Sonali

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 has eventually given critical acclaim for her performances in films like Sarfarosh (1999), Zakhm, Duplicate, Hum Saath Saath Hai (1999), Tera Mera Saath Rahey and Anaahat (2003) among many others.
She has starred with many of the leading actors of Bollywood including Amitabh Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan and Salman Khan. 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 won the award. She was also 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.
On November 16, 2001 she married film producer Goldie Behl. She has acted in a few Marathi, Telugu and Kannada movies and has been successful. She also hosted the 50th Filmfare Awards alongside Saif Ali Khan and Farida Jalal on February 26, 2005.
On August 11, 2005 she gave birth to a son, Ranvir, in Beach Candy Hospital.a

Meghna

Meghna Naidu is an Indian actress. She was born on 19 September 1980 in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. She is known as a sex symbol in Bollywood. She shot into fame with a video titled 'Kaliyon Ka Chaman', and instantly became popular as an 'item girl' in Bollywood.Although she debuted in movies in Southern India in the Tamil language, she made her Bollywood presence in 'Hawas' during the year 2004. Since then she has acted in 11 more movies. As of September, 2007, she is also slated to act in Telugu and Malyalam language movies, including one titled 'Chandrika', and hopes to shed off her glamorized image in Ashok Nanda's movie titled 'Riwaaz'.

Payal

A computer engineer by profession, Payal decided to try her hand in Bollywood after she was chosen in the last nine beauties in an Indian Beauty Pageant. She moved to Bombay thereafter, and since then there has been no looking back for this talented, attractive, young woman. She started her screen career by modeling for popular brands like Amul, Nirma, and Nescape, and was noticed immediately. Now she is spoken of as a Bollywood actress in the same caliber as Neha Dhupia, and Mallika Sherawat.

Malaika

Malaika Arora Khan (born 23 August 1973) is an Indian supermodel and a Bollywood actress.Malaika was born to a Malayalee mother and a Punjabi father. Her father Anil Arora worked in the merchant navy .Her mother's name is Joyce Polycarp.She is married to the Bollywood actor Arbaaz Khan whom she met during a coffee ad shoot. They have a son, Arhaan. She is the sister of actress Amrita Arora and sister-in-law to Bollywood heartthrobs Salman Khan and Sohail khan.Malaika completed her tenth grade from Swami Vivekanand School ( Collector' Colony)in Chembur(Mumbai).Her Aunt Grace Polycarp was the principal of that school. She is also an alumnus of Holy Cross Convent High School, Thane where she had studied until ninth grade. When MTV India first started, Malaika was one of their most prominent VJ's. She rose from this to an interviewer for MTV India, becoming the most prominent and hot non-movie, non-model female in urban India.Malaika lived in Borla Society opposite Basant Talkies before her modelling career.MTV India, recognizing her potential gave her prominent roles at Awards Functions and concerts telecast on the television channel. From there, she expanded her career into the modeling world. Her modeling and TV careers are going strong. At one point she was romantically linked to John Abraham. Malaika has appeared in numerous advertisements. She can also be seen in various item numbers or song and dance sequences, such as Chaiyya Chaiyya in the film Dil Se and Maahi Ve in Kaante.The dance number of Chaiyya Chaiyya is remembered because it was shot on a moving train crossing mountain scenery. She has since then focused on her career as a model and television anchor. In 2005, she did another item number: Kaal Dhamaal in the movie Kaal.Arbaaz said in an interview "She balances work, home and kid beautifully" Amrita said on the popular show Karan Johar show "Koffee With Karan" that she doesn't know anyone in Bollywood who have maintained their body like Malaika has even after motherhood (Kofee With Karan, 2005).Malaika also appeared in the television show "Nach Baliye" as one of the 3 judges and the show aired on "Star One" in mid-2005, and she continued as one of the judges even in the second session of Nach Baliye 2 that aired in the last quarter of 2006.

Lara

Lara Dutta is an impressive blend of beauty and brains. Wowing the Universe, the Lara-wayLara Dutta was born in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh on 16th April 1978. Her parents are L.K.Dutta, a Wing Commander and her mother is Jennifer Dutta, a singer for Doordarshan Radio, Jalandhar. Her roots are a mix of Tamil, Punjabi and Nordic. She is the youngest of three sisters.Lara’s growing up years were spent in Bangalore where she studied at St Francis Xavier Girl’s High School and later at Frank Anthony Public School. She has a degree in Economics from Mumbai University.Her moment of glory was when she won the Gladrags modeling competition and represented India at the Miss Intercontinental Pageant in 1997 which she won. In 2000, she was crowned Miss Universe. She became the UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador in 2001.She dumped her boyfriend of seven years, model Kelly Dorji. She was also said to be dating New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter.Aisa Jaadu Daala Re!2003 to 2005Arasatchi, a Tamil movie that released only in 2004, was supposed to be her debut. Instead it was Andaz (2003). Just as well, as it won her the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. In Khakee (2004) she made an appearance in the song Aisa Jaadu. The comedy Masti and Bardaasht with Bobby Deol were mediocre. No Entry (2005) was popular, while Elaan, Jurm and Kaal didn’t fare well.2006 to 2009Zinda and Bhagam Bhag in 2006 were average performers. While Jhoom Barabar Jhoom in 2007 didn’t do well in India, it enjoyed a better response overseas. David Dhawan’s Partner with Salman Khan and Govinda was successful. She lent her voice for the character Sonia in the animation flick Jumbo (2008). She will be appearing in 2009 with Akshay Kumar in Blue that is shot underwater and with Irrfan Khan in Billo Barber.

Diya

Dia Mirza, graduated from modeling into Bollywood with a crown perched on her pretty head.Basics on DiaThis German-Bengali actress was born as Dia Handrich on 9th December 1982 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. Her father was a German interior designer, Frank Handrich and her mother is a Bengali, Deepa. Dia’s parents divorced when she was six years old. Her father passed away three years later. Her mother remarried a Muslim, Ahmed Mirza.She spent her school years in Hyderabad at the Vidyaranya High School for Boys & Girls and later at Nazr School.Dia was dating Bunty Sachdev, actor Kunal Kapoor and director Apoorva Lakhia.She was placed as second runner up at the Femina Miss India 2000 and represented India and won the title of Miss Asia Pacific in 2000. Dia’s Movies2001 to 2003 Dia landed in the film industry with her debut Rehnaa Hai Tere Dil Mein that was a remake of the Tamil hit Minnale. It cast her opposite Madhavan and Saif Ali Khan. Her second movie was Deewanapan with Arjun Rampal. She had only one release in 2002 Tumko Na Bhool Payenge. In Tehzeeb (2003), she played a mentally challenged girl opposite Shabana Azmi and Urmila Matondkar. Dum (2003), Tumsa Nahin Dekha (2004) were other releases that didn’t really get the audience to flock theaters.2004 to 2008 She reprised the role of Gayatri Tantya in the hit Parineeta (2004). Dus (2004), Blackmail(2004), Fight Club(2006) and Alag (2006) were her other releases. She appeared in a song in the comedy Phir Hera Pheri (2006) and as Simran in the hit sequel Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006). In 2007, she had some success with movies like Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd, Shootout at Lokhandwala and Heyy Babyy. Krazzy 4 (2008) did badly. 2009 Dia Mirza’s forthcoming movies are Fruit & Nuts, Aankh Micholi, Bits & Pieces and she will also be part of a reality game show Kaho Naa Yaar Hai.

