Showing all artists born in 1970

Manisha B. Koirala is a Nepali-Indian actress who works in Indian films, as well as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador and social activist. Koirala has primarily worked in Hindi cinema, though she has appeared in several Tamil 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 Ghais 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. 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. Her first film was Pheri Bhetaula (We shall meet again), a Nepali movie released in early 1989. Her first Hindi movie was Subhash Ghais Saudagar in 1991. The film proved to be a good beginning, as it was the biggest hit of the year.

She starred in a number of unsuccessful films during 1992-1993 until Vidhu Vinod Chopras love saga 1942: A Love Story (1994) and Mani Ratnams Tamil drama Bombay (1995) came out. Her performance in the latter was particularly appreciated and won her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance. She was also seen in more commercial films, such as Mansoor Khans romantic musical Akele Hum Akele Tum (1995) opposite Aamir Khan. Her role of Kiran, an ignored wife who leaves her husband and child in order to fulfill her singing talent and subsequently becomes a popular star, earned her a Filmfare nomination for Best Actress.

Koirala had a particularly successful year in 1996. She received positive reviews for her performance in the drama Agni Sakshi, where she played the role of a battered wife on the run from her mentally sick husband, played by Nana Patekar. The film became one of the biggest hits of that year at the Indian box office. Later that year, she acted in Sanjay Leela Bhansalis directorial debut, Khamoshi: The Musical. The film saw her playing the role of Annie, a caring daughter to deaf parents. Her performance was highly acclaimed,and won her a second consecutive Filmfare Best Performer Award, as well as a Star Screen Award for Best Actress. One critic from Channel 4 wrote, "Koirala... demonstrates the full range of her acting ability, rather than playing against it as she has had to do in more traditional films. The scene where she shouts at her father through the door, screaming and using sign language even though she knows he can neither see nor hear her, is extremely powerful"

One year later in 1997, she played the leading role alongside Kajol and Bobby Deol in the thriller Gupt: The Hidden Truth. The film became one of the biggest hits of the year.She went to collaborate once again with Mani Ratnam, and starred in his award-winning film Dil Se (1998) opposite Shahrukh Khan. Her role received similarly good reviews, and earned her several award nominations including the Filmfare Best Actress Award nomination. Despite performing poorly at the box office in India, the film proved to be a hit overseas.

Success followed for Koirala, and she went on to act in several critically and commercially successful projects. In 1999, she starred in the moderately successful Kachche Dhaage (1999), which was followed by six more releases, the most notable of them being Indra Kumars drama Mann. She played the role of a traffic accident victim in the film, which entered into the top five highest grossing films of the year. Her performance in the film won her favorable reviews. Film critic M. Ali Ikram wrote about her performance, "If there is respite for Manishas innumerable fans of late, this flick is it. We may not care about hits and flops, but it is painful to watch this acting virtuoso in the innumerable side roles she has been seen in of late. Indra Kumars decision to cast Manisha here, is a case of perfect casting, and she never lets him or the audience down. This lady is truly the Meena Kumari of her generation. It is great fun watching Manisha and Aamir Khans perfect chemistry opposite one another. The films climax has both stars permanently molding a spot for themselves in Bollywood history, and it will have you shedding tears by the bucketful."

In 2001, she starred in the drama Grahan opposite Jackie Shroff. Her portrayal of a rape victim in the film who quests for justice was appreciated, but the film was a major commercial failure. She next played the main protagonist in Rajkumar Santoshis drama Lajja along with an ensemble cast that included Rekha, Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit. The film received a positive reception from critics, and Koiralas performance was particularly praised.In 2002, she starred opposite Ajay Devgan in Ram Gopal Vermas Company. The film was a critical success, as was Koiralas performance in it, and she won her third Filmfare Best Performer Award. Critic Alok Kumar wrote about her performance, "Manisha Koirala has yet another solid performance to add to her already overflowing portfolio of excellent roles. She has proved herself once again with a powerful and sensitive performance. She holds her own in every scene shes in and is amazing in her emotional scenes, displaying confidence and maturity. Her new look suits her well. Heres a girl who can really act."

After years of success, in 2003 Koirala left the mainstream cinema. She was seen in several low budget films, yet not less challenging roles. She ventured into strong woman-oriented films in 2003, such as Escape From Taliban which won her the BFJA Best Actress Award. She then played the main protagonist in the movie Market where she enacted a role of a prostitute, portraying a whole life story.

After receiving a diploma in filmmaking, she produced the small-budget caper-comedy Paisa Vasool (2004) in which she starred along with Sushmita Sen this was probably the first ever chick-flick in Indian cinema in that it did not have a male lead nor a love story.Overall, Koirala starred as the leading role in 6 high-budget, successful Tamil movies: Bombay (1994) co-starring Arvind Swamy, Indian (1996) co-starring Kamal Hassan, Mudhalvan (1999) co-starring Arjun, Aalavandhan (2001) co-starring Kamal Hassan, Baba (2002) co-starring Rajnikanth and Mumbai Express (2005) co-starring Kamal Hassan.

Since then, she has played supporting and leading roles in various unsuccessful films, some of which being well received by critics, such as the historical epic drama Taj Mahal: An Eternal Love Story (2005), the thriller Tum - A Dangerous Obsession (2005), and the horror film Anjaane - The Unknown (2006).Koiralas only release of 2007 was Anwar, in which she played a supporting role.In 2008, she made her comeback to films, with her first leading role since Mumbai Express (2005), in Tulsi, opposite Irrfan Khan. Although pre-release her comeback was described by the media as "shocking", and the film suffered from poor marketing, her performance as Tulsi, a young homemaker diagnosed with blood cancer, was well received. Taran Adarsh from indiaFM wrote, "Manisha Koirala sinks her teeth in this role and delivers a fine performance." She next starred in Sirf (2008), a movie about four couples from different strata of life, which portrays the lifestyle of people in metro. The film, which was released without any notice or publicity, was a major critical failure and faced a low box-office opening, with most shows being cancelled out due to its poor critical response. Her first Bengali film Khela directed by Rituparno Ghosh also released the same year along with long delayed Hindi film Mehbooba, both films released on the same day.

In December 2009, she served as the Jury member in the fifth edition of Dubai International Film Festival.In 2010, she appeared in Partho Ghoshs, Ek Second... Jo Zindagi Badal De. Her forthcoming releases include Deepti Navals directorial debut titled, Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Char Aane Ki Baarish and Rohit Kaushiks Chehere.

Nawab Saif Ali Khan (born Sajid Ali Khan on 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor known for his work in Bollywood films. He is the son of the cricket player and last titular Nawab of Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan, and actress Sharmila Tagore.

Having made his acting debut in 1992 with Yash Chopra's Parampara, Khan had his first success with the 1994 films Main Khiladi Tu Anari and Yeh Dillagi. After going through several years of decline throughout the 1990s, he rose into prominence with his performance in Farhan Akhtar's Dil Chahta Hai (2001), which marked his professional turning point.  His work in Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) won him the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor, and he was awarded the National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Hum Tum (2004).

Khan subsequently had further mainstream success with films like Salaam Namaste (2005) and Race (2008) and starred in critically acclaimed projects such as Parineeta (2005), Being Cyrus and Omkara (2006).  In 2009, Khan branched out into film production with his company Illuminati Films' first film Love Aaj Kal, which became a box-office success. These accomplishments have established him as one of the leading actors of Hindi cinema.  He was awarded the Padma Shri by the government of India in 2010.  Khan was married to actress Amrita Singh from 1991 to 2004, having two children together. In 2012, he married actress Kareena Kapoor on 16 Oct 2012 after a five-year relationship.

