Rani Mukerji

Rani Mukerji ( born 21 March 1978) is an Indian actress. Through her Bollywood career, she has become one of the most high-profile celebrities in India, winning several awards, including seven Filmfare Awards. Her film roles have been cited as a significant departure from the traditional portrayal of women in Bollywood.
Although Mukerji was born into the Mukherjee-Samarth family, in which her parents and relatives were members of the Indian film industry, she did not aspire to pursue a career in film. However, while still a teenager she dabbled with acting by playing a supporting role in her father's Bengali language film Biyer Phool (1996) and later accepted a leading role in the 1997 social drama Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat on the insistence of her mother. She then began a full-time career in film and gained recognition for a supporting role in the romance Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998). After this initial success in her career, Mukerji's films fared poorly at the box office for the next three years. Her career prospects improved when Yash Raj Films cast her as the star of the drama Saathiya (2002).
By 2004, Mukerji had established herself as a leading actress of Bollywood with roles in the romantic comedy Hum Tum, and the dramas Yuva and Veer-Zaara. She achieved further success for portraying a deaf, blind and mute woman in the acclaimed drama Black (2005) and an unhappily married woman in Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006). Mukerji then collaborated with Yash Raj Films on several unsuccessful films which led critics to criticise her for choosing poor roles and pairing with the same set of actors. The semi-biographical thriller No One Killed Jessica (2011) proved to be her first box office hit in four years, and she followed it by starring in the successful thrillers Talaash: The Answer Lies Within (2012) and Mardaani (2014).
In addition to acting in films, Mukerji is involved with several humanitarian causes and is lcal about issues faced by women and children. She has participated in concert tours and stage shows, and featured as a talent judge for the 2009 reality show Dance Premier League. Though she is reticent to discuss her personal life in public, her off-screen life is the subject of substantial media coverage in India. She is married to filmmaker Aditya Chopra, with whom she has a daughter.

Early life and background

Rani Mukerji was born in Mumbai on 21 March 1978.Her father, Ram Mukherjee (born to the Mukherjee-Samarth family), is a former film director and one of the founders of Filmalaya Studios. Her mother, Krishna Mukherjee, is a former playback singer. Her elder brother, Raja Mukherjee, is a film producer and director.Her maternal aunt, Debashree Roy, is a Bengali film actress and her paternal cousin, Kajol, is a Hindi film actress and her contemporary.Another paternal cousin, Ayan Mukerji, is a scriptwriter and film director.Despite her parents and most of her relatives being members of the Indian film industry, Mukerji was uninterested in pursuing a career in film.She said, "There were already too many actresses at home and I wanted to be someone different".
Mukerji received her education at Maneckji Cooper High School in Juhu and graduated with a degree in Home Science from SNDT Women's University. She is a trained Odissi dancer and began learning the dance form while in the tenth grade.As part of an annual tradition, the Mukherjee family celebrates the festival of Durga Puja in the suburban neighbourhood of Santacruz every year. Mukerji, a practising Hindu, takes part in the festivities with her entire family.
In 1994, director Salim Khan approached her to play the lead female role in his directorial, Aa Gale Lag Jaa. Her father disapproved of a full-time career in film at such a young age, so she rejected the offer. At the age of eighteen, Mukerji experimented with acting by portraying a supporting role in her father's Bengali language film Biyer Phool (1996).The film starred Prosenjit and Indrani Haldar in lead roles and narrates the story of two sisters; Mukerji played the younger sibling of Haldar's character. Soon after, Khan approached her with another film offer to play the protagonist of the social drama Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat, Mukerji accepted the role due to her mother's insistence that she continue to pursue acting on an experimental basis. Before she began work on the film, Mukerji trained at Roshan Taneja's acting institute.

Career

Debut and public recognition (1997–99)

Mukerji portrayed a rape victim who is forced to marry her rapist in Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat, which released in 1997. Although the film was a commercial failure,Mukerji's performance was praised, and she won a special recognition trophy at the annual Screen Awards ceremony. Following the film's poor showing at the box office, Mukerji returned to college to complete her education. However, inspired by her cousin Kajol's success in Bollywood, she decided to pursue a full-time career in films.

In 1998, Mukerji starred opposite Aamir Khan in Vikram Bhatt's Ghulam (1998), her first commercial success.Though her role in the film was small, the song "Aati Kya Khandala" earned her widespread recognition. Due to Mukerji's broken voice texture, Bhatt hired a dubbing artist with a much higher pitched voice to dub for her lines. When asked if the director's decision to not use her voice in the film affected her, she said that her voice was dubbed as it "did not suit the character".
Later that year, Karan Johar cast Mukerji opposite Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol in his directorial debut Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The role was originally written for Twinkle Khanna, but when she rejected it, Johar signed Mukerji on the insistence of Khan and Aditya Chopra.Johar had originally intended that a dubbing artist dub Mukerji's lines in the film, but she improved her diction and eventually dubbed for her own lines.She portrayed Tina Malhotra, a college student who is in a relationship with Khan's character. Writing for India Today, film critic Nandita Chowdhury considered Mukerji to be the scene-stealer and added, "Oozing oomph from every pore, she [..] proves herself an actress whose time has come." Kuch Kuch Hota Hai proved a breakthrough for Mukerji; it emerged as a blockbuster in India and abroad with earnings of over ₹1.03 billion (US$15 million), and won eight Filmfare Awards, including a Best Supporting Actress trophy for Mukerji.
Following the success of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Mukerji played leading roles in the social drama Mehndi (1998) and the comedy Hello Brother (1999). Both these films were critical and commercial disappointments which failed to propel her career forward.