Celina

The glamorous actress Celina Jaitley basked in the afterglow of success when she won the Miss India crown.Basics on Celina Celina Jaitley was born on 9th June 1981 in Kabul, Afghanistan. Her father was in the Indian Army while her mother was a child psychologist and a beauty queen herself. Her brother followed their father’s lead and joined the Indian Army. Celina completed her graduation from Indira Gandhi National Open University in Commerce. She worked in marketing at a cellphone company in Kolkata. She participated in a local beauty contest on impulse and won it, motivating her to sign up for the Miss India contest. This was a smart move as she won the crown and placed fourth from the top at the Miss Universe contest. She won MTV’s Most Wanted slot around this time.Next in line were music videos like Bombay Viking’s “Zara Nazron Se Khedo”. Celina’s MoviesCelina Jailey’s debut was with Feroz Khan’s Janasheen (2003) with Fardeen Khan. Silsilay (2004) was a multi-starrer as most of her movies are. The comedy No Entry (2005) with co-stars like Salman Khan, Bipasha Basu and Anil Kapoor was a hit. She acted in movies like Zinda (2006), Tom Dick and Harry (2006), Apna Sapna Money Money (2006). She made a brief appearance in the comedy Heyy Babyy (2007). In 2008, Celina Jaitley was in the hit sequel Golmaal Returns and Money Ho Tho Honey Hai.

Amrita

Amrita Arora , born 31 January 1978 is an Indian actress.She was born in Bombay, India to a Malayali mother and a Punjabi father, she is the sister of Malaika Arora. Her brother-in-law is Arbaaz Khan, the brother of Salman Khan. She is 5 ft 4.5 inches tall.She was featured in ads such as Ponds,Elle 18, After Smoke, Sunsilk fruitamins etc. She also hosted shows such as MTV House full and Mtv Chillout On Mtv India.Her father died of cancer when she was ten years old. One of her memorable experience is winning the MTV VJ hunt.She was romantically linked to Kevin Otter, Upen Patel and Ashmit Patel. Currently she is dating Usman Afzaal.She made her debut opposite Fardeen Khan with the film "Kitne Door Kitne Paas" which was not successful at the box office. Her first successful movie was "Awara Paagal Deewana". A series of flop followed, among them the controversial "Girlfriend" (2004) opposite Isha Koppikar, a movie about a lesbian relationship. Her upcoming movies will be Deha, Jeet: Feel the Force and Raakh, all to be released in 2007. Her recent film was ,"Red -The Dark Side" released starring Aftab Sivdastani, Celina Jaitley and Amrita Arora.Their was a controversy over the twenty-seven minute sex scene. Red received mixed reviews at the Box Office.

Esha

Esha Deol is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. She is half-sister to Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, and daughter of actress Hema Malini and actor Dharmendra.She also has a sister named Ahana Deol.She attended Jamnabai Narsee School, where she excelled at soccer and then went on to attend Oxford University and obtained a Masters Degree in Media Arts and Computer Technology. She is also an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer and was trained by her mother, who is a famous exponent of that particular dance form herself.Amongst her friends at Bollywood are Kareena Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan. She likes to work out and listen to music.She is 5 ft 6 inches tall.Esha is a fitness fanatic and her physique is showcased in Dhoom which was her biggest hit. She's probably the only Indian actress who can boast of a six-pack.She also speaks Punjabi & Tamil fluently.She has been romantically linked up with John Abraham and Aftab Shivdasani.Her debut film, "Koi Mere Dil Se Poochhe", did not do well at the box office, but her performance was noticed, and she won the Filmfare Best Debut Award. She starred in a number of films over the next two years, but none of them succeeded. She finally had her first big hit with Dhoom (2004).This was followed by a Karan Johar and Shahrukh Khan joint production, Kaal which was her second hit. Her next hit films were Boney Kapoor's "No Entry" which was declared the highest grosser of 2005 and the action thriller Dus. She is set to star in her mother's next directorial venture with Rekha and Abhishek Bachchan and also a film in which her mother and her will be starring together in for the first time.She was recently nominated for Star Screen Awards best Actor in a negative role(male/female) for her performance in Ankahee.

Asin

Asin, after establishing herself as a star in the South Indian film industry, is aiming for a repeat performance in Bollywood with Ghajini being a step in the right direction.Basics on AsinAsin Thottumkal was born on 26th October 1979 in Kochi, Kerala to a Syrian Christian family. Her father Joseph Tottumkal who was an entrepreneur is now her manager. Her mother is Seline Thottumkal, a surgeon by profession.Asin studied at the Naval Public School and St Theresa’s Higher Secondary School.

She wrapped up her education with a degree in English Literature from St Theresa’s College.She assisted her father in his business that was diverse ranging from software to exports. She also modeled and has appeared in ads for Colgate Toothpaste and Fairever Cream.Asin’s Movies2001 to 2003Asin faced the cameras when she was fifteen in the Malayalam movie Narendran Makan Jayakanthan Vaka (2001). Her 2003 Telugu movies Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammay and Shivamani won her the Filmfare Best Telugu Actress Award and the Santosham Best Actress Award respectively.2004 to 2006 She continued to work in Telugu hits like Lakshmi Narasimha and Gharshana in 2004. She went back to deliver a hit in the Tamil movie M Kumaran son of Mahalakshmi. While Chakram failed Ullam Ketkumae, Sivakashi and Majaa were hits in 2005.

The Tamil movie Ghajini, also released in 2005, was a blockbuster and won her the Filmfare Best Tamil Actress Award. Her two movies in 2006 Varalaru, a Tamil movie and Annavaram, a Telugu movie were successful.2007 to 2009In 2007, Asin scored two out of three when Pokiri and Vel did well while Aalwar underperformed. Kamal Hassan’s extravaganza Dasavatharam in 2008 was again a hit with Asin playing Kothai Radha and Andaal. The same year she made her debut in Bollywood with the Hindi version of Ghajini starring Aamir Khan. Vipul Shah’s London Dreams, releasing in 2009, is said to have her as the lead with actors Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan.