Khan was born 16 August 1970 in New Delhi, India. He is the son of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, a former captain of the Indian cricket team and the titular Nawab of Pataudi from 1952 until 1971, when the titles, privileges, and remuneration (privy purses) were abolished by the Government of India.  Khan is of Bengali Tagore ancestry on his mother's side.  His paternal grandfather, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, the eighth Nawab of Pataudi, played cricket for England and after 1947 for India as the captain of the team.  His paternal grandmother was Sajida Sultan, Begum of Bhopal and his great-uncle was Pakistani general Sher Ali Khan Pataudi. Khan's mother is Sharmila Tagore, a film actress who converted to Islam before marriage to his father, and the head of the Indian film censorship board.  Khan has two sisters, one of which is actress Soha Ali Khan.

Khan studied at the Lawrence School, Sanawar Lockers Park School, Hertfordshire, UK, and finished high school at Winchester College, UK.

In 1993, he won the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for Aashiq Awara. His breakthrough role came in 1994 with Yeh Dillagi opposite Akshay Kumar and Kajol which was his first major hit.  Khan went on to star in many films but they failed at the box office. He only had success with multi-starrer hits like Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994), Imtihaan (1995), Kachche Dhaage (1999) and Hum Saath-Saath Hain: We Stand United (1999).  After some box office failures he had a hit with the film Kya Kehna (2000).

His acting career, more or less, went through a relative slump until 2001, when he was cast in Farhan Akhtar's National Film Award-winning Dil Chahta Hai, co-starring Aamir Khan and Akshaye Khanna.  Depicting the routine life of affluent Indian youth, it is set in modern-day urban Mumbai and focuses on a major period of transition in the lives of three young friends. Despite receiving a positive critical reception, it was only a moderate box office success in India; it performed well in the big cities but failed in the rural areas, which was attributed by critics to the urban-oriented lifestyle depicted in the movie.  He received much acclaim for his role as Sameer with critic Taran Adarsh calling it his career-best performance.

He has since had many box office successes, starting with Nikhil Advani's drama Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003), alongside Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta. The film, set in New York, starred Saif as Rohit, Zinta's best friend, who later realises that he loves her.  The film was the second top-grossing film of the year, and Khan's performance was praised by critics. He won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award among others.

To date, Khan's films have often featured him as the supporting cast, though following the success of Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho, producers began signing him on for the main lead.  In early 2004, Khan was approached by Sriram Raghavan to star as the globe-trotting bachelor, Karan Singh Rathod, in his directorial debut, Ek Hasina Thi. The film tells the story of a young woman (played by Urmila Matondkar) who meets with Khan's character, and is subsequently arrested for having links with the underworld. When Khan was initially offered the project, he was unable to do it due to his busy schedule.  However, when the director approached him several months later, he agreed to do the film.  Upon release, the film was critically embraced, with Khan's performing earning praise. The Deccan Herald reported, "From suave loverboy to self-serving skunk, he (Khan) moves with such brilliance that he leaves you breathless; He holds his own in a movie that is completely Urmila's."  For his performance, Khan received nominations at the Star Screen, Zee Cine and IIFA ceremonies.

He followed it with the leading role in Kunal Kohli's romantic comedy Hum Tum. Featured opposite Rani Mukerji, the film follows the encounters of the two main characters until they, after several years and various meetings, become friends and finally fall in love. The film was received favourably by critics and became one of the year's most successful films, with a domestic box office of INR210 million (US$3.2 million).  Khan played the role of Karan Kapoor, a young cartoonist and womaniser whose relationship with Rhea Prakash (played by Mukerji) changes his perception of women and life. Rediff.com wrote about his performance: "Saif reprises his urbane self from Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho, peppering it with occasional fits of introspection and angst, and marking himself as an actor whose time has come." He won the Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role and was conferred the coveted National Film Award for Best Actor in 2005 among much controversy.  It marked the beginning of his work with Yash Raj Films, one of the largest production houses in Bollywood.

In 2005, Khan appeared in two movies. His first release was Pradeep Sarkar's Parineeta (2005), an adaptation of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's 1914 Bengali novella by the same name.  Prior to being cast, the film's producer, Vidhu Vinod Chopra was initially reluctant in casting Khan as the male protagonist because he felt that "I could not manage it".  After much deliberation, Chopra was persuaded by Sarkar who felt that Khan was perfect for the role.  The film garnered critical acclaim upon release and Khan's portrayal of Shekhar Rai earned him nominations for Best Actor at a number of award ceremonies. Derek Elley from Variety wrote, "Khan, who has gradually been developing away from light comedy, again shows smarts as a substantial actor."  His next release was Siddharth Anand's comedy-drama Salaam Namaste opposite Preity Zinta. Produced by Yash Raj Films, it was the first Indian feature to be filmed entirely in Australia and went on to become the year's highest-grossing Bollywood production outside of India, earning INR570 million (US$8.7 million) internationally.  Khan played the role of the egotistic, laid-back chef, Nikhil Arora. According to Khalid Mohamed, "Salaam Namaste is unthinkable without Saif Ali Khan. He rescues several untidily written scenes with his neat wit and that flustered 'how-did-I-get-into-this-soup?' facial expression."

He next played the protagonist in the English language art film, Being Cyrus (2006), co-starring alongside Naseeruddin Shah and Dimple Kapadia. Directed by debutant Homi Adajania, the psychological drama revolves around a dysfunctional Parsi family with who Khan's character moves into. The film received predominantly positive reviews, and Khan was particularly praised.  Later in the year, he portrayed the character of Iago in Omkara, the Indian adaptation of William Shakespeare's Othello. Directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, the film is a tragedy of sexual jealousy set against the backdrop of the political system in Uttar Pradesh.  Khan hasn't shaved his beard since the film and says he has become a completely new actor post Omkara and has dropped his trademark "WOW" expression. The film premiered at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival and was also selected for screening at the Cairo International Film Festival.  Omkara was embraced by critics and Khan went on to receive major acclaim earning the awards for Best Actor in a Negative Role at the Filmfare, Star Screen, Zee Cine and IIFA ceremonies; his performance was later included in the 2010 issue of the "Top 80 Iconic Performances" by Filmfare.  Variety described his performance as "powerhouse" and further wrote, "It is Khan's movie through and through, in a performance of rugged, contained malevolence which trades on his previous screen persona as a likable best friend as well as his stint as the manipulative outsider in Being Cyrus. It is smart casting, superbly realized."

In 2007, Khan collaborated once again with producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra in the epic drama Eklavya: The Royal Guard, alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Boman Irani, Sharmila Tagore and Vidya Balan. Set in the state of Rajasthan during the early years of Indian independence, the movie revolves around a jealous and ungrateful ruler who will not let his wife die in peace because she is uttering the name of Eklavya. Although the film did not succeed at the box office, it was chosen as India's official entry to the Oscars. The Full Hyderabad described Khan's performance of Harshwardhan as "sombre and understated," played with a "brooding and contemplative sensibility."  He next appeared in the action comedy Nehlle Pe Dehlla, a production that had been delayed since 2001.  The film garnered negative reviews and poor box office returns.  Khan's role was small, and was not well received.  His final release of the year was the family drama, Ta Ra Rum Pum. Directed by Siddharth Anand, it went on to become an economic success at the box office, earning INR646 million (US$9.9 million) internationally.

