Wadhwan is a city and a municipality in Surendranagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat.

Demographics

India census, Wadhwan had a population of 61,739. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Wadhwan has an average literacy rate of 71%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 63%. In Wadhwan, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Geography

It is located close to the dry riverbed of the River Bhogavo. It is ancestral village of the erstwhile Rawal Family.

History

It was also the centre of an Indian Princely state of the same name. It was formerly known as Wardhmanpuri. It was ruled by the Jhala Rajputs, who also ruled neighboring princely states of Limbdi, Lakhtar, Sayla, Chuda, and Wankaner. Till 1947, Wadhwan's recurring Prime Ministers came from the aristocratic Rawal family who were given the title Rao Bahadur. It enjoyed a 9 Gun Salute and at the time of independence, the privy purse amount decided by the government was Rs. 1,42,000/-

A mythological woman named Ranak Devi is reputed to have cursed the river to never have water even when it rained. She was a Sati, and so it is believed that there is no water because of the curse.

There is a vave (a structure / pit in the ground with steps leading to underground water) that is believed to take away newlyweds and so elders advise new generations to keep their distance from it.

There is a high wall around most of the old town but now the town has grown and it extends beyond the older wall.

There is a large community of Khatris [a community of people involved in coloring clothes] in the city these days. The business of bandhani [a type of colouring and designing clothes] is one of the major businesses in the city.

There are a number of educational institutions being established in the city.

References

External links

WADHWAN (Princely State), THE INDIAN PRINCELY STATES WEBSITE

Category:Indian Princely States Category:Cities and towns in Surendranagar district

Coordinates	°′″N°′″N
Name	Divya Bharti
Birth date	25 February 1974
Birth place	Bombay, India
Death date	April 05, 1993
Death place	Bombay, India
Years active	1990-1993
Spouse	Sajid Nadiadwala (1992-1993)
Website	http://www.divyabhartiportal.com
Notable role	Vishwatma (Actress In Debut Film & Song) (Saat Samundar)
Filmfareawards	Lux New Face surgery : Deewana 2 (2011)
Occupation	Actress

Divya Bharti (February 25, 1974 - April 5, 1993) was an Indian Bollywood Actress. She started her career in 1990 with Telugu films making her debut in Bobbili Raja. After several other hits in the South, she entered Hindi films with 'Vishwatma' in 1992 as her debut film, where she earned accolades for performing the song Saat Samundar Paar. She appeared in more than 14 Hindi films between 1992 and 1993 - a world record for a newcomer. She married Sajid Nadiadwala in May 1992. Her career was cut short by her death in April 1993 at the age of 19. The investigation into the circumstances of her death was closed in 1998, and the exact nature of her death still remains a mystery.

Career

Early Struggle 1988

Divya was in the ninth grade when she began to get film offers. Her face resembled those days' superstar Sridevi and so got noticed by many directors and producers. At first her parents were hesitant, till Nandu Tolani offered h er Gunahon Ka Devta around mid 1988. Divya was 14 and a 1/2 at that time.

Meanwhile, Divya learned via a friend that Dilip Shankar wanted a new girl opposite Aamir Khan in Aatank Hi Aatank and Rudra Avtaar. With her parents permission, she signed up both films. During those times, Kirti Kumar, Govinda's brother noticed the charming Divya at a video library. He followed her to her residence and then called up director Nandu Tolani, who lived in the building next to hers and asked about Divya.

Radha Ka Sangam Episode

The next thing the Bhartis knew was that Kirti Kumar was eager to sign up Divya for Radha Ka Sangam opposite Govinda. Kirti went personally to meet Dilip Shankar and managed to release Divya from their contract. Kirti quoted in March 1989 in Showtime Magazine "I told Dalip that he could take any girl, but he'd never be able to find another Radha" . Kirti changed her name from Divya to Radha. Producer Kirti launched her with much fanfare. He gave interviews on how he found his perfect Radha after scouring the whole of India for her. And then before the first shot was taken, Divya "Radha" Bharti was out of the film after being groomed for two years and replaced by Juhi Chawla. The reasons each side gave for the fall-out were different. Various Magazines wrote different things behind the dropout. Some said "Kirti became over-possessive about her", others said "Lawrence D'Souza, who was to direct the film, left the project. Then Kirti decided to take over the film. Being new to direction, he had to drop Divya because he felt he could not handle a newcomer", other magazines wrote that Divya was having an affair with Govinda and the smitten, jealous, Kirti couldn't tolerate that. Others wrote it was Divya's immaturity that made her drop out of the film.

Re-struggle

And that was the green signal for other film makers to enter the fray. She was screen-tested by big names Boney Kapoor, Shabnam Kapoor, Shekhar Kapoor and Subhash Ghai. They all raved about her but no one signed her up. There were rumors that her childish reputation had preceded her. In magazines, she had earned a name for being wild and crazy. In fact, for his big budget film Prem, Boney Kapoor signed up Divya. Eight days later, Divya was out and Tabu was signed in. Later Subhash Ghai too called her for Saudagar opposite Aamir Khan and 20 days later she was out and he signed up Manisha Koirala and Vivek Mushran. By then, the rejections had affected fifteen year old Divya. Since she was already out of school, they would not accept her back. As a result, she was forced to sit idle. Fortunately, One of the biggest producers of Telugu cinema, D. Ramanaidu landed up at Divya's doorstep. He offered Divya , Bobbili Raja, a telugu film opposite Daggubati Venkatesh. Immediately, Divya got a Tamil Film and Rajiv Rai approached her for Vishwatma.

Rise to Stardom in Telugu Cinema 1990 - 1992

After being dropped out of so many Big Projects, Divya got depressed and left Mumbai. On the evening of her return, the producer of Bobbili Raja approached her for his upcoming project. They wanted Divya to fly down the same night. As Divya quoted in the Nov 1991 "Movie" magazine, "I didn't want to go. I said no but mummy said yes. Imagine, the film became a super-hit and I became a superstar". The move paid off. Bobbili Raja released in the summer of 1990 became a colossal hit. She had captured the south by storm, and she was a goddess there. Even a temple had been built in her name. With more hits, she became a big name in Telugu cinema. In box-office rating, she figured next only to the indomitable Vijayshanti. Her price, according to an insider, had touched a whopping 25 Lakhs per film and 1 lakh per each additional day (If shooting postponed south producers were paying 15 lakhs for 15 days) , which was a big amount in 1991. In Bollywood, only Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi were getting those kinds of price. In 1991 Divya gave back-to-back hits including Rowdy Alludu, and Assembly Rowdy opposite superstars of Telugu cinema including Chiranjeevi, Mohan Babu. In north India, she was known as the Sridevi of Telugu films. But, that was not what Divya was looking for. She wanted to make it big in Bombay. And she was back with fresh determination. Meanwhile, She didn't want to disappoint her Telugu audience and she cut down to do one movie per year.

Rise to Stardom in Bollywood 1992 - 1993

When Divya heard that Rajiv Rai was on the lookout for a new face for his film Vishwatma opposite Sunny Deol, she daringly walked into Rajiv Rai's office with her portfolio. And the same day signed the film. Rajiv was making the sequel to his Blockbuster film Tridev.

The film was produced by Trimurti Films Pvt. Ltd. is one of the biggest and oldest film production. Vishwatma was launched in the late 1990 with grand mahurat. Film actor Dharmendra gave the mahurat shot. Soon Divya was left for long outdoor shooting in Nairobi. By the time Divya came back, film offers started pouring up in Divya's lap. Without single release so far, Divya signed 14 films.

2 January 1992 was a big day for Divya. She had many reasons for wanting the film to be successful. Vishwatma did do well however the film's success didn't come close to that of Tridev and the film was declared an average grosser. Notably, the film's most popular song "Saat Samundar Paar", which was picturized with Divya, became a hit and even today the audience remembers Divya in that song.

Seven days later, Divya's musical bonanzas Dil Ka Kya Kasoor released. It was supposed to establish her as popular heroine but opened to empty theaters. No one expected film to bomb so badly. Although, the film failed to impress an audience, Filmfare magazines started including Diyva in the list of 1992 top ten best actress performances. Surprisingly, even when other now-well known newcomers was introducing to showbiz), Divya collapsed debut made a magazine headline, when many actress included Madhoo in Phool Aur Kaante and Chandni in Sanam Bewafa super hit films didn't made them star, Divya's flops made her star. Divya defended herself by quoted, " I wanted to prove myself. But, I've fallen flat on my face. Now, I have to begun my climb all over again. Yet, I'm positive that one day success will be mine", (Stardust, March 1992).

And, Thus Divya too was deleted from the ranks of the promising newcomers for a while. Then Pehlaj Nihlani's Shola Aur Shabnam came along. The film proved a box office hit and Divya was riding high again. Not only did it present Divya in a noble character, but also gave big boost to Govinda's career and launched David Dhawan as established director.

Four Months later, Raj Kanwar's love story Deewana became the biggest hit of 1992, where she held her own against veteran Rishi Kapoor and the debutant Shahrukh Khan, who later went on to become Bollywood superstar and an icon of Indian Cinema. With the super success of Deewana, Divya got rid of her promising newcomer status and entered the A-list. Her performance in Deewana was highly appreciated. Around that time, Divya's other films Balwaan with another debutant Sunil Shetty and Jaan Se Pyaara with Govinda released and did well at the box office. By the end of the year, Hema Malini's Dil Aashna Hai released, in which Divya played a bar dancer, who searches for her birth mother. Although the film was a box-office failure, her performance in the film was much appreciated by critics.

