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orkut
Orkut is a social networking service which is run by Google and named after its creator, an employee of Google - Orkut B�y�kk�kten. The service states that it was designed to help users meet new friends and maintain existing relationships. Orkut is similar to other networking sites. Since October 2006, Orkut has permitted users to create accounts without an invitation.
Orkut is the most visited website in Brazil and India .A large percentage of users in India are high school and college students. The initial target market for Orkut was the United States, but the majority of its users are in Brazil and India. In fact, as of May 2008, 53.86% of Orkut's users are from Brazil, followed by India with 16.97%. In regards to traffic, 23.4% comes from Brazil, followed by India with 18.0%. In 2008, more than 23 million of Brazilians had an account on orkut.
Originally hosted in California, in August 2008 Google announced that Orkut will be fully managed and operated in Brazil, by Google Brazil, in the city of Belo Horizonte. This was decided due to the large Brazilian user base and growth of legal issues.
Facebook – The Complete Biography
An in-depth profile of Facebook, written by Mashable contributor Sid Yadav and edited by Pete Cashmore. Image credit: Bryan Veloso.
Facebook is the second largest social network on the web, behind only MySpace in terms of traffic. Primarily focused on high school to college students, Facebook has been gaining market share, and more significantly a supportive user base. Since their launch in February 2004, they’ve been able to obtain over 8 million users in the U.S. alone and expand worldwide to 7 other English-speaking countries, with more to follow. A growing phenomenon, let’s discover Facebook.
The Facebook Phenomenon
First, let’s start by looking into Facebook in a broad spectrum – as the network, the phenomenon, the company, and its brand.
History
Originally called thefacebook, Facebook was founded by former-Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg (while at Harvard) who ran it as one of his hobby projects with some financial help from Eduardo Saverin. Within months, Facebook and its core idea spread across the dorm rooms of Harvard where it was very well received. Soon enough, it was extended to Stanford and Yale where, like Harvard, it was widely endorsed.Before he knew it, Mark Zuckerberg was joined by two other fellow Harvard-students – Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes – to help him grow the site to the next level. Only months later when it was officially a national student network phenomenon, Zuckerberg and Moskovitz dropped out of Harvard to pursue their dreams and run Facebook full time. In August 2005, thefacebook was officially called Facebook and the domain facebook.com was purchased for a reported $200,000.
Availability
Unlike its competitors MySpace, Friendster, Xanga, hi5, Bebo, and others, Facebook isn’t available to everyone — which explains its relatively low user count. Currently, users must be members of one of the 30,000+ recognized schools, colleges, universities, organizations, and companies within the U.S, Canada, and other English-speaking nations. This generally involves having a valid e-mail ID with the associated institution.
Surveys & Studies
A large number of surveys and studies have been conducted around Facebook – some with interesting results. For instance, according to an internal September 2005 survey, approximately 85% of the students in the supported colleges had a Facebook account, with 60% of them logging in daily. A survey conducted by Student Monitor revealed Facebook was the most “in” thing after the iPod and tying with beer, and comScore Media Metrix discovered users spend approximately 20 minutes everyday on Facebook. Another 2005 survey said 90% of all undergraduates in the U.S. use either Facebook or MySpace regularly, and a detailed questionnaire analysis by Chris Roberts revealed that 76.2% never click on its ads. Perhaps the most amazing statistic of all may be that Facebook is the 7th most trafficked site in the U.S.- Hey Facebook Users!Mashable’s shiny new Facebook account is HERE – feel free to add Mashable to your friends if you sign up, or you’re already a member.
Business & Funding
Given the situation other social networks on the web are facing, Facebook is in a good position financially. While it hasn’t managed to get acquired like its rival MySpace (despite some rumors about an $800m deal with Viacom), it’s been quite lucky in most aspects. For its initial funding, it received $500,000 from Peter Theil, co-founder of PayPal. A few months later, it was also able to get $13 million from Accel Partners, who are also investors in 15 other Web 2.0 startups, and $25 million from Greylock Partners, making their overall venture equal to approximately $40 million.For users, Facebook’s core service is completely free and ad-supported. In fact, in August 2006 Facebook signed a three year deal with Microsoft to provide and sell ads on their site in return for a revenue split. The deal followed an announcement from Facebook’s direct competitor MySpace who signed a similar deal with Google. The youthful demographic that both the services attract is highly prized amongst advertisers and should return a good amount of revenue for both the services to stay alive – and profit. Another deal which made news in July was Facebook’s agreement with Apple to give away 10 million free iTunes samplers to Facebook users. A deal has also been signed to provide Facebook credit cards.