Koena

Koena Mitra, born 7 January 1985 in Kolkata, India, is an actress in the Bollywood film industry.As her name indicates Koena Mitra's life flows through different realms of experience. She has been named after the renowned Bengali river. Koena Mitra is a Psychology Major from Kolkatta. Koena Mitra aspired to become an actress from the childhood days and to come to the glamorous field. She took the modelling world by winning the Gladrgs Supermodel Contest in 2002 and later on went on to become the semi-finalist of Miss Intercontinental.Her success story begins there.Koena has done commercials like ACP Whisky, Mirinda, Clinic All Clear, Maruti Alto. Her modeling for the TV Commercials groomed Koena Mitra for acting by helping her to get rid off camera phobia. She came to know how to perform before camera and to do with camera angles. She learnt to see acting through the director's eye.Koena has done numerous Music Videos like 'Stereo Nation´s Ishq', 'Aaj Ki Raat', 'Akh Teri', 'Channo' by Jassi.Koena Mitra began her Bollywood career with a scorching item number in Ram Gopal Varma's Road.The song " Khullam Khulla" in the movie "Road" became a craze and Koena got typecasted as an item girl. However Koena was very much excited after working with Ram Gopal Verma and believes that whoever works with him will eventually be successful because he is a man who deals only with success and that´s why despite being very conscious in choosing her films she opted to do a cameo in the film.After the success of her item number in Road Koena was flooded with offers to do raunchy numbers in Bollywood movies. Nevertheless she refused all those offers as she was waiting to mark her role as an actress.She had to wait for another two years to get her next break and that was in Sanjay Gupta's "Musafir". Even though she played the minor role of a dancer who gets killed she was noticed and she successfully made her presence felt amongst the bunch of established actors in movie.Her second film "Insan" was not a success and did not contribute much to her career growth. However she got all the attention the movie "Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena" directed by Suparna Verma . Suparna Verma liked the new face in Musafir and made Koena as the heroine of his new film. In this movie she played the lead role opposite Fardeen Khan. This role was initially slated to play by Bipasha Basu, who backed out due to lack of dates. However it turned out to be a stepping-stone for Koena. Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena was not a big hit but was enough for Koena to make an entry to Bollywood actress club.Her next movie was "Apna Sapna Money Money" and was a Hit.She is ready to experiment with roles and ready to do any role. She is eager to act under big banners, as she believes that they market their films well. She has set her eyes on higher goals in acting and let us hope that her life would take her to those enthralling realms.

Mahima

Mahima Chaudhry (born 13 September 1973 in , West Bengal, India, whose real name is Ritu Chaudhry, is a popular Indian actress. Mahima Chaudhary, is a former model. Soon as she made her film debut with the hit Pardes in 1997, she proved her acting abilities and went on to make many critically acclaimed roles during her years in the industry. She is a vegetarian and a PETA ambassador. Her name Mahima means Gods Greatness.Her height is 5 ft 5 inches.Mahima was a model before she became a Bollywood actress, once appearing with Aishwarya Rai in a Pepsi commercial. Simultaneously she also hosted the entertainment TV show, Public demand. Her first breakthrough performance, where she won rave reviews, was "Pardes" (1997) as Ganga, the love interest of two men played by Shah Rukh Khan and Apoorva Agnihotri. She was chosen to be the female lead among about 3,000 applicants who auditioned for Pardes. Her career was launched by Subhash Ghai who had also launched the careers of popular actresses like Madhuri Dixit and Manisha Koirala. She has been said to have changed her name to Mahima Chaudhary since Subhash Ghai has a superstitious belief of launching big careers with actresses whose names start with the letter 'M', but this is not the case, she has kept her real name as she believes that her real name is a very personal part of her and something that she wants to keep. She won rave review for her first performance in "Pardes" (1997) as a village girl who still values her culture. Apart from her role in "Pardes" (1997), she also won acclaims on her role as Kavita, the devoted wife of Ajay Devgan in "Dil Kya Kare" (1999) which earned her a second filmfare nomination. Unlike most top actresses in India, she didn't mind playing supporting roles in films (example: "Dhadkan" (2000), "Dil Kya Kare" (1999)). Apart from her role in Pardes (1997), she also won acclaims on her role as Kavita, the devoted wife of Ajay Devgan in "Dil Kya Kare" (1999) which earned her a second filmfare nomination. She was also nominated for her performances in "Dhadkan" and "Dobara". She has worked with numerous actresses including Kajol, Shilpa Shetty, Urmila Matondkar, Manisha Koirala, Raveena Tandon, Rekha, Preity Zinta, Tabu, Padmini Kolhapure, and Hema Malini. When asked, she expressed her desire to work with Juhi Chawla: her favourite actress.She received her schooling in Loretto, Darjeeling along with her older sister Ashu whose modelling career never took off. She was rumoured to have dated Dino Morea, although he has denied this. Mahima had previously dated tennis star Leander Paes; the relationship apparently ended due to his infidelity.Mahima married Bobby Mukherjee, a high profile Mumbai Architect, last year amidst total secrecy. On June 10, 2007 Mahima gave birth to their first child: a girl dia. The couple already have two kids from Bobby's first marriage.

Ayesha Takia

Ayesha Takia is best remembered as the Complan Girl who grew up to be Meera in Dor.I’m a Complan Girl Ayesha was born on April 10th 1986 in Mumbai. Her father Nishit is a Gujrathi while her mother Faridah is an Anglo-Indian Muslim. She has a younger sister called Natasha.She studied at the Anthony’s High School but did not pursue her education any further as she started her career in show business when she was as young as fifteen. She was dating Farhan Azmi and the wedding bells are ready to ring for this couple very soon. Ayesha was part of a popular Complan advertisement. She was also part of two music videos – Falguni Pathak’s Meri Chunar Udd Udd Jaye and DJ Aqeel’s Shake It Daddy.In the Bollywood Mix Ayesha was first offered Socha Na Tha with Abhay Deol and then Tarzan:The Wonder Car in 2004. She won the Filmfare Best Debut Award for the latter. She has worked in more than fifteen films since then like Dil Maange More, Salaam-e-Ishq, Fool and Final, No Smoking and De Taali. Most of them did not do well at the box office. However her performance in Nagesh Kukunoor’s critically acclaimed Dor,in which she played the part of a Rajasthani widow Meera stood out winning her quite a few awards.The End? Ayesha is said to be all set to bid adieu to Bollywood soon after her marriage. The films up for release before she ties the knot are Wanted: Dead or Alive with Salman Khan, Paathshaala with Shahid Kapoor, another Nagesh Kukunoor film Eight By Ten with Akshay Kumar, Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai, Naughty At Forty and Ab Dil Door Nahin, which is an animated film where she is lending her voice to a leopard cub.

