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Priyanka Chopra Wallpaper

2009-08-31T05:19:00.000-07:00

Priyanka Chopra

2009-08-31T04:52:00.000-07:00

About

Priyanka Chopra (Hindi: प्रियंका चोपड़ा; born July 18, 1982) is an Indian actress and former Miss World. Before starting her acting career, she worked as a model and gained fame after winning the Miss World title in 2000.

Chopra made her acting debut with the 2002 Tamil film Thamizhan. The following year, she made her Hindi film debut with The Hero: Love Story of a Spy and followed it with the hit Andaaz, for which she won a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. In 2004 she became the second woman to win the Filmfare Best Villain Award, which she received for her critically acclaimed performance in Aitraaz. Chopra would later have commercial success with films like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), Krrish (2006), her biggest commercial success so far, and Don - The Chase Begins Again (2006). Chopra earned a Filmfare Best Actress Award for her portrayal of a model in Fashion (2008) and has thus established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses in Bollywood.

Early Life

Chopra was born in Jamshedpur, Jharkand to Ashok Chopra and Madhu Akhauri, both doctors by profession. Chopra spent her childhood in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh; Newton, Massachusetts; and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Her father was in the army and thus her kinsfolk moved quite frequently. Her father hailed from a kinsfolk of Punjabi Khatri origin, effected in Bareilly and her mother comes from a Bihari Kayastha kinsfolk effected in Jamshedpur. She also has a brother, Siddharth, who is seven eld younger than she is.

Chopra studied at St. Maria Goretti in Bareilly and La Martiniere Girls' School in metropolis as a young girl. These frequent re-locations took locate as Ashok was a doctor in the Amerindic Army. She subsequently re-located to the U.S. where she studied in physicist North High School in Newton, Massachusetts and then in John F. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She returned to India and did her high edifice at Army School in Bareilly. She began college at Jai Hind College in city but mitt after success the Miss World pageant.

Miss World

Chopra was crowned Miss Bharat World and after Miss World in 2000. In the same year, Lara Dutta and Dia Mirza, both also from India, won the Miss Universe and Miss Asia Pacific crowns, in a rare triple conclusion for digit country.

When Chopra won the Miss World crown, she became the fifth Indian blackamoor to get the title, and the fourth Indian blackamoor to get in a span of heptad years.

Acting Career

Chopra prefabricated her debut in the 2002 Tamil flick Thamizhan playing the persona of Priya, the love welfare of the protaginist in the flick played by Vijay. In 2003, she appeared in her prototypal Bollywood film, The Hero: Love Story of a Spy directed by Anil Sharma, in a activity persona as a doctor named Shaheen. Despite existence one of the highest grossing films of that year, the flick was presented a below average status. Later that assemblage she appeared in Raj Kanwar's Andaaz oppositeness Akshay Kumar. The flick turned discover to be a incase office success, earning her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award and a nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.

Her next few films free in 2004 like Plan, Kismat and Asambhav performed poorly at the incase office. Later that assemblage she appeared in David Dhawan's humanities comedy Mujhse Shaadi Karogi playing the persona of a young fashion designer Rani along with Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar, the film turned out to be the ordinal highest grossing film of that year. She next marked in Aitraaz, a Sanskrit remake of Disclosure. It was her first perverse role. Her action won grave acclaim and earned a Filmfare Best Villain Award. She also received a second nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for the role. In the same year, she participated in a concern tour named Temptations 2004 with another Bollywood actors, including Shahrukh Khan, Saif calif Khan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta and Arjun Rampal.

In 2005, several of her films were released, all of which did not do substantially at the incase office.

In 2006, Chopra marked in two of the most successful films of the assemblage - Krrish and Don - The Chase Begins Again.

Nikhil Advani's ensemble piece, Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love was Chopra's first release in 2007. The movie failed to do substantially at the incase office. Chopra's next release, Big Brother also underperformed.

In 2008, Chopra featured in six films. Her prototypal four films, Love Story 2050, God Tussi Great Ho, Chamku and Drona, failed to do well. Chopra's ordinal release of the year, Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion was a critical success. The flick turned around the style world and Chopra's role was that of an ambitious model. Her performance in the flick was appreciated and earned her individual awards for Best Actress including the Filmfare Best Actress Award. Chopra's test release of the assemblage was Tarun Mansukhani's humanities comedy Dostana. The flick was a moderate financial success.

In 2009 she appeared in Vishal Bharadwaj's Kaminey alongside Shahid Kapoor activity a marathi girl named Sweety. Her performance in the flick was described by critic Taran Adarsh: "Priyanka is first-rate. She's so such in sync with her character. Also, she gets the Maharashtrian pronounce perfect". Later this assemblage she is feat to appear in Ashutosh Gowariker's What's Your Raashee? and Jugal Hansraj's Pyaar Impossible. She has also signed Sanjay Gupta's Chamki Chameli

Also See : Priyanka Chopra Gallery

Kartina Kaif Wallpaper

2009-08-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

Kartina Kaif

2009-08-30T08:22:00.000-07:00

About

Katrina Kaif (Hindi: कत्रिना कैफ़; born 16 July 1984) is a Hong Kong-born British-Indian actress and model who has appeared in Hindi, Telugu and Malayalam films. Since 2007 she has starred in several commercially successful films, which made her one of the popular actresses in current Bollywood.

Early Life

Katrina Kaif was born in Hong Kong to a Kashmiri Islamic father, Mohammed Kaif, and a nation Christian mother, Suzzane. Her mother, a Harvard graduate, was a lawyer but after became involved in charity work. Her parents distributed when Kaif was very young. Kaif has heptad siblings. She was raised in Hawaii and after touched to her mother's home country, England. At age fourteen she was approached by an agent and began modeling; her first job was for a jewelry campaign. She continued modeling in London.

Career

Kaif's author modeling impact led to her discovery by filmmaker Kaizad Gustad, who gave her a part in his flick Boom (2003). She moved to Mumbai and was offered a number of modeling assignments. However, filmmakers were initially indecisive to clew her because she could not intercommunicate Hindi.

Kaif saw success with the 2005 flick Sarkar where she had a diminutive persona Abhishek Bachchan's girlfriend. Her next release, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya (2005), where she was matched opposite Salman Khan, earned her an award at the Stardust Award for breakthrough someone performance.

In 2007 Katrina appeared in the impact flick Namastey London, wherein she starred as a nation girl alongside Akshay Kumar for the ordinal instance after the incase office dud Humko Deewana Kar Gaye. She has since featured in a program of incase office hits that allow Apne, Partner and Welcome.

2008 saw her play a negative persona for the first instance in Abbas-Mustan's impact action thriller Race. She played the persona of Saif calif Khan's secretary who is secretly in fuck with his belligerent brother played by Akshay Khanna. She appeared next in Anees Bazmee's incase office super-hit Singh Is Kinng alongside Akshay Kumar for the fourth time. Kaif's final release of the year, Subhash Ghai's Yuvvraaj, was a surprise grave and commercial failure.

Kaif's first release for 2009, New York, with John patriarch was a grave and commercial success. Kaif's performance was highly understood with critic Taran Adarsh writing, Katrina gives you the biggest surprise. Known for her glamour roles, Katrina proves that she can have if the director and writer offer her a persona of substance. She's outstanding. In fact, people module see a new, different Katrina this time.

