Asin Thottumkal
Asin at Housefull 2 promo in 2012.
Born	Asin Thottumkal (1985-10-26) 26 October 1985 (age 26)[1] Cochin, Kerala, India
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Actress, model
Years active	2001 – present
Height	5 ft 4 in (163 cm)[citation needed]
Parents	Joseph Thottumkal Dr. Seline Thottumkal
Website
asinonline.com

Asin Thottumkal (born 26 October 1985^[1]), known mononymously as Asin, is an Indian film actress who predominantly appears in Hindi and Tamil Cinema ,while also appearing in Telugu and Malayalam Cinema once in a way. Making her acting debut in Sathyan Anthikkad's Malayalam film Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka (2001), Asin had her first commercial success with the Telugu film Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi in 2003, and won a Filmfare Best Telugu Actress Award for the film,she then appeared in several commercially successful films like Shivamani 9848022338 (2003), Lakshmi Narasimha (2004) and Gharshana (2004), she has thus established herself as a leading actress in Telugu Film Industry.^[2]

M. Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi (2004) was her debut in Tamil and a huge success. She received her Filmfare Best Tamil Actress Award for her most noted critically acclaimed performance in her third Tamil film, Ghajini (2005). She played the lead female roles in several films such as the dramatic thriller Varalaru (2006), the action thriler Sivakasi (2005),Pokkiri (2007) and Dasavathaaram (2008). She thus established her as leading actress in Tamil cinema.^[3][4]

In late 2008, Asin made her début in the Bollywood film Ghajini (2008) which was the first bollywood film to have collected more than 100 crore in the domestic box office, subsequently winning the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. She also starred in blockbuster movies Ready (2011) opposite Salman Khan and Housefull 2 (2012) alongside Akshay Kumar, thus establishing herself as a leading actress in Bollywood as well.^[5] Her recent hindi release Housefull 2 also had record breaking opening collections in Bollywood.^[6]

Early life & background[link]

Asin was born in Kochi, Kerala on 26 October 1985 to Josheph and Seline Thottumkal. Her father, Joseph Thottumkal originally from a Nasrani Christian family in Thodupuzha,^[7] managed several businesses. Her mother, Seline Thottumkal remains a surgeon, who moved settlements from Kochi to Chennai to Mumbai to live with her daughter. Asin has quoted that her name means "pure and without blemish". She claims that the 'A' in her name is from Sanskrit meaning "without", and 'sin' from English".^[8]

She attended Naval Public School from L.K.G.(Pre.K) through 10th standard (grade). She then attended St. Teresa's School in Kochi for her Plus Two education. After that she attended St. Teresa's College for Women in Kochi, a college affiliated with MG University, where she earned a Bachelors of Arts degree in English Literature.^[9] The actress can speak seven languages; being well-versed in Malayalam (her mother tongue), two other South Indian languages (Tamil, Telugu) as well as Hindi, French, English and Sanskrit.^[10]

Career[link]

Early work (2001–2004)[link]

Asin at the screen awards 2012.

Asin Thottumkal debuted in a Malayalam film Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka in 2001, at the age of 16. After taking a year out to pursue her education, Asin returned with her breakthrough film as an actress, Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi opposite Ravi Teja, portraying a Tamil girl in her first Telugu language film, which subsequently fetched her the Telugu Filmfare Award for Best Actress.^[11] In the same year she won the Santosham Best Actress Award for her performance alongside Akkineni Nagarjuna in her second Telugu film, Shivamani.^[11] Her following two Telugu films, Lakshmi Narasimha and Gharshana, both portrayed Asin as the love interest for police officers.

Asin's first Tamil language film was M. Kumaran S/O Mahalakshmi, in which she co-starred with Jayam Ravi. Asin reprised her role from her film Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi for the remake, which saw her portraying a Malayali girl instead of the Tamil girl in the original. The movie subsequently went on to become one of the biggest hits in Tamil cinema during 2004, introducing Asin to Tamil film industry.^[12] After a brief return to Telugu films, to do Chakram, she appeared in Ullam Ketkumae.^[13] The film, initially launched in 2002, is a college love story, directed by Jeeva, which was long-delayed but eventually became a successful venture at the box-office, creating wider opportunities for her and the rest of the cast.^[14]

Breakthrough (2005–2007)[link]