Isha

Isha Koppikar was born in Mumbai, India in 19 september 1976. She went to Ruia College in Mumbai and studied Life Sciences. While in college, she did a model shoot for Gautam Rajyadhaksa. She took part in the 1995 Miss India Contest, won the Miss Talent Crown and modeled for L'Oreal, Rexona, Camay, Tips & Toes and Coca-Cola, among others.Her first movie was the Tamil En Swasa Katre opposite Arvind Swamy, one of the most successful actors that time. She received positive reviews for her role and decided to pursue a career in Bollywood: Her first movie was Ek Tha Dil Ek Thi Dhadkan (1997), directed by Shah Rukh Sultan, and has yet to be released.Koppikar starred in some minor roles in Fiza (2000) and Pyaar Ishq aur Mohabbat (2001) until in 2002, she starred in Ram Gopal Varmas Company as an Item girl in the song Khallas!, which created her nickname Khallas-girl and caused her breakthrough.In Dil Ka Rishta she played opposite Aishwarya Rai and Arjun Rampal and for her negative role in Qayamat: City Under Threat (2003), she received a Filmfare Award nomination for Best Villain. In the movie Girlfriend (2004), she plays a woman involved in a lesbian relationship and in D (2004), she again worked with Ram Gopal Varma in the prequel of his movie Company.Recently, she played Arshad Warsi's girlfriend in the Salman Khan starrer Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya?. She is now filming for Farhan Akhtar's Don alongside Shahrukh Khan.If looks could kill, this Mumbai girl who started out as a model would be lethal. Tall, beautiful, talented, the Khallas girl, Isha Koppikar shot to fame with her song number in Ram Gopal Verma's movie Company. Born in 1976, Isha had never imagined that she would become an actress. Instead, she had hoped to walk in her father's footsteps and become a doctor. “I did not get enough marks to enroll for MBBS,” says Isha, who graduated in life sciences from Ruia College.Modeling assignments trickled in after she did a photo shoot with Gautam Rajyadhyaksha when she was still in junior college. Besides some prominent assignments for Ponds, Camay, Rexona, Synergy, Coke, L'Oreal and Tips & Toes, she did a few ramp shows. “I did only five or six ramp shows,” she says, “as I used to be plump in those days.” Such candid admissions make her the person she is.In 1995 she won the Miss Talent crown at the Miss India. She debuted in a Tamil film, En Swasa Katre opposite Arvind Swamy, who was at the peak of his fame at that time following the success of Roja and Bombay. The film got rave reviews and she was expected to be a big hit in the south.However, she softly entered Bollywood. Her first film, Ek Tha Dil Ek Thi Dhadkan, directed by Shah Rukh Khan in 1997, never got released. Then she was back to south to do her second film with Tamil superstar Prashant. She managed to do about ten films in the south. Her performance in Tamil film 'Kaathal Kavithai' fetched her the Filmfare award for the best newcomer in the south in 2000-01.Though her work was in the South, her heart was set on making a name for herself in Mumbai. She did small roles in Fiza, Aamdani Athani Kharcha Rupaiya and Pyar, Ishq aur Mohabbat. But she got the much wanted and needed break from Ram Gopal Verma. Her item song ‘Khallas’ in Company became all the rage.Some of the other movies she worked in were Sanjay Gupta's multi starrer Kaante, Plan with Dino Morea and Krishna Cottage in which she played a ghost. She was nominated as a villain for film Qayamat. In Pinjar her performance was good but anyhow the film didn't work. She was recently in news for her controversial film Girlfriend where she played an obsessive lover to her friend Amrita Arora and did some bold scenes portraying a lesbian relationship.Today Ishaa Khoppikar has grown beyond being just a sizzling item girl. Ishaa is now setting to sink her teeth into some really challenging roles in her forthcoming films Inteqaam, Humraahi and Raakh.Isha loves to make friends, is Net-savvy and does a lot of chatting. “I love dancing but no discos and pubs. I am not a night person. I start my day early,” says Isha, who paints and makes candles in her free time. She is not much of a bibliophile, but is at home with self-help books.If there is something else this Konkani girl loves doing, it is gorging on her mother's cooking. She is a food freak who hankers after butter chicken, biryani, seafood and Chinese! “I can't cook, I just do the eating.” Her parents had always been supportive of her decisions. “My family is my biggest asset and my sensitivity is my strength,” she maintains.

Karisma

Karishma Kapoor, nicknamed "Lolo" (born 25 June 1974 in Mumbai, India) is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood movies.She is from the renowned Kapoor Family of Bollywood.She is the daughter of Randhir Kapoor, an actor popular during the 1970s and 80s, and actress Babita. Her sister is actress Kareena Kapoor.Raj Kapoor is Karishma Kapoor's Grandfather and renowned actors Rishi and Rajiv Kapoor are her uncles. She studied at the Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai until grade six.Karishma made her debut in the 1991 movie Prem Quaidi and has since then acted in sixty five movies.She did many films which went on to become hits or do average at the box office. Films like Andaz Apna Apna, Raja Babu, Saajan Chale Sasural and Coolie No. 1 did well at the box office and enhanced her in the industry. She starred in the hit Raja Hindustani with Aamir Khan. The movie was one of the biggest hits of the year and she won her first Filmfare award. She achieved critical acclaim with film such as Zubeidaa, Shakti: The Power and Fiza. She temporarily retired from the industry after her marriage. Her movie Mere Jeevan Saathi was released in 2006, and marked her comeback.Balancing commercial crowd-pleasers and art-house dramas, Kapoor has garnered four Filmfare Awards to date including Filmfare Best Actress Award for Raja Hindustani (1996) and Fiza (2000), Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) and Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance for Shyam Benegal's Zubeidaa. She also won a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for Dil To Pagal Hai and an IIFA Best Actress Award for her work in Fiza, 2000.In 2005, an American rock singer named Don Hammontree paid tribute to Karishma on "Karishma Comes to Lowell," a song about a Bollywood-oriented concert the actress performed at in 2000 in Lowell, Massachusetts. The track was released on the singer's 2005 CD "The Mumbai EP," which also pays tribute to another Bollywood actress "Juhi Chawla" on a track by the same name.On 29 September 2003, she married industrialist Sunjay Kapur, CEO of Sixt India, according to Sikh marriage rites. The couple welcomed their first child, a daughter name Samaira, on 11 March 2005. Ever since they had some widely publicized marital problems, they reconciled. Prior to her marriage to Sunjay Kapur, she was also engaged to Abhishek Bachchan, the scion of the Bachchan Family, and also dated Ajay Devgan.

Sonia

Sonia Mehra, the daughter of late Bollywood actor Vinod Mehra. She is making her debut with Victoria No 203 and is looking for a glamorous image in Bollywood.She came to India from London and joined Anupam Kher’s acting classes. Anupam Kher suggested her name to Kamal Sadanah, who was planning the remake of his father’s classic Victoria 203. Initially Kamal Sadanah was not ready to take a newcomer like her but Anupam Kher convinced him.Sonia Mehra had to work really hard for debut movie.She had to take training to drive Victoria. She met an accident during the shooting of Victoria No 203.During her first scene in the movie Victoria No 203 there was so much light and noise in front of the carriage that when the director said action the horse got scared and jumped up.And as a result she fell down but luckily she was not seriously hurt.

