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Bharti Enterprises

Type	Private
Industry	Conglomerate
Founded	1976
Founder(s)	Sunil Bharti Mittal
Headquarters	New Delhi, India
Key people	Sunil Bharti Mittal (Chairman & Group CEO)
Products	Telecommunications, retail, insurance, digital TV, mobile phones, life insurance, real estate
Revenue	US$ 10 billion (2009)
Profit	US$ 1.11 billion (2009)
Employees	30,000+ (2010)
Subsidiaries	Bharti Airtel, Bharti Infratel, Bharti Realty, Beetel Teletech, Comviva, Jersey and Guernsey, Centum Learning, Bharti Walmart, Bharti Retail, Bharti AXA
Website	www.bharti.com

Bharti Enterprises is an Indian business conglomerate headquartered in New Delhi, India, operating primarily across India and in some other countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Jersey, Guernsey and Seychelles with expanding operations across Africa in Burkina Faso, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. It was established by Sunil Bharti Mittal. Bharti Enterprises has businesses spanning across telecom, retail, financial services, manufacturing and software.

History[link]

The company was founded by Sunil Bharti Mittal along with two siblings in 1976. The company was not so famous in India by its own name, rather its brand names like Airtel and Beetel (PSTN Phone Sets) are household names in India. The company underwent a brand reformation process and changed its logo and corporate Image.

Companies[link]

Bharti's primary industry is in the field of telecommunications via its subsidiary companies Bharti Airtel (mobile telecommunications), Bharti Infratel (Passive Telecom Infrastructure provider) and Bharti Teletech (wired telecommunication services, Comviva Technologies and PSTN telephone handsets).

Bharti Airtel Ltd.[link]

Coverage map of Bharti Airtel across 19 countries

Bharti Airtel Ltd is the 5th largest mobile operator in the world in terms of subscriber base and has a commercial presence in 19 countries. The Company is India’s largest integrated telecom company in terms of customer base and offers Mobile Services, Fixed Line services, Broadband & IPTV, DTH service named Airtel Digital TV, Long Distance and Enterprise services.

Bharti Infratel Limited[link]

Bharti Infratel is owned by Sunil Bharti Mittal. The company deploys and manages telecom towers and communication structure for various wireless operators. Recently the company has pioneered the GreenTowers P7 initiative for the betterment of the environment. In India, Infratel has over 32,000 towers, across 18 states, and 11 Telecom circles, and still growing. Bharti Infratel also has a 42% stake in Indus towers which was created as a Joint Venture between Bharti Infratel, Vodafone and Idea to hive off the Towers business in 12 circles [link to Bharti Infrartel]

Bharti Retail Ltd.[link]

’’’Bharti Retail Ltd.’’’ is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bharti Enterprises. Bharti Retail operates a chain of multiple format stores. The company’s neighbourhood format stores operate under the Easyday brand and the compact hypermarket format under the “Easyday market” brand. Recently the company has become more involved in the food economic sectors, with a joint partnership in the agricultural company FieldFresh.^[1]

The other retail companies of Bharti group are Bharti Retail (Holdings) Private Limited, Bharti Retail Resources Private Limited and Cedar Support Services Ltd.

Bharti Walmart Private Limited[link]

Bharti Enterprises tied-up with Walmart for opening a chain of retail stores all over India. The two companies, in August 2007, made a surprise statement that they have signed a wholesale cash-and-carry deal. The first Best Price Modern Wholesale opened in Amritsar in May 2009.

Bharti TeleTech Ltd.[link]

’’’Bharti Teletech’’’ is India’s leading telecom & allied products company. It is one of the largest manufacturers of landline telephones in the world. With a strong distribution network across the country, the company is also the primary distributor of IT and Telecom products from international brands such as Motorola, Blackberry, Thomson, Polycom, Transcend, and Logitech. ^[2]

Comviva Technologies Limited[link]

Comviva Technologies Limited is an India based organization providing VAS solutions for mobile operators around the world. Comviva was formerly known as Bharti Telesoft and took on the Comviva branding in April 2009.

FieldFresh Foods Pvt. Ltd.[link]

’’’FieldFresh Foods Pvt. Ltd. ’’’ is a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and DMPL India Ltd. (a subsidiary of Del Monte Pacific Ltd.). The company offers fresh fruits & vegetables and processed foods & beverages in the domestic as well as international markets.

Bharti AXA General Insurance Company[link]

’’’Bharti AXA General Insurance’’’ is a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and AXA, world leader in financial protection and wealth management. The company was incorporated in July 2007.

Bharti AXA Life Insurance Company[link]

’’’Bharti AXA Life Insurance Company Ltd. ’’’ is a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and AXA, world leader in financial protection and wealth management. The company offers a range of life insurance and wealth management products.

Bharti AXA Investment Managers Pvt. Ltd.[link]

’’’Bharti AXA Investment Managers Pvt. Ltd. ’’’, an asset management company in India, is a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises, AXA Investment Managers (AXA IM) and AXA Asia Pacific Holdings (AXA APH).

