Hindustan

Hindustan (Hindi: हिन्दुस्तान ; Urdu: ہندوستان‎ ; IAST: Hindustān ; [ɦɪnd̪ʊˈst̪aːn];  pronunciation ;) is a common geographic term for the northern/northwestern Indian subcontinent.

Etymology

Hindustan is derived from the Modern Persian word Hindū. In Old Persian, the region beyond the Indus River was referred to as Hinduš (the Iranic equivalent of Sanskrit Sindhu), hence Modern Persian Hind, Hindū. This combined with the Persian suffix -stān (meaning literally "place", and having the same origin as the Sanskrit word sthān and the English word "stand") results in Hindustan, "land of Hind". By about the first century BC, the term "Hein-tu" was used by the Chinese to refer to North Indian people. The term came into common use under the rule of the Mughals, who referred to their dominion, centered on Delhi, as 'Hindustan'.

Current usage

Geographic area

The term "Hindustan" has been historically applied to the Gangetic Plain of North India, between the Himalayas and the Vindhyas and the Indus river basin in Pakistan.

Narendra Modi

Narendra Damodardas Modi (Gujarati: [nəreːnd̪rə d̪ɑːmoːd̪ərəd̪ɑːs moːd̪iː], born 17 September 1950) is the 15th and current Prime Minister of India, in office since 26 May 2014. Modi, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament (MP) from Varanasi. He led the BJP in the 2014 general election, which gave the party a majority in the Lok Sabha (the lower house of the Indian parliament) – a first for any party since 1984 – and was credited for 2014 BJP electoral victories in the states of Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Jammu and Kashmir.

Since taking office as Prime Minister, Modi's administration has focused on reforming and modernising India's infrastructure and government, reducing bureaucracy, encouraging increased foreign direct investment, improving national standards of health and sanitation and improving foreign relations. Modi has been appreciated for starting initiatives like Swachh Bharat Mission, Make in India and Digital India. Earlier, as Chief Minister of Gujarat, Modi's economic policies (credited with encouraging economic growth in Gujarat) have been praised, although his administration has also been criticised for failing to significantly improve the human development in the state and failing to prevent the 2002 Gujarat riots. A Hindu nationalist and a former member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Modi remains a controversial figure domestically and internationally, despite his progressivism. Known for his tech savvy image, he is the second most followed politician on social media after U.S. President Barack Obama.

Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor (pronounced [kəˈriːnaː kəˈpuːr]; born 21 September 1980), also known by her married name Kareena Kapoor Khan, is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. She is the daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita, and the younger sister of actress Karisma Kapoor. Noted for playing a variety of characters in a range of film genres—from romantic comedies to crime dramas—Kapoor is the recipient of several awards, including six Filmfare Awards, and is one of Bollywood's most popular and highest-paid actresses.

After making her acting debut in the 2000 war film Refugee, Kapoor established herself in Hindi cinema with roles in the historical drama Aśoka, and the blockbuster melodrama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... (both 2001). This initial success was followed by a series of commercial failures and repetitive roles, which garnered her negative reviews. The year 2004 marked a turning point for Kapoor when she played against type in the role of a sex worker in the drama Chameli. She subsequently earned wide critical recognition for her portrayal of a riot victim in the 2004 drama Dev and a character based on William Shakespeare's heroine Desdemona in the 2006 crime film Omkara. She went on to receive Filmfare Awards for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for her performances in the 2007 romantic comedy Jab We Met and the 2010 drama We Are Family, respectively. Kapoor achieved further success by featuring as the female lead in four of India's top-grossing productions—the 2009 comedy-drama 3 Idiots, the 2011 romantic drama Bodyguard, the 2011 science fiction Ra.One, and the 2015 social drama Bajrangi Bhaijaan—and received praise for her roles in the 2009 thriller Kurbaan and the 2012 drama Heroine.

Saif Ali Khan

Saif Ali Khan (pronounced [ˈsɛːf əˈli ˈxaːn]; born Sajid Ali Khan on 16 August 1970) is an Indian film actor and producer. Khan has established himself as one of the most popular actors of Indian cinema. He is the recipient of several awards, including a National Film Award and six Filmfare Awards, and was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri in 2010.

Ali Khan is the son of the former Indian cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan and the actress Sharmila Tagore. He made his acting debut in 1992 with Yash Chopra's Parampara and later starred in the 1994 films Main Khiladi Tu Anari and Yeh Dillagi. After going through several years of decline throughout the 1990s, Khan rose to prominence with his performance in Farhan Akhtar's Dil Chahta Hai (2001). His work in Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) won him the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, and he was awarded the National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Hum Tum (2004). Khan's other films include Salaam Namaste (2005) and Race (2008). He also starred in critically acclaimed films such as Parineeta (2005), Being Cyrus and Omkara (2006). In 2009, Khan branched out into film production with his company Illuminati Films, whose first release was Love Aaj Kal.

Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Harivansh Bachchan (IPA: [əmɪˈtaːbʱ ˈbəttʃən]; born 11 October 1942) is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s for movies like Zanjeer and Deewar, and was dubbed India's first "angry young man" for his on-screen roles in Bollywood. Often referred to in the media as the "Shahenshah of Bollywood", "Star of the Millennium" or "Big B", he has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades. Bachchan is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema. So total was his dominance of the movie scene in the 1970s and 1980s that the French director François Truffaut called him a "one-man industry."

Bachchan has won numerous accolades in his career, including three National Film Awards as Best Actor and many awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies. He has won 15 Filmfare Awards and is the most-nominated performer in any major acting category at Filmfare, with 40 nominations overall. In addition to acting, Bachchan has worked as a playback singer, film producer and television presenter. He also had a stint in politics in the 1980s.