Career struggles and initial success (2000–03)

By 2000, Mukerji wanted to avoid being type-cast as a "standard Hindi film heroine" and thus decided to portray more challenging roles in addition to the archetypical glamorous female lead. However, none of her film releases in 2000 were particularly notable. In Badal and Bichhoo, two male-centric action dramas (both featuring Bobby Deol in the lead), she played roles that were met with little acclaim from the critics.A supporting role in Kamal Hassan's bilingual film Hey Ram proved more rewarding. The film was a partly fictionalised account of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination and Mukerji portrayed the character of Aparna Ram, a Bengali school teacher who is raped and murdered during communal riots in Calcutta. The controversial subject matter of Hey Ram led to poor box office earnings, but the film was critically acclaimed and selected as India's official entry to the Oscars that year. Mukerji found no success in her next two releases, the comedy Hadh Kar Di Aapne and the romance Kahin Pyaar Na Ho Jaaye. The romantic comedy Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega, however, earned her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at Filmfare and was better received by the critics. Padmaraj Nair of Screen found Mukerji's role to be "too meagre for her to prove herself" but added that "she is quite adequate in whatever scenes she has been given".


The year 2001 was a disappointing one for Mukerji. In a review for her first release of the year, Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, a drama based on surrogate childbirth, film critic Sukanya Verma found Mukerji to be "handicapped with a role that doesn't give her much scope besides weeping and sobbing" and preferred the "meatier" role of her co-star Preity Zinta. In Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai and Nayak: The Real Hero, films that failed to garner praise, Mukerji played the love interests of Abhishek Bachchan and Anil Kapoor respectively. In a review for the latter, Sarita Tanwar wrote that "[Mukerji] has very little to do except being part of some magnificently picturised songs".
After three consecutive years of poorly received films, Mukerji's career prospects began to improve in 2002 when Yash Raj Films, a leading production company in India, cast her for two high-profile productions: Mujhse Dosti Karoge!, a romantic comedy co-starring Hrithik Roshan and Kareena Kapoor, and Saathiya, a remake of the Tamil box office hit Alaipayuthey.Mujhse Dosti Karoge! was heavily promoted before release and proved a success internationally, but failed to earn profits in India.The romantic drama Saathiya proved a major turning point in her career, winning her a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress in addition to a Best Actress nomination at the same ceremony. Mukerji was director Shaad Ali's only choice to play the lead role; he said, "She was born to play this role. She looked the character. She looked vulnerable. She looked the right age. She was perfect". The film co-starred Vivek Oberoi, and her paternal aunt Tanuja, and proved an economic success. Mukerji's portrayal of Suhani Sharma, a medical student who deals with the tensions and discontent of being married at a young age, met with critical acclaim. The BBC stated that "Mukerji plays the character of a middle class girl with great conviction", and Udita Jhunjhunwala of Mid Dayadded, "Her expressions and acting are understated in a role that fits her like a glove."
In 2003, Mukerji replaced Aishwarya Rai to play the lead female role opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Aziz Mirza's romance Chalte Chalte. Media reports suggested that Rai was replaced after feuding with her then boyfriend Salman Khan on the film's sets, but Shah Rukh Khan insisted that Mukerji had been the original choice for the role. The film's concept was similar to Saathiya and dealt with misunderstandings between a married couple. Mukerji said, "[Unlike Saathiya], Chalte Chalte deals with a more mature and deeper form of love. It is about how a man and woman react to situations. [..] You cannot really get very different with the characters, but you can put them against a different background". The film was well received by both critics and audiences, and the following year Mukerji received a second Best Actress nomination at Filmfare.Also that year, she starred in Milan Luthria's romantic comedy Chori Chori opposite Ajay Devgan, Sudhir Mishra's suspense drama Calcutta Mail, alongside Anil Kapoor and Manisha Koirala, and J.P. Dutta's ensemble war film LOC Kargil.None of these films fared well critically or commercially.

Sonakshi Sinha

Sonakshi Sinha ( born June 2, 1987) is an Indian actress. She is daughter of actors Shatrughan and Poonam. After working as a costume designer in her early career, Sonakshi made her debut in action-drama film Dabangg (2010) which led her to win the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.
Sinha has played the romantic interest of the male protagonists in several top-grossing action-dramas, including Rowdy Rathore (2012), Son of Sardaar (2012), Dabangg 2 (2012) and Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty (2014), though she was criticised for taking up roles that offered her limited scope. She received critical acclaim for her portrayal of a woman suffering from tuberculosis in the romantic drama Lootera (2013), for which she was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 2013.

Early life

Sinha was born on 2 June, 1987 in Mumbai into a Bihari Kayastha family. Her father, Shatrughan Sinha and her mother Poonam Sinha (née Chandiramani) are actors in Hindi Cinema. Her father is now a political member of Bharatiya Janata Party. She is the youngest of three children, her two elder brothers, Luv Sinhaand Kush Sinha are twin. She did her schooling at Arya Vidya Mandir and later graduated in fashion designing from Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University.

Career

Debut and breakthrough (2010–13)

Sinha started her career as a costume designer, designing the costumes for films like Mera Dil Leke Dekho in 2005. She made her acting debut in the 2010 film Dabangg, in which she starred opposite Salman Khan. It went on to become the highest-grossing film of 2010 and ultimately emerged as an all-time blockbuster.Sinha had to lose 30 kg in preparation for the role as a village girl. Her performance was well received, with noted critic Taran Adarsh noting that "Sonakshi Sinha looks fresh, acts confidently and pairs off very well with Salman. Most importantly, she delivers the right expressions and is not overpowered by the galaxy of stars in the cast." Although Sinha had no film releases in 2011, she won awards for her debut. This included the Filmfare Award as well as the IIFA Awards among many others.
Sinha had four releases in 2012, her first being Prabhu Deva's Rowdy Rathore, opposite Akshay Kumar. The film opened to mixed reviews from critics, although it had a strong opening at the box office, collecting approx. ₹150.6 million (US$2.2 million) on the first day and eventually became a blockbuster.
However, critic Rajeev Masand criticized her ornamental role and wrote that Sinha "seems to exist in this film only to have her midriff repeatedly pinched by Akshay Kumar." Her next film, Shirish Kunder's Joker, also opposite Akshay Kumar, proved to be a trade disaster at the box office and received overwhelmingly negative reviews.

