DIVYA BHARATI
Divya Bharti (25 February 1974 – 5 April 1993) was an Indian film actress. She started her career in the South film industry with the 1990 Telugu film Bobbili Raja. After several other hits in the South, she entered Hindi films with Vishwatma in 1992, for which she earned accolades for her performance in the song Saat Samundar Paar. She appeared in more than 14 Hindi films between 1992 and 1993.
Divya was in the ninth standard when she began to get film offers. As her face resembled superstar Sridevi, she got noticed by many directors and producers. At first her parents were hesitant, till Nandu Tolani offered her Gunahon Ka Devta in 1988. Divya was 14-1/2.
Meanwhile, Divya learned through a friend that Dilip Shankar wanted a new girl opposite Aamir Khan in Aatank Hi Aatank and Rudra Avtaar. With her parents' permission, she signed up for both films. During those times, Kirti Kumar (Govinda's brother) noticed the charming Divya at a video library. He followed her to her residence and then called up director Nandu Tolani, who lived in the building next to hers, and asked about Divya.
After being dropped out of so many big projects, Divya got depressed and left Mumbai. On the evening of her return, the producer of Bobbili Raja approached her for his upcoming project. They wanted Divya to fly down the same night. As Divya quoted in the November 1991 Movie magazine, "I didn't want to go. I said no but mummy said yes. Imagine, the film became a super-hit and I became a superstar." The move paid off. Bobbili Raja was released in the summer of 1990 and became a colossal hit. She had captured the South by storm, and many more offers poured in.
With more hits, she became a bigger name in Telugu cinema. In box-office ratings, she figured next only to the indomitable Vijayshanti. Her price, according to an insider, had touched a whopping 25 lakhs per film and 1 lakh each additional day. (If shooting was postponed, the South producers were paying 15 lakhs for 15 days, which was a big amount in 1991.) In Bollywood, only Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi were getting that kind of price.
When Divya heard that Rajiv Rai was on the lookout for a new face for his film Vishwatma opposite Sunny Deol, she daringly walked into his office with her portfolio. The same day she signed the film. Rajiv was making the sequel to his blockbuster film Tridev.
The film was produced by Trimurti Films Pvt. Ltd., one of the biggest and oldest film production houses. Vishwatma was launched in late 1990 with grand mahurat with Dharmendra giving the mahurat shot. Soon Divya left for long outdoor shooting in Nairobi. By the time Divya came back, film offers started pouring in. Without a single release so far, Divya had signed 14 films.
Vishwatma was released on January 2, 1992. Although it did do well, the film's success did not come close to that of Tridev, and the film was declared an average grosser. Notably, the film's most popular song "Saat Samundar", which focused on Divya, became a hit and, even to this day, the audience remembers Divya's dance sequence in that song.
Seven days later, Divya's musical bonanza Dil Ka Kya Kasoor released. It was supposed to establish her as popular heroine but opened to empty theaters. No one expected the film to bomb so badly.
Thus Divya, too, was deleted from the ranks of the promising newcomers for a while. Then Pehlaj Nihlani's Shola Aur Shabnam came along. The film was a box office hit and Divya was riding high again. Not only did it present Divya in a noble character role, it also gave a big boost to Govinda's career, as well as launching David Dhawan as an established director.
Four months later, Raj Kanwar's love story Deewana became the biggest hit of 1992, where she held her own against veteran Rishi Kapoor and debutant Shahrukh Khan. With the super success of Deewana, Divya got rid of her promising newcomer status and entered the A-list. Her performance in Deewana was highly appreciated.
Barely 16, Divya met Sajid Nadiadwala in 1990 at Film City, when Sajid dropped by the sets to meet his friend Govinda on the sets of Shola Aur Shabnam. It was Govinda who introduced Sajid to Divya. Soon, it became a routine for the unit to see Sajid on sets every day
As Sajid quotes in Movie's June 1993 issue "Somewhere around 15 January 1990 Divya told me that she wanted to get married. The very next day she was tense because her name was being linked with all heroes. She wanted to marry and put an end to all these controversies. People expect me to have a relationship with everyone, she would complain."