Khan received further success in 2008, starring in the Abbas-Mustan thriller Race with an ensemble cast including Anil Kapoor, Akshaye Khanna, Bipasha Basu, Katrina Kaif and Sameera Reddy. The feature was loosely adapted from the 1998 American film Goodbye Lover, and became one of the biggest box office hits in India, earning INR617 million (US$9.4 million) and grossed over INR200 million (US$3.1 million) abroad.  Critic Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN wrote, "Of the cast, Saif Ali Khan stands out as the chap with the least dialogue but the one who makes the best impression." This was followed by three projects produced by Yash Raj Films: Tashan, Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic and Roadside Romeo, all of which were not successful.

2009 saw Khan branch out into film producing when he set up his own production company, Illuminati Films, along with Dinesh Vijan.  The company's first release was marked by the romantic comedy Love Aaj Kal. Directed by Imtiaz Ali, the film portrays the feeling of pure love which never changes over time, although the perspective of realising one's soulmate has changed. It received mostly positive reviews by critics and became one of the highest-grossing films of the year.

For his portrayal of Jai Vardhan Singh and the younger Veer Singh, Khan went on to receive several Best Actor nominations at a number of award ceremonies, including Filmfare. A review in The Economic Times described his performance as "refreshing natural" and "outstanding".  He then starred in the dramatic thriller Kurbaan, alongside Kareena Kapoor and Vivek Oberoi. Produced by Dharma Productions, the film marked the directorial debut of Rensil D'Silva and featured Khan in the role of a terrorist. Upon release, Kurbaan was received favourably by critics and Khan's performance was critically acclaimed. Critic Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama wrote: "Saif is extraordinary in a role that only proves his versatility once again. If he won your heart with a winning performance in Love Aaj Kal a few months ago, you need to watch this supremely talented actor underplay his part so beautifully in Kurbaan.

In 2011, he appeared in Prakash Jha's multi-starrer drama Aarakshan. Set in the city of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, the film deals with the policy of caste-based reservations in government jobs and educational institutions.  Khan portrayed the character of Deepak Kumar, a rebellious student who joins the mafia. To prepare for the role, Khan was required to take acting workshops along with the rest of the cast.  Prior to its release, the film was banned from releasing in select cities across India due to its controversial subject.  While the film received a mixed critical reaction, his performance was generally well received.  The following year, Khan collaborated once again with director Sriram Raghavan, as the protagonist in the action thriller Agent Vinod. The film, which was produced under his own banner, opened to mixed reviews and eventually under-performed at the box office.

By May 2012, Khan completed working on Cocktail, a romantic comedy directed by Homi Adjania.  Co-starring alongside Deepika Padukone and Diana Penty.The film became a hit with collecting 920 million. As at February 2013, Race 2, in which he is the protagonist, was declared a box office semi-hit. It eventually crossed the INR1 billion (US$15 million) mark; collecting INR1042 million (US$16 million). He recently starred in his fourth home production Go Goa Gone, which is the first zombie horror comedy ever produced in Bollywood.

Saif has recently signed, Sajid khan’s Humshakals opposite Esha Gupta and South Actress Tamannah Bhatia

Khan married actress Amrita Singh in October 1991.  After thirteen years of marriage and two children (daughter Sara Ali Khan born September 1993, and son Ibrahim Ali Khan born March 2001), the couple divorced in 2004. The children live with their mother.

He then dated Rosa Catalano, a Swiss model born in Italy, whom he met in Kenya, for three years. Catalano later revealed that he had not told her about his earlier marriage and children, and that she learnt about them only after she came to India.  They were later said to be considering marriage, but then broke off.

On 18 February 2007, Khan was hospitalised at Lilavati Hospital, Mumbai due to chest pain while rehearsing for his performance at the Stardust Awards, to be held that night.  After hospitalisation, he stated he would quit smoking.

Khan had been dating actress Kareena Kapoor since October 2007.  In October 2009 he publicly spoke of his relationship with Kapoor and the prospect of marriage stating, that in his opinion people said that marriage does not affect one's career but in fact it does and that today the whole definition of marriage has changed. He said, that he and Kareena were so well connected, so close that marriage is just a stamp of validation for the society. Saif and Kareena got married in court on 16 October 2012.

On 22 September 2011 Khan's father Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi passed away, which led Khan to formally assume the title of 10th Nawab of Pataudi.  Although the title has no legal or official status after 1971, Khan assumed the title to please the sentiments of the villagers. The 'pagri' ceremony was attended by the incumbent Chief Minister of Haryana.

In 2005, along with other Bollywood stars, Khan performed at the HELP! Telethon Concert to help raise money for the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.

Khan took part in two major world tours. He was part of a troupe that included Shahrukh Khan, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Arjun Rampal and Priyanka Chopra, which went on the Temptations 2004 world tour.  Two years later, he toured again, participating and performing in the Heat 2006 concert around the world, along with Akshay Kumar, Preity Zinta, Sushmita Sen and Celina Jaitley.

In 2006, Khan appeared along with various other Bollywood actors at the Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, as part of a performance showcasing Indian culture along with Rani Mukerji, and Aishwarya Rai on behalf of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, held in Delhi.

In 1998, Khan was charged with poaching two blackbucks in Kankani during the filming of Hum Saath Saath Hain along with co-stars Salman Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam.  A lower court charged him with the others under the Wildlife Act and the IPC. He had filed a revision petition before a sessions court which discharged him of Section 51 (causing harm to wildlife) of Wildlife Act and both of 147 (punishment for rioting) and 149 (unlawful assembly of persons) of the Indian Penal Code.  The Rajasthan state government then filed a revision petition before the Rajasthan high court which again added Section 149 against him, which it had dropped. The Jodhpur court has summoned him along with all the accused for commencement of the trial with the revised charges on 4 February 2013.

In 2008, Khan was also involved in assaulting a photographer, Pawan Sharma, while filming Love Aaj Kal at Patiala railway station.

In 2012, Khan was dining with his friends, including Kareena Kapoor and Amrita Arora, at the Wasabi restaurant in Taj, Mumbai and making a din and was repeatedly requested by the restaurant management to be quieter. Khan then allegedly assaulted the complainants, Iqbal Sharma, a businessman, who suffered a fractured nose, and an elderly man.  Khan was arrested under article 325 of the Indian Penal Code, and released on bail on a surety of INR3000 (US$46) by the Mumbai Police. Khan claimed it was an act of self-defence and filed a case levelling counter allegations.  However, the police refused to register Saif's case since he could not produce any evidence.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is investigating him in an alleged Hawala transactions case. The ED suspects that Saif Ali Khan illegally purchased a high-end car in 2004 through Hawala system allegedly in violation of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

