dixit, with Rahul Gangwani saying "the film ultimately belongs to Katrina Kaif. She sparkles, sizzles and infuses energy into the film."^[45] Consequently, she received her second Filmfare nomination in the Best Actress category.

As of January 2012, Kaif is set to appear in three high-profile productions under the Yash Raj Films banner such as Kabir Khan's spy thriller Ek Tha Tiger opposite Salman Khan, Yash Chopra's Untitled Project alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Anushka Sharma and Vijay Krishna Acharya's adventure film Dhoom 3 alongside Aamir Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Uday Chopra and Rimi Sen.

Voice dubbing[link]

It should be noted that due to her poor knowledge of Hindi (and other Indian languages), Kaif's voice was often dubbed by another actress. However, with the exception of De Dana Dan she has used her own voice for all of her films since New York. Earlier, she had dubbed for films like Namastey London and Singh Is Kinng.^[46]

Brand endorsements[link]

In the year 2002, Katrina Kaif was chosen as Coca-Cola's brand ambassador in Tamil Nadu along with Tamil leading actor Vijay. The Coca-Cola advertisement was popular in Tamil Nadu, with Katrina Kaif and Vijay dancing to a Tamil song called "Gullu Gullu".^[47] She has also worked for several skin products companies, particularly Veet, as well as several multi-national brands, such as Panasonic.^[48] Katrina is now the brand ambassador of the national airline of the United Arab Emirates – Etihad Airways.^[49]

Awards[link]

She has won 14 awards including Filmfare awards and also nominated for 13 awards till now.

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

Bollywood portal

• British Indian

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Katrina Kaif

• Katrina Kaif at the Internet Movie Database

Karan Johar
Karan Johar at Fox Star Studios' Press Conference for My Name Is Khan.
Born	Karan Dharma Kama Johar (1972-05-25) 25 May 1972 (age 40) Mumbai, Maharastra, India
Occupation	Actor, Director, Producer, Screenwriter, Costume designer, Television host
Years active	1995–present
Parents	Yash Johar Hiroo Johar

Karan Johar (born 25 May 1972) is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, Costume designer and Television host based in Bollywood. He is the son of Hiroo Johar and Yash Johar.^[1][2] He is also the head of the production company Dharma Productions. He is most known for directing and producing some of Bollywood's highest grossing films in India and abroad. The four films he has directed, all starring Shahrukh Khan, have been India's highest grossing productions in the overseas market.^[3] The success of those films resulted in crediting Johar for changing the way Indian cinema has been perceived in the West.^[3]

Johar entered the film industry as an actor in Aditya Chopra's Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. He later made his directorial debut with the highly successful romantic comedy, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai which won him a Filmfare Award For Best Director and Filmfare Best Screenplay Award. His following directorial efforts were the family drama, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2001) and the romantic drama, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), a movie which dealt with the theme of adultery. Both films were major financial successes in India and abroad. Johar thus established himself as one of the most successful filmmakers in Bollywood.^[4][5] His fourth film, My Name Is Khan (2010) was met with positive reviews and grossed over 2 billion worldwide.^[6] It earned him his second Best Director award at the Filmfare ceremony.

Early life[link]

Karan Johar was born in Mumbai, India to Indian Bollywood film producer Yash Johar, founder of Dharma Productions and Hiroo Johar. He studied at the Greenlawns High School and attended H.R. College of Commerce and Economics, both in Mumbai. He received a Masters degree in French.^[7]

As a child, he was influenced by commercial Indian cinema and he cites Raj Kapoor, Yash Chopra and Sooraj R. Barjatya as his inspirations.^[2][8] For a period of time, Johar followed numerology, creating film titles in which the first word and a number of others in the title began with the letter "K." After watching the 2006 film, Lage Raho Munna Bhai which was critical of numerology, Johar decided to stop this practice.^[9]

Career[link]

Acting and directing[link]