In The Media

Kaif was voted Asia's Sexiest women in 2008 and was also the most searched celebrity on Google. Kaif was also recently seen on the Reality Show 10 Ka Dum, along with Neil Nitin Mukesh for the promotion of her flick New York. Kaif appeared on the singing talent exhibit Sa Re Ga Ma Pa with Salman Khan to promote her flick Yuvvraaj. Kaif is the model for Mattel's Bollywood Barbie, which will be released in September 2009.

Also See : Kartina Kaif Gallery

Karishma Kapoor Wallpaper

2007-11-26T02:08:00.000-08:00

Karishma Kapoor

2007-11-23T00:09:00.000-08:00

About

Karisma Kapoor, nicknamed "Lolo" (Hindi: करिश्मा कपूर, born 25 June 1974 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India) is a National Film Award-winning popular Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films.

Making her film debut in 1991, Kapoor went on to become one of the most popular actresses of her generation. During her career years, she has been part of many commercially and critically successful films, Raja Hindustani being the most notable of them, as it was one of the biggest hits of its decade, and won Kapoor her first Filmfare Best Actress Award. She surprised critics and audiences with her performances in art films such as Fiza (2000) and Zubeidaa (2001), for which she earned a Best Actress and Best Actress (Critics) awards at the Filmfare ceremony. Since then, she has worked in several films though most of them performed poorly at the box office. In 2003, Kapoor took a break from cinema and is likely to make her comeback very soon.

Career

Karisma made her debut in the 1991 movie Prem Qaidi, which was a semi-hit. Although most of her multiple releases from 1992-1996 failed to do well at the box office, she had some success with films like Jigar (1992), Anari (1993), Raja Babu (1994), Coolie No. 1 (1995), Saajan Chale Sasural (1996) and Jeet (1996).

In 1996, Kapoor played the female lead in Dharmesh Darshan's Raja Hindustani opposite Aamir Khan. The movie was the highest grossing film of the year and she won her first Filmfare Best Actress Award. The following year, she won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award and the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Yash Chopra's super-hit, Dil To Pagal Hai opposite Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit.

Kapoor took a year break from films in 1998. Her diminutive comeback in 1999 proved to be good as she took part in the year's most successful films. Kapoor starred in four absolute hits. David Dhawan's comedy Biwi No.1 opposite Salman Khan became the biggest hit of the year. She proved to have success with comedy films, as David Dhawan's another film Haseena Maan Jaayegi did fairly well at the box office.

Kapoor also collaborated for the first time with the Rajshri Productions banner with Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United which also resulted in a hit. Her last release, Jaanwar opposite Akshay Kumar, was another box office hit, making her the most successful actress of the year.

In 2000, she won her second Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance in Khalid Mohammed's Fiza. Her performance in the film was much appreciated as she surprised the audiences and the critics showing great emotional range and depth. She also achieved critical acclaim for her role in the film, Zubeidaa (2001), which garnered her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. Her performance in Shakti - The Power (2002) was highly appreciated and earned her many nominations in the Best Actress category.

In 2003 she played the leading role in the television series Karishma: A Miracle of Destiny. After her film, Baaz: A Bird In Danger which also released in 2003, she took a sabbatical from full time acting for three years.

Her most recent release was the delayed film, Mere Jeevan Saathi (2006) in which she played a negative role.

Personal Life

She was born on June 25, 1974 to Randhir Kapoor, an actor popular during the 1970s and 80s, and actress Babita. Her sister is actress Kareena Kapoor. She studied at the Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai until grade six. Her grandfather is actor Raj Kapoor.

Karisma does not like to talk about her personal life but she has been romantically involved with Ajay Devgan and Abhishek Bachchan. She announced her engagement to Bachchan in October of 2002 on the 60th birthday of Abhishek's father, Amitabh Bachchan. Four months later in February 2003, they split up.

On 29 September 2003, she married industrialist Sanjay Kapur, CEO of Sixt India. In typical Kapoor tradition, Karisma was married at her grandfather, the late Raj Kapoor's home, R K Cottage. The couple opted for an hour-long Sikh ceremony. The couple has one daughter named Samaira, who was born on 11 March 2005. After the birth of her daughter, there was considerable rift between her and her husband. The couple has subsequently patched-up.

Also see : Karishma Kapoor Gallery

Sonali Bendre Wallpaper

2007-11-21T01:42:00.000-08:00

Sonali Bendre

2007-11-17T01:01:00.001-08:00

About

Sonali Bendre (Marathi:सोनाली बेंद्रे, born 1 January 1975) is an Indian actress and model. She has starred in Bollywood films mostly but has acted in a few Marathi, Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films.

Biography

Sonali studied in Bangalore and Mumbai in Kendriya Vidyalaya and Holy Cross Convent High School Thane.

Sonali Bendre started out as a model before being selected for the "Star Dust Talent Search". Her first role was in Aag (1994) opposite Govinda. Though she initially struggled to be a successful actress, she was eventually given critical acclaim for her performances in films like Bhai (1997)Sarfarosh (1999), Zakhm, Duplicate, Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United (1999), Dil Hi Dil Mein (2000), Tera Mera Saath Rahey and Anaahat (2003) among many others.

In 1995 she won the Filmfare Lux New Face Award. In 2001 she also won the Star Screen Award Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai where she co-starred with Anil Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai. She was the only cast member who was nominated and won the award. She was appreciated for her comic performances in films like Love Ke Liye Kuchh Bhi Karega

Next to her well-received performances, she was also recognized as a graceful dancer through films like Bombay, Lajja and Major Saab to name a few. She is frequently listed as one of the top most beautiful Bollywood actress.

On November 12, 2002 she married film producer/director Goldie Behl. She also hosted the 50th Filmfare Awards with Saif Ali Khan and Farida Jalal on February 26, 2005. On August 9, 2005 she gave birth to a son, Ranvir, at Breach Candy Hospital.

Bendre is set to star in the theatre in a play called, Aap Ki Soniya.

Also see : Sonali Bendre Gallery

Shilpa Shetty Wallpaper

2007-11-13T21:19:00.001-08:00

Shilpa Shetty

2007-11-12T17:17:00.000-08:00

About

Shilpa Shetty (Tulu: ಶಿಲ್ಪ ಶೆಟ್ಟಿ) (born 8 June 1975 in Tamil Nadu, India) is an award-winning Indian film actress and model. Since making her debut in the film Baazigar (1993), she has appeared in nearly 50 films, her first leading role being in 1994 in Aag. She resides at the centre of the Hindi-language film industry in Mumbai, India. Her younger sister Shamita Shetty is also a Bollywood film actress.

Shilpa was crowned the winner of the British Celebrity Big Brother on 28 January 2007 with 63% of the final vote, after an international racism controversy involving her and fellow contestants Jade Goody, Jo O'Meara and Danielle Lloyd.

Biography

Shilpa Shetty was born in a strict and traditional close-knit family that hails from the matrilineal Bunt community of Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka although she was born in Mangalore. She is the eldest daughter of Surendra and Sunanda Shetty, manufacturers of tamper-proof caps for the pharmaceutical industry, and her native language is Tulu although she can speak nearly ten other languages at differing levels, including English, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Urdu and basic French. One of her nicknames is "Silly Pooh".

