Michael Jackson

The Bio History of Michael Joseph Jackson began when he was born on the 29th of August 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He was the 7th of nine children. (brothers: Sigmund "Jackie", Toriano "Tito", Jermaine, Marlon, Steven "Randy", and sisters Rebbie, Janet and La-Toya Jackson.

Michael began his musical career at the age of 5 as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 who formed in 1964. In these early years the Jackson 5, Jackie, Jermaine, Tito, Marlon and lead singer Michael played local clubs and bars in Gary Indiana and moving further afield as there talents grew and they could compete in bigger competitions. From these early days Michael would be at the same clubs as big talented stars of there days, such as Jackie Wilson and would be learning from them even back then.

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In 1968 the Bobby Taylor and The Vancouvers discovered the Jackson five and from there they got an audition for Berry Gordy of Motown Records. The Jackson 5 signed for Motown and moved to California. Their first 4 singles, "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There" all made US No1 hits. The Jackson 5 recorded 14 albums and Michael recorded 4 solo albums with Motown.

The Jackson 5 stayed with Motown until 1976, wanting more artistic freedom they felt they had to move on and signed up with Epic. The group name Jackson 5 had to be changed as it was owned by Motown, so they reverted to The Jacksons as they had be known in the early days. Brother Jermaine married Berry Gordy's daughter and stayed with Motown. Youngest brother Randy joined in his place. The Jacksons had a number of hit records and in total made 6 albums between the years of 1976 and 1984.

In 1977 Michael made his first film debut when he starred in the musical 'The Wiz' playing Scarecrow with Diana Ross in the lead role of Dorothy. It was at this time Michael met Quincy Jones who was doing the score for the film.

Michael teamed up with Quincey Jones as his producer for his first solo album with Epic Records. The album titled "Off The Wall" was a big success around the world and the first ever album to release a record breaking 4 No1 singles in the US.

In 1982 Michael Jackson released the world's largest selling album of all time, 'Thriller'. This album produced 7 hit singles, breaking yet again more records, and went on to sell over 50 million copies worldwide. Michael was keen to use music video or short films as he called them to promote his singles from the album. He worked with the best directors and producers, using the latest technology and special effects for the hit song 'Billie Jean' The short film 'Thriller' used the latest make-up artists technolgy combined with fantastic dancing and cherography, to produce a 14 minute video, with a start, a middle and an ending. So successful was this video that 'The Making Of Michael Jackson's Thriller' became the world's largest selling home video combined with soaring album sales. In 1983 Michael performed the now legendary moonwalk for the first time on the 'Motown 25 years' anniversary show. This performance alone set Michael undoubtable into the realm of a superstar.

In 1984 Michael won a record breaking 8 Grammy awards in one night. The awards were for his work on the 'Thriller' album and his work on the narrative for the 'ET Storybook'.

On December 9th 1984 at the last concert of the Jackson's Victory Tour, Michael announced he was splitting from the group and going solo.

In 1987 Michael released his much awaited third solo album, titled 'Bad', and lauched his record breaking first solo world tour. 1988, Michael wrote his first autobiography, Moonwalk, talking for the first time on his childhood and his career. At the end of the 1980s Michael was named 'Artist Of The Decade' for his success off of his 'Thriller' and 'Bad' albums.

In 1991 Michael signed with Sony Music the largest ever recording contract and released his fourth solo album, 'Dangerous'. He toured world again in 1992, taking his concerts to countries that had never before been visited by a pop/rock artist. Also Michael founded the 'Heal the World Foundation' to help improve the lives of children across the world.

In 1994 Michael married Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of rock legend Elvis Presley. The marriage only lasted for 19 months, as they divorced in 1996.

1995 saw Michael release a fifth solo album, 'HIStory', which was a double album, first half new material and second half half greatest hits. Michael toured again over a legs covering a 2 year period. In between legs of the tour on November 14th 1996, Michael married for his second time to Debbie Rowe who was a nurse that Michael had met in the treatment of his skin pigment disorder. Together they had their first child Prince Michael Joseph Jackson jr born on February 13 1997 and a daughter Paris Michael Katherine Jackson born on April 3rd 1998.

In 1997 Michael released the remix album 'Blood On The Dance Floor' which also contained 5 new song linked with a 38min film "Ghosts". This film Michael played 5 roles using the latest special effects and make-up artistry, combined with his dance and music.


In September, 2001 Michael celebrated his 30th anniversary as a solo artist with two concerts to be held in New York, USA. Many artists such as Whitney Houston, Usher, Destinys Child, Shaggy and many more performed there own and Michael Jacksons past songs. Michael then reunited with all of his brothers and performed there biggest hits. Michael then went onto perform solo some of his biggest hits.

In October 2001 Michael released the album 'Invincible' releasing only 2 singles including the big hit "You Rock My World". Shortly after the albums release there were rumours of a rift with Sony Music and a clear lack of promotion of the album. The second single "Cry" was released with a very poor music video which did not feature Michael and no other singles were released.

In November 2003 a new single "One More Chance" was released as a single and was also a track on new compilaition album "Number Ones".

In March 2009, Michael annouced a shock comeback tour at the O2 Arena in London to start in July 2009, intially for 10 dates but the total grew to a sold out 50 dates with over 750,000 tickets sold. All sold tickets sold out within minutes of being released.

On June 25th 2009 Michael Jackson died suddenly of a reported cardiac arrest. He was 50 years old.

