Born This Month: Indian Stars With January Birthdays

Hrithik is the epitome of perfection with his long haircut, towering stature, and striking hazel-green eyes. A prolific Indian actor in numerous Bollywood films, he is globally renowned for his versatile roles, unmatchable dancing skills and attractive looks.

After having appeared in films as a child actor in the 1980s, Roshan made his film debut in a leading role in Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai (2000) for which he earned Filmfare Awards for Best Actor and Best Male Debut. It was not just a new actor on the block, but a star was born. He became a romantic hero, an action hero and revolutionized the Hindi film industry in significant ways. Never before had any debutant become an overnight sensation of this kind.

After his debut film, he appeared in Karan Johar's family drama Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham (2001), which received immense love not just in India but even overseas.

In 2003, Hrithik Roshan, who is often described as "India's Most Complete Actor" stunned everyone and proved once again that it is not just the uber-flattering looks that he brings to the table. This was when he flawlessly essayed the role of an intellectually disabled boy in Koi... Mil Gaya. Not only did the film set the cash registers ringing massively, but Roshan also bagged multiple awards for his acting prowess in the film, including the Filmfare Best Actor award.

The makers turned it into a franchise because of the huge commercial success and love that the film received. The next installment, Krrish (2006) saw Hrithik Roshan playing a superhero, which went on to become the first ever-successful Indian superhero in Indian cinema.

Roshan received his 3rd Filmfare Award for Best Actor in 2006 for his performance as an enigmatic master thief in the action film Dhoom 2, with which he redefined style and action and set new bars. He established himself as a major action star. He took stylized action to a whole new level with Bang Bang in 2014, which did massive business at the box office.

In 2012, he created history in Indian cinema when his film, Agneepath minted a whopping 25 crs only on its opening day. That is the star power and pull of Hrithik Roshan.

We also saw him portray the role of the Moghul emperor, Akbar the Great himself in Jodhaa Akbar (2008) for which he received immense critical acclaim and also an International award at a Film festival.

In 2011, Roshan was seen in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, which became an absolute cult classic.

Before becoming an actor, Hrithik toiled as a largely uncredited assistant on film projects, gradually progressing from unglamorous tasks such as set-sweeping, tea-fetching, or clapper-loading up to a major role in story development, camera, direction, and editing.

Since his entry into the industry, Hrithik has parlayed the natural gift of symmetrical features and a tall athletic frame into unimaginable standards. Through unparalleled work ethic, sheer honesty, talent, and commitment as an actor, he also effectively redefined the Hindi film hero. Actors would now have to act and dance and fight for themselves like never before.

With the kind of roles Hrithik has played on screen, there is no doubt about his acting prowess and versatility. From playing a intellectually disabled boy in Koi... Mil Gaya (2003) to an emperor in Jodhaa Akbar (2008); from playing a quadriplegic in Guzaarish (2010) to a visually impaired man in Kaabil (2017), he has played diverse characters effortlessly with his sheer talent.

In 2019, Hrithik continued taking on challenging roles as he marked two decades in the movies. In Super 30 (2019) he played the character of a Bihari Mathematician, Hrithik effortlessly slipped into the shoes of real-life Math genius Anand Kumar. He followed this up with War (2019), a larger-than-life Intelligence Agent gone rogue, while on a covert mission. Hrithik Roshan added act & action to his character. The actor aced at adding mystery to the thrilling story line with his screen presence as Kabir, which is considered one of the most charismatic characters he has played till date on screen.

Hrithik, a hot favorite for award show performances because of his smooth dance moves, high energy, and immense charm has won 66 awards out of 84 nominations, having a win rate of an outstanding 79%. Hrithik has also won many Style and Glamour awards for his appearances and red carpet outings. He was in fact voted as the 'Most Handsome Actor in the World' in 2018 by worlds-topmost.com

Hrithik married his childhood sweetheart and longtime girlfriend, successful interior designer and businesswoman Sussanne Khan in December 2000. They have two sons: Hrehaan, born in 2006, and Hridaan, born in 2008. While the two got divorced in 2014, they chose to maintain cordial relations with each other for their kids and even today are good friends.

Shruti Kamal Haasan is an India Film actress and singer and the daughter of legendary actor Kamal Haasan and Sarika Thakur. She has studied at Abacus in Chennai, until 10th grade, when she moved to Mumbai to study psychology at St Andrew's College.

She debuted as a child artist in "Hey Ram" in the role of a daughter of Sardar Vallab Bhai Patel. After that she was appeared in "Luck" as a lead actress.

Apart from acting, she is an amazing singer and sung as a playback singer in many films including Thevar Magan (1992), Chachi 420 (1997), Hey Ram (2000), Luck (2009) etc.

Born Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan, in Jaipur, Rajasthan (NW India) January 7, 1967 to a Pashto-speaking Muslim family. Khan's mother, Begum Khan, was from the Tonk Hakim family and his father, Jagirdar Khan, from the Khajuriya village near the Tonk district, ran a tire business.

The Khan family name comes from Turkish and Mongol languages and mean "king" or great leader. Descendants of Genghis Khan (13th century) in central Asia adopted Islam and became the Moghuls, who conquered India for several centuries until British rule.

Irfan was a skilled cricket player. In his early 20's he was selected for the CK Nayudu Tournament (a stepping stone to First Class cricket). He did not turn up for the tournament owing to lack of funds and as a result he focused on acting.