She attended St. Anthony Girls' High School, located in Chembur, and later attended Podar College. She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She is also into sports and was the captain of the volleyball team in school and earned a black belt in Karate and currently a dancesport expert and enthusiast.

Shetty currently lives in Mumbai with her parents and younger sister Shamita Shetty, who is a budding Bollywood actress. They worked together once in the film Fareb (2005).

At 5 ft 10 inches (178cm), she is one of the tallest actresses in Bollywood and regularly wears 3 inch heels making her around 6 ft 1.

Career

Film career
Shetty started her career by modelling for Limca in 1991 at age 16, and made her film debut in 1993 with Baazigar, portraying a woman murdered by her psychopathic boyfriend. Although she was a supporting actress alongside Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, the film was a major success and earned her a nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.

Her first leading role was in the film Aag in 1994, which was averagely received at the box office. She had a hit that same year with the film Main Khiladi Tu Anari opposite Akshay Kumar. This was followed by many films which were average to poor performers at the box office. Shetty starred in another big film that year Aao Pyar Karen followed by Hathkadi in 1995 where she was working alongside actors such as Saif Ali Khan, Govinda and Madhoo but they failed at the box office. 1997 was one of her busiest years, she appeared in six different films, beginning with the small Telugu language film Veedeva Dani Babu. Her first major Bollywood film of that year was the action thriller Auzaar. Shilpa portrayed the character of Prathna Thakur alongside actors Salman Khan and Sanjay Kapoor. In 1998, she had one release, Pardesi Babu, for which she received critical acclaim and won the Bollywood Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 2000 Shetty received much acclaim for her role in Dhadkan which earned reasonable takings at the Indian box office. She received several nominations under the Best Actress category in different award ceremonies. She would later go on to star with Anil Kapoor and Karisma Kapoor in the film Rishtey (2002). Her comic performance as an eccentric fisherwoman was appreciated and she received a nomination under the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award category, and various nomination for Best Comedia as well.

2004 was also a good year for Shetty with the release of Garv in which she portrayed a Muslim orphan and disillusioned table dancer starring opposite Salman Khan. Unlike the similar Chandni Bar, Garv was a cop drama that did not make the same social impact but which Shetty chose to do because she liked the subject. However, she received much acclaim for her performance in Phir Milenge which critics consider as her best performance so far, where she makes a sensitive portrayal of a successful city high-flyer who contracts HIV via unprotected sex and becomes a social outcast as a result. The film, based on 1993's Philadelphia, was perceived to have tackled a social taboo as yet unaddressed by Bollywood and earned Shetty a Filmfare Best Actress nomination, and also provided an impetus for her HIV-related charity work. The actress was also a guest judge on the Indian Idol television show.

This marked a break from the previous trend of superficial song-and-dance items in favour of "meatier roles" exemplified by her film Dus (2005), an action thriller. Although it received average returns at the box office, Shetty stated that she had taken the role in order to reinvent herself by portraying the rather unconventional character of an anti-terrorist squad member. She also starred with her sister in the film Fareb in 2005. Shilpa had one release in 2006, the much delayed Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar. The film was a box office flop but she got good reviews for her role as a wife with negative shades. In 2006, she was a judge on Jhalak Dikhlaja, a Sony Entertainment Television dance show based on the original UK show Strictly Come Dancing.

Shetty was once featured in Mani Ratnam's stage show, Netru, Indru, Naalai.

The year 2007 proved to be her most successful year at the box office so far. Her first release, Life In A... Metro had decent reviews at the box office, receiving a hit status. The film was also critically acclaimed and Shetty's performance was appreciated by audiences and critics as well. Her second release, Apne was a good performer at the box office, receiving a semi-hit status.

Celebrity Big Brother 2007

Shetty was a contestant in and the winner of Celebrity Big Brother UK. and is the first Indian celebrity included in the Celebrity version. Reportedly paid Rs.31.5m (£367,500 GBP) for her participation, she said to presenter Davina McCall, "I just want every Indian to be extremely proud that I'm in here". As for her participation, she stated: "I have zero expectations. The only thing I really hope to keep is my self-respect and my dignity." Sister Shamita told the Times of India that this "is the boldest decision Shilpa has taken hitherto." The Scotsman reported that PETA backed Shetty to win the contest and urged British viewers to vote for her.

During her time, Shetty instructed fellow housemates Carole Malone and Ken Russell in meditation, flirted with Dirk Benedict but tempers started to fray by Day 7 as a clique formed in the house disapproving of Shilpa's presence. Following a worldwide controversy that publicised her as a target of racist bullying (see below) within the house, Shetty won the contest after gaining 63% of the public vote and described the experience as "incredible and overwhelming". She further thanked the public for "a fantastic opportunity to make my country proud".

Post Celebrity Big Brother

In February 2007, Shetty attended a reception at the House of Commons, by invitation of Keith Vaz MP to meet with then-British prime minister Tony Blair. She was also invited to meet with Queen Elizabeth II at Marlborough House in London in March 2007. During an interview on This Morning, Shetty confirmed that she had been asked to take the role of Preeti Choraria's sister in EastEnders. Shilpa said that after much thought she would be unable to take the role as it would mean all her other arrangements would have to go on hold.

She was also the subject of a Sky One documentary entitled "The Real Shilpa Shetty", which was produced by British television production company Twofour. The large number of commercial offers that Shilpa received after winning Celebrity Big Brother themselves became reason for controversy with an increasing number of accusations about her riding the 'racism' wave to commercial gain. She was on the cover of the first issue of OK! Magazine to be sold in India.

On 27 March 2007 News of the World, National Tabloid, UK had reported information about her date with Akshay Kumar back in 1999. Accordingly, someone very close to both Shilpa and Akshay has revealed private information that was kept as a secret from many people including Shilpa's parents. Her first release after the reality show got a great opening. The movie, Life In A... Metro became the first Bollywood movie to premiere at Leicester Square. Danielle Lloyd was also invited by the actress to attend the premiere.

In early September 2007 she modelled at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, which also displayed some famous Bollywood actresses including Lara Dutta and Celina Jaitley.

As of October 2007, Shilpa will be seen in a musical titled Miss Bollywood. On her agenda next, is a cookery book titled Soul Curry and role of Sita in Uru Patel's international venture Hanuman.

Personal Life

Shetty is a frequent subject of speculation regarding romance. However, she has remained tight-lipped whenever questions of marriage are posed to her. Her previous relationships include an affair with actor Akshay Kumar, whom she met on the Main Khiladi Tu Anari set in 1994. The couple split in 2000 after he started dating Shetty's friend and fellow actress Twinkle Khanna after a previous indiscretion, and which led to Shetty's successful suing of Stardust magazine for publishing a "damaging" report about the affair.

In an interview for the Times of India, Shetty quashed rumours of a romance with director Anubhav Sinha and claimed to have changed her mobile phone number in order to concentrate on her busy schedule. But in a later interview for the Sunday Mirror a friend of Shetty revealed that she was "in love" with Sinha and that he was her "soulmate", but that she could not be with him for fear of parental disapproval, social stigma (Sinha is married with two children, although currently separated) and adverse public perception. Currently single and not dating, Shetty has stated that she plans to marry in three years and would love to adopt a teenage daughter.