Mohammad Azharuddin

Full Name: Mohammad Azharuddin
Born: 8th of February, 1968, Hyderabad (Andhra Pradesh), India
Full Name: Mohammad Azharuddin
Born: February 8, 1963, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh
Major teams: India, Derbyshire, Hyderabad
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm medium

Achievements:

• Scored 22 centuries in Test Cricket with an average score of 45 runs.
• Scored 7 centuries in One Day International (ODI) Cricket with an average of 37 runs.
• Has been the only player to have hit three consecutive centuries in first three Tests
• Has been the only player in the world Cricket to have taken 156 catches in One Day International (ODI) Cricket
• Got India 14 Test and 103 ODI wins during his captainship, making him one of the most successful Cricket captains India has ever got
• Has scored fastest ODI century by an Indian off 62 balls
• The first player to have played more than 300 ODIs
• Was awarded Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1991

Early Life
Mohammad Azharuddin, one of the best known players and captains the Indian Cricket team has ever had, was born and brought up in Hyderabad, the state capital of Andhra Pradesh. He studied in a Catholic convent school named All Saints High School, which has been the Alma Mater to some other prominent Indian Cricketers too, including Venkatapathy Raju and Noel David.

The Batting Maestro
Azharuddin has been most famous for his wonderful wrist flicks that transformed a Cricket match into a poetic creation with aesthetic nuances of a masterpiece. Eventually, Azharuddin showed the best of his batting capabilities against spin bowlers. In fact, John Woodcock, one of the well known Cricket writers had once quoted that asking an Englishman to bat like Mohammad Azharuddin would be like expecting a greyhound to win the London Derby! His smooth and clean batting style was often compared with the same of David Gower, a batsman from England.

Darker Side of the Story
But as every story has its dark twists, Azharuddin’s life too saw its bad moments. Hansie Croje, the captain of the South African Cricket team who had confessed his role in international match fixing, had taken Azharuddin’s name regarding his involvement in the scandal. Further, Central Bureau of Investigation, the prime investigation agency of India looked into the matter and found Azharuddin guilty of receiving money from bookies to fix Cricket matches. The CBI also found Azharuddin involved in bringing other players along with him into the dirty game, and as a consequence the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) banned Azharuddin from playing Cricket for his lifetime in the year 2000. Ironically, Azharuddin had played 99 Test Cricket matches in his life till then and was on the verge to enter the coveted 100 Test Cricket Club. Although the ban was lifted in the year 2006, he couldn’t make the dream come true.

Political Foray
On the 19th of February 2009, Azharuddin formally joined the Indian National Congress Party. He contested the General Elections 2009 from the Moradabad seat in Uttar Pradesh  and is now a Member of Parliament. 

Sourav Ganguly

Sourav Chandidas Ganguly made his entry into this world on July 08, 1973 in Calcutta, the ‘City of Joy’, now Kolkata. He was born into a sports loving family and was the second of two sons born to Chandidas and Nirupa Ganguly. He was born into immense wealth, unlike many Indian cricketers, with the exception of royalty. His parents gave him the nickname of ‘Maharaj’ meaning ‘Prince’. Perhaps, they knew that their son was born to lead.

Sourav’s father, Chandidas Ganguly runs a flourishing printing business, the 3rd largest in Asia, that has helped make the Gangulys among the 5 richest in Kolkata.  Even  today, Dada's

father is one of the major barons in the printing business in Kolkata. His palatial, joint-family home which has nearly 30 members in the Kolkata suburb of Behala has more than 45 rooms. There is suggestion of affluence everything in the Ganaguly household, from the palatial 4-storey building itself to the beautifully decorated rooms. The annual turnover of Sourav's family is nearly 80 crores, with just a profit of 40 crores!

As a child, Sourav was extremely mischievous, a typical Cancerian one could say.  His brother Snehashish (nicknamed Raj) was born five years before him and became an accomplished left handed batsman. Though Sourav is a natural right hander, he learned to bat with his left hand from his brother, Snehashish. Sourav does everything else, including writing and bowling with his right hand.  Convenience was one of the reasons for Sourav to become a left-handed batsman as he could then use his brother's cricket gear.

For someone who is one of the best cricketers of contemporary times, it would come as a surprise to many of Sourav’s fans that cricket was not his first love. Like all people who dwell in the city of Kolkata, Sourav’s first sporting passion was football. But like most Indian kids, he had to make the difficult choice between academics and sport and his mother wasn’t very supportive of Sourav taking up cricket or any sport as a career. But Snehashish, who was an established cricketer for Bengal only strengthened his brother’s resolve to be a cricketer and he asked his father to get Sourav enrolled in a cricket coaching camp during Sourav's class ten holidays.

For a young man who used his brother's cricket gear during practice, it was indeed ironical that he replaced his brother in the Bengal cricket team and consequently, Snehashish was dropped. And thus, Sourav began a glorious cricketing career.

Sourav made his debut in international cricket way back in 1992 during a tour Down Under. But unfortunately, the 19-year old played in just one match against West Indies at Brisbane in which he failed to make an impression, and hence, was dropped from the side. A young Sourav had to face more than just the frustration of being dropped after one opportunity. Rumors of his attitude problems and lack of respect for the senior players hurt Sourav the most. There were also reports in certain newspapers that Sourav refused to carry drinks on the field for a senior cricketer, which he denies till date. He was given a raw deal on his first tour when some prominent cricketers tagged him to be ‘arrogant’ and a ‘

boy with no cricketing talent’. He was ignored for well over four years and many thought that his days as an international cricketer were numbered.

A few years later, however, Sourav came back strong and more determined than ever to make his mark in the world of cricket. He made his debut along with his good friend and now vice captain, Rahul Dravid in the 2nd test vs. England at Lord’s.  Sourav amazed cricketers and critics alike when he smashed a century in his debut Test.