Lawsuits & Concerns
In its early days, Facebook faced an extremely threatening lawsuit from ConnectU, a very similar social network which – like Facebook – shares its roots back to Harvard, and as a result almost got shutdown. The founders of ConnectU alleged that Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg stole source code while he was in their employment. Zuckerberg denied the allegation and the lawsuit was dismissed.Facebook has also been host to other issues and concerns, especially in the privacy sector where its privacy policy states “Facebook also collects information about you from other sources, such as newspapers and instant messaging services. This information is gathered regardless of your use of the Web Site.” Another theory is that Facebook could also be a data-gathering project or if not, used extensively for these purposes. Facebook’s policy also states that it “may share your information with third parties, including responsible companies with which we have a relationship.”
The Service
Now, let’s look into Facebook – the service itself, and some of its features, highlights, and the things that got Facebook where it is today.
Facebook Profiles
As Facebook has evolved, so have its profile pages – new fields have been added and users can share more information than before.A typical Facebook profile consists of a number of different sections, including Information, Status, Friends, Friends in Other Networks, Photos, Notes, Groups, and The Wall. Most of the sections are self-explanatory but some are specific to Facebook.
Facebook Photos
With over 1.5 million photos uploaded daily, one of Facebook’s most popular features has been the ability to upload photos. Users can upload unlimited photos from their cell phone or through its Java-based web interface. Facebook is one of the few services to offer an unlimited quota with their only restriction being a 60-photos-per-album limit – this is much appreciated by Facebook’s college demographic.The process of uploading photos is very simple. Users create albums which they can assign limitations to (e.g. visible to my friends only) and upload photos within them. The album is then put into their profile, and other users with right credentials have the ability to see and comment on them. Facebook also gives the feature to share the photos with a simple web link or send them via AIM or by e-mail. What’s more, users can also order prints online through a simple integrated interface.
Facebook Groups
Just like every other social network, Facebook has something called ‘groups.’ Users can create new ones or join and participate in existing ones. This is also displayed in their profile and is a good indication of hobbies and interests a person might have.
There are two kind of groups, a normal group and a secret group, which isn’t shown on the profile. A normal group is just like any other, but users can also create and invite others into secret groups. These can be used for collaborating on university projects, and provide a way to have closed discussions. About 80% of the groups are ‘fun-related’ and companies can even sponsor groups – as is the case with, for example, the Apple users group.
Facebook Events
Another Facebook success is their ‘events’ feature, which provides the ability to organize, be part of, and plan for events. This feature has been extremely successful when it comes to organizing parties.Along with organizing and joining events, users can also invite and recommend others to an event. This feature, however, has raised some controversy as it is generally the start of underage drinking and dry campus violations. Colleges and universities use the feature to catch planning of such events before hand and investigate those that are over. In any case, it’s one of the most popular features of the service and even beats some of the competing products made specifically for this purpose.
Facebook Developers
As of August 2006, Facebook has offered a free Developers API called Facebook Developers. This essentially gives anyone access to Facebook’s internals and lets programmers create widgets, mashups, tools and projects based around Facebook.This is an important feature for Facebook since it makes it the first major social network to give access to its API. Although it is limited to 100,000 requests a day, it’s more than enough for a decent web app to come through. What’s more, a selection of applications have already been created. FaceBank is a promising tool which lets you ‘keep track of depts and shared expenses with friends.’ Another interesting application is lickuacious which lets you ‘rank your friends by wall popularity.’ The Wall, of course, is Facebook’s comments feature.
Facebook Notes
Facebook’s most recent addition launched in late August. The service is called Facebook Notes, and allows users to write a Facebook blog. All notes are displayed in the user’s profile, and other members can add comments.
Notes possesses an important feature, which is the ability to import and syndicate an external blog, although unlike Technorati, doesn’t allow you to claim one only to yourself (e.g. it’s possible to claim the New York Times syndication feed easily in one’s Notes). The service allows HTML to be included in the posts, although JavaScript and Flash are disabled. You can attach photos and also post via cell phone by sending your notes to notes@facebook.com. Another interesting feature is tagging – tagging a post with a username will automatically send it to that specific user. The Notes feature has been well received.