Her third film, Ashwni Dhir's Son of Sardar opposite Ajay Devgan was poorly received by the critics but proved to be an economic success. Critic Saibal Chatterjee from NDTV noted that Sinha "endeavours to be pretty and dainty amid all the madness." Arbaaz Khan's Dabangg 2, the sequel to her immensely successful debut garnered little praise from critics, though proved to be a major financial success. Sinha also dubbed for the voice of Tooth in the Hindi version of Rise of the Guardians.However, critic Rajeev Masand criticized her ornamental role and wrote that Sinha "seems to exist in this film only to have her midriff repeatedly pinched by Akshay Kumar." Her next film, Shirish Kunder's Joker, also opposite Akshay Kumar, proved to be a trade disaster at the box office and received overwhelmingly negative reviews.
Sinha's first film of 2013 was Vikramaditya Motwane's period romance-drama Lootera opposite Ranveer Singh. Despite receiving a lukewarm response at the box office, it and Sinha gathered praise, with Sinha's portrayal of Pakhi, a Bengali girl who is dying of tuberculosis, receiving universal acclaim from critics. Sarita Tanwar notes that "the star of the film is undoubtedly Sonakshi Sinha [who gives] a mature and refined performance. She lives the character body and soul." Raja Sen agrees, saying that "Sonakshi Sinha plays Pakhi beautifully, creating a character who is immaculately wide-eyed and possesses casual, yet unmistakable, grace. It is a performance that starts off dreamily soft and turns harder, and she does well-etched dialogue justice like few actresses can. There's a discernible vulnerability to Pakhi throughout the film, and Sinha brings out this fragility perfectly without ever overplaying it."
Sinha appeared in Milan Luthria's crime romance film Once Upon ay Time in Mumbai Dobaara!, the sequel to Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, in which she was paired with Akshay Kumar again, as well as Imran Khan. The movie was a commercial disappointment and critic Mohar Basu labeled her "a chatterbox replete with idioticity which the director frames as naiveness." She then appeared in Tigmanshu Dhulia's Bullett Raja opposite Saif Ali Khan, a box-office flop. Her final release of the year was Prabhu Deva's R... Rajkumar opposite Shahid Kapoor. A moderate commercial success, the film and her performance received negative reviews. Taran Adarsh labeled her "repetitive" and noted that she needed to "reinvent herself."

Recent work (2014–present)

In 2014, after providing her voice for the voice of Jewel in the Hindi-dubbed Rio 2, Sinha was seen in A.R. Murugadoss's action thriller Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty, a remake of the director's Tamil film Thuppakki. Starring opposite Akshay Kumar, Sinha appeared as a boxer. It received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and emerged as a box office hit.Jyoti Sharma Bawa said of Sinha's portrayal: "Sonakshi has nothing to do much in the film and overacts in places. For an actor who has already proved her mettle in the acting department, this definitely is a downer."Sinha appeared in a music video with Yo Yo Honey Singh titled Superstar. In July, Sinha jointly bought a team in the World Kabaddi League.Her second release of 2014 was Prabhu Deva's Action Jackson with Ajay Devgn and Yami Gautam.
She made her Kollywood debut opposite Rajnikanth in KS Ravikumar's Lingaa, her final release in 2014. She then appeared in Boney Kapoor's remake of Okkadu titled Tevar (2015) opposite Arjun Kapoor. For the last of these, Rajeev Masand wrote, "Sonakshi Sinha, playing another simpering damsel in another South remake, once again has nothing to do. She appears content showing up for a few dance numbers, and waiting around for a man to save her."
Sonakshi released her debut single 'Aaj Mood Ishqholic Hai' in collaboration with Meet Bros on 23 December 2015.
As of July 2016, Sinha has completed work on the remake of the 2011 Tamil film Mouna Guru, entitled Akira, an action-drama from director AR Murugadoss in which she plays an aggressive college student and Abhinay Deo's action-thriller Force 2 opposite John Abraham. She is currently filming Sunhil Sippy's comedy Noor based on Saba Imtiaz's novel Karachi, You're Killing Me!. She features in the titular role of Noor alongside Kanan Gill, Shibani Dandekar and Purab Kohli.She is also signed on for Abhay Chopra's remake of the 1969 murder mystery, Ittefaq, opposite Sidharth Malhotra, and Vipul Shah's comedy Namastey Englandopposite Akshay Kumar.

Alia Bhatt

Alia Bhatt (born 15 March 1993) is a British-Indian film actress and singer. Born into the Bhatt family, she is the daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and actress Soni Razdan, and the cousin of actor Emraan Hashmi. She is regarded as one of the most popular celebrities in India.
After making her acting debut as a child artist in the 1999 thriller Sangharsh, Bhatt played her first leading role in Karan Johar's moderately successful drama Student of the Year (2012), which earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She received critical acclaim for portraying emotionally intense characters in the road drama Highway (2014), which won her a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress, and the crime drama Udta Punjab(2016). Bhatt established herself in Bollywood by starring as the female lead in the romantic drama 2 States (2014), the romantic comedy Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (2014), and the drama Kapoor & Sons (2016), all of which earned over ₹1 billion (US$15 million) worldwide.

Life and career

Early life and film debut

Bhatt was born on 15 March 1993, to Indian film director Mahesh Bhatt and actress Soni Razdan. Her father is of Gujarati descentand her mother is of Kashmiri and German ancestry. Director Nanabhai Bhatt is her paternal grandfather. She has an elder sister, Shaheen (born 1988)and two half-siblings, Pooja Bhatt and Rahul Bhatt. Actor Emraan Hashmi and director Mohit Suri are her maternal cousins, while producer Mukesh Bhatt is her uncle. Bhatt was educated at the Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai.
Bhatt's first acting role was as a child artist in Sangharsh (1999), starring Akshay Kumar and Preity Zinta where she played the younger version of Zinta's character. She had her first leading role in 2012 with Karan Johar's Student of the Year, alongside Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan. She portrayed the role of Shanaya Singhania, a sophisticated teenage girl who is in a relationship with Dhawan's character but is attracted to the character played by Malhotra. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama wrote of her performance, "Alia's role is reminiscent of Kareena Kapoor in Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. Stylish, classy, born with a silver spoon, she's someone who loves to flaunt not just her clothes and bags, but also her riches. Extremely photogenic, Alia makes a super-confident debut." Anupama Chopra of Hindustan Times also mentioned the similarities with Kapoor's character, but noted that her performance was "without the killer attitude." Student of the Year grossed ₹960 million (US$14 million) at the box office.

