Mridula Sinha (Hindi: मृदुला सिन्हा, born on 27 November 1942^[1] in Village Chhapra^[2] of Muzaffarpur district in Bihar) is a famous writer of Hindi Literature and Ex Chairperson of Central Board of Social Welfare.^[3] A film based on the life of Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia was made using the biography of the book Ek thi rani aisi bhi written by Mrs Sinha^[4].

Short biography[link]

Mridula Sinha was born to Smt Anupa Devi and Baboo Chhabile Singh on 27 November 1942 in the village Chhapra of Muzaffarpur district now in Bihar state of India. After taking the post graduation degree in Psychology she did B.Ed.. ( i.e. a bachalar degree in education). She started her life as a college lecturer in Muzaffarpur. She left the job of principal from a school of Motihari and dedicated herself to Hindi literature. After marriage with Dr Ram Kripal Sinha, who was earlier a college lecturer and later became a cabinet minister in Bihar state government, Mridula also joined the politics.

She lives with her spouse and children in New Delhi^[5].

Literary contribution[link]

• Ek thi rani aisi bhi (Short biography)
• Nayi devyani (Novel)
• Gharwaas (Novel)
• Jyon mehandi ko rang (Novel)
• Dekhan mein choten lagen (Stories)
• Sita puni boli (Novel)
• Yayavari ankhon se (Interviews)
• Bihar ki lok kathayen -I (Stories)
• Bihar ki lok kathayen -II (Stories)
• Dhai beegha zameen (Stories)
• Matr deh nahin hai aurat (Women liberation)

Translations into English[link]

• Flames of Desire^[6]

References[link]

Aparna Sen অপর্ণা সেন
Aparna Sen in 2010
Born	Aparna (1945-10-25) 25 October 1945 (age 66) Calcutta, India
Occupation	actor, film director, screenwriter
Awards	Cinemanila Film Festival - Best Film 1982 36 Chowringhee Lane Cinemanila Film Festival - Best Screenplay 2003 Mr. and Mrs. Iyer Mumbai International Film Festival - FIPRESCI Prize 2000 Paromitar Ek Din Karlovy Vary Film Festival - Ecumenical Jury Award 2000 Paromitar Ek Din Hawaii Film Festival - Best Feature Film 2002 Mr. and Mrs. Iyer Locarno Film Festival - Netpac Award 2003 Mr. and Mrs. Iyer Locarno Film Festival - Youth Jury Award 2003 Mr. and Mrs. Iyer Philadelphia Film Festival - Best Feature 2003 Mr. and Mrs. Iyer

Aparna Sen (née Dasgupta) (Bengali: অপর্ণা সেন Ôporna Shen; born 25 October 1945) is a critically acclaimed Bengali Indian filmmaker, script writer, and actress. She is the winner of three National Film Awards and eight international film festival awards.

Biography[link]

Aparna Sen was born in Calcutta to a Bengali family, originally from East Bengal (now Bangladesh). Her father is the veteran critic and film-maker Chidananda Dasgupta. Her mother Supriya Dasgupta is the cousin of renowned Bengali poet Jibanananda Das. She spent her childhood in Hazaribagh and Kolkata and had her schooling initially in South Point and later mostly in Modern High School for Girls, Kolkata.

She studied her B.A. English honors in Presidency College..

She met the Magnum photographer, Brian Brake, in Kolkata in 1961 when he was visiting India to photograph his Monsoon series. Brake used Sen as the model for what was to become one of his most well known photographs — a shot of a girl holding her face to the first drops of monsoon rain. The photo shoot was set up on a Kolkata rooftop with a ladder and a watering can. Sen described the shoot:

He took me up to the terrace, had me wear a red sari in the way a village girl does, and asked me to wear a green stud in my nose. To be helpful, I said let me wear a red one to match, and he said no — he was so decisive, rather brusque — I think a green one. It was stuck to my nose with glue, because my nose wasn't pierced. Someone had a large watering can, and they poured water over me. It was really a very simple affair. It took maybe half an hour.^[1]

Acting career[link]

Sen made her film debut at the age of 16, when she played the role of Mrinmoyee in the Samapti portion of the 1961 film Teen Kanya (Three Daughters) directed by Satyajit Ray (who was a long time friend of her father's). She then studied at Kolkata's Presidency College.