Centum Learning Limited[link]

’’’Centum Limited’’’ (formerly ’’’Bharti Learning Systems Limited’’’), a wholly owned subsidiary of Bharti Enterprises, is a learning and development organisation that specialises in the customer experience arena.

Bharti Foundation[link]

’’’Bharti Foundation’’’ was set up in 2000. It aims to create and support programs that bring about sustainable changes through education and the use of technology and information.

Bharti Realty[link]

’’’Bharti Realty Private Ltd.’’’ is the in-house Real Estate Arm for Bharti Group and facilitates by extending support to the Group Companies for Identifying, Developing and Maintaining Real Estate.

References[link]

1. ^ FieldFresh Foods :: Linking Indian Fields to the World
2. ^ "Transcend partners with Bharti". Transcend. http://www.transcendusa.com/Press/index.asp?LangNo=0&axn=Detail&PrsNo=1189. Retrieved 2008-11-22. 

External links[link]

• Bharti Enterprises homepage
• Bharti Teletech homepage
• Airtel Lanka Official Site
• Airtel website
• Airtel-Vodafone Jersey

Companies portal

v t e BSE SENSEX companies of India As of 19 March 2012: Airtel Bajaj Auto BHEL Cipla Coal India DLF HDFC HDFC Bank Hero MotoCorp Hindalco HUL ICICI Bank Infosys ITC Jaypee Group Jindal Steel & Power KEC International L&T Mahindra & Mahindra Maruti Suzuki NTPC ONGC Reliance Industries SBI Sterlite Industries Sun Pharma Tata Motors Tata Power Tata Steel TCS Wipro

v t e S&P CNX Nifty companies of India As of 19 March 2012: ACC Bajaj Auto BHEL Bharat Petroleum Bharti Airtel Cipla Dabur Dr. Reddy's Laboratories GAIL GlaxoSmithKline Grasim Industries Gujarat Ambuja Cements HCL Technologies HDFC HDFC Bank Hero MotoCorp Hindalco Industries HLL Hindustan Petroleum ICICI Bank Indian Petrochemicals Infosys ITC Limited Jet Airways L&T MTNL Mahindra & Mahindra Mahindra Satyam Maruti Udyog National Aluminium Company NIIT ONGC Oriental Bank of Commerce PNB Ranbaxy Laboratories Reliance Communications Reliance Infrastructure Reliance Industries Siemens SBI SAIL Sun Pharmaceutical Suzlon TCS Tata Motors Tata Power Tata Steel VSNL Wipro Zee

Archana Puran Singh
Archana at Comedy Circus Ka Jadoo Grand Finale
Born	(1962-09-26) September 26, 1962 (age 49) Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India
Occupation	Actress, Reality television judge
Years active	1982–present
Spouse	Parmeet Sethi

Archana Puran Singh (born 26 September 1962)^[1] is an Indian television presenter and film actress. She is most known for comedy roles, and as a judge on comedy shows,^[2] like Sony TV India's Comedy Circus.

Career[link]

In Mumbai, she started doing ad-films, and was successful after her most famous ad for Band-Aid. The ad was produced by Jalal Agha, and noticing her talent he cast her in the lead role in his serial, Mr and Mrs. Her next big break came with Pankaj Parasher's Karamchand.^[3]

Film career[link]

She made her film debut in 1987, in the film Jalwa opposite Naseeruddin Shah. Although the film was a big hit, Archana failed to catch the eye of the leading producers and directors, she received offers mainly for B-grade movies most of which were short on content and more of soft porn type. Later, she did small roles in big banner films like Agneepath (1990), Saudagar (1991), Shola aur Shabnam (1992), Aashiq Awara (1993),and Raja Hindustani (1996); she also did item songs in films like, the Govinda starrer thriller Baaz, and Suniel Shetty starrer, Judge Mujrim.^[4]

Thereafter, she has largely restricted herself to supporting roles in Hindi Films, often in comedies. Some of her recent films include Love Story 2050, Mohabbatein, Krrish,^[5] Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Masti. Amongst these, she is possibly best remembered for essaying the role of the flirtatious college professor Miss Braganza in the blockbuster Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and for 2006 hit Krrish as Priya(Priyanka chopra)'s boss. In 2009 she starred in the Punjabi film Tera Mera Ki Rishta.

TV career[link]

She became a television anchor, with her popular TV show Wah, Kya Scene Hai on Zee TV in 1993,^[6] which was followed by the highly successful, Uncensored, in which she introduced High Society (HS) and Low Society (LS) concept, and sitcoms like, Jaane Bhi Do Yaaron, Shrimaan Shrimati and Archana Talkies on Sony TV India.^[7]

Later in her career, she received offers from television producers and most of her serials were successful like Junoon and Shriman Shrimati. She also started hosting chat shows featuring celebrity guests.

In television, she first entered with her tongue and cheek show, Kya Scene Hai, supplying Bollywood gossip in the 1990s.

In 2005, she was a contestant in the dance reality show, Nach Baliye (Season 1), in which she participated along with her husband, Parmeet Sethi, they were eliminated in the sixth episode.

In 2006, she, along with her husband, hosted another dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (season 1).

