Ajay Devgan

Ajay Devgn (born: Vishal Devgan on April 2, 1969) is an Indian film actor, director, and producer. who has established himself as one of the leading actors of Bollywood (Hindi cinema). Devgn has won numerous awards in his career, including two National Film Awards. He is the son of director and action choreographer Veeru Devgan.

Starting his career as a child actor in Pyari Behna (1985 film), Devgn began his professional career six years later with Phool Aur Kaante in 1991 and received a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his performance. He then starred in successful films such as Jigar(1992), Dilwale (1994), Suhaag (1994), Naajayaz (1995), Diljale(1996) and Ishq (1997). Early in his career he was recognised as an action star, he was quick to break the stereotype by picking out a variety of roles that allowed him to experiment with his talent. In 1998,he gave critically acclaimed performances in the in Mahesh Bhatt's drama Zakhmand he received his first National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in the movie.In 1999,His most talked film was Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam in which he played Vanraj, a man who tries to help his wife get back together with her lover.

In the early 2000s he starred in Raju Chacha(2000),Lajja(2001) and Tera Mera Saath Rahen(2001). In 2002, he gave critically acclaimed performances in Ram Gopal Varma's fictional expose of Mumbai underworld Company. He played the character of a gangster called ‘Malik’ for which he won Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. The same year he gave another critically acclaimed performance in Deewangee(2002) for which he received the Filmfare Best Villain Award. In 2003, he won his second National Film Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Bhagat Singh in Rajkumar Santoshi's biopic The Legend of Bhagat Singh. Throughout his career he has performed in many critically and commercially successful films including Raincoat(2004), Yuva (2004), Apaharan(2005) Omkara (2006), Golmaal: Fun Unlimited (2006), Halla Bol (2008), Golmaal Returns (2008), All the Best: Fun Begins (2009), Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010), Golmaal 3 (2010), Raajneeti (2010), Singham(2011), Bol Bachchan (2012) and Son of Sardaar (2012). He has starred in more than 80 Hindi films. Having done so, he has established himself as one of the leading actors of Bollywood.

In addition, Devgn owns a production company, Ajay Devgn Films, which was established in 2000. In 2008, he debuted as a film director with U Me Aur Hum. He has been married to Indian film actress, Kajol since 1999, and together they have two children, a daughter, Nysa, and a son, Yug.In August 2009, Devgan changed his surname to Devgn on the request of his family. He was the first in Bollywood to acquire a six-seater private jet for transport to shooting locations, promotions and personal trips.

Ajay Devgan began dating actress, Kajol, in 1994, while filming for Gundaraj. Members of the media, however, labelled them as an "unlikely pair" due to their contrasting personalities. Devgn explained their relationship by saying, "We never resorted to the usual 'I Love you' routine. A proposal never happened. We grew with each other. Marriage was never discussed, but it was always imminent".They subsequently got married on 24 February 1999 in a traditional Maharashtrian style ceremony at the Devgn house. The wedding was subject to wide media scrutiny, as certain members of the media criticised Kajol's decision to settle down at the "peak of her career". Post marriage, there was news in the media claiming that Devgn didn't allow Kajol to work in films anymore. However, it was later clarified by Kajol that instead of quitting films, she would cut down on the amount of work that she did.

Following his marriage, Kajol moved into his, and his parents, house at the latter's ancestral house in Juhu. While media members speculated about a lack of compatibility between her in-laws and her, Kajol clarified that they were "like parents to me" and encouraged her to continue working in films. Rumours have often romantically linked Devgn with other Bollywood actresses, and have reported about an imminent divorce. Refuting the rumours, Kajol stated, "I don't believe in those rumours because I know the way this industry functions. [...] You cannot continue a marriage without the basic trust. Frankly, I don't care for such talk."

In 2001, Kajol was pregnant with her first child. However, due to an ectopic pregnancy, she suffered a miscarriage. On 20 April 2003, Kajol gave birth to a daughter, Nysa. Seven years later, on 13 September 2010, she gave birth to a son, Yug. She described motherhood as "fab" and added that her kids brought out "the best in her".

Read More

Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar (born Rajiv Hari Om Bhatia on September 9, 1967) is an Indian film actor, producer and martial artist who has appeared in over a hundred Hindi films. He has been nominated for Filmfare Awards several times, winning it two times. He has appeared in over 125 films. When he began his acting career in the 1990s, he primarily starred in action films and was particularly known for his appearances in feature films commonly called the "Khiladi series", which included Khiladi (1992), Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994), Sabse Bada Khiladi (1995), Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1996), Mr. and Mrs. Khiladi (1997), International Khiladi (1999), Khiladi 420 (2000) and Khiladi 786 (2012), as well as other action films such as Waqt Hamara Hai (1993), Mohra(1994), Elaan (1994), Suhaag (1994), Sapoot (1996), Angaaray(1998), Keemat – They Are Back (1998) and Sangharsh (1999).

Later he also gained fame for his drama, romance and comic roles. He started becoming known for his performances in romance films like Yeh Dillagi (1994), Dhadkan (2000) and Namastey London(2007), as well as drama films such as Waqt: The Race Against Time(2005) and Patiala House (2011). His comic performances in comedy films such as Hera Pheri (2000), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), Garam Masala (2005), Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007), and Singh Is Kinng(2008) met with acclaim. His success had soared in 2007, when he starred in four consecutive commercial hits. Kumar hit a rough patch since 2009 to 2011 but came back with two successes, Housefull 2 (2012) and Rowdy Rathore (2012) with both of them grossing over Rs.100 crore (US$17 million). His other films like OMG (2012) and Special 26(2013) were highly successful critically and commercially. On February 16, 2013, many media outlets reported that the boxoffice collection of Kumar films has crossed Rs. 2,000 crore (US$340 million) and till date is the only Bollywood actor to do so. Having done so, he has established himself as a leading contemporary actor of Hindi cinema.