Later in life she would work with Satyajit Ray in several of his films, including the short Pikoo (1981) where she played the role of an adulterous wife and mother.

In 1965, Sen resumed her film career in Mrinal Sen's Akash Kusum which was later remade into a Hindi film Manzil starring Amitabh Bachchan and Moushumi Chatterjee.Later she also brought out the different nuances of a widow in Mrinal Sen's Mahaprithibi'. From then until the end of the 1970s, she worked steadily in the Bengali film industry, as leading heroine of the time. She acted in a number of Hindi films as well during this time including Imaan Dharam (1977) with Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Sanjeev Kumar and Rekha. Aparna Sen was equally successful in the mainstream Bengali films.Her chemistry both with Soumitra Chatterjee in films such as Basanta Bilap, Baksa Badal, Chutir Fande were loved as much as her films with Uttam Kumar in Joy Jayanti, Alor Thikana etc.

In 1969, Sen appeared in The Guru, an English-language feature by Merchant Ivory Productions. She would make two more films with Merchant-Ivory, Bombay Talkie (1970), and Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures (1978).

In 2009, Sen appeared with Sharmila Tagore and Rahul Bose in Annirudh Roy-Chowdhary's Bengali film Antaheen. The film went on to win four National Film Awards.^[2]

Aparna as director[link]

In 1981, Sen made her debut as a film director with 36 Chowringhee Lane. She also wrote its screenplay. The film, about an aged Anglo-Indian teacher living in Calcutta, won positive reviews from critics. For her debut feature, Sen won the Best Director award at the Indian National Film Awards. 36 Chowringhee Lane also won the Grand Prix (the Golden Eagle) at the Manila International Film Festival.

She followed up this early success with several other films, notably Paroma (1984), Sati (1989) and Yugant (1995). These examined the feminine condition in modern-day India from different perspectives. She also starred in Unishe April (1994), the film by Bengali cinema's Rituparno Ghosh.

Sen's next directorial effort Paromitar Ek Din (2000) was a critical hit and recalled the success of her first film. The film explored the relationship between a divorced woman (Rituparna Sengupta) and her mother-in-law, played by Aparna herself. It won a number of awards on the international festival circuit.

Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2002), was a love story set against the harsh backdrop of Hindu-Muslim sectarian violence in India. The film won a National Film Award for Sen's direction, and an acting award for Konkona Sen Sharma, the director's daughter. The film won more awards at the Locarno, Hawaii and Manila film festivals.

15, Park Avenue (2005) starred her daughter and the actors Shabana Azmi, Dhritiman Chaterji, Waheeda Rehman, Rahul Bose and Soumitra Chatterjee. The film deals with a girl (Konkona Sen Sharma) who is a schizophrenic and her relations with her elder stepsister, played by Shabana Azmi.

Her next film named The Japanese Wife (2010), stars Raima Sen, Rahul Bose and Chigusa Takaku. This film focuses on two women and is based on a short story by West Bengal author Kunal Basu.

Aparna has made selective films and in the last three decades of her career, she has made only nine films.

In 2009, Sen announced her next Bengali film Iti Mrinalini, which stars Konkona Sen Sharma, Aparna Sen, Rajat Kapoor, Koushik Sen, and Priyanshu Chatterjee. Sen's last Bengali film was Paromitar Ek Din (2000). First-time screenwriter Ranjan Ghosh has co-authored Iti Mrinalini. This was the first time that Aparna Sen collaborated with any film writer or became attached to the curriculum of a film institute. The screenplay of Iti Mrinalini was an assignment in the Screenwriting syllabus at the Mumbai-based film school Whistling Woods International.^[3] It was also a major first in Indian screenwriting whence any screenplay from any Indian film institute was actually filmed.^[4] The film is released on July 29, 2011.