Raima

She is the daughter of actress Moon Moon Sen and the granddaughter of legendary actress Suchitra Sen. Her younger sister, Riya Sen, is also in the Bollywood industry. Their father is Bharat Dev Varma, scion of the erstwhile royal family of Tripura state.Her paternal grandmother Ila Devi, was the princess of Cooch Behar (in Bengal), whose younger sister Gayatri Devi is the Maharani of Jaipur.She made her debut in the film Godmother, which was a critically acclaimed success, but her minor role may have been overlooked in favour of the protagonist, played by Shabana Azmi. She then starred in the film Daman playing Raveena Tandon's daughter, where her small performance was appreciated. Her breakthrough role came when she starred in the Rituparno Ghosh's film Chokher Bali. She won much praise for her role as the simple, submissive Ashalata. After a few more average movies she had a critically acclaimed hit in 2005 with Parineeta. Since then she has had two more hits with the action thriller Dus and the Bengali film Antar Mahal.

Rimi

Rimi Sen is an Indian actress working in the Bollywood film industry. Sen's birth name is Shoumitra Sen. In an interview she said she doesn't use her original name because it sounds unusual.She moved to Mumbai to become a film actress. She was first noticed when she auditioned for a Coke advertisement. The director of the ad, Priyadarshan, was impressed by her and cast her in his film Hungama. The film was a hit and established her in the industry.She then played Amitabh Bachchan's and Hema Malini's granddaughter in the hit film Baghban. Her next big hit was the Yashraj produced Dhoom. Her latest release is Phir Hera Pheri, also she is currently filming for the sequel to Dhoom and Golmaal.

Rimi is now going by the screen name Rimii. She explains the name change as a career move: there are many other Sens working in Bollywood right now, and a single name may help her stand out from the crowd.She has recently made a racist remark about Africans stating: "I play a sweet and beautiful girl in the film. The best thing that I like about the film is that though it has four heroes, I am the only heroine. Rohit Shetty is amazing as a director. He can make even a black African look pretty."

Riya

Riya Sen’s tantalizing looks and a lineage that boasts of royals and actors like Suchitra Sen and Moon Moon Sen made sure that she sashayed into tinsel town. Basics on RiyaRiya Dev Verma is an Aquarian born on 24th January 1981 in Kolkata, West Bengal. Her father is Bharat Dev Verma belonging to the royal family of Tripura and her mother is Moon Moon Sen, a former actress. Her sister Raima Sen is also an actress. Her maternal grandmother is Suchitra Sen, a renowned actress in Bengali cinema. Her paternal grandmother was the Princess of Cooch Behar and Maharani of Jaipur Gayatri Devi’s sister. On her maternal side, her great-great-grandfather Dinanath Sen was the Diwan of the Maharaja of Tripura.Riya studied in Kolkata at the Loreto House, Rani Birla College and National Institute of Fashion Technology. She is into jewellry-designing. Her interests also include belly dancing, kick boxing and kathak which she has trained under Vijayashree Chaudhry. Riya had trouble calling, when an MMS clip was circulated that showed her in a compromising position with ex-boyfriend Ashmit Patel.Riya Sen played girlfriend with actors like John Abraham, Ashmit Patel and Akshaye Khanna.Riya, Ads and MusicRiya has appeared in ads for Colgate, Dabur Vatika, Reliance, Cadbury’s, Limca and Nirma. She has been the cover girl for magazines like Elle, Cosmopolitan, Gladrags, Femina and Maxim. She stirred conservative feathers when she struck a semi-nude pose for Daboo Ratnaani’s annual calendar.At sixteen, she looked gorgeous in Falguni Pathak’s music video “Yaad Piya Ki Aane Lagi”. She was a music video favourite as she appeared in Asha Bhonsle’s Jhumka Gira Re, Sonu Nigam’s Jeena Hai Tere Liye, Shaan’s Sutta Maro and others.Riya Sen’s MoviesRiya played the character of Nishi as a child in the movie Vishkanya (1991) which starred her mother Moon Moon Sen.In 1991, she acted in two Tamil movies Taj Mahal and Good Luck both of which fell flat. She appeared in the comedy Style (2001) which did pretty well. Jhankaar Beats, a tribute to R.D.Burman in 2002 was popular. In 2004, she appeared in item numbers in Plan and the Tamil movie Arasatchi. In 2005, she played Bhama in Santhosh Sivan’s Ananthabadram, a Malayalam movie, which won awards and commercial success. She was seen in Shaadi No.1, Silsilay and an English language movie It Was Raining One Night.Apna Sapna Money Money (2006) showed her as Shivani and danced to an item song in Heyy Babyy (2007). She tried her hand in Telugu movies with Neenu Meeku Telusa in 2008 and Heroes with Salman Khan and Preity Zinta that was a moderate success.She has worked with her sister Raima Sen in a Bengali movie The Bachelor, which is yet to be released.

Sushmita

Sushmita Sen,born November 19, 1975 in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India is a well-known Bollywood actress and was India's first Miss Universe in 1994.Sushmita's father Shubeer Sen is a former Indian Air Force officer; her mother Subhra Sen worked as a fashion artist and jewellery designer. She has one brother, Rajeev Sen, and a sister, Neelam Sen.Sushmita's mother tongue is Bengali. She was born in Andra Pradesh, but grew up in Delhi. She attended school at Air Force Golden Jubilee Institute and Air Force Silver in Delhi, and later, schools in Nagpur and Jorhat. In Delhi, she studied English and planned a career in journalism.In 2000, she adopted a daughter, Renee.In 1994 at the age of eighteen, Sushmita won the title of Miss India (beating out Aishwarya Rai). Later that year, she became the first Indian Miss Universe in the Miss Universe Pageant held in the Philippines and one of the youngest women to ever win the title. She then started working as an actress.Her first movie, Ratchakan in Tamil, was a huge flop. Her subsequent movies like Dastak in 1996, where she played the victim of a stalker, too didn't do well at the cinema. But her appearance as Rupali in David Dhawan's movie Biwi No. 1 won her the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award in 1999. So far, her biggest hit has been the 2004 movie Main Hoon Na, in which she starred as Shah Rukh Khan's love interest. Later on, she played a lawyer in Main Aisa Hi Hoon opposite Ajay Devgan. In 2005, she also starred in a remake of Cactus Flower, called Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya: Sen played the lead opposite Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif and essayed the role of Ingrid Bergman. Her most recent movies include Chingaari (2005) as a prostitute, Gulel (2006) and Karma, Confessions and Holi (2006) opposite Drena DeNiro and Naomi Campbell

Sonam

One of the latest stars in the making is the pretty and lissome Sonam Kapoor.BasicsThis Gemini, born on June 9th1985, is the daughter of movie star Anil Kapoor and Sunitha Kapoor. Her family includes sister Rhea and brother Harshwardhana. She also happens to be the niece of actor Sanjay Kapoor and director Boney Kapoor.Sonam studied at the Arya Vidya Mandir. She went on to study Theater Arts and Chinese History at the United World College of East Asia. She is also a major in Political Science and Economics courtesy Bombay University. She assisted Sanjay Leela Bhansali on the sets of Black in 2005.The DebutSonam was launched in 2007 in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya, where she played the leading lady Sakina, opposite Ranbir Kapoor. She was nominated for the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award, though the movie did not live up to the hype.