Johar formally entered the film industry as an actor, portraying Raj's (Shahrukh Khan) close friend in Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995). He was also assistant director on the film and helped director Aditya Chopra in writing the screenplay.^[2] In addition, he selected Shahrukh Khan's costumes, something he continued to do for Shahrukh Khan's other movies like Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Duplicate (1998), Mohabbatein (2000), Main Hoon Na and Veer-Zaara (2004) and Om Shanti Om (2007).^[2]

Johar made his directorial debut at the age of 25 with the cult film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai in 1998 which he also wrote the story and screenplay for. Johar first wrote a story about a love triangle between a tomboy, a very pretty looking girl and a slightly insensitive boy but he shelved the idea because he was not satisfied with it. Then he wrote an other plot about a widower and his child. which he shelved as well. Eventually he decided to merge the two stories into one. He explained in an interview with Rediff: "It was about the trauma of a widower and his little child. How the child really wants a mother and how she brings her mother into her father's life. Then I thought: Why not bring an youth aspect to the story? Why not a flashback? That's how the story got made." ^[10] Starring Shahrukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukerji, the film was well received by critics and audience alike. It won a National awards, eight Filmfare Awards in 1998 including Best Movie, Best Director and all four Best Actor awards for both leading and supporting roles.^[2][11] It was also the highest grossing Indian movie of the year in India and abroad and was declared an all time blockbuster by Box Office India.^[12]

Johar with Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, with whom he forms the famous trio of Indian cinema

Johar's second directorial effort was the family drama, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, released in 2001. It featured an ensemble star-cast that included Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Kareena Kapoor and Hrithik Roshan. It was the fifth film to star Khan and Kajol and their last together in the decade until their next cast, again by Johar, in 2010. Johar stated that he make the film because of his desire to create a saga like Yash Chopra's Kabhi Kabhie which dealt with parent-child relationships.^[13] He also added that "The posters of all those big stars glittering on a banner had entranced me in childhood. I said one day I will make a film with big stars standing together in one frame. I integrated both ideas in K3G."^[13] The film was a major financial success and became India's second highest-grossing film of the year and one of the biggest Bollywood success of all time in the overseas market, earning over 1 billion worldwide.^[14] Box Office India called it "one of the true Worldwide blockbusters of Hindi cinema".^[15] It was also critically well received, winning five Filmfare Awards.^[16]

In May 2005, after taking a four-year break from directing, Johar began working on his third film as a director and fourth film as writer; Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, (Never Say Goodbye). With an ensemble cast including Shahrukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Preity Zinta, Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji and Kirron Kher. The film told the story of two unhappily married couples in New York, which later results in an extramarital affair. On its release in 11 August 2006, the film received generally mixed reviews because it dealt with themes that were considered taboo in the Indian society. Johar, in an interview with CNN-IBN clarified: "When it’s called a film about adultery and infidelity, I’d like to say that it has not been treated frivolously at all. There is a lot of dignity and intensity given to the plot, even though it deals with slightly gray areas of life (...) Though this one treads on gray areas, it never veers towards the black."^[17] The film however, opened to strong box office numbers and became the sixth highest grossing film of the year in India and the highest grossing overseas film of all time.^[18][19] It grossed over 1.13 billion worldwide.^[14]

Although the content of the film was deemed controversial, Johar's work as director and writer was applauded, Rajeev Masand noted: "Few writers have such solid control over their screenplay as Karan Johar does. Few understand the intricacies of narrative as well as he does. Johar goes from highs to lows, from plateaus to peaks with the ease of a pro. He knows exactly how to turn a seemingly ordinary scene into something special with just that one line of dialogue, or that hint of background music."^[20] And Taran Adarsh added: "In a nutshell, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna bears the unmistakable stamp of a genius -- Karan Johar. The master storyteller only polishes his skills further, proving yet again that he's a forward-thinker and also, a progressive storyteller."^[21] The film was shown at the Tokyo International Film Festival and its script was invited to be included in the library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[22] It was eventually nominated for ten Filmfare awards, including Best Director and Best Film.