Anu Hasan is a Tamil actress and TV anchor. Anu Hasan was born on 15 July 1970 to Chandra Hasan, brother of the National Film Award-winning actor, Kamal Haasan. Anu Hasan married Vikas ten years ago. Anu later divorced Vikas on grounds of incompatibility. In 2010, she became engaged to London-based banker Graham Jay in Trichy. They got married on 4 November 2010 at the Marriott Hotel in Chennai. She was educated at St. Joseph's Anglo-Indian Girls' Higher Secondary School, Trichy, and earned a MSc degree in Physics and Management from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani, Rajasthan. She made her film debut in the critically acclaimed film Indira (1995) and has since appeared in a few Tamil films, playing supporting roles. She hosted the celebrity talk show Koffee with Anu on the Tamil channel Vijay for three seasons. She is also an entrepreneur, model, musician and martial arts expert. She is considered as one of the best anchors in Star Vijay
Her love for music showed up as a jazz singer when she performed at the U.S consulate in Kolkata. BITSians who were on campus between 1988 and 1993 remember Anu Hasan in some of the English Drama Club productions of the day including Fiddler on the Roof and Spartacus.She is a martial arts student (Kalari art; she has trained in Chiramam, Silambam, Kurunthadi and Kaipor) and also a proficient basketball player who represented the Trichy district.
She has acted under her cousin (Charuhasan's daughter) Suhasini's direction, who is a National Award winning actress herself and married to the noted film director Mani Ratnam, in the Tamil film Indira (1995), which was Anu's debut film.Afterwards, she appeared only in a few films, playing supporting roles such as the mother, sister or wife character of the lead actor. Among her films, her notable ones are Run (2002), in which she starred as the protagonist's sister, which earned her Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Supporting Actress and Nala Damayanthi (2003).By 2000, she ventured into television,acting first in the series Anbulla Snehgidhiye, which was adapted from Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's award-winning novel Sister of My Heart.For her performance in the series, she received accolades and several awards. She then starred in a number of TV series like Avan Aval Avargal, Ammaavukku Rendula Raagu and Vivahita (Malayalam), following which she turned anchor for the celebrity talk show Koffee with Anu (named after herself), aired on Vijay TV. The show, which she hosted for over three years, soon became very popular and made her ultimately a household name in Tamil Nadu.She also currently presents Kannadi for Jaya TV.
In 2009-2010 she was awarded the Kalaimamani Award by the Tamil Nadu State Government.In addition, Anu has worked as a dubbing artiste, lending her voice for many non-Tamil-speaking actresses, including Raveena Tandon, Preity Zinta and Geetu Mohandas

Anuradha Sriram born 9 July 1970 is an Indian carnatic and playback singer who hails from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. She has sung in more than 90 Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi films.


Anuradha Sriram Parasuram was born in Chennai to playback singer Renuka Devi and Meenakshi Sundaram Mohan in Chennai. She completed her Bachelors in Music from Queen Mary's College, Chennai and Masters Degree in Queen Mary's College Chennai. Anu is a Gold medalist in UG and PG. She received Govt Scholarship for her higher studies in Abroad (U.S). She learned Carnatic Classical music from the musical giant S. Kalyanaraman and Hindustani Classical Music from Manik Bua Takurdas.


Anuradha is from a Tamil Iyer family and completed her Master's in Ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University, U.S. (where one of her professors and mentors was T. Viswanathan) prior to her foray into music. She also studied Western classical opera music in the U.S.


Anuradha Sriram debuted with Tamil Cinema industry in the song "Malarodu Malaringu" from Bombay (film). in the year 1995 when she sang for AR Rahman. Her first solo was for A R Rahman in Indira.


She specializes in Carnatic music and has sung in over 1000 concerts worldwide. She is keenly interested in folk music. She has featured in a number of jugalbandhi or fusion concerts along with her husband, Sriram Parasuram, is a Hindustani maestro.She has sung more than 3000 songs in various languages.


Anuradha's cine career was triggered by her proficiency in the different raagas in Carnatic music and her distinguished educational background in music. She was eventually spotted by A. R. Rahman who gave her a chance in Ini Accham Accham Illai from Indira. Later, she worked with him in many hit film songs like Anbendra from Minsara Kanavu, Dil Se Re from Dil Se.., Anbe Anbe from Jeans, Ishwar Allah from Earth, Ishq Bina from Taal, Kaattu Sirukki from Raavanan ettc.

Gautami Tadimalla is an Indian film actress who works in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada cinema. She is also an television actress, television host and known costume designer.

Gautami was born in West Godavari District of Andhra Pradesh. She made her first appearance at the age of 19 in the Telugu film Dayamayudu, that was produced by her cousin. She was introduced to Tamil films through Guru Shishyan, a film that starred Rajinikanth and Prabhu. She was most active in Tamil cinema from 1988 to 1998 and was a competitor to the other heroines of the time, Kushboo and Bhanupriya. Her filmography includes classics like Apoorva Sagodharargal, Raja Chinna Roja, Thevar Magan, as well as Mani Ratnam's Iruvar (1997), which co-starred Mohanlal, Prakash Raj, Aishwarya Rai, Tabu, Nasser and Revathi.

She has done several films in Malayalam, notably His Highness Abdulla (starring Mohanlal), Dhruvam (starring Mammootty), and Daddy (opposite Arvind Swamy). Her role in Sukrutham was penned by M. T. Vasudevan Nair.

She has also acted in the Kanadda films Elu Suttina Kote, Chikkejamanru and Cheluva, and in the Hindi films Pyar Hua chori chori, Janata ki Adalat, Haiwan, Admi, Appoo Raja, Trimurti, and Dhaal.

She has acted in the Tamil serial Indira in the lead role. She made a guest appearance in the song "Chikku Bukku Railu" with Prabhu Deva in the film Gentleman. She had hosted a talk show in Sun TV titled Anbudan which was launched to compete with Koffee with Anu running on STAR Vijay. She acted in the serial Abhirami which was telecast on Kalaingar TV. She made a comeback to the film industry in the late 2000s as a costume designer for films starring her partner Kamal Haasan. She won the Vijay Award for Best Costume Designer for Dasavathaaram.

Gautami was married to businessman Sandeep Bhatia in 1998 with whom she has a daughter Subbalakshmi born in 1999. She divorced Sandeep Bhatia in 1999. Since 2005, she and acclaimed Indian actor Kamal Haasan have been in a live-in relationship. The couple met on the sets of Apoorva Sagodharargal in 1989 and have since remained close friends. She and Kamal have refused to marry each other, citing 'lack of faith in marriage' as the main reason. Gautami was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 35, and successfully fought against it.

Bala Murugan, better known by his stage name Gana Bala is a playback singer in the Tamil film industry – Kollywood. He is best known for his songs 'Aadi Pona Aavani' and 'Nadukadalula Kappala' from the soundtrack of Attakathi. He has predominantly sang songs belonging to the gaana genre of Tamil Nadu. He has been credited for reviving the gaana genre in Tamil Cinema after 'Thenisai Thendral' Deva. He has also penned lyrics for some of his songs.

Bala first tripped on 'Gaana' when he was in high school. He gained confidence as a Gaana singer when he joined Presidency College, Chennai to study Botany. He later contested in the TV reality show Gana Kuyil Pattu that featured on Kalaignar TV and won it. He has worked on a number of devotional albums and also performed on stage. One of his independent albums, Vaanavil was released by composers Deva and Dhina.He made his debut in the film industry with Piragu composed by Srikanth Deva, son of the 'Father of Gaana Genre' – Deva. He first found success for his songs 'Aadi Pona Aavani' and 'Nadukadalula' in the sleeper hit Attakathi. Since then he has sung a number of successful songs under top composers like Yuvan Shankar Raja and G. V. Prakash Kumar.