Rise to prominence (2014–15)

Bhatt established herself in Bollywood with her three film releases of 2014. She played the protagonist of Imtiaz Ali's road filmHighway opposite Randeep Hooda. Her portrayal of a lonely teenage girl who develops stockholm syndrome after being abducted was acclaimed by the critics. Rachit Gupta of Filmfare mentioned that "[a]t 20, it’s surprising how Alia has got so many deft nuances right. It’s as if the actor has grown with the character. She is truly one of the most promising new actors in Hindi films."Sonia Chopra of Sify added that Bhatt is "[c]ompletely immersed" in her role, and that "Alia’s uninhibited and raw performance will have you emotionally invested in her character all through." Though the film underperformed at the box office, Bhatt won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress and also garnered a Best Actress nomination at the ceremony.

In Karan Johar and Sajid Nadiadwala's joint production 2 States, Bhatt starred opposite Arjun Kapoor. An adaptation of Chetan Bhagat's novel of the same name, it narrates the story of two IIM Ahmedabad students who encounter trouble in convincing their parents to approve of their relationship. For her role as Ananya Swaminatham, a headstrong Tamil girl, she learnt the language.Critics were appreciative of her performance with Rediff.com publishing that Bhatt "really grows into the character and makes you believe that she's a career-oriented IIM-A grad." Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express added that Bhatt was a "surprise" and was "easy and fresh and natural." The film emerged as a top-grossing production, earning over ₹1.7 billion (US$25 million) worldwide.
Bhatt's final film role in 2014 was as Kavya Pratap Singh, a Punjabi girl who engages in a romantic affair with a stranger a few days prior to her wedding, in the romantic comedy Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. Co-starring Varun Dhawan and Siddharth Shukla, the film was described as a tribute to Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) by Johar, who served as producer. Writing for India Today, Rohit Khilnani thought that Bhatt had pitched in "one of her best performances so far", though Nandini Ramnath of Mint found her performance to be lacking in subtlety, writing that she was "more comfortable acting out her feelings through dialogue and actions". Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania proved to be her second consecutive release to earn over ₹1 billion (US$15 million).Her accomplishments in 2014 led Box Office India to label her as the top Bollywood actress of the year.
Also in 2014, Bhatt appeared in a short film on women's safety, entitled Going Home, from director Vikas Bahl. She next reunited with Bahl to film the romantic comedy Shaandaar. Released in 2015, the film featured Shahid Kapoor and Bhatt as two insomniacs who fall in love during a destination wedding.Kunal Guha of Mumbai Mirror criticised the film and wrote that Bhatt "socks life into her character but fails to pump any into this film".Shaandaar earned little at the box office.

Other work

Bhatt has performed playback singing for the song "Sooha Saaha" in Highway (2014). A. R. Rahman, the composer of the film, invited her to his music school to undergo training. In 2014, she sang the unplugged version of the song "Samjhawan", for the composers Sharib-Toshi, in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. In 2016, she sang an alternate version of the song "Ikk Kudi", for the soundtrack of Udta Punjab, with her co-star Dosanjh.
In addition to acting in films, Bhatt has performed at the Filmfare, Screen and Stardust award ceremonies, and has also participated in a stage show in Hong Kongalongside Varun Dhawan and Sidharth Malhotra. In 2013, she performed at a charity event with Dhawan, Malhotra, Aditya Roy Kapur, Shraddha Kapoor and Huma Qureshi to raise funds for the flood-affected victims of Uttarakhand. In August 2016, she performed in various cities of the USA as a part of the "Dream Team 2016" tour, also featuring fellow actors Dhawan, Malhotra, Kapur, Katrina Kaif, and Parineeti Chopra, as well as filmmaker Karan Johar and rapper Badshah.
She also took part in a campaign for PETA to raise awareness about homeless animals. She also launched her own line of clothing for women in association with the online fashion portal Jabong.com; she described the collection to be "very simple" and "very me".She is also the celebrity endorser for a number of brands and products, including Coca-Cola, Garnier and Maybelline.

Lakshmi Menon (actress)

Lakshmi Menon (born 19 May 1996) is an Indian film actress, model and singer, who mainly appears in Tamil films along with few Malayalam films. After making her acting debut in a supporting role in the Malayalam film Raghuvinte Swantham Raziya (2011), she played the female lead in her debut Tamil film Sundarapandian in 2012.Sundarapandian, as well as her next three Tamil releases, were commercial successes and she was labelled as "the fastest rising star in Tamil cinema" by Sify.

Early life

Lakshmi Menon was born to Malayali parents Ramakrishnan, a Delhi based artist and Usha Menon, a dance teacher.Hailing from Thrippunithura, she studied at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Munshi Vidyashram in Kochi,where her mother also works. After completing 12th, she got admission in Sacred Heart college Kochi for BA literature.