After the release of Ullam Ketkumae, Asin was cited as a leading heroine of the Tamil film industry after starring in blockbuster films like Ghajini, Sivakasi, Varalaru and Pokkiri respectively.^[15] The film which provided the breakthrough for Asin was Ghajini. The film, co-starring Surya and was directed by A. R. Murugadoss, earned her the Tamil Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Her role was that of a vivacious young model named Kalpana. Sify.com praised her portrayal as "magical", describing her character as a "lovable chatterbox", played with "sheer ability in the romantic interludes, the poignant and heartfelt scenes when she rescues minor girls from villains and her gory end are touching".^[16] The following Diwali in 2005, Asin had two releases, Sivakasi and Majaa. Despite the latter becoming an average grosser, the former went on to be a successful venture at the box office.^[17][18]

The following year, her long-delayed venture, Varalaru opposite Ajith Kumar also succeeded at the box office, and The Hindu said she "looks lustrous and sails through her role smoothly".^[19] Asin appeared in Pawan Kalyan's Annavaram, another successful venture which was a remake of Thirupaachi.^[20] In January 2007, Asin appeared opposite Ajith Kumar and Vijay in two different films, Aalwar and Pokkiri, with the latter becoming a success, whilst Aalwar became a failure. Whilst Asin's role in Aalwar was criticized, her performance in Pokkiri was lauded by critics.^[21][22] Her final project of the year was opposite Surya, in Hari's Vel, which had a Diwali 2007 release, subsequently becoming her third successful film which released during the Diwali season in three years. Asin, who portrayed a TV anchor, was appreciated for her role in the film.^[23]

Success & hindi films (2008–2010)[link]

Asin in 2010.

Asin appeared in her first dual role in K. S. Ravikumar's Dasavathaaram opposite Kamal Haasan, who portrayed ten roles. The film, which was under production since September 2006, became Asin's largest film till date. Despite being overshadowed by Haasan's ten roles, Asin's portrayals in the film were praised as her "best-to-date" with one of her roles being that of a Vaishnavite in 12th century Tamil Nadu; whilst the other character was a Brahmin girl from Chidambaram for which she won her first ITFA Best Actress Award.^[24] Dasavathaaram subsequently went on to become one of the biggest blockbusters in South Indian film history.^[25]

Since establishing herself as the leading actress in South India, Asin opted to move into Bollywood. Her first film, Ghajini opposite Aamir Khan was the remake of her breakthrough film of the same name. Upon release, the film garnered positive reactions from critics and masses alike, with Asin being singled out for her "fabulous" portray. Noted critic, Taran Adarsh described her Hindi debut as "fabulous" and that "to share the screen space with an actor of the stature of Aamir Khan and yet remain in your memory even after the show has ended is no cakewalk. She looks fresh and photogenic and acts her part brilliantly", giving Asin's performance a positive outlook.^[26]

Ghajini is the highest grossing Bollywood film of 2008 and sixth highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time according to net collections.^[27] Asin later appeared in Vipul Shah's London Dreams alongside Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan, in which she played as a south Indian girl, Priya, who is emotional but strong willed and an ambitious dancer at the same time.^[28][29] The film received mixed reviews from critics.

After the debacle of London Dreams in which most of her scenes were chopped off, Asin rejected several Bollywood movies including Priyadarshan's De Dana Dan opposite Akshay Kumar,^[30] Delhi-6 opposite Abhishek Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar's Kartik Calling Kartik^[31] and Ashutosh Gowariker's period flick Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey opposite Abhishek Bachchan^[32] and decided to be part of Tamil movie Kaavalan.

Kaavalan was released on 15 January 2011. The film was a critical and commercial success.^[33] Behindwoods review of the film praised her performance: "Asin, in Tamil for the first time after Dasavatharam, convinces us with her portrayal. The chemistry of the lead pair has worked out well; especially the portions where Asin tries various ways to exasperate Vijay; things that ultimately result in love". After this film, she is the highest paid south Indian actress with 2 crore (US$399,000).^[34]

Bollywood films (2011–present)[link]

Asin at Housefull 2 party at Akshay Kumar's house, 2012.