Apart from acting, Kumar has worked as a stunt actor; he has often performed many dangerous stunts in his films, which has earned him a reputation as the "Indian Jackie Chan". 2008 marked his television debut as the host of the show Fear Factor – Khatron Ke Khiladi. In 2009, Kumar founded the Hari Om Entertainment production company.

In 2008, the University of Windsor conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Law on Kumar in recognition of his contribution to Indian cinema. The following year he was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India. In 2011 The Asian Awards honoured Kumar for his outstanding achievement in Cinema.

Akshay Kumar was born in Amritsar in the Indian state of Punjab. His father was an army officer. His mother's name is Aruna Bhatia. From a very young age, he was recognised as a performer, particularly as a dancer. Kumar was raised in Delhi's Chandni Chowk neighbourhood before moving to Mumbai. In Mumbai, he lived in Koliwada, which was another Punjabi dominated area. He studied at Don Bosco School in Mumbai and then Guru Nanak Khalsa College in Mumbai. Akshay has one sister also,Alka Bhatia.

After having obtained a black belt in Taekwondo while in India, he studied martial arts in Bangkok, Thailand, where he learned Muay Thai and worked as a chef and waiter. He then came back to Mumbai, where he started teaching martial arts. One of his students happened to be a photographer and recommended him to do modelling. The student gave him a modelling assignment for a small company. For his two hours posing in front of the camera, Kumar got 5,000, compared to his previous monthly salary of 4,000. That was one of the main reasons why he chose to be a model. One morning he missed his flight for an ad-shoot at Bangalore. Disappointed with himself, he went for his usual rounds at various film studios with his portfolio. Luckily that same evening, Kumar was signed for a lead role by producer Pramod Chakravarthy for the movie Deedar.

After being engaged twice to actress Twinkle Khanna, the daughter of actors Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia, Kumar married her on January 17, 2001. Their son named Aarav was born in September 2002. Khanna gave birth to their second child, daughter Nitara, on September 25, 2012.

Akshay stays in shape with a combination of kickboxing, basketball, swimming, and other sports, as well as working out.

In 2004, he was honoured with the Rajiv Gandhi Award for his outstanding achievements in Bollywood. In 2008 the University of Windsor in Ontario, Canada awarded Kumar with Honorary Doctrate of Law for his outstanding work in the film industry and contribution to social work.

Read More

Akshaye Khanna

Akshaye Khanna (born 28 March 1975) is an Indian film actor who works in Hindi cinema. He made his acting debut in the year 1997 with Himalay Putra and since then has been featured in several critical and commercial acclaimed films. Khanna has been a recipient of Filmfare Awards twice. His most popular films include Border(1997), Taal (1999), Dil Chahta Hai (2001), Hulchul(2004), Race (2008) among others. He was critically acclaimed for his performance in Gandhi, My Father (2007).

Akshaye Khanna was born in Mumbai in 1975. He is the middle son of Bollywood actor and politician Vinod Khanna, and the younger brother of actor Rahul Khanna.

After studying in Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Institute in Mumbai, Khanna made his acting debut in Bollywood in 1997 with the movie Himalay Putra, which went without much success at box office and produced by his father vinod khanna.. His performance in his next release, J. P. Dutta-directed Border (1997), earned him the Filmfare Best Debut Award and a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1998. After that a string of unsuccessful films followed such as Mohabbat (1997), Kudrat(1998), Laawaris (1999), Love You Hamesha (1999) and Dahek: A Burning Passion (1999).

In 1999, he starred in Rishi Kapoor's Aa Ab Laut Chalen; though the film did average business, he was praised for his acting. He next starred in the 1999 release of Subhash Ghai's Taalopposite Aishwarya Rai. The film became a critical and commercial success.

In 2001, Khanna appeared in Farhan Akhtar's cult classic Dil Chahta Hai which turned out to be a turning point in his career; the film was a commercial and critical success and Khanna's performance was particularly applauded, later validated by first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2002. Dil Chahta Hai relaunched Akshaye Khanna and Saif Ali Khan's careers. In 2002, Khanna appeared in an Abbas-Mustan thriller Humraaz; his role as a convincing con-artist in this film earned him much critical acclaim and a nomination for a Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Negative Role. Khanna then plunged into the comedy genre with Priyadarshan’s Hungama(2002) and Hulchul (2004) that became box office hits.

After acting in a string of unsuccessful and lukewarm box-office films like Shaadi Se Pehle (2006), Aap Ki Khatir(2006), Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love (2007), Mere Baap Pehle Aap(2008), Gandhi, My Father (2007), and Naqaab (2007), Khanna appeared in the 2008 release Race. The Abbas-Mustan’s thriller was the fourth highest-grossing Bollywood film in 2008 and Khanna's performance in a negative role brought him couple of awards in the Best Villain category. However, Khanna’s portrayal of Harilal Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's eldest son, in the critically acclaimed 2007 film Gandhi, My Father is unanimously acknowledged his best performance yet as an actor.

In 2010, he starred in Anees Bazmee's No Problem, co-starring with Sanjay Dutt, Anil Kapoor and Kangna Ranaut. Khanna's later releases did not fare well at the box office, but his performances in Aakrosh(2010) and Tees Maar Khan (2010) were well-received by critics and audiences.

Read More