He has also sung a jingle with composer G. V. Prakash Kumar to mark the 10th anniversary celebrations of Radio Mirchi Chennai.

Apart from singing, Bala has also featured in some of his songs. He has also appeared in a minor role as a mechanic in his debut film Piragu. He has danced for a song in 'Attakathi' Dinesh's second movie as hero, Vaaraayo Vennilaave. At the audio launch of Vikraman's Ninaithathu Yaaro, Bala expressed interest in acting and his desire to become a hero. He will soon turn hero in a film to be directed by K. Selva Bharathy titled Parry's Corner. The film is said to ponder over the fact that while migrants to Chennai hit it big, Chennai-ties still live mediocre lives. Bala will be playing a cycle rickshaw driver.

R. Madhavan (born: Madhavan Balaji Ranganathan) is an Indian actor, writer, film producer and television host. Madhavan has received a Filmfare Award, an award from the Tamil Nadu State Film Awards alongside recognition and nominations from other organisations. He has been described as one of the few actors in India who is able to achieve pan-Indian appeal, appearing in films from seven different languages.

Madhavan began his acting career with television guest appearances, including a role on the Zee TV prime-time soap opera Banegi Apni Baat in 1996. After appearing in commercials and in small roles, he later gained recognition as the husband going through the traumas of his marriage in Mani Ratnam's successful romantic film Alaipayuthey (2000). Madhavan soon developed an image as a romantic hero with notable roles in two of 2001's biggest grossers, Gautham Menon's directorial debut Minnale and Madras Talkies' Dumm Dumm Dumm. He worked with Ratnam again in the critically acclaimed 2002 film Kannathil Muthamittal playing the father of an adopted girl, whilst he enjoyed commercial success with his role in Linguswamy's action film, Run (2002).

He was cast opposite Kamal Haasan in the 2003 drama Anbe Sivam, which earned him two notable awards for supporting actor. In 2004 he gave critically acclaimed performances in the multi-starring drama Aayutha Ezhuthu and the film secured him his first Filmfare Award for the intense portrayal of a rogue. In the mid-2000s Madhavan also pursued a career in Hindi films, writing the dialogues for the comedy Ramji Londonwaley, before appearing in supporting roles in two big-budget productions, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Rang De Basanti and Mani Ratnam's biopic Guru. He then won critical acclaim for his portrayal of angry man in his home production in 2007, Evano Oruvan, whilst two years later he appeared in the successful bilingual horror film Yavarum Nalam. He also played a critically acclaimed role in the 2009 blockbuster by Rajkumar Hirani, 3 Idiots, portraying a student with actors Aamir Khan and Sharman Joshi.

Madhavan has been a brand ambassador appearing in many commercials, whilst he has also played television hosts to Hindi television programmes, most notably Deal Ya No Deal in 2006.  Before his breakthrough role as a romantic actor in 2000, he was married to Sarita Birje and has a young son. He has been a supporter of the PETA programme in India and has appeared in events organised for the group's promotion. Madhavan owns a production company named Leukos Films, who produced his 2007 film Evano Oruvan.

Madhavan was born on 1 June 1970 in Jamshedpur, India, to a Tamil family. His father Ranganathan was a management executive with Tata Steel whilst his mother, Saroja was a manager with the Bank of India. His sister, Devika, is a software engineer settled in the United Kingdom.  He had a Tamil-speaking upbringing in Bihar.

In 1988, Madhavan was chosen to represent India as its cultural ambassador from Rajaram College, Kolhapur to Canada after his graduation in electronics. At 22, he was awarded the Maharashtra NCC Best Cadet, allowing him to make a trip with seven others as NCC Cadets to England. Because of this honour, he received training with the Royal Army, the Navy and the Air Force, which he previously planned to join.  However he was rejected from the opportunity, as he missed the age cut-off by six months. After he lost out on the place, he began taking courses in public speaking which eventually helped him venture into the film industry. He won the Indian Championship for Public Speaking and was subsequently selected to represent India at the Young Businessmen Conference in Tokyo, Japan in 1992.

In early 1996, Madhavan did a sandalwood talc advertisement for Santosh Sivan, who later recommended him to Mani Ratnam for a screen test for a role in Iruvar. Later in the same year, Mani Ratnam called Madhavan for the screen test, but left him out of the project citing that he thought his eyes looked too young for a senior role.  As his film career failed to take off, Madhavan went on to feature in Hindi television serials, appearing as a crook in his first venture Yule Love Stories. He appeared in a leading roles in Zee TV's Banegi Apni Baat, Ghar Jamai and later in Tol Mol Ke Bol. He gained popularity as Shakhar in Sony Entertainment Television's Show 'Saaya'. He went on to as a captain in Sea Hawks, as a convict in Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum, and as an anchor in Tol Mol amongst others.  His first feature film role came in Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin, where he appeared in an uncredited role.

In 1997, Madhavan appeared in his first film role as an Indian police officer in Fred Olen Ray's Inferno alongside Don Wilson.  His first chance in Indian movies came in the form of Shanti Shanti Shanti, a Kannada film, in which he acted in the second lead role to Abbas, an established actor. However, the film failed to make an impact and went unnoticed.  During the period, Hindi film director Vinod Pandey launched Madhavan as a Bollywood hero, with a project titled Lakheli, however the film was abandoned by the producers soon after production began and the film was cancelled.

In 1999, director Mani Ratnam called Madhavan back after his unsuccessful audition for Iruvar to feature in his Tamil romantic film, Alaipayuthey, which consequently went on to become a blockbuster, earning positive reviews from critics.  In Alaipayuthey, Madhavan paired with actress Shalini and portrayed the role of Karthik, a young husband experiencing difficulties with his marriage. Madhavan's performance was well received by critics and the film became a cult hit, leaving way to several spoofs of his character.  A critic from The Hindu, described that Madhavan "sails through the litmus test with ease", whilst another review cited that Madhavan was a promising debutant into the film industry.

After the success of his first Tamil film, the producers of his previous Kannada film, Shanti Shanti Shanti, dubbed the film into Tamil and released it as Relax, to capitalise on Madhavan's newfound success.  Madhavan's second lead role was in the romantic film Ennavale featuring Sneha. The film garnered poor reviews, although Madhavan's portrayal was praised as the "mainstay" of the film, with claims that the film for him was a "merely a prosaic exercise".

In 2001, Madhavan enjoyed success starring opposite Reemma Sen in Gautham Menon's directorial debut, Minnale. The film opened well due to the popular soundtrack by Harris Jayaraj and the marketing as a Valentine's Day release, and won favourable reviews from critics which led to commercial success.  He collaborated with Mani Ratnam for the second time by appearing in his production house, Madras Talkies' romantic comedy Dumm Dumm Dumm alongside Jyothika. The film won positive acclaim and became a success, with Madhavan establishing himself as a bankable actor in South India.

Madhavan next starred in Parthale Paravasam, the hundredth venture of veteran director, K. Balachander. Madhavan, in the film, acted as a husband in a troubled marriage again after Alaipayuthey. Despite being highly anticipated, the film failed at the box-office, with critics citing that Madhavan looked "rather bored" with the proceedings.  Similarly his first lead role in a Hindi film, Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein, a remake of his Minnale, was also was unsuccessful at the box office, with the film and Madhavan's performance receiving mixed reviews.