The Future
Facebook is a massively successful social networking service that grew to prominence in virtually no time. It’s not hard to see why: its features and tools are highly appealing, and Facebook users are extremely well networked in real life. Rumors of an acquisition continue to circulate, with some estimates putting the price in the billions of dollars. In the short term, however, Facebook plans to go it alone, continuing to build out one of the world’s most successful social networks.
- Hey Facebook Users!Mashable’s shiny new Facebook account is HERE – feel free to add Mashable to your friends if you sign up, or you’re already a member.
Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook Profile
Uploading to Facebook Photos
Facebook Groups
Facebook Events
Facebook Notes
Aishwarya Rai
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan[3] (née Aishwarya Rai, Tulu: ಐಶ್ವರ್ಯಾ ರೈ, pronounced [əjɕʋərjaː rəj]; born 1 November 1973) is an Indian actress and former Miss World. Before starting her acting career, she worked as a model and gained fame after winning the Miss World title in 1994. During her career, Rai has acted in over 40 movies in Hindi, English, Tamil and Bengali, which include a number of international productions.
Often cited by the media as the most beautiful woman in the world,[4][5][6] Rai made her movie debut in Mani Ratnam's Tamil film Iruvar (1997) and had her first commercial success in the Tamil movie Jeans (1998). She came to the attention of Bollywood in the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Her performance in the film won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award. In 2002 she appeared in Bhansali's next project, Devdas (2002), for which she won her second Filmfare Best Actress Award.
After a low phase in her career during 2003–2005, she appeared in the blockbuster Dhoom 2 (2006), which turned out to be her biggest Bollywood commercial success. She later appeared in films like Guru (2007), Jodhaa Akbar (2008), and Enthiran (2010) which were commercially and critically successful. Rai has thus established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses in the Indian film industry. In 2009, she was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
| Aishwarya Rai | |
|---|---|
 Aishwarya Rai in 2010 | |
| Born | Aishwarya Rai 1 November 1973 Mangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Residence | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India[1][2] |
| Other names | Aishwarya Rai Bachchan |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1997 – present |
| Spouse | Abhishek Bachchan (2007–present) |
Early life
Rai was born in Mangalore to Krishnaraj Rai and Vrinda Rai. She has one elder brother, Aditya Rai, who is an engineer in the merchant navy and has also co-produced one of Rai's movies, Dil Ka Rishta (2003). At an early age her parents moved to Mumbai where she attended the Arya Vidya Mandir high school in Santa Cruz. Rai then entered Jai Hind College at Churchgate for one year, and then moved to Ruparel College in Matunga to finish her HSC studies. She planned to become an architect, and started studying architecture, but gave up her education to pursue a career in modelling.[7]
She can communicate in several languages, including her mother tongue Tulu,[8] as well as Hindi, English, Marathi and Tamil.[9]
Miss World
While pursuing her studies in architecture, Rai began modelling on the side. In the 1994 Miss India contest, she won the second place behind Sushmita Sen, and was crowned Miss India World. She went on to win the Miss World title the same year, where she also won the Miss Photogenic award. She abandoned her academic education after winning the pageant and spent one year reigning as Miss World in London. Rai then started working as a professional model and then moved on to her current profession as an actress.
Film career
Early career (1997–98)
Rai made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam's Tamil biopic film, Iruvar (1997) with Mohanlal,[10] The controversial film was a critical success and won many awards including Best Film award at the Belgrade International Film Festival, two National Film Awards, and two Filmfare Awards South. Rai appeared in dual roles, opposite veteran actor Mohanlal, with one of her roles being a cinematic depiction of political leader and ex-actress J. Jayalalithaa.[11] Rai made her Bollywood debut in the film, Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya opposite Bobby Deol, which also released that year; the film did not do well at the box office,[12] and was also panned by critics. However, her third project, S. Shankar's Tamil film, Jeans (1998) was a commercial success. The film was also noted for the song "Poovukkul", written by Vairamuthu, in the lyrics of which, she is compared to the seven wonders of the world and described as the eighth.[13][14] The film was the official Indian entry to the Oscars for that year. [15]
Success (1999–2002)
In 1999 Rai starred in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam opposite Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan. The film was centered on Rai's character, Nandini, who is forced to marry Devgan's character despite being in love with another man (Khan). As her husband tries to get her to her previous love, she eventually falls for him. Rai's portrayal won her critical acclaim, with a review on Rediff.com writing, "Aishwarya looks beautiful as usual ... This film will most likely draw her accolades from all over, maybe even get her recognised as an actress the way Manisha Koirala did in Khamoshi. In many scenes, there is no trace of makeup and she looks very fresh".[16] The film became her first box office success in Bollywood and earned her first Filmfare Best Actress Award for her.