In November 2009, Johar ended shooting for his film My Name Is Khan starring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol Devgan, reuniting them after eight years. The film debuted in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on 10 February 2010. It was also screened as part of the 60th Berlin International Film Festival's official selection the same month.^[23] Critics noted that with the film, Johar has broken away from his typical style of film making - lavish sets, filmi songs and dance sequences and designer cloths.^[24][25] The filmmaker himself confirmed that, stating: "in all my 11 years as a filmmaker I’ve never felt the experience to be so different. The content of My Name Is Khan is diametrically opposite to whatever I’ve done in the past."^[26] There were also discussion about its content, which was "serious" and "thinking", not a satirical entertainer like his previous films. Speaking about the film, he said in an interview with Bollywood Hungama:"MNIK is an unusual Bollywood film, if at all, and doesn't have those quintessential pre-requisite elements that any Bollywood film has (...) All I can say is that MNIK is going to open windows and doors to many people who have stories to tell and are shy to put their story on the celluloid"^[27] Upon release, the film was met with overwhelmingly positive reviews and strong box office reports; My Name is Khan was the highest-grossing Bollywood film overseas at the time, grosseing over 2 billion worldwide.^[6] Rajeev Masand, in a positive review, noted: "Johar crafts an engaging, stirring saga that is earnest and noble. With this message movie in the mainstream format, the director takes a step in the right direction."^[24] It earned him his second Best Director award at the Filmfare ceremony.

Producer[link]

Dharma Productions, founded by his father, is Johar's production company. He became the main producer of the company after his father's death. In a 2003 interview with The Hindu, he explained his production strategy: "I wanted my production house to walk before running. I need to be streamlined, build my infrastructure. I do want to make all kinds of movies because I have watched all kinds of movies."^[13]

Johar wrote and produced the 2003 film, Kal Ho Naa Ho which was directed by Nikhil Advani. A drama set in New York City, starring Shahrukh Khan, Jaya Bachchan, Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan. The film was received favorably by critics and became a box office success in India and the highest grossing film in the overseas that year.^[28] It has won eight Filmfare awards and two National film awards. His 2005 film, Kaal was directed by Soham Shah, Johar's assistant director from Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham.^[18] He produced two films in 2009, first Ayan Mukerji's coming of age romantic drama Wake Up Sid and the thriller Kurbaan. He is also responsible for the official Hindi-language remake of Stepmom, called We Are Family featuring Kajol, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in the lead roles which was shot in Mumbai and Sydney, Australia. When Johar first decided to adapt the movie for an Indian audience, he initially intended to buy the rights to the film but eventually opted to co-produce it with Sony Pictures.^[29] The same year, he co-produced the Imran Khan and Sonam Kapoor, starter I Hate Luv Storys with UTV Motion Pictures. The film went on to become a box office hit.^[30]

In an interview with The Times Of India, Johar explained that he had the intention of remaking the 1990 thriller Agneepath which was then produced by his father, because the commercial failure of the film broke his father's heart. The idea of the remake materialized on the sets of his film My Name Is Khan when Johar asked his assistant director Karan Malhotra to revisit it again.^[31] The remake was released in January 2012 to both critical and commercial success. He further produced the 2012 romantic comedy, Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu. Starring both Kareena Kapoor and Imran Khan, the film was met with positive critical reception and moderate box office success.^[32] He will also be producing Dostana 2. and Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani.

Television[link]

In 2004, Johar became the host of the celebrity-based chat show, Koffee with Karan, in which he interviewed renowned celebrities from Bollywood and India's glamour world.^[33] The first season of the shown which began airing on Star TV and Star World on November 19, 2004. The programme was met with huge success and became the first English entertainment show to score a huge rating in India.^[34] The season lasted for twenty five episodes. The show was then put on hold due to Johar's commitment to his directorial project, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna but returned for a second season in February 2007. It was then renewed for a third season which commenced in November 2010 after Johar's fourth film, My Name Is Khan was released.^[33] The show is noted for its fresh and witty appeal, and it is very popular with the younger audiences.