Personal life[link]

Sen has been married thrice. Her first marriage, to Sanjay Sen, was when she was quite young. Her second husband was the science writer and journalist, Mukul Sharma. They later divorced amicably. Sen is presently married to Kalyan Ray, an author and professor of English who teaches at County College of Morris in Randolph, New Jersey, in the United States. She has two daughters, Kamalini and Konkona—who is also an actress—and two grandchildren.

Other achievements[link]

In 2008, Sen was elected into the International Jury of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The highly credentialed Jury, headed by a president of international distinction, determine winners from all nominations in each award category.

From 1986 to 2005, Sen was editor of the fortnightly Sananda, a Bengali women's magazine (published by the Ananda Bazar Patrika group) that enjoys equal popularity in West Bengal and Bangladesh. From November 2005 to December 2006, she was associated with the Bengali 24x7 infotainment channel Kolkata TV as Creative Director.

In 1986, the then-President of India bestowed the Padma Shri to Sen in recognition of her contribution to Indian cinema. Since then, she has received several lifetime achievement awards, and served on juries at film festivals around the world.

Filmography[link]

Actress[link]

Writer/director[link]

Further reading[link]

• Parama and other outsiders: the cinema of Aparna Sen, by Shoma A. Chatterji. Parumita Publications, 2002. ISBN 81-87867-03-5.
• Aparna Sen calls the shots (Women in Indian film), by Rajashri Dasgupta. Zubaan, 2009.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Aparna Sen at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview with Aparna Sen
• Profile at calcuttaweb.com
• MyBindi.com interview
• Rediff interview, 2002
• Rediff profile, 1999
• Rediff interview, 1998

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. (September 2010)

Shatrughan Sinha
Born	(1945-12-09) December 9, 1945 (age 66) Patna, Bihar, India
Other names	Shotgun Shatru Chenuu
Occupation	Actor, Politician
Years active	1969 - 2000 (Semi Retired)
Spouse	Poonam Sinha
Children	Sonakshi Sinha Luv Sinha Kush Sinha

Shatrughan Sinha (Hindi: शत्रुघ्न सिन) born Shatrughan Prasad Sinha on December 9, 1945 ^[1] is an Indian film actor and politician. Apart from being member of Rajya Sabha twice he was also Union Cabinet Minister of Health and Family Welfare (Jan 2003-May 2004) and Shipping (Aug. 2004). He was elected to 15th Lok Sabha in 2009.^[2]

Early life[link]

Sinha was born in Patna, Bihar. He was educated in Patna Science College.^[2] He is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India Pune.^[3] Currently there's a scholorship being awarded on his name in the institute to Diploma students.^[4] He moved to Mumbai where he started his career in the film industry.^[2]

Acting career[link]

This section requires expansion.

Shatrughan Sinha's first acting opportunity was playing a Pakistani military officer in Dev Anand's Prem Pujari. Subsequently, he got a small role as a police inspector in Mohan Sehgal’s Sajan in 1969. The release of Prem Pujari was delayed, so his first released film was Sajan. He played supporting roles in many films before appearing in Gulzar’s Mere Apne in 1971.

He later appeared in Dulal Guha’s Dost in 1974 and in Kalicharan in 1976.

Sinha was selected by Rediff as one of the most unconventional actors in Hindi cinema (the others being Ajay Devgan, Amitabh Bachchan, Irfan Khan, Rajnikant, Shahrukh Khan, and Sunil Shetty).^[5]

In 2008, he joined as a judge on The Great Indian Laughter Challenge show, season 4 on STAR One TV. On 3 October 2009, Sinha appeared on Sony Entertainment Television Asia's show Dus Ka Dum season 2 as host for a special episode. He is currently hosting Bhojpuri version of the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati on Mahuaa channel.