Her next movie with Salman Khan, Ready was released on 3 June 2011 to mixed reviews.^[35] Critics praised the chemistry between Salman and Asin.^[36] Upon release, Ready became the second highest weekend grossing Bollywood film, after Dabangg^[37] and went on to became the fifth film in Bollywood history to collect more than 100 crore (US$19.95 million) in the domestic market.^[38]

Housefull 2 opposite Akshay Kumar released on 6th April 2012. Housefull 2 became the third blockbuster for Asin after Ghajini and Ready in bollywood, which also went on to collect more than 100 crore (US$19.95 million) in the domestic market.^[39] The critics praised Asin as compared to other actresses in the film proving her acting capability and star power.^[40] Bollywood Hungama's reviewer Taran Adarsh stated, "Amongst the female leads, Asin has the meatiest role and gives a decent account of herself. Jacqueline, Shazahn and Zarine act more as eye candy."^[41] While a reviewer from Behindwoods stated "Asin looks super chic and has really spiced up her clothes with her generous necklines, micro-minis and hot pants."^[42] and another reviewer from Sify.com stated, "Asin shines with her spirited act."^[43]

She is currently filming for Rohit Shetty's Bol Bachchan, which also includes Ajay Devgn and Abhishek Bachchan. The shooting of the film is currently in progress and is slated for July 2012 release.^[44]

Awards[link]

Asin has won a number of awards for her performance in various films in the Tamil, Telugu and Hindi industries, including the Kalaimamani award by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu in 2009.^[45] She also won the Giant award along with Shahid Kapoor in the same year.^[46]

She has won various Filmfare awards and other prominent awards for her acting skills in all three major industries which she has been part of in her career. The three Filmfare awards, she has won so far includes, Filmfare Best Telugu Actress Award for Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi, Filmfare Best Tamil Actress Award for Ghajini and Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for her Hindi debut in Ghajini.

Asin was also awarded for her achievements and success in the field of entertainment by the government of Kerala in March 2012. The annual award is presented to women who are true icons for young women in Kerala. She quoted,

"I'm honoured and humbled. It was amazing to receive the award on home soil. Though I have attended several award ceremonies and bagged several honours all these years, this was singularly unique for me. It was special even for my family. Being recognised by people in the place where you come from has special significance."^[47]

She has also won Stardust Award for Superstar of Tomorrow - Female, IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year – Female and Star Screen Award for Most Promising Newcomer - Female and was also nominated for Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance in Ghajini. Apart from her Filmfare awards, she has also won Santosham Best Actress Award for her performance in Shivamani 9848022338 alongside Nagarjuna and ITFA Best Actress Award for her portrayal of a Brahmin girl opposite Kamal Haasan in Dasavathaaram. In 2012, she won the "Pride of Kerala" award at the Asianet Film Awards.

Other works[link]

Brand ambassador[link]

Asin at Fairever launch.

Asin is the brand ambassador for a number of products including Fairever Fairness cream, Clinic All Clear Shampoo, Parachute Hair Oil, Colgate Maxfresh Tooth paste, Mirinda (soft drink), Spinz Talcum Powder, BIG 92.7 FM Radio station, Tanishq, Goldplus Jewellery, Fair & Lovely, ^[48]and Sure (anti-perspirant).^[49]

The soap brand Lux signed Asin as their brand ambassador in late 2010.^[50] Earlier, Asin was also signed as the brand ambassador for Amrutanjan.^[51] Asin was also the brand ambassador for Big Bazaar, with the Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.^[52]

Philanthropy[link]

Asin Thottumkal has decided to fund the education of Radhika, an eight-year-old orphan girl from Kerala.^[53] During her shoot of her film Ready with Salman Khan she was part of the camps that were meant to help the Sri Lankan Tamil people who were affected by the wars in Sri Lanka.^[54]

In an interview during the Women’s Half Marathon, Asin was talking about the importance of health and the necessity of eductaion and quoted,

“This cause is probably one of the biggest women centric issues in our country. I support the education of six children each year, five of which are girls. I have closely worked with these children and I know that if given the opportunity, women can educate themselves much better and know what is wrong or right for them. Education is a basic right and women should not be deprieved of that."^[55]

Filmography[link]

Hindi[link]

Tamil[link]

Telugu[link]

Malayalam[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Asin (actress)

• Asin at the Internet Movie Database

Komal Nahta is the editor and publisher of "Film Information", India's largest film trade journal. He is also an anchor of the Trade show ETC Bollywood Business on the Bollywood TV channels ETC and Zee Cinema. ^[1] He is also the co-owner of koimoi.com which is a joint foray into the Online Entertainment & News segment in partnership with Mr. Alok Kejriwal (CEO, Games2Win India Pvt. Ltd.). He is also the Chairman of Eros International.