He went on to score a century in the very next innings as well. More success came his way when Sourav was named ‘man of the series’ in his Debut. Weeks after his successful tour of England, Sourav eloped with childhood sweetheart Dona Roy. All hell broke lose when the the families of Sourav and Dona heard learnt about the secret wedding. However, both families reconciled and a formal wedding was held in February 1997. Happily married, Sourav and Dona are proud parents of a girl named Sana, born in November 2001.

Sourav hasn’t looked back since his debut and today, he has many records to his name including that of the highest score in a World Cup and is the 2nd highest century getter in ODI after teammate Sachin Tendulkar. He is also referred to as 'the golden arm' in the Indian team as his gentle medium pace bowling has given India many a vital breakthrough in one-day cricket. In Test matches today, he, Rahul Dravid and the great Tendulkar form the core of the Indian batting line up. 

This man is revered in his home town where he enjoys a God like status. But that is the price one has to pay for being a celebrity in India. If people in Kolkata come to know that Sourav is home, there is a huge crowd that gathers at the gate of his palatial home. As likeable as he is, Sourav also has been firm enough to let overbearing fans and prying media persons know that he deserves and needs his share of privacy. Sourav prefers a quiet evening alone with his wife rather than have photographers and lensmen chasing him all over Kolkata. Sourav is also a deeply religious person and observes a fast every Tuesday.

No one had thought that a lad ridiculed as a non talent, brushed off as being high headed, accused of showing disrespect towards seniors and having attitude problems would one day lead the Indian cricket team. Yet, Sourav Ganguly is now in the hot seat as the captain of the Indian Cricket team. Sourav was appointed as captain when Sachin Tendulkar, shocked everyone by stepping down from his captaincy after India’s disastrous tour Down Under in 1999. As vice captain to Tendulkar, Sourav was the most obvious choice.

Sourav began well as captain, leading India to a series win over South Africa in the 5 match one day series. He really

started coming into his own as the leader of the Indian Team in the ICC Knockout trophy, where he led India to the finals.

Sourav felt that every young player should play two years of domestic cricket before being selected for international assignments. He also said that every newcomer should be given at least five games to prove himself. Perhaps, he being at a receiving end of a raw deal that threatened to ruin his international cricket career enabled Sourav to understand the insecurities of other newcomers in the team better than his predecessors. Sourav backed the youngsters in the team tremendously and thus, gained the love of his teammates.

Sourav also was not shy of taking on responsibility. He showed that he can be a leader of a team, which has greats like Sachin and Dravid in the side, without any problems. Under Sourav's leadership, India got back the winning habit which the team had forgotten.

Today, Sourav Ganguly is the most successful Indian captain leaving Mohammed Azharuddin’s previous record of 14 test wins behind. Sourav has won 21 Tests as captain, of which more than 7 wins have come overseas! His success rate is an amazing 42%, the highest ever by an Indian captain.

Under his captaincy, the Indian team achieved remarkable heights, including the Test series win against  Australia  at home in 2001, reaching the World Cup Final in 2003, and winning both the one-day and Test series in Pakistan in 2004.  

In just a few years, Sourav rewrote the rules of captaincy. Unlike some of his predecessors, he was impartial, non-parochial, and forever pushed his players to perform better. Off the field, Sourav’s interactions with the media, his fans, and detractors were uncompromisingly honest and earned him the respect of cricket followers everywhere. His 5-year reign

as India's most successful skipper came to an end in October 2005 when vice-captain Rahul Dravid was given the hot seat. 

 

Sourav Ganguly is not just the ‘Prince of Calcutta’ but he is also the ‘Monarch of Indian Cricket’. 

Kapildev

Kapildev

Full Name: Kapildev Ramlal Nikhanj
Born: January 6, 1959, Chandigarh
Major teams: India, Haryana, Northamptonshire, Worcestershire
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm fast-medium

Achievements:

• Captained India to World Cup victory in 1983
• Broke Richard Hadlee's record of 431 wickets in Test cricket
• Scored first ODI century by an Indian
• Only cricketer to score 4,000 Test runs and take 400 wickets
• Named Indian Cricketer of the Century by Wisden

Kapil Dev Ramlal Nikhanj has been a Indian Cricket player, and is said to be one of the all time greatest all-rounders to have existed in the world of Cricket. Kapil also served the Indian Cricket team as its Captain, and is famous for being the only Captain of the Indian Cricket team that led it to win a World Cup Cricket Trophy in the year 1983.

Early Life
Kapil Dev was born on the 6th of January 1959 at Chandigarh, India. He began his Cricket career in Domestic Cricket from the Haryana team, with a match played against Punjab team in November 1975. Kapil took 6 wickets in the match and helped Haryana to win the match.

Domestic Cricket Career
Kapil gave his best performance of his initial times in a match against Bengal, in which he took 7 wickets giving only 20 runs within just 9 overs in the second innings. Although Haryana was beat by Bombay team in the quarterfinals, his performance brought his talent under the limelight.

Debut
He debuted the Test Cricket with a match played against Pakistan at Faisalabad in the year 1978. During the 3rd Test match played at Karachi, he scored the fasted half-century made by any Indian cricketer off just 33 balls.

Kapil’s One Day International (ODI) debut was made on 1st of October 1978 in a match played against Pakistan at Quetta. He scored 13 runs and took 1 wicket giving 27 runs in the match.

Captaincy
He was made the Captain of the Indian Cricket team in the year 1982-83 for a match against Sri Lanka. He began as a regular Captain of the team with the tour of West Indies.