In the same year she appeared in Subhash Ghai's Taal, in which she played the role of a young village woman, Mansi, who becomes a big pop star after being hurt by her lover played by Akshay Khanna. The film was an average performer in India but was a big success among the international audience, especially in the United States, where it became the first Indian film to reach the top 20 on Variety's box office list.[17] Her performance in the film was praised with Rediff.com writing, "After being praised for her looks and acting talent in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Aishwarya has excelled in Taal. She looks ethereal and unlike the former film, has a very sober and soft role. Though she looks pained and tragic in most of the film, she does a good job of a woman who is very protective of her father and one who doesn't think twice before rejecting a lover who has insulted her father."[18] She received another Best Actress nomination at the Filmfare for her performance in the film.[19]
In 2000, she appeared in Mansoor Khan's Josh alongside Shahrukh Khan and Chandrachur Singh, in which she played a Catholic named Shirley who falls in love with the sibling of her brother's enemy. The film was a commercial success. Later that year she appeared in Satish Kaushik's Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai opposite Anil Kapoor. It was a moderate success and her performance earned her a Filmfare Best Actress Award nomination. Later that year she played a supporting role in Aditya Chopra's Mohabbatein alongside Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan. The film was a major commercial success and became the second-highest grosser of the year, and it earned her a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award nomination. Later that year, she starred in the Tamil film Kandukondain Kandukondain, alongside Mammooty, Ajith Kumar and Tabu.
In 2002, Rai appeared alongside Shahrukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Devdas, an adaptation of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay's famous novel by the same name. She played the role of Paro (Parvati), the love interest of the protagonist, played by Khan. The film received a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival.[20] It became the highest-grossing film of the year in both India and overseas, earning a revenue of Rs 390 million domestically.[21][22] Devdas won numerous awards, including 10 Filmfare Awards, and Rai received her second Filmfare Best Actress Award for her performance.
Setback (2003–05)
In 2003, she acted in Rituparno Ghosh's Bengali film Chokher Bali, an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore's novel by the same name. She portrayed the character of a young woman called Binodini, who is left to her own devices when her sickly husband dies soon after they are married.[23] That year she appeared in her home production Dil Ka Rishta with Arjun Rampal and Rohan Sippy's Kuch Na Kaho alongside Abhishek Bachchan, neither of which fared well at the box office.
In 2004 she appeared in Gurinder Chadha's Bollywood-style English adaptation of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Bride and Prejudice alongside Martin Henderson. She played the role of Lalita Bakshi, the film's counterpart of Elizabeth Bennet in Austen's novel. This was followed by Rajkumar Santoshi's Khakee with Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgan and Jayapradha; in the film she played a negative role for the first time in her career. In the same year she appeared in her second film with Rituparno Ghosh, Raincoat alongside Ajay Devgan. The film was highly acclaimed by the critics, with Rai receiving rave reviews for her performance.[24]
In 2005 she appeared in Shabd, a film based on a love triangle, alongside Sanjay Dutt and Zayed Khan. The film was a box office flop; it received average reviews from the critics. Her next release that year was Paul Mayeda Berges's The Mistress of Spices based on the novel The Mistress of Spices by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, in which she starred alongside Dylan McDermott. The film received negative reviews from critics and was also a commercial failure. The same year she made a special appearance in Shaad Ali's Bunty Aur Babli in a hugely popular seven-minute dance sequence for the song "Kajra Re", with Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan.