Thereafter, she appeared as a judge on comedy shows, including Sony TV India's Comedy Circus. She appeared as a judge in Comedy Circus (season 1) (2007) and Comedy Circus (season 2) (2008).^[8] In January 2008, she hosted Kaho Na Yaar Hai on Star Plus, along with her husband, Parmeet Sethi.^[9] With the end of Comedy Circus (season 2) in September 2008, it was followed by another show, Comedy Circus – Kaante Ki Takkar.^[10] After Comedy Circus – Kaante Ki Takkar, she was the judge of Comedy Circus – Teen Ka Tadka, Comedy Circus Ke Superstar, Comedy Circus Ka Jaddo, Jubilee Comedy Circus and Comedy Circus Ke Taansen. Comedy Ka Naya Daur-Tabla toad and now Recently she is the judge of "Kahaani Comedy Circus ki"

Personal life[link]

She is married to actor Parmeet Sethi and they have two children Aaryamann and Ayushman.

Awards[link]

• 1999: Star Screen Award for Best Comedian: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai
• 1999: Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role: Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (Nomination)^[11]
• 1997: Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress: Raja Hindustani(Nomination)

Filmography[link]

• Yash Chopra's Untitled project 2012
• Krrish 3 2012
• Bol Bachchan 2012
• Haat-The Weekly Bazaar 2011
• Luv Ka The End 2011 –
• De Dana Dan 2009 – Kuljeet Kaur
• Tera Mera Ki Rishta (Punjabi) (2009)
• Kal Kisne Dekha (2009)
• Good Luck! (2008)
• Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! (2008)
• Money Hai Toh Honey Hai (2008) – Dolly
• Love Story 2050 (2008)
• Mere Baap Pehle Aap (2008) – Inspector Bhawani
• Kuch Khatta Kuch Meetha (2007)
• Arvind Kandula
• Mera Dil Leke Dekho (2006)
• Krrish (2006)
• The Gold Bracelet (2006) – Baljit Singh
• Nach Baliye (2005) (Mini TV series)
• Insan (2005)
• Rok Sako To Rok Lo (2004)
• Masti (2004)
• Enakku 20 Unakku 18 (2003)
• Janasheen (2003)
• Khanjar: The Knife (2003)
• Jhankaar Beats (2003)
• Maine Dil Tujhko Diya (2002)
• Moksha: Salvation (2001)
• Censor (2001)
• Mohabbatein (2000)
• Mela (2000)
• Bade Dilwala (1999)
• Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) – Miss Breganza
• Judge Mujrim (1997)
• Share Bazaar (1997)
• Raja Hindustani (1996)
• Aisi Bhi Kya Jaldi Hai (1996)
• Takkar (1995)
• Pyaar Ka Rog (1994)
• Yuhi Kabhi (1994)
• Aashiq Awara (1993)
• Aasoo Bane Angaarey (1993)
• Mahakaal (1993)
• Baaz (1992)
• Shola Aur Shabnam (1992)
• Zulm Ki Hukumat (1992)
• Saudagar (1991)
• Jaan Ki Kasam (1991)
• Hag Toofan (1991)
• Jeena Teri Gali Mein (1991)
• Agneepath (1990)
• Aag Ka Gola (1990)
• Ladaai (1989)
• Shrimaan Shrimati (1989) TV series
• The Perfect Murder (1988)
• Aaj Ke Angaarey (1988)
• Woh Phir Aayegi (1988)
• Jalwa (1987)
• Nikaah (1982)
• Abra Ka Dabra

References[link]

External links[link]

• Archana Puran Singh at the Internet Movie Database
• Comedy Circus returns with new faces
• Celebrity studded comedy show

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There are many people in history who are commonly appended with the phrase "the Great", or who were called that or an equivalent phrase in their own language. Other languages have their own suffixes such as e Bozorg and e azam in Persian and Urdu respectively.

In Persia, the title "the Great" at first seems to be a colloquial version of the Old Persian title "Great King". This title was first used by the conqueror Cyrus II of Persia.^[1]

The Persian title was inherited by Alexander III of Macedon (336–323 BC) when he conquered the Persian Empire, and the epithet "Great" eventually became personally associated with him. The first reference (in a comedy by Plautus)^[2] assumes that everyone knew who "Alexander the Great" was; however, there is no earlier evidence that Alexander III of Macedon was called "the Great".

The early Seleucid kings, who succeeded Alexander in Persia, used "Great King" in local documents, but the title was most notably used for Antiochus the Great (223–187 BC).

Later rulers and commanders began to use the epithet "the Great" as a personal name, like the Roman general Pompey. Others received the surname retrospectively, like the Carthaginian Hanno and the Indian emperor Ashoka the Great. Once the surname gained currency, it was also used as an honorific surname for people without political careers, like the philosopher Albert the Great.

As there are no objective criteria for "greatness", the persistence of later generations in using the designation greatly varies. For example, Louis XIV of France was often referred to as "The Great" in his lifetime but is rarely called such nowadays, while Frederick II of Prussia is still called "The Great". A later Hohenzollern - Wilhelm I - was often called "The Great" in the time of his grandson Wilhelm II, but rarely later.