Bipasha

Bipashu Basu: this Bollywood dazzler started out as a supermodel before scorching the big screen with her sultry sensuality.Early daysBipasha was born on the 7th of January, 1979 in New Delhi, later moving with her family to Kolkata. She is the second of three sisters. The other two are Bidisha and Vijayeta.Bipasha studied science, her repulsion towards dissecting animals, prompted her to move away from medicine to commerce. She did her schooling at Bhavan's Gangabux Kanoria Vidyamandir and her college years were spent at Bhawanipur Gujarati Education Society College. In her spare time, she took up some modelling assignments.She participated in the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel contest and walked away as the winner. She moved to New York, courtesy the Ford agency, where she continued with her modelling, until she decided to pack her bags and head back to India landing in Bollywood.She has appeared in Sonu Nigam’s Video ‘Tu’ from his album Kismat as well as Jay Sean’s video Stolen.Bipasha Basu dated some of the hunkiest men like Milind Soman and Dino Morea before settling for John Abraham. A photograph of her kissing footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, raised questions on whether her relationship with John Abraham was in trouble. However the couple still seem to be as smitten with each other as ever.Bringing sexy back2001 Bipasha broke stereotypes in Ajnabee, in which she is a married woman making a play for her husband’s married friend. The risk was worth it as she won the Filmfare Best Debut award for her role.2002 It was followed by the success of Raaz, a thriller directed by Vikram Bhat. She was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress award for her role as Sanjana.2003 She again made waves in Jism, with John Abraham, in which she played a scheming seductress.2004 The year saw movies like Aetbaar, Rudraaksh that didn’t make much of an impact.2005 Her films No entry and Phir Hera Pheri did well in the box office.2006 It was Bipasha’s year all the way with hits like Corporate, Omkara and Dhoom 2.Her brilliant portrayal in Corporate as Nishigandha Dasgupta won her a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress award. She sizzled in the item number ‘Beedi’ in Omkara.2008 Bipasha had another hit in her kitty with Race while her performance in Bachna Hai Haseeno was appreciated.More BipsYear 2009 will see Bips in Pankh, Freeze and a Bengali film Shob Charitro Kalponik.

Kareena

Kareena Kapoor still fresh from the success of her recent releases is all smiles. At twenty-seven her life’s just getting even better, both on the acting front and her in the spotlight relationship with Saif Ali Khan.The Buzz on BeboKareena Randhir Kapoor was born on 21st September 1980 in Mumbai. Her father is the Punjabi Randhir Kapoor, an actor and her mother is the Sindhi Babitha. Her parents divorced when she was quite young. Her older sister is Karishma Kapoor, an actress. Her family tree reads like the who’s who of Bollywood. Her great grandfather is Prithviraj Kapoor and her grandfather is Raj Kapoor. Her uncles are Rishi Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor, while her maternal aunt is Sadhana.Kareena did her schooling partly in Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai and later in Welham’s Girls Boarding School in Dehra Dun. She was in Harvard briefly to study Information Technology and Microcomputers. On returning back to India, she studied law for a year at the Government Law College at Churchgate, after which she enrolled in Kishore Namit Acting School.She was dating Shahid Kapoor since 2004 but they broke up just when they landed their first hit together in Jab We Met. She is now dating actor Saif Ali Khan.She is involved in several humanitarian causes. In 2005, she joined NDTV by visiting the jawans in Rajasthan. She was part of the Marco Ricci Each One Reach One benefit concert, for World Youth Peace Summit. She donated the prize money she won in Kaun Banega Crorepathi in 2007 to St.Anthony’s Old Age Home and Mount Mary’s Bandra. In 2007, she appeared in Kya Aap Paanchvi Paas Se Tez Hai? The money she won was donated to St.Anthony’s Old Age Home.From Pooh to LailaKaho Na Pyaar Hai was supposed to be her debut but she walked out of it and instead starred with Abhishek Bacchan in J.P.Datta’s Refugee in 2000, in which she played Naaz, a Bangladeshi girl who falls in love with Refugee. This won her the Filmfare Best Debut award. In 2001, she worked with Tusshar Kapoor in Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai which was one of the successes of the year. Yaadein did not do well. Her fiery Kaurwaki act in the epic Asoka with Shah Rukh Khan won her a nomination for the Filmfare Best Actress award. Her fourth film was the multi-starrer Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham in which she played the part of the haughty yet adorable Pooh. The film was her biggest commercial success. The next two years saw her in a few films like Mujhse Dosti Karoge, Khushi, Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon for which the response ranged from flops to moderate successes.Just when you thought Pooh was as far as she could go, she started experimenting by portraying different characters in her films that released in 2004 and it paid off. She stepped into the shoes of a sex worker in Chameli with Rahul Bose, earning a Filmfare Special Performance award. The other critically acclaimed film was Dev with Amitabh Bacchan, in which she played Aaliya , a victim in the communal riots in Gujarat. She won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. She played the villainous Neha Mehra in Fida. She had three releases in 2005: Bewafa, Kyun Ki and Dosti: Friends Forever, of which the latter did well in the United Kingdom.The year 2006 saw her in a thriller 36 China Town and a comedy Chup Chup Ke which were average performers at the box office. It was her role of Dolly in Omkara that clinched the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. The film was an adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello and Dolly was based on Desdemona. She also appeared in an item number in Farhan Akhtar’s Don, which was originally done by Helen.Imtiaz Ali’s romcom Jab We Met with Shahid Kapoor was a runaway hit in 2007, her portrayal of the spontaneous and fun-loving Geet was applauded. She won the Filmfare Best Actress award for that role. In 2008, she came out with Tashan with her new boyfriend Saif Ali Khan and her size zero figure but that failed to live up to the hype. She has lent her voice to Laila in the animation flick Roadside Romeo and is part of Golmaal Returns, a sequel to the comedy hit Golmaal.Gaining MomentumSome of the films Kareena’s fans can look forward to in 2009 are Main Aur Mrs.Khanna with Salman and Sohail Khan, Kambakth Ishq with Akshay Kumar, Three Idiots with Madhavan and Aamir Khan, Milenge Milenge with Shahid Kapoor.

