Rajit Kapur
Actor Rajit Kapoor at Kashish Film Festival 2011
Born	Rajit Kapur
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Actor
Known for	Byomkesh Bakshi
Signature	150px

Rajit Kapur (Hindi: रजित कपूर, Urdu: رجِت کپُر) is an Indian actor. He is particularly known for his award-winning portrayal of Mahatma Gandhi in the 1996 film, The Making of the Mahatma. One of his most popular stints is his portrayal of Byomkesh Bakshi in a television series of the same name based on the character created by Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay and directed by Basu Chatterjee. He is also known for his acting in the Malayalam film Agni Sakshi.

Career[link]

Rajit Kapur has been a favourite of renowned Indian film director Shyam Benegal, featuring in a number of his films till date. He has been part of the trilogy of Shyam Benegal — Mammo (1994), Sardari Begum (1996) and Zubeidaa (2001). Of these the most famous has been Zubeidaa, written by Khalid Mohammed.

Kapur plays the role of the son of the title character in Zubeidaa. The film is shown mostly as a flashback with Kapur being the narrator. It went on to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.

The other renowned films he had worked in are Ghulam, Bose: The Forgotten Hero and Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda. Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda was a 1992 film, again directed by Benegal, based on the novel of the same name by Dharmavir Bharati. It won the 1993 National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.

Kapur has also been active in theatre as an actor as well as director.He has acted in plays like Love letters and Class of 84.

Filmography[link]

• Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Chaar Aane Ki Baarish (2012)
• Life's Good (2011)
• Shaitan (2011)
• Dam 999 (2011)
• Guzaarish (2010)
• Well Done Abba (2010)
• Yeh Mera India (2009)
• Blue Oranges (2009)
• Marega Saala (2008)
• Welcome to Sajjanpur (2008)
• Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero (2005)
• Ek Alag Mausam (2003)
• Zubeidaa (2001)
• Agni Sakshi (1999)
• Train to Pakistan (1998)
• Ghulam (1998)
• Bomgay (Voice for R. Raj Rao's poems) (1996)
• The Making of the Mahatma (1996)
• Sardari Begum (1996)
• Mammo (1994)
• Byomkesh Bakshi (1993), TV series on Doordarshan directed by Basu Chatterjee
• Suraj Ka Satvan Ghoda (1992)
• Morning Walk

Awards[link]

• 1996: National Film Award for Best Actor - The Making of the Mahatma
• 2010: Best Actor at the Imagine India Film Festival, Spain - Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Chaar Aane Ki Baarish^[1]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Rajit Kapur at the Internet Movie Database

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

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

Personal life and education[link]

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

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

Career[link]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Filmography[link]

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

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

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

Nirmal Pandey (1962 – 18 February 2010) was an Indian Bollywood actor, who was known for his role Vikram Mallah in Shekhar Kapur's Bandit Queen (1994), for portrayal of a transvestite in Daayraa (1996) for which he won a Best Actor Valenti award in France, Train To Pakistan (1998) and Godmother (1999).^[1][2]

He was supposed to watch his latest film Lahore on 22 February 2010 at a special screening with Humorist R. K. Laxman and Music Maestro MM Kreem. Lahore, scheduled to be released in 19 March 2010, would prove to be Pandey's last film.

Early life and education[link]

Born in Nainital, Uttarakhand, Nirmal Pandey was educated at Almora and Nainital. He graduated from the National School of Drama, Delhi.^[1][2]

Career[link]

After leaving the National School of Drama he moved to London, with a theatre group, Tara, performing plays like Heer Ranjha, Antigone, and has acted in around 125 plays.^[2] After doing two small roles, he first got noticed in Shekhar Kapur's Bandit Queen (1996), thereafter he received positive reviews for films like, Amol Palekar's Daayra (Square Circle) (1996), Train To Pakistan (1998), Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin and Hum Tum Pe Marte Hain.^[3][4] He also acted in movies like Laila, 'Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya', 'One 2 ka 4' and 'Shikari' and acted in several television serials, including Hatim, and Princess Dollie Aur Uska Magic Bag (2005) (Star Plus).