He portrayed Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao in Ram Gopal Varma's Rakta Charitra.

Political career[link]

Sinha won the Indian general election from Patna Sahib in Bihar. He defeated another cinema celebrity Shekhar Suman. Out of a total of 552,293 votes polled, Sinha received 316,472 votes.

He become a cabinet minister with the Government of India in the 13th Lok Sabha, holding two portfolios, the department of Health and Family Welfare (Jan 2003-May 2004), and the department of shipping (August 2004).^[6] He is currently a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. As of May 2006, he was appointed as the head of the BJP Culture and Arts Department.

Awards[link]

Winner

• 1973 - Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards - Best Supporting Actor for 'Tanhai'.
• 2003 - "Pride of the Film Industry" at the Stardust Awards 2003.^[7]
• 2003 - Stardust Award for Lifetime Achievement.^[8]
• 2007 - National Kishore Kumar Samman.^[9]
• 2011 - Zee Cine Award for Lifetime Achievement.^[10]
• 2011 - "The ITA Scroll Of Honour" KBC regional at the Indian Television Academy Awards.^[11]

He has also received a Special Award for "contribution in Indian Cinema" at the Kalakar Awards.

Nominated

• Filmfare Nomination as Best Supporting Actor--Paras (1971)
• Filmfare Nomination as Best Supporting Actor--Dost (1974)
• Filmfare Nomination as Best Supporting Actor--Kaala Pathar (1979)
• Filmfare Nomination as Best Actor--Dostana (1980)

Filmography[link]

Actor:

• Rakta Charitra (2010)(Hindi, Telugu, Tamil)
• Aaj Phir Jeene Ki Tamanna Hai (2010) (to be released soon)
• Yaar Meri Zindagi (2008) .... Thakur Vikram Singh
• Aan: Men at Work (2004) ..... Sr. Inspector Vikram Singh
• Bharat Bhagya Vidhata (2002) .... Home Minister Mahendra Suryavanshi
• Papa the Great (2000) .... Biharilal
• Shaheed Uddham Singh: Alais Ram Mohammad Singh Azad (2000) .... Mohammed Khan
• Zulm-O-Sitam (1998) .... Advocate Vishwanath
• Deewana Hoon Pagal Nahi (1998)
• Hukumnama (1996)
• Dil Tera Diwana (1996) .... Mr. Kumar
• Taaqat (1995) .... Anand 'Lalbagh Ka Bhau'
• Zamaana Deewana (1995) .... Suraj Pratap Singh
• Patang (1994) .... Rabbani
• Prem Yog (1994) .... Narrator
• Chaand Kaa Tukdaa (1994) .... Zevago
• Betaaj Badshah (1994) .... Parshuram/Prashanth
• Insaaf Apne Lahoo Se (1994) .... Devilal 'Deva'
• Aulad Ke Dushman (1993) .... Rajan K. Chaudhary
• Adharm (1992) .... Avinash Verma
• Ranbhoomi (1991) .... Roopa Singh
• Iraada (1991)
• Kasba (1991) .... Dhani
• Hum Se Na Takrana (1990)
• Karishma Kali Kaa (1990) .... CID Inspector Shiv 'Shiva' Kumar
• Zakhm (1989)
• Shehzaade (1989) .... Suraj Singh
• Gola Barood (1989) .... Shambhu
• Na-Insaafi (1989) .... Vijay SinhaBilloo Badshah (1989)
• Aakhri Baazi (1989) .... Prashant Kumar/P.K.
• Santosh (1989) .... Avinash
• Aandhiyan (1989) .... Dushyant
• Jurrat (1989) .... Inspector Ram Singh
• Kaanoon Ki Awaaz (1989) .... Raghunath Prasad Rai
• Saaya (1989)
• Ganga Tere Desh Mein (1988) .... Police Inspector Ajay Nath
• Mahaveera (1988) .... Vijay Verma
• Sherni (1988) .... Inspector Rajan
• Dharam Shatru (1988)
• Dharamyudh (1988) .... Pratap Singh
• Gunahon Ka Faisla (1988) .... Birju
• Khoon Bhari Maang (1988) .... J.D.
• Mulzim (1988) .... Inspector Neeraj Kumar
• Sagar Sangam (1988) .... Insp. Arjun Sharma
• Shiv Shakti (1988)
• Zalzala (1988) .... 'Benaam' Shankar (Radha's brother)
• Hawalaat (1987) .... Gullu Badshah/Sikander Ali Khan
• Rahi (1987)
• Aag Hi Aag (1987) .... A.C.P Suraj Singh
• Loha (1987)
• Insaniyat Ke Dushman (1987) .... Advocate Kailash Nath
• Antarjali Jatra (1987) .... Baiju
• Hirasat (1987)
• Jawab Hum Denge (1987) .... Vijay Saxena
• Khudgarz (1987) .... Bihari Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Sinha
• Maha Yatra (1987) .... Chaandhal
• Asli Naqli (1986) .... Vijay
• Ilzaam (1986) .... Suraj Prasad
• Qatl (1986) .... Inspector Shatru
• Jwala (1986) .... Jwala Dutt
• Samay Ki Dharaa (1986)
• Telephone (1985/I)
• Yudh (1985) .... Moinuddin Khan
• Ramkali (1985) .... Inspector Sultan Singh
• Aandhi-Toofan (1985) .... Raghunath 'Raghu' Shastri
• Ameer Aadmi Gharib Aadmi (1985) .... Advocate Ashok Saxena
• Bhawani Junction (1985) .... Ram
• Hoshiyar (1985) .... Rajesh
• Kala Suraj (1985)
• Kali Basti (1985) .... Karan Singh
• Phaansi Ke Baad (1985) .... Public Prosecutor Vijay Kumar Nath
• Maati Maangey Khoon (1984) .... Harinarain "Hariya" Singh
• Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar (1984) .... Kranti Kumar
• Bad Aur Badnaam (1984)
• Dhokebaaz (1984)
• The Gold Medal (1984)
• Jeene Nahi Doonga (1984) .... Shaka
• Meraa Dost Meraa Dushman (1984) .... Shakti Singh
• Paapi Pet Ka Sawaal Hai (1984)
• Qaidi (1984) .... ASP Dinesh Jugran
• Sharara (1984)
• Qayamat (1983)
• Ganga Meri Maa (1983)
• Chor Police (1983) .... Inspector Sunil Rana
• Daulat Ke Dushman (1983)
• Kalka (1983)
• Taqdeer (1983) .... Shiva
• Teesri Aankh (1982) .... Sagar