Deepika

One look at this dimpled beauty and you know she was marked for fame and the world of glamour. And she hasn’t disappointed. From the daughter of a famous sportsperson to a supermodel, to an actress and now dating the dishy Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone has done it all with panache.Growing up Deepika arrived into the scene on 5th January 1986, in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is the daughter of Ujjala and Prakash Padukone, who was the Badminton Champion. The sports genes runs in her family, for she herself played badminton at state level until 10th grade while her younger sister Anisha has taken to sports on a more professional level, with a strong interest in golf.She did her schooling in Sophia High School and her graduation from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore.The ModelDeepika Padukone has appeared in several print and television commercials like Liril, Limca and Close-up. She was the brand ambassador for Jewels of India, a jewelry exhibition and the face of Maybelline, an international brand. She also appeared in the 2006 Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar.She received recognition on the modeling scene by winning the Model of the Year title by the fifth Kingfisher Fashion Awards. The India Zee F Awards saw her walking away with not one but two prizes – Female Model of the Year (Commercial assignments) and Fresh Face of the Year. She graced Himesh Reshamiyya’s video ‘Naam Hai Tera’ from his album Aap Ka Suroor.Silver Screen CallingIt was hardly any surprise when she stepped into films in 2006 with her debut Aishwarya, a Kannada movie directed by Indrajit Lankesh, opposite Upendra who is one of the leading stars in the Kannada film industry.Bollywood was not far behind. Her debut Farah Khan’s Om Shanthi Om was opposite none other than Shah Rukh Khan. She played a double-role, first as Shanthipriya a movie star and later as the bubble gum chewing star-struck Sandy. She walked away with the Filmfare Best Female Debut award and was nominated for the Filmfare Best Actress award.She starred opposite her beau Ranbir Kapoor in Bachna Hai Haseeno, which released in 2008.More DeepikaHer next release, expected to hit the theaters in the early part of 2009 is Chandni Chowk to China with Akshay Kumar.

Amrita

The cameras love the fresh-faced, delectable Amrita Rao. Numerous ads, ten and odd films and a huge fan base, in a span of ten years stands testimony to this. A peek into the Amrita Rao’s birthday is on the 7th of June. She was born in 1981 in Mumbai. Her father is Deepak Rao who runs an advertising agency. Her mother tongue is Konkani.She studied at C.G. High School and later graduated with a degree in Psychology from Sophia College.Besides working in ads and films, Amrita has to her credit the Dada Saheb Phalke Award. She is also the muse of the bare-footed artist M.F.Hussain. The face that launched many adsHer first brush with the cameras was when she worked in the Fairever Face Cream ad while still in college. It was followed by Nestle Bru Coffee, Cadbury’s Perk, Close-Up, Parachute Hair Oil, Domino’s Pizza, Wriggly’s Chewing Gum, Pantene and Clean & Clear facewash, to name a few. She’s also the brand ambassador for D’Damas gold jewelry.It was hardly surprising that she was noticed by Ken Ghosh who offered her a role in Ishq Vishq. New RolesAmrita’s debut was with Raj Babbar’s son, Arya Babbar, in Ab Ke Baras which released in 2002 followed by a cameo in The Legend of Bhagat Singh. She shot to stardom in 2003 with the release of Ishq Vishq with Shahid Kapoor, and she won a nomination for the Filmfare Best Debut Award for her role as struck-by-cupid Payal Mehra.In 2004, she was part of the multi-starrer Main Hoon Na with Shah Rukh Khan, Zayed Khan and Sushmita Sen. She was nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. Her films in 2005, Vaah! Life Ho Tho Aisi and Shikhar didn’t get a good reception at the box office. Vivah in 2006, with Shahid Kapoor, became one of the biggest commercial successes of the year. Bollywood didn’t see a lot of Amrita Rao in 2007, except for a brief appearance in a song in Heyy Babyy. She did a Telugu film Athidhi with Mahesh Babu, which was a big success down south.Her 2008 releases include My Name is Anthony Gonsalves with Mithun Chakraborthy, Lilette Dubey and Nikhil Dwivedi which didn’t do well. Her performance as Kamala in Shyam Benegal’s comedy Welcome to Sajjanpur was praised and the film enjoyed rave reviews. Her next release is Victory, revolving around cricket with Harman Baweja.

Priyanka

Priyanka Chopra, armed with long legs and the Miss World crown, followed the precedent set by other beauty contest winners by joining the Bollywood bandwagon.The Nomadic MimiPriyanka Ashok Chopra was born on 18th July 1982 in Jamshedpur and is fondly known as Mimi. Her father is Capt. Dr.Ashok Chopra and her mother is Dr.Madhu Chopra. She has a younger brother Siddharth. Her father’s origin is a mix of Punjabi, Bengali and Marathi while her mother’s is a mix of Tamil, Malayali and Kannada.Her family was always on the move as her father was in the army. Some of her growing up years were spent in Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh. She studied at the La Martiniere Girl’s School in Lucknow before re-locating to the United States of America. While there, she studied at the Newton North High School in Massachusetts and later in North Delta Senior Secondary School in North Delta. On returning back to India, she continued her schooling in the Army School at Bareilly. She joined the Jai Hind College in Mumbai but dropped out when she won the second place in the Miss India beauty pageant. She went onto bring home the Miss World crown in 2000, becoming one of the five Indians to have won that title.Belle of BollywoodHer first film was in Tamil. Thamizhan released in 2002. This was followed by two films The Hero: Love Story of a Spy and Andaaz. Her part in the latter won her the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. In 2004, she met with success in Mujhse Shaadi Karoge and Aitraaz, which was inspired by the Hollywood hit Disclosure. Her performance as Mrs. Sonia Roy was recognized with the Filmfare Best Villain Award. Her biggest hit in 2005 was Bluffmaster with Abhishek Bacchan.In 2006, she starred in two of the year’s biggest box office successes like Krrish with Hrithik Roshan and Don – The Chase Begins Again with Shah Rukh Khan. Her consequent releases in 2007 like Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute to Love and Big Brother were flops. The year 2008 was no better. She starred in big budget films like the sci-fi Love Story 2050 with Harman Baweja, God Tussi Great Ho with Salman Khan and Drona with Abhishek Bacchan. None of the films matched the set expectations.Starring PriyankaHer other releases in 2008 are Madhur Bhandarkar’s Fashion in which she plays Meghna Mathur, a small-town girl who tastes success in the glamour industry. The other film is Dostana with John Abraham and Abhishek Bacchan. She will also put in a fleeting appearance in Billo Barber.She is currently filming for Ashutosh Gowariker’s What’s Your Raashee? with Harman Baweja and Kaminay, both to be released in 2009.

