Rediff/Rediffmail India Limited

Rediff.com.Logo.gif
Type	Public (NASDAQ: REDF)
Founded	1996
Headquarters	Mumbai, India
Key people	USTAD(nitin jain), Ajit Balakrishnan, Chairman & CEO
Industry	Internet Services
Revenue	$21.80 million (2011)
Employees	316 (Dec 2009)
Website	rediff.com
Alexa rank	200 (June 2012[update])[1]
Type of site	web portal
Registration	Optional
Available in	English
Launched	February 8, 1997; 15 years ago  (1997-02-08)
Screenshot 250px Main page as of 24 July 2009

Rediff.com India (NASDAQ: REDF) is a news, information, entertainment, and shopping portal. It was founded in 1996^[2] as "Rediff On The NeT"^[3] and is headquartered in Mumbai, India with offices in New Delhi and New York City, USA.^[4]

According to Alexa,^[5] Rediff is the No. 11 Indian web portal.^[6]. It has more than 316 employees.^[7] 89.1% of the millions of visitors^[8] to Rediff.com are from India, while the rest come primarily from the USA (3.4%) and China.^[9] In April 2001, Rediff.com acquired and began offering India Abroad.^[10] As of February 2011, it ranked 146 on Alexa.^[11] Rediff.com was the first website domain name registered in India in 1996.^[12]

Rediff products[link]

• Rediffmail: Web based e-mail which has around 95 million registered usernames.^[13] It offers unlimited free storage space.^[14] Rediff recently launched an AJAX based mail interface.^[15] Rediffmail also allows users to send and receive mails in many Indian languages on Microsoft Windows.^[16] Rediffmail is also available on mobiles through the free mobile application. In October 2010, Rediff.com launched a paid mobile email service named `Rediffmail NG' with support for all mobile phone platforms including Symbian, Java and Andriod. In addition, it offers synchronisation across users' phone and PC.^[17]
• Rediff Bol: instant messenger with support for Hindi language^[18]
• Rediff SongBuzz: A social, music search & discovery service, featuring Hindi music primarily^[19]
• Rediff Localnews: Explore the news by locations in India.Rediff Localnews^[20] offers news of cities and localities across India on Map.
• It also offers various other web based services such as a web search, shopping, classifieds, a matrimonial service, social networking, blogging, a music-video sharing platform and a community-driven knowledge base.^[21]

On April 26th 2011, Rediff launched new service, group deals, named Rediff Deal Ho Jaye!The service, essentially, offers consumers local services in about 40 cities across India at discounts that range from 30 per cent to 60 per cent on any deals that they avail of.

Among others "Rediff Deal Ho Jaye! will help consumers discover new services and experiences in their city, such as restaurants, spas, hotels, healthcare, tattoos, hobby classes, adventure sports and other local attractions across 70 categories and at 30-60 per cent discounts, thus helping them make the most of their quality time with their family and friends," Ajit Balakrishnan, Chairman and CEO of Rediff.com told reporters during a press conference called to announce the launch of the service.^[22][23]

See also[link]

• Indian companies

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Rediffmail explained

Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan at WWF World Earth Hour event
Born	(1978-01-01) 1 January 1978 (age 34) Palakkad, Kerala, India
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2003–present

Vidya Balan (pronounced [ʋɪd̪jaː baːlən]; born 1 January 1978)^[1] is an Indian actress, who appears mainly in Hindi films, in addition to Bengali and Malayalam films. After graduating with a degree in sociology, she started her career starring in music videos, television shows and commercials, before making her feature film debut with the independent Bengali drama Bhalo Theko (2003). Balan received positive notice for her first Hindi film, Parineeta (2005), and followed it with a leading role in the blockbuster Lage Raho Munna Bhai (2006), and other such hit films as Guru, Heyy Babyy and Bhool Bhulaiyaa (all 2007).^[2]

2009 marked the beginning of the most successful period in Balan's career as she portrayed five back-to-back roles to wide critical acclaim in Paa (2009), Ishqiya (2010), No One Killed Jessica (2011), The Dirty Picture (2011) and Kahaani (2012). These roles have further established her as one of the leading contemporary actresses of Hindi cinema and earned her several major awards.^[3][4] Balan has received one National Film Award for Best Actress, five Filmfare Awards, including two for Best Actress and one for Best Actress - Critics, as well as three consecutive Screen Awards for Best Actress.

