This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. It needs additional citations for verification. Tagged since November 2011. It may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Tagged since November 2011. It may contain wording that merely promotes the subject without imparting verifiable information. Tagged since November 2011.

Jamwal is a Suryavanshi Rajput clan of Chattari lineage in Jammu and Kashmir that claims solar origin by direct descent from Sri Rama Chandra^{[citation needed]} of Raghav (Raghuvanshi) Rajput clan. Jamwal traditions state that their ancestor, Raja Agnigarba, came from Ayodhya and founded a small state on the banks of River Tawi. A few generations later, Raja Jambu Lochan founded the city and state of Jammu. In Rajputana their closest cousins are Raghav (Raghuvanshi) & Kachwaha Rajputs of Jaipur.

The Dogra Maharajas of Jammu and Kashmir belong to this clan. Minhas, Nagyal, Thakial and Bersal and Kohaal Rajputs are also an offshoot of this clan. It is said that one Raja Malan Hans took up agriculture and left the throne to his younger brother, Raja Suraj Hans. Since that time Rajputs who took up agriculture are styled Minhas, whereas the name 'Jamwal' is confined to the royal branch.

History[link]

Ancient history[link]

The history of the Jamwals dates back to the Ramayana period. They trace their ancestry to the Ikshvaku (Solar) Dynasty of Raghav (Raghuvanshi) Rajputs of Northern India (the same clan in which Lord Rama was born; therefore, he is the 'kuldevta' – family deity – of the Dogras). A Raghav (Raghuvanshi), 'Agnigarba', who was living as a recluse, came to Nagarkote (Kangra, Himachal Pradesh), in the Shivalik hills. When the Raja of Kangra came to know about this person's ancestry, he offered him the hand of his daughter and a part of kingdom. At the time, the river Ravi was then the boundary of Nagarkote. Agnigarba crossed it and captured some villages in the Kathua area and declared himself as sovereign king.

After his death, his son Bayusharva (1530–1500 BC) married the princess of Parole (Kathua), Erwan, who died young. The Raja founded a city after her which is still found near Parole, though now a small village, and at the 'Samādhi' of the queen, a 'Mela' (fair) is held at every 'Baisakhi' (13th or 14 April) every year. Bayusharva extended the boundaries up to the river Ujh. Bayusharva's great grandson, Bahulochan, was enthroned after his death. He migrated from Erwan and built his fort on the banks of river Tawi. When Bahulochan died in a bloody battle with Chadaras, the Raja of Sialkot (Shayalkot) and his younger brother Jambulochan (1320–1290 BC) ascended the throne. In those days the area beyond Tawi (the present city of Jammu) was used for hunting. Tradition has it that one day Jambulochan came to this area and while he was sitting behind a bush to ambush some bird or animal, he saw a lion (a tiger in some accounts) and a goat drinking water from the same pond. This peaceful coexistence encouraged him to found the city of Jammu, which some say is named after him. One of his descendants, Raja Shaktikaran (1200–1177 BC) introduced the Dogri script. Another of his descendants, Jasdev, founded the city of Jasrota on the bank of river Ujh, and another Raja, Karan Dev, built a fort on the banks of the river Basantar.

In the early centuries of the first millennium the area came under the sway of the Indo-Greeks, with their capital at Sakala (Sialkot).

Suryavamshi claim descent from Surya. Manhas are royal branch of Jamwal Rajputs. The Sun Dynasty is oldest among Kshatriyas. The first person of this dynasty was "Vivaswan," who by the meaning of his name is considered to be "Surya." Ikshvaku was the first important king of this dynasty. Other important kings were Kakutsth Harishchandra, Sagar, Dileepa, Bhagiratha, Raghu Dashratha and Rama. The poet Kalidasa wrote the great epic Raghuvamsa about the dynasty of Raghu including the great king born in the Sun Dynasty.

The Rajwar, a cultivating caste of Bihar and Chota nagpur who claim Surajvansi Rajput descent, but is not generally admitted. The Surajvansi are sometimes also called Kaushilya or Kaushal (after Kush), while the chandravansi are called Kaushik. The Kausik(a) rajput tribe is also found in considerable numbers in Ghazipur, Azimgarh and Gorakhpur, claiming descent from Kausik, father of Gadhi, founder of Gadhipur Ghazipur.