In 1984 he earned a scholarship to the National School of Acting in New Delhi.

He was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honor for his contribution to the field of arts.

His portrayal of Paan Singh Tomar in the acclaimed biographical sports drama Paan Singh Tomar (2011) won him the National Film Award for Best Actor and a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor. His performance in the BAFTA Award nominated romance The Lunchbox (2013) earned him universal acclaim by the critics and audiences.

Globally, Khan was in The Warrior (2001), The Namesake (2006), The Darjeeling Limited (2007), the Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire (2008), New York, I Love You (2009), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012), Life of Pi (2012), Jurassic World (2015) and Inferno (2016). As of 2017, his films have grossed $3.643 billion at the worldwide box office. In 2018, Khan was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor.

Khan got married to his wife Sutapa Sikdar, in 1995. She is a Hindu of the Brahmin caste. She is a movie producer, dialogue writer and screenwriter. Among her famous movies are Khamoshi: The Musical (Dialogue Writer, 1996), Supari (Dialogue Writer, 2003), Kahaani (Dialogue Writer, 2003), Madaari (Producer, 2016), Qarib Qarib Singlle (Producer, 2017)

They have two kids: Ayaan Khan, Babil Khan

Unlike most Indian film stars, Irrfan has been outspoken on religion. On Arnab Goswami's talk show, he took on Muslim fundamentalists, including India's Grand Imam. Irrfan Khan argued against "transactional religious interaction" and for "personal religious discovery"..."to discover yourself, to find God". Though he admits he is "not an authority" on the Koran and Islamic Holy scriptures he has bravely stood by his comments despite heavy criticism and even threats of violence. He's aware of the dangers that his frank comments pose to him and his family. His wife commented, "We are very proud of him."

Kalki Koechlin was born to French parents in a small village in Pondicherry. Her parents had come to India as hippies in the 1970s and settled there after they fell in love with the country. Her parents are devotees of Sri Aurobindo.

Kalki was studying in Ooty when her parents insisted that she attend university. She studied drama and theatre at Goldsmiths, University of London, where she also worked with a theater company called Theatre of Relativity for two years. She performed in various plays, including David Hare's "The Blue Room," Marivaux's "The Dispute," and a devised play called "The Rise of the Wild Hunt" during her two-year stint with the theater group.

Kalki later decided to move to Mumbai to try her luck in Indian cinema. She was doing modeling assignments for television commercials before being shortlisted for the role of Chandramukhi (Chanda) in Dev.D (2009). Kalki, who can speak Tamil, English, and French, had to learn Hindi to prepare for her role in Dev.D (2009). She was apprehensive about how people would judge her after seeing her in the role.

She won The Hindu's 2009 MetroPlus Playwright Award, along with Prashant Prakash, for their co-authored entry "Skeleton Woman." Kalki also acted in the play "Hair" directed by Ajay Krishnan.

Foray into Films - He began his career in the film industry as a background actor, taking on minor supporting roles for over five years in films such as M Kumaran Son of Mahalakshmi, Dishyum, Pudhupettai, Lee, Venila Kabadi Kuzhu, Naan Mahan Illah, and several short films including Athiyayam, Neer, Thuru, Wind, Maa Thavam, Kadhalithu Paar, The Angel, Bench Talkies, and Petti Case. His first leading role came in Seenu Ramasamy's Thenmerku Paruvakaatru (2010), an action-drama that won three National Awards. He further showcased his versatility by playing a villain in Sundarapandian (2012), followed by breakthrough roles in Pizza (2012), a horror-thriller, Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom (2012), a comedy, and Soodhu Kavvum (2013), a comedy-thriller. With over 16 years of dedicated experience, he became one of the most sought-after actors in the Indian film industry.

Early Life / Childhood - Vijaya Gurunatha Sethupathi Kalimuthu, professionally known as Vijay Sethupathi, was born on January 16, 1979, in Rajapalayam. He grew up there before relocating to Chennai during his early school years. He attended MGR Higher Secondary School in Kodambakkam. Sethupathi has mentioned that he was a "below-average student" throughout his school years, showing little interest in sports or extracurricular activities. At the age of 16, he ventured into acting by auditioning as a junior artist for the film Nammavar (1994), but was rejected due to his short height. Despite these early setbacks, his persistence in pursuing acting eventually led to a successful career.

Vijay Sethupathi completed his Bachelor of Commerce degree from Dhanraj Baid Jain College in Chennai. Initially, he worked as an accounts assistant at a wholesale cement business, and later moved to Dubai, UAE, where he continued his work as an accountant.

Odd Jobs / Uncertain times - Unfulfilled with his job in Dubai, Sethupathi returned to India in 2003, where he got married to Ms. Jessi. He briefly ventured into the interior decoration business with friends before joining a marketing company dealing with readymade kitchens. However, his passion for acting led him to take up a job as an accountant with the Chennai-based theatre group Koothupattarai. This role allowed him to immerse himself in the theater world, where he had the chance to observe actors up close, further fueling his desire to pursue acting.

Family - Sethupathi and his wife Jessi have two children, a son named Surya and a daughter named Shreeja. He named his son in honor of his late school friend, Surya, who passed away during their school days.

As a Writer / Lyricist - In addition to acting, Sethupathi also dabbled in writing. He penned the dialogues for his film Orange Mittai - (2015), showcasing his creativity beyond the camera.