Career

In 2011, Malayalam director Vinayan, who saw her during Bharatanatyam telecast, cast her in his film Raghuvinte Swantham Raziya. She was in her eight grade when she acted in the film. Soon after, she played the lead along with Vineeth in another Malayalam film titled Ideal Couple, directed by Ali Akbar.After she began acting in Malayalam cinema, she was featured on the cover of a magazine and it caught the attention of director Prabu Solomon, who cast her in Kumkiopposite Vikram Prabhu. Watching her performance, director Prabhakaran offered her the lead role in Sundarapandian opposite M. Sasikumar, which released before Kumki and marked her Tamil debut. After acting with Sasikumar again in Kutti Puli, she was seen as a demure school teacher Malar in Suseenthiran's action-drama film Pandianadu, which co-starred Vishal.All her four Tamil films, released in a span of one year, were box office hits.
In Naan Sigappu Manithan saw her pairing up with Vishal again. She acted in two Tamil films, Manja Pye with Vimal and Jigarthanda with Siddharth in 2014.She completed Sippai with Gautham Karthik, and Komban had hit the screens and got her a good name for her role Palani ammal. On November 10, her movie Vedalam movie was released in which she portrayed the role of sister for Ajith Kumar and she was well praised by the critics for the performance in that movie. Currently in 2016 she has done a movie named Miruthan with Jayam Ravi which is the first tamil zombie movie released on Feb 19th has garned good reviews and very good opening. She is now working with Vijay Sethupathi in Rekka[disambiguation needed] and a movie with Jiiva in Gemini Ganeshan.

Raai Laxmi

Raai Laxmi (born as Lakshmi Rai on 5 May 1982) is an Indian film actress and model who predominantly appears in Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu films. She is making her debut in Bollywood with the film Julie 2 (2017).
Raai has completed over a decade in the film industry, acting over 50 films in multiple languages.

Early life

Raai Lakshmi was born on 5 May 1982 in Belgaum, Karnataka to Ram Rai and Manjula Rai. She hails from the region of Saurashtra in Gujarat.

Career

Raai Lakshmi made her debut at the age of 15 in the Tamil film Karka Kasadara in 2005. Subsequently, she appeared in a number of Tamil films, including the comedy film Kundakka Mandakka (2005) opposite R. Parthiban, Perarasu's action-masala flick Dharmapuri (2006), and the romance film Nenjai Thodu (2007). In 2008, she began working in more serious films such as the drama film Velli Thirai, in which she played herself, and the action thriller Dhaam Dhoom directed by Jeeva. She received positive feedback for her portrayal of a lawyer in the latter. A review from Behindwoods wrote: "The latter (Raai Lakshmi) sizzles even as she is supposed to play the court professional who is caught in the web of smuggling drugs". She won her first Filmfare Award nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category.
She made her debut in Malayalam in 2007, starring in Rock & Roll opposite Mohanlal. She followed it up with several successful films such as Annan Thambi, 2 Harihar Nagar (2009), Evidam Swargamanu (2009) opposite Mohanlal, and Chattambinadu (2009) opposite Mammootty. She appeared in three Tamil films in 2009, Muthirai, Vaamanan and Naan Avanillai 2.
In Vaamanan, she played a glamorous supermodel. In 2010, she was seen in three films. She made special appearances during song sequences in two of them, In Ghost House Inn and Pen Singam and portrayed a cowgirl in the Tamil film Irumbukkottai Murattu Singam.

Public recognition and success (2011–2014)

Raai Lakshmi's first 2011 release was Christian Brothers, which was a huge commercial success. Her next two films were Tamil projects, the comedy horror Kanchana and the Venkat Prabhu-directed action thriller Mankatha, starring Ajith Kumar. She played a negative character in the latter, which was received positively by critics.Both films emerged as high financial successes. Following Kanchana's success, she was signed on to reprise the role in its Kannada remake.

She performed her first item number opposite Ravi Teja in his Telugu film Balupu (2013).Her latest release Arabiyum, Ottakavum, P. Madhavan Nairum opposite Mohanlal was met with mixed reviews but turned out to a commercial success. Her 2014 films were Aranmanaiand Irumbu Kuthirai in Tamil, Rajadhi Raja in Malayalamand Shrungara in Kannada.

Debut in Bollywood (2015–present)

In 2015, she signed two Malayalam films, Arabian Safari and Santhoshayi Gopiyetta and three Tamil films Oru Ticketla Rendu Cinema, Sowkarpettai and Arjun, Divya Matrum Karthik. After a brief gap of two years she performed her second item number opposite Pawan Kalyan in his Telugu film Sardaar Gabbar Singh(2016).
Later she signed two Hindi films Akiraand Julie 2.
In May 2016 she signed to perform her third item number in Motta Shiva Ketta Shiva. In October 2016 she signed to perform her fourth item number with Chiranjeevi in his 150th film Khaidi No. 150.

Sonam Kapoor

Sonam Kapoor (pronounced born 9 June 1985) is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. Kapoor is one of the highest-paid actresses in the industry. She has been nominated for four Filmfare Awards.
The daughter of actor Anil Kapoor, Kapoor studied theatre and arts at the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore. She was an assistant director to Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the 2005 film Black. Kapoor made her acting debut in Bhansali's romantic drama Saawariya (2007), for which she was nominated for a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She had her first commercial success three years later in the romantic comedy I Hate Luv Storys(2010).
After a series of commercial failures, the sleeper hit Raanjhanaa (2013) marked a turning point in her career, earning her several Best Actress nominations. She then featured in the 2014 romantic comedy Khoobsurat and the 2015 comedy drama Dolly Ki Doli, both of which earned her Filmfare Award for Best Actress nominations. Kapoor played a princess in the melodrama Prem Ratan Dhan Payo (2015), one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time. She garnered critical acclaim for portraying the titular role in the biographical thriller Neerja (2016), one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films featuring a female protagonist.
Kapoor supports various charities and causes, such as raising awareness of breast cancer and LGBT rights. She is known in the media for her outspoken personality, and is a prominent celebrity endorser for brands and products.