British India[link]

Among the enlightened rulers of Jammu was Raja Ranjit Dev, (1728–1780) who introduced certain social reforms such as a ban on 'Sati' (immolation of the wife on the pyre of the husband) and female infanticide. Later, under Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the state became part of the Sikh Empire of the Punjab region. Ranjit Singh rendered this state to his general, Maharaja Gulab Singh, who belonged to the Jamwal Rajput clan that ruled Jammu. He extended the boundaries of Jammu to western Tibet with the help of General Zorawar Singh, who has been referred to by British historians as the 'Napoleon of India'. Dogra rule extended beyond the Jammu region and the Kashmir Valley to the Tibetan Buddhist Kingdom of Ladakh and the Emirates of Hunza, Gilgit and Nagar. After the Second Anglo-Sikh War in 1846, Jammu again became an independent Rajput kingdom under Maharaja Gulab Singh, as per the treaties signed between the British and the Sikhs. Maharaja Pratap Singh, enthroned in 1885, saw the construction of Banihal Cart Road (B.C. Road) mainly to facilitate telegraph services.

Modern history[link]

The last ruler of J&K was Maharaja Hari Singh, who ascended the throne in 1925. The Maharaja was one the most progressive rulers of his times. He was a progressive ruler and much loved by his subjects. He made primary education compulsory in the state, introduced laws prohibiting child marriage and threw open places of worship for the low castes. His reign saw the accession of Jammu & Kashmir to the newly independent Indian Union in 1947. Although he originally manouvred to maintain his independence by playing off India and Pakistan against each other, Maharaja Hari Singh, the last king of the Rajput kingdom of Jammu & Kashmir, ceded his kingdom to the Indian Union in 1947. In 1951, Maharaja Hari Singh's rule was terminated by the assembly and his son Yuvraj (Crown Prince) Karan Singh was made 'Sadr-e-Riyasat' ('President of the State') and Governor of the State in 1964.

References[link]

Sandhya Mridul
Sandhya Mridul at Rakesh Agarwal Collection Preview
Born	Sandhya Mridul (1975-03-28) March 28, 1975 (age 37) Mumbai, India [1]
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1993–present
Spouse	None

Sandhya Mridul (born 28 March 1975) is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films and television, most known for her roles in films like, movies like Saathiya (2002) and Page 3 (2005), and was first runners up in reality dance show, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (Season 2) (2007).

Personal life and education[link]

Mridul, also called 'Sandy', was born in Mumbai to Advocate P. R. Mridul and his wife. Later, the family moved to New Delhi. At age Ten, she left home to attend school at Maharani Gayatri Devi Girls’ Public School in Jaipur. At age 14, her father, a lawyer by profession and later a judge of the high court, died and she was brought up by her elder brother Justice Siddharth Mridul who is a sitting judge of Delhi High Court. She also has another elder brother named Pankaj.^[1][2]

She graduated in Mathematics, did her post graduation in marketing and went on to do a corporate job with KLM in Mumbai.^[3]

Career[link]

She first arrived back in Mumbai to be a marketing executive. Mridul first started her career with the popular TV serial Swabhimaan. After that, additional roles followed in serials like Banegi Apni Baat, Koshish and Hu Ba Hu.

She made her breakthrough in films with Yash Raj Films, in Saathiya in 2002. The film was critically and commercially successful and critics appreciated her performance. Her character Dina was an important supporting role that got her noticed.

She also appeared in Extraa Innings, the programme during the Cricket World Cup 2003.

In 2004, she acted in Pratap Sharma's "Zen Katha", a play based on the life of Buddha in Mumbai opposite Rajeev Gopalkrishnan.

Her show, Koshish Ek Asha in which she played the role of the female protagonist has been dubbed in Chinese and in the year 2005, it was telecast in China. Through this show, Sandhya became a household name in China by 2005.

She decided to walk away from Television soap Operas because the roles felt repetitive. Of her decision to quit TV, she remarked, "If you want to play the protagonist these days, you have to be the bahu. I’m not ready to do that again. I can’t be wearing heavy saris with dark pink lipstick all my life." ^[4]

In 2005 she starred in Page 3 with Konkona Sen Sharma and Tara Sharma. She played an air hostess in the film. Her performance was again praised by the critics and the film was a hit at the box office.

Since 2006, she has focused exclusively on film roles. She played Maya, a restless soul who keeps on moving in and out of things in an off-beat film called Strings. She also acted 13th Floor which is an interesting story of two people stuck in the 13th floor of a lift. As a trained Bharatnatyam dancer, Sandhya's desire to show her dancing skills is also being fulfilled in the film Chowki. In Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd., she plays a wife stuck in a marriage with a gay man. In the thriller Deadline: Sirf 24 Ghante by Tanvir Khan, she acts with Irfan Khan. In The Great Indian Butterfly, she shows her talent again in this movie, how a young Indian couple climbing the ladder of the corporate rate race in a nation.