Early life[link]

Vidya Balan was born in India in Ottapalam, Palakkad District, Kerala, to P. R. Balan (Vice President of ETC Channel) and Saraswathy Balan, a housewife mother in a Tamil speaking^[5] family.^[6] According to Balan, they speak at home "a mix of Tamil and Malayalam", but she is also well versed in Hindi, English and Bengali.^[7]

She did her schooling at St. Anthony Girls' High School,^[8][9] Chembur, Mumbai, and later attended St. Xavier's College where she majored in Sociology.^[10] She went on to study MA at the University of Mumbai, when she received her first film offer.

Career[link]

Career beginnings (2003–2004)[link]

Her acting career started when she signed up Chakram, a Malayalam film alongside Mohanlal, which was shelved. After that, she signed for the Tamil film, Run, but for reasons undisclosed, she was dropped after a first schedule and replaced by Meera Jasmine.^[11] She was also the first choice for the female lead in another Tamil film Manasellam, but was replaced by Trisha Krishnan during the production.^[12] When Chakram was restarted with Prithviraj in the lead, Meera Jasmine was again chosen ahead of Balan.

She then turned to television advertising. From 1998 onwards, she appeared in numerous television ads, many of which were directed by Pradeep Sarkar. She also took supporting roles in music videos, appearing with singers and bands such as Euphoria, Shubha Mudgal, and Pankaj Udhas. Balan also portrayed the role of Radhika Mathur in a few episodes of the later seasons of the comedy television serial Hum Paanch.

In 2003, she appeared in the Bengali film, Bhalo Theko directed by Goutam Halder,^[13] for which she won the Anandalok Puraskar Best Actress award in Kolkata.

Breakthrough (2005–2008)[link]

Balan made her Hindi film debut with Pradeep Sarkar's musical drama Parineeta. Before being cast for the film, Balan had to undergo extensive auditions for a period of 6 months.^[14] The film, an adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's novel of the same name, narrated the love story of an idealist Lalita (Balan) and an egoist Shekhar (Saif Ali Khan), the son of a capitalist businessman.^[15] Upon release, her performance in the film was acclaimed by critics,^[16] with Derek Elley from Variety writing, " An acting revelation is Tamil newcomer Balan, whose devoted but dignified Lalita is the picture's heart and soul."^[17] She eventually won a Best Debut (Female) award and received a nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards ceremony.

After the success of her first two films, the producer who dropped her from Manasellam was keen to sign her opposite Kamal Hassan for Dasavathaaram but she rejected the offer and Asin Thottumkal was signed instead. In 2006, she appeared opposite Sanjay Dutt in Rajkumar Hirani's musical comedy film Lage Raho Munna Bhai. Balan portrayed the role of Jhanvi, a radio-jockey and the love interest of the protagonist Munna Bhai. In order to prepare for her role, she met with a couple of radio jockeys and watched them at work.^[18] Once again her performance was well received by critics^[19] and the film became the second highest grossing film of the year with a net total of 118.57 crore (US$23.65 million).^[2]

In 2007, she featured in a supporting role in Mani Ratnam's semi-biographic drama Guru as a woman suffering from multiple sclerosis. The film, which starred Mithun Chakraborty, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and R. Madhavan in leading roles, performed well at the box office.^[20] Despite generally positive reviews for her performance, critics such as Khalid Mohammad and Raja Sen noted that "her talent was wasted" in a "minuscule role".^[21][22] Her next release was Nikhil Advani's multi-starrer romance Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love opposite John Abraham. The film, which narrated six individual love stories, saw Balan play the role of a television reporter, Tehzeeb Hussain, suffering from a memory loss condition. The film, which was a critical and commercial failure,^[20] however generated positive reviews for Balan with Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com writing, "Vidya's transformation from a self-assured working woman to a helpless, vulnerable person is superb."^[23] She subsequently featured in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's suspense thriller Eklavya: The Royal Guard alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sharmila Tagore, Saif Ali Khan and Sanjay Dutt. The film, which flopped commercially, met with positive critical reviews and was selected as India's official entry to the Oscars for the 80th Academy Awards.^[24]

Balan followed through with a leading role in Sajid Khan's comedy Heyy Babyy as Isha Sahni, a deceived, single mother. The film which also featured Akshay Kumar, Ritesh Deshmukh and Fardeen Khan emerged as a box-office success with a worldwide gross of 83.68 crore (US$16.69 million),^[20] but her performance met with mixed reviews. Criticism was directed towards her wardrobe and make-up, rather than her performance itself with Rajeev Masand writing, "Vidya Balan sticks out like a sore thumb".^[25] Her final release of the year was Priyadarshan's psychological thriller Bhool Bhulaiyaa alongside Shiney Ahuja, Akshay Kumar and Ameesha Patel. Her performance in the film as a woman suffering from dissociative identity disorder was praised with Taran Adarsh commenting, "Vidya is splendid, especially in the second hour".^[26] The film eventually earned 84 crore (US$16.76 million) worldwide^[20] and among several nominations, fetched Balan her second Filmfare nomination in the Best Actress category.