Vijay Sethupathi is turning lyricist with Raju Jeyamohan's Bun Butter Jam. Interestingly, he has penned the lyrics for the song titled Eternal Subway (Yedho Pesathaney - ), which has been sung by another notable actor, Siddharth, along with Shilpa Rao.

Bobby Deol (Vijay Singh Deol) is the second son of Bollywood mega-star Dharmendra. His older brother is another Bollywood mega-star, Sunny Deol. Deol began his career as a child artiste in the movie Dharam Veer (1977), playing a young Dharmendra.

He has two step-sisters, namely Bollywood actress Esha Deol and Ahana Deol. His step-mother is the Bollywood "Dreamgirl" Hema Malini. Bobby Deol married Tanya Ahuja and has been blessed with two sons. The second son was born on November 5, 2004 at 5:00 am, and is named "Dharam" after his grandpa. The elder son is named Aryaman.

Born on 8th January 1986, Yash started his acting career in theatre. He made his television debut with the Kannada show Nanda Gokula which was extremely successful and worked in various other TV shows after that. He made his big screen debut with Moginna Manasu and headlined many superhits like Googly, Raja Huli, Gajakesari, and Mr and Mrs Ramachari.

With the massive success of KGF chapter 1, which was released in 2018 in five languages, Rocking Star Yash achieved PAN India stardom and became a household name across India. The film collected over INR 250 crores and was also the most-streamed film on an OTT platform in 2019.

Superstar Yash will be seen next in KGF Chapter 2, which is one of the most awaited films of Indian cinema. The trailer of KGF 2 is already the most-watched Indian trailer ever, and the film is expected to set new benchmarks in the Indian film industry.

In 2017 Yash along with his actress wife Radhika Pandit founded an organization and named it as Yasho Marga Foundation.

Fatima Sana Shaikh was born in Mumbai, India, to Hindu Brahman Father, Vipen Sharma, and Muslim Mother, Raj Tabassum. She was enrolled to St. Xavier High School in Mumbai for her primary education and later to Mithibai College, Mumbai for higher education.

Shaikh began her film career with the 1997 film Chachi 420 with Kamal Hasan. She played the role of Bharti, Jaiprakash Paswan a.k.a. Jai and Janki Paswan's daughter. Though she has been acting since 1997, she has scaled new heights of fame and success now after playing the role of Geeta Phogat in Aamir Khan's movie and also sharing the screen with the star.

Her hobbies include dancing, reading, sketching and photography.

Preity Zinta shot to fame as the refreshing, cool, wet model in the Liril commercial. She also modeled for Perk and her dimpled smile won the hearts of millions. Preity never thought she would be an actress. Kapoor saw her in the Liril commercial and liked her so much that he instantly decided that the next film he would announce would have her in the lead. However, 'Tara Rum Pum' never got made and is still pending since the director got very busy with his other projects.

But another offer soon came by, Kundan Shah's Kya Kehna (2000). Though the film was the first, Preity had actually begun shooting for her first release which was Mani Ratnam's Dil Se.. (1998). The film was a hit which won Preity accolades. Later Abbas-Mustan's Soldier (1998) that too was a hit at the box-office confirmed she was here to stay. Though Kya Kehna (2000) was her first film, but it released in 2000 and was the surprise hit of 2000.

Her role in Dil Chahta Hai (2001) and Dil Hai Tumhaara (2002) was appreciated and liked by all and that has made her an actress to reckon with in Bollywood. Her screen presence, charm and down to earth nature has made her the favorite actress of almost all the directors and producers. With banners and films like Rakesh Roshan's Koi... Mil Gaya (2003) with 'Hrithik Roshan', Nikkhil Advani's Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) starring Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Jaya Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar's Lakshya (2004) with Hrithik Roshan and Amitabh Bachchan, Atul Agnihotri's Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha (2004) starring Salman Khan and Bhoomika Chawla, Yash Chopra's Veer-Zaara (2004) with Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukerji, Siddharth Anand's Salaam Namaste (2005) with Saif Ali Khan, and Karan Johar's Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006) with Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Rani Mukerji, Preity has already made her place in the hearts of the public and also in Bollywood.

Amy Jackson is a British actress who began her acting career in India.

Amy became a household name after movies such as "I," "Singh is Bling" and "2.0."

Jackson landed her first Hollywood role as Saturn Girl in season 3 of The CW's superhero series Supergirl (2017) and can be next seen in Guy Ritchie's upcoming spy thriller opposite Jason Statham (2021).

Fate intervened when Bipasha recoiled and passed out when dissecting a rat. Thus ended her dream of being a medical professional. She was enrolled in the science faculty until 12th standard, but switched to commerce thereafter. After acquiring a degree in commerce she planned to be a chartered accountant but ended up being the Ford Supermodel of the World when she was just 17 years old.

Bipasha was born on January 7th 1979 in New Delhi. subsequently the Basu family re-located to Calcutta. Bipasha is the second of three sisters, born and brought up in a Hindu Bengali family, she is fluent in Hindi, English, and Bengali. The names of her sisters are Bidisha and Bijoyeta. Unbelievable as it may sound, sexy Bipasha was considered 'ugly' in her younger years due to her dark complexion. Her name means 'Dark Deep Desire', and is also the name of a river.

After her triumph as the Ford Supermodel, she went on to be crowned Miss Vivacious sponsored by Tulips.