Career[link]

His interviews are carried by many satellite channels, including CNBC, STAR, Zee, B4U, NDTV, Zoom and Doordarshan. He was also the Bollywood representative of the BBC for almost 10 years. The Asian Development bank(ADB) has appointed him advisor for its film financing division, the first person from the film industry to be so appointed. He has recently launched a new tabloid called "The Film Street Journal".^[2]

On 26 April 2010, Nahta replaced Taran Adarsh as the host of ETC Bollywood Business on the indian TV channels ETC (India) and Zee Cinema (UK). The show airs daily on weekdays at 8:30 pm in India^[3] and at 7:30 pm in the UK. On Mondays, the show is about the previous fridays collections. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Nahta speaks to various artists from the film industry. Thursdays preview films releasing on Friday. On Fridays, Nahta will be review films released on that day.^[4][5] The show launched the first episode with Sajid Nadiadwala as the guest. He is also the Editor of Entertainment website www.koimoi.com^[6] He has also given a special appearance in the 2010 comedy, Tees Maar Khan, along with Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif and Akshaye Khanna.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Profile from Sify.com
• Komal Nahta on Twitter
• Box Office Half-Yearly Report Card: RED MARKS ALL THE WAY!
• Alliance Against Copyright Theft To Combat Piracy: A Joke
• Google search results

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Ajay Devgan
Born	Vishal Devgan[1] (1969-04-02) 2 April 1969 (age 43) New Delhi, India
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Other names	Ajay Devgan[2]
Occupation	Film actor, Director, Producer
Years active	1991–present
Spouse	Kajol (m.1999–present; 2 children)
Website
ajaydevgn.com

Ajay Devgan (Hindi: अजय देवगन), born Vishal Devgan on 2 April 1969,^[1] is an Indian film actor, director, and producer.^[1] He made his film debut with Phool Aur Kaante in 1991 and received a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his performance in the film.^[3][4] He then starred in films such as Jigar (1992), Dilwale (1994), Suhaag (1994), Naajayaz (1995), Diljale (1996) and Ishq (1997). In 1999, Devgan received his first National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Mahesh Bhatt's drama Zakhm. Some of his later films of the decade are Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Kachche Dhaage.

In the early 2000s, he starred in Lajja (2001) and Company (2002). In 2003, he won his second National Film Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Bhagat Singh in Rajkumar Santoshi's biopic The Legend of Bhagat Singh. Throughout his career he has given many critically and commercially successful films including Raincoat (2004), Yuva (2004), Omkara (2006), Golmaal: Fun Unlimited (2006), Golmaal Returns (2008), All the Best: Fun Begins (2009), Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010), Golmaal 3 (2010), Raajneeti (2010), and Singham (2011). Having done so, he has established himself as one of the leading actors of Bollywood. In 2008, he debuted as a film director with his starrer U Me Aur Hum which proved to be an moderate success at the box office. He then established the production house, Ajay Devgn Films.

Biography[link]

Devgan was born in Mumbai to Veena and Veeru Devgan.Originally from Amritsar, Punjab ^[5] members of the Devgan family are all related to the Hindi Film industry in Bombay. His father, Veeru Devgan, is a well-known stunt choreographer, and his mother Veena Devgan, a film producer. Devgan's brother, Anil, is a Hindi film director. Ajay Devgan is an alumnus of the Silver Beach High School in Juhu and Mithibai College. On 24 February 1999, he married Hindi film actress Kajol. The couple have two children. Their daughter Nysa was born on the 20th of April 2003 and their son Yug was born on the 13th of September 2010.^[6] In August 2009, Devgan changed his last name to Devgn on the request of his family.^[7][8] He became the first Bollywood personality to acquire a private jet for transport to shooting locations, promotions and personal trips.^[9]

Career[link]

This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. No cleanup reason has been specified. Please help improve this article if you can; the talk page may contain suggestions. (July 2011)

1990s[link]