Johar's second television outing was the 2010 show Lift Kara De. The concept of the show was to introduce nineteen of the biggest stars of Bollywood to their biggest fan. The Show choses three fans for a superstar. They will perform a task and who ever gathers more money wins the contests and get the opportunity to meet his idol. The money is then multiplied 500 times by the Show and the star and is used to "lift" a life of a very poor family who is in need. It premiered on January 2010 on Sony TV and ended on May 2010 lasting for 28 episodes.

After the third season of the show concluded, Johar stated in an interview with Mid-Day that he will be taking a long hiatus from the show, explaining: "I'm done with Koffee and my other extra-curricular activities for now. In case people have forgotten, I'm a filmmaker."^[35] He further noted: “We should just leave Koffee With Karan where it is. Instead of doing season four, I’d like the audience to remember me as the host of three unforgettable editions.”^[36] However, in February 2012, he confirmed his return to hosting a fourth edition of the show after being approached by the channel as it has been flooded with requests for the show to come back.^[36] Johar announced that he will start working on the new season after he finishes directing Student Of The Year.^[36] The fourth season will start airing from June and will feature a new format.^[36]

Filmography[link]

Actor

• Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) – Rocky
• Main Hoon Na (2004) – Credits
• Home Delivery: Aapko... Ghar Tak (2005) – Himself
• Alag (2006) – (himself/voice in the song "Sabse Alag")
• Salaam-e-Ishq (2007) – (himself/voice)
• Om Shanti Om (2007) – (cameo as himself)
• C Kkompany (2008) – (cameo as the Game show host)
• Fashion (2008) – (cameo as himself)
• Luck by Chance (2009) – (cameo as himself)

Awards[link]

National Film Awards[link]

Won

• 1999: National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment (Director) - Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Filmfare Awards[link]

Won

• 1999: Best Director - Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
• 1999: Best Screenplay – Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
• 2002: Best Dialogue – Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
• 2011: Best Director – My Name Is Khan

Nominated

• 2002: Best Director – Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham
• 2004: Best Movie – Kal Ho Na Ho
• 2008: Best Director – Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna
• 2009: Best Movie - Dostana
• 2010: Best Movie - Wake Up Sid

IIFA Awards[link]

Won

• 2001: Best Costume Designer – Mohabbatein
• 2002: Best Dialogue – Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
• 2004: Best Story – Kal Ho Na Ho
• 2011: Best Director - My Name Is Khan

Nominated

• 2002: Best Director – Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
• 2008: Best Director – Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna

Star Screen Awards[link]

Won

• 1999: Best Director – Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
• 2004: Best Screenplay – Kal Ho Naa Ho

Nominated

• 2002: Best Director – Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham
• 2004: Best Movie – Kal Ho Na Ho

Zee Cine Awards[link]

• 1999: Best Director – Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
• 2011: Best Director – My Name Is Khan
• 2011: Best Story – My Name Is Khan^[37]

Honors[link]

• In 2007, Johar was chosen as one of 250 Global Young Leaders by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum 2006.^[38]
• On 30 September 2006, Johar became the first Indian filmmaker to be a jury member in the Miss World competition, in Warsaw, Poland.^[39]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Karan Johar

• My Name Is Karan – Karan Johar's Official Blog
• Karan Johar at the Internet Movie Database

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Singh Is Kinng
File:Singhisking.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Anees Bazmee
Produced by	Vipul Amrutlal Shah
Screenplay by	Anees Bazmee Suresh Nair
Story by	Anees Bazmee
Starring	Akshay Kumar Katrina Kaif Ranvir Shorey Neha Dhupia Javed Jaffrey Sonu Sood
Music by	Pritam
Cinematography	Sanjay F. Gupta Ben Nott
Distributed by	Viacom 18 Motion Pictures Reliance Big Pictures Blockbuster Movie Entertainers
Release date(s)	8 August 2008
Running time	2:16:08
Country	India
Language	Hindi Punjabi
Budget	50 crore (US$9.98 million)[1]
Box office	241 crore (US$48.08 million)[2]