In 2008, she featured in a small role in Rajkumar Santoshi's male-dominated social film Halla Bol alongside Ajay Devgan and Pankaj Kapur. The film was a reference to "Jan Natya Manch", whose leader, the theater activist, Safdar Hashmi was killed by political rivals while performing a street play by the same name in 1989.^[27] Upon release, the film as well as her performance received a mixed response.^[28] Her next release was Aziz Mirza's romantic comedy Kismat Konnection opposite Shahid Kapoor. Balan received mixed comments from critics for her performance of Priya, however a review carried by The Economic Times mentioned, "As against the notion, Vidya Balan carries a graceful charm and is natural as ever."^[29] The film eventually underperformed at the box-office.^[30]

Success and critical acclaim (2009–present)[link]

In 2009, Balan played the role of Vidya, a young independent gynecologist who is also a single-mother struggling with her 12-year-old son's progeria syndrome, in Paa. Amitabh Bachchan played the role of Auro, Balan's son while Abhishek Bachchan played the titular character. The film was received well by critics and so was Balan's performance. Sukanya Verma from Rediff wrote, "Vidya Balan slips into the skin of a doting mom with such ease without the mollycoddling tone Bollywood's young mothers often resort to. Balan is poignant yet restrained and projects an impressive figure of grace and integrity, reminiscent of Dimple Kapadia in the 1980s.";^[31] Nikhat Kazmi from The Times of India noted, "Balan lends a rare dignity to the image of the Bollywood mom. With her quiet grace and controlled emotions, she is Mother Courage incarnate."^[32] Her portrayal ultimately won her a Filmfare Award for Best Actress and a Star Screen Award for Best Actress, among other awards. The film became a major turning point in her career and brought a new level of seriousness to her work.^[33]

In 2010, Balan acted in Vishal Bhardwaj's drama Ishqiya, directed by debutante Abhishek Chaubey and co-starring Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi and Salman Shahid. Balan's role was that of Krishna Verma, a sexually manipulative abandoned wife. Her character was described as a femme fatale, and her performance was applauded by critics, with NDTV's Anupama Chopra writing, "Balan’s smoldering looks scorch the screen even as her eyes hint at tragedy. She proves that she is miles ahead of the cookie cutter Barbie dolls that clutter Bollywood and that sensuality has very little to do with showing skin."^[34] A review carried by The Telegraph mentioned, " Vidya makes Krishna such a fascinating character by never letting you know what’s going on in her head. She sucks one man’s thumb, she dresses the other man’s wound. She puts her head on one man’s shoulder, she draws the other man to her bed. In your bid to find out who she really wants, you will fall in love with Krishna." ^[35] Her work in the film brought her several more awards the following year including a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress and a second consecutive Star Screen Award for Best Actress.

Balan's first release of 2011 was Raj Kumar Gupta's semi-biographic thriller No One Killed Jessica alongside Rani Mukerji, The film, based on the Jessica Lal murder case saw Balan play the first real-life character of her career, that of Sabrina Lal, Jessica's reticent sister who struggled for years to get justice. While preparing for her role, Balan avoided meeting Lal on the insistent of Gupta. She said, "Sabrina is an icon today. He (Gupta) said that the Sabrina we see today is different from the Sabrina a decade ago, when she had just lost her sister. This story begins at the time when Jessica is murdered."^[36] No One Killed Jessica as well as Balan's work earned positive reviews, with Anupama Chopra commenting, "Unlike her glamorous, party-girl sister [Jessica], Sabrina is painfully plain and sober. Wearing drab clothes and spectacles, Vidya is a portrait of anguish and strength."^[37] The film had a worldwide gross of 49 crore (US$9.78 million) and was noted for being a commercial success, despite the absence of a male lead.^[38] Balan eventually earned another Filmfare nomination in the Best Actress category.^[39] In March 2011 Balan was honoured with a retrospective of her work by Australia's Indian film festival, Bollywood & Beyond,^[40] during which she also introduced the opening night Australian premiere of No One Killed Jessica with director Raj Kumar Gupta.