Recent work (2006–present)
In 2006, Rai starred in J P Dutta's Umrao Jaan, a second film adaptation of the Urdu novel Umrao Jaan Ada (1905), written by Mirza Hadi Ruswa. She portrayed courtesan and poetess by the same name from 19th century Lucknow. The film was a critical and commercial failure, though Rai's work was generally well received. Critic Taran Adarsh wrote, "Aishwarya Rai looks ethereal. She has looked heavenly and performed so convincingly. She emotes through her expressive eyes and the consistency in her performance is evident from start to end".[25] Later that year she appeared as a master thief, Sunheri, in Yash Raj Films's Dhoom 2 directed by Sanjay Gadhvi, with an ensemble cast of Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu and Uday Chopra. The film turned out to be a blockbuster and became the highest grossing film of the year in India, earning revenues of over Rs 770 million domestically.[26] The film also sparked a controversy for a scene containing a kiss between her and Hrithik Roshan.[27] However, Rai's performance in the film received mostly negative reviews with a reviewer on Rediff.com writing, "Ash's character too is all gloss and no depth. You seldom feel any tension in her behaviour and expressions as she accompanies the master thief on potentially dangerous missions. Sunehri enters the film nearly 50 minutes after its opening in a disguise. In no time, she is wearing the flimsiest of clothes. Once she opens her mouth—and she does it two minutes after appearing in the film—she spoils the image. There is no sensuality anymore, and half an hour later, one wonders what made the master thief fall for her."[28] Nonetheless, her performance earned her a sixth nomination for Filmfare Best Actress Award.
In 2007 she appeared in Mani Ratnam's Guru as Sujata. Speculated to be based on the life of Indian businessman Dhirubhai Ambani, it was a rag to riches story about an ambitious small town man who ends up as the owner of the biggest corporation in India. The film was premièred at the Elgin Theatre in Toronto, Canada, making it the first Indian film to have a mainstream international premiere in Canada.[29][30] The film was critically acclaimed and performed well at the box office.[31] Critical reception for Rai was mixed. While Nikhat Kazmi from The Times of India wrote that she is "just okay and fails to register the growth in her character", Rediff.com's Raja Sen described it as "arguably her finest performance, visible especially when she takes over the film's climax."[32][33] Rai got her seventh Filmfare nomination for Best Actress for the role. In the same year she starred in Jag Mundhra's British film Provoked as Kiranjit Ahluwalia (an NRI woman who killed her abusive husband after facing severe domestic violence) alongside Naveen Andrews. The film was panned by critics and was also a commercial failure, though Rai received positive reviews from critics. It was screened in the Marché du Film Cannes Film Market during the Cannes Film Festival in April, 2006. During the screening, Ahluwalia sat next to Rai, holding her hand and sobbing during the most violent scenes.[34] In the same year she appeared as a female Indian warrior from Kerala named Mira in Doug Lefler's epic film The Last Legion alongside Sir Ben Kingsley, Colin Firth and Thomas Sangster. The film was a critical failure.[35]
In 2008, she starred alongside Hrithik Roshan in Ashutosh Gowariker's historical drama Jodhaa Akbar, a partly fictionalised account of the life of Muslim Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Muhammad Akbar, played by Roshan and his Hindu wife Jodha Bai, played by Rai. The film was a critical and commercial success, earning revenues of over Rs 590 million domestically. Rai's performance in the film was praised by critics, with Rajeev Masand writing, "Aishwarya Rai is wonderfully restrained and uses her eyes expertly to communicate so much, making this one of her finest outings on screen".[36] She earned her eighth nomination for Best Actress at the Filmfare for her performance. Later that year she co-starred with husband Abhishek Bachchan and father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan in Ram Gopal Verma's Sarkar Raj, a sequel to his previous film Sarkar. She played the CEO of a major power company proposing to establish a new power plant in rural Maharashtra.
In 2009 she appeared in Harald Zwart's spy comedy film The Pink Panther 2 playing the role of criminology expert, Sonia Solandres. Like its predecessor, the sequel received negative reviews from critics and did a moderate business of $75,871,032 worldwide.[37] In 2010, she collaborated with Mani Ratnam for a bilingual, with both versions featuring Rai portraying a character based on the goddess Sita. Both films were shot simultaneously, with Rai's role being one of the only roles which were played by the same performer in both versions.[38] Upon release, Raavanan received mixed reviews from film critics. Though her portrayal of Ragini in both languages were praised, the Hindi Raavan alongside Abhishek Bachchan failed commercially, whilst the Tamil Raavanan, became a massive success. Despite the mixed reviews in India, various US media including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Hollywood reporters praised the Hindi movie.[39]
On October 1, 2010, she appeared with Rajinikanth in the Tamil film Enthiran, directed by S. Shankar.[40] which has become the biggest blockbuster in India ever.[41] She appeared in Vipul Shah's Action Replay opposite Akshay Kumar which received mixed reviews from critics. On November 19, 2010, she appeared with Hrithik Roshan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Guzaarish which opened to positive reviews from critics.[42][43] She will appear in Abhinay Deo's next film produced by Farhan Akhtar and Vishal Bharadwaj's next directorial venture.[44]
In 2009 Rai was awarded the Padma Shri for her contributions to Indian cinema.[45] In the same year she refused to accept the second-highest Order Of France, Ordre des Arts et des Lettres as her father was suffering from serious illness, and she wanted her whole family to attend the award function.[46] She is only the fourth Indian actor after Amitabh Bachchan, Nandita Das and Shahrukh Khan to be chosen for an Order Of France.[47] In June 2009, she was declared the Female Star of The Decade at the tenth International Indian Film Academy Awards held in Macau.