Bipasha made her foray into Bollywood with Ajnabee (2001) in 2001, and subsequently acquired a place for herself in the tinsel world. She went to star in Raaz (2002), Jism (2003), No Entry (2005), Phir Hera Pheri (2006), Corporate (2006) & Dhoom 2 (2006). All of these movies did fairly well at the box office, and escalated her position as not only a leading lady, but one who can dare to bare. Dhoom 2 (2006) also credits her as a playback singer.

She has also appeared in two music videos, and was one of the judges in the 2004 Femina Miss India beauty pageant.

Sidharth Malhotra born (on 16 January 1985) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. He began his career in Bollywood as an assistant director to Karan Johar for Dharma Productions My Name Is Khan, released in 2010. Sidharth credits his passion for filmmaking and subsequent aspirations to be an actor to this movie project. An aspiring actor from Delhi, Sidharth Malhotra auditioned for the coming-of-age romantic teen drama Student Of The Year in 2012, produced by Karan Johar. Sidharth Malhotra subsequently appeared in several commercially successful films such as the romantic comedy Hasee Toh Phasee (2014), the thriller Ek Villain (2014), and the drama Kapoor & Sons (2016). He received critical acclaim for his portrayal of the Late Captain Vikram Batra in the patriotic war drama Shershaah (2021), which also earned him several prestigious awards for his acting process. Sidharth Malhotra earned critical acclaim for portraying a RAW agent in the 2023 Netflix film, Mission Majnu. He married his co-star in the film, Kiara Advani, in 2023.

An accomplished and award-winning producer-director-writer-actor-singer, Farhan Akhtar is the ultimate Bollywood multi-hyphenate. Born in 1974 to prolific Indian film writer and poet, Javed Akhtar and writer-director, Honey Irani , Farhan was raised in an environment where creativity and originality of thought were encouraged. This has made him a maverick whose films reflect refreshingly new content that easily strikes a chord with filmgoers.

In 1999, Farhan collaborated with Ritesh Sidhwani, a friend who shared his passion for good cinema, to form Excel Entertainment, a production banner that has become synonymous with excellence in film-making.

Debuting at the age of 26, as a writer, director, and producer with Dil Chahta Hai (2001) a coming-of-age film that has gained cult status, Farhan came to be lauded for his honest, path-breaking writing and his ability to extract mature performances from his cast. The film won Farhan his first National Award for 'Best Hindi Feature Film' along with Filmfare awards for 'Best Feature Film - Critics Choice' and 'Best Screenplay'.

Almost two decades later, this film continues to influence a generation of filmmakers.

Seven years after his dream debut as a writer-director, Farhan debuted as an actor-singer in Rock On!! (2008) Yet another runaway success, the film secured him a second National Award for 'Best Hindi Feature Film' and a Filmfare award for 'Best Debut Performance'.

The dream run continued with Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) which released in 2011 to much popular and critical acclaim, winning him three Filmfare awards for 'Best Film', 'Best Actor in a supporting role' and 'Best Dialogue'.

His next, a biopic on Indian athlete Milkha Singh, popularly known as 'the Flying Sikh', was entitled Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013).

He essayed the role with such integrity that it set the standard for other actors considering to play titular protagonists in biopics. Deservingly, Farhan swept all awards that year for 'Best Actor' as did the film for 'Best Film'. It also claimed the National award for 'Best Popular Film providing Wholesome Entertainment.'

His most recent release The Sky Is Pink (2019) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and received a 15-minute standing ovation from the audience at the Roy Thomson Hall.

In addition to his contribution to Indian cinema, Farhan has initiated and supported a plethora of social causes. In 2012, he founded MARD (Men against Rape & Discrimination), an initiative that raises awareness about gender-related issues amongst the youth of India. Recognizing his sustained efforts, Farhan was made the first male UNwomen goodwill ambassador (South Asia) in 2014.

Additionally, Farhan feeds his passion for music by writing, composing and performing live with his band FarhanLive.

His English language debut album 'Echoes' released in March 2019 to critical acclaim.

He has 2 daughters and lives in Mumbai, India.

Ravi Teja, also known as Bhupatiraju Ravi Shankar Raju, is a well-known Indian film actor and producer. He is widely known as the "King of Action Comedies" and has earned the title of "Mass Maharaja." His stellar performance and dance moves have many young fans across India.

His father was a pharmacist, while his mother was a homemaker. Both of his brothers, Raghu and Bharath also pursued careers in acting.

Teja, who is proficient in speaking Hindi and Telugu, spent his childhood in various parts of northern India due to his father's job. He received his education in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bhopal, and Jaipur and completed his studies at Siddhartha Degree College in Vijayawada. In 1988, he relocated to Madras to start his career in the film industry.

Teja's journey in the film industry began as a director's assistant, working on various Telugu and Bollywood films. He made his acting debut with a small role in the popular 1996 movie Ninne Pelladatha (1996), which was directed by Krishna Vamsi. He also served as the assistant director for the film.

As his career progressed, he appeared in supporting roles in films such as Annayya (2000), Manasichi Choodu (2020), and Idiot (2002). He landed his first leading role in the 1999 film Nee Kosam (1999), which earned him a Special Jury Award Nandi despite being an average box office performer.