Rulers[link]

• Abbas I of Persia (1571–1629), Shah of Iran
• Akbar (1542–1605), ruler of the Mughal Empire of South Asia, mainly India
• Alain I of Albret (1440–1522), French aristocrat
• Alexander the Great (356-323 BC), King of Macedonia, Persia, Greece, Egypt, and all of Mesopotamia
• Alexander I of Georgia (1386–1446), King of Georgia
• Alfonso III of León (c. 848-910), King of León, Galicia and Asturias
• Alfred the Great (848/849-899), King of Wessex
• Antiochus III the Great (c. 241–187 BC), ruler of the Seleucid Empire
• Ashoka the Great (c. 304–232 BC), Indian emperor of the Maurya dynasty
• Ashot I of Iberia “the Great”(died 826/830), presiding prince of Iberia (modern Georgia),
• Askia Mohammad I (c. 1442–1538), ruler of the Songhai Empire
• Bhumibol Adulyadej (born 1927), King of Thailand
• Bolesław I Chrobry (967-1025), sometimes called "the Great", first King of Poland
• Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the following section)
• Buddha Yodfa Chulaloke (1736–1809), founder and ruler of the Rattanakosin Kingdom (in what is now Thailand)
• Cnut the Great (c. 985 or 995-1035), King of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden
• Casimir III the Great (1310–1370), King of Poland
• Catherine the Great (1729–1796), Empress of Russia
• Chandragupta II (reigned 375-413/415), also known as Vikramaditya, ruler of the Gupta empire in India
• Charlemagne (died 814), King of the Franks and Emperor of the Romans
• Chulalongkorn (1853–1910), King of Siam (now Thailand)
• Chlothar II (584-629), King of Neustria and King of the Franks
• Conrad, Margrave of Meissen (c. 1097-1157), Margrave of Meissen
• Constantine I (c. 272-337), Roman emperor
• Cyaxares the Great (c. 625-585 BC), third king of Media
• Cyrus the Great (c. 600 BC or 576 BC–530 BC), founder and ruler of the Persian or Achaemenid Empire
• Darius the Great (550 – 486 BC), third ruler of the Persian Empire
• Devapala (died 850), ruler of the Pala Empire in the Indian subcontinent
• Dionysius I, Greek tyrant of Syracuse^[3]
• Ferdinand I of León and Castile (c. 1015–1065), King of León and Count of Castile
• Frederick the Great (1712–1786), King of Prussia
• Genghis Khan (1162?-1227), founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire
• Gero (c. 900–965), ruler of Marca Geronis, a very large march in Europe
• Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden (1594–1632), King of Sweden, founder of the Swedish Empire, and noted military leader
• Gwanggaeto the Great, King of Goguryeo, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea^[4][5]
• Hanno the Great, the name of three leaders of Carthage, in the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd centuries BC
• Henry I, Duke of Burgundy (946–1002)
• Henry IV of France (1553–1610), King of France and King of Navarre
• Herod the Great (73/74 BC-4 BC), King of Judea
• Hugh the Great (898-956), Duke of the Franks and Count of Paris
• Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France
• Hugh I, Count of Vermandois (1057–1101)
• Humphrey I de Bohun (died c. 1123), Anglo-Norman aristocrat
• Ivan III of Russia (1440–1505), Tsar of Russia
• John I of Portugal (1358–1433), King of Portugal and the Algarve
• John II of Aragon (1398–1479), King of Aragon and, through his wife, King of Navarre
• Justinian I (483-565), Byzantine Emperor
• Kamehameha I (c. 1758-1819), first King of Hawai'i
• Kanishka (died c. 127), ruler of the Kushan Empire in Central Asia and parts of India
• Kvirike III of Kakheti (1010–1029), King of Kakheti in eastern Georgia
• Kublai Khan (1215–1294), Mongol ruler in the 13th century and Emperor of China; founder of the Yuan Dynasty
• Llywelyn the Great (c. 1172–1240), Prince of Gwynedd and de facto ruler of most of Wales
• Louis I of Hungary (1326–1382), King of Hungary, Croatia and Poland
• Mangrai the Great (1238–1317), Lanna, northern Thailand
• Emperor Meiji (1852–1912), Emperor of Japan
• Mircea I of Wallachia (1355–1418)
• Mithridates II of Parthia (died 88 BC), ruler of the Parthian Empire (in present day Iran)
• Mithridates VI of Pontus (134 BC–63 BC), ruler of Pontus and the Bosporan Kingdom
• Mstislav I of Kiev (1076–1132), Grand Prince of Kievan Rus
• Naresuan (1555–1605), King of Ayutthaya
• Narai (1633–1688), King of Ayutthaya (in what is now modern Thailand)
• Odo the Great (died c. 735), Duke of Aquitaine
• Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor (912-973)
• K'inich Janaab' Pakal (603-683), ruler of the Mayan city-state of Palenque
• Parakramabahu I of Polonnaruwa (1123–1186), King of Sri Lanka
• Peter Krešimir IV of Croatia (died 1075), King of Croatia
• Peter the Great (1672–1725), Tsar of Russia
• Peter III of Aragon (1239–1285), King of Aragon and King of Sicily
• Pompey (106 BC-48 BC), military and political leader of the late Roman Republic, rival of Julius Caesar
• Radama I (1793–1828), first king of greater Madagascar
• Raja Raja Chola I (c. 947-1014), Indian emperor of the Cholas.^[6][7][8]
• Rajendra Chola I (reigned 1014–1044), Tamil King of India
• Ramesses II (reigned 1279 BC – 1213 BC), considered the greatest pharaoh of Ancient Egypt
• Ram Khamhaeng (around 1237 to 1247-1298), King of Sukhothai (in present day Thailand)
• Ramon Berenguer III, Count of Barcelona (1082–1131), also Count of Provence and various other counties
• Rhodri the Great (c. 820–878), King of Gwynedd (in present day Wales)
• Roman the Great (after 1160-1205), Grand Prince of Kiev
• Saladin (c. 1138-1193), Kurdish Sultan of Egypt and Syria, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, and victor over the Crusaders
• Samudragupta (c. 335–375), ruler of the Gupta empire in the Indian subcontinent
• Sancho III of Navarre (c. 992-1035), King of Kingdom of Navarre
• Sargon of Akkad (died c. 2215 BC), ruler of the Akkadian Empire
• Sejong the Great (1397–1450), Korean king^[9]
• Shapur II (309-379), king of the Sassanid Empire, Persia
• Simeon I of Bulgaria (864/865-927), ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire
• Stephen III of Moldavia (1433–1504), Prince of Moldavia (Romania)
• Stephen Uroš IV Dušan of Serbia (c. 1308-1355), King of Serbia and Emperor of the Serbs and Greeks
• Taksin (1734–1782), King of the Thonburi Kingdom (Thailand)
• Tamar (1160-1123), Queen of the Georgian Empire
• Timur (1336–1405), better known as Tamerlane, founder of the Timurid Dynasty
• Theobald II, Count of Champagne (1090–1151), Count of Blois and of Chartres as Theobald IV, Count of Champagne and of Brie
• Theodoric the Great (454-526), King of the Ostrogoths, regent of the Visigoths and a viceroy of the Byzantine Empire
• Theodosius I (347-395), Roman emperor
• Tigranes the Great (140-55 BC), Emperor of Armenia
• Tiridates III of Armenia (285-339), King of Armenia
• Umar (c. 586 to 590–644), second caliph of the Muslim Empire
• Valdemar I of Denmark (1131–1182), King of Denmark
• Valentinian I (364-375), Roman Emperor
• Vladimir I of Kiev (c. 958-1015), ruler of Kievan Rus
• Vytautas (c. 1350-1430), archduke of the Lithuanian Grand Duchy
• William I, Count of Burgundy (1020–1087), Count of Burgandy and Mâcon
• William V, Duke of Aquitaine (969-1030), also Count of Poitou
• Xerxes I (519-465 BC), King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire (Persia)
• Yu the Great (c. 2200-2100 BC), legendary ruler in ancient China