Life and career

Early life (1985–2006)

Kapoor was born in the Mumbai suburb of Chembur on 9 June 1985. Her father is actor and producer Anil Kapoor, the son of the late filmmaker Surinder Kapoor and the founder of the Anil Kapoor Films Company. Her mother, Sunita, is a former model and designer. Kapoor has two younger siblings: film producer Rhea and brother Harshvardhan. She is the niece of film producer Boney Kapoor and actor Sanjay Kapoor; actress Sridevi and producer Mona Shourie (Boney's wives) are her aunts. Kapoor's paternal cousins are actors Arjun Kapoor and Mohit Marwah, and maternal cousin is actor Ranveer Singh.
The family moved to the suburb of Juhu when Kapoor was one month old. She was educated at the Arya Vidya Mandirschool in Juhu, where she confessed to being a "naughty" and "carefree" child who would bully the boys. She excelled at sports such as rugby and basketball, and trained in Kathak, classical music and Latin dance.Kapoor, who practices Hinduism, states that she is "quite religious", and that it is a way of "reminding myself that I need to be thankful for so much".
Kapoor's first job was as a waitress at age 15, although it lasted only a week. As a teenager, she struggled with her weight: "I had every issue related to weight that I could have. I was unhealthy, I had bad skin, and I had hair growing on my face!" Kapoor was diagnosed with insulin resistance and polycystic ovarian disease, and has since begun an initiative to increase awareness of diabetes. Kapoor enrolled at the United World College of South East Asia in Singapore for her pre-university education, where she studied theatre and arts. She has said she later started courses in economics and political science through University of Mumbai correspondence programme, after returning from University of East London where she began her bachelor's degree in the same subjects but returned to Mumbai soon after she began. The actress Rani Mukerji, a family friend, visited her family in Singapore on holiday while working on Black (2005). Kapoor, who had originally wanted to be a director and writer, expressed a desire to work as a crew member on the film. On her father's recommendation to director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, she was appointed as his assistant.

Debut and career fluctuations (2007–12)

During the production of Black, Kapoor developed an interest in acting when Bhansali professed that he wanted to cast her in the lead in his next film, Saawariya. She was advised to lose weight; at the time, she weighed about 80 kilograms (180 lb). Motivated by Bhansali's confidence in her, she lost 35 kilograms (77 lb) in two years. Kapoor studied acting with Roshan Taneja, Jayati Bhatia and Feroz Abbas Khan, and has cited actresses Waheeda Rehman and Nutan as influences, admiring their "path-breaking films … [and] quality of doing different things".
Released in 2007,Saawariya saw Kapoor play a Muslim woman awaiting the return of her lover opposite Mukerji and Ranbir Kapoor. It was the first Indian feature film produced by a Hollywood studio, Sony Pictures Entertainment. Saawariya proved to be a major critical and commercial failure. Writing for BBC, Jaspreet Pandohar called the film a "misfire on a massive scale". Raja Sen of Rediff.com described her laugh as "almost as infectious as her father's", but wished that she had been "allowed to simper softly, instead of having a clearly overdubbed plastic giggle plastered onto her." The film earned her a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut nomination and the Stardust Award for Superstar of Tomorrow – Female.
In 2009, Kapoor played an aspiring singer opposite Waheeda Rehman and Abhishek Bachchan in the Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra-directed drama Delhi-6. The film received mixed reviews from critics and was not a box-office success. CNN-IBN's Rajeev Masand referred to Kapoor as a "revelation", writing that she was "a firecracker, instinctive and uninhibited in what isn't even a conventional female lead".Sonia Chopra of Sify described Kapoor as an "earnest and effortless performer", and found her character likeable, despite the "typical Delhi-girl recipe".
Kapoor's first release in 2010 was Punit Malhotra's romantic comedy I Hate Luv Storys, opposite Imran Khan. She played an engaged woman who develops a one-sided attraction to her commitment-phobic co-worker. Khan said about Kapoor's craft, "We'd be shooting a scene from multiple angles—for three or four hours you're doing the same scene, the same lines—and here is this person [Kapoor] who brings consistency to her work, from the way she talks, to her accent." Although Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express called Kapoor's performance "stiff and rehearsed", Daily News and Analysis' Johnson Thomas found her "likeable and believable". I Hate Luv Storys was Kapoor's first commercial success, earning ₹725.2 million (US$11 million) worldwide.
Kapoor next played the eponymous role in Aisha, a romantic comedy adaptation of Jane Austen's novel Emma, which was produced by her sister Rhea. She described her role opposite Abhay Deol, Ira Dubey and Amrita Puri as "a meddlesome busybody with a passion for matchmaking and playing Cupid". An Indo-Asian News Service reviewer thought that Kapoor had stood out with her performance, making "the best of a rather rare opportunity for an Indian leading lady to be part of a Bollywood film that salutes Victorian mores and Delhi's elitist affectations in one clean cool sweep".
In 2011, Kapoor starred in Thank You, a comedy about three women who teach a lesson to their philandering husbands. The film, along with Kapoor's performance, received poor reviews; Nikhat Kazmi of The Times of India called her "terribly out of sync".She then played the romantic interest of Shahid Kapoor in the Pankaj Kapur-directed romantic drama, Mausam, which was also poorly received. Despite doubts about her acting ability, critic Saibal Chatterjee of NDTVthought Kapoor conveyed "the essential vulnerability of a girl forever under duress, bringing out just the right mix of feminine fragility and native resolve".The following year, Kapoor played a computer hacker opposite Abhishek Bachchan and Bipasha Basu in the Abbas–Mustan-directed action film, Players, a remake of 2003's The Italian Job. Her role was originally written for Katrina Kaif, who was unavailable for the film. Although journalists had high expectations, it failed commercially, and Sukanya Verma of Rediff.com remarked derogatively that Kapoor "truly entertains with her childish attempt to pass off as a Gold-medalist hacker". Kapoor's string of poorly-received films began to hinder her career.