Suddenly, with big hits under her belt, Divya had become the hottest property in showbiz. And many predicted that she was poised to hit the number one slot not very far. In fact, In September,'Movie' magazines such as "Movie", "Stardust" an "Filmfare" put her at the 3rd position actress by the bases of price, popularity and position right after Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi.

Personal life

Barely 16, Divya met Sajid Nadiadwala in 1990 at Film City, when Sajid dropped by the sets to meet his friend Govinda. Divya was shooting with Govinda Ahuja on the sets of Shola Aur Shabnam. It was Govinda who introduced Sajid to Divya. Soon, it became a routine for the unit to see Sajid on sets everyday.

As Sajid quotes in Movie June 1993 issue "Somewhere around 15 January 1992 Divya told me that she wanted to get married. The very next day she was tense because her name was being linked with all heroes. She wanted to marry and put an end to all these controversies. People expect me to have a relationship with everyone, she would complain.

Then on 20 May 1992. Divya got married to Sajid in the presence of her hairdresser Sandhya, the hairdresser's husband and a kazi at Tulsi apartments, Sajid's Versova residence. She converted to Islam and took on a new name "Sana". As Sajid quotes "We kept the marriage a secret because her career was at stake. Her producers would have panicked. In retrospect, I wish we had told the truth. Divya wanted to announce that we were married but I kept telling her to wait for a while. I wish I hadn't. Every time she saw the rushes of her films, she would sigh, "This will flop and people will ask me to quit". But that never happened, her films were hits. By the end of 1993, she would have completed all her assignments.

Death

Around midnight 5 April 1993, Divya fell to her death off her husband's 5-storey Versova apartment building, Tulsi 2 in Mumbai. There were numerous speculations by the media regarding Divya's sudden demise, including the possibility of accidental death, suicide and even murder. Divya's dress designer Neeta Lulla is believed to have been present at the apartment at the time of death but the unfortunate event could not be avoided. Police closed the investigation into her death in 1998, but the circumstances of her death still remain a mystery. Curious is the silence which enveloped the people close to her when she died. There were strange about-turns in the statements they gave to the police, and there were several sinister lapses in the investigation and inquiry. Neeta Lulla stated in her first police statement that when Divya returned home , she was accompanied by her brother Kunal and father O.P. Bharati, then she changed her statement. Perhaps Mr Bharati saw something and might have blurted it out under the tough police questioning. Sajid himself was under a cloud. Not only did the newspapers make much of his underworld connections, a fact he hotly denied. but he too blundered through his police statement. He had claimed that he was out when Divya jumped/fell/was flung to death , five floors down. Where had he gone. He first mentioned the name of Pankaj Kharbanda and later changed his statement and said that he had gone to meet Kulbhushan Gupta , a producer friend from whom he had bought the flat he and Divya occupied. More suspicious was her climbing up the balcony and standing on the parapet without anyone trying to stop her.

Her body was released on 7 April 1993 and the funeral took place the same day. About 500 people attended the funeral of then youngest heroine of the silver screen, including Anil Kapoor, Govinda, Kamal Sadanah, Raj Babbar, Yash Chopra, Jimmy Nirula, Aruna Irani, Raza Murad, Chiranjeevi, Vikas Anand, Venkatesh, Ram Mohan, Javed Khan, Raj Kanwar, Nitin Manmohan and Pehlaj Nehlani, maker of her first hit, Shola Aur Shabnam. A large number of film personalities, including Hema Malini, Urmila Matondkar, Saif Ali Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Shilpa Shirodkar, Sonu Walia, Somy Ali, Babita, Karisma Kapoor, Sangeeta Bijlani, Tabu, Manisha Koirala and Asha Parekh, offered condolences to the bereaved family members at their residence.

She was scheduled to star in movies including Mohra, Laadla, Andolan, Angrakshak ,Kartavya and Vijaypath before her death; her roles were recast. Divya had almost completed 80% of Laadla before her death but the entire movie was redone with Sridevi. The footage of her performance that she had completed was seen in a special television programme which compared her performance with Sridevi's. The film was to be released in 1993 had Divya completed the movie but it was eventually released in 1994.

Divya's two final completed films, Rang and Shatranj, were released months after her death. These films in addition to several films produced by her husband Sajid Nadiadwala were dedicated to her memory.

The investigation into the circumstances of DIVYA Bharti's death was closed in 1998 without any definite verdict.

Filmography

! colspan="3" style="background: #DAA520;" | Filmfare Award

Incomplete films

{| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year of release ! Title ! Co-Star ! Replacements ! Box-office |- | 1993 |Dhanwan | Ajay Devgan | Karisma Kapoor | Average |- |1994 |Mohra | Akshay Kumar and Sunil Shetty | Raveena Tandon | SuperHit |- |1994 |Laadla | Anil Kapoor | Sridevi | Hit |- |1994 |Vijaypath | Ajay Devgan | Tabu | Hit |- |1995 |Andolan | Govinda | Mamta Kulkarni | Average |- |1995 |Kartavya | Sanjay Kapoor | Juhi Chawla | Flop |- |1995 |Angrakshak | Sunny Deol | Pooja Bhatt | Flop |- |1995 |Hulchul | Ajay Devgan | Kajol | Below Average |- |1995 |Kanyadaan | Rishi Kapoor | Manisha Koirala | Stuck |- |1993 |Do Kadam | Salman Khan | | Movie never made |- |1993 |Parinaam | Akshay Kumar | | Movie Never Made |- |1993 |Chal Pe Chal | Jackie Shroff | | Movie Never Made |- |1993 |Bajrangi | Sunny Deol | | Movie Never Made |- |1993 |Tholi Muddhu | Prashanth | Rambha | Hit |}

Note

All the list of Incomplete films is copyright from Filmfare, and Cineblitz Magazines of May 1993.

References

External links

Category:1974 births Category:1993 deaths Category:Indian film actors Category:Telugu actors Category:Accidental deaths from falls

Category:Accidental deaths in India Category:Indian actors Category:Hindi film actors

Coordinates	°′″N°′″N
Name	Manoj Kumar
Birthname	Harikishen Goswami
Birthdate	July 24, 1937
Birth place	Abbottabad, Hazara Division, British India (now Pakistan)
Occupation	Actor , Director
Yearsactive	1957 - 1995 (Retired)
Spouse	Shashi Goswami
Othername	Bharat Kumar Manoj

Manoj Kumar (born 24 July 1937, Abbottabad, British India) is an award-winning Indian actor and director in the Bollywood film industry. He is known for acting in and directing films with patriotic themes, and has been given the nickname "Mr Bharat" (Bhaarat is the Sanskrit and Hindi term for India). In 1992, he was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India.

Early life

Manoj Kumar was born in Abbottabad, a town of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, then part of British India. Abbottabad is now located within the borders of Pakistan. His original name was Harikishan Giri Goswami. When he was 10, his Gosain Hindu family had to move to India owing to partition. They settled in Vijay Nagar, Kingsway Camp in Delhi.

After graduating from Hindu College, University of Delhi, he decided to enter the film industry.

Career

As a youth, he admired Bollywood superstar Dilip Kumar, and decided to name himself Manoj Kumar after Dilip's character in Shabnam (1949).

After making a little-noticed début in Fashion in 1957, Manoj landed his first leading role in Kaanch Ki Gudia (1960) opposite Sayeeda Khan. Piya Milan Ki Aas and Reshmi Roomal followed, setting the stage for the Vijay Bhatt-directed Hariyali Aur Raasta (1962) opposite Mala Sinha. Kumar then appeared with Sadhana in Raj Khosla's Woh Kaun Thi (1964), and reunited with Vijay Bhatt and Mala Sinha in Himalaya Ki God Mein (1965).

The patriotic hero

Kumar's image as the patriotic hero started with the 1965 film Shaheed, based on the life of Bhagat Singh, a martyr in the struggle for India's freedom. After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri asked him to create a film based on the popular slogan Jai Jawan Jai Kissan (hail the soldier, hail the farmer).

The result was Kumar's magnum opus and his directorial debut, Upkaar (1967). In it, he played both a soldier and a farmer. The film was also noted for the famous song Mere Desh Ki Dharti, written by Gulshan Bawra, composed by Kalyanji-Anandji and sung by Mahendra Kapoor. Upkaar was a hit and won Kumar his first Filmfare Best Director Award.

After dabbling in various roles in the late 1960s, Manoj returned to patriotic themes in Purab Aur Paschim (1970), in which life in the East and West are juxtaposed. In 1972, he starred in Be-Imaan (for which he won the Filmfare Best Actor Award) and directed and starred in Shor (1972). The latter, opposite Jaya Bhaduri, was not a huge box office success, but it did feature the memorable song Ek Pyar Ka Nagma Hai, a duet by Lata Mangeshkar and Mukesh, which was composed by Laxmikant Pyarelal.

In 1976 Manoj Kumar created history by giving 3 back to back blockbuster in form of Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974), Sanyasi (1975) and Dus Numbari (1976).