Singh is Kinng (Hindi: सिंह इज़ किंग, Punjabi: ਸਿੰਘ ਇਜ਼ ਕਿੰਗ) is a 2008 Bollywood action comedy film. The film is directed by Anees Bazmee and stars Akshay Kumar and Katrina Kaif, the film also featured a music video with Snoop Dogg. About 75% of the movie was shot in Australia, around the Gold Coast region and Brisbane using an Australian production team (Instinct India). The film was released on 8 August 2008.^[3] Akshay Kumar has been nominated for Best Actor at the 3rd Asian Film Awards for his performance in the film.^[4]

The spelling of the word "king" in the film's title with an additional letter "n" was based on advice provided by a numerologist,^[5] a practice which has become routine in Bollywood.^[6]

Plot[link]

Lakhan Singh (Sonu Sood), also called "Lucky," is the "kinng" of the Australian underworld, and is the first "Singh Is Kinng" of the film's title. He is accompanied by his associates, Julie (Neha Dhupia), Mika (Jaaved Jaffrey), Pankaj Udaas (Yashpal Sharma), Raftaar (Sudhanshu Pandey) and Dilbaugh Singh (Manoj Pahwa). In a small village in Punjab, the birthplace of Lucky, lives a criminal more notorious than Lucky himself—Happy Singh (Akshay Kumar). Happy has caused many problems and disastrous situations in the village, and the villagers are fed up with him. They decide to send Happy on a long trip to Australia with his friend Rangeela (Om Puri) to bring Lucky back to Punjab, which will keep Happy out of the village for some time and bring peace to the village.

But at the airport, Happy's and Rangeela's tickets to Australia are accidentally exchanged with that of a man named Puneet (Ranvir Shorey) who was hoping to use to fly to Egypt. In Egypt, Happy helps Sonia (Katrina Kaif) and falls deeply in love with her. But he does not express his love to her. Leaving her behind, he heads to Australia to meet Lucky. Lucky refuses to return to his hometown and throws Happy and Rangeela out of the house. Penniless, Happy finds warmth and affection in an elderly lady (Kirron Kher) who provides him with food in spite of being a stranger.

Lucky winds up in hospital, paralyzed, after a series of violent incidents that Happy causes. (In one of these incidents, his head is bumped severely, and the trauma from the resultant concussion is what paralyzes him.) Happy unexpectedly receives the title of Kinng—thereby becoming the other "Singh Is Kinng" of the film's title. Alas, Happy is not proud of his rank and is kind-hearted. The lady who helped Happy is really worried and depressed as her daughter is returning from Egypt with her wealthy boyfriend, Puneet. The daughter does not know that after the death of her father years ago, her mother became poverty-stricken and was reduced to work as a flower seller. Happy gives the flower-seller his spacious house and makes all his mafia associates work under her.

The lady's daughter arrives—and to Happy's horror, she is none other than Sonia. Happy, heart-broken, is forced to make a show of happiness to Sonia. Puneet says that he too would have had a good time with Happy and Sonia in Egypt had his ticket to Egypt not been exchanged in the airport, because of which he had ended up in Australia. Puneet had always been jealous of Sonia being with Happy. However, he doubts anything is going on between them. He and Sonia squabble about this topic; it is Happy who handles it.

In spite of herself, Sonia falls in love with Happy—and the truth becomes difficult to hide. Sonia becomes aware of her poverty. Puneet sets his heart to marry Sonia. Sonia gets trapped in an emotional tug-of-war between Puneet, who loves her, and Happy, whom she loves.

Puneet meets Mika, who is also the brother of the Kinng, and who agrees to kill Happy. Puneet's motives to kill Happy, however, differ from Mika's: Puneet wants to kill Happy to keep Sonia away from him, whereas Mika wants to kill Happy to make himself Kinng.

The wedding day dawns and there is firing (all because Julie drops some guns). Puneet hides while the pandit chants the mantras, his head totally covered by a pot, amidst gunfire all around. Meanwhile Happy takes Sonia's hand in order to save her and unknowingly both run around the fire seven times essentially getting married. (During all this, Lucky's head is bumped, and the trauma-induced paralysis he had suffered from is relieved.) Suddenly, Mika turns up on the spot, ready to kill Happy, armed with a gang and his new special glasses and hearing aid. As he is about to shoot, Lucky steps up and stops him. Then a dialogue ensues between Mika, Happy, Lucky and the associates of the kinng (sic). Then Happy tells him that being the "king" is no great thing. Lucky confesses that he always found sadness being Kinng, because a true king does not fight for himself, but for others. Overcome with remorse, Mika drops his revolver. The movie ends happily, with Happy and Sonia's marriage.