Following Parthale Paravasam, Madhavan again starred opposite Simran Bagga in his third Mani Ratnam production, Kannathil Muthamittal. He portrayed the role of the father of an adopted child, who wishes to return to her native homeland amidst the Sri Lankan civil war. The film was critically acclaimed and went on to win six National Awards as well as over ten awards at various International Film Festivals around the world.  Madhavan gained acclaim for his portrayal with a critic citing "he lived the role of the character he portrays".

Madhavan's next large success came in Run, a film recognised for its screenplay, with Madhavan appearing in an action film for the first time in his career.  Despite another unsuccessful Hindi venture with Dil Vil Pyar Vyar, the success of his previous films helped him secure the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actor for 2002, being jointly recognised for both films.

After the success of Run, several of Madhavan's films were critically acclaimed but failed to succeed at the box office. Anbe Sivam featuring and written by Kamal Haasan, won critical acclaim but failed to become a grosser.  Portraying a young frustrated filmmaker with capitalist beliefs who travels with a handicapped communist played by Kamal Haasan, Madhavan's performance was described as a "milestone in his career" and that "his portrayal will remain with the viewer for long" by a critic from The Hindu.

During the period he went on to feature in Kamal Haasan's home production, Nala Damayanthi as a Brahmin cook lost in Australia and in Vikraman's Priyamana Thozhi as a budding cricketer, however both films were average grossers though Madhavan's performances were appreciated by reviewers.

He appeared in guest role as a teacher in Lesa Lesa directed by Priyadarshan, and then featured in Saran's Jay Jay alongside Priyanka Kothari and Pooja, where his performance won mixed reviews.

Madhavan played gangster in K. S. Ravikumar's comedy Aethiree before being selected to feature in his fourth Mani Ratnam production. Aayutha Ezhuthu featured an ensemble cast of Suriya, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, Esha Deol and Trisha Krishnan and featured music from A. R. Rahman. Madhavan portrayed the character of Inba Sekhar, a hitman living in the slums of Chennai who eventually is taken under the wings of a politician. His role also featured him in a struggling marriage with Sasi, played by Meera Jasmine, who desperately tries to claw him away from his profession. Madhavan has since stated that the role was his hardest to date and the one which he enjoyed the most.  He received praise from critics, claiming he outplayed Abhishek Bachchan's interpretation of the character in the Hindi version of the bilingual, Yuva.  Madhavan won the South Indian Filmfare Award for the Best Supporting Actor, whilst a critic from The Hindu cited that he "sparkles as an anti-hero" and that the "character ought to find a very special place in his repertoire".

In 2005, Madhavan went on to feature in Rajiv Anchal's crossover film Nothing But Life, also filmed simultaneously in Malayalam as Made in USA with the film being shot in a single schedule in Las Vegas and Albuquerque. Portraying an orphaned youth with suicidal tendencies being treated by a Malayali psychiatrist in the USA, the film and his portrayal received mixed reviews.

He appeared in another marriage drama film, Priyasakhi, co-starring Sadha – with the pair playing an estranged husband and wife. The film received praise for the lead pair's performances with Madhavan being praised as "top class", while it also became the first Tamil film to be dubbed into Zulu.

Madhavan made a return to Hindi films by writing the dialogues and starring in the comedy Ramji Londonwaley, a remake of Nala Damayanthi. However despite critics describing his performance as "a master stroke", the film fared averagely at the box office due to other big budget films releasing during the period.  Madhavan's three releases in 2006 were commercial successes with Rang De Basanti, Thambi and Rendu. His appearance in vital cameo role as a pilot in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Rang De Basanti earned him his first major hit in Hindi films, with the ensemble cast including Aamir Khan being described as "near perfect".  Thambi directed by Seeman was shot for over a year and faced a delayed release, but became a major success in town and village centres.  Madhavan's portrayal of a rustic do-gooder, received positive reviews from critics though it was claimed he was "unable to shed off his classy looks".In Rendu, a Sundar C comedy, Madhavan appeared in dual roles for the first time in his career and was cast opposite Reemma Sen and Anushka Shetty.

Madhavan appeared in his fifth film under Mani Ratnam's Hindi production, Guru in 2007 featuring in the biopic with Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai and Vidya Balan. His role of Shyam Saxena was inspired from the life of real-life journalist S. Gurumurthy, who was a challenger to business tycoon, Dhirubhai Ambani, whose role drew allusions with Bachchan's role.

The film became a blockbuster and won critical acclaim, with a reviewer citing that Madhavan acts with "extreme, believable sincerity" dubbing him as "truly a poster boy for India", whilst another claimed he performed " a weak role with elan".  After appearing in guest roles as himself in the Hindi film Delhi Heights and in Sudhish Kamath's English film That Four-Letter Word, he featured in the long-delayed romantic comedy Aarya which gained poor reviews.  Madhavan wrote the dialogues, produced and featured in the lead role in Nishikanth Kamat's Evano Oruvan, where he played a middle class bank employee, Sridhar Vasudevan, who becomes so disgusted with the corruption he faces in his day to day life that he loses it one day and become a vigilante. After setting up his production house, Leukos Films, he helped promote the film in international film festivals before the theatrical release in December 2007.

Though the film only became an average grosser, critics called the film a "must watch" with The Hindu dubbed the film as "Madhavan's best performance" and he went on to win the ITFA Best Actor Award.  In January 2008, he appeared in the unsuccessful Vaazhthukal with Bhavana, although his performance was described as the "only thing which kept the film engaging" by a critic.

Madhavan's final release of the year was the docudrama Mumbai Meri Jaan, based upon the 2006 Mumbai Bombings. The film, which pitted him with Soha Ali Khan, Irrfan Khan and Kay Kay Menon became a critically acclaimed venture with Madhavan's portrayal of a man with a post-traumatic stress disorder being appreciated.

Madhavan won positive acclaim for playing the lead role of an engineer experiencing eerie events in Vikram Kumar's bilingual horror films, Yavarum Nalam and 13B. The film, which became a commercial and critical success upon release resulted in critics claiming "he carried the film on his shoulders" while he was nominated for the Vijay Award for Best Actor.  His following two films, the romantic comedy Guru En Aalu and the action film Sikandar in which he played a supporting role of an army officer, both fetched average reviews and failed financially.

Madhavan went on to appear as Farhan Qureshi, the narrator, in Rajkumar Hirani's 3 Idiots alongside Aamir Khan and Sharman Joshi. The film, a critical and commercial blockbuster, went on to become the highest grossing Indian film of all time, with Madhavan's portrayal earning him nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor and for the IIFA Best Supporting Actor Award. Critics described his performance as "incredible", and Madhavan claimed that the film changed how he was viewed as an actor in Hindi films for the better.

His role alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Ben Kingsley in Teen Patti as a young professor won him mixed reviews with critics citing he was "excellent" whilst other suggested his "energy and zest from Guru is missing", but the film went on to become a colossal failure at box office.

His two guest appearances in the year also received mixed feedback with his performance in the Telugu anthology film Om Shanti being praised, whilst a role in the John Abraham starrer Jhootha Hi Sahi drew him criticism.  Madhavan then re-collaborated with Kamal Haasan and K. S. Ravikumar in the romantic comedy, Manmadan Ambu, playing a wealthy businessman whose suspicious nature makes him hire a spy to follow his actress girlfirend, played by Trisha Krishnan, on a European cruise tour. The film opened to rave reviews and became a profitable venture commercially, with Madhavan's performance being described as "excellent" and that he is the "scene stealer".