Ajay Devgan made his debute as an actor in Phool Aur Kaante in 1991. The film grossed 11,000,000 Indian rupees () and earned him a Filmfare Award for Best Male Newcomer. In 1992, he starred in Jigar alongside Karisma Kapoor, which grossed 7,00,00,000.^[10] In 1993, he worked with director Deepak Bahry in the action film Ek Hi Raasta,^[11] and with Deepak Pawar in Platform. In 1994, Devgn worked in Harry Baweja's Dilwale, Suhaag and Vijaypath.^[12] In 1995, he appeared in Mahesh Bhatt's Naajayaz, for which he was nominated as a Best Actor by Filmfare.^[13] In 1996, he continued with Diljale".^[14] and romantic comedies, such as Ishq in 1997.^[15] In 1998, he starred in Major Saab, Pyaar To Hona Hi Thaand Mahesh Bhatt's Zakhm. Zakhm won Devgn several awards for his performance, including the National Film Award for Best Actor and the Star Screen Award for Best Actor^{[citation needed][16]} Devgn's 1999 work included Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam as well as Hindustan Ki Kasam and Kachche Dhaage.^[17]

2000s[link]

In 2000, he worked in Harry Baweja's Deewane. In this film, he essayed a double role, one as a thief and the other as a police officer. The film flopped at the box office.^[18] The same year, Devgn starred in his first home production Raju Chacha opposite wife Kajol. The film also bombed at the box office.^[18]

In 2001, he starred in Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke with Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta. This film was an average grosser at the box office.^[19] His next release Lajja, alongside Manisha Koirala, Madhuri Dixit, Jackie Shroff and Anil Kapoor, earned him a nomination for the "Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award". The film did not perform as expected at the box office.^[19] He then worked in Mahesh Manjrekar's Tera Mera Saath Rahen.

In 2002, he featured in Ram Gopal Varma's fictional expose of Mumbai underworld Company. He was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award and won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. The film fared well at the box office.^{[clarification needed][20]} His next release was Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and Aishwarya Rai.^[20]

The same year, he also starred in Rajkumar Santoshi's biopic The Legend of Bhagat Singh.^[21] in the title role. The film didn't fare well at the box office.^{[clarification needed][20]} However, he won his second National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance. He then starred in Anees Bazmee's Deewangee. The film was partially inspired by William Diehl's English language novel Primal Fear and earned Devgn several awards for his negative role including, "Filmfare Best Villain Award", "Star Screen Award for Best Villain" and "Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role". This film was a success at the box office.^[20]

In 2003, he starred in Ram Gopal Verma's Bhoot opposite Urmila Matondkar. The film was appreciated critically & performed very well at the box office.^[22] He then starred in action thriller Qayamat: City Under Threat opposite debutante Neha Dhupia which was huge commercial success.^[22] He then worked in Milan Luthria's romantic film Chori Chori opposite Rani Mukherji and Sonali Bendre. This film did not succeed at the box office.^[22]

In that same year he featured in Prakash Jha's Gangaajal, for which he was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actor Award. He then worked in Rohit Shetty's directional debut Zameen^[23] and J. P. Dutta's war film LOC Kargil.

In 2004 he was cast alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Akshay Kumar in Rajkumar Santoshi's Khakee. Later that year he appeared in director Indra Kumar's Masti: Sanam Teri Kasamand also starred in the critically acclaimed movies Yuva^[24][25][26] and Rituparno Ghosh's Raincoat.^[27]. He was also seen in a cameo appearance in Taarzan: The Wonder Car.

2005 was less successful for him as he starred in a series of flop movies like Insan, Blackmail, Main Aisa Hi Hoon, Tango Charlie and Shikhar whilst Kaal and Apaharan succeeded at the Box Office. For his performance in Apaharan Devgn was nominated for the National Film Award for Best Actor and Filmfare Best Actor Award. His villanous performance in Kaal also earned him a nomination for the Filmfare Best Villain Award^[28]

2006 was a remarkable year in his career as he starred Golmaal and Omkara, which were to both prove enormously significant in his decade long career. Omkara, were Devgn was cast in the title role, was both a critical and commercial success^[29][30][31] and Golmaal proved to be a sleeper hit. The latter film was soon to be followed by two super hit sequels Golmaal Returns and Golmaal 3. In the same year he also featured in a short documentary about the Mumbai floods of 2005 named The Awakening.^[32]

2007 was again disappointing for him as he starred only in 2 movies, directorAnubhav Sinha's action thriller Cash and Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag which was a remake of the 1975 classic] Sholay. Both films received extremely poor reception both at the box office and from critics,^[33] and is currently placed at number 14 on the bottom 100 movies on Imdb.

