Anil Mehta is a cinematographer, writer and director of Bollywood movies. He has studied cinematography at the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune.

He has shot Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), Lagaan (2001), Saathiya (2002) and Veer-Zaara (2004).

Mehta's first feature film, Aaja Nachle, was produced by Yash Raj Films. Released on 9 November 2007 ^[1] the film stars Madhuri Dixit (in her comeback film), Konkona Sen Sharma, Akshaye Khanna and Kunal Kapoor.^[2]

He won the National Film Award for Best Cinematography for his work in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)

Filmography[link]

Cinematography[link]

• The Cloud Door (1994)
• Khamoshi: The Musical (1996)
• Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)
• Lagaan (2001)
• Agni Varsha (2002)
• Saathiya (2002)
• Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)
• Veer-Zaara (2004)
• Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)
• Marigold (2007)
• Wake Up Sid (2009)
• Rockstar (2011)
• Cocktail (2012 film) |Cocktail]] (2012)

Writer[link]

• Agni Varsha (2002)

Director[link]

• Aaja Nachle (2007)

References[link]

1. ^ "yashrajfilms.com". Yash Raj's steller line-up. http://www.yashrajfilms.com/News/NewsDetails.aspx?NewsID=568cb754-15ca-43a8-9d7d-01da684d2896. Retrieved 23 July 2006. 
2. ^ "entertainment.oneindia.in". Madhuri Dixit on Aaja Nachle. http://entertainment.oneindia.in/bollywood/interviews/madhuri-dixit-041206.html. Retrieved 23 July 2006. 

External links[link]

• Anil Mehta at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview by Rediff

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

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

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

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

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

Early life[link]

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

Film career[link]

1980s[link]

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

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

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

1990s[link]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

2000s[link]

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

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

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

Dance[link]

Madhuri Dixit dancing on stage for the Unforgettable Tour in 2008

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

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

Television appearances[link]

Dixit on the sets of Nach Baliye

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

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

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

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

Social work[link]

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

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

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

Personal life[link]

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

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

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

Awards and nominations[link]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Madhuri Dixit

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

Ranbir Kapoor
Kapoor at the BIG Star Entertainment Awards, December 2011
Born	(1982-09-28) 28 September 1982 (age 29) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2007–present
Parents	Rishi Kapoor Neetu Singh
Signature	150px

Ranbir Kapoor (born 28 September 1982^[1]) is an Indian actor who appears in Bollywood movies.

Making his acting debut in the 2007 film Saawariya, for which he won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut, Kapoor earned positive notice for his performance in Wake Up Sid (2009). He later appeared in the romantic comedy Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (2009) and the political thriller Raajneeti (2010), with the later being his biggest commercial success to date.^[2] In 2011, Kapoor starred and earned critical acclaim for his performance in Rockstar for which he received the Best Actor and Best Actor (Critics) awards at the Filmfare ceremony.

Early life[link]

Ranbir Kapoor, the son of actors Rishi Kapoor and Neetu Singh, was born into a family of Punjabi origin;^[3] his sister is Riddhima Kapoor Sahni. He is the grandson of actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor, great grandson of Prithviraj Kapoor, nephew of actors Randhir Kapoor and Rajiv Kapoor, grand-nephew of actors Shashi Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor, and first-cousin of actresses Karisma Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor. Kapoor studied at Bombay Scottish School in Mahim, Mumbai and went on to pursue method acting at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York.^[4]

Career[link]

Before starting off his career as an actor, Kapoor appeared in two short films: Passion to Love (2002), which was also directed by him, and India 1964 (2004). He later began working as an assistant with director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, where he was involved in the making of the film Black (2005).^[5] Kapoor who initially had plans of becoming an actor was later cast by Bhansali in his next directional venture, Saawariya opposite newcomer Sonam Kapoor. The film failed to do well at the box office,^[6] though his performance was largely appreciated. Kapoor was then seen in Siddharth Anand's romantic comedy Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008) alongside Bipasha Basu, Minissha Lamba and Deepika Padukone. The film was a semi-hit at the box-office.^[7]

2009 saw Kapoor appear in three movies. His first release was Ayan Mukerji's Wake Up Sid, in which he portrayed the character of Siddharth Mehra, a spoiled and self-centered college student from Mumbai. Featured opposite Konkona Sen Sharma, the film was a critical and commercial success.^[8] Shrey Patnaik wrote, "Ranbir's Sid is a near-perfect portrait of the aimless young man searching for a direction in life. Ranbir handles the character's inner life with the effortlessness of a Sitar maestro twiddling with his instrument's strings to create a music that takes the audience to a world where the sounds suggest a harmony between art and life. In Wake Up Sid, Ranbir proves once and for all that he's the future of Hindi cinema."^[9] Kapoor earned several nominations for Best Actor. He next starred alongside Katrina Kaif in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, which surfaced as one of the biggest hits of the year.^[10]

Following this, Kapoor appeared in Shimit Amin's drama Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year. Upon release, the film received positive reviews by critics but failed to do well.^[11] Kapoor's performance was critically acclaimed, with one critic writing, "Ranbir brings to his part a whole lot of earnestness and heart. His natural and utterly contagious exuberance so much on display in his last two films Wake Up Sid and Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani is effortlessly curbed here."^[12]

In 2010, he featured in Prakash Jha's multi-starrer political thriller Rajneeti. The film opened to positive reviews and was declared a "blockbuster".^[13] His performance was well received with critic Nikhat Kazmi concluding, "The film finally belongs to Ranbir Kapoor who perfects the art of minimalism – and literally grows before your eyes – as the simmering volcano that cannot be held back, once it erupts. He's as grey and soot-filled, as volcanoes go."^[14] In the same year, Kapoor appeared alongside Priyanka Chopra in Siddharth Anand's Anjaana Anjaani which was a moderate box office success.^[13]

2011 saw Kapoor feature opposite newcomer Nargis Fakhri in Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar. The film, upon release, met with positive to mixed reviews^[15] and grossed over Rs.1 billion worldwide^[16] In a review published by CNN-IBN, Rajeev Masand wrote: "Rockstar belongs to Ranbir Kapoor over everyone else. It is a riveting performance [...] and Ranbir roots it in the real. Watch how he seizes the stage in the "Sadda Haq" number and virtually makes the track his own. For Ranbir alone, this film deserves a watch."^[17] The film earned Kapoor a Best Actor and Best Actor (Critics) award at the 2012 Filmfare awards ceremony.

As of April 2012, Kapoor is scheduled to appear in Anurag Basu's Barfee alongside Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz and Ayan Mukherjee's Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani alongside ex-girlfriend Deepika Padukone.

In the media[link]

Kapoor currently lives with his parents in Pali Hill in Mumbai, Maharashtra. During an interview in March 2008, he announced that he was dating Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone;^[18] the couple later broke up in 2009.^[19] In 2008, Kapoor co-hosted the 54th Filmfare Awards alongside Imran Khan; he was later chosen to co-host the 56th and 57th edition of the award ceremony alongside Imran Khan and Shah Rukh Khan respectively. During November 2010, he made an appearance on the talk show Koffee with Karan alongside Imran Khan.

Awards and nominations[link]

Filmography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Ranbir Kapoor at the Internet Movie Database