Also see : Shilpa Shetty Gallery

Preity Zinta Wallpaper

2007-11-10T00:32:00.000-08:00

Preity Zinta

2007-11-09T01:49:00.000-08:00

About

Preity Zinta born January 31, 1975) is an Indian film actress who has appeared in Hindi, Telugu and English language movies. A criminal psychology graduate, Zinta made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam's Dil Se in 1998, followed by Soldier in the same year. She won a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for both films, and was later recognized for her performance as a teenage single mother in Kundan Shah's movie Kya Kehna. Following this, she went on to explore diverse characters, credited with bringing a change in the image of Hindi film heroine.

Zinta received her first Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance in Kal Ho Naa Ho in 2003. She played the lead female role in two consecutive top-grossing films in India—the science fiction film Koi... Mil Gaya, which is her biggest commercial success to date, and the cross-border romance Veer-Zaara, which earned her critical acclaim. She was later recognized for her portrayal of an independent, modern Indian woman in Salaam Namaste and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, overseas top grossers. Zinta has established herself as a leading actress of contemporary Hindi cinema.

In addition to being an actress, Zinta is a columnist, having written several columns for BBC News Online South Asia, and an active stage performer. She is known in the Indian media for publicly speaking her mind and openly expressing her opinions, occasionally surrounding herself with controversy.

Early life and Background

Born on January 31, 1975 in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, Zinta hails from a Hindu Rajput family of Rohru in Shimla district. Her father, Durganand Zinta was an officer in the Indian Army. Durganand Zinta died when Preity was thirteen in a car accident which also involved her mother, Nilprabha Zinta. Her mother survived, but was severely injured and consequently bedridden for two years. According to Zinta, her father's early death was one of her most terrible and helpless experiences and a significant turning point in her life, as she was forced to grow up. Zinta has two brothers, Deepankar Zinta and Manish Zinta, a year older and a year younger, respectively. Deepankar is a commissioned officer in the Indian Army, while Manish is settled in Los Angeles. Zinta, a self-confessed tomboy in the early stages of her life, was influenced primarily by her father. She studied at the Convent of Jesus and Mary boarding school in Delhi, later commenting in an interview with The Times of India, "But I didn't regret spending time away from them (family) because I had a perfect set of friends (at school)." As a student, she developed a love for literature, particularly William Shakespeare and poetry, which led to her taking admission in St Bede's College, opting for English Honours. She was interested in writing poetry herself, and specialized in sports, particularly basketball.

Zinta completed school at the age of eighteen and enrolled at the University of Mumbai. She initially studied for an English honours major, but later decided to pursue an advanced program in psychology. Although she earned a degree in criminal psychology at the St Bede's College in Shimla, Zinta later took up modeling. Zinta's first commercial for Perk chocolates happened in 1996 when she met a commercials director at a friend's birthday party. The director informed her that he had written a script for a commercial which would be ideal for her, and insisted that she attend the auditions. Afterwards, she appeared in several catalogs and other commercials, such as that of Liril.

Early Career (1998-2000)

In 1997, Zinta met director and producer Shekhar Kapur when she accompanied a friend to an audition and was asked to audition herself. After seeing her audition, Kapur insisted that she become an actress. She was originally scheduled to make her screen debut in Kapur's Tara Rum Pum Pum opposite Hrithik Roshan, but the filming was canceled; Kapur later recommended her for director Mani Ratnam's Dil Se.

Zinta started shooting for Kundan Shah's Kya Kehna, but its release was delayed until 2000. The delay of another film, Soldier, meant that her first release was Dil Se (1998) opposite Shahrukh Khan and Manisha Koirala. Her portrayal of a middle class Delhi girl earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award nomination. She played her first leading role in the action drama Soldier, which was one of the biggest hits of the year. Zinta won the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for her performances in Dil Se and Soldier.

Zinta acted in two Telugu films, Premante Idera (1998) opposite Venkatesh, and Raja Kumarudu (1999) opposite Mahesh Babu. This was followed in 1999 by Tanuja Chandra's thriller Sangharsh, co-starring Akshay Kumar. The film was not a box office success, although Zinta's performance as a CBI officer, a woman of strong convictions, was critically acclaimed.

Breakthrough (2000–2002)

Zinta's first release in 2000 was the drama film Kya Kehna which was delayed since 1998. The film turned out to be a hit. The film was known for taking on the socially controversial themes of single parenthood and teenage pregnancy, and gained Zinta wider recognition as an actress both from the audience and from film critics. Her portrayal of a teenage single mother who tries to fight societal prejudice earned her a number of award nominations, including her first nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare.

Later that year, Zinta starred in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's drama Mission Kashmir alongside Sanjay Dutt and Hrithik Roshan. The film, set in the valley of Kashmir during the Indo-Pakistani conflicts, dealt with the topic of terrorism and crime. The film was the third highest grossing film of the year in India; Zinta played the role of Sufiya Parvez, a TV reporter and the male protagonist's childhood love; her performance was well received. The Hindu wrote, "Preity Zinta is her usual cherubic self and lends colour to the otherwise serious proceedings."

In 2001, Zinta earned positive reviews for her role in Farhan Akhtar's National Film Award-winning Dil Chahta Hai. Co-starring Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Akshaye Khanna, the film tells the story of three friends, with Zinta playing a young woman and Khan's love interest, Shalini. Three more 2001 releases featured Zinta, including Abbas Mustan's romantic drama Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, which was released after a one-year delay due to the trial of producer Bharat Shah (see below). The film was one of the first Bollywood movies to handle the taboo issue of surrogate childbirth. Zinta performed the role of a prostitute who is hired as a surrogate mother. Her performance in the film earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the Filmfare. Rediff.com wrote of her performance, "Preity Zinta, who clearly has the meatiest part of all, makes the best of it. Her transformation from the cocky and unabashed prostitute to a sensitive and warm person is amazingly believable." She was soon recognized for her versatility as an actress, regarded for enacting diverse roles, and credited with bringing a new image for a leading actress in Bollywood.

In 2002, Zinta collaborated once again with director Kundan Shah, playing the main protagonist in his family drama Dil Hai Tumhaara, co-starring Rekha, Mahima Chaudhary and Arjun Rampal. Although it failed to do well at the box office, her portrayal of Shalu, an adopted daughter craving love, was appreciated by critics and earned her positive reviews. Taran Adarsh from indiaFM.com noted, "...Preity Zinta, in an author-backed role, who steals the show with a sterling performance. Her scenes with Rekha (second half) and Alok Nath (pre-climax) are simply outstanding. Here's a performance that is sure to win accolades from the junta and critics whole-heartedly.

Success (2003 onward)

Zinta was the female lead in three of 2003's highest grossing films in India—The Hero: Love Story of a Spy, Koi... Mil Gaya and Kal Ho Naa Ho. Koi... Mil Gaya was the biggest hit of the year as well as Zinta's highest grossing movie to date, with a domestic gross of Rs 430 million. Kal Ho Naa Ho, a tearjerker directed by Nikhil Advani and written by Karan Johar, starring Zinta, Shahrukh Khan and Saif Ali Khan, was India's second biggest hit after Koi... Mil Gaya and the biggest Indian hit of the year overseas, earning over Rs 600 million worldwide. She played the role of Naina Catherine Kapur, an insecure and angry Indian-American girl, who falls in love with a guy who has a fatal heart disease. Her performance won awards, including the Filmfare Best Actress Award.

