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Colaba कुलाबा
—  neighbourhood  —
Colaba
Coordinates: 18°55′N 72°49′E / 18.91°N 72.81°E / 18.91; 72.81Coordinates: 18°55′N 72°49′E / 18.91°N 72.81°E / 18.91; 72.81
Country	India
State	Maharashtra
District	Mumbai City
Metro	Mumba
Zone	1
Ward	A
Government
• Body	MCGM
Elevation	4 m (13 ft)
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	400 005
Lok Sabha constituency	Mumbai South
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Colaba
Civic agency	MCGM

For the fort in Alibaug, see Kolaba fort

Colaba ([koˈlaːbaː]) is a part of the city of Mumbai, India, and also a Lok Sabha constituency. During Portuguese rule in the 16th century, the island was known as Candil. After the British took over the island in the late 17th century, it was known as Colio.^[1]

History[link]

Seven islands of Bombay, before reclamation

The name Colaba, comes from Kolabhat, a word in the language of Kolis, the indigenous inhabitants of the islands, before the arrival of Portuguese.^[2] The area that is now Colaba was originally a region consisting of two islands: Colaba and Little Colaba (or Old Woman's Island). The island of Colaba was one of the Seven islands of Bombay ruled by the Portuguese.

The Portuguese had acquired these lands from the Sultanate of Cambay by the Treaty of Bassein (1534). The group of islands was gifted by Portugal to Charles II of England as dowry when he married Catherine of Braganza. The cession of Bombay and dependencies was strongly resented by Portuguese officials in Goa and Bombay, who resisted transfer of possession for several years, while the English representatives were confined to the island of Anjediva while negotiations continued. Angered by the backtracking, Charles II leased these lands to the British East India Company for a nominal annual rent. Gerald Aungier, second Governor of Bombay (1672), and the president of the English settlement of Surat, took possession of Colaba and Old Woman's Island on behalf of the Company in 1675.

Portugal continued to hold Little Colaba island for several decades more before ceding it to the English in about 1762, subject to the retention of Portuguese ownership of a house on the island, that is now the Blessed Sacrament Chapel in Middle Colaba. This was leased by the Portuguese Government of Goa to the Bishop of Damao, the head of the Padroado party in Bombay, as his residence. After an attempt by the Propaganda Fide party to seize the chapel, a court ruled that the house remained the property of the Government of Portugal and evicted the Propaganda Fide party.

Old Bombay, 1909

Ambitious reclamation plans from 1912 have been only partly realised.

In 1743, British Colaba was leased to Richard Broughton at Rs. 200 yearly, and the lease was renewed in 1764.^[3] By 1796, Colaba had become a cantonment. Colaba was known for the variety of fishes – the bombil (Bombay duck), rawas, halwa, turtles, crabs, prawns and lobsters.

A Colaba Observatory, a meteorological observatory was established in 1826 in the part that was called Upper Colaba. The Colaba Causeway was completed in 1838, and thus, the remaining two islands were joined to the others. Gradually, Colaba became a commercial center, after the Cotton Exchange was opened at Cotton Green in 1844. The real estate prices in the area went up. The Colaba Causeway was widened in 1861 and 1863.

Colaba became a separate municipality ward in 1872. The Sick Bungalows (now known as INHS Ashwini) were built in the 19th century. The construction of the Anglican church of St. John the Evangelist (now known as Afghan Church after the First Afghan War of 1838) began in 1847. The Church was consecrated in 1858, with the work on the steeple being concluded in 1865.

The horse-drawn tram-cars were introduced in 1873 by Stearns and Kitteredge, who had their offices on the west side of the Causeway, where the Electric House now stands.

The Prong's lighthouse was constructed at the southern tip of the island in 1875. The eponymous Sassoon Docks were built by David Sassoon on reclaimed land in the same year. The BB&CI Railways established the Colaba railway station or terminus, the site of which is now occupied by the Badhwar Park layout. The development of Colaba pushed the native kolis to the edges of the island.