Balan with co-stars Tusshar Kapoor (left) and Emraan Hashmi at the audio release of The Dirty Picture. Her performance in the film met with unanimous acclaim and among other wins, fetched her a National Award and a Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

December 2011 saw the release of Ekta Kapoor's The Dirty Picture, a biopic based on the life and death of the controversial Indian actress Silk Smitha.^[41] Balan was cast as Silk, who was—in Balan's words—"known for her brazenness and in-your-face sexuality."^[42] She described the role as the "boldest" she had ever played, one that "required a lot of mental preparation," and in order to look the part, she gained 12 kg.^[43] The film opened to major critical acclaim,^[44] and Balan received unanimous praise for her portrayal, which several reviewers regarded as her best performance to date. Khalid Mohamed observed, "She’s extraordinary: gutsy, consistently in character and unafraid of exposing her darker side. Here’s the kind of complex performance which you haven’t evidenced in years and years. This award-winning act bookended by her contrasting portrayal in No One Killed Jessica, reaffirms her as the finest artiste on the scene today."^[45] Her director Milan Luthria described her as the contemporary claimant of the sex-symbol title because of her unique sex appeal, and compared her "voluptuousness" to the likes of yesteryear actresses such as Sridevi and Vyjayanthimala.^[46] The film was eventually declared a blockbuster^[47][48] with a total gross of 117 crore (US$23.34 million), emerging as the biggest opening ever for a women-oriented film in the history of Indian Cinema.^[49] Balan won her first National Film Award for Best Actress,^[50] a second Filmfare Award for Best Actress and a third consecutive Screen Award for Best Actress that year along with several other awards in the same category for her performance in the film.

In March 2012, Balan featured as Vidya Bagchi, a pregnant woman in search of her missing husband in Sujoy Ghosh's Kahaani. The thriller, set in the city of Kolkata during the Durga Puja festivities earned Balan further accolades from film critics. Taran Adarsh mentioned, "Vidya, very nonchalantly, re-evaluates screen acting in Kahaani. She arrives with yet another enlivening, commanding character in this film and her portrayal of an expecting, frantic lady on a mission to trace her husband's inexplicable vanishing in an unfamiliar land is sure to win laurels by assessors and cinegoers uniformly. This is indeed Vidya's most eye-catching act. Her body language, her confidence, her vulnerability, her fury, her grief, all fall upon wonderfully."^[51] Rediff.com commented, "Vidya Balan has the gravitas to excel in a role that requires her to be sensible, adamant, sharp, vulnerable and pregnant. Like she's done with every subsequent release, Balan replaces the memory of her last performance (The Dirty Picture) with a sparkling new one. It's not a showy, act-out-loud delivery and that's what makes it so seamless."^[52] Kahaani emerged as a major commercial success both at the domestic and international box office, with a lifetime gross of 104 crore (US$20.75 million).^[53]

As of March 2012, Balan is set to star in UTV Motion Pictures' Ghanchakkar, to be directed by Raj Kumar Gupta opposite Emraan Hashmi.^[54]

Personal life[link]

During an interview in May 2012, Balan announced that she was dating Siddharth Roy Kapur, the CEO of UTV Motion Pictures.^[55]

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

Hum Paanch....Radhika

See also[link]

• List of Indian film actresses
• List of Tamil actors

References[link]

Further reading[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vidya Balan

• Vidya Balan at the Internet Movie Database

Arshad Warsi
Born	(1968-04-19) 19 April 1968 (age 44)[1] Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Actor, Playback singer, Television Presenter, Movie producer
Years active	1985 - present
Height	5' 5"
Spouse	Maria Goretti (1999 - present)
Website
http://www.arshadwarsi.net/

Arshad Warsi (Hindi: अरशद वारसी, born 19 April 1968) is an Indian actor who debuted in 1996 with the film Tere Mere Sapne which was a success but he is best known for his role as "Circuit" in the comedy films Munnabhai M.B.B.S. (2003) and Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006) and his role as Babban in Ishqiya (2010) which won him acclaim.

Early life and education[link]

Warsi was born in Mumbai, India, and did his schooling at a boarding school, Barnes School, Deolali in Nashik district, Maharashtra.^[2] He was orphaned at the age of 14 and struggled for a living in Mumbai during his early days.^[3]

Early career[link]

Arshad with wife Maria Goretti.