In addition to being an actor, he was also a singer, who released an album called Jazba. In 2002, he directed, Andhayug, a Hindi play, written by noted playwright Dharamveer Bharati, which follows the 18 days following the Mahabharata war. The play has a cast of 70 actors, all of whom belong to Sanvedna, a theatre group started by him in 1994. He also has an acting institute "Fresh Talent Academy" in Ghazaiabad,^[5] and also conducts theatre workshops.^[6]

Death[link]

Pandey died at the age of 48 on 5 February 2010 from a heart attack in Mumbai.^[7]

Personal life[link]

Nirmal Pandey was married to Archana Sharma. He is survived by his wife and two children.^[8]

Filmography[link]

• Lahore (2010) - Anwar Shaikh
• Kedi (Telugu film) (2010)
• Deshdrohi (2008) - Nagesh Kulkarni
• Raajkumar Aaryyan (TV series) (2008) - Senapati Bhujang
• Aaja Nachle (2007) - Inspector
• Princess Dollie Aur Uska Magic Bag (TV series) (2005) - Sinbad the Sailor
• Laila (2005) - Filmstar
• Patth (2003) - Bhullar
• Hatim (TV series) ( 2003)
• Aanch (2003) .... Kirti Thakur
• Deewangee (2002) - Abhijeet Mehta
• One 2 Ka 4 (2001) - Krishan Kant Virmani
• Shikari (2000)
• Dubai (Malayalam Film) (2000) - Kishan Batta
• Hadh Kar Di Aapne (2000) - Sanjay
• Hum Tum Pe Marte Hain (1999) - Dhananjay
• Godmother (1999) - Jakhra
• Jahan Tum Le Chalo (1999)
• Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya (1998) - Thakur Vijay Singh
• Train To Pakistan (1998)
• Auzaar (1997) - Baba
• Daayraa (1996) - The Transvestite
• Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin (1996) - Aditya/Adi
• Bandit Queen (1994) - Vikram Mallah
• koi bach na payega (b-grade movie)
• 8 pm (b-grade movie)

Awards[link]

He holds an extremely unique record for winning a Best Actress award, at the 1997 France's Valenciennes Film Festival for his portrayal of a transvestite in Amol Palekar's Daayra (1996). He shared the Best Actress award with the female lead of the film Sonali Kulkarni at the Valenciennes Film Festival (France, 1997).^[9]

Personal life[link]

He married Archana Sharma, principal of City Montessori School (CMS), Lucknow, on 6 May 2005.^[10]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Nirmal Pandey at the Internet Movie Database
• Filmography Bollywood Hungama

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Rajat Kapoor (Hindi: रजत कपूर) is an Indian actor, writer and director born in 1961. Kapoor was born in Delhi, India. As a teenager he would watch films with his family and decided to become a filmmaker at the age of 14. He mainly focused on acting at first. In 1983 he joined the theatre group Chingari in Delhi, later moving to Pune to attend the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII).^[1]

When he had trouble finding acting jobs in the 1990s, Kapoor began writing and directing shorts. He made his full length directorial debut with Private Detective: Two Plus Two Plus One (1997), which had Irrfan Khan and Naseeruddin Shah in minor roles. In 2001, Kapoor first appeared in Dil Chahta Hai, which starred Aamir Khan, as uncle of Preity Zinta's character. He received international attention in Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding in which he played an abusive uncle. Since then, he has written, directed and appeared in many critically acclaimed films including Corporate, Bheja Fry, and also as Muhammad Ali Jinnah in a UK television film The Last Days Of The Raj in 2007. In 2003, he wrote and directed the independent film Raghu Romeo which he financed by sending e-mail requests for money to his friends. Although it was not a box office success, the film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi. Kapoor then directed and starred in Mixed Doubles, a film that deals with swinging in contemporary Mumbai.^[1] He was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor for Siddharth: The Prisoner at the 2008 Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Kapoor frequently collaborates with actors Vinay Pathak and Ranvir Shorey.

He is also a three time National Award winner, first for his 26 minute non-feature documentary, Tarana, then for his short, Hypnothesis, and after that for Raghu Romeo in Best Feature Film in Hindi section.^[2]

He hosts the tri-weekly chat show Lounge telecasted by NDTV Good Times.^[3]

He also worked in Rishtey (TV series) which was aired on Zee TV during 1999-2001 like 'Milan'(one of the episode).

He also played some roles in Kabhie Kabhie (2003 TV series) like Agnipariksha, Vansh and Amar Prem which was telecast on zee tv itself.

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]