The Bombay City Improvement Trust reclaimed around 90,000 square yards (75,000 m²) on the western shore of Colaba. Eminent citizens of Mumbai, such as Sir Pherozeshah Mehta, opposed the work, fearing that the reclamation would depress prices of land. However, the reclamation work continued and was completed in 1905. There was no fall in the land prices. In 1906, a seafront road with a raised sea-side promenade was completed, and named as "Cuffe Parade" after T. W. Cuffe of the Trust.

Present[link]

The Gateway of India, the art deco style Regal theatre, the cafes (Mondegar, Royal and Leopold Cafe), and the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotel, all add to the atmosphere. The southern tip is occupied by a military cantonment, including the large Navy Nagar layout built on reclaimed land. The older parts of the cantonment retains its large, wooded spaces and is the only bit of green left in this otherwise congested area. In the midst of Navy Nagar lies the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), one of India's leading scientific institutions. Colaba is renowned for high-end boutiques, imitation consumer goods, and is popular with tourists. Notable residents include Ratan Tata. Not only that, Colaba Causeway or just Causeway as it is known in Mumbai has the best buys of everything from bracelets to perfumes to clothes to watches, clocks, DVD's and CD's. It has an old English charm and a very modern feel as well. Colaba is also the art centre of Mumbai, with all the major galleries and museums located in and around this area.

Colaba is home to the Cooperage Football Ground.

A 180° panoramic view of Colaba. Click to enlarge

Nearest railway stations:

• Churchgate
• Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST)

Bookstores

• Oxford Bookstore

Visitors attractions[link]

• Colaba Causeway
• Colaba Observatory
• Cowasji Jehangir Hall
• Cathedral of the Holy Name
• Prong's Lighthouse
• Gateway of India

Gallery[link]

• 

  Cafe Mondegar on Colaba Causeway

• 

  Colaba Apartments

Terrorist attack in November 2008[link]

On 26 November 2008, terrorist strikes occurred at various places in Colaba, notably the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower, Leopold Café and Mumbai Chabad House. The attacks resulted in over 100 deaths and significant damages.

Other Business Districts of Mumbai[link]

• Fort (Mumbai precinct)
• Nariman Point
• Worli

References[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Colaba

External links[link]

• History of Colaba
• MyColaba.com — an online community

v t e Tourist attractions in Mumbai Pre-colonial Elephanta Caves Kanheri Caves Worli Fort Mahim Fort Old Bombay Colonial Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus BMC Headquarters Hutatma Chowk Worli Fort David Sassoon Library Gateway of India Rajabai Tower Mount Mary's Church Crawford Market Bombay High Court Ballard Bunder Gatehouse South Mumbai Beaches Girgaum Chowpatty Dadar Chowpatty Juhu Beach Versova Beach Madh Island Aksa Beach Marvé Beach Powai Lake Places of worship Mumba Devi Mandir Mahalaxmi Temple Siddhivinayak temple Shitala Devi Temple Walkeshwar Temple Swaminarayan Mandir Haji Ali Mahim Church Cultural National Centre for the Performing Arts Jehangir Art Gallery Taraporewala Aquarium Asiatic Society of Mumbai Marine Drive Royal Opera House Regal Cinema Eros Cinema Metro Adlabs Nehru Science Centre Film City Capitol Cinema Liberty Cinema Boulevards Marine Drive Fashion Street Linking Road Nepean Sea Road Breach Candy Bandstand Promenade Worli Seaface Bandra-Worli Sea Link Carter Road Promenade Districts Western Suburbs Nariman Point Malabar Hill Kala Ghoda Colaba Bandra-Kurla complex Shopping Chor Bazaar Fashion Street Colaba Causeway Lamington Road Linking Road Buildings Bombay Stock Exchange Hutatma Chowk David Sassoon Library Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Nehru Planetarium India Government Mint Parks, zoos and stadia Hanging Gardens Gowalia Tank Sanjay Gandhi National Park Kamala Nehru Park Jijamata Udyaan Horniman Circle Gardens Cross Maidan Brabourne Stadium Wankhede Stadium Mahalaxmi Racecourse Shivaji Park Essel World Museums INS Vikrant Prince of Wales Museum Mani Bhavan National Gallery of Modern Art