Today, Teja is considered one of the highest-paid actors in the Telugu film industry. He has won several awards, including a Filmfare Award South, and three state Nandi Awards for his performance in the film "Khadgam." He was also nominated for a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Throughout his career, Teja has been a part of several notable films, including Vikramarkudu (2006), Kick (2009), Venky (2004), Dubai Seenu (2007), Krishna: The Power of Indrakeeladri (2008), Neninthe (2008), and Bengal Tiger (2015).

Born in Otukpo, a small town in Nigeria, Naveen was brought up in a joint family in Delhi. He did his schooling and engineering from Delhi itself. After graduating from Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology (NSIT) in 2006, he joined an analytics firm called Inductis in Gurgaon where he worked for 2 years before moving to Mumbai in 2008, there he worked with JP Morgan Chase for a very brief period of time before making a final switch to films.

Naveen had always been film buff and a big Bollywood freak, he wrote his first skit when he was in Class 6. Govinda was his favorite actor. Often teased by his cousins by the name filmy encyclopedia, he ended up directing lots of skits/plays in his school and college days.

Post engineering he continued his stint with theatre. In 2007, Naveen along with his college friends started a theatre company called Right Click Entertainment under which he wrote and directed his first ticketed play called "Khel Khel Mein" which ran houseful and then there was no turning back.

His first job in films was of an assistant director on a film called Jashnn. The film was produced by Vishesh films and directed by director duo Hasnain Hyderabadwala and Raksha Mistry.

When he was in college, Khosla ka Ghosla had made Dibakar Banerjee his favorite director and he was desperate to assist him. When he went to meet him to ask for an AD job, Dibakar instead asked him to act in one of his coke commercials. That's how he made his acting debut in television commercials. Today Naveen Kasturia is a very popular ad face with more than 50 ads under his belt, Vodafone and Mahindra's being the most popular ones.

He went on to assist Dibakar Banerjee on two films, LSD and Shanghai. Later he also assisted an Oscar winning director Danis Tanovic on an international film called Tigers.

In 2011, Amit Masurkar, who he had met on the sets of LSD, asked him to do act in a movie called Sulemani Keeda which was about 2 writers and Amit was looking for real writers to act in them. Since Naveen was also trying to pitch his film script to productions and doing some trivial TV writing jobs, Amit felt he would be perfect to play the part. The film was a turning point in his career, it made him an actor.

During his ad days, he had also met an IITian Arunabh Kumar in order to assist him on a film Arunabh was about to direct. The film never happened but two became friends and stayed in touch. Later they collaborated on a sketch called Rowdies, which became a rage and also led to the emergence of Arunabh's YouTube channel TVF. Naveen did a few more sketches with The Viral Fever before Pitchers happened.

Raghava Lawrence, also known as Lawrence Raghavendra, is an Indian actor, dancer, dance choreographer, director, and playback singer.

Lawrence appeared in a song sequence from the film Samsara Sangeetham (1989). After that, he acted in Donga Police (1992), also dancing along with Prabhu Deva.

Passionate about dancing, he appeared in the popular song Gentleman (1993) as a background dancer. He further acted in Bombay Police (1993), Mutamestri (1993), and Allari Priyudu (1993).

Noticing his dancing talent, actor Chiranjeevi gave him a chance to choreograph dance items for Hitler (1997) and Master (1997). After that, producer TVD Prasad cast him as the male lead in his film Speed Dancer (1999).

Lawrence continued to play minor roles in Tamil films, such as Unnai Kodu Ennai Tharuven (2000) and Parthen Rasithen (2000). In 2001, he won the Filmfare Award for Best Dance Choreographer - South for Paarthale Paravasam (2001). Incidentally, this was Director K. Balachander's 100th film.

He then played the male lead in Arputham (2002) and a cameo in Thendral (2004).

Lawrence became a debutant director with the Telugu film Mass (2004), starring Jyotika and Nagarjuna Akkineni.

He got his big break with the Telugu film Style (2006). This film won him the Filmfare Award for Best Dance Choreographer - South and the Nandi Award for Best Choreographer.

Raghava continued to act in more films, including Pandi (2008), Rajadhi Raja (2009), and Irumbukkottai Murattu Singam (2010). He then directed, wrote, and starred in Kanchana: Muni 2 (2011).

He directed Rebel (2012), starring Tamannaah Bhatia and Prabhas. He also appeared in Kanchana 2 (2015), Motta Shiva Ketta Shiva (2017), and Sivalinga (2017), which was remade from the original Kannada film of the same name.

He continued with the Kanchana series, again writing, directing, and acting in Kanchana 3 (2019).

In 2020, Lawrence debuted as a Bollywood director with the Hindi film Laxmii (2020). This was a remake of Kanchana: Muni 2 (2011).

Tovino Thomas was born in a Syro-Malabar Catholic Nasrani family in Irinjalakkuda, Kerala, India. He completed his schooling from Don Bosco High School, Irinjalakuda and graduated from Tamil Nadu College of Engineering, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. He served as a Software Enginner at Cognizant Technology Solutions before being introduced into the Malayalam film industry.

Tovino made his silver screen debut through the Malayalam film Prabhuvinte Makkal (2012) directed by Sajeevan Anthikad. His onscreen performances in his subsequent films, ABCD (2013), 7th Day (2014), Ennu Ninte Moideen (2015) and Charlie (2015), made him to be considered as one of the most promising actors. He acted in the lead role in the film Guppy (2016) and was highly acclaimed by the critics. His subsequent films Oru Mexican Aparatha (2017) and Godha (2017) went on to become huge hits in the Mollywood industry.