Later career

The mid-1970s saw Kumar star in three hit films: Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974) was a social commentary featuring an all-star cast including Zeenat Aman, Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan that won him his second Filmfare Award for Best Director; Sanyasi (1975) had Kumar and Hema Malini in the lead roles of a religious-themed comedy; and Dus Numbri (1976) also gave Kumar and Hema top billing. In 1981, Kumar reached the peak of his career when he got the opportunity to direct his idol, Dilip Kumar, as well as star in Kranti, a story about the struggle for Indian independence in the 19th century. Kranti was the last notable successful film in his career. He also starred in the hit Punjabi film Jat Punjabi.

After Kranti, Kumar's career began to decline in the 1980s as all of his films failed at the box office. In 1989 he cast Pakistani actors Mohammed Ali and Zeba in his film Clerk which was considered to be a groundbreaking event. He quit acting after his last film appearance in the 1995 film Maidan-E-Jung. His son, Kunal Goswami, tried to revive the patriotic theme, and was directed by Kumar in the 1999 film Jai Hind which was a flop. Kumar was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award that same year.

Manoj Kumar had his own unique style in Hindi Films. To cite an excerpt from one of his greatest ham films Clerk: Ashok Kumar is dying after a massive heart attack. His son Manoj is unable to get a doctor to treat him. Manoj then remembers that his father had been a war veteran who had fought alongside Netaji. So Manoj plays a patriotic song (Kadam kadam badhaye jaa) on a bedside player and Ashok Kumar’s life is saved. He is marching fit. His trademark hand-covering-the-face was very popular and continues to be the butt of jokes of latter day stand-up comedians. Kumar's acting trademark, a hand covering the face, was very popular, though it has also been the target of satirists. In 2007, the Shah Rukh Khan film Om Shanti Om featured the lead character pretending to be Manoj Kumar so as to sneak into a movie premiere, by holding his hand over his face. Kumar filed a lawsuit, which was settled out of court.

Politics

Like many other Bollywood stars, Kumar decided to enter politics following his retirement. Before the 2004 general election in India, it was announced that he had officially joined the ranks of the Shiv Sena.

Personal life

Kumar is married to Shashi Goswami (originally from Jodhkan, Sirsa district, Haryana). He has two sons, Vishal and Kunal, Vishal tried his skills as a singer and Kunal as an actor. His brother, Rajiv Goswami, also entered the film industry.

Awards

National Film Awards

1968 - National Film Award for Second Best Feature Film for Upkaar

Filmfare Awards

Winner

1968 - Filmfare Best Movie Award for Upkaar

1968 - Filmfare Best Director Award for Upkaar

1968 - Filmfare Best Story Award for Upkaar

1968 - Filmfare Best Dialogue Award for Upkaar

1972 - Filmfare Best Actor Award for Beimaan

1975 - Filmfare Best Director Award for Roti Kapda Aur Makaan

1999 - Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award

Nominated

1968 - Filmfare Best Actor Award for Upkaar

1969 - Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for Aadmi

1973 - Filmfare Best Director Award for Shor

1975 - Filmfare Best Movie Award for Roti Kapda Aur Makaan

1975 - Filmfare Best Actor Award for Roti Kapda Aur Makaan

1976 - Filmfare Best Actor Award for Sanyasi

Honours

1992 - Padma Shri by the Government of India

2009 - Phalke Ratna Award by the Dadasaheb Phalke Academy

Other Awards

1968 - BFJA Awards: Best Dialogue for Upkaar

2008 - Star Screen Lifetime Achievement Award

2010 - Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12th Mumbai Film Festival

Special Honour

In the honour of devotion of Manoj Kumar towards Shri Sai Baba; Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust, Shirdi has renamed "Pimpalwadi Road" in Shirdi, as "Manojkumar Goswami Road".

Selected filmography

Actor

{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%;" |- bgcolor="#CCCCCC" align="center" ! Year !! Film !! Role !! Other notes |- |1957 || Fashion || || |-1958 - Panchayat -1960 - Honeymoon |1962 || Hariyali Aur Rasta || Shanker ||Mala Sinha/Shashikala |-1962 - Dr Vidya - Vyjantimala - 1962_ Banarsi Thug |1964 || Woh Kaun Thi? || Dr Anand || Sadhana |- 1964 - Phoolon Ki Sej |rowspan="3" | 1965 || Shaheed || Shaheed-e-Azam Bhagat Singh || |- | Himalaya Ki God Mein || Sunil Mehra ||Mala Sinha |- | Gumnaam || Anand || Nanda |- Poonam Ki Raat |1966 || Do Badan || Vikas || Asha Parekh |- 1966 - Saawan Ki Ghata - Sharmila Tagore - 1966 - Saajan - Asha Parekh |rowspan="3" | 1967 || Patthar Ke Sanam || Rajesh || Waheeda Rehman/Mumtaz |- |Anita || Neeraj|| Sadhana |- | Upkaar || Bharat || Winner, Filmfare Best Movie Award |- |rowspan="2" | 1968 || Neel Kamal || Ram || Waheeda Rehman |- | Aadmi || Dr Shekhar ||Waheeda Rehman |- |rowspan="4" | 1970 || Purab Aur Paschim || Bharat || Saira Banu |- | Yaadgar || Banu || Nutan |- | Pehchan || Gangaram || Babita |- | Mera Naam Joker || David || |- |rowspan="2"| 1972 || Shor || Shankar || Nanda/Jaya Bachchan |- | Be-Imaan || Mohan || Winner, Filmfare Best Actor Award |- |1974 || Roti Kapda Aur Makaan || Bharat || Zeenat Aman/Moushumi Chatterji |- |1975 || Sanyasi || Ram Rai || Hema Malini |- |1976 || Dus Numbri || Arjun || Hema Malini |- |1981 || Kranti || Bharat/Kranti || Hema Malini |- |1987 || Kalyug Aur Ramayan || Pawan Putra (Shri Hanuman) ||Madhavi |- |rowspan="2"| 1989 || Santosh || Santosh Singh || |- | Clerk || Bharat || Rekha |- |1995 || Maidan-E-Jung || Master Dinanath || |}

References

External links

Manoj Kumar: Bollywood's Own Mr Bharat

Showbiz Legends: Manoj Kumar

Manoj Kumar at the Internet Movie Database

Category:1937 births Category:Indian actors Category:Living people Category:Indian film directors Category:Indian screenwriters Category:Hindi film directors Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Indian film actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:People from Abbottabad Category:University of Delhi alumni Category:Indian Hindus

Coordinates	°′″N°′″N
Birth name	Hema Malini R. Chakravarty
Name	Hema Malini
Birth date	October 16, 1948
Birth place	Ammankudi, Tamil Nadu, India
Spouse	Dharmendra (1980-present)
Years active	1961 – present
Occupation	Actress, Director and Producer

Hema Malini (; ) (born 16 October 1948) is an Indian actress, director and producer, as well as a Bharatanatyam dancer-choreographer. Making her acting debut in Sapno Ka Saudagar (1968), she went on to appear in numerous successful Bollywood films, most notably those with actor and future-husband Dharmendra. She was initially promoted as "Dream Girl", and in 1977 starred in a film of the same name. During this period, she established herself as one of Hindi cinema's leading actresses, noted for both her comic and dramatic roles, and her accomplished classical dancing.

Malini is one of the most successful female filmstars in the history of Indian cinema. Appearing in over 150 films in a career span of 40 years, she has starred in a large number of hit films, and her performances in both commercial and arthouse cinema, were often recognised. She now spends most of her time involved in charitable and social ventures, though she still makes occasional appearances in films. In 2000, she was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India.

Early life

Hema Malini Chakravarty was born in Ammangudi, Tamil Nadu, India, to V.S.R.Chakravarty and Jaya Chakravarthy. Her mother was a film producer. Hema Malini's mother tongue is Tamil.

Career

Hema Malini was educated at Chennai. She acted in a short episode as dancer in Pandava Vanavasam, a 1961 Telugu film. Hema first tried to enter films in 1964, but was rejected; Tamil director Sridhar said she had no star appeal. She persisted and found her niche in Bollywood. She debuted in a 1968 film Sapnon Ka Saudagar ("The Dreamseller"), playing a young teen opposite the ageing superstar Raj Kapoor. With Dev Anand in Johnny Mera Naam (1970), Hema became a top star. She worked with him again in other films as well, with the latest being Aman Ke Farishtey (2003). Hema double-roled with Dharmendra and Sanjeev Kumar in 1972s Seeta Aur Geeta as the top female star in Bollywood. She became one of the reigning divas of the Bollywood film industry, and her fans called her The Dream Girl of Bollywood (an allusion to the movie of the same name where she starred opposite Dharamendra).

Hema starred in many movies throughout the 1970s and 1980s and is perhaps best remembered for her glamour, style, and accomplished classical dancing. She formed a hit pair with Dharmendra, and the duo performed a number of hit movies like Sholay, Charas, Aas Paas, Jugnu, Seeta Aur Geeta, The Burning Train. She also achieved some strong dramatic or comic moments in films like Trishul, Joshila, Lal Patthar, Meera, Khushboo and Kinara.

After taking a long break from films for a number of years in the 1990s and early 2000s, Hema has recently made a comeback of sorts. She co-starred with Amitabh Bachchan in the successful film Baghban (2003), and played a cameo role (also opposite Bachchan) in the 2004 blockbuster Veer-Zaara. In both films, she played a self-possessed, old married woman rather than the ingenuinee roles of her earlier career.