World Cup 1983
During the 1983 World Cup, Kapil scored a huge 175 runs off 138 balls against a crucial match against Zimbabwe. India won this match by 31 runs and went on to win its only World Cup Trophy. This innings played by Kapil has been regarded as one of the Top 10 ODI Batting Performances of all times by the Wisden magazine.

After the World Cup victory, the Indian team lost its grip and faced some bad defeats due to which Kapil was removed from the Captain’s seat and Sunil Gavaskar again became the Captain in the year 1984. Again in March 1985 Kapil got the Captaincy back and led India to World Cup 1987. India lost to Australia in the Semi-Finals, and Kapil’s Captaincy came to a permanent end.

Vital Statistics
In his Test Cricket career, Kapil Dev played 131 Test matches in which he scored 5248 runs with a Batting Average of 31.05 runs. His highest score was 163 runs. As far as bowling is concerned, he took 434 wickets in the Test Cricket, and gave away 12867 runs with an average of 29.64 runs.

Kapil played 225 ODI matches throughout his career, and scored 3783 runs with an average of 23.79 runs, his highest score being 175 not out. He took 252 wickets, and gave 6945 runs with an average of 27.45 runs in his ODI career.

Kapil served as the Coach of the Indian Cricket team between October 1999 and August 2000, but resigned after match fixing allegations were imposed upon him. The Wisden magazine named him the Indian Cricketer of the Century in 2002, and has been conferred upon with Arjuna Award, Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan awards by the Government of India.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Full Name: Mahendra Singh Dhoni
Born: July 7, 1981, Ranchi, Bihar
Major teams: India, Jharkhand
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Fielding Position: Wicketkeeper

Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one of the best known Indian Cricket players, who was made the Captain of the Indian Cricket team in the year 2007. One of the most flamboyant Indian Cricket stars ever, Dhoni is also fondly known as Mahi by the huge number of his fans particularly comprising of a big percentage of females. And not only his looks and style Dhoni equally proved to be a hard hitting batsman and one of the best Captains the Indian Cricket team has ever seen. 

Early Days 

Dhoni was born in Ranchi, the state capital of Jharkhand on the 7th of July 1981, and was brought up in the same city. His parents originally hailed from a village in Uttarakhand. In his childhood Dhoni played Badminton and Football, and was sent by his Football coach to play Cricket. He began the journey as the wicketkeeper at the Commando Cricket Club in the year 1995, and was selected for the Under-16 Vinoo Mankad Trophy in the year 1997-98. 

The Beginning 

Dhoni entered the Bihar Cricket team in the year 1998-99, and was further selected for the India-A Cricket team in the year 2004. Later the same year, he made his debut in the National Cricket team of India. 

The Charisma Begins 

In his 5th One Day International (ODI) Cricket match against Pakistan, Dhoni scored 148 runs which was the biggest score made by an Indian wicketkeeper till then. He managed to accomplish this score just off 123 balls in the match played at Vishakhapatnam on the 5th of April 2005. Later the same year, he scored 183 not out against Sri Lanka in the Bi-lateral One Day International (ODI) Series, outclassing his own record. This match was played at Jaipur and India had to outsmart a huge 299 runs score set by the Sri Lankans. Dhoni got India this great victory with his wonderful 183 runs within just 145 balls. This score set a yet another record for being the highest score made in the second innings of a One Day International (ODI) Cricket match, and still lies unbeaten by any other batsman. At the end of the Series, Dhoni finished with highest total score of 346 runs and grabbed the coveted Man of the Series award. 

He scored good number of runs in a consistent manner for a period of time, and soon grabbed the No. 1 position in the One Day International (ODI) Cricket rankings issued by International Cricket Council (ICC) in the year 2005-06. 

The Low Down Phase 

The Indian Cricket team lost its grip during the year 2006-07, as the team lost in the DLF Cup 2006-07, and again in the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy. Although, Dhoni tried to maintain his record a bit by half century against West Indies. This was a low phase both for the Indian Cricket team and Dhoni, as the wicketkeeper batsman could just score 139 runs in the 4 matches during the One Day International (ODI) Cricket Series against South Africa, and the Indian team lost the Series to South Africa by 0-4. 

Again, in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, India badly lost to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and was ousted from the tournament. In both the matches, Dhoni lost at duck (0 runs), and scored a total of 29 runs in the whole tournament. 

The Fighter Bounces Back 

But he soon emerged as a winner again after the World Cup nightmare, and scored 91 runs not against Bangladesh in a Series later and 174 runs in 3 matches during the Afro-Asia Cup with an average of 87.00 runs. 

Finally, the Leader 

He was named the Vice Captain of the Indian One Day International (ODI) Cricket team during a Series against South Africa in Ireland, and the Captain of the team during the Twenty-20 Cricket World Cup played in September 2007. On 24th of September 2007, Dhoni got India its second World Cup victory in the breath-taking finals against Pakistan, and equaled the rare feat of leading India to a World Cup Cricket Trophy achieved by Kapil Dev in the year 1983. 

  

MF Hussain

Born: September 17, 1915

Achievement: World famous painter; Recipient of Padma Shree

One can love MF Hussain or one can hate MF Hussain but one cannot ignore him. MF Husain is always in the news because of one controversy or the other. Maqbool Fida Hussain (MF Hussain ) is a world famous painter and an icon among Indian artists.

MF Hussain was born on September 17, 1915 in Pandharpur, Maharashtra. He lost his mother when he was one and a half years old. Husain's father remarried and moved to Indoor. MF Hussain did his schooling from Indore. In 1935, MF Hussain moved to Bombay and joined Sir J. J. School of Art.