Azim Hashim Premji
Azim Hashim Premji at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in 2009
Born	(1945-07-24) 24 July 1945 (age 66) Bombay Presidency, British India [1]
Residence	Bangalore, India[2]
Nationality	Indian
Ethnicity	Kutchhi
Alma mater	Stanford University (dropped out 1966, completed 1999)[2]
Occupation	Chairman of Wipro
Net worth	US$ 15.9 billion (2012)[3]
Religion	Islam
Spouse	Yasmeen
Children	Rishad, Tariq[4]
Signature	150px
Website
Azim Premji

Azim Hashim Premji (born 24 July 1945) is an Indian business tycoon and philanthropist who is the chairman of Wipro Limited, guiding the company through four decades of diversification and growth to emerge as one of the Indian leader in the software industry. According to Forbes, he is currently the third wealthiest Indian, and the 41st richest in the world, with a personal wealth of US$15.9 billion in 2012.^[3][5] In 2000, he was voted among the 20 most powerful men in the world by Asiaweek. He has twice been listed among the 100 most influential people by TIME Magazine, once in 2004 and more recently in 2011.^[6] Premji owns 79 percent of Wipro and also owns a private equity fund, PremjiInvest, which manages his $1 billion personal portfolio.

Early life and career[link]

When Azim Premji took over as its head, Wipro dealt in hydrogenated cooking fats and later diversified to bakery fats, ethnic ingredient based toiletries, hair care soaps, baby toiletries, lighting products, and hydraulic cylinders. Thereafter Premji made a focused shift from soaps to software.^[7] The Amalner-based vanaspathi manufacturing company, the Western India Products later became Wipro Products Ltd and Wipro Limited subsequently. Under Premji’s leadership Wipro embarked on an ambitious phase of expansion and diversification. The Company began manufacturing light bulbs with and other consumer products including soaps, baby care products, shampoos, powder etc.

In the 1980s Wipro entered the IT field, taking advantage of the exit of IBM from the Indian market in 1975. Thus, Wipro started manufacturing computer hardware, software development and related items, under a special license from Sentinel. As a result, the $1.5 million company in hydrogenated cooking fats grew within a few decades to an over $6 billion diversified, integrated corporation in services, medical systems, technology products and consumer items with offices worldwide. The company’s IT division became the world's first to win SEI CMM level 5 and PCMM Level 5 (People Capability Maturity Model) certification, the latest in quality standards. A large percentage of the company’s revenues are generated by the IT division. Wipro works with leading Fortune 500 companies. Wipro also has a joint venture in Medical Systems with General Electric company.^[1]

Wipro Consumer Care launched brands like Santoor^[8] and the Wipro Shikakai^[9] in 1986; Santoor Talc^[10] and Wipro Baby Soft^[11] in 1991; Santoor Facewash,^[12] Wipro Sanjeevani Honey^[13] and Wipro Safewash^[14] in 2004; Santoor Handwash^[15] in 2006; Wipro Sweet 'n' Healthy^[16] and Chandrika Handwash^[17] in 2007 and Santoor Deo^[18] in 2010.

Wipro Consumer Care acquired brands like Glucovita^[19] in 2003; Chandrika^[20] in 2004; North West^[21] in 2006; Unza^[22] in 2007; Enchanteurand Romano^[23] in 2008 and Yardley^[24] in 2009 and Aramusk in 2011.

Azim Premji founded Wipro Lighting^[25] and Wipro GE Medical Systems in 1991; Wipro Net^[26] in 1999; netKracker^[27] in 2000; Wipro Water in 2008; and Wipro EcoEnergy in 2009.