She tried her hand at directing and made the 1992 film Dil Aashna Hai which featured an all-star cast including Shahrukh Khan and the late Divya Bharti. She also directed and starred in the TV serial Noopur, in which she was depicted as a Bharatanatyam dancer going to America.

Personal life

She is a dedicated Bharatanatyam artiste, a classical dance of India. Her two daughters have trained in the same dance form and the three have performed together at several charity dance concerts.

Top Bollywood stars like Sanjeev Kumar and Jeetendra proposed to her, but she married Dharmendra on 2 May 1980.

Awards, honours and recognitions

Filmfare Awards

Won

1973 – Filmfare Best Actress Award, Seeta Aur Geeta

1999 – Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award

Nominated

1974 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Amir Garib

1974 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Prem Nagar

1975 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Khushboo

1975 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Sanyasi

1976 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Mehbooba

1977 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Kinara

1979 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Meera

1981 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Naseeb

1990 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Rihaee

2003 – Filmfare Best Actress Award for Baghban

Other Awards

1998 – Guest of Honour Award at the 18th Ujala Cinema Express Awards

2003 – Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement

2003 – Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1, Baghban (with Amitabh Bachchan)

2003 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the Bollywood Movie Awards.

2004 – Bollywood Movie Award – Most Sensational Actress for Baghban.

2004 – Sports World's "Jodi of the Year" along with Amitabh Bachchan for Baghban 2004 – Icon of the year 2009 – Lifetime Achievement Award at the 7th Pune International Film Festival (PIFF)

Honours

2000 – Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award from the Government of India.

2004 – "Living Legend Award" by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in recognition of her contribution to the Indian entertainment industry. 2007 - Rashtrabhushan Award From FIE Foundation Ichalkaranji 2007 – The 2007 Bangkok International Film Festival screened several films starring Hema Malini in a special tribute programme. 2008 – Honoured for her contribution to classical dance.

Selected filmography

Sadiyaan (2010)

Gangotri (2007)

Laaga Chunari Mein Daag (2007)

Baabul (2006)

Ganga (2006)

Bhagmati (2005)

Veer-Zaara (2004)

Baghban (2003)

Aman Ke Farishtey (2003)

Censor (2001)

Hey Ram (2000)

References

Further reading

External links

Category:Indian dancers Category:Indian vegetarians Category:Indian film actors Category:Indian television actors Category:Hindi film actors Category:Hindi film directors Category:Indian film producers Category:Tamil actors Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:People from Tamil Nadu Category:Bharatiya Janata Party politicians Category:Nominated Rajya Sabha members Category:Indian Hindus Category:Indian film directors Category:Indian actor-politicians Category:1948 births Category:Living people

Coordinates	°′″N°′″N
Name	Bappi Lahiri
Background	non_performing_personnel
Birth name	Alokesh Lahiri
Born	November 27, 1952
Born place	Chennai
Origin	Calcutta, West Bengal, India
Genre	Film score, Theatre
Occupation	music director & singer
Years active	1972–present
Url	http://www.bappilahiri.com

Bappi Lahiri or Alokesh Lahiri (), born 27 November in 1952, is a music director in the Hindi (or Bollywood) film industry. He pioneered the use of disco music in Indian cinema and sang some of his own compositions. He was popular in the 1980s with films like Disco Dancer, Namak Halaal and Sharaabi among others.

Biography

Early years

Bappi. D. Lahiri was born in Calcutta, West Bengal into a family with a rich tradition in classical music. His father, Aparesh Lahiri, was a famous Bengali singer and his mother, Bansari Lahiri, was a musician and a singer who was well-versed in classical music and Shyama Sangeet. He was their only child.

At a very early age, he had the ambition to become internationally famous. He began to play the tabla at the tender age of three. His relatives from his mother's family include Kishore Kumar and the S. Mukherjee clan. Initially he was trained by his parents, after which he received his first opportunity in a Bengali film, Daadu (1972) at the age of 19.

Career

Hindi films

He moved to Mumbai when he was 19. The first Hindi film for which he composed music was Nanha Shikari (1973). The turning point of his career was Tahir Husain's Hindi film, Zakhmee (1975), for which he composed music and doubled as a playback singer. He sang a duet with Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar called "Nothing Is Impossible" for the same film. The songs of his next film, Chalte Chalte, became hits. With Ravikant Nagaich's Surakksha his singing and music became even more popular.

He was the fittest musician for Mithun Chakraborty's disco dance-based films. Mithun Chakraborty and Bappi Lahiri became synonyms of Indian disco culture since late 1970s to early 90s. He also scored music for many Hindi films produced from South India. He is called 'Disco King' around India.

Style of music

Bappi Lahiri pioneered the use of disco music in Indian cinema with an Indian flavour. Most of his songs would be rendered by Kishore Kumar and Asha Bhosle. He launched Vijay Benedict and Sharon Prabhakar into the music industry. He also used Alisha Chinoy and Usha Uthup extensively for his compositions.

Allegations of plagiarism

Throughout his career Lahiri has been accused of plagiarizing music produced by other composers without giving them any credit or royalties.

Conversely, in one instance, portions of his song "Thoda Resham Lagta Hai" were included in a 2002 single "Addictive" by American R&B; singer Truth Hurts. Copyright holders Saregama India, Ltd. sued Interscope Records and its parent company, Universal Music Group to the tune of more than $500 million. A Los Angeles federal judge subsequently barred further sales of the CD unless and until Lahiri was listed on the song's credits.

Career history

Lahiri disappeared from the Indian film industry in the 1990s. He made a brief comeback in the Prakash Mehra produced Dalal starring Mithun Chakraborty. The song "Gutur Gutur" from the film was a big hit, though it had its share of controversies due to its suggestive lyrics.

In 2004, he brought out his album Bappi Magic - The Asli Baap Mix, featuring popular numbers such as "Gori Hai Kalaiyan" and "Jimmy Jimmy." It attained great popularity. In 2005, he composed the background score for the Jahnu Barua film, Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Maara, thus reaffirming his identity as a very versatile composer. In 2006, he lent his voice to another composer for the first time with the song "Boombai Nagariya" which he sang for Vishal-Shekhar for the movie Taxi Number 9211. Of late, he has once again lent his voice to the title track of the Mani Ratnam film Guru, in which the music has been composed by A.R.Rahman. He has recorded songs for the movie Level Crossing produced by actor Jayaprada. In 2006, he appeared on the popular television show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L'il Champs on Zee TV as co-judge with singers Alka Yagnik and Abhijeet. He was a judge for the 2007 edition of Zee TV's Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Sony Entertainment Television's K For Kishore reality show that aims to find the 'heir apparent' to Kishore Kumar.

In 2010 Lahiri was back with "i am a disco dancer" in Golmaal 3 in his own voice. The track was from his previous film Disco Dancer.

Personal life

Bappi Lahiri is married and has two children. His wife is Chitrani, daughter Rema and son Bappa. He is very fond of jewelry and is usually found wearing gold ornaments and black glasses with a tracksuit.

Selected discography

Some of the movies for which he composed successful music are:

Ek Baar Kaho (1980)

Surakksha

Waardat

Armaan

Chalte Chalte

Commando

Ilzaam

Pyara Dushman

Disco Dancer

Dance Dance (film)

Film Hi Film

Saheb

Tarzan

Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki

''

Guru

Jyoti

Namak Halaal

Sharaabi -Winner Filmfare Best Music Director Award(1985)

Aitbaar

Zindagi Ek Jua

Himatwalla

Justice Chaudary

Gang Leader

Rowdy Alludu

Bramha

:Complete List of Hindi Films with music by Bappi Lahiri

Music Done for a Malayalam Film ( Kerala )

''The Good Boys - Malayalam Film

Bappi Lahiri has also done playback singing for his compositions. Some of the notable songs that he has sung include:

''Rahi Hu Mein (Wanted: Dead or Alive)

''Bombai Se Aaya Mera Dost (Aap Ki Khatir)

''Mausam Hai Gaane Ka (Surakksha)

''Dil Tha Akela Akela (Surakksha)

''Tum Jo Bhi Ho (Surakksha)

''Tu Mujhe Jaan Se Bhi Pyaraa hai (Wardat)

''Bambai Se Aaya mera Dost ( Aap ki khatir)

''Yaad Aa Raha Hai (Disco Dancer)

''Super Dancer (Dance Dance)

''Jeena Bhi Kya Hai Jeena (Kasam Paida Karne Wale Ki)

''Tera Mera Pehla Yaarana (Shart)

''Pyar Chahiye Mujhe Jeene Ke Liye (Manokamna)

''Raat Baaki (Namak Halal)

''Yaar Bina Chain Kahan Re (Saaheb)

''Tamma Tamma Loge (Thaneedar)

''Pyar Kabhi Kam Nahi Karna (Prem Pratigya)

''Dekha Hai Maine Tumhe Phir Se Palatke (Wardat)

''Dil Main Ho Tum

''Je La La (Tarzan)

''Bambai Nagariya (Taxi No 9211)

Before his disco rejuvenation he also gave some of the evergreen music to the industry that include:

''Chalte Chalte Mere Yeh Geet Yaad Rakhna

''Dil Se Mile Dil, Dil Se Mile Dil (Dil Se Mile Dil)

''Muskuraata Hua (Lahu Ke Do Rang)

''Chaar Din Ki Zindagi Hai (Ek Baar Kaho)

''Dheere Dheere Subah Huyi (Haisiyat)

''Maana Ho Tum (Toote Khilone)