He started off by painting cinema hoardings. He first came into limelight as painter in the late 1940s. In 1952, MF Hussain's first solo exhibition was held at Zurich and soon he became popular in Europe and USA. He went on to become one of the highest paid painters in India. His paintings have fetched millions of dollars at the auction.

In 1966, MF Hussain was honored with Padma Shree by the Government of India. In 1967, MF Hussain made his first film "Through the Eyes of a Painter". The film was shown at the Berlin Film Festival and won a Golden Bear. He has also made two Hindi movies, "Gaja Gamini" and "Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities."

MF Hussain also had his share of controversies. Many a times he has been charged with hurting sentiments of people because of his nude portraits of Hindu gods and goddesses. But he continues to enthrall people with his peerless artistry.

APJ Abdul Kalam

 

Born - 15 October 1931

Achievements - This eminent scientist and engineer has also served as the 11th President of India from the period 2002 to 2007. APJ Abdul Kalam is a man of vision, who is always full of ideas aimed at the development of the country. He firmly believes that India needs to play a more assertive role in international relations. 

Apart from being a notable scientist and engineer, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam served as the 11th President of India from the period 2002 to 2007. He is a man of vision, who is always full of ideas aimed at the development of the country and is also often also referred to as the Missile Man of India. People loved and respected Dr APJ Abdul Kalam so much during his tenure as President that was popularly called the People's President. Read more about the biography of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam here.

APJ Abdul Kalam was born on 15 October 1931 at the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu and received honorary doctorates from about 30 universities globally. In the year 1981, the Government of India presented him the nation's highest civilian honor, the Padma Bhushan and then again, the Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and the Bharat Ratna in 1997. Before Kalam, there have been only two presidents - Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and Zakir Hussain - to have received the Bharat Ratna before bring appointed to the highest office in India.

Read on about the life history of Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who's also the first scientist and bachelor to occupy the seat of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. His perspectives on important topics have been enunciated by him in the book 'India 2020'. It highlights the action plans that will help develop the country into a knowledge superpower by the time 2020. One thing for which he received ample kudos is his unambiguous statement that India needs to play a more assertive role in international relations.

And Dr APJ Abdul Kalam regards his work on India's nuclear weapons program as a way to assert India's place as a future superpower. Even during his tenure as President, APJ Kalam took avid interest in the spheres of India's science and technology. He has even put forward a project plan for establishing bio-implants. He is also an ardent advocate of open source software over proprietary solutions to churn out more profits in the field of information technology in India.

Vidya Balan

Bollywood actress Vidya Balan was the quintessence of an Indian woman in Parineeta, a well-deserved break for the actress.

Vidya
Vidya Balan is a Tamil Iyer born on 1 January 1978 in Palakkad, Kerala. Her father is P.R.Balan who is the vice president of ETC channel while her mother is a homemaker. She has an older sister, Priya.

She studied in Mumbai at St Anthony’s School and later graduated in Sociology from St Xavier’s College, after which she enrolled for M.A from the Mumbai University. She speaks several languages like Tamil, Malayalam, English, Hindi, and Bengali.

Pradeep Sarkar directed her in many ads as well as music videos for singers like Euphoria, Shubha Mudgal, and Pankaj Udhas. She was also part of the initial episodes of Ekta Kapoor’s Hum Paanch.

Balan has been linked with several of her co-stars which she has denied.

Lolita
Vidya Balan’s initial entry into movies in the South went nowhere. The first Malayalam movie that she signed was with Mohanlal called Chakram that was put on hold and later resumed with a different lead. She was replaced by Trisha Krishnan in Manasellam, a Tamil movie.

It was only in 2003 that she was recognized for her acting skills in a Bengali movie Bhalo Theko, for which she won the Anandalok Best Actress Award for her portrayal of Anandi.

In 2005, she starred in Pradeep Sarkar’s Parineeta based on a novella by Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, as Lolita. Her performance won her the Filmfare Best Debut Actress Award as well as the Filmfare Face of the Year. Lage Raho Munnabhai, the sequel to the runaway hit Munnabhai, saw her as Jhanvi.

In 2007, she marked her presence in Guru as a woman with a physical disability. Her other releases were Salaam-e-Ishq with John Abraham, Eklavya that was India’s official entry to the Oscars, and Bhool Bhulaiyya with Akshay Kumar that was a remake of the Malayalam movie Manichitrathazu.

Kismat Konnection in 2008 starring Vidya Balan and Shahid Kapoor failed to do well.

Paa was her only release in 2009 and it was a hit. Balan’s performance as a new age woman was appreciated. She played Amitabh Bachchan’s mother in this movie.

Up Next
 Her other releases include Chenab Gandhi and Mukti. She will be playing the part of Sabrina Lal in No One Killed Jessica.

Sunny Deol

Sunny Deol was one of the brightest stars to hit the screens in the eighties with Betaab and Arjun. He still has the ‘it’ factor going as we saw in Gadar – Ek Prem Katha. He is action and intensity personified.

Ajay Singh Deol aka Sunny
Sunny Deol was born as Ajay Singh Deol on 19th October 1952 in New Delhi, India. He is the son of actor Dharmendra and Prakash Kaur. He has a younger brother, also an actor, Bobby Deol. His father married actress Hema Malini and Sunny has two half sisters Esha Deol, an actress and Ahana Deol. His cousin Abhay Deol is also an actor.
He is married to Pooja Deol and they have two sons Rajveer Singh and Ranvir Singh.
Sunny studied in Mumbai at the Sacred Heart High School and Podar College. England’s Old Web Theater is where he took lessons in acting and theater.