Other work
In 1999 Rai participated in a world tour called the Magnificent Five along with Aamir Khan, Rani Mukerji, Akshaye Khanna and Twinkle Khanna.[48] In 2003 she became the first Indian actress to be a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival.[49]
Rai is the brand ambassador for The Eye Bank Association of India's nationwide campaign to promote eye donation in India.[50]
In 2004 she travelled to Siachen Glacier, which at a height of 13,000 ft is the highest battlefield in the world, to boost the morale of the jawans for a special New Year episode on the NDTV show, Jai Jawan.[51] In 2005, she became a brand ambassador for Pulse Polio, a campaign established by the Government of India in 1994 to eradicate polio in India.[52]
In February 2005, Rai performed at the HELP! Telethon Concert to help raise money for the victims of 2004 tsunami earthquake in company with other Bollywood stars.[53] In 2008 she along with her family laid the foundation of a special school for underprivilged girls in the Daulatpur village in Uttar Pradesh. The school will be made by her family and is going to be named after her.[54]
She 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, on behalf of the 2010 Commonwealth Games.[55]
In summer 2008, Rai joined her husband and father-in-law along with Preity Zinta and Ritesh Deshmukh on the Unforgettable World Tour. The first leg of the tour covered the US, Canada, London, and Trinidad. The second leg of the tour most likely happened by the end of the year 2008. Amitabh's company AB Corp Ltd. along with Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd are behind the concert.[56]
Personal life
Aishwarya is Hindu and deeply religious. Her favourite temple is a 200-year-old Lord Ganesha Temple.[57]
In 1999 Aishwarya began dating Bollywood actor Salman Khan; their relationship was often reported in the media until the couple separated in 2001. Rai cited "abuse (verbal, physical and emotional), infidelity and indignity" on the part of Khan as a reason for ending their relationship.[58] However, in a 2009 Times of India article Khan denied ever beating her: "It's not true that I hit a woman."[59]
Rai is married to actor Abhishek Bachchan. Their engagement was announced on 14 January 2007 and later confirmed by his father, Amitabh Bachchan.[60] The couple got married on 20 April 2007 according to traditional Hindu rites of the Bunt community to which she belongs. Token North Indian and Bengali ceremonies were also performed. The wedding took place in a private ceremony at the Bachchan residence "Prateeksha" in Juhu, Mumbai. They have been cited as a supercouple in the Indian media.[61][62] Rai has been very close to her family and lived with them in Bandra, Mumbai, until her marriage.[63][64]
International media
Rai has been the most popular face of Indian cinema globally. In 2004 she was chosen by Time magazine as one of the World's "100 Most Influential People",[65] and appeared on the cover of Time magazine, Asia Edition in 2003.[66] In October 2004 a wax figure of Rai was put on display in London's Madame Tussaud's wax museum.[67] She was the sixth Indian and the second Bollywood personality after her father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan to get this honour.