Religious figures[link]

• Abraham the Great of Kashkar (ca. 492-586), monk and saint of the Assyrian Church of the East
• Abraham Kidunaia (died c. 366, hermit, priest, and Christian saint of Mesopotamia
• Albertus Magnus (1193/1206–1280), medieval German philosopher and theologian
• Anthony the Great (c. 251–356), early Christian saint of Egypt
• Babai the Great (c. 551–628), Assyrian church leader
• Basil of Caesarea (330-379), Greek bishop and theologian
• Bruno the Great (925–965), Archbishop of Cologne and Duke of Lotharingia (also listed in the previous section)
• Euthymius the Great (377-473), abbot and Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox saint
• Gertrude the Great (1256-c. 1302), German Benedictine, mystic, theologian and Roman Catholic saint
• Pope Gregory I (c. 540-604)
• Hiyya the Great, 3rd-century rabbi, Palestine
• Pope John Paul II (1920–2005)
• Pope Leo I (c. 391 or 400-461)
• Macarius of Egypt (c. 300-391), Egyptian hermit
• Pope Nicholas I (c. 800-867)
• Photius I of Constantinople (c. 810–c. 893), Eastern Orthodox saint and Patriarch of Constantinople
• William of Maleval (died 1157), founder of the Catholic congregation of Williamites

Other[link]

• Beli Mawr, a figure in medieval Welsh literature and genealogies
• Emmy the Great, folk singer
• Matteo Rosso the Great, Roman politician and father of Pope Nicholas III
• Prokop the Great, Hussite general in Bohemia

See also[link]

• Epithet
• List of monarchs by nickname
• List of nicknames of European Royalty and Nobility: G-I
• James, son of Zebedee, also known as James the Greater, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus
• Ajax (mythology), called Ajax the Greater
• Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, whose common honorific "Mahatma" means "Great Soul"

Notes[link]

Divya Bharti (25 February 1974 – 5 April 1993) was an Indian film actress,^[1] whose acting variety hailed her as "the most interesting young actress of her generation" starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the early 1990s. She appeared in Hindi films of Bollywood, as well as Telugu and Tamil films. Bharti played a variety of character types; her film roles along with her screen persona contributed to a change in the concept of a Hindi film heroine.^[2]