Financial circumstances forced Warsi to start work as a door-to-door cosmetics salesman at age 17. Later he worked in a photo lab. Meanwhile he had a keen interest in dancing and received an offer to join Akbar Sami's Dance group in Mumbai, which started his dancing and choreographing career. He also assisted Mahesh Bhatt in Thikana (1987) and Kaash (1987).^[4][5]

Then in 1991, he won the Indian dance competition, followed by the fourth prize in the Modern Jazz category in 1992 World Dance championship, London, at the age of 21. Soon, he started his own dance studio, 'Awesome' with that money and also formed a dance troupe. It was here, his future wife, Maria Goretti, a St. Andrew's College student joined him, before she became a VJ. He was also associated with English theater group in Mumbai, choreographing shows for Bharat Dabholkar and got an opportunity to choreograph the title track for the film, Roop Ki Rani Choron Ka Raja (1993).^[6]

Film career[link]

As an actor[link]

He got his first offer to act in Amitabh Bachchan's production company, ABCL's first production Tere Mere Sapne in 1996. After its success, he acted in several other films over the next six years, but most of which failed to do well at the box office, till 2003, when he starred in the comedy film Munnabhai MBBS, which turned to be a huge box office success and gained him much critical acclaim and a nomination at the Filmfare Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting role. He has since appeared in several successful films such as Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya (2005), Salaam Namaste (2005) Golmaal, Kabul Express, Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006), the sequel to Munnabhai MBBS which also won him his first Filmfare Award under the category of Best Comedian. He also starred in hit films like Dhamaal (2007), Golmaal Returns (2008), Ishqiya (2010) and Golmaal 3 (2010). His 2011 releases include the comedies F.A.L.T.U and Double Dhamaal.

As a producer[link]

His first film as a producer, Hum Tum Aur Ghost was released in 2010.^[5]

Warsi is starring opposite Sanjay Dutt in Munnabhai Chale Amerika, the third sequel to the much acclaimed Munnabhai MBBS (2003).^[7]

Television career[link]

Warsi has made a mark for himself on the small screen as well. He hosted a popular award show Sabse Favourite Kaun for STAR Gold. He was the host of Bigg Boss, Season 1, the Indian version of the reality television series Big Brother which was aired on Sony. He was also the co-host of a dance show Razzmatazz on Zee TV. He has also done a small cameo in a television show, Ishaan.

Personal life[link]

Warsi married Maria Goretti on 14 February 1999.^[8] They have a son named Zeke Warsi, born on 10 August 2004. Both Maria and Zeke made a special appearance in Salaam Namaste. On 2 May 2007, the couple had a baby girl named Zene Zoe Warsi.^[9] During his school days, Warsi was a national level gymnast.^[10]

Awards[link]

• 2004: Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role - Munnabhai M.B.B.S.
• 2005: GIFA Best Comedian Award - Hulchul
• 2007: Filmfare Best Comedian Award - Lage Raho Munna Bhai
• 2007: IIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor - Lage Raho Munna Bhai
• 2007: Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Comic Role - Lage Raho Munna Bhai
• 2007: Star Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor - Lage Raho Munna Bhai
• 2011: Star Screen Award for Best Supporting Actor - Ishqiya

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]

Producer[link]

• Hum Tum Aur Ghost (2010)
• Casanova (2013)

Playback Singer[link]

• 2006 - Lage Raho Munnabhai - Song: "Samjho Ho Hi Gaya"

• 2003 - Munnabhai M.B.B.S. - Song: "Apun Jaisa Tapori"

References[link]

External links[link]

• Arshad Warsi at the Internet Movie Database
• Arshad Warsi's Official Website
• Holi, Arshad Warsi style

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

Ajit Balakrishnan is an Indian entrepreneur and business executive. He is the founder and current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Rediff.com, an internet company based in Mumbai.^[1][2] He is also the Chairman of the Board of Governors of Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM Calcutta).^[3]

Balakrishnan holds a Bachelor's degree in Physics from the University of Kerala and an MBA from IIM Calcutta.^[4]

Balakrishnan is currently Chairman of the Govt of India, Ministry of IT Committee on Internet Governance and Proliferation and chaired a recent Committee appointed by India's Ministry of Human Resource Development on 'Research and Faculty Enhancement at the 7 IIMs'. His blog is at blogs.rediff.com/ajitb.