 A Hero Comes Along…
1983 to 1987   Sunny Deol’s debut movie Rahul Rawail’s Betaab (1983) was a big hit which followed the much celebrated storyline of poor boy falls in love with rich girl. Debutante Amrita Singh was the rich babe. The 1985 release Arjun with Dimple Kapadia was another movie that he is famous for.

1988 to 1992   He acted in movies like Samundar, Ram-Avtar, Majboor, Mein Tere Dushman and Rajiv Rai’s Tridev. The latter released in 1989, starred the likes of Naseeruddin Shah, Madhuri Dixit and Jackie Shroff. The plot about three men from diverse backgrounds who come together to fight the baddies was well received. Chaal Baaz (1989) with Sridevi and Rajnikanth was also a success. His performance as the boxer in Rajkumar Santoshi’s Ghayal (1992) with Meenakshi Sheshadri was remarked as brilliant and he won the Filmfare Best Actor Award.

1993 to 1997   In 1993, Damini was a huge success, winning him the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award, as was Yash Chopra’s Darr with Shah Rukh Khan and Juhi Chawla. The audience continued to see him in movies like Vishwathma, Insaniyat, Jeet and Border. He played Major Kuldeep Singh Chandpuri in
J.P.Dutta’s Border (1997) that won many awards. Zor was another movie that was a critical success.

1998 to 2002  Sunny and Bobby Deol appeared together for the first time in Dillagi (1999). It was his directorial debut that failed. Gadar: Ek Prem Kahani (2001) enjoyed wide spread success. Set during the 1947 partition of India and the Hindu-Muslim riots, Sunny played a truck driver Tara Singh who falls in love with a Muslim girl Sakina. His next release was 23rd March 1931: Shaheed (2002) revolving around freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. The movie starred his brother Bobby Deol and Amrita Singh from his debut Betaab. However the movie didn’t see a good response.

2003 to 2009  In another role as an officer in the Indian Army, The Hero – Love Story of a Spy did well. Fool and Final (2007) was based on Hollywood flick Snatch. He was part of a larger star cast in Heroes (2008). He has five movies in 2009 – Airport, Hello Darling, Filmi Khabar, The Man and Right Ya Wrong.

Ayesha Takia

Ayesha Takia is best remembered as the Complan Girl who grew up to be Meera in Dor.

I’m a Complan Girl
     Ayesha was born on April 10th 1986 in Mumbai. Her father Nishit is a Gujrathi while her mother Faridah is an Anglo-Indian Muslim. She has a younger sister called Natasha.
She studied at the Anthony’s High School but did not pursue her education any further as she started her career in show business when she was as young as fifteen.
     She was dating Farhan Azmi and the wedding bells are ready to ring for this couple very soon.
     Ayesha was part of a popular Complan advertisement. She was also part of two music videos – Falguni Pathak’s Meri Chunar Udd Udd Jaye and DJ Aqeel’s Shake It Daddy.

In the Bollywood Mix
     Ayesha was first offered Socha Na Tha with Abhay Deol and then Tarzan:The Wonder Car in 2004. She won the Filmfare Best Debut Award for the latter. She has worked in more than fifteen films since then like Dil Maange More, Salaam-e-Ishq, Fool and Final, No Smoking and De Taali. Most of them did not do well at the box office.
     However her performance in Nagesh Kukunoor’s critically acclaimed Dor,in which she played the part of a Rajasthani widow Meera stood out winning her quite a few awards.

The End?
     Ayesha is said to be all set to bid adieu to Bollywood soon after her marriage. The films up for release before she ties the knot are Wanted: Dead or Alive with Salman Khan, Paathshaala with Shahid Kapoor, another Nagesh Kukunoor film Eight By Ten with Akshay Kumar, Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai, Naughty At Forty and Ab Dil Door Nahin, which is an animated film where she is lending her voice to a leopard cub.

Deepika Padukone

One look at this dimpled beauty and you know she was marked for fame and the world of glamour. And she hasn’t disappointed. From the daughter of a famous sportsperson to a supermodel, to an actress and now dating the dishy Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone has done it all with panache.


Growing up
Deepika arrived into the scene on 5th January 1986, in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is the daughter of Ujjala and Prakash Padukone, who was the Badminton Champion. The sports genes runs in her family, for she herself played badminton at state level until 10th grade while her younger sister Anisha has taken to sports on a more professional level, with a strong interest in golf.
She did her schooling in Sophia High School and her graduation from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.


The Model
Deepika Padukone has appeared in several print and television commercials like Liril, Limca and Close-up. She was the brand ambassador for Jewels of India, a jewelry exhibition and the face of Maybelline, an international brand. She also appeared in the 2006 Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar.
She received recognition on the modeling scene by winning the Model of the Year title by the fifth Kingfisher Fashion Awards. The India Zee F Awards saw her walking away with not one but two prizes – Female Model of the Year (Commercial assignments) and Fresh Face of the Year.
She graced Himesh Reshamiyya’s video ‘Naam Hai Tera’ from his album Aap Ka Suroor.


Silver Screen Calling
It was hardly any surprise when she stepped into films in 2006 with her debut Aishwarya, a Kannada movie directed by Indrajit Lankesh, opposite Upendra who is one of the leading stars in the Kannada film industry.
Bollywood was not far behind. Her debut Farah Khan’s Om Shanthi Om was opposite none other than Shah Rukh Khan. She played a double-role, first as Shanthipriya a movie star and later as the bubble gum chewing star-struck Sandy. She walked away with the Filmfare Best Female Debut award and was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress award.
She starred opposite her beau Ranbir Kapoor in Bachna Hai Haseeno, which released in 2008.