After spending much of her childhood in Mumbai, Bharti began a career as an actress in 1990 with the Telugu film Bobbili Raja. Her early film appearances were minor, but in films like Vishwatma (1992) where her performance in the song "Saat Samundar Paar" drew attention to her. By 1992, Bharti had progressed to leading roles in films like Shola Aur Shabnam , a melodramatic film that dwelt on her undauntedness. Her dramatic performance in Deewana later that year was hailed by critics and garnered a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.^[3] Bharti has acted in over 14 Hindi films between 1992 and 1993.^[4] Throughout her career, she often played strong female characters and, apart from mainstream cinema. Bharti's last completed films were Rang, co-starring Kamal Sadanah and Shatranj with Jackie Shroff, both released posthumously. ^[5]

Though her career went through certain periods of decline, she reinvented herself numerous times and was credited for her ability to sustain her status.^[6] The final years of Bharti's life were marked by personal problems, and a reputation for unreliability and difficulty to work with. Her career was cut short by her mysterious death on 5 April 1993.^[7] The circumstances of her death, falling from the window ledge of her five-story Versova apartment have been the subject of conjecture.

Family and early life[link]

Divya Bharti was born on February 25 1974, in the Mumbai, India, the eldest child of Omprakash Bharti an insurance officer and Meeta Bharti.^[8] Meeta Bharti was the second wife of Omprakash Bharti. She had a younger brother Kunal. Bharti Studied at Maneckji Cooper High School in Juhu, Mumbai, in same era as actors Farhan Akhtar and Rani Mukherji attended. She was an average in studies and completed grade 9th.^[9]

Career[link]

1988-1990: Early work and career beginnings[link]

In 1988, Bharti met film-maker Nandu Tolani when she accompanied a friend. Upon seeing her, Nandu Tolani insisted that she become an actress. At that time Bharti was in the ninth standard. She was originally scheduled to make her screen debut in Gunahon Ka Devta in 1988, but her role was cancelled later.^[10] Kirti Kumar (Govinda's brother) noticed the Divya at a video library, was eager to sign up Divya for Radha Ka Sangam opposite Govinda. Weeks later Kirti went personally to meet Dilip Shankar and managed to release Divya from their contract. Before the first shot was taken, Bharti was out of the film after being groomed for two years and replaced by Juhi Chawla.^[11]

Bharti's career was on end until D. Ramanaidu, one of the biggest producers of Telugu cinema offered Bobbili Raja opposite his son Daggubati Venkatesh. She commenced shooting for her first release. The film was released in the summer of 1990 and became a colossal hit.^[12] She was introduced as Rani, daughter of the minister who has had all the comforts of life. The film was considered an usual launch for a newcomer, However, she was eventually noticed for her role, particularly for the forthright character she played.

Although highly regarded for her acting abilities, Bharti acted in only one Tamil film titled Nila Penne opposite Anand Babu, the son of legendary actor, Nagesh who was most widely known for several leading roles in the early 1990s and his dancing exploits. The film was critically and financially unsuccessful.^[13]

1990–1992:Rise to stardom in Telugu cinema[link]

With more hits, Bharti became a bigger name in Telugu cinema.^[14] In box-office ratings, she figured next to Vijayshanti. In 1991, Bharti gave back-to-back hits, including Rowdy Alludu and Assembly Rowdy opposite Chiranjeevi and Mohan Babu.^[15]

Later that year, A Kodandarami Reddy's action romantic Dharma Kshetram under Sri Rajeev Productions released. Bharti essayed the role of beautiful girl along with a prominent Telugu film actor Nandamuri Balakrishna, who then starred in many critical and commercial films with the highest number of dual roles (Thirteen). The film went on to become one of the biggest hits of Telugu cinema of its time.^[16] Nandamuri Balakrishna said about her performance, "This is an exceptional position reflecting an exceptional role she has played for us." ^[17]

1992–1993:Rise to stardom in Bollywood[link]

Bharti's first Bollywood film was Vishwatma opposite Sunny Deol, directed by Rajiv Rai which released on January 2, 1992. The film was an average grosser at the box office but gained Bharti wider recognition from the public as well as film critics.^[18] the film was only declared an average grosser.^[19] Notably, the music of the film was very successful especially the song "Saat Samundar" which became a favorite and gave Bharti the limelight into Bollywood..^[20]

Seven days later, Bharti's next film, Lawrence D'Souza's romantic drama Dil Ka Kya Kasoor alongside Prithvi and Sanam released but opened badly.^[21] Bharti's role was that of a girl by the name of Seema, who is secretly in love with a guy who wants to be a singer. She secretly helps him become a successful singer by writing songs for him but keeps her identity a secret from him. Through her songs he becomes popular and wealthy virtually overnight. The music of this film from duo Nadeem-Shravan was an instant hit due to its catchy melody. But the film din't do well at the box office. However, Filmfare magazines started including Bharti in the list of 1992 "Top Ten Best Actress Performances". After Bharti's flops, she was quoted as saying, "I wanted to prove myself. But I've fallen flat on my face. Now, I have to begin my climb all over again. Yet, I'm positive that one day, success will be mine." (Stardust, March 1992).^[22]

In March 1992, David Dhawan's Shola Aur Shabnam was released. Bharti starred as Divya, the love interest of Karan (Govinda. Karan and Divya both plan to marry each other. Circumstances act against them, and they flee together, with Kali Baba's (Gulshan Grover) men after them. Shola Aur Shabnam was popular with critics and was a box office hit in India,^[23] establishing Bharti once again. She received a Lux Face of the Year title. It also gave a big boost to Govinda's career^[24], as well as launching David Dhawan as an established director.^[25].