External links[link]

• Ajit Balakrishnan's blog on Rediff.com

References[link]

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (August 2010)

Amrita Rao
Born	(1981-06-17) 17 June 1981 (age 31) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Occupation	Actress / Model
Years active	2002–present
Website
http://www.amrita-rao.com

Amrita Rao (əmrɪt̪aː ˈraːu; born June 17, 1981)^{[citation needed]} is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films.

Beginning her career as a model, Rao made her acting debut with Ab Ke Baras (2002). She then starred in Ken Ghosh's love-story Ishq Vishk (2003) and earned a Filmfare nomination in the "Best Female Debut" category.

Personal life[link]

Amrita was born in Mumbai to a Chitrapur Saraswat Brahmin family.^[1] She speaks Hindi, English, Marathi, besides her mother tongue, Konkani.^[2] She attended Convent Girls School (Prabhadevi) in Mumbai, and later enrolled in Sophia College to pursue a degree in Psychology. Her sister, Preetika Rao, is a Model, Journalist-Columnist and a South-Indian film actress.

Career[link]

Modeling[link]

While studying in Sophia College, Amrita auditioned for an advertisement for Fairever Face Cream. Her appearance in Cadbury’s Perk Karwa Chaut ad and the Bru Coffee advertisement helped her receive offers from film directors in Bollywood.^{[citation needed]}

Acting[link]

Amrita made her acting debut with Anjali Thapar/Nandini in Ab Ke Baras with Arya Babbar (2002), and followed that with her (2003) film, Ishq Vishk, in which she portrayed Payal with Shahid Kapoor. She became an overnight star after the success that film. She followed this up with films Aanchal Mehta in Masti and in (2004) she playing Sanjana (Sanju) Bakshi in Main Hoon Na with Zayed Khan , Deewaar (2004), and she playing Priya Vaah! Life Ho To Aisi with Shahid Kapoor (2005), and Madhvi in Shikharwith her co-Star Shahid Kapoor (2005), and she role Piya inPyare Mohan with vivek oberoi (2006). (2006) She was playing in Heyy Babyy in Special appearance in song "Heyy Babyy. She starred in Sooraj R. Barjatya's Blockbuster Vivah (2006) opposite Shahid Kapoor.^[3]

In 2007 Amrita Rao made her debut in the Telugu film industry with Athidhi opposite Mahesh Babu with Mahesh Babu.^[4] Amrita's releases in 2008 include RiyaMy Name Is Anthony Gonsalves with Nikhil Dwivedi and she was playing kamala in Welcome to Sajjanpur with Shreyas Talpade. Amrita's releases in 2009 are Victory, she was playing Nandini and Shortkut. Amrita's only release in 2011 was main role Ritu in Love U...Mr. Kalakaar! with Tusshar Kapoor.^[5] She acted in Hook Yaa Crook, which is still shelved. She will next be in Jolly L.L.B opposite Arshad Warsi, and an untitled movie opposite her first Co-Star Shahid Kapoor, also produced by Ramesh Taurani under the Tips banner.^{[citation needed]}

Awards and nominations[link]

Filmfare Awards[link]

Nominated

• 2004: Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for Ishq Vishk
• 2005: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Main Hoon Na

Star Screen Awards[link]

Nominated

• 2003: Star Screen Award Most Promising Newcomer - Female for Ab Ke Baras
• 2004: Star Screen Award Most Promising Newcomer - Female for Ishq Vishk
• 2007: Star Screen Award Best Actress for Vivah^[6]
• 2007: Star Screen Award Jodi No. 1 along with Shahid Kapoor - Vivah^[7]

Zee Cine Awards[link]

Nominated

• 2004: Zee Cine Award Best Female Debut for Ishq Vishk

International Indian Film Academy Awards[link]

Winner

• 2004: IIFA Awards, Best Female Debut for Ishq Vishk

Stardust Awards[link]

Winner

• 2004: Stardust Superstar of Tomorrow - Female for Ishq Vishk
• 2009: Stardust Searchlight Best Actress Award for Welcome to Sajjanpur

Other awards won[link]

^{[citation needed]}

• 2004: Sansui Awards, Best Debut - Female for Ishq Vishk
• 2007: GR8 Women Awards, Young Achiever
• 2007: Anandalok Puroshkar Awards, Most Promising New Talent for Vivah
• 2007: Sports World Awards, Jodi of the Year along with Shahid Kapoor for Vivah
• 2007: Dadasaheb Phalke Academy Award for Vivah