Personal life[link]

Azim Premji is married to Yasmeen.The couple have two children, Rishad and Tariq. Rishad is married to Aditi and is currently the Chief Strategy Officer of IT Business, Wipro.^[28]

Honours and awards[link]

Premji has been recognized by Business Week as one of the Greatest Entrepreneurs^[29] for being responsible for Wipro emerging as one of the world’s fastest growing companies. In 2000, he was conferred an honorary doctorate by the Manipal Academy of Higher Education.

In 2006, Azim Premji was awarded Lakshya Business Visionary by National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai.^[30]

He was awarded a Doctor of Literature (D.Litt.), an honorary degree, from the Aligarh Muslim University on the 18th of June 2008 on the occasion of 58th Convocation Ceremony of the University.

In 2009, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut for his outstanding philanthropic work.^[31] In 2005 the government of India honored him with the title of Padma Bhushan for his outstanding work in trade and commerce.

In 2011, he has been awarded Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award by the Government of India.^[32]

Philanthropy[link]

Wipro Equity Reward Trust[link]

In 1984, Azim Premji established the Wipro Equity Reward Trust^[33] to allow employees to acquire stake in Wipro's success and growth. The WERT, which is administered by a Board of Trustees is designed to give eligible employees the right to receive restricted shares and other compensation benefits at the stipulated times and conditions. Such compensation benefits include voluntary contributions, loans, interest and dividends on investments in the WERT and other similar benefits. Shares from the WERT are issued in the joint names of the WERT and the employee until such restrictions and obligations are fulfilled by the employee. After a four-year period, complete ownership of the shares is transferred to the employee.

If employment is terminated by death, disability or retirement, his or her restricted shares are transferred to the employee’s legal heirs or continue to be held by the employee, as the case may be, and such individuals may exercise any rights to those shares for up to 90 days after employment has ceased.

Azim Premji Foundation and university[link]

In 2001, he founded Azim Premji Foundation, a non-profit organization, with a vision to significantly contribute to achieving quality universal education that facilitates a just, equitable, humane and sustainable society. The Foundation works in the area of elementary education to pilot and develop 'proofs of concept' that have a potential for systemic change in India's 1.3 million government-run schools. A specific focus is on working in rural areas where the majority of these schools exist. This choice to work with elementary education (Class I to VIII) in rural government-run is a response to evidence of educational attainment in India.

In December 2010, Premji pledged to donate $2 billion for improving school education in India. This has been done by transferring 213 million equity shares of Wipro Ltd, held by a few entities controlled by him, to the Azim Premji Trust. This donation is the largest of its kind in India.

The Azim Premji University was established under an act of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly to run programmes to develop education and development professionals, offer alternative models for educational change and also invest in educational research to continuously stretch the boundaries of educational thinking. Currently the university conducts three degree awarding programmes:

• Masters in Development,
• Masters in Education,
• Masters in Teacher Education^[34]

The Continuing Education Programme aims to transform existing talent in the fields of education and development. The programme is facilitated by the University Resource Centre which provides learning content and capacity building programmes for professionals in education and development through short-term certified courses.

The URC is being developed with a view to conduct relevant and meaningful research into the education system, especially in India. These researches shall be in a manner that facilitates proactive reforms to the existing education system.

See also[link]

• List of billionaires

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Azim Premji

• Profile at Wipro
• Azim Premji on Charlie Rose
• Works by or about Azim Premji in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• Profile at Forbes
• Azim Premji collected news and commentary at The Wall Street Journal
• Azim Premji collected news and commentary at Bloomberg News
• Azim Premji collected news and commentary at The Times of India
• Gates, Bill (21 April 2011). "Azim Premji". Time. http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2066367_2066369_2066101,00.html. Retrieved October 27, 2007. 
• Smith, David (27 August 2006). "The story of Bangalore Bill". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2006/aug/27/theobserver.observerbusiness3?INTCMP=SRCH. Retrieved 9 August 2011. 