''Teri Chhoti Si Bhool (Shikshaa)

''Yeh Naina Yeh Kajal (Dil Se Mile Dil)

''Gaao Mere Man (Apne Paraaye)

''Shyam Rang Ranga Re (Apne Paraaye)

''Pyar Hee Jeene Ki (Armaan)

''Pyar Manga Hai Tumhi Se

''Ke Pag Ghungroo Baandh Meera Nachi Thi

''Dil Mein Ho Tum Aankhon Mein Tum

It is not that Bappi Lahiri was only a disco freak; he has also produced beautiful Ghazals such as,

''Kisi Nazar ko tera intezaar aaj bhi hai (Aetbaar)

''Aawaz di hia (Aetbaar)

External links

Bappi Lahiri: The Official Website of the Disco King

Unofficial fan club of Bappida

Bappi Lahiri on SaReGaMaPa Challenge 2007

Documentation of songs Bappi Lahiri copied or used as "inspiration"

The song Nothing is Impossible from Zakhmee(1975)

Category:1952 births Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Hindi film directors Category:Indian film directors Category:Indian film score composers Category:People from Kolkata Category:Living people Category:Plagiarism Category:Sa Re Ga Ma Pa participants

Coordinates	°′″N°′″N
Name	Kumar Sanu
Background	solo_singer
Alias	Kedarnath Bhattacharya
Born	September 23, 1957 Kolkata, India
Instrument	Tabla
Genre	Playback singing
Occupation	Singer,Actor,Music Director,Film Producer
Years active	1984–present

Kumar Sanu (alias Kedarnath Bhattacharya (), born in Kolkata, is a leading Indian playback singer of Bollywood. He won the Filmfare Best Male Playback Award for five consecutive years. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 2009.

Early life

Kumar Sanu's father Pashupati Bhattacharya was a vocalist and composer. He trained Sanu as a singer and tabla player. After getting a degree in commerce from Calcutta University, Sanu began performing publicly in 1979, singing at shows and restaurants around Calcutta. He modeled his singing style after Bollywood singer Kishore Kumar. Later he developed his own singing style.

Career

In 1987, music director and singer Jagjit Singh offered Sanu the chance to sing in the Hindi film Aandhiyan. Sanu then relocated to Mumbai, where Kalyanji-Anandji gave him chance to sing in the film Jaadugar. Kalyanji-Anandji suggested that he change his name from Kedar Nath Bhattacharya to Kumar Sanu.

Sanu started off singing Jagjit Singh's film songs, and went on to work with composers including Naushad, Ravindra Jain, Hridayanath Mangeshkar, Pt.R K Razdan, Kalyanji Anandji, and Usha Khanna.

For the 1990 film Aashiqui, music directors Nadeem-Shravan got Sanu to sing all but one of the songs which included Sanson ki zaroorat hai jaise, Tu meri zindagi hain, Nazar ke saamne, Jaane jigar jaaneman, Ab Tere Bin Jee Lenge Hum and Dheere, dheere se meri zindagi mein aana. He won the first of his record five consecutive Filmfare awards as Best Male Playback Singer. His next Filmfare Awards came for songs in the movies Saajan (1991), Deewana (1992), Baazigar (1993), and (1994).

Sanu often collaborated with Nadeem-Shravan. Some of their collaborations include songs in movies like Aashiqi(1990), Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin (1991),Sadak (1991), Saajan (1991), Deewana (1992), Dil Ka Kya Qusoor(1992),Kal Ki Awaz (1992), Shreeman Aashique (1993), Salami (1993), Damini: Lightning (1993), Dil Wale (1994), Agni Sakshi (1996) Raja Hindustani (1996), Jeet (1996) Pardes (1997), among others.

Sanu is often credited with having one of the leading voices among playback singers in India. In a career spanning two decades he has sung with numerous successful composers to name R.D. Burman, Anand-Milind, Anu Malik, Jatin-Lalit, Ismail Darbar, Kalyanji Anandji. Sanu has also worked with A. R. Rahman in Milgayee Milgayee from Kabhi Na Kabhi.

He has also turned his trade at making music for Indian films and also produced the Bollywood film, Utthaan.

Sanu was in the panel of judges on Sony TV for Waar Parriwar, a reality show based on the bringing together of a singing gharana (family of singers) and on Zee Bangla TV in a music reality show called Sa Re Ga Ma Pa - Vishwa Sera.

Hungama released a new single Lamhaa Ho Tum on Valentine's Day 2010 by Kumar Sanu, composed by Saikat Shankar and the song is written by Abhishek Brothers.

Awards

2009: Padma Shri: India's 4th highest civilian honour given by Government of India.

Filmfare

;Filmfare Best Male Playback Award

1990; Ab tere bin jeelenge hum - Aashiqui

1991: Mera Dil Bhi Kitna Pagal Hai - Saajan

1992: Sochenge Tumhe Pyaar - Deewana

1993: Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen - Baazigar

1994: Ek Ladki Ko Dekha -

Star Screen Award

;Star Screen Award for Best Male Playback

1994: Ek Ladki Ko Dekha - - Star Screen Award

Politics

He joined Bharatiya Janata party in 2004 in a ceremony headed by (party) president Venkiah Naidu.

References

External links

Category:Living people Category:Bengali musicians Category:Bengali people Category:Bollywood playback singers Category:Indian film singers Category:Indian male singers Category:People from Kolkata Category:Recipients of the Padma Shri Category:University of Calcutta alumni

Coordinates	°′″N°′″N
Name	Asha Bhosle
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Asha Mangeshkar
Born	September 08, 1933Sangli, Bombay Presidency, British India
Genre	Pop, folk, Indian classical music
Occupation	Singer, playback singer
Years active	1943–present

Asha Bhosle () (born September 8, 1933) is an Indian singer. She is one of the best-known and most highly regarded Hindi playback singers in India, although she has a much wider repertoire. Her career started in 1943 and has spanned over six decades. She has done playback singing for over 1000 Bollywood movies, and among other activities she has recorded many private albums and has participated in numerous concerts in India and abroad. Bhosle is the sister of playback singer Lata Mangeshkar.

Renowned for her voice range and often credited for her versatility, Bhosle's work includes film music, pop, ghazals, bhajans, traditional Indian Classical music, folk songs, qawwalis, Rabindra Sangeets and Nazrul Geetis. She has sung in over 18 languages including Assamese, Hindi, Urdu, Telugu, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, English, Russian, Czech, Nepali, Malay and Malayalam.

In 2006, Asha Bhosle stated that she had sung over 12,000 songs, a figure repeated by several other sources. The World Records Academy, an international organization which certifies world records, recognized her as the "Most Recorded Artist" in the world, in September 2009.

Biography

Asha Bhosle was born in the small hamlet of Goar in Sangli, Bombay Presidency (now in Maharashtra), into the musical family of Master Deenanath Mangeshkar. Her father was a theater actor and classical singer. When she was nine years old, her father died. The family moved from Pune to Kolhapur and then to Mumbai. She and her elder sister Lata Mangeshkar began singing and acting in films to support their family. She sang her first film song Chala Chala Nav Bala for the Marathi movie Majha Bal (1943). The music for the film was composed by Datta Dawjekar. She made her Hindi film debut when she sang the song Saawan aaya for Hansraj Behl's Chunariya (1948). Her first solo Hindi film song was for the movie Raat Ki Raani (1949).

At the age of 16, she eloped with 31-year-old Ganpatrao Bhosle, marrying him against her family's wishes. Ganpatrao was sister Lata's personal secretary. The marriage failed miserably. Her husband and in-laws mistreated her. After a few years of marriage, Bhosle was turned out (around 1960) by a suspicious Ganpatrao and she went to her maternal home with two children and pregnant with her third child, Anand. She continued to sing in films to earn money.

At that time, prominent playback singers like Geeta Dutt, Shamshad Begum and Lata Mangeshkar (her sister) monopolized the singing for the "heroine" roles and the big films, whilst Asha Bhosle used to get the assignments they did not take: singing for the bad girls and vamps, or songs in the second-grade movies. In the 1950s, she sang more songs than most other playback singers in Bollywood (not counting Lata), yet most of these were in low budget B or C-grade films. Her earliest songs were composed by A R Qureshi, Sajjad Hussain and Ghulam Mohammed, most of which failed to do well. Some of the most popular Asha Bhosle-Helen numbers are Piya Tu Ab To Aaja (Caravan), O Haseena Zulfon Wali (Teesri Manzil), and Yeh Mera Dil (Don).

By the 1980s, Asha Bhosle had been stereotyped as a "cabaret singer" and a "pop crooner". In Rekha-starrer Umrao Jaan, she proved her versatility by singing ghazals like Dil cheez kya hai, In aankhon ki masti ke, Ye kya jagah hai doston and Justju jiski thi. The music director Khayyam, had lowered her pitch by half a note. Asha herself was surprised that she could sing so differently. The ghazals won her the first National Award of her career. A few years later, she won another National Award for the song Mera Kuchh Saamaan from Ijaazat (1987).

In 1995, a 62-year-old Asha Bhosle did playback for young actress Urmila Matondkar in the movie Rangeela. The soundtrack featured songs like Tanha Tanha and Rangeela Re sung by her, and composed by music director A. R. Rahman, who went on to record many more songs with her.