Tovino got married to Lidiya at St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Catholic Cathedral, Irinjalakuda on 25 October 2014. His wife is also from a Syrian Catholic Nasrani family in Kerala. They have a daughter.

Sushant Singh Rajput was born on January 21, 1986 in Purnia, Bihar to K. K. Singh and Usha Singh. He has 4 sisters (i.e. Neetu, Meetu, Priyanka & Shweta). He was an Indian television & film actor, dancer and entrepreneur. He became a household name after playing the role of Manav in the TV series, Pavitra Rishta (2009) on Zee TV. He made his Bollywood debut with Kai Po Che (2013), directed by Abhishek Kapoor, which was adapted from Chetan Bhagat's novel, The 3 Mistake of My Life, and then launched himself to soaring heights in the film industry. He also worked in movies like Shuddh Desi Romance (2013), PK (2014), Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (2015), M. S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), Raabta (2017), Kedarnath (2018), Sonchiriya (2019), Chhichhore (2019) and Netflix film Drive (2019). He died on June 14, 2020 at his Mumbai residence. His last film, Dil Bechara (2020) was released on July 24, 2020 as a free film on Disney+ Hotstar Multiplex.

Imran Khan, born Imran Pal, has worked as an actor in the Hindi film industry. He is also a social activist and filmmaker. Khan's father is a software engineer who studied at IIT Bombay, and his mother is a psychologist. His mother is the daughter of famous director-producer Nasir Hussain, sister of Mansoor Khan, and cousin of actor Aamir Khan.

Khan studied at Bombay Scottish School in Mumbai and Blue Mountain School in Coonoor. He later followed his Principal to join Gurukul, a school in the jungles of Ooty. He then attended Fremont High School after he moved in with his father in Sunnyvale, California.

He aspired to become a film director and joined the New York Film Academy at the Los Angeles branch to earn a degree in filmmaking. He was inspired by the writer Roald Dahl Roald Dahl and even ventured into advertising and market research after he completed his degree.

Khan then returned to Mumbai and joined the Kishore Namit Kapoor Acting Institute. His acting career started in 1988 as a child artist, playing the younger version of Aamir Khan's character in the movie Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988). He again appeared as a young Aamir Khan in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992).

While training at the Mumbai Academy, he met writer-director Abbas Tyrewala and bagged his first movie. He made his debut with the romantic film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (2008) alongside Genelia Deshmukh. The movie was produced by Aamir Khan, and he played the lead role of young college-going Jai 'Rats' Singh Rathore.

The film did well commercially, earning Rs.830 million (USD 10 million), and Khan got recognition from the masses and critics. He even won the 54th Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut.

He then appeared in Sanjay Gadhvi's thriller Kidnap (2008), produced by Dhilin Mehta. He starred alongside Minissha Lamba and Sanjay Dutt. While the movie was not a commercial success, Khan was appreciated for his strict performance.

He was then featured in Luck (2009), also starring Sanjay Dutt, Shruti Haasan, Mithun Chakraborty, and Danny Denzongpa. The movie was directed by Sohum Shah and was again produced by Dhilin Mehta. In the movie, which was inspired by Intacto (2001), he played the role of a young boy Ram Mehra, who desperately needed money, and would do anything for it.

In 2010, he was offered I Hate Luv Storys (2010) by Karan Johar. He plays the role of Jay Dhingra, a Casanova who doesn't believe in love. The movie was a commercial success, earning Rs. 725.2 million (USD 9.1 million) at the box office, and Khan's performance was applauded.

In 2010, he starred in another romantic comedy, Break Ke Baad (2010), with Deepika Padukone, which was directed by Danish Aslam.

The following year, he played Tashi in the English black comedy movie Delhi Belly (2011). He co-starred with Kunaal Roy Kapur, Poorna Jagannathan, and Vir Das. The movie earned a domestic revenue of more than Rs. 550 million (USD 6.9 million), and Khan received critical acclaim for his performance.

In the same year, Khan appeared in Ali Abbas Zafar's movie, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011), with Ali Zafar, and Katrina Kaif. This movie also turned out to be a success and earned more than Rs. 578 million (USD 7.2 million).

In 2012, he played architect Rahul Kapoor in Shakun Batra's debut film Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (2012) alongside Kareena Kapoor. The romantic comedy did well at the box office, earning approximately Rs. 530 million (USD 6.6 million).

Khan did three movies in 2013. The first one was Vishal Bhardwaj's Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (2013), with Pankaj Kapur and Anushka Sharma.

His next film was Milan Luthria's sequel, Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai Dobara (2013), with Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha. His third movie that year was Gori Tere Pyaar Mein! (2013) with Kareena Kapoor.

After a gap year, he starred opposite Kangana Ranaut in Nikkhil Advani's Katti Batti (2015). This movie marked his last release.

In 2018 he directed a short film, Mission Mars: Keep Walking India (2018).

Besides movies, Khan was a part of Eve Ensler's play, The Vagina Monologues, in 2009. The event was to raise funds for an acid-attack victim, Haseena Hussein.

He has also been featured in several advertisements like Coca-Cola, Bru, Levis, Maaza, and Lux.

He walked the ramp for the Mijwan Welfare Society, an NGO run by Shabana Azmi to empower women

After a ten-year relationship, he married Avantika Malik in January 2011.

Priyadarshan is an Indian film director and screenwriter. He has worked in the Hindi and Malayalam film industry for almost 40 years and has directed over 90 films.