In that same year, she acted in Honey Irani's directorial debut, Armaan, alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor. The drama, set in a hospital, deals with the trials and tribulations among its personnel and its principal Dr. Akash, who is desperate to sustain the hospital financially. Zinta played Akash's schizophrenic wife, Sonia Kapoor, and received positive notices for her performance, as well as nominations for Best Villain at different award ceremonies. Taran Adarsh from indiaFM.com wrote, "Preity Zinta comes up with another superb performance, essaying her part with utmost sincerity."

In 2004 Zinta acted as the TV journalist Romila Dutta in Farhan Akhtar's war drama Lakshya, co-starring Hrithik Roshan. The film was based on the historical events of the 1999 Kargil Conflict, and Zinta's character was modeled after the TV journalist Barkha Dutt, the only female reporter covering the events. She received mixed reviews; Rediff.com wrote about her, "Zinta has quite a good role and a good deal of footage in the film, and she does a fairly decent job of it without ever being spectacular." Later that year, Yash Chopra chose her for the lead female role of Zaara in the love legend Veer-Zaara opposite Shahrukh Khan, which was the biggest Bollywood hit of that year in both India and abroad, earning over Rs 750 million worldwide. The film, which relates the love story of an Indian officer and a Pakistani woman, received a significant reception worldwide, and Zinta's portrayal of a Pakistani girl was praised. She received her fourth nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare, and won Stardust Star of the Year Award for the second consecutive year. Variety magazine wrote, "Zinta, the most interesting young actress of her generation, is her usual lively self as the willful Zaara." Veer-Zaara was Zinta's second highest grossing film and third major hit in two consecutive years, and marked her entry into Yash Raj Films, one of the largest production houses in Bollywood, which helped consolidate her status in the industry.

In 2005, which saw her appear in two movies, her first release was the folk comedy Khullam Khulla Pyaar Karen, co-starring Govinda, a production which had been delayed since 2002. The film received negative reviews and poor winnings at the box office. Zinta's role was small, and was not well received. Her next release was Siddharth Anand's comedy-drama Salaam Namaste, co-starring Saif Ali Khan. The film was another Yash Raj big budget film and went on to become the year's biggest hit overseas, with revenue of Rs 430 million internationally. It is the story of two Indians who live together without marriage. Zinta played the female protagonist Ambar, a single modern young woman who leaves India to make her own life in Australia. The film was well received by critics, and Zinta's performance earned her nominations for Best Actress at a number of award ceremonies. Taran Adarsh wrote, "After Kya Kehna, Preity Zinta accepts the challenge of portraying an unwed mother yet again in Salaam Namaste. The actor is terrific, delivering her most accomplished performance to date. Her lip locks with Saif Ali Khan will catch a lot of people unaware, but that's the sign of a thorough professional."

Zinta received further success in 2006, starring in Karan Johar's drama Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna along with an all star cast that included Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji. The film became one of the biggest box office hits in India, earning Rs 464 million, and grossed over Rs 445 million overseas, the biggest Bollywood hit in the overseas market ever, which simultaneously became her fourth overseas top earner in four consecutive years. The film tells the story of two unhappily married couples in New York, and a resulting extramarital affair. Zinta played the role of Rhea Saran, a stylish and modern fashion magazine editor and her performance was appreciated by critics. One critic wrote "Preity not only looks gorgeous, but the dedication to her role shows at vital points. Her penultimate scene with Rani Mukerji, when she confronts her at the marriage reception, is fabulous." and Rediff.com concluded, "Preity looks glamorous and in a couple of scenes, manages to overshadow King [Shahrukh] Khan too." She then starred in Shirish Kunder's romantic musical Jaan-E-Mann, a story of two guys in the US loving the same girl, co-starring Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar. The film received positive reviews from critics, yet performed poorly at the box office.

In 2007 Zinta portrayed the character of a British Pakistani young woman, Alvira Khan, in her third Yash Raj Film, Shaad Ali's comedy Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, alongside Abhishek Bachchan, Bobby Deol and Lara Dutta. The film was a critical and commercial failure in India. The film did better overseas, especially in the UK. She received mixed reviews from one extreme to the other; The Times of India criticized her, saying that, "she is too plastic as the Paki-Brit girl".

Later in 2007, Zinta began working more with art film directors, and turned towards neo-realistic cinemas, known in India as parallel cinema. She acted in her first English film, Rituparno Ghosh's The Last Lear, as a struggling theatre actress opposite Amitabh Bachchan. The film premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, and was well received. The first reviews were positive, with one critic writing "It's great to see her doing a completely natural role. She played her role with real dignity and it was a pleasure seeing her getting back to her initial style of acting". On her first art film, Zinta said "I did think with art films that they don't pay you, they don't feed you, but I was wrong, and I'm so happy to be here". As of October 2007, she is set to star in Jahnu Barua's forthcoming film Har Pall.

Personal Life

Zinta used to visit her native town Shimla when not busy in shooting. In 2006, Zinta moved into her own home in Mumbai. Zinta identifies herself as not of a very religious nature. During an interview with The Times of India, she commented, "But I believe in good deeds, in karma, I don’t believe in going to temples. For me, religion is very personal. It’s all about having faith...We have heard and read that all religions are equal. Now I am increasingly believing in this." Zinta narrowly escaped death twice in late 2004. The first occurred after an explosion at a Temptation concert in Colombo, Sri Lanka; the second occurred during the Indian Ocean earthquake.

During her years in the Indian film industry, Zinta has been the subject of media speculation and numerous controversies, which put her among the most controversial celebrities in Bollywood. In 2003, Zinta was a witness in the Bharat Shah case and his links to the Indian Underworld. Bharat Shah was the financer for the 2000 film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, in which Zinta starred. In 2000, Shah and the producer of the film, Nazim Rizvi, were arrested for having connections with Chhota Shakeel, a Mumbai underworld boss. Unlike several of her colleagues, Zinta stuck by her earliest statement in the court. She informed the court that she had received threatening phone calls from the mafia, attempting to extort money from her while shooting the film Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, who told her that she would have to bear the consequences if she did not pay up. Zinta testified that she had confided in Nazim Rizvi about the threatening incident: "He told me not to worry and that everything would be alright. He gave me his cell phone number and told me to call him if I have any further problems." After that, she was given police protection and was forced to stay out of the public eye for two months. Thirteen other witnesses before her, including celebrities Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan, were witnesses in the case but they soon retracted their statements. Zinta was the only witness not to have turned hostile, and her courage to testify was appreciated by the nation. Consequently, she was a special recipient of the annual Red and White bravery awards, for the "Courageous Act" of standing against the Mumbai Underworld. On receiving the award, Zinta said: "To be brave is not to be fearless. It is when you fear and you get over it, then you can be called brave. I am human. It is not that I fear nothing. But getting over a fear is a continuous process and I have been successful so far".