She was the subject of a 60 Minutes profile on 2 January 2005, which said that "at least according to thousands of Web sites, Internet polls and even Julia Roberts", she was "The World's Most Beautiful Woman".[4] In that same year she became a global brand ambassador of L'Oreal alongside Andie Macdowell, Eva Longoria and Penelope Cruz. The same year, a special tulip in the Netherlands was named "Aishwarya Rai" after her.[68] Rai became the first Indian to appear on such shows as Late Show with David Letterman, and was the first Bollywood personality to appear on Oprah's "Women Across the Globe" segment. In 2005, Harpers and Queen's list of 10 Most beautiful women in the world ranked her at the ninth spot.[69] In 2009 she made an appearance on Martha Stewart's show Martha.[70] The same year she also appeared on The Tyra Banks Show hosted by Tyra Banks.[71]
In 2010 she appeared for the second time in list Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People in the World".[72]
Awards and nominations
Main article: List of Aishwarya Rai's awards and nominations
Filmography
| Year | Title | Language | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Iruvar | Tamil | Pushpa / Kalpana | |
| Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya | Hindi | Ashi Kapoor | ||
| 1998 | Jeans | Tamil | Madhumita | |
| 1999 | Aa Ab Laut Chalen | Hindi | Pooja | |
| Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam | Hindi | Nandini | Winner, Filmfare Best Actress Award | |
| Ravoyi Chandamama | Telugu | Special appearance | ||
| Taal | Hindi | Mansi | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award | |
| 2000 | Mela | Hindi | Champakali | Guest appearance |
| Kandukondain Kandukondain | Tamil | Meenakshi Bala | ||
| Josh | Hindi | Shirley | ||
| Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai | Hindi | Preeti Virat | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award | |
| Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke | Hindi | Sahiba Grewal | ||
| Mohabbatein | Hindi | Megha | Nominated, Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award | |
| 2001 | Albela | Hindi | Sonia | |
| 2002 | Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam | Hindi | Suman | Guest appearance |
| Hum Kisi Se Kum Nahin | Hindi | Komal Rastogi | ||
| 23rd March 1931: Shaheed | Hindi | Special appearance | ||
| Devdas | Hindi | Parvati (Paro) | Winner, Filmfare Best Actress Award | |
| Shakti: The Power | Hindi | Herself | Special appearance in song "Ishq Kamina" | |
| 2003 | Chokher Bali | Bengali | Binodhini | |
| Dil Ka Rishta | Hindi | Tia Sharma | ||
| Kuch Naa Kaho | Hindi | Namrata Shrivastav | ||
| 2004 | Bride & Prejudice | English | Lalita Bakshi | |
| Khakee | Hindi | Mahalakshmi | ||
| Kyun...! Ho Gaya Na | Hindi | Diya Malhotra | ||
| Raincoat | Hindi | Neerja | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award | |
| 2005 | Shabd | Hindi | Antara Vashist/Tammana | |
| Bunty Aur Babli | Hindi | Special appearance in the song "Kajra Re" | ||
| Mistress of Spices | English | Tilo | ||
| 2006 | Umrao Jaan | Hindi | Umrao Jaan | |
| Dhoom 2 | Hindi | Sunehri | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award | |
| 2007 | Guru | Hindi | Sujata | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award |
| Provoked | English Hindi | Kiranjit Ahluwalia | ||
| The Last Legion | English | Mira | ||
| 2008 | Jodhaa Akbar | Hindi | Jodhaa Bai | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award |
| Sarkar Raj | Hindi | Anita Rajan | ||
| 2009 | The Pink Panther 2 | English | Sonia Solandres | |
| 2010 | Raavan | Hindi | Ragini Sharma | |
| Raavanan | Tamil | Ragini Subramaniam | ||
| Enthiran | Tamil | Sana | ||
| Action Replayy | Hindi | Mala | ||
| Guzaarish | Hindi | Sofia D'Souza | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award |
Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan (Hindi: अभिषेक बच्चन, born 5 February 1976 in Mumbai, Maharashtra) is an Indian actor and producer and the son of Indian actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. He is married to actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai.
Bachchan debuted with J.P. Dutta's Refugee (2000). In 2004, he appeared in Dhoom and in Yuva. His work in Yuva received several awards, including his first Filmfare Award in the Best Supporting Actor category, an award he would win for the two next years as well. In 2010, he won his first National Film Award (as a producer) for Paa which won the Best Feature Film in Hindi Award.[1]
| Abhishek Bachchan | |
|---|---|
 With wife Aishwarya Rai | |
| Born | 5 February 1976 Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Occupation | Actor, Producer, Television presenter |
| Years active | 2000- present |
| Spouse | Aishwarya Rai (2007 - present) |
Early life
Abhishek Bachchan is the son of Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan and actress Jaya Bachchan; his elder sister is Shweta Bachchan-Nanda (b. 1974). His grandfather, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was a poet of Hindi literature. The original last name of his parental family is Srivastav, Bachchan being the pen name used by his grandfather. However, when his father Amitabh entered films, he did so under his own father's pen name. Bachchan is of Kayastha heritage from his father's side,[2] and Punjabi Sikh from his grandmother's side.[3] His Mother, Jaya Bhaduri is a Bengali.