He completed his early education at Government Model School in Thiruvananthapuram. He later pursued his bachelor's degree from Mahatma Gandhi College and Master of Arts in Philosophy from University College Thiruvananthapuram. Priyadarshan was a voracious reader, which sparked his interest in writing and led him to write short plays and skits for All India Radio in college.

He began his career in the Malayalam Film Industry in the early 1980s. He started his career as a director with Poochakkoru Mookkuthi (1984) in 1984. The film did surprisingly well and ran for almost 100 days in theatres across Kerala. He continued this slapstick comedy style and later made Oodarathuammava Aalariyam (1984) and Onnanam Kunnil Oradi Kunnil (1985).

Later that year, he demonstrated versatility by directing the crime drama Parayanumvayya Parayathirikkanumvayya (1985). In the same year, Priyadarshan made his first film with Mohanlal titled Punnaram Cholli Cholli (1985).

1988 was a landmark year in Priyadarshan's career. He directed Vellanakalude Naadu (1988) with Mohanlal in the lead role. It was a political satire crime film that revolved around the prevalent corruption in the country. The film was the biggest hit of that year and successfully ran for 200 days in theatres.

Later that year, he directed and released Chithram (1988), his career's biggest hit. The film completed 366 days in the theatres and broke all the records of his previous collections.

Later, these records were broken by his other film, Kilukkam (1991), released in 1991. Kilukkam starred Mohanlal, Revathi, and Jagathy Sreekumar in lead roles. Priyadarshan's next three releases - Abhimanyu (1991), Advaitham (1992), and Thenmavin Kombath (1994) were also commercially successful and ran for 100 days in the theatres.

Priyadarshan actively worked in the Malayalam film industry for almost two decades (the 1980s and 1990s). After this, he took a short break from Malayalam cinema. He then started focusing on Hindi cinema. He worked as a director and screenwriter in Hindi cinema for nearly a decade.

Priyadarshan debuted in Hindi cinema with Muskurahat (1992), a remake of his film Kilukkam. While the movie didn't perform well at the box office, he made a comeback with the action-crime film Gardish (1993), starring Jackie Shroff. The film was a massive hit, earning two Filmfare Awards for Best Action and Best Art Direction.

In 2000, Priyadarshan directed the comedy movie Hera Pheri (2000) starring Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, and Paresh Rawal. The movie is an Indian cult classic and is considered one of the best comedy films in the history of Hindi cinema. Priyadarshan's career in Bollywood took off after Hera Pheri (2000), and he went on to direct comedy blockbusters such as Hungama (2003), Garam Masala (2005), and Phir Hera Pheri (2006).

In 2021, he directed the period drama Marakkar: Lion of the Arabian Sea (2021), set in the 16th century. The film, starring Mohanlal, earned Priyadarshan the National Film Award for Best Feature Film.

Priyadarshan has been awarded several state and national awards for his work in Hindi and Malayalam cinema. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Film (Critics) for Virasat (1997) in 1997 and the Filmfare Award for Best Director in 2009 for his movie Kanchivaram (2008). In addition to his cinema accolades, the then President of India also awarded Priyadarshan a Padma Shri in 2012 for his contribution to Indian cinema.

Sajal Ali was born on 17 January 1994. She is an actress, known for Mom (2017), Zindagi Kitni Haseen Hay (2016) and Gul-e-Rana (2015). She has been married to Ahad Raza Mir since 14 March 2020.

Shweta Basu Prasad is an Indian film actress born on 11nd January 1994 in the city of Jamshedpur, Jharkhand. She is a well-known actress in Hindi movie and television industry. Shweta started her career in Television series, and then moved to silver screen by debuting in the National Award Winning Film, Makdee in 2002.

Shweta Basu Prasad was born to parents who were from Bihar and West Bengal. Her father Anuj was from Bihar and her mother Sarmishta was from West Bengal (Basu is her mother's maiden name). The family moved from their native city Jamshedpur to Mumbai when Shweta was 5 years old. Shweta studied Commerce in Mumbai's R.N. Podar High School and then went to completing her graduation in correspondence in mass media and journalism

At the age of 11 Shweta Basu started her career as a child artist in the movie Makdee peforming in dual roles named Chunni and Munni. The director of the film is Vishal Bhardwaj. Shweta's acting secured National Film Award for Best Child Artist. Shweta Basu Prasad's stardom was triggered from her second film Iqbal of 2005 which ensured her future film offers in plenty. Shweta's character in the film fetched many accolades including Karachi International Film Festival's Best Supporting Actress Award. Shweta also won best supporting actress Star Screen award, Best actress critics choice at Zee cine awards and several other nominations.

Her career took a turn in the year 2008 by her Telugu debut film Kotha Bangaru Lokam. The film was an instant hint and commercial success. Shweta along with Varun Sandesh as co-star got many awards in the Tollywood. Her other Telugu movies include Kalavar King, Kasko, Ride etc.

Shweta after tasting success as an actress researched, produced and directed a documentary film called ROOTS, about the dying visibility of Indian classical music among Indian youth. She interviewed A R Rahman, Vishal Bhardwaj, Shiv Kumar Sharma, Shubha Mudgal, Gulzar, HariPrasad Chaurasia, Amit Trivedi among others. Shweta spent four years between 2012 to 2015 working on this passion project. The documentary is now available on Netflix.