Zinta dated model Marc Robinson for one year in 2000. According to Zinta, they remained on good terms, later commenting in an interview with Filmfare, "We aren't seeing each other anymore, but I have very, very fond memories of the times we were together and I'd like to keep it to that." In February 2005, Zinta began dating the Bombay Dyeing heir, businessman Ness Wadia. Their relationship is frequently reported in the media, and is often subject to speculation in the press of a possible engagement. In December 2006, Ness Wadia was reported to have attacked several construction workers at Zinta's residence in Bandra; reportedly, a woman was critically injured and a child was hurt. Zinta reacted angrily at hearing these rumours on a news channel, declaring strongly it was not true. Zinta lectured the press on how they should conduct themselves, "Please do your homework before you report anything to the nation. You cannot target me and my boyfriend just because I am a film star." She challenged the press and offered Rs 1 million to whoever could find an injured woman. The press found nothing and the rumour was considered to be false.

In March 2007, there was an alleged crisis in Zinta's relationship with Wadia when actress and singer Suchitra Krishnamurthy cited Zinta as the cause of her divorce with Shekhar Kapur, alleging that Preity was having an affair with her husband. Although initially silent on this issue, on further accusation by Krishnamurthy, Zinta retorted, "It is unfortunate that I am bearing the brunt of someone else’s paranoia. She’s clearly unstable and I wish her a speedy recovery." She issued a statement that she had met Kapur only five times in 10 years and demanded that he step into the picture and clear her name from this controversy. Since then, this controversy has come to an end. The tabloids have often linked Zinta with other Bollywood stars, but she has strongly denied these rumours.

Also see : Preity Zinta Gallery

Kareena Kapoor Wallpaper

2007-10-29T22:16:00.000-07:00

Kareena Kapoor

2007-10-29T21:51:00.000-07:00

About

Kareena Kapoor (Hindi: करीना कपूर, born 21 September 1980) nicknamed "Bebo" is an award-winning prominent Indian actress who appears in Bollywood movies.

Making her acting debut with J.P. Dutta's Refugee (2000), for which she won a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award, Kapoor had her first commercial success with her second release, Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai (2001). Her performance as a cosmetic beauty in Karan Johar's melodramatic Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, which also released that year, was praised and the film turned out to be her biggest commercial success to date. After that, Kapoor starred in several films which were less successful at the box office and received some criticism in that she was becoming typecast. As a result of this, she began taking on more serious and diverse roles.

Her portrayal of a sex-worker in Sudhir Mishra's Chameli (2004) proved to be the turning point in her career and won her the Filmfare Special Performance Award. Following this, her performances in critically acclaimed films like Dev (2004) and Omkara (2006) were praised and earned her two Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress.

During her career years, she has appeared in many films, majority of them bringing her critical acclaim rather than commercial success. Despite this, she retains popularity and is regarded as one of the most versatile actresses of the industry.

Early Life and Family

Hailing from the renowned Kapoor film family of Punjabi origin, Kapoor was born on September 21, 1980 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, as the second child of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita (née Shivdasani). According to Kapoor, her first name was derived from the book, Anna Karenina, "It just so happened that mom was reading Anna Karenina while she was carrying me. And so impressed was she by the character that she promised to name her child by that name if she ever had a girl."

She is the grand-daughter of the legendary actor and director Raj Kapoor and the great grand-daughter of Prithviraj Kapoor. Bebo, as she is also fondly called, is the sister of popular actress, Karisma Kapoor and the niece of well-known actor, Rishi Kapoor. Other living relatives include maternal aunt Sadhana, and cousins Ranbir Kapoor and Nikhil Nanda.

Due to family tradition, her father wanted her to get married early and settle down, thus avoiding acting, which was considered a taboo for Kapoor women. This led to irreconcilable differences between her father and mother and they decided to separate, resulting in her mother taking her along with her sister.

Kapoor attended Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai as a child, and then went to Welham Girls Boarding School in Dehradun. After studying commerce at Mithibai College, Vile Parle for two years, she went to Harvard for summer school and took a course in microcomputers and information technology for three months. Set on pursuing an acting career, she took an admission in Government Law College at Churchgate to become a lawyer. After completing one year there, she returned to her initial plan of joining the film industry and began training to become an actress under Kishor Namit Kapoor, the founder of Kapoor Acting Lab.

Career

Early work, until 2000...
Kapoor was initially approached to make her debut opposite Hrithik Roshan in Rakesh Roshan's Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000). However after several days into the filming, she abandoned the project due to her mother's influence. In an interview, she explained, "It was probably destined that I was not to be in the film. After all, it was a launch for his (Rakesh Roshan) son. The whole focus was on the boy. Now I am glad I did not do the movie."

Her career commenced with an unconventional role in J.P. Dutta’s moderately successful Refugee (2000) opposite Abhishek Bachchan, proclaiming that she wanted "to be known as a powerful actress." The film centred around the India-Pakistan conflicts, showing a young man, Refugee, who carries out the illegal activity of taking civilians to Pakistan and forth. Kapoor's performance of Naaz, a Bangladeshi girl, who falls in love with him while migrating to Pakistan along with her family, won her critical acclaim. Critic Taran Adarsh from indiafm.com noted, "Kareena Kapoor has a magnetic personality, which will make the viewer fall in love with her instantly. On a scale of 10, Kareena's performance deserves 9 marks, dialogue delivery 8 and overall personality 10. What surprises you is the ease with which she emotes the most difficult of scenes, that too against experienced performers. There's no denying the fact that she is a natural performer who is very camera friendly."

The film eventually went on to became the fifth highest grossing film of the year and earned Kapoor her first Filmfare Award in the Best Female Debut category.

Breakthrough, 2001 - 2003....
The year 2001 began with a successful start for Kapoor, as her first film, Satish Kaushik's Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai opposite Tusshar Kapoor became one of the biggest hits of the year. Critic, Faiz Khan wrote about her performance, "Kareena Kapoor is someone who brings to the film, a magical glow and at times you feel that here is an actress who has some of Kajol's spark. She is effortless, and has a natural and spontaneous feel to her. This girl is headed right for the top, there is no stopping her."

However, subsequent films like Yaadein and Asoka did poorly at the box office but her breakthrough performance of a princess in the latter was acclaimed and earned Kapoor her first Filmfare nomination for Best Actress. Later that year, she starred in Abbas Mustan's thriller Ajnabee. Although the film tackled an audacious theme of wife swapping, which critics thought the Indian audience would find hard to absorb and identify with, the film fared reasonably well and became one of the highest grossing films of the year.

Kapoor's last release of the year was Karan Johar's drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, consisting of a multi-starrer cast that included Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Kajol and Hrithik Roshan. The film became the second highest grossing film of the year and one of the biggest hit overseas. Her performance as a cosmetic beauty was applauded and earned her a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Filmfare ceremony. Taran Adarsh noted, "Kareena Kapoor is one of the main highlights of the film. She provides the much-needed fun and entertainment in the second half; her performance will be loved by the youth. Playing a cosmetic beauty to the hilt, she is simply adorable." These successes and accomplishments established her as one of the industry's most successful stars.

After these successes, Kapoor was in high demand and was signed to many new films, but most of them were not as successful as those which had given her the spotlight attention. In 2002, she starred alongside Hrithik Roshan and Rani Mukerji in Kunal Kohli's directorial debut Mujhse Dosti Karoge! (2002), which was her first film with the biggest production house in Bollywood: Yash Raj Films. Although much anticipated, the film was a critical and commercial failure in India but fared well overseas, especially in the U.K. The film dealt with a love story between three childhood friends and saw Kapoor play Tina, a girl of today's generation. Faiz Khan criticized her, "Kareena Kapoor seems to have stepped off the Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham sets and simply had a change of name, from Pooja to Tina for this film. But what was novel in that film, is contrived here. What was exciting in K3G, is irritating here."