Kajol

Kajol is well known for her acting prowess, exuberance, and a family of successful filmi-types. She is vulnerable, fierce, and a complete natural.

The Fourth Generation
Kajol was born to actress Tanuja and film producer Shomu Mukherjee on 5 August 1975. She was born into a Bengali-Marathi family. Her family reads like the who’s who of the film industry – great grandmother Rattan Bai; maternal grandmother Shobana Samarth; maternal aunt Nutan who won five Filmfare Best Actress Awards; paternal uncles Joy and Deb Mukherjee who were producers; paternal grandfather Sashadhar Mukherjee, a filmmaker married to Satirani Devi, the sister of Ashok Kumar, Anup Kumar and Kishore Kumar; sister Tanisha; husband Ajay Devgan; cousins Rani Mukherji and Mohnish Behl.

She did her schooling at St.Joseph’s in Panchgani till she was seventeen when she quit school to play actress.

She married actor turned producer Ajay Devgan in 1999 and the couple had a daughter Nysa. She took a break from movies, making a comeback in 2006.

Making Waves
1992 to 1997 Kajol made her debut with Bekhudi in 1992 in which her real life mother Tanuja played reel-life mommy. It was Baazigar in 1993 with Shahrukh Khan that earned her recognition as an actress worth watching out for. Yeh Dillagi, a remake of Sabrina, in which she plays Sapna who is pursued by two brothers, won her a nomination for Filmfare Best Actress Award.

In 1995, she had quite a few releases that were average performers like Taaqat, Hulchul, and Gundaraj. Karan Arjun did well. But it was Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge that broke records and is still running in theaters. The Filmfare Best Actress Award for her role as Simran was well-deserved.

She enjoyed a good run of success in 1997 with Gupt for which she won the Filmfare Best Villain Award, Hamesha that was about re-incarnation, Ishq that was a romantic comedy where she paired off well with Ajay Devgan, and the Tamil movie Minsaara Kanavu that won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award South.

1998 to 2003 The year 1998 was another big year as all her releases turned out to be hits. Pyaar Kiya Tho Darna Kya with Salman Khan; Dushman where she played a double role; Pyaar Tho Hona Hi Tha, a reworked version of the comedy French Kiss with Ajay Devgan; Kuch Kuch Hota Hai that saw her transform from an ugly duckling to a beautiful swan and had Aman and Rahul swooning over her. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance as Anjali in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

She had three releases in 1999 with Dil Kya Kare, Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehete Hai, and Hote Hote Pyaar Ho Gaya. In 2000, she played the lead Anna in Raju Chacha that was produced by Ajay Devgan. The movie did not meet the set expectations. Kuch Katti Kuch Meethi had her in a double role and Karan Johar’s Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham, an opulent family drama won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award.

2006 to 2009 Kajol, after a break of three years, made a come back with Fanaa, a story about a blind girl Zooni who falls in love with a terrorist, played by Aamir Khan. It won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award. She made some appearances in song sequences in Kal Ho Na Ho, Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna, Om Shanthi Om, and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. In 2008, she starred in U, Me Aur Hum which was directed and produced by Ajay Devgan and did reasonably well.

2010 Kajol’s next release is My Name Is Khan with Shahrukh Khan and Koochie Koochie Hota Hai which is an animated version of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Another animation movie she is working on is Toonpur Ka Superhero. She is also working on a movie with Kareena Kapoor, a remake of the Hollywood movie, Stepmom.

Amitabh Bacchan

Amitabh Bachchan needs no introduction in India or even abroad. The man seems to hold in him a charisma that remains unrivalled. An entrepreneur, politician, game show host, a singer, voiceover artist, and an actor - the roles he played are immortalized and idolized. A huge fan base that reveres him as though he is a demi-god and a multitude of awards and recognition gravitates to him endlessly, year after year after year. But his ride to stardom was anything but smooth.

The Big Bang!
Born under the Libran sun sign, Amitabh Bachchan celebrates his birthday on 11 October. He was born in 1942 in Allahabad, as Amitabh Harivansh Srivastav to Dr.Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Teji Bachchan. His father was a well known poet. Bachchan was his pen name. When Amitabh entered the film industry he replaced Srivastav with Bachchan. He was initially christened Inquilab but this was later changed to Amitabh that means ‘limitless lustre’, which is so apt. Ajitabh is his younger brother.

Bachchan studied in Allahabad at Jnana Pramodhini and Boys High School. He also put in a few years at Sherwood College in Nainital and Kirori Mal College. He holds a double degree in M.A.

He worked as a freight broker with Bird & Co, a shipping firm based in Kolkata which he quit to pursue acting, which paid off.

He married his co-star Jaya Bhaduri of the Guddi fame on 3 June 1973 and they have two children, Shweta and Abhishek. The latter is also an actor, married to Aishwarya Rai.

Making it Big. And how!
Bachchan’s unconventional looks – dark, lean, and standing tall at 6’2” - worked against him when it came to acting roles. But his deep voice, a trademark, held him in good stead with offers to work on narration and background commentary.

1969 to 1979
In 1969, Bachchan made his debut with Saat Hindustani, which won him the National Film Award for Best Newcomer. After this came movies like Reshma Aur Shera, Parwana, and Anand in 1971. He made a huge impact with his performance in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Anand alongside Rajesh Khanna as a despondent doctor, winning the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award. In 1972, he appeared in movies like Sanjog, Bansi Birju, Ek Nazar, and also narrated Bawarchi.