Four months later, Bharti received further success in Raj Kanwar's Filmfare award winning love story Deewana ^[26] starred veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, and newcomer Shahrukh Khan. Bharti essayed the role of Kajal who falls in love and marries a famous singer named Ravi (Rishi Kapoor). After Ravi is presumed dead after falling off a cliff, the widowed and depressed Kajal meets a young man named Raja (Shahrukh Khan). Deewana grossed 14 crore, and Boxoffice India declared it a hit.^[27] Her performance in Deewana was highly appreciated. ^[28] Critics reported that Bharti belonged to a new breed of Hindi film actors that breaks away from character stereotypes. Bharti and Shahrukh Khan both were awarded with Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut and Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut respectively.

By July 1992, Bharti's work in Deewana was said to have earned her more acknowledge. She was listed as one of the "Most Valuable Young Stars". Further films like Jaan Se Pyaara, once again with Govinda, Geet and Balwaan with another debutant Sunil Shetty followed. Balwaan premiered on 11 September 1992 and was an success, establishing Sunil Shetty as a tough action hero. The film was considered an unusual for Bharti, as her role called for only minutes of screen time. Her role was small, and was not well received. She was mostly criticised for taking a role of minimal importance. Although she explained that the decision was significant, so even when characters are being unkind it's hard not to like

By the end of the year, She starred in Hema Malini's Dil Aashna Hai once again co-starring Shahrukh Khan. The film tells the story of a young girl brought up in a brothel, who is a cabaret dancer in Digvijay Singh's (Kabir Bedi) five-star hotel. Karan (Shahrukh Khan) falls in love with Laila. Laila is aided by Karan in the search for her birth mother. Laila is determined to bring seek answers and find acceptance from her real mother. The film garnered negative reviews and poor box office returns.^[29] She described the role as an attempt to pretext her cursorial public image. Hema Malini labelled her role by stating that "The lady has not just looked glamorous but she has walked with symmetry, smiled with austerity and spoke with sangfroid" ^[30]

Bharti's final film before her death was the ensemble film Kshatriya, released just 10 days before her death. Her last completed films Rang and Shatranj were released months after her death and dedicated to her memory. She had completed 80% shooting of the film Laadla before her role was recast with Sridevi. She was also set to star in films like Mohra, Vijaypath, Kartavya and Andolan but was replaced by other actresses.

Personal life[link]

Bharti married film producer Sajid Nadiadwala in 1992.^[7] They had met in 1990 at Film City, when Sajid dropped by the sets to meet Govinda on the sets of Shola Aur Shabnam.^[31]

Death and aftermath[link]

Around midnight of 5 April 1993, Bharti fell to her death from a five-storey Versova apartment building in Mumbai. There was much speculation by the media regarding Bharti's sudden demise, including the possibility of accidental death, well planned conspiracy or even murder. ^[32] Mumbai Police failed to find evidences and closed the investigation in 1998. Some conspiracy theories involved her husband Sajid Nadiadwala, while other theories suggested Mafia complicity. But the circumstances of her death still remain a mystery.^[33]

Bharti's body was released to her family, who had arranged for a cremation ceremony.^[34] On 7 April 1993, Bharti was cremated in Hindu fashion.

Filmography[link]

Incomplete films[link]

Year of release	Title	Co-Star	Replacement
1993	Dhanwan	Ajay Devgan	Karisma Kapoor
1993	Tholi Muddhu	Prashanth	Rambha
1993	Do Kadam	Salman Khan	N
1993	Parinaam	Akshay Kumar	N
1993	Chal Pe Chal	Jackie Shroff	N
1993	Bajrangi	Sunny Deol	N
1994	Mohra	Akshay Kumar	Raveena Tandon
1994	Laadla	Anil Kapoor	Sridevi
1994	Vijaypath	Ajay Devgan	Tabu
1995	Andolan	Ajay Sharma	Mamta Kulkarni
1995	Kartavya (1995 film)	Sanjay Kapoor	Juhi Chawla
1995	Angrakshak	Sunny Deol	Pooja Bhatt
1995	Hulchul	Ajay Devgan	Kajol
1995	Kanyadaan	Rishi Kapoor	Manisha Koirala

The list of incomplete films is copyright from Filmfare and Cineblitz magazines of May 1993.