Saif Ali Khan
Khan at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.
Born	(1970-08-16) 16 August 1970 (age 41) New Delhi, India
Occupation	Actor, Producer
Years active	1992–present
Spouse	Amrita Singh (m. 1991–2004) «start: (1991)–end+1: (2005)»"Marriage: Amrita Singh to Saif Ali Khan" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Saif_Ali_Khan) (divorced)
Partner	Kareena Kapoor (2007-present)
Children	2

Saif Ali Khan (pronounced [ˈsɛːf əˈli ˈxaːn]; born 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor known for his work in Bollywood films. He is the son of the cricket player and last titular Nawab of Pataudi, late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, and actress Sharmila Tagore, a great-grandniece of poet Rabindranath Tagore.^[1]

Having made his acting debut in 1992 with Parampara, Khan had his first success with the 1994 films Main Khiladi Tu Anari and Yeh Dillagi. After going through several years of decline throughout the 1990s, he rose into prominence with his performance in Dil Chahta Hai (2001), which marked his professional turning point.^[2] His work in Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) won him the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, and he was awarded the National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Hum Tum (2004).

Khan subsequently had further mainstream success with films like Salaam Namaste (2005) and Race (2008) and starred in critically acclaimed projects such as Parineeta (2005), Being Cyrus and Omkara (2006).^[3] In 2009, Khan branched out into film production with his company Illuminati Films' first film Love Aaj Kal, which became a box-office success. These accomplishments have established him as one of the leading actors of Hindi cinema.^[4] He was awarded the Padma Shri civilian award by the Government of India in 2010.^[5]

Khan was married to actress Amrita Singh from 1991 to 2004, having two children together. His sister, Soha Ali Khan, is also a film actress.

Life[link]

Saif Ali Khan has Muslim ancestry through Nawabs of Pataudi lineage from his father's side and Hindu Bengali Tagore ancestry from his mother's side.^[6][7] His paternal grandfather, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, was the Nawab of Pataudi as well as an accomplished cricketer who played for England and then for India as the captain of the team.^[7] His paternal grandmother was Sajida Sultan, Begum of Bhopal and his great-uncle was Pakistani general Nawabzada Sher Ali Khan Pataudi. His father was Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, a former captain of the Indian cricket team and the ninth Nawab of Pataudi until the abolition of titles by India in 1971.^[6][7] Following the death of his father, Saif Ali Khan was proclaimed the Nawab of Pataudi by villagers of Pataudi State in deference to tradition, although the title carries no official or legal significance.^[8]

Khan has two sisters Saba Ali Khan and Soha Ali Khan. Khan's mother is Sharmila Tagore, a Bengali Indian film actress and a member of Bengal's Tagore family. She is also the head of the Indian film censorship board^[9] and the grand-niece of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.^[1] Tagore converted to Islam from Hinduism after her marriage to Khan's father, and changed her name to Begum Ayesha Sultana.^[7] Khan spent his childhood in a Muslim atmosphere, reading the Quran, with his grandmother being the centre of his religious education. Khan says that "Religion played a major role in my upbringing."^[6] Khan also states that his family is "cool or rather massively open–minded about religious matters." For example, he acknowledges that his daughter is born into a Muslim family, however he states that he will not decide her religion for her.^[6]

Initially Khan studied at the Lawrence School Sanawar^[10] and later attended Lockers Park School in Hertfordshire. He followed in his father's footsteps by attending Winchester College, an independent school for boys in the UK. Khan can speak his native languages of Hindi and Bengali fluently, as well as English.^[11]

Acting career[link]

Early work, until 2000[link]

In 1993, he won the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for Aashiq Awara. His breakthrough role came in 1994 with Yeh Dillagi starring opposite Akshay Kumar and Kajol which was his first major hit.^[12] Khan went on to star in many films but they failed at the box office. He only had success with multi-starrer hits like Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994), Imtihaan (1995),^[13] Kachche Dhaage (1999) and Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United (1999).^[14] After some box office failures he had a hit with the film Kya Kehna (2000).^[15]

Turning point, 2001-03[link]