As late as 2005, 72-year-old Asha Bhosle's numbers for the Tamil film Chandramukhi and the pop song Lucky Lips for Salman Khan-starrer were chartbusters. Some of the other popular Tamil songs sung by Bhosle are Oh! Butterfly, September Maadham and Vennila Vennila.

In October 2004, The Very Best of Asha Bhosle, The Queen of Bollywood, a compilation album of songs recorded by Bhosle for albums and Bollywood films that were released during 1966-2003, was released.

Partnership with music directors

;O.P. Nayyar

Music director O. P. Nayyar's association with Asha Bhosle is part of Bollywood lore. He was the composer who first gave Asha her own distinct identity. Many people have speculated about a romantic relationship between the two.

Nayyar first met Asha in 1952, at the music recording of Chham Chhama Chham. He first called her for a film called Mangu (1954), and gave her a big break in CID (1956). However, it was the success of Naya Daur (1957), that made the duo very popular. After 1959, she was emotionally and professionally involved with Nayyar.

The team of O.P. Nayyar and Asha Bhosle is best remembered for their breezy and sometimes sirenish songs. Some good examples of their sensuous numbers are Aaiye meherbaan picturised on Madhubala (Howrah Bridge, 1958) and Yeh hai reshmi zulfon ka andhera picturised on Mumtaz (Mere Sanam, 1965). They recorded songs for many hit movies like Naya Daur (1957), Tumsa Nahin Dekha (1957), Howrah Bridge (1958), Ek Musafir Ek Hasina (1962), Kashmir Ki Kali (1964), etc. Some of their most popular songs include Aao huzur tumko (Kismat), Jaaiye aap kahan (Mere Sanam) etc. O.P. Nayyar used the Asha Bhosle-Mohammad Rafi duo for his most popular duets. some of these songs include Ude jab jab zulfein teri (Naya Daur). Main pyaar ka rahi hoon (Ek Musafir Ek Haseena), Deewana Hua Baadal, Ishaaron hi isharon mein (Kashmir Ki Kali) etc.

Asha recorded her last song for O.P. Nayyar in the movie Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye (1974). The solo number Chain se got many awards, but it was not included in the movie.

They split on August 5, 1972. It is not clear what made them part their ways. On being asked the reason for their parting, O P Nayyar once said, "I know astrology very well. I knew that one day I had to part with her. Something also happened, that upset me, so I left her." She gives the credit for her first big break to B. R. Chopra, the producer of Naya Daur.

;Khayyam Another music director who recognized Bhosle's talent early was Khayyam. His partnership with Asha Bhosle dates back to his first movie Biwi (1948). Khayyam gave her some good assignments in the 1950s, including Dard and Phir Subah Hogi. But the team is chiefly remembered for the songs of Umrao Jaan.

;Ravi Music composer Ravi considered Asha one of his favorite singers. She sang for his first movie Vachan (1955). The melodious lullaby from the movie, Chandamama door ke became an overnight hit among young mothers in India. Ravi got her to sing bhajans for the movies Gharana, Grihasti, Kajal and Phool Aur Patthar, at a time when most of the composers remembered her only when they needed to record B-grade songs picturized on the vamps or the side-heroines. Ravi and Asha Bhosle recorded a variety of songs, including the popular funny duet with Kishore Kumar - C A T...Cat maane billi (Dilli Ka Thug). The bhajan Tora man darpan (Kajal) is considered one of Asha Bhosle's best songs.

They also recorded songs for many popular movies like Waqt, Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Gumrah, Bahu Beti, China Town, Aadmi Aur Insaan, Dhund, Humraaz, and Kajal with her. For Chaudhvin Ka Chand, Ravi wanted Geeta Dutt (the wife of producer Guru Dutt) to sing the songs. But when she backed out, Guru Dutt insisted that Asha Bhosle sing the songs. During this period, S D Burman used Asha Bhosle as his lead female voice. She and S D Burman gave many hit songs in movies such as Kaala Pani, Kaala Bazaar, Insaan Jaag Utha, Lajwanti, Sujata and Teen Deviyaan (1965). They recorded many songs together after 1962 as well. Most famous of these songs were Asha Bhosle's duets with Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar. The song Ab ke baras in Bimal Roy's Bandini (1963) consolidated her position as a lead singer. The seductive song Raat Akeli Hai from Jewel Thief (1967), picturised on Tanuja, became very popular.

;Rahul Dev Burman (Pancham) Asha first met Rahul Dev Burman (a.k.a. "Pancham") when she was a mother of two and he was in 10th grade having dropped out to pursue music. Their partnership was first noticed in Teesri Manzil (1966). She went on to record a variety of songs with him - cabarets, rock, disco, ghazals, Indian classical music and many more.

In the 1970s, Asha Bhosle and Pancham's youthful, Western songs took Bollywood music by storm - the raunchy cabaret Piya tu ab to aaja (Caravan, 1971, picturized on Helen), the rebellious Dum Maro Dum ( Hare Rama Hare Krishna, 1971), the sexy Duniya mein (Apna Desh, 1972), the romantic Chura Liyaa Hai Tumne (Yaadon Ki Baaraat, 1973). Pancham also recorded many hit duets with Asha Bhosle and Kishore Kumar - Jaane jaan, dhoondhta phir raha (Jawani Diwani), Bhali bhali si ek soorat (Buddha Mil Gaya) etc.

In 1980s, Pancham and Asha Bhosle recorded subtle numbers for films like Ijaazat (1987)- Mera kuch saaman, Khaali haath shaam aayi hai, Katra Katra. They also recorded the popular duet O Maria (Saagar). Mera Kuchch saamaan, the R.D. Burman composition for Gulzar's Ijaazat won her the National Award for Best Singer.

Asha Bhosle used to call R D Burman "Bubs". She married him in 1980. Their partnership lasted until his death.

RD Burman made her sing some of the most legendary songs in Bengali language as well, namely Mohuyae Jomechhe Aaj mou go,Chokhe Chokhe kotha bolo Chokhhe naame brishti(Bengali version of Jaane Kya Baat hai), Baanshi sune ki ghore thaka jaye,Sondhya Belae tumi aami,Aaj Gungun gun gunje amar (Bengali version of Pyaar Deewana hota hai),etc.

;Ilaiyaraaja The prolific south Indian film composer Ilaiyaraaja began employing Asha Bhosle's vocals in the early 1980s, their earliest collaboration being for the film Moondram Pirai (1982) (or Sadma, its Hindi remake in 1983). Their association continued, mostly through the latter half of the 1980s and early 1990s. Some of their notable songs from this period include Shenbagamae (Enga Ooru Paattukkaaran, 1987, Tamil). In 2000, Asha sung Ilaiyaraaja's theme song for Kamal Haasan's political film Hey Ram. The song, Janmon Ki Jwala (or Aparna's Theme), was a duet with ghazal singer Hariharan.

;A. R. Rahman A. R. Rahman is given the credit for Asha Bhosle's 'comeback' with Rangeela (1994). Songs like Tanha Tanha and Rangeela Re were chartbusters. She and Rahman went on to record more hits like Mujhe Rang De (Thakshak), Radha Kaise Na Jale (Lagaan, duet with Udit Narayan), Kahin Aag Lage (Taal), O Bhanware (Daud, duet with K. J. Yesudas), Venilla Venilla (Iruvar,1999), Dhuan Dhuan (Meenaxi,2004). Naushad, later in his life, also admitted that he has been unfair to Asha Bhonsle. Asha has also worked with other noted Bollywood composers like Jatin Lalit, Bappi Lahiri, Kalyanji Anandji, Usha Khanna, Chitragupt, and Roshan.

Non-Bollywood music

Private albums

In a rare feat, noted lyricist, Gulzar, music director, R.D. Burman and Asha Bhosle, came together in 1987, to create a double album, titled, Dil Padosi Hai, which was released on September 8, 1987, Asha Bhosle's birthday. In 1995, Asha underwent the gatha bandan (thread-tying) ceremony with Hindustani classical music maestro Ali Akbar Khan to learn a classical repertoire held within the Maihar gharana (stylistic school of Indian classical music), as handed down to Khan by his father Allauddin Khan (the guru of Ravi Shankar). Later, Asha and Ustad Ali Akbar Khan recorded eleven fixed compositions (or bandishes) in California for Legacy, a private album that won them a Grammy Award nomination.

In 1990s, Asha experimented with the remixed R D Burman songs. She was criticized by many, including Khayyam for tampering with old melodies. Nevertheless, albums like Rahul And I became quite popular. In 1997, Asha did a private Indipop album Janam Samjha Karo with Leslie Lewis. The album was hugely popular and won her many awards including the 1997 MTV Award.

Asha had been once asked by the director B R Ishaara to compose music for one of his films, but she had politely declined. In 2002, she turned music composer with the album Aap Ki Asha, an eight-song music and video album. The lyrics were written by Majrooh Sultanpuri (his last lyrics) and the music was composed by Asha herself. The album was released by Sachin Tendulkar on May 21, 2001 at a lavish party in Mumbai. The album received mixed reviews.

Asha had spotted Pakistani singer Adnan Sami's talent when he was about 10 years old. At that time was performing in London, with R D Burman. It was she who had asked him to pursue his interests in music seriously. When Adnan grew up and became a professional musician, Asha sang the title duet with him for his best-selling album Kabhi to nazar milao. The two came together again in the album Barse Badal. The album comprises eight songs, based on Indian Classical music. She contributed the song Yun Na Thi to the recording Womad Talking Book Volume Four: An Introduction to Asia 1 on Womad Records.