This was followed in 2003 by Sooraj R. Barjatya's love-triangle Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, co-starring Hrithik Roshan and Abhishek Bachchan. Produced by Rajshri Productions, the film also failed commercially and critically in India but proved to be a hit overseas. Kapoor's performance of Sanjana, the center of two men was criticized, "Kareena comes off as very inexperienced, mouthing dialogs synthetically, and going over the top in emotional scenes far too often." Critics began criticizing her for enacting repetitious kind of roles in her films and expressing that she was indeed in serious danger of becoming typecast, which was fundamental in her attempting a diversity of more adventurous roles in the years following.

Turning Point, 2004 - present....
In 2004, Kapoor began working with art film directors and doing more serious roles that brought her critical acclaim rather than commercial success. Her role of a prostitute in the 2004 film, Chameli proved to be a turning point in her career and made critics take notice of her once again, earning her the Filmfare Special Performance Award. Film critic Subhash K. Jha wrote "Kareena goes way beyond anyone's expectations, including most decidedly her own, to deliver an all-time great performance, on a par with Nargis in Mehboob Khan's "Mother India" (1957), Meena Kumari in "Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam" (1962) and Shabana Azmi in Mahesh Bhatt's "Arth" (1982). Kareena flashes an intuitive brilliance that comes to movies very, very rarely indeed."

After winning acclaim for her role in Chameli, Kapoor's next release was Govind Nihalani's critically acclaimed Dev, which dealt with the historical events of the 2001 Gujarat riots. Modeled after Zahira Sheikh, a key witness in Vadodara's Best Bakery case, Kapoor played Aaliya, a middle-class Muslim girl who is a victim of these riots. Her performance was unanimously praised, earning her a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance as well as several nominations for Best Actress at various award ceremonies. Critic, Prema K. noted, "Kareena is very good right from the first to last frame. Two scenes require special mention- when she is trying to fight off the Hindu rioters who try to rape her friend and her, and the other in which she reveals the names of wrongdoers to Dev. With this film one can confidently say that she has matured as an actress and with the right films and directors could go the Tabu way."

In the same year, Kapoor also played a negative role for the first time in Ken Ghosh's Fida. Although the film failed to do well, she again received positive reviews for her performance. Anjali from indiainfo.com wrote, "Kareena has also done a great job. After Chameli and Dev earlier this year, she evolves further as an actress. She has portrayed the parts where she is racked by guilt very well." Another critic said, "Kareena Kapoor is in great form. The actress gets the best part and must say, she sinks her teeth into it and emerges with flying colours. This is amongst her finest work to date. She looks bewitching as well.

Later that year, Kapoor ventured into her first comic role in the semi-hit Hulchul, for which she was praised. Critic Smitha Nambiar lauded her comic timing whilst another critic wrote, "Kareena Kapoor looks ethereal and delivers a highly competent performance. Although she does not get a chance to exhibit talent in the post-interval portions, her performance in the first half continues to linger in your memory even after the show has concluded." Her other release that year included the moderately successful Aitraaz co-starring Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra.

This was followed in 2005 by Dharmesh Darshan's drama, Bewafaa, alongside Anil Kapoor, Akshay Kumar and Sushmita Sen. Kapoor played the female lead of Anjali, a woman who decides to marry her sister's husband after her death. Unsatisfied with her married life, she sets on an extramarital affair with her lover. The film received mixed reviews by critics and so did Kapoor's performance. Taran Adarsh wrote about her performance, "This is Kareena's film all the way and the talented actress knows how to absorb a meaty role like this. She looks stunning, emotes with complete maturity and delivers a knockout performance" whilst another criticized her by saying, "as a dedicated mother, she fails to emote properly."

36 China Town was Kapoor's first release in 2006 followed by Chup Chup Ke. Both films managed to do moderately well at the box office. However, she was mostly noticed with her portrayal of Desdemona in the Indian adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello, Omkara. Her performance was praised, earning her a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance and a Star Screen Award for Best Actress as well as various nominations for Best Actress at different award ceremonies. Critic Naresh Kumar Deoshi wrote, "Kareena Kapoor once again shows her acting prowess in playing a role that has no glamour but lots of substance. She brings out the innocence and the vulnerability of her character."

In the same year, she won favorable reviews for her item number in the hit movie Don - The Chase Begins Again. Her forthcoming release, Imtiaz Ali's Jab We Met (2007) is expected to release on October 26, 2007.

Personal Life

Kapoor began dating actor Shahid Kapoor, the son of veteran actor Pankaj Kapoor in 2004. While dating, their relationship was widely reported in the media, and was once in the center of a scandal when onlookers with mobile phone cameras filmed them kissing and released it to the news.

The couple separated during the filming of their film Jab We Met (2007), though media projected it as a publicity stunt for the film.[44] However, it was later confirmed that the couple had indeed broken up. According to her, they remained on good terms, with her saying in an interview, "I have seen Shahid from his first film to Jab We Met and I can say that there is a marked difference. According to me he is a bundle of talent waiting to explode. I have that much of faith in him as an actor."

In October 2007, during her breakup with Kapoor, rumours began floating around that she was seeing actor Saif Ali Khan. On October 18, 2007, during Manish Malhotra's grand finale show at the Lakme Fashion Week, Khan confirmed their relationship to the media saying, "Yes, we are not exactly shouting from the rooftops but yes, clearly we are together. And we are happy together!"

Gossip columnists have linked her to a number of her co-stars, but she has strongly denied all these rumors.She also declared in 2006 that she would turn vegetarian to keep her weight in check.

Commitments

Kapoor set on her first world tour in 2002. The Heartthrobs Concert, which had her perform alongside stars like Hrithik Roshan, Karisma Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, and Aftab Shivdasani went on to be a success.

In February 2005, along with other Bollywood stars, Kapoor performed at the HELP! Telethon Concert to help raise money for the victims of Tsunami.

In March 2005, she visited the desert heartland of Rajasthan to boost the morales of the jawans. It was for a special Holy weekend episode on the Jai Jawan show, where entertainers and stars visited Indian troops in far-flung regions to encourage them along with the NDTV team.

She also performed at the "Marco Ricci Each One Reach One Benefit Concert", a fundraiser for the World Youth Peace Summit.

In her latest tour, the Rockstars Concert of May 2006, she performed alongside Salman Khan, Zayed Khan, John Abraham, Shahid Kapoor, Esha Deol and Mallika Sherawat.

Kapoor donated her prize money, her half-share of 50 lakh rupees from her 2007 appearance on the season finale of Kaun Banega Crorepati with Priyanka Chopra, to St. Anthony's Old Age Home and Mount Mary's Bandra in support of its welfare activities.

Also see : Kareena Kapoor Gallery

Amisha Patel Wallpaper

2007-10-29T20:24:00.000-07:00

Amisha Patel

2007-10-29T20:09:00.000-07:00

About

Amisha Patel (born June 9, 1976, also known as Ameesha Patel) is a Bollywood actress and model from Maharashtra, India.

Biography

Amisha Patel is the daughter of Amit Patel and Asha Patel, sister of Ashmit Patel and the granddaughter of the famous Indian lawyer Rajni Patel.