In 2008 he worked with Rajkumar Santoshi and was cast with Pankaj Kapoor and Vidya Balan in Halla Bol.^[34] He then starred in director Rohit Shetty's third film Sunday, before directing his first movie with wife Kajol and himself in lead roles. The film, titled U, Me aur Hum, was an average success.^[34] He also had a cameo appearance in his brother Anil Devgan's film Haal–e–dil. He starred with long-time friend Sanjay Dutt and actress Manisha Koirala in Afzal Khan's Mehbooba. He then re-teamed with Rohit Shetty for the sequel of his hit film Golmaal: Fun Unlimited, Golmaal Returns which was a blockbuster hit.^[34]

In 2009 he produced his third film All the Best also directed by Rohit Shetty. The film did good business and was a semi-hit.^[35] Later in the year he starred in Vipul Shah's London Dreams with Salman Khan and Tamil film star Asin. The film was declared a flop.^[35]

2010s[link]

In the beginning of 2010 he worked with actors Amitabh Bachchan and Ben Kingsley in Leena Yadav's Teen Patti. He also starred in the comedy Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge? alongside Paresh Rawal and Konkona Sen Sharma which was a success. He followed this with Prakash Jha's Raajneeti and Milan Luthria's Once Upon a Time in Mumbai. Both movies were among the top grossers of 2010.^[36] He was then seen alongside Akshaye Khanna in Priyadarshan's rough adaptation of Mississippi Burning, Aakrosh. Devgn teamed up with Rohit Shetty for the fifth time withGolmaal 3. The movie was a super hit and the fourth highest grossing movie in Bollywood history. Devgn later lent his voice to the animated film Toonpur Ka Super Hero.

In 2011 he teamed up with Emraan Hashmi for Madhur Bhandarkar's comedy Dil Toh Baccha Hai Ji which also starred Omi Vaidya. The film was a moderate success. He was a narrator in Yamla Pagla Deewana and also did a cameo role in the 2011 Salman Khan-starrer Ready. Devgn's next film, Singham, proved to be a milestone for him. The film grossed 100 crores net in India, making it the 7th film to do so, and was a blockbuster worldwide. ^[37]

Awards and honours[link]

Among other awards and nominations, Devgan has won two National Film Awards and three Filmfare Awards.

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]

Producer[link]

Director[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ajay Devgn at the Internet Movie Database
• Ajay Devgn's Official Site

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Ajay Devgan

Ritesh Deshmukh
Born	Sanjay Deshmukh (1978-12-17) 17 December 1978 (age 33) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Actor, Television presenter, Architect
Years active	2003–present
Spouse	Genelia D'Souza ( February 3, 2012– present)[1]

Ritesh Deshmukh (born 17 December 1978, in Mumbai, Maharashtra) is an Indian actor and architect who appears in Bollywood films. He is the son of Vilasrao Deshmukh, the Union Minister for Science, Technology and Earth Sciences, Government of India, and the former Chief Minister of Maharashtra.^[2]

Deshmukh debuted with K. Vijaya Bhaskar's Tujhe Meri Kasam (2003) with his later to be wife Genelia D'Souza, but it was not until 2004 that he achieved success, when he appeared in the commercially successful comedy, Masti and the critically acclaimed Bardaasht. His work in Masti was nominated for several awards, including the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor category. He later starred in successful films such as Heyy Babyy, Dhamaal, House Full. Double Dhamaal, Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya and Housefull 2.

Career[link]

Deshmukh began his film career with the 2003 romance, Tujhe Meri Kasam opposite Genelia D'Souza. The film bombed at the box office, however the lead pair's performances were acclaimed. He later appeared in Out of Control in the same year, which didn't create magic financially either. His third film, Masti which was a comic thriller, managed to strike extremely well at the box office and critically worldwide. He gained to fame after his performance in Masti, the movie Masti made him win 2 awards, and then made friendly appearances in films such as Bardaasht and Naach. His first lead role to succeed him was his rebel character in the sex-comedy Kyaa Kool Hai Hum with Tusshar Kapoor. The film was panned by critics, though loved by public, and was a moderate success at the box office.

After that era, he appeared in mostly comic roles besides a few serious roles. Such as in Malamaal Weekly and Apna Sapna Money Money, he was the scene-stealer and was appreciated. In 2005, he appeared in a supporting role in Bluffmaster! with Abhishek Bachchan in the lead.^[3] He was also seen in Ram Gopal Varma's Darna Zaroori Hai.^[4]

In 2007, he was first seen in a guest appearance in Namastey London and then in the multi-starrer action film Cash which was a box office failure.^[3] Later that year, he appeared in Sajid Khan's directorial debut Heyy Babyy, co-starring Akshay Kumar and Fardeen Khan, which was a huge hit and is his most commercially successful film to date.^[5] He also appeared in the comedy film Dhamaal which was also a semi hit.