His only release in 2011 was the romantic drama film, Tanu Weds Manu alongside Kangana Ranaut, which saw him play the role of a sensible doctor hoping to get an arranged marriage with a girl who has as dramatically diverse personality to him. Prior to release, the film's promotion created anticipation and upon release, the film became a large success at the box office. Madhavan's portrayal of Manoj "Manu" Sharma won predominantly positive acclaim, with a reviewer citing that his performance was "real, restrained, yet forceful" and another claiming he was "perfectly cast".

Madhavan next appeared as a police officer in Linguswamy's Tamil film Vettai, an action entertainer featuring an ensemble cast of Arya, Amala Paul and Sameera Reddy. The film opened to positive reviews in January 2012 and went on to become a commercial success, with critics praising Madhavan's decision to accept the role of a timid cop, while a critic noted that he had "an uncanny talent for comedy".

He then featured in Jodi Breakers, a Hindi romantic comedy film shot in Greece alongside Bipasha Basu, but the film became a failure commercially.  In 2012, Madhavan took a sabbatical and was based in Chicago resting his knee, which he injured during the making of Vettai, causing him to suffer from chondromalacia patellae.

In July 2013, Madhavan signed on to appear in his first Hollywood feature film Night of the Living Dead: Origins 3D, produced by Simon West, in which he will be appearing as an ex-marine personnel.  Madhavan has also signed on for "Irudhi Sutru" (Final Round), a film directed by Sudha Kongara, where he will be portraying a retired boxer. The film is expected to enter production in December 2013.

Madhavan has appeared as host for television programmes on Hindi channels, while he has also been a host at film award functions. He was announced as the host of Sony Entertainment Television's Deal Ya No Deal, the Indian version of the American game show Deal Or No Deal, in October 2005. However, Madhavan quit as the lead anchor of the show in January 2006 claiming he was "unhappy with the way the shoot schedules were handled by the production house". According to the actor, when he took on the show, he had "made it clear that he would continue with his South film assignments, and as the show was being filmed in Mumbai, he had found it hard to keep travelling throughout India from Chennai to film the ten days a month he had signed up for". The ever-changing look of the show meant Madhavan had to constantly rehearse. Madhavan added that he was restricted by the producers to spend one day rehearsing technically, which left him with fatigue.

Mandira Bedi replaced Madhavan as the anchor in February for Series 2 of the game show. In June 2010, Madhavan made a comeback to the game show format by accepting a contract with Imagine TV's Big Money show, signing on to host a single season.  Furthermore he has been a guest judge, in the Indian television show, Fame Gurukul.  Madhavan has also hosted live events, notably the National Film Awards in 2013 with Huma Qureshi. He was also been the host of the 55th Filmfare Awards South in Chennai in 2008 alongside Sindhura Gadde and then also the Vijay Awards in 2013.

Madhavan secured the rights to remake his Tamil film Nala Damayanthi into Hindi as Ramji Londonwaley, and played an active role in determining the crew of the movie. Moreover, Madhavan also wrote the dialogues for the film.  In October 2007, Madhavan founded the production company, Leukos Films, and consequently bought the rights of his film, Evano Oruvan from producers Abbas-Mustan and K. Sera Sera. Securing sponsorship deals with HSBC and Santoor, Madhavan premiered the film across North America and the Middle East before theatrical release which became the first of its kind promotion in Tamil cinema.  However since the relative failure of the project, Madhavan has downplayed any future involvement in production ventures.  The film which Madhavan referred to as a "part of his life", saw him write the dialogues for the film along with Seeman, translating lines from the original version in Marathi.

Madhavan has enjoyed considerable success as a brand ambassador for a wide range of products in India. His early work involved advertisements for prominent brands like Bajaj, Ponds, Fair and Lovely and TVS, before signing a major endorsing deal with Pepsi and marketing company, IMG.  Madhavan signed a contract with mobile phone network, Airtel for promotions in South India before being promoted as the pan-Indian ambassador for it a year later. His advertisements with Vidya Balan for the brand won critical acclaim, and brought in film offers for the pair.  In June 2010, marketers from Arun Excello promoted a housing project in Oragadam, Chennai as like a film would be promoted with Madhavan being featured as the face of the project. The teaser advertisement campaign attracted huge curiosity and the project became a success.  His long-term work with jewellery, Joy Alukkas, led to the company creating life size wax models of him to place in their showrooms from January 2011.

Madhavan, who is a vegetarian, endorses the brand, PETA. Since joining them after starring in his first film, he has appeared voluntarily in several advertisements and released an E-Card for the brand. In July 2006, Madhavan was voted the "cutest male vegetarian" by an online poll conducted by the NGO, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), while Kareena Kapoor won the female award respectively. In turn he cited that his success in the competition was due to his "healthy vegetarian diet".  In October 2010, he wrote a letter to the CEO of Kentucky Fried Chicken, on behalf of PETA, urging them to stop mistreatment of birds by the fast-food industry outlets and the killing of animals. He requested the boycott of KFC in India over animal welfare and conditions and was joined by Raveena Tandon and Rakhi Sawant in supporting the work of PETA in India.  In addition, Madhavan was named PETA India’s 2012 "Person Of The Year."

He has lent his support for the Chennai-based charity, The Banyan, and appeared in the charity musical Netru, Indru, Naalai directed by Mani Ratnam for the cause.  He appeared as a guest cook and newly launched restaurant in Chennai and cooked dosas for auction for the charity, helping raise forty five thousand rupees.  He has been a part of an AIDS awareness programme initiated by Richard Gere in India and helped advertise the A Time for Heroes campaign appearing in a short film.

Similarly he featured in a four-minute film produced by Agaram Foundation, Herova? Zerova? campaigning for educational awareness alongside Surya, Vijay and Jyothika.  In 2010, along with his cast and crew from 3 Idiots, he helped raise Rs. 2.5 million for the renovation of the school in Leh, which was damaged by flash floods.  Madhavan laid bricks and tiles at the London Business School in July 2011, building a symbolic house to represent the 100,000 houses that will be built in India by 2015 as a part of Habitat for Humanity's campaign to improve substandard houses in India.

Madhavan is one of the few actors in India who receives pan-Indian appeal, with his success in establishing himself in the North and the South helping him receive offers as a brand ambassador.  Furthermore, it has led to producers offering him lead roles in bilingual films with Nothing But Life and Made in USA being shot in Malayalam and English and 13B and Yavarum Nalam being shot in Hindi and Tamil. Moreover, most of his Tamil films are dubbed into Telugu, where he has created a box office market without appearing in a single straight Telugu film as a lead actor.

Madhavan has also been active in keeping in contact with fans, maintaining a fan email account, a Facebook fan page and a Twitter account as well as being one of the first actors of Tamil films to turn blogger with entries in the year 2000.

He has appeared at functions as a special guest, and has enjoyed particularly close links with technology company, Sify, who he signed on as his media partner for all his future releases after expressing satisfaction at the website they created for Rendu.  Madhavan sat amongst a six-man jury for the selection of CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2006.  He inaugurated the Chennai International Film Festival in 2007, taking the opportunity to deliver a message on preserving the environment.