His acting career, more or less, went through a relative slump until 2001, when he was cast in Farhan Akhtar's National Film Award-winning Dil Chahta Hai, co-starring Aamir Khan and Akshaye Khanna.^[16] Depicting the contemporary routine life of Indian affluent youth, it is set in modern-day urban Mumbai and focuses on a major period of transition in the lives of three young friends. Despite receiving a positive critical reception, it was only a moderate box office success in India;^[17] it performed well in the big cities but failed in the rural areas, which was attributed by critics to the urban-oriented lifestyle depicted in the movie.^[18] He received much acclaim for his role as Sameer with critic Taran Adarsh calling it his career-best performance.^[19]

He has since had many box office successes, starting with Nikhil Advani's drama Kal Ho Na Ho (2003), co-starring alongside Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta. The film, set in New York, starred Saif as Rohit, Zinta's best friend, who later realises that he loves her.^[20] The film was the second top-grossing film of the year, and Khan's performance was praised by critics. He won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, as well as other awards in that category in other award ceremonies.

Solo success and critical acclaim, 2004–08[link]

To date, Khan's films have often featured him as the supporting cast, though following the success of Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho, producers began signing him on for the main lead.^[21] In early 2004, Khan was approached by Sriram Raghavan to star as the globe-trotting bachelor, Karan Singh Rathod, in his directorial debut, Ek Hasina Thi. The film tells the story of a young woman (played by Urmila Matondkar) who meets with Khan's character, and is subsequently arrested for having links with the underworld. When Khan was initially offered the project, he was unable to do it due to his busy schedule.^[21] However, when the director approached him several months later, he agreed to do the film.^[21] Upon release, the film was critically embraced, with Khan's performing earning praise. The Deccan Herald reported, "From suave loverboy to self-serving skunk, he (Khan) moves with such brilliance that he leaves you breathless [...] He holds his own in a movie that is completely Urmila's."^[22] For his performance, Khan received nominations at the Star Screen, Zee Cine and IIFA ceremonies.

He followed it with the leading role in Kunal Kohli's romantic comedy Hum Tum. Featured opposite Rani Mukerji, the film follows the encounters of the two main characters until they, after several years and various meetings, become friends and finally fall in love. The film was received favourably by critics and became one of the year's most successful films, with a domestic box office of 210 million (US$4.19 million).^[23] Khan played the role of Karan Kapoor, a young cartoonist and womaniser whose relationship with Rhea Prakash (played by Mukerji) changes his perception of women and life. Rediff.com wrote about his performance: "Saif reprises his urbane self from Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho, peppering it with occasional fits of introspection and angst, and marking himself as an actor whose time has come."^[24] He won the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role and was conferred the coveted National Film Award for Best Actor in 2005 among much controversy.^[25] It marked the beginning of his work with Yash Raj Films, one of the largest production houses in Bollywood.

In 2005, Khan appeared in two movies. His first release was Pradeep Sarkar's Parineeta (2005), an adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's 1914 Bengali novella by the same name.^[26] Prior to being cast, the film's producer, Vidhu Vinod Chopra was initially reluctant in casting Khan as the male protagonist because he felt that "I could not manage it".^[27] After much deliberation, Chopra was persuaded by Sarkar who felt that Khan was perfect for the role.^[28] The film garnered critical acclaim upon release and Khan's portrayal of Shekhar Rai earned him nominations for Best Actor at a number of award ceremonies. Derek Elley from Variety wrote, "Khan, who has gradually been developing away from light comedy, again shows smarts as a substantial actor."^[26] His next release was Siddharth Anand's comedy-drama Salaam Namaste opposite Preity Zinta. Produced by Yash Raj Films, it was the first Indian feature to be filmed entirely in Australia and went on to become the year's highest-grossing Bollywood production outside of India, earning 570 million (US$11.37 million) internationally.^[29] Khan played the role of the egotistic, laid-back chef, Nikhil Arora. According to Khalid Mohamed, "Salaam Namaste is unthinkable without Saif Ali Khan. He rescues several untidily written scenes with his neat wit and that flustered 'how-did-I-get-into-this-soup?' facial expression."^[30]