In 2008, he played a lead role in De Taali, in which his performance was praised, and later in Chamku, both of which failed at the box office.^[4]

In 2009, his first release was Aladin, co-starring Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and Jacqueline Fernandez. Including the multi-starcast, Aladin still flopped worldwide. He then played a supporting role in Ram Gopal Varma's Rann, again co-starring Amitabh Bachchan, Paresh Rawal and Rajpal Yadav. His final film of 2009 was Do Knot Disturb along with Govinda, Sushmita Sen, Sohail Khan and Lara Dutta.

In 2010, he once again worked with Sajid Khan on the comedy Housefull along with Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone, Lara Dutta, Arjun Rampal and Jiah Khan. The film received negative response from critics, though striked as a Blockbuster commercially. His first release of 2011 was F.A.L.T.U, in which he played a fake principal, though real nursery teacher. His second release of the year was comic sequel Double Dhamaal.^[6] Both the films were moderately successful.^{[citation needed]}

His latest film is Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya in which he is paired opposite his real wife Genelia D'Souza. The film has managed to do fairly well at the box office. He has done another sequel, Housefull 2 which released on 6 April 2012 and was a superhit .

Personal life[link]

Ritesh Deshmukh and Genelia D'Souza on the day of their Maharashtrian style wedding

Son of the ex-Chief Minister of Maharastra, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Ritesh got his architectural degree from Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies. He later went abroad for a year to practice with a firm abroad, came back to India and has been designing since then. He owns a firm called Evolutions, which is an architectural and interior designing firm.

Deshmukh married Genelia D'Souza according to Marathi marriage traditions in a Hindu wedding ceremony on 3 February 2012 after dating each other for 8 years ^[7] and less publicized church wedding.^[8]

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

He hosted the IIFA Awards three times (2008–2010) with Boman Irani and Lara Dutta in 2009 and 2010, He also hosted the 2011 IIFA Awards once again in Toronto along with Boman Irani.

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ritesh Deshmukh on Facebook
• Ritesh Deshmukh on Twitter
• Ritesh Deshmukh at the Internet Movie Database

Zareen Khan
Born	(1984-05-14) 14 May 1984 (age 28)[1][2][3][4] Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Other names	Zareen Khan
Occupation	Model, Actress
Years active	2010–present
Religion	Islam

Zareen Khan (born 14 May 1984) is an Indian actress and model who appears in Bollywood films. She made her acting debut in the 2010 period film Veer co-starring with Salman Khan.^[5] Khan has been noted for looks very similar to actress Katrina Kaif.^[6] Her recent Bollywood release, Housefull 2, has become a huge commercial success, as it was elevated to super hit status by Box Office India. Khan has also garnered recognition from her item number, Character Dheela, in the second highest grossing Bollywood film of 2011, Ready.

Early life[link]

Khan was born to a Muslim, Pathan family,^[7][8] in Mumbai, on 14 May 1984.^[1][2][3][4] She speaks fluent Hindi, Urdu and Marathi.^[7][9] In college she weighed almost 100 kg (220 lb).^[10] Although she never planned to be a model, she began to focus on losing weight and getting into shape. In order to lose weight, she began to work out, eventually reaching her target weight.^[10] With no marketable skills, she tried her hand at modeling. Khan did a number of small assignments.^[11]

Acting career[link]

Khan's acting career began while visiting the set of Yuvraj^[12] at Subhash Ghai's film school Whistling Woods. Salman Khan noticed her and decided to cast her for his film Veer because, he said, "She looks the character — the sweet princess she is playing in Veer".^[13] After a screen test, Khan was given the role of Princess Yashodhara. She gained eight kilograms in order to be more convincing as a 19th century princess.^[14] Because of Veer's poor box office performance, Khan at first had trouble finding roles in big-budget films.^[9] In 2011, she made a cameo appearance in Anees Bazmee's Ready, parodying characters from Mughal-e-Azam, Sholay and Shri 420. She has also acted in her first major hit 2012 film Housefull 2^[9] which is a blockbuster hit and she is also playing a role in the upcoming film Partner 2.

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

• List of Indian film actresses

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Zarine Khan

• Zareen Khan at the Internet Movie Database