Her versatility and her penchant for taking non-conformist roles have made her a darling of cross-over films. She proved her talent again in another off-beat film called Via Darjeeling in which she plays an alcoholic. "I would like to step into the shoes that Smita Patil left behind", says Mridul about where she sees herself in the Bollywood acting space.^[5]

She has also been judged the runners-up at the popular dance show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (Season 2). This decision did court some controversy since one of the judges, Urmila Matondkar declared that Mridul should have won.^[6] There were also allegations of rigging and interference on the decision to declare Prachi the winner of the show. Mridul said of the decision, "Don't tell me that I lost. Like I have said before, you lose only when you lose heart, and I haven't. I may have only lost out on a trophy and cash but I have won many hearts."^[7]

In 2008, she served as a member of the jury in the 14th Television Festival held in Shanghai. She was youngest and lone Indian in the festival.^[8]

Filmography[link]

• Swabhimaan (1995) TV Series - Shivani
• Banegi Apni Baat (1994) TV Series - Sakshi
• Aashirwad (TV series) (1998)- Geeta
• Koshish (TV series) (2001) - Kaajal
• Hubahu (2002) TV Series - Aditi and Ananya
• Jassi Jaissi Koi Nahin(2004) TV Series -Yana
• Saathiya (2002) ... Dina Sharma
• Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II (2003) - Inspector Agni Sinha
• Uuf Kya Jaadoo Mohabbat Hai (2004) - Sangeeta Chaudhry
• Page 3 (2005) ... Pearl Sequiera
• Socha Na Tha (2005)
• Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye (2005)
• 13th Floor (2006)...Naina
• Deadline: Sirf 24 Ghante (2006) ... Roohi K. Vaidya
• Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007) ... Madhu
• Say Salaam India (2007)
• Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa (Season 2) ... Reality Show- India's Dancing with the Stars
• Mr. White Mr. Black (2008)
• Via Darjeeling (2008) ... Mallika Tiwari
• Ustaadon Ka Ustaad (2008) - Reality Dance series
• Quick Gun Murugun (2009) - Masala News Reporter
• The Great Indian Butterfly (2009) Unreleased
• BBD (2009) ... TV Host Unreleased
• Chowky (2009) Unreleased
• Force (2011) as Swati

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sandhya Mridul at the Internet Movie Database
• Unconventionally yours, Sandhya Mridul The Times of India

Dia Mirza
Born	Dia Handrich (1981-12-09) 9 December 1981 (age 30) Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India
Residence	Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Other names	Diya Mirza Diya Dee
Occupation	Actress, model, Film Producer
Years active	2001-present

Dia Mirza, (Bengali: দিয়া মির্জা; born on December 9, 1981) Dia Mirza Handrich nicknamed Dee^[1][2] is a Indian model and actress who appears in Bollywood films. The actress along with her boyfriend Sahil Sangha^[3] and good friend Zayed Khan has started her own production house, Born Free Entertainment,^[4] their first film Love Breakups Zindagi made under the banner was released on 7 October 2011.

Personal life and education[link]

Dia Mirza was born in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Her father, Frank Handrich, was a German graphic and industrial fair designer, architect, artist and interior designer from Munich and her mother, Deepa is a Bengali Hindu who is an interior designer, landscaper and currently does social work as a volunteer to help alcoholics and addicts. They separated when she was six years old. Her father died when she was nine and her mother married Ahmed Mirza, who died in 2004. She adopted her steppfather's surname and has recently adopted the last name of her birth-father, becoming Dia Mirza Handrich.

When living in Khairatabad, Hyderabad district, she attended Vidyaranya High School for Boys And Girls, a school based on the teachings of Jiddu Krishnamurti, and later Nasr School, in Khairtabad. She attended Stanley Junior College and completed her graduation in Bachelors of Arts from Andhra Pradesh Open University, Hyderabad.^[5]

Career[link]

Diya Mirza started working at the age of 16 years while continuing her college education. She worked as a marketing executive in a multi-media firm called Dr. Neeraj’s Multi media studio. She simultaneously modelled for the print and television advertisement campaigns of various brands such as Walls, Lipton, Emami etc.^[6] Mirza wanted to complete her graduation in Arts by correspondence, but decided to postpone it as it was becoming difficult to juggle between the Miss Asia Pacific competition, modeling assignments, travelling and training.

Miss Asia Pacific[link]

Diya Mirza was a second runner up at Femina Miss India, 2000 and was subsequently sent to Miss Asia Pacific, where she won. When she won the Miss Asia Pacific title on 3 December 2000 in Manila, Philippines, she became the first Indian contestant to win this title in 29 years.^[7] She completed the hat-trick of India winning international pageants in the year 2000; Lara Dutta won the Miss Universe title and Priyanka Chopra won the Miss World title in the same year.^[8]

Film career[link]

Diya Mirza made her cinematic debut with Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein opposite R. Madhavan. Although the film was not a box office success, she appeared in Parineeta, a Vidhu Vinod Chopra production. She also starred in the music video, Kajara Mohabbat Wala alongside Sonu Nigam from his album Kajara Nite. The album contained multiple remixes, but was mainly advertised with the title song, sung by Sonu Nigam and Alisha Chinai.^[9]