Raanjhanaa and beyond (2013–present)

Kapoor's role in the Anand L. Rai-directed romantic drama Raanjhanaa (2013) marked a turning point in her career; Geety Sahgal called it her best performance to date in The Indian Express. Kapoor's role was that of Zoya Haider, a young Muslim student from Varanasi who is drawn into politics after the murder of her Sikh lover. To prepare for her part, Kapoor interacted with students, attended workshops and practiced with theatre groups associated with Jawaharlal Nehru University. She also studied Jaya Bachchan's work in Guddi (1971), which she felt was "perfect" for her role. Discussing her character in the film, Kapoor described her approach to acting: "I have always tried to do different films and … I try to be different for every character. I like doing different things to challenge myself in every way and don't like to repeat myself."Although Raanjhanaa received mixed reviews, her performance was praised; Rajeev Masand wrote that she "does some of her best work here, going smoothly from innocent to manipulative to cynical, without ever losing Zoya's inherent vulnerability". With worldwide earnings of over ₹1 billion (US$15 million), Raanjhanaa was a commercial success and Kapoor received her first nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.
Kapoor followed the success of Raanjhanaa with a brief appearance in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013), a biopic on athlete Milkha Singh. She received ₹11 (16¢ US) for the film, made on a budget of ₹300 million (US$4.5 million), citing her admiration for director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and the film itself as reasons for her appearance. Critically praised, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was one of the top-grossing Bollywood films of the year. The critic Sarita A. Tanwar wrote in her review that despite her minor role, Kapoor proved to "be the perfect warm counterpart to Milkha". Both Raanjhanaa and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag received Filmfare Award for Best Film nominations, the latter of which won.
In 2014, Kapoor portrayed the banker Mayera opposite Ayushmann Khurrana and Rishi Kapoor in the Yash Raj Films comedy-drama Bewakoofiyaan, in a role which Anupama Chopra found to be poorly written and an "uphill climb".She next starred in the romantic comedy Khoobsurat, an adaptation of the 1980 film of the same name, playing the role which had originally been given to Rekha. Though she received a Filmfare Best Actress nomination for her performance, critics were divided in their response, with Shilpa Jamkhandikar of Reuters calling her "loud and exasperating", and Andy Webster of The New York Times' comparing her to a young Anne Hathaway and highlighting her "Julia Roberts-like smile". Later that year she met entrepreneur-model Sahir Berry on a social media network, and began a romantic relationship with him, although they broke up a few months later.
In 2015, Kapoor starred as a runaway bride in Dolly Ki Doli, a comedy co-starring Pulkit Samrat, Rajkummar Rao and Varun Sharma. Mint's Udita Jhunjhunwala criticised Kapoor's performance in the film, writing that her "range is too limited to bring alive a character that may have had heaps of potential on paper". Shubhra Gupta wrote: "Kapoor is in almost every frame, and should have filled them all. But the treatment of the character shows up her limitations." Despite the negative reviews for her performance, she was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.While filming Sooraj R. Barjatya's Prem Ratan Dhan Payo with Salman Khan in Gondal, Gujarat in February 2015, Kapoor was diagnosed with swine influenza, from which she recovered the following month. Kapoor portrayed Rajkumari Maithili Devi, a princess looking for love. The film became one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of all time. She was praised by Rachit Gupta for her credibility as a royal, and Komal Nahta thought that the role was significant enough to be a turning point in her career. However, she won a Golden Kela Award for Worst Actress.
Following an appearance in the music video of Coldplay's "Hymn for the Weekend" (featuring Beyoncé), Kapoor starred in Ram Madhvani's biographical thriller Neerja (2016). She was cast as the eponymous air hostess Neerja Bhanot, who died while saving the passengers of the hijacked Pan Am Flight 73 in 1986.Kapoor added that she felt a "little more responsible towards the film as it is based on a real person", and to prepare for her role, she met Bhanot's family. The film garnered wide critical acclaim, and several commentators considered Kapoor's performance to be her best to date. Raja Sen found her performance to be career-defining, while Hindustan Times' Rohit Vats wrote that "she carries [the film] entirely on her shoulder. She looks earnest, scared, benevolent and bold, all at the same time." With a worldwide gross over ₹1.35 billion (US$20 million), the film emerged as one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films featuring a female protagonist.
As of June 2016, Kapoor has committed to play one of the lead roles in Shahanka Ghosh's directorial debut film Veere Di Wedding, a romantic comedy co-starring Kareena Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania about four girls who embark on a trip from Delhi to Europe.

Jacqueline Fernandez

Jacqueline Fernandez (born 11 August 1985) is a Sri Lankan actress, model, and the winner of the 2006 Miss Universe Sri Lanka pageant. As Miss Universe Sri Lanka she represented her country at the 2006 world Miss Universepageant.She graduated with a degree in mass communication from the University of Sydney, and worked as a television reporter in Sri Lanka.
While on a modelling assignment in India in 2009, Fernandez successfully auditioned for the fantasy drama Aladin, which marked her acting debut. Fernandez' breakthrough role came with the psychological thriller Murder 2 (2011), her first commercial success. This was followed by glamorous roles in the ensemble-comedy Housefull 2 (2012), and the action thriller Race 2 (2013), both of which earned over ₹1 billion (US$15 million) worldwide.Her performance in the former garnered her a Best Supporting Actress nomination at IIFA. In 2014, Fernandez played the leading lady in the action thriller Kick, which rank among one of the highest-grossing Indian film of all time. She received further success with the romantic comedy Housefull 3, the action adventure Dishoom, and the superhero thriller A Flying Jatt (all 2016).
One of the most popular actresses in India, she is the recipient of the several awards.Alongside her screen acting career, Fernandez has is popular Celebrity endorser, has participated in stage shows, and is active in humanitarian work.