Around midnight of 5 April 1993, Divya fell to her death from a five-story Versova apartment building, Tulsi 2 in Mumbai. There was much speculation by the media regarding Divya's sudden demise, including the possibility of accidental death, suicide or even murder. Divya's dress designer Neeta Lulla is believed to have been at the apartment at the time of death, but the unfortunate event could not be avoided. Police closed the investigation into her death in 1998, but the circumstances of her death remain a mystery.
MADHURI DEEKSHIT
Birthname: Madhuri Shankar Dixit
DOB: 15th May, 1967
Status: Married toSriram Nene.
Has Dated: Sanjay Dutt
Debut movie: Abodh in 1986
No. of marriages: One
Most remembered for: Nisha Choudhary in Hum Aapke Hain Kaun
Famous pairing: Anil Kapoor
Madhuri Dixit was born in a Maharashtrian family in Mumbai, on May 15th 1967. Alongwith being a certified micro- biologist, Madhuri is also trained in Kathak. The actress made her debut in Abodh which failed miserably.Thereafter she made appearances in various supporting roles but to no avail till Tezaab came her way. Her song ek do teen from Tezaab in 1988 went on to become a rage of its time and the actress is still associated with it.
Her career’s turning point was the role of Nisha in Sooraj Barjatya’s Hum Aapke Hain Kaun in 1994 after which Madhuri Dixit became a household name. She moved on to give great performances like in Mrityudand which got her a lot of critical acclaim and various awards at international film festivals.
She got married to a Colorado based surgeon, Shriram Nene, in 1999 and has 2 children with him, Arin and Ryan. The actress has reduced her work after marriage and was seen after a gap of four years in Sanjay leela Bhansali’s Devdas in 2002. She worked in another movie after a span of 5 years – Aaja Nachle – but the film failed to response at the box office.
Favorites :
Designer: Manish Malhotra
Holiday Destination: Denver, Mauritius
Endorsements: Emami, Lux
Filmfare Awards Won-
1991: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Dil
1993: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Beta
1995: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Hum Aapke Hain Kaun...!
1998: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Dil To Pagal Hai
2003: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Devdas
2011: Filmfare Special Award for completing 25 years in the Indian film industry
Nominated
1989: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Tezaab
1990: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Prem Pratigyaa
1992: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Saajan
1994: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Khalnayak
1995: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Anjaam
1996: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Raja
1996: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Yaraana
2001: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Pukar
2002: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Lajja
2008: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Aaja Nachle
Star Screen Awards Won-
1994: Star Screen Award Best Actress for Hum Aapke Hain Kaun...!
1995: Star Screen Award Best Actress for Raja
1997: Star Screen Award Best Actress for Mrityudand
2002: Star Screen Award Best Supporting Actress for Devdas
Nominated
2000: Star Screen Award Best Actress for Pukar
Zee Cine Awards Won-
1998: Zee Cine Award for Best Actor - Female for Dil To Pagal Hai
2002: Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Female for Lajja
Nominated-
2000: Zee Cine Award for Best Actor - Female for Pukar
2003: Zee Cine Award for Best Actor - Female for Devdas'
IIFA Awards Nominated-
2000: IIFA Best Actress Award for Pukar
Stardust Awards Nominated-
2008: Stardust Star of the Year Award - Female for Aaja Nachle
Honours and recognitions1997: "Kalabhinetri" award by the Government of Andhra Pradesh
2001: National Citizen's Award
2001: Forbes named Dixit among the Top Five Most Powerful Indian Movie Stars.
2008: Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award by the Government of India
2008: Honored at IFFLA Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles
2011: Pearls Wave Awards - "Wave Silver Screen Queen Honour"
2011: Madhuri Dixit was voted as the most desirable Bollywood actress of 2011 in a poll conducted by HindiFIlmNews.Com
MANISHA B KOIRALA
Manisha B. Koirala (August 16, 1970) is a Nepali actress who works in Indian films, as well as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Manisha Koirala was born in Kathmandu, Nepal, into the politically prominent Koirala family to Prakash Koirala and Sushma Koirala. Her grandfather Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala was the Prime Minister of Nepal during the late 50s-early 60s, as well as two of her late great-uncles, Girija Prasad Koirala and Matrika Prasad Koirala. She studied at Vasant Kanya Mahavidhyalaya (VKM), Varanasi till Class X. She stayed with her grandmother in Varanasi during her studies. After passing tenth standard she shifted to the Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan, New Delhi (APS). Her ambition was to be a doctor, but a modelling stint opened a career path into Bollywood.