She also appeared in the films Dus and Fight Club. She was the only female actor among the six key characters in the film, Acid Factory in which she played a femme fatale who is also a gangster.^[10]

Community Services[link]

Diya Mirza has been involved with Cancer Patients Aid Association, Spastics Society of India, and has worked extensively with government of Andhra Pradesh to spread HIV awareness, prevention of female foeticide, PETA, CRY and most recently the NDTV Greenathon – an effort to find tangible solutions against pollution and book, "Deke Dheko" by Radio Mirchi (a campaign initiated to collect books for underprivileged children). Her other hobbies include writing, reading, painting, pottery, horse riding and theater. She has written several articles for The Hindustan Times and various other publications as a guest writer. She is on the board of the Coca Cola foundation that works towards development in rural India.^[11] She recently adopted 2 cheetah cubs at the Prince of Wales zoological park in Lucknow.^[12]

Controversies[link]

Diya Mirza and fellow-actor Aamir Khan publicly expressed support for the Narmada Bachao Andolan, a group protesting the building of a dam. This aroused the ire of political activists from the Bharatiya Janata Party, who led a protest march against the actress.^[13] Pakistani and Indian news media spread that Shoaib Akhtar was going to marry Mirza, which she denied.^[14]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Dia Mirza at the Internet Movie Database

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dia Mirza

Awards and titles for Dia Mirza Awards and achievements Preceded by Juliana Andrea Arango Londoño Miss Asia Pacific 2000 2000 Succeeded by Luciana Luisa Farfán Vargas Preceded by Shivangi Parikkh Femina Miss India 2000 Succeeded by Maheshwari

v t e Miss India winners in the Grand Slam pageants Miss Universe Sushmita Sen (1994) · Lara Dutta (2000) Miss World Reita Faria (1966) · Aishwarya Rai (1994) · Diana Hayden (1997) · Yukta Mookhey (1999) · Priyanka Chopra (2000) Miss Asia Pacific Zeenat Aman (1970) · Tara Anne Fonseca (1973) · Dia Mirza (2000) Miss Earth Nicole Faria (2010) Miss International - Dominican Republic India Panamá Philippines Puerto Rico USA Venezuela

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

Nishikanth Kamat is an Indian filmmaker. His debut film, Dombivali Fast earned him accolades in Marathi Cinema, as it went on to become the biggest Marathi film of the year. He remade his film, in Tamil with R. Madhavan in the lead as Evano Oruvan, which opened to rave reviews.^[1]

He has also acted in marathi movie titled Saatchya aat gharat.^[2]

His bollywood debut project is based upon the 2006 Mumbai Bombings, titled, Mumbai Meri Jaan, which is filmed in Hindi.^[3]

Filmography[link]

• 2004 - Saatchya Aat Gharat (Marathi)
• 2004 - Hava Aney Dey (Hindi)
• 2005 - Dombivali Fast (Marathi)
• 2007 - Evano Oruvan (Tamil)
• 2008 - Mumbai Meri Jaan (Hindi)
• 404 Error Not Found (2011) (Actor)
• 2011 - Force (Hindi) - remake of Tamil movie 'Khakha Khakha'

Awards and nominations[link]

• National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Marathi for Dombivali Fast in 2006^[4]

References[link]

Vipul Amrutlal Shah
Vipul Amrutlal Shah at the launch of his new show Bhai Bhaiya Aur Brother
Born	3 April
Occupation	Film director, Film producer
Spouse	Shefali Shah

Vipul Amrutlal Shah (commonly known as Vipul Shah) is a film producer and director of Hindi films. As of 2010, he has directed six Hindi films, four of which have starred Akshay Kumar.

Career[link]

Vipul Shah initially started off with a soap opera Ek Mahal Ho Sapno Ka, aired on Sony Entertainment Television. The serial went on to become the longest running family drama with over 1000 episodes.^{[citation needed]}

Shah's debut film as director was Aankhen, which was among the five biggest hits of 2002. He then impressed the audience and critics in his next film Waqt: The Race Against Time, which was also one of the highest grossing films of 2005. His next two films, Namastey London and Singh Is Kinng did well at the box office. In 2009, he directed London Dreams, starring Salman Khan, Ajay Devgan and Asin Thottumkal, which was an average grosser at the box office. His 2010 release, Action Replay starring Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai, which was a flop.

In March 2011, Shah announced his intention to do a sequel of his 2007 film Namastey London.^[1]

Personal life[link]

He is married to actress Shefali Shah and has two sons.^[2]

Filmography[link]

As Director[link]

As Producer[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Vipul Amrutlal Shah at the Internet Movie Database

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

This biographical article related to film in India is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e