Aiswarya

“Hi. I am Sanjana”. That was all it took to eclipse both Aamir Khan and Mahima Choudhary in the Pepsi commercial, making this aqua-eyed beauty the talk of the town. You just knew that you had not seen the last of Aishwarya Rai and she was not one to disappoint.Ash Ash BabyAishwarya Krishnaraj Rai was born on 1st November 1973 in Mangalore. Her father Krishnaraj Rai was a marine engineer and her mother Vrinda Rai is a writer. She has an older brother Aditya Rai who is in the merchant navy. He also happened to co-produce Dil Ka Rishta in 2003, which starred Ash. The family moved to Mumbai where she studied at the Arya Vidya Mandir and later moved to Ruparel College. She was aspiring to study architecture but that did not take off while her career in the glamour industry took off.Ash won the coveted Miss World crown in 2004. Soon after this she pledged to donate her eyes after her death. She went on to become the brand ambassador for brands like L’Oreal, Pepsi and Coco Cola. She struck a pose for many international magazines like TIME and was also voted one of the most attractive and influential women by several polls. She is the first Indian actor to be part of the jury at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. She has appeared in The Oprah Winfrey Show, Late Show with David Letterman and 60 Minutes. She was also the first Indian actress to be replicated in wax at Madame Tussaud’s Museum in London.She was briefly involved with actors Salman Khan and Vivek Oberoi before marrying actor Abhishek Bacchan, son of the iconic Amitabh Bacchan and Jaya Bacchan. They were married in 2007.The Rai MagicAishwarya began her career in the film industry with a Tamil film Iruvar in 1997 which was a hit as opposed to her Hindi film Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya with Bobby Deol. She won the Filmfare Best Actress award for her next Tamil film Jeans, which was also an entry to the Oscars. In 1999, she gained recognition in Bollywood with hits like Taal and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, in which she played opposite Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan, her role as Nandini fetching her the Filmfare Best Actress award.In 2000, her Tamil film Kandukondain Kandukondain, saw a good turnout. She took on the role of Shirley, Shah Rukh Khan’s sister in Josh and then played his love interest in Mohabbatein which won her a nomination for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress award. In Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai, she played Preeti Virat, a rape victim and was considered for the Filmfare Best Actress award. The year 2001 was a quiet year for Ash.Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas (2002), in which she played Paro with Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit, was an instant blockbuster. It also received a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival. She won the Filmfare Best Actress award. In 2003, she acted the part of Binodini in a Bengali film Choker Bali which was based on a novel by Rabindranath Tagore. The film was nominated for the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival.The year 2004 saw Ash in her first English film, Gurinder Chaddha’s Bride & Prejudice, an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride & Prejudice. Her performance as Neerja in Rituparno Ghosh’s Raincoat was praised. This was followed by her second English film in 2005, The Mistress of Spices with Dylan McDermott of The Practice fame. Her dance sequence Kajra Re from Bunty Aur Babli became one of the most popular tunes of the year.She had two films out in 2006. Umrao Jaan with Abhishek Bacchan failed to do well while Dhoom 2 where she played Sunehri and shared a ‘controversial’ liplock with Hrithik Roshan was a big hit. In 2007, she played Sujata opposite Abhishek Bacchan in Guru, based on the industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani which was very successful. Provoked which was based on a real episode of domestic violence, won critical acclaim. The other English film The Last Legion did not do so well.Jodhaa Akbar, released in 2008, in which she acted the part of Jodhaa Bai with Hrithik Roshan was average while the sequel to Sarkar, Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar Raj in which she plays a CEO alongside Amitabh Bacchan and Abhishek Bacchan, is said to be one of her best performances till date.Going StrongAishwarya has lined up quite a few films for 2009. Among them is the English film, The Pink Panther 2 with Steve Martin, the Hindi film Ravana and the Tamil film Endhiran.

Deepika

New Delhi, Jan 17 (IANS) She made her first big screen appearance with superstar Shah Rukh Khan, in her second film she worked under the prestigious Yash Raj banner and her third release saw her teaming up with Akshay Kumar, and yet Deepika Padukone doesn't consider herself a celebrity.
"I don't consider myself a celebrity. I believe that I've had a fantastic upbringing and I believe my parents have kept me really grounded and rooted. I hope that success never gets to me," said Deepika whose "Chandni Chowk To China" has just hit the screens.
"I've seen my father (badminton champion Prakash Padukone) handle success really well and I hope I continue in the same way because I believe that fame and money are secondary things. The main thing is to enjoy your work," she added.
The 23-year-old was applauded for her performances in her maiden venture "Om Shanti Om" followed by "Bachna Ae Haseeno".
She is currently working in Imtiaz Ali's "Production No. 1".
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Combat training helped Nandana Sen be less vulnerable
Nandana Sen, who learnt martial arts for a film with Viveik Oberoi, says the training made her less vulnerable as a person.
"I play an undercover cop in the film and the role required me to learn martial arts. I learnt to use a real gun too," said Nandana.
"Earlier, I used to fear being in crowded places. My stunt scenes have helped me overcome that fear. The combat training really helped me come out of my shell and feel less vulnerable in crowds," she added.
The film, which is being produced by Tips and directed by Kukkee Gulati, is different from Nandana's forthcoming release "Rang Rasiya".
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Asin's stay in Bollywood not permanent
With several Bollywood projects in hand, southern beauty Asin Thottumkal moved to Mumbai from Chennai but says she has no plans to stay in the city permanently.
"This is not a permanent shift from south Indian film industry to Bollywood, it's just that I had two exciting projects, so I came here," Asin, who was adjudged the best newcomer at Nokia Star Screen Awards for her performance in Aamir Khan starrer "Ghajini", told IANS.
The 23-year-old actress, who was also in the Tamil version of "Ghajini", will be next seen in Vipul Shah's mega budget film "London Dreams" with Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan.

Aiswarya

Mumbai, Jan 16 (IANS) It is going to be a very busy year for Aishwarya Rai. She not only has Mani Ratnam's gruelling "Ravan" with husband Abhishek Bachchan to complete, she also begins work on Sanjay Leela Bhansali's next movie, with Hrithik Roshan, to be shot in Goa.
But before that she goes into filmmaker Vipul Shah's next film with Akshay Kumar in the lead. Both Vipul and Akshay, who are co-producing the film, were very keen to get Aishwarya for what they describe as a genre-breaking drama.
Aishwarya has also signed up Excel Entertainment's untitled thriller to be directed by Abhinay Deo, who is currently busy shooting his directorial debut "Delhi Belly".
For the film, Aishwarya will once again team up with hubby Abhishek.
Confirming the news, Ritesh Sidhwani of Excel Entertainment said: "It would be a very stylish thriller to be shot entirely in Greece, Thailand, Istanbul and London.
"My director Abhinay Deo and I want a particular look for the film. We're trying to get the DOP (director of photography) of the new Nike international commercial. If not, there's Jason West who shot our 'Rock On!'. He can capture that subtle sleek look which the subject demands. We want the film's visual quality to be something never experienced by our audience."
The film would be Aishwarya's second with Abhishek after "Ravan".