His identity as the ‘angry young man’ took off in 1973 when he starred in movies like Zanjeer, Abhimaan, and Namak Haraam. Vijay went on to become a regular onscreen name. In Zanjeer, he played an honest cop implicated by false charges and thirsting for revenge. In Abhimaan, he was a struggling singer while his wife, played by Jaya Bhaduri, makes it big firing up his insecurities. He came together with Rajesh Khanna again in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Namak Haraam, which won him the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award.

In 1974 he made brief appearances in Kunwara Baap and Dost. Roti Kapda Aur Makhaan raked in a lot of moolah. He played the lead in Majboor, a dying man who gets a new lease of life and a prison sentence to get out of. In 1975, his movies like the comedy Chupke Chupke with Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore and Jaya Bacchan, and the romantic drama Mili with Jaya and Ashok Kumar did well. However it was Deewar and Sholay that made a lasting impact on Bollywood. His performance in Deewar was intense while Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay was not only a big earner but is one of BBC’s Top 25 Must See Bollywood Movies.

In the 1976 film Kabhie Kabhie, he plays the role of a lovelorn poet Amit. Amar Akbar Anthony, released in 1977, showed Bachchan as the endearing Anthony Gonsalves, winning him his first Filmfare Best Actor Award. A string of hits marked 1978 with the release of Kasme Vaade, Trishul, Don, and Muqaddar Ka Sikander. It was Don that won him the Filmfare Best Actor Award out of the three movies for which he was nominated. In 1979, he starred in Mr.Natwarlal and also tried his hand for the first time in playback singing in this movie with the song Mere Paas Aao.

1980 to 1990
The early eighties saw the release of Dostana, Shaan, Laawaris (popular for the song Mere Angene Mein, Tumhara Kya Kaam Hai that AB sang), Silsila with Jaya Bhaduri and his rumoured lover Rekha. He played a double role in Satte Pe Satta and Namak Halaal. These movies enjoyed large scale popularity as did Bachchan. This was evident when he met with a fatal injury during the making of his 1982 movie, Coolie. Practically the entire nation prayed for his recovery which came after a year when he completed the movie and it was released with a change in script so that his character Iqbal, who was supposed to die, survives. In 1984, his role as Vicky Kapoor, an alcoholic in Sharaabi was also well-received.

Bollywood started taking a backseat post 1984 due to his illness. This made him look towards politics. It was well known that Bachchan enjoyed a close association with the Gandhi family having grown up with Rajiv Gandhi. He won the Allahabad’s Lok Sabha seat with a high margin of 68%. His stint in politics was marred when he was accused in the Bofors scandal and was later proved innocent. He later deflected to friend Amar Singh’s Samajwadi Party.
He ventured back into Bollywood with Shahenshah in 1988 and Toofan in 1989. Agneepath, released in 1990, won him a National Film Award for Best Actor.

1991 to 1999
Hum in 1991 did well. His much hyped last movie before retirement was Khuda Gawah with Sridevi, in 1992. Bachchan went on to start Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Ltd that was to produce and distribute movies and music. Tere Mere Sapne, which was its first production, was an average performer while its later productions all failed dismally like Mrityudaatha which starred Bachchan. The company collapsed and Bachchan reverted back to acting but without much success in movies like Major Saab, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, and Sooryavansham. ABCL also released his album Aby Baby that was popular for the number ‘Eer Bir Phatte’.

2000-2008
The year 2000 salvaged his situation and he went on to reclaim his superstar status. In Mohabattein, he starred with King Khan, as the dogmatic Narayan Shankar and won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award.

He also hosted Kaun Banega Crorepathi, the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, that is known to be one of the most popular television shows in Indian television history. This was at a time when most movie stars saw television as a step back in their career but Bachchan changed that perception.

In 2001, he won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance for Aks and was nominated for Filmfare Best Supporting Actor for his role as Yashchand Raichand in Karan Johar’s Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Kaante (2002) was the remake of Reservoir Dogs. This was followed by Boom, Baghban, Khakee, Aetbaar, Rudraksh, and Lakshya.

And if anyone thought he was riding on his early success, he removed all doubts of that with his widely acclaimed portrayal of Debraj Sahai in Black (2005) that received international recognition and plenty of awards. The role won him the National Award for Best Actor, Filmfare Best Actor Award, and the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. The same year in the comedy Bunty Aur Babli, he starred with his son Abhishek for the first time and followed it up with Sarkar as Subash Nagre, a ‘godfather’ of sorts.

In 2006, he played Sexy Sam, in another Karan Johar’s mega-starrer, Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna. Ram Gopal Verma’s Nishabdh that was out in 2007 saw him enamoured with his daughter’s friend Jia. Cheeni Kum had him romancing a much younger woman played by Tabu. The Last Lear in which he brought to life the veteran theater actor Harish Mishra was appreciated.

His fans saw him in different avatars in 2008, with Bhoothnath where he was a ghost; the sequel Sarkar Raj, that starred his son Abhishek and bahu Aishwarya Rai; God Tussi Great Ho where he was God himself.

2009
He had a fleeting appearance in Delhi 6 in the first part of 2009. He played Genius the Genie in Aladin. The movie was an average success. He proved why he was a superstar yet again with his performance in Paa. He was seen as Auro, a thirteen year old child afflicted by Progeria which causes him to age rapidly. His son, Abhishek, played his father in this movie.

His might grows
Bachchan will be seen in three movies in 2010. In Teen Patti, he will be seen as a mathematician. Rann is about journalism. Shoebite will see him with Sarika and Dia Mirza. He will also be seen in Shantaram which is currently on hold.