Shweta also produced, acted and did the casting for 2015's hit short film sensation "Interior cafe night" in which she co starred with her Iqbal co star Naseeruddin Shah along with Shernaz Patel and Naveen Kasturia. The short film was directed by Shweta's school friend writer-director Adhiraj Bose.

Shweta is back to the big screen in 2019 with the year's surprise hit The Tashkent Files by Vivek Agnihotri. Shweta plays a journalist unraveling the mystery of India's second prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.

Bhuvan Arora is an Indian actor born and raised in Delhi. His father, S.L. Arora, was an officer in the Indian Army, and his mother, Sneh Lata Arora, was an employee in a government organisation. He has one sibling, an elder sister, Deepti Arora. He started schooling in Manav Sthali School and later moved to an Armed Naval Public School in Chanakyapuri. From an early age, Bhuvan began to participate in extra-curricular activities and enjoyed doing theatre the most. He found his passion in the performing arts. Later, he graduated with B.Com (Honors) from PGDAV college, Delhi University. He was also the president of the cultural society and an active member of the theatre group. After winning multiple awards at Delhi University for Nukkad Natak (street theatre), he decided to pursue acting professionally, but before that, he wanted to learn the craft in detail. Hence, he decided to apply to India's most premium film school, the Film and Television Institute of India, commonly known as FTII, Pune. Despite the competition, Bhuvan impressed the jury and bagged admission to the institute. He studied acting under the guidance of stalwarts like Naseeruddin Shah, Saurabh Shukla,Kamal Haasan, and many more respected film fraternity members. He worked as an actor in more than 60 student films. Bhuvan then moved to Mumbai. He started auditioning regularly and managed to bag advertisements and episodic television programs. Shanoo Sharma, the casting director at YRF, discovered him. He did his first film, A Pure Desi Romance (2013), with director Maneesh Sharma alongside Sushant Singh Rajput, Rishi Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, and Vaani Kapoor. His part was appreciated unanimously by the audience and the critics, leading to his next film with director Amit Ravindernath Sharma called Tevar (2015). Post that, Bhuvan has been a part of multiple films and web shows such as Dedh Ishqiya (2014), The Test Case (2018), Naam Shabana (2017), Bank Chor (2017), Jai Mummy Di (2020), Haathi Mere Saathi (2021), Chaman Bahaar (2020), and many more. Apart from that, Bhuvan has been a part of over 50 advertisements and multiple short films. One of his short films Rogan Josh (2018) won the Filmfare award for Best Short Film. However, his breakthrough performance came with Amazon Prime Video's TV series Farzi (2023) directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K., where he played Firoz's character, which was widely celebrated by the audiences, and he earned many accolades from the critics as well.

Bhuvan Bam is an Indian actor, comedian, and digital content creator best known for revolutionising the online entertainment space in India. Rising to fame with his YouTube channel, BB Ki Vines, Bhuvan became the first Indian digital content creator to cross 10 million subscribers, making his mark as a pioneer in the realm of online comedy. His versatile portrayal of multiple characters on BB Ki Vines gained him widespread acclaim and established him as a household name.

Bhuvan made his acting debut in the critically acclaimed web series Dhindora (2021), where he played multiple roles. The series showcased his talent for comedy, drama, and storytelling, further cementing his position as a prominent figure in the entertainment industry. He achieved even greater success with Taaza Khabar (2023), where his role as Vasant Gawde, a sanitation worker who discovers extraordinary powers, was praised for its depth and intensity. The show's massive popularity prompted the production of a second season, Taaza Khabar 2 (2024), which quickly became one of India's most-watched web series.

Apart from his acting career, Bhuvan is a talented musician and singer, releasing several singles and music videos that resonate with his audience. His foray into traditional media and live performances, coupled with his digital accomplishments, showcases his dynamic ability to connect with diverse audiences. His journey from being a self-taught creator to a prominent actor and producer in Indian entertainment has inspired many emerging talents.

Bam started his Internet career with sarcastic video of a news reporter who asked a woman insensitive questions regarding the death of her son due to the Kashmir floods, which got about 15,000 views on Facebook. His first video went viral in Pakistan, inspiring Bam to create his own YouTube channel on 21 June 2015. BB Ki vines is a YouTube channel whose short videos humorously depict the life of an urban teenager and his family. In October 2021, Bam released his first web series Dhindora which was named as 2nd most popular Indian web series of 2021 by IMDb.

Bhuvan has garnered numerous accolades throughout his career, including prestigious awards for his contributions to digital content and entertainment. He won the Most Popular Channel WebTV Asia Award in 2016 for BB Ki Vines and was honored with the Filmfare Award for Best Short Film (Popular Choice) in 2019 for his emotional short film, Plus Minus, co-starring Divya Dutta. His portrayal in Taaza Khabar earned him critical acclaim, leading to several nominations and wins, including the OTTplay Awards for Best Actor in a Web Series (Critics). Additionally, Bhuvan has been recognized with the Global Entertainer of the Year at the TalentTrack Awards, highlighting his impact as a multifaceted performer who seamlessly blends acting, comedy, and music. His achievements have solidified his position as one of India's most influential digital entertainers.

Siddhi Idnani was born on 10 January 1996 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. She is an actress, known for The Kerala Story (2023), The Great Gujarati Matrimony (2024) and Anukunnadi Okkati Ayyindhi Okati (2020).