N = Indicates that the movie wasn't made.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Divya Bharti at the Internet Movie Database
• http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-04-07/news-interviews/31300649_1_biopic-bollywood-debut-mystery
• http://www.hindustantimes.com/Entertainment/Bollywood/Not-making-film-based-on-Divya-Bharti-Sandhu/Article1-837814.aspx

Vinod Khanna
Born	(1946-10-06) 6 October 1946 (age 65).[1] Peshawar, Pakistan
Occupation	Actor, Politician
Spouse	Geetanjali (1971–1985 divorced) Kavita (1990–present)
Children	3 sons and 1 daughter

Vinod Khanna (Hindi: विनोद खन्ना, Punjabi: ਵਿਨੋਦ ਖੰਨਾ born 6 October 1946) is an Indian actor, film producer and politician.

Early life[link]

Khanna was born in Peshawar to Kamla and Kishanchand Khanna, a textiles, dyes and chemicals businessman on 6 October 1946, in Peshawar, British India (now in Pakistan).^{[citation needed]} He has three sisters and one brother. Shortly after his birth, India was partitioned and the family left Peshawar and reached Mumbai (then Bombay).^{[citation needed]}

At Mumbai, he attended Queen Mary School, Bombay (Mumbai) until class II and then transferred to St. Xavier's High School, Fort. In 1957, the family again moved to Delhi where he attended Delhi Public School, Mathura Road. Although the family moved back to Mumbai in 1960, he was sent to Barnes School in Deolali, near Nashik. It was during his time at the boarding school that he watched the epic Mughal-e-Azam and fell in love with motion pictures. He graduated with a commerce degree from Sydenham College.^[1]

Career[link]

Vinod Khanna debuted in Sunil Dutt's 1968 film Man Ka Meet as a villain.^[2] He acted in multi-starrer films often playing supporting and negative roles in hit films such as Purab Aur Paschim (1970), Sachaa Jhutha (1970) and Mera Gaon Mera Desh (1971).^[2] His big break was in the 1971 film Mere Apne directed by Gulzar. His performance as an army officer facing death row in another Gulzar scripted and directed 1973 film Achanak was critically acclaimed. The songless film echoed the true life story of K. M. Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra and Khanna portrayed Kawas Nanavati, the real life Navy officer.^[2]

He went on to star in many hits throughout the mid 1970s and early 1980s, including "Inkaar", "Aap Ki Khatir", "Aarop", Parvarish (1977), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Khoon Pasina (1977), " Herapheri", Muqaddar Ka Sikander (1978), "((Zameer")), The Burning Train (1980) and Qurbani (1980). Having peaked in Bollywood, he became a follower of the spiritual teacher Osho (Rajneesh) and left the film industry in 1979 for eight years. At this time, he was one of the most successful actors in the Bollywood, competing with Amitabh Bachchan, Rajesh Khanna (Kudrat), (Aan Milo Sajna) & Jeetendra. He rejoined the industry, eight years later in mid 1980s. He continued to appear in many notable films from the mid 1980s to the 1990s such as Dayavan (1988), Chandni (1989), Kshatriya (1993), Eena Meena Deeka (1994) and Ekka Raja Rani (1994).^[2]

His pairing with Amitabh Bachchan was both critically acclaimed and commercially successful.

In 1997 he donned the role of producer to launch his middle son Akshaye Khanna in the film Himalay Putra; he also starred in the film. In 1999 he received a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the film industry for over three decades. He has since acted in fewer films playing character roles. His most recent films were Deewaanapan (2002), Risk (2007), Wanted (2009) and Dabangg (2010).

He also ventured into television playing the male lead role of "Kashi Nath" in the Smriti Irani-produced Hindi serial Mere Apne, which aired on the channel 9X.

Politics[link]

In 1997, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and was elected from Gurdaspur constituency in Punjab in the next year's Lok Sabha poll. In 1999, he was re-elected to the Lok Sabha from the same constituency. Later, he became union minister for culture and tourism in July 2002. Six months later, he was moved to the more important ministry of external affairs (MEA) as minister of state. In 2004 he won re-election from Gurdaspur. However, he lost out in the 2009 Lok Sabha poll.

Personal life[link]

Khanna married Geetanjali in 1971, and has two sons with her, Rahul Khanna and Akshaye Khanna; both are Hindi film actors. In 1975, Khanna became a disciple of Osho (Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh).^[1] In the early 1980s, he moved to Rajneeshpuram, Osho's commune in the United States, for four years, cleaning dishes and working as Osho's gardener.^[1] His absence from his family, who remained behind in India, caused friction between the couple, and the marriage ended in divorce.^[1]

In 1990, he married his second wife, Kavita.^[1] They have a son, Sakshi, and a daughter Shraddha.^[1]

Awards and nominations[link]

• 1975 – Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Haath Ki Safai
• 1977 – Filmfare Nomination as Best Supporting Actor for Hera Pheri
• 1978 – Filmfare Nomination as Best Actor for Shaque
• 1979 – Filmfare Nomination as Best Supporting Actor for Muqaddar Ka Sikander
• 1981 – Filmfare Nomination as Best Actor for Qurbani
• 1999 – Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2001 - Kalakar Awards Lifetime Achievement^{[citation needed]}
• 2005 – Stardust Awards - Role Model for the Year ^[3]
• 2007 – Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement

Filmography[link]