Her brother Siddharth Koirala is also an actor, and collaborated with her once in the film Anwar.
In 2004, she returned from New York after receiving a diploma in filmmaking. She became a member of an independent documentary filmmaker's society.
Koirala has primarily worked in Hindi cinema, though she has appeared in several Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films as well. She is also an accomplished Bharatnatyam and Manipuri dancer.
Making her acting debut in the Nepali film, Pheri Bhetaula in 1989, Koirala made her Bollywood debut in 1991 with Subhash Ghai's top-grossing drama, Saudagar. She went on to collaborate with some of the most prominent Indian filmmakers of her times, and throughout the 1990s, was one of the best-known actresses in India, mostly recognised for her critically acclaimed performances.
Noted for her portrayals of strong dramatic characters, Koirala mostly ventured into serious and realistic cinema ranging from 1942: A Love Story, Bombay to Khamoshi: The Musical and Dil Se. Although box office collections of her films have varied considerably, critics have noted that her niche as an actor remains unharmed irrespective of box office collections.
On June 19, 2010, Koirala married Samrat Dahal in a traditional ceremony held in Kathmandu. The couple spent their honeymoon in Finland. They met through the online social networking website, Facebook. She was reportedly engaged in 2001 to Crispin Conroy, the former Australian ambassador to Nepal, but they broke up later. There were also reports of her dating American speaker and author, Christopher Dorris, but that relationship too ended.
In September 1999, Koirala was appointed as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador. She is actively involved in social work, specifically working with organizations to promote women’s rights, prevention of violence against women, and also to prevent the human trafficking of Nepali girls for prostitution.
1996, Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance, Bombay.
1997, Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance, Khamoshi: The Musical.
1997, Star Screen Award Best Actress, Khamoshi: The Musical.
2003, Filmfare Best Actress (Critics' Choice), Company.
2004, Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards, Best Actress, Escape From Taliban.
2006, Gorkha Dakshin Bahu Honoured by the than King of Nepal for achievement in the Indian Film Industry.
PRIETY ZINTA
Preity zinta was born on 31 January, 1975 is an Indian film actress. She has appeared in Hindi films of Bollywood, as well as Telugu, Punjabi and English language films. Zinta was born into a Hindu Rajput family from Rohru in Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh. Her father, Durganand Zinta, was an officer in the Indian Army. He died in a car accident when she was 13 years old; the accident also involved her mother, Nilprabha, who was severely injured and consequently remained bedridden for two years. Zinta called the tragic accident and her father's death a significant turning point in her life, which forced her to mature rapidly. She has two brothers; Deepankar and Manish, a year older and a year younger respectively. Deepankar is a commissioned officer in the Indian Army, while Manish lives in California. After graduating with a degree in criminal psychology, Zinta made her acting debut in Dil Se in 1998 followed by a role in Soldier the same year. These performances earned her a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut, and she was later recognised for her role as a teenage single mother in Kya Kehna (2000). She subsequently played a variety of character types; her film roles along with her screen personality contributed to a change in the concept of a Hindi film heroine.
Zinta received a Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 2003 for her performance in the drama Kal Ho Naa Ho. She went on to play the lead female role in two consecutive annual top-grossing films in India: the science fiction film Koi... Mil Gaya (2003), her biggest commercial success, and the star-crossed romance Veer-Zaara (2004), which earned her critical acclaim. She was later noted for her portrayal of independent, modern Indian women in Salaam Namaste (2005) and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006), top-grossing productions in overseas markets. These accomplishments have established her as a leading actress of Hindi cinema. Her first international film role was in the Canadian film Heaven on Earth, for which she was awarded the Silver Hugo Award for Best Actress at the 2008 Chicago International Film Festival.
In addition to movie acting, Zinta has written a series of columns for BBC News Online South Asia, is a social activist, a television presenter, and a regular stage performer. She is the founder of the production company PZNZ Media and, along with ex-boyfriend Ness Wadia, a co-owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team Kings XI Punjab. She is known in the Indian media for publicly speaking her mind and openly expressing her opinions, and consequently has sparked the occasional controversy. These controversies include her being the only witness not to retract in court her earlier statements against the Indian mafia during the 2003 Bharat Shah case, for which she was awarded the Godfrey Phillips National Bravery Award.