He next played the protagonist in the English language art film, Being Cyrus (2006), co-starring alongside Naseeruddin Shah and Dimple Kapadia. Directed by debutant Homi Adajania, the psychological drama revolves around a dysfunctional Parsi family with who Khan's character moves into. The film received predominantly positive reviews, and Khan was particularly praised.^[31] Later in the year, he portrayed the character of Iago in Omkara, the Indian adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello. Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, the film is a tragedy of sexual jealousy set against the backdrop of the political system in Uttar Pradesh.^[32] The film premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and was also selected for screening at the Cairo International Film Festival.^[32][33] Omkara was embraced by critics and Khan went on to receive major acclaim earning the awards for Best Actor in a Negative Role at the Filmfare, Star Screen, Zee Cine and IIFA ceremonies; his performance was later included in the 2010 issue of the "Top 80 Iconic Performances" by Filmfare.^[34] Variety described his performance as "powerhouse" and further wrote, "It is Khan's movie through and through, in a performance of rugged, contained malevolence which trades on his previous screen persona as a likable best friend as well as his stint as the manipulative outsider in Being Cyrus. It is smart casting, superbly realized."^[35]

In 2007, Khan collaborated once again with producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra in the epic drama Eklavya: The Royal Guard, alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sharmila Tagore and Vidya Balan. Set in the state of Rajasthan during the early years of Indian independence, the movie revolves around a jealous and ungrateful ruler who will not let his wife die in peace because she is uttering the name of Eklavya. Although the film did not succeed at the box office,^[36] it was chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars. The Full Hyderabad described Khan's performance of Harshwardhan as "sombre and understated," played with a "brooding and contemplative sensibility."^[37] He next appeared in the action comedy Nehlle Pe Dehlla, a production that had been delayed since 2001.^[38] The film garnered negative reviews and poor box office returns.^[39] Khan's role was small, and was not well received.^[39] His final release of the year was the family drama, Ta Ra Rum Pum. Directed by Siddharth Anand, it went on to become an economic success at the box office, earning 646 million (US$12.89 million) internationally.^[29]

Khan received further success in 2008, starring in the Abbas-Mustan thriller Race with an ensemble cast including Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif and Sameera Reddy. The feature was loosely adapted from the 1998 American film Goodbye Lover, and became one of the biggest box office hits in India, earning 617 million (US$12.31 million)^[40] and grossed over 200 million (US$3.99 million) abroad.^[41] Critic Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN wrote, "Of the cast, Saif Ali Khan stands out as the chap with the least dialogue but the one who makes the best impression."^[42] This was followed by three projects produced by Yash Raj Films: Tashan, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic and Roadside Romeo, all of which were not successful.^[40]

Producer and other works, 2009–present[link]

2009 saw Khan branch out into film producing when he setup his own production company, Illuminati Films, along with Dinesh Vijan.^[43] The company's first release was marked by the romantic comedy Love Aaj Kal. Directed by Imtiaz Ali, the film portrays the feeling of pure love which never changes over time, although the perspective of realizing one's soulmate has changed. It received mostly positive reviews by critics and became one of the highest-grossing films of the year.^[44] For his portrayal of Jai Vardhan Singh and the younger Veer Singh, Khan went on to receive several Best Actor nominations at a number of award ceremonies, including Filmfare. A review in The Economic Times described his performance as "refreshing natural" and "outstanding".^[45] He then starred in the dramatic thriller Kurbaan, alongside Kareena Kapoor and Vivek Oberoi. Produced by Dharma Productions, the film marked the directorial debut of Rensil D'Silva and featured Khan in the role of a terrorist. Upon release, Kurbaan was received favourably by critics and Khan's performance was critically acclaimed. Critic Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama wrote: "Saif is extraordinary in a role that only proves his versatility once again. If he won your heart with a winning performance in Love Aaj Kal a few months ago, you need to watch this supremely talented actor underplay his part so beautifully in Kurbaan.^[46]