Asha has sung ghazals for many albums like Meraj-E-Ghazal, Aabshar-E-Ghazal and Kashish. In 2005, Asha released a self-title album (Asha), a tribute to the four ghazal maestros - Mehdi Hassan, Ghulam Ali, Farida Khanum and Jagjit Singh. The album features eight of her favorite ghazals like Farida Khanum’s Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo, Ghulam Ali’s Chupke Chupke, Aawargi and Dil Mein Ek Lahar, Jagjit Singh’s Ahista Ahista and Mehdi Hassan’s Ranjish Hi Sahi, Rafta Rafta and Mujhe Tum Nazar Se. These classic ghazals were recreated with modern sounds by the musician Pandit Somesh Mathur. The album was aimed at the younger generation, who, according to Asha, are "turned off" by the traditional sounds of tabla and sarangi.

Numerous compilations of Asha's songs have been released as well. To commemorate her 60th birthday, in 1993 EMI India released three cassettes: Bala Main Bairagan Hoongi (devotional songs), The Golden Collection: Memorable Ghazals (non-film ghazals by composers such as Ghulam Ali, R D Burman and Nazar Hussain), and The Golden Collection: The Ever Versatile Asha Bhosle (44 popular film songs).

In 2006, she recorded an album Asha and Friends, singing duets, with film actors Sanjay Dutt and Urmila Matondkar and famous cricket player Brett Lee, with whom she sang, You're the One for Me (Haan Main Tumhara Hoon). All these songs composed by Shamir Tandon were shot on video by journalist turned director S Ramachandran.

Concerts and collaborations with foreign artists

In 1980s and 1990s, Asha went globe-trotting, staging concerts in Canada, Dubai, UK, U.S. and many other countries. In 1989, during a world tour, she performed in 13 US cities in 20 days. Immediately after this, she had an already sold-out concert scheduled in Stockholm, Sweden. Due to the stressful schedule, Asha suffered a massive attack of colitis, together with fever, cough and weakness. In Stockholm, a pre-concert crisis meeting was called, attended by Asha's son (and manager) Anand and the sponsors. It was decided that the orchestra will play many instrumental tracks, the accompanying singers like Suresh Wadkar will shoulder the load, and Asha will make a small appearance. But Asha rejected all such proposals, and sang at the concert with great difficulty, in a not-so-good voice. Her first set of six Bollywood songs did not receive any response from the audience, which consisted mostly of Indian and Pakistani expats. Before the start of the second set of songs, a fan in the crowd requested her to sing a Marathi song. Asha obliged and sang Naach-naachuni ati mi damale ("I'm very tired of this endless dancing"). When the song ended, the auditorium erupted with claps and the encores started. After the concert, Asha was in bed for a month, recuperating from overexertion. In October 2002, she did a concert with Sudesh Bhosle and others, in London, for "Help the Aged" to help raise funds for older people in India. In 2007 she toured the USA, Canada, and West Indies in a tour called "The Incredibles". In this tour, she was accompanied by singers Sonu Nigam, Kunal Ganjawala and Kailash Kher. This tour went on to hold more than 20 concerts and was originally scheduled for only 12.

In the mid-1980s, Asha sang with Boy George (Bow down mister) and Stephen Lauscombe. In 1997, she sang a love song with the boy band Code Red, at the age of 64. She also recorded the song The Way you Dream (One Giant Leap, ) with Michael Stipe that was used in the English movie, Bulletproof Monk. The song was also released on the self-titled album 1 Giant Leap for 2002.

In 1997, the British band Cornershop paid tribute to Asha with their song Brimful of Asha, an international hit which was later remixed by Fatboy Slim. In 2001, the CD single of Nelly Furtado's "I'm Like A Bird" included a "Nellie vs. Asha Remix" created by Digital Cutup Lounge.

In 2003, British opera pop singer Sarah Brightman sampled her song "Dil Cheez Kya Hai" on her album Harem. It was used as the intro for her song "You Take My Breath Away".

In 2005, American string quartet Kronos Quartet re-recorded the R D Burman compositions like Chura Liya, Piya Tu, Mera Kuchh Saaman among others and got Asha to sing them. Despite her age (she had crossed 70), she recorded three to four songs in a day, leaving the quartet members stupefied. On August 23, 2005, You've stolen my heart - Songs From R D Burman's Bollywood was released in US. The album was nominated for Grammy Awards 2006 in the category of "Best Contemporary World Music Album". Earlier, in 1990s, a friend had introduced David Harrington of Kronos Quartet to the song Aaj ki raat. Harrington was mesmerised, and the song ended up on the album Kronos Caravan.

Also in 2005, The Black Eyed Peas sampled her songs "Ae Naujawan Sab Kuchh Yahan" (Apradh, 1972) and "Yeh Mera Dil Pyaar Ka Diwana" (Don, 1978) in their hit single "Don't Phunk with My Heart". In late 2006, Asha collaborated with Australian test cricket star, Brett Lee. The single, You're the One for Me debuted at number 4 on the charts and reached a peak position of number 2.

In 2006 Asha Bhosle recorded one song for the soundtrack of Pakistani movie Mein Ek Din Laut Kay Aaaonga. singing the song Dil Key Taar Bajey with famous Pakistani pop singer Jawad Ahmed. The song was aired as the part of the film's promotional campaign and became very popular, featuring on top music charts.

Personal life

Asha's house is situated in Prabhukunj Apt on Peddar Road area of South Mumbai. She has three children and five grandchildren. The eldest of her three children is Hemant Bhosle (named after Hemant Kumar), spent most of his early years as a pilot and quit to have a brief career as a music director. Asha's daughter Varsha, who is younger than Hemant, worked as a columnist for The Sunday Observer and Rediff. The youngest child is Anand Bhosle, who has studied business and film direction. He manages Asha's career. Her grandson, Chaitanya (Chintu) Bhosle (Hemant's son) also ventured in the world of music, as a member of a successful boy band, "Band of Boys". Her sisters Lata and Usha Mangeshkar are playback singers. The other two siblings, sister Meena Mangeshkar and brother Hridayanath Mangeshkar are music directors.

Asha is an excellent cook and cooking is her favorite hobby. She often gets flooded with requests by Bollywood celebrities for kadai ghosht and biryani and has rarely turned down a request. In fact, her paya curry, Goan fish curry and dal are very popular with the Kapoor family of Bollywood. Once, when asked in a Times of India interview, what if her singing career had not taken off, she said "I would have become a cook. I'd have cooked in four houses and made money."

Asha is a successful restaurateur and runs restaurants in Dubai and Kuwait, called Asha's. Asha's offers traditional north-western Indian cuisine. It has a presence in the Wafi City development in Dubai, as well as three restaurants in Kuwait, at The Avenues Mall, the Marina Mall and a brand new third outlet at the Spoons Complex. Other restaurants can be found in Abu Dhabi's Khaldiya Mall, Doha's Villagio and Bahrain's City Center Mall, with future outposts planned for Dubai's Mall of the Emirates and Cairo, Egypt. Asha Bhosle has a 20% stake in the business. Asha is not involved in day-to-day running of the restaurant which is looked after by the Wafi Group. She takes care of the kitchen and the décor. She personally trained the chefs for almost six months. According to a December 2004 report in the Menu Magazine, Russell Scott, a former head of Harry Ramsden's (the fish and chips chain), secured the UK rights to the Asha's brand and planned to open up to 40 restaurants over the next five years. As part of her chain of restaurants, Asha's, Ashatai has recently opened a new restaurant in Birmingham, UK.

Asha's fashion statement is white sarees with sparkling embroidery, pearls around her neck and diamonds. Harrington of Kronos Quartet said "The first time I met Ashaji she was dressed in the most beautiful sari with diamonds and looked very regal. Then I looked down and saw that she was wearing tennis shoes! I thought I love this woman."

Asha is a good mimicry artist as well. At a concert at World Trade Center in Dubai on April 22, 2004, she mimicked the song Kabhi To Nazar Milaao in the voices of Noor Jehan, Lata Mangeshkar and Ghulam Ali.

Nowadays, apart from singing and her restaurant, Asha is also working on her autobiography.

Rivalry with Lata Mangeshkar

Asha's sibling rivalry with her sister Lata Mangeshkar is often talked about, in spite of their insistence that these are just tales.

Lata considered Asha's act of eloping with her lover as irresponsible, leaving her alone to sing and earn for the family. This led to tensions among them. Asha herself accepted in an interview Asha said about the movie — "To have two women in long plaits, take a couple of incidents and exaggerate them into a 3-hour film is such a waste of time." She won her first two awards in 1967 and 1968, when Lata Mangeshkar still used to accept the award (Mangeshkar asked not to be considered for the award nominations after 1969 to promote new talent). After receiving the award in 1979, Bhosle emulated her elder sister and requested that her name not be considered for the nominations hereafter. Despite this, Bhosle is the most frequent winner of this award to date, tying with Alka Yagnik. She was later given a Special Award for Rangeela in 1996, and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. Following is the list of her Filmfare Awards:

Filmfare Best Female Playback Award:

1968: "Garibon ki Suno" (Dus Lakh, 1966)

1969: "Parde Mein Rehne Do" (Shikar, 1968)

1972: "Piya Tu Ab To Aaja" (Caravan, 1971)

1973: "Dum Maro Dum" (Hare Rama Hare Krishna, 1972)

1974: "Hone Lagi Hain Raat" (Naina, 1973)

1975: "Chain Se Humko Kabhi" (Pran Jaye Par Vachan Na Jaye, 1974)

1979: "Yeh Mera Dil" (Don, 1978)

Other Awards:

1996 - Special Award (Rangeela, 1995)

2001 - Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award

;National Film Awards Asha has won the National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer twice:

1981: Dil Cheez Kya Hai (Umrao Jaan)

1986: Mera Kuch Samaan (Ijaazat)

;Other awards Asha has won numerous other awards, some of which include: 1987: Nightingale Of Asia Award (from the Indo–Pak Association, UK).