Cast and Crew[link]

Cast[link]

Crew[link]

• Directed by Anees Bazmee
• Produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah
• Distributed by Adlabs
• Music by Pritam and RDB
• Stunts by Allan Amin

Music[link]

The music was composed by Pritam. The song "Singh Is Kinng" was composed by the British bhangra band RDB. The soundtrack was launched officially at the IIFA Awards in Bangkok on 8 June 2008 where Akshay Kumar and RDB performed two songs from the soundtrack.

The film's music received particular attention in the United States due to the involvement of Snoop Dogg who has a cameo in the film performing the title song. Snoop Dogg's performance has been described as "The first time that a mainstream American artist has performed on a Bollywood soundtrack".^[7]

The tracks from the film include:

Controversies[link]

Before the movie was released, it was reported that the Sikh community in Khar, Mumbai was very pleased with the portrayal of the Sikhs in the film. Vipul Shah, the producer of the film, was felicitated at the Khar Gurdwara on 18 June 2008. He said, "Our intention was to portray the community in the right way and I am glad that we have managed to achieve it."^[8]

But some members of the Sikh community had expressed their displeasure over the portrayal of Sikhs in the movie. The Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC) announced that it was up to the audience to decide if it wanted to see the film or not.^[9]

On 1 August 2008, the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) sought a ban on the movie, saying that it "ridiculed" the Sikh community. It wrote a letter to Sheila Dikshit, the chief minister of Delhi, asking her to ban the movie.^[9] The main objection raised was that the film promos showed Akshay Kumar's character sporting a trimmed beard, which Sikhs found offensive as they believe that a Sikh should not trim his beard. Akshay Kumar and Vipul Shah had a 50-minute discussion with the DSGMC authorities, in which they explained the positive message behind the film. The DSGMC members requested twelve changes, with which the filmmakers complied. As a result of the discussion, DSGMC gave a "clean chit" to the movie on 7 August 2008.^[9]

Release[link]

Reception[link]

The film was well received by critics and opened to mostly positive reviews. Taran Adarsh from Bollywood Hungama rated the film 4 out of 5, and reported "Singh Is Kinng lives up to the hype and hoopla. Want a joyride without taxing your brains? Board the Singh is Kinng wagon. At the box-office, the film will fetch a hurricane-like start. The paid previews, the opening weekend, the first week business, everything will be record-shattering. Notwithstanding the new oppositions in the weeks to come, Singh is Kinng will rule the hearts of the aam junta [whose verdict matters the most] as also the box-office, proving a record holder in the final tally." NDTV India gave the it 2.5/5 stars, whilst Rediff gave it a positive rating of 3.5/5 stars. The film was showcased at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival.

Box office[link]

Singh Is Kinng opened to a 95–100% occupancy in India and grossed Rs. 29 crore in its first weekend, breaking the previous record of Rs. 22 crore set by Om Shanti Om. The film went on to gross Rs. 43.77 crores in the first week in India alone. This broke the record for the highest opening week gross also previously held by Om Shanti Om, which grossed Rs. 41 crores in first week in 2007. It has netted INR 68.48 crore in India, and is currently the 16th highest-grossing film according to net collections. It did record breaking business in Delhi, Rajasthan and East Punjab whereas the rest of India it did good business.

Worldwide, Singh Is Kinng had an excellent opening. It shattered records in Pakistan. It has grossed over 2 crores in Pakistan in two weeks, which is a record for any Indian film. In North America, it grossed $1.1 million USD in the first weekend. In the UK, it grossed approximately $1 million USD. The film was elevated to "Blockbuster" verdict worldwide.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Singh Is Kinng at the Internet Movie Database

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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]