A gaming company, Paradox Studios Limited, launched a new game compatible with mobile phones in July 2006, with Madhavan as the lead character. The company released two mobile game titles featuring Madhavan as their lead character.  The first of the two games, Madhavan's MIG, featured the actor making a reprise of his Rang De Basanti pilot's role. In the other game titled Madhavan, the player had to help the actor get to the premiere of his latest movie evading the paparazzi.  In 2007, prominent entrepreneur N. R. Narayana Murthy requested Madhavan to be his interviewer at the India-Singapore Exposition and Madhavan went on to claim that the experience was "unforgettable" as Murthy was an idol to him.  Maruti Suzuki, for whom Madhavan is the brand ambassador, launched a special edition of the Suzuki Wagon R car calling it the Madhavan Signature Edition in September 2013.

Madhavan's parents are Ranganathan and Saroja. Despite Madhavan's ambition of wanting to join the army, his parents insisted he went to management school and pursue a degree in electronics.  After completing the degree, he went on to teach communication and public speaking at workshops around India. At the Maharashtra workshop, he encountered his wife Sarita Birje in 1991, an air hostess, who attended his class.  After completing the course, the pair began dating and married in 1999, before Madhavan entered mainstream films.

The pair's successful marriage has been covered by the media, with Madhavan citing that advise from his mentor Mani Ratnam was useful.  Sarita has worked as a costume designer in a few of Madhavan's films, most notably for Guru En Aalu (2009) when she worked along with Erum Ali, the wife of Madhavan's co-star, Abbas, for their respective husbands.  Their first son, Vedant was born in August 2005, which eventually led to relocating towards to the boat-club area in Chennai from Kilpauk. Madhavan's parents lived with him as did his parents-in-law.  In 2009, he relocated to Kandivali, Mumbai with his wife and son, as he pursued a career in Hindi films ahead of films in the South Indian industries.

Madhavan, since his debut, has received significant following from female fans.  Madhavan has maintained close links with fellow actors in the Hindi and Tamil film industry with his close links with director Mani Ratnam and actors Kamal Haasan, Aamir Khan and Surya. He has also helped out actresses Reemma Sen, Sadha and Nisha Kothari by signing them on for roles in his films, when they were going through a barren spell.

Madhavan took a sabbatical from films from September 2010 announcing an eight-month break from films citing he would take the time off to visit London, go on a European motorcycle ride, lose weight, play golf, take treatment for his knee injury and spend time with family. Though he kept away from starting new projects, during the period he was involved in heavy promotions of two of his releases, Manmadan Ambu and Tanu Weds Manu.  He has been a keen golf player, appearing in a celebrity charity event in 2007 and has played alongside actor Amitabh Bachchan and director Mani Ratnam.  His experiences flying Cessna planes when he was with National Cadet Corps, also led to a passion for aero-modelling, claiming it justified his decision to pursue a degree in electronics.

Besant Ravi (born R. Ravikumar) Indian film actor known for playing action, character roles in Kollywood, Bollywood and several other Indian language films.

Early life

Besant Ravi who born and grew up in Chennai was a bike mechanic in his early stages of life and all his childhood days he grew up watching film shootings near his house in Besant Nagar. He soon became familiar with the artists and technicians on the sets. Besant Ravi who expertise in Martial arts and boxing, got his first break in cinema in the movie, Lucky Man.

Career

He got his first break in cinema in the movie Lucky Man (film) in which he performed a solo stunt, then he got trained professionally for cinema by stunt master Pandiyan. He started his career as a fighter later moved into acting in several action sequences . Later he got many offers to enter into the acting arena and got busy with acting. Director S. Shankar’s Mudhalvan was noted among his projects.
Actor

After being Successful into stunt and action he started getting good offers into acting he stepped into acting and is successful there too. He has completed 19 years into acting and did not stop with Tamil he has also done movies in other Indian languages like , Hindi, All south indian languages , Bengali etc. Apart from character roles , villain roles he has also acclaimed in many comedy roles with legendary comedians Goundamani, Vadivelu and Santhanam.
Kollywood

He started his career with Luck Man and doing several movies in Tamil and other languages but his acting career started getting acclaimed with Director Shankar’s Mudhalvan in which he performed a Bus Jump sequence which was appreciated by the director S. Shankar and he gifted him a 500 rupee note signed by him after the shoot. Later he got busy with acting several movies. Among that ‘Ponnar Shankar,' which was written by Former CM M Karunanidhi and M Karunanidhi admired his performance in the film.
Bollywood

After Kollywood his career in Bollywood started with the racy director Rohit Shetty with the film Singham in 2011. His career break was in 2013 he did the role of ‘Periya anna’ in Shahrukh Khan & Deepika Padukone starring ‘Chennai Express’ directed by Shetty.

Josephine, better known by her stage name Rekha, is a Malayalam and Tamil actress who acted in hit movies like Ramji Rao Speaking, Aey Auto and Sagaram Sakshi in Malayalam and Punnagai Mannan, En Bommukutty Ammavukku and Kadalora Kavithaigal in Tamil. She was born in Kerala and completed her studies at Ooty in Tamil Nadu. She now acts in TV serials and in character roles in films. She won Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam film Dasharatham

She has been married to a seafood exporter since 1996 and has one daughter.

Sunitha Upadrashta is a playback singer, anchor and dubbing artist in the Telugu Film industry, also known as Tollywood.


Sunitha's career began in the year 1995 with the movie Gulabi. She works as a singer and an Anchor to various channels who conduct musical programmes. She also works as a dubbing artist and has dubbed for about 750 films.


Sunitha has started her Cultural pursuit at a very early age of threeyears and got training in Music from Pemaraju Surya Rao in Karnatic Vocal and Light music from Kalaga Krishna Mohan for eight years. She has received awards and appreciations in various competitions for her performances. Sunitha, at the age of 10, participated in Tyagaraja Aradhana Utsavalu along with her guru Sri Pemmaraju Surya Rao garu.


She has begun her singing career as a playback singer in films at an age of 16. Sri Sasi Preetham, a music director first gave her a chance to sing in her debut film 'Gulabi' and her debut song is 'Ee Vela Lo Neevu' written by Sirivennela Sitaramasastri.


She has worked under the supervision of music directors like Ilayaraja, Vidya sagar, M.M. Keeravani, S.V. Krishna Reddy, Koti, Raj, Vandematharam Srinivas, Mani Sharma, Ramana Gogula, S.A. Raj kumar, Sandeep choutha, Micky-J-Mayer, Devisri Prasad, R.P. Patnaik, Chakri, Nihal, Kalyani Malik, Anup, Sunil Kashyap, Saluri Vasu Rao, Madhavapeddi Suresh, Saketha Sairam, Bunty, V. Hari Krishna, S.S. Thaman etc. She rendered nearly 3000 songs in many south Indian films. She has sung in Kannada and Tamil apart from Telugu.


Upadrashta has given stage shows abroad as a Singer.[citation needed] She was invited to Telugu Association of North America –TANA in 1999, 2001.She was also invited for European Telugu Association – ETA and American Telugu Association – ATA.


Upadrashta has given voice over for various artists like Jyothika, Anushka, Bhoomika, Charmi, Laila, Meera Jasmine, Soundarya, Sonali Bendre, Shriya, Genelia, Sneha, Sada, Katrina Kaif, Tamannaah, Trisha, Kamilini Mukherji, Nayantara etc.