1999: Lata Mangeshkar Award (Government of Maharashtra)

2000: Singer of the Millennium (Dubai).

2000: Zee Gold Bollywood Award (for Mujhe Rang De from Thakshak).

2001: MTV Award (for Kambakht Ishq).

2002: BBC Lifetime Achievement Award (presented by the UK Prime Minister Tony Blair).

2002: Zee Cine Award for Best Playback Singer - Female (for Radha Kaise Na Jale from Lagaan).

2002: Zee Cine Special Award for Hall of Fame.

2002: Screen Videocon Award (for Radha Kaise Na Jale from Lagaan).

2002: Sansui Movie Award (for Radha Kaise Na Jale from Lagaan).

2003: Swaralaya Yesudas Award for outstanding contributions to Indian music. 2005: MTV Immies, Best Female Pop Act for Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo. 2005: Most Stylish People in Music.

;Honours and recognitions

In 1997, Asha became the first Indian singer to be nominated for the Grammy Award, for Legacy, an album with Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

She has received seventeen Maharashtra State Awards.

She received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2000 for her outstanding contribution to Indian cinema.

She holds honorary doctorates from the University of Amravati and University of Jalgaon in Literature.

She has received The Freddie Mercury Award for Outstanding Achievement in Arts.

The Birmingham Film Festival paid her a special tribute in November 2002.

She was honoured with the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India.

She was among top 20 music icons of the past 50 years by CNN.

Footnotes and references

Further reading

External links

Asha Bhosle: The Voice Of Bollywood And More - audio report by NPR

Category:1933 births Category:Living people Category:Bengali-language singers Category:Bollywood playback singers Category:Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients Category:English-language singers Category:Female guitarists Category:Gujarati-language singers Category:Hindi-language singers Category:Indian female singers Category:Indian film singers Category:Indian guitarists Category:Kollywood playback singers Category:Marathi-language singers Category:Marathi playback singers Category:Nepali-language singers Category:People from Maharashtra Category:Recipients of the Padma Vibhushan Category:Russian-language singers Category:Tamil-language singers

Coordinates	°′″N°′″N
Name	Alka Yagnik
Background	solo_singer
Born	March 20, 1966 Kolkata, West Bengal
Instrument	Vocals
Genre	Bollywood and regional filmi playback singing
Occupation	Singer
Years active	1979–present

Alka Yagnik () (born March 20, 1966 in Kolkata, West Bengal, India) is an Indian singer who is ranked among the best-known Hindi playback singers of all time. She is a seven-time winner of the Filmfare Best Female Playback Award and has done playback singing for over 700 Indian films.

Early life and background

Alka Yagnik was born in Kolkata on March 20, 1966 to a Gujarati family. Her mother Shubha Yagnik was a singer of Indian classical music. At the age of 6, she started singing for Calcutta Radio. At age 10, her mother brought her to Bombay as a child singer. She was advised to wait till her voice matured but her mother remained determined and on a subsequent visit, Alka got a letter of introduction to Raj Kapoor from his Kolkata distributor. Raj heard the girl and sent her with a letter to noted music director Laxmikant. Impressed, Laxmikant gave her two alternatives - an immediate start as a dubbing artist, or a later break as a singer; they settled for the latter.

Career

Alka Yagnik is classically trained and has been one of the leading playback singers in Bollywood since the late 1980s. She began singing bhajans for Calcutta Radio at the age of six. Her first song was for the film Payal Ki Jhankaar in (1979), followed by Laawaris (1981) with the hit song "Mere Angene Mein", followed by the film Hamari Bahu Alka (1982). She got her big break with the song "Ek Do Teen" from the film Tezaab (1988). The song turned her into a star overnight and went on to become a pop hit, also winning her a Filmfare Best Female Playback Award. Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak was also a career maker for her, as she along with Udit Narayan became household names.

She has sung in many languages other than Hindi, including Gujarati, Odia, Assamese, Manipuri, Nepali, Rajasthani, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Punjabi, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam. She has worked with many other Indian composers, such as Kalyanji-Anandji, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Anu Malik, A. R. Rahman, Anand-Milind, Himesh Reshammiya and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. She has sung in many notable albums such as "Tum Yaad Aaye", as well as "Tum Aaye" and "Shairana" in which she worked in close collaboration with award-winning lyricist Javed Akhtar and noted singer Hariharan. She has also rendered the Hanuman Chalisa and various devotional songs.

Alka shares the title with Asha Bhosle for the greatest number of Filmfare Awards won (7) by a single female playback singer. Alka has also been the judge of various Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge shows, and Star Voice of India, both singing competition shows, in which children or adults of various age groups compete with one another to win the award for best vocals. In addition to this, her song "Chamma Chamma" from China Gate was featured in the song "Hindi Sad Diamonds" from the soundtrack of the film Moulin Rouge!.

Awards

Alka Yagnik has received numerous awards and nominations in her singing career, in addition to the awards listed below. She received the Filmfare award for Best Female Playback for three consecutive years from 1999–2001.

Filmfare Awards

1988 - Best Female Playback for "Ek Do Teen" for the film Tezaab

1993 - Best Female Playback for "Choli Ke Peeche" for the film Khalnayak (shared with Ila Arun)

1997 - Best Female Playback for "Zara Tasweer Se Tu" for the film Pardes

1999 - Best Female Playback for "Taal Se Taal" for the film Taal

2000 - Best Female Playback for "Dil Ne Yeh Kaha Hai Dil Se" for the film Dhadkan

2001 - Best Female Playback for "O Re Chhori" for the film Lagaan

2004 - Best Female Playback for "Hum Tum" for the film Hum Tum

National Film Awards

1994 - Silver Lotus Award for "Ghoongat Ki Aad Se" for the film Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke

1999 - Silver Lotus Award for "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" for the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

Bollywood Movie Awards

1999 - Best Female Playback for "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" - Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

2001 - Best Female Playback for "Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai" - Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai

2002 - Best Female Playback for "San San sana" - Ashoka

2007 - Best Female Playback for "Tumhi Dekho Naa" - Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna

Global Indian Film Awards

2007 - Best Female Playback for "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna" - Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna

Zee Cine Awards

1999 - Best Female Playback for "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" - Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

2001 - Best Female Playback for "Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai" - Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai

2007 - Best Female Playback for "Tumhi Dekho Naa" - Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna

Star Screen Awards

1995 - Best Female Playback for "Dil Ne Dil Se" from Haqeeqat

2000 - Best Female Playback for "Paanchi Nadiyaan" from Refugee

2001 - Best Female Playback for "Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai" from Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai

International Indian Film Academy

2000 - Artistic Excellence Female Playback Singer Award for "Taal Se Taal Mila" - Taal

2001 - Popular award for "Kaho Naa Pyar Hai" - Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai

Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards

1989 - Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak 2007 - Hero Honda Voice of All Generations

Sahyog Foundation

Kala Shiromani Award

Sangam Kala Group- Music Awards 2007

Best Playback Singer for 2007

Sansui Awards

2003 - "Oodhni"- Tere Naam

Videocon Screen Award

2000 - "Dil Le Gaya Ajnabi"

MTV Awards

2001 - MTV Asia Viewers Choice Award for "Jaane Kyon"- Dil Chahta Hai

Nominations

Filmfare

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Laawaris (1981) for the song "Mere Angne Mein"

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Saajan (1991) for the song "Dekha Hai Pehli Baar"

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Deewana (1992) for the song "Aisi Deewangi"

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Baazigar (1993) for the song "Baazigar O Baazigar"

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Vijaypath (1995) for the song "Raah Mein Unse"

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Akele Hum Akele Tum (1996) for the song "Raja Ko Rani Se"

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997) for the song "Mere Khwaabon Mein Tu"

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Refugee (2000) for "Panchhi Nadiya"

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Asoka (2001) for the song "San Sanana"

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Dil Chahta Hai (2001) for the song "Jaane Kyon"

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Raaz (2002) for the song "Aapke Pyar Mein"

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Humraaz (2002) for the song "Sanam Mere Humraaz"

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Tere Naam (2003) for the song "Odhni Odhke"

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Chalte Chalte (2003) for the song "Tauba Tumhare"

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Swades: We, the People (2004) for "Saanwariya"

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004) for "Lal Dupatta"

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) for the song "Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna"

Best Playback Singer - Female for: Yuvvraaj (2008) for the song "Tu Muskura"

BBC World Music Awards

2003 - BBC World Music Award - Asia Pacific

Notable Bollywood filmography

References

External links

Category:1966 births Category:Living people Category:Bollywood playback singers Category:Indian female singers Category:Indian film singers Category:People from Kolkata Category:Filmfare Awards winners Category:Sa Re Ga Ma Pa participants Category:Indian Hindus