Early life and modeling career

Fernandez was born on 11 August 1985,in Manama, Bahrain,and was raised in a multi-ethnic family. Her father, Elroy, is Sri Lankan, and her mother, Kim, is of Malaysian descent.Her maternal grandfather is Canadian. Her father, who was a musician in Sri Lanka, moved to Bahrain in the 1980s to escape civil unrest between the Tamils and Sinhalese and subsequently met her mother who was an air hostess. She is the youngest of four children with one elder sister and two elder brothers.She hosted television shows in Bahrain at the age of fourteen. After receiving her early education in Bahrain, she pursued a degree in mass communication from the University of Sydney in Australia. After graduating she worked as a television reporter in Sri Lanka. She also attended the Berlitz school of languages, where she learnt Spanish and improved her French and Arabic.
According to Fernandez, she had aspired to become an actress at a young age and fantasized about becoming a Hollywoodmovie star. She received some training at the John School of Acting. Although, she was a television reporter, she accepted offers in the modeling industry, which came as a result of her pageant success. In 2006, she was crowned the winner of the Miss Universe Sri Lanka pageant and represented Sri Lanka at the world Miss Universe 2006 pageant held in Los Angeles.In a 2015 interview, Fernandez described the modeling industry as "a good training ground" and said: "It is a medium that is about shedding your inhibitions, knowing your body, confidence". In 2006, she appeared in a music video for the song "O Sathi" by music duo Bathiya and Santhush

Acting career

2009–2013

In 2009, Fernandez traveled to India for a modeling assignment. She studied acting under the mentorship of theatre director Barry John, and successfully auditioned for Sujoy Ghosh's fantasy film Aladin (2009) her acting debut. She played the love interest of Riteish Deshmukh's character, a role based on the Princess Jasmine character. Fernandez garnered mixed reviews for her performance. Anupama Chopra of NDTV called her a "plastic debutant[e]", and Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN felt that she was: "easy on the eyes and appears confident but has precious little to do".Although the film was a critical and commercial failure, she won the IIFA Award for Star Debut of the Year - Female.
In 2010, Fernandez appeared opposite Deshmukh in the science fiction romantic comedy Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai. She was cast as a girl from Venus, who lands on Earth in search of love. The film, along with Fernandez's performance, received poor reviews; Rediff.com's Sukanya Verma noted: "She gamely makes a fool of herself whilst aping the actions of movie stars, ranging from Sridevi's Naagin dance, Mithun Chakravarthy's Disco Dancer moves, to Big B's violent headshake in Hum. Her Tara could be a keeper if only Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai wasn't so intent on turning her into a love-struck Barbie." Critic Anupama Chopra also criticized Fernandez, calling her "a pin-prick on a balloon".Later that year, she made a special appearance in the song "Dhanno" for Sajid Khan's comedy Housefull.
Mahesh Bhatt's thriller Murder 2 was Fernandez's first commercial success and marker a turning point in her career.She took on the role of Priya, a lonely model who is in a confused relationship with Arjun Bhagwat (played by Emraan Hashmi). Fernandez was praised for her performance, and for the boldness and sex appeal she displayed in the film.Gaurav Malini of The Times of India stated that she was "tastefully tempting" but noted that her romance with Hashmi was "literally half-baked". The following year, Fernandez appeared in the ensemble comedy Housefull 2 alongside Akshay Kumar, John Abraham, and Asin. It became one of the top grossing productions of India that year and earned ₹1.86 billion(US$28 million) worldwide. Fernandez received mostly negative reviews for her performance. While Gaurav Malini praised her for her looks, NDTV called her a "blathering bimbo" who "find[s] no pleasure in [her role]". Despite the negative reviews, Fernandez received a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 14th IIFA Awards for her performance.
Fernandez's first release of 2013 was Race 2, an ensemble action thriller (alongside Saif Ali Khan, John Abraham and Deepika Padukone), described as the "cinematic equivalent of a trashy novel" by critic Rajeev Masand. She played Omisha, a femme fatale, a role which required her learn fencing and some acrobatics.The film emerged as a commercial success, with the domestic gross of more than ₹1 billion (US$15 million).In a particularly scathing review, Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV wrote that both Fernandez and Padukone "strut around like wound-up automatons that are all decked-up but have nowhere to go." Also that year, Fernandez appeared in an item number, titled, "Jaadu Ki Jhappi", for Prabhu Deva's romantic comedy Ramaiya Vasta Vaiya.

Personal life and other work

Fernandez shares a close bond with her family, and admits to missing being around them. She says: "I miss them so much everyday. You don't realise when you live away from home how difficult life can be [...] At the same time, staying away from them has taught me to be more responsible. It has taught me so many things about myself, about priorities and time management." In March 2012, Fernandez turned vegetarian for a 40-day period to observe Lent, a period from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday.
In 2008, Fernandez started dating Bahraini prince Hassan bin Rashid Al Khalifa, whom she met at a mutual friend's party ; they separated in 2011. While filming Housefull 2 in 2011, Fernandez began a romantic relationship with director Sajid Khan. The relationship attracted media coverage in India and there was speculation of an impending wedding.However, the relationship ended in May 2013.
In addition to acting in films, Fernandez has supported charitable organisations and a number of causes.In 2011, on the behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), she sent a letter to the Mumbai Municipal Commissioner asking for an end to horse-drawn carriage rides in Mumbai. In early 2013, she asked the consulate general of the Philippines, William John T Perera in Colombo, to hasten the transfer of an elephant from its inadequate housing at the Manila Zoo to a humane sanctuary. Later that year, she auctioned a breakfast in Mayfair, London, where she raised around £4000 for the Pratham NGO, which helps children's primary education.In 2014, Fernandez was named "Woman Of The Year" by PETA (India) for advocating the protection of animals.[78] The following year, she auctioned her outfits on an online portal for a philanthropic cause. Some of her outfits included the ones she wore in the song "Party On My Mind" (from Race 2) and "Hangover" (from Kick).In March 2016, she was part of "Jacqueline Builds" campaign that raised funds for the victims of the 2015 South Indian floods.
Fernandez has participated in several concert tours and televised award ceremonies. In 2013, she performed at the Temptations Reloaded in Auckland, Perth, and Sydney alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, and Madhuri Dixit.She also performed at the live talent show "Got Talent World Stage Live" with Khan, Priyanka Chopra and Varun Dhawan the following year. In July 2014, Fernandez opened a restaurant in Colombo, Kaema Sutra, in collaboration with chef Dharshan Munidasa, which specialises in contemporary Sri Lankan cuisine.