She graduated from Tufts University, Massachusetts. Then she worked for Morgan Stanley. She went back to India where she joined Satyadev Dubey's theatre group and began acting in plays; she did so only after getting permission from her conservative parents.

Career
She entered films through family connections. Producer Rakesh Roshan was planning a film to introduce his son, Hrithik, to Bollywood; he was looking for another Bollywood newcomer to play the heroine. The Patel and Roshan families are friends, and Amisha won the heroine's role in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000) during a joint family dinner.

This film made her a star overnight. She appeared next in the surprise success, Gadar: Ek Prem Katha. These two successes were followed by a series of films that flopped at the box-office.

In Gadar, she played the role of a Muslim girl in 1947 India. In Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar, she played the role of a successful singer who was abandoned by her mother at the time of her birth. In Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai, she plays a career-oriented girl who rejects the advances of the hero. In Humraaz she played the selfish girlfriend of Akshaye Khanna, who marries Bobby Deol to grab his wealth -- but, seeing Bobby's honesty, her character surrendered to him. She helped Karishma Kapoor's comeback in Mere Jeevan Saathi but Karisma's feud with her husband generated more publicity than the film itself. Ankahee is the story of her boyfriend Vikram Bhatt's earlier life. She played the role of his wife. In Aap Ki Khatir, she played the role of an innocent girl who is loved by her sister Priyanka Chopra's lover Dino Morea. In Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd, she played the wife of a bisexual man who helps him in his confusion.

Amisha is currently busy filming the new Kunal Kohli/Yash Raj project in which she's co starring with Rani Mukherjee and Saif Ali Khan. Both Amisha and Rani are playing the leads with Saif Ali Khan.

Also see : Amisha Patel Gallery

Aishwarya Rai Wallpaper

2007-10-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

Aishwarya Rai

2007-10-23T22:31:00.000-07:00

About

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Tulu-Kannada: ಐಶ್ವರ್ಯಾ ರೈ, Marathi: ऐश्वर्या राय, was born on November 1, 1973. She won the Miss World contest in 1994 and went on to pursue an acting career. She made her film debut in Mani Ratnam's Iruvar (1997) and had her first critical and commercial success with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), with whom she repeated this success with Devdas (2002). Since then, she has acted in nearly forty Hindi, Tamil, Bengali and English films. Today, she is considered to be one of the most popular actresses in India and the best-known Indian actress in the world. Rai is married to Indian actor Abhishek Bachchan and is daughter-in-law to Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan.

Early Life

Rai was born in Mangalore, in the South Indian state of Karnataka, to Krishnaraj Rai, a marine biologist, and Vrinda Rai, a writer. Her ancestors are from the Bunt community of Mangalore. Her family relocated to Mumbai (Bombay) after her birth. Rai has one elder brother, Aditya Rai who is in the merchant navy. Rai attended the Arya Vidya Mandir at Santacruz, Mumbai, then entered Jai Hind College, Churchgate, Mumbai for one year and then moved to Ruparel College, Matunga, Mumbai to finish her HSC. She was an A student and was on track to become an architect. Her mother tongue is Tulu. She also speaks Hindi, English, Kannada, Marathi and Tamil.

Rai began modeling on the side while pursuing for studies in Architecture, which did not materialise. In the 1994 Miss India pageant, she was placed second behind Sushmita Sen, and went on to win the Miss World title that same year and the Miss Photogenic award. After the one year reign as Miss World in London, she then worked as a professional model, in advertising and Indian fashion magazines and later got into the Indian film industry.

Career

Rai debuted in Tamil language film, Iruvar (1997) with Mohanlal. She was introduced to Bollywood in the film, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya with Bobby Deol as her co-star; the film was not a big hit on box office. However, her third project, a Tamil-language film, Jeans (1998) by S. Shankar was a critical and commercial success for which she was awarded the Filmfare Best Actress Award South. Aishwarya then appeared in many Bollywood films; a few successful films of her career include Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Taal (1999) for which her performance was lauded. She was awarded the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her role in the former. In 2000 she had a supporting role in the hit film Mohabbatein and also in another hit film Josh. Her third film in Tamil language project to date is, Kandukondain Kandukondain won her positive reviews for her serious portrayal of her character, Meenakshi.

In 2002, Rai appeared with superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit in Sanjay Leela Bansali's lavishly produced Devdas, which was a major box-office success. and earned her the Filmfare Best Actress Award. The film attracted overseas attention as well, receiving a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival. It was during this time that she garnered the attention of the West as an Indian actress and went on to appear in a few Hollywood projects.

As her name gained popularity in the West, she was chosen by Time magazine in 2004 as one of the World's "100 Most Influential People" and in 2003, appeared on the cover of Time magazine, ASIA EDITION (TIMEasia). She was the subject of a 60 Minutes profile on January 2. A month later she appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman. She was also featured on Oprah's "Women Across the Globe" segment. In 2003, she acted in the critically acclaimed and commercial success Bengali film, Chokher Bali, an adaptation of one of Rabindranath Tagore's novels by the same name.

Rai has been a regular at the Cannes Film Festival since 2002, and was a member of the Jury at Cannes in the year 2003. In October 2004, a wax figure of Rai became on display in London's Madame Tussaud's wax museum. The same month, her first foreign film was released: Bride and Prejudice. The film was an Indian version of Jane Austen's classic novel Pride and Prejudice. The film did well commercially in the U.K but not in India. Her next overseas venture, The Mistress of Spices, was critically acclaimed though not commercially successful. She then appeared at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, as part of a performance showcasing Indian art, on behalf of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in New Delhi. In between her overseas acting stints, she appeared in the Indian film Bunty Aur Babli in a hugely popular seven minute dance sequence for the song "Kajra Re".

In 2005, Rai signed a 3 year-contract with L'Oréal, as a spokesmodel for the cosmetics company.

At the end of the year 2006, she had two releases: Umrao Jaan and Dhoom 2. Umrao Jaan did poorly in India; however, her role in Dhoom 2, a sequel to the 2004 hit movie Dhoom brought her great attention. While it was a hit commercially, it also sparked controversy for a scene containing a kiss between Rai and Hrithik Roshan, which made several conservative female audiences uncomfortable, and a court case is currently pending in India. 2007 saw the release of Mani Ratnam's Guru which premiered in Toronto. The film, based on the life of Indian businessman Dhirubhai Ambani, was critically acclaimed and a big box office hit. Her most recent film, Provoked, based on the book "Circle of Light" where she portrays a real life character, was released on 6 April, 2007 in India and the UK. The film did well commercially in the UK. It was critically acclaimed all over the world. At the end of April 2007 her first American film, The Last Legion, was released in Russia and the Netherlands. The film opened in North American theaters in August 2007 disappointingly.

Personal Life

She dated model Rajeev Mulchandani and actors Salman Khan and Vivek Oberoi. Her turbulent relationship with Salman Khan filled gossip columns. Her parents also had lodged a complaint against him.

After much speculation concerning their relationship, her engagement to Abhishek Bachchan was announced on January 14, 2007

They married on April 20, 2007 in a private ceremony held at the Bachchans' bungalow Prateeksha. The event was heavily covered by the media.

Also see : Aishwarya Rai Gallery