• Haathkadi (1982) .... Inspector Sunil/Bholanath Banarsi
• Dil-E-Nadaan (1982) .... Vikram
• Do Ustad (1982)
• Log Kya Kahenge (1982)
• Mangal Pandey (1982)
• Naseeb (1981) .... Vicky (Vikram)
• Chehre Pe Chehra (1981) .... Dr. Sinha
• Naram Garam (1981) .... 'Babua' Kalishankar Bajpai
• Kranti (1981) .... Kareem Khan
• Putt Jattan De (1981) .... Jagat Singh
• Waqt Ki Deewar (1981)
• Jwalamukhi (1980) .... Rajesh
• Shaan (1980) .... Rakesh
• Dostana (1980) .... Ravi Kapoor
• Chambal Ki Kasam (1980)
• Choron Ki Baaraat (1980) .... Shekhar
• Be-Reham (1980)
• Bombay 405 Miles (1980) .... Kishan
• Do Shatru (1980)
• Nauker (1979)
• Kaala Patthar (1979) .... Mangal Singh
• Gautam Govinda (1979) .... Govinda
• Atmaram (1979)
• Bagula Bhagat (1979)
• Heera-Moti (1979) .... Vijay/Heeralal P. Srivastav/Heera
• Jaani Dushman (1979) .... Shera
• Magroor (1979) .... Ranjit Sinha/Raju
• Muqabla (1979) .... Sheru
• Vishwanath (1978) .... Vishwanath
• Amar Shakti (1978) .... Bada Kumar/Shakti Singh
• Atithee (1978) .... Navendhu M. Kumar
• Bhookh (1978)
• Chor Ho To Aisa (1978) .... Sanju P. Nath/Shankar
• Dillagi (1978) .... Advocate Shekhar
• Parmatma (1978) .... Anand
• Kotwal Saab (1977) .... Bharat Pratap Sinha
• Aadmi Sadak Ka (1977) .... Abdul
• Ab Kya Hoga (1977) .... Ram Sinha
• Naami Chor (1977)
• Safed Haathi (1977) .... Emperor
• Sat Sri Akal (1977)
• Shirdi Ke Sai Baba (1977) .... Heera
• Yaaron Ka Yaar (1977) .... Pratap/Shera
• Khaan Dost (1976) .... Rehmat Khaan
• Kalicharan (1976) .... Prabhakar/Kalicharan
• Sangram (1976)
• Santo Banto (1976)
• Anokha (1975) -- Ram/Anokha/Shambu Khanna
• Do Thug (1975)
• Jaggu (1975) .... Jagtap aka 'Jaggu'
• Kahte Hain Mujhko Raja (1975)
• Dost (1974) .... Gopichand 'Gopi' Sharma
• Badla (1974) .... Kumar/Raju
• Shaitaan (1974)
• Aa Gale Lag Jaa (1973) .... Dr. Amar
• Jheel Ke Us Paar (1973) .... Dr. J.P. Tandon
• Blackmail (1973) .... Jeevan
• Chhalia (1973)
• Ek Nari Do Roop (1973)
• Gaai Aur Gori (1973)
• Ghulam Begam Badshah (1973) .... Thakur Pratap
• Heera (1973) .... Balwant
• Kashmakash (1973)
• Pyaar Ka Rishta (1973)
• Sabak (1973) .... Actor
• Samjhauta (1973)
• Shareef Budmaash (1973) .... Kanhaiyalal/Rocky (Guest appearance)
• Milap (1972) .... 5 different Characters
• Raampur Ka Lakshman (1972) .... Ram K. Bhargav/Kumar
• Bombay to Goa (1972) .... Sharma
• Babul Ki Galiyaan (1972)
• Bhai Ho To Aisa (1972) .... Ram
• Buniyaad (1972)
• Do Yaar (1972)
• Jaban (1972) .... (Guest Appearance)
• Raaste Kaa Patthar (1972) .... Arun Thakur
• Rivaaj (1972)
• Shaadi Ke Baad (1972) .... Choudhury Bishan Swaroop Singh
• Shararat (1972) .... Jagdish/Vinod Kumar
• Banphool (1971) .... Ajay
• Do Raha (1971)
• Dost Aur Dushman (1971)
• Ek Nari Ek Brahmachari (1971) .... Rajkumar S. Chaudhary
• Gambler (1971) .... Banke Bihari
• Khoj (1971)
• Mere Apne (1971) .... Chaino
• Paras (1971) .... Thakur Arjun Singh
• Parwana (1971) .... Public Prosecuter (Guest Appearance)
• Prem Pujari (1970) .... Pakistani Army Officer
• Chetna (1970) .... Ramesh
• Ek Nanhi Munni Ladki Thi (1970)
• Holi Ayee Re (1970)
• Khilona (1970) .... Bihari
• Raaton Ka Raja (1970)
• Nayeem Builder (1970)
• Jalaal mahmood sayeed (1970)
• Sajan (1969) .... Havaldar

Playback singer:

• Naram Garam (1981) (playback singer)
• Jwalamukhi (1980) (playback singer)
• Dost (1974) (playback singer) (uncredited)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Shatrughan Sinha at the Internet Movie Database
• How Shatru became Shotgun