Bachchan was dyslexic as a child.[4] He attended Jamnabai Narsee School and Bombay Scottish School in Mumbai, Modern School, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi, and Aiglon College in Switzerland. He then went to the U.S. to attend Boston University.
[edit] Career
Bachchan began his career with J.P. Dutta's Refugee (2000). Bachchan went on to do other films, including Kuch Na Kaho and Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai, without much success.[5]
Abhishek went on to give a string of 17 poorly received films[6] but his performances in Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003)[5][7] and Mani Ratnam's Yuva (2004) proved his mettle as an actor.[8] The same year, he starred in Dhoom his first commercial hit.[5] In 2005, Bachchan shot to fame with four movies that did well commercially: Bunty Aur Babli, Sarkar, Dus, and Bluffmaster; the first was one of the highest-grossing films of the year, and the other three performed moderately well.[9] He won his second Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Sarkar. Bachchan also received his first Filmfare nomination in the Best Actor category.
Bachchan's first 2006 release Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, was one of India's highest-grossing films of the year.[10] He played the role of Rishi Talwar, a young man who lives in New York and whose wife sets on an extramarital affair with another man. His performance in the film earned him his third consecutive award for Best Supporting Actor at the Filmfare Awards. He was also a part of Mani Ratnam's stage show, Netru, Indru, Naalai, alongside many other co-stars. Bachchan's second release Umrao Jaan failed to do well at the box office, but his third film that year, the sequel Dhoom 2, did very well—although, as in the first Dhoom, critics found that Hrithik Roshan, as the antagonist, stole the show.[11]
In 2007, Bachchan starred in Guru, receiving much acclaim for his performance, and the film emerged as his first solo hit.[12] In May 2007, he made a brief appearance in the successful Shootout at Lokhandwala.[13] His next release, Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, which released in June 2007, failed to do well in India[14] but did better overseas, especially in the UK.[15] While the film itself received mixed reviews, Bachchan won praise for his performance.[16]
In the summer of 2008, Bachchan, his wife, his father, and fellow performers Preity Zinta, Ritesh Deshmukh, and Madhuri Dixit starred in the "Unforgettable World Tour" stage production. The first leg covered the U.S, Canada, Trinidad, and London, England.
Bachchan is also involved in the functional and administrative operations of his father's company, originally known as ABCL, and rechristened as AB Corp. Ltd. That company, along with Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., developed the Unforgettable production.[17]
Bachchan produced the Hindi film Paa for his family company AB Corp. Ltd. in which he played the role of his father Amitabh Bachchan's father.[18]
In January 2010, Bachchan hosted a game show for Colors titled National Bingo Night.[19][20] The debut episode fetched a 3.5 in the TVR ratings.[21] In 2010, he starred in the film Raavan opposite his wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. Rediff said the film had "great performances".[22][23] With a five week box office of 38.53 Crore and a distribution share of 25.33 it was declared a flop by Boxoffice India.[24]
[edit] Personal life
In October 2002, at Amitabh Bachchan's 60th birthday celebration, Abhishek Bachchan and actress Karisma Kapoor announced their engagement.[25] The engagement was called off in January 2003.
In 2006, Bachchan was named the sexiest man in Asia by UK magazine Eastern Eye.[26] The Times of India called him the most eligible bachelor of India.[27]
Bachchan and actress Aishwarya Rai announced their engagement on 14 January 2007.[28] The couple was married on 20 April 2007, according to traditional Hindu rites of the South Indian Bunt community, to which Rai belongs. Token North Indian and Bengali ceremonies were also performed. The wedding took place in a private ceremony at the Bachchan residence Prateeksha, in Juhu, Mumbai, but was heavily covered by the entertainment media. The couple appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Monday, 28 September 2009.[29]
[edit] Awards and nominations
Among the awards, Bachchan has received National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi (as a producer) for Paa and 2005's Stardust Star of the Year Award - Male for Yuva [30] as well as Filmfare Awards for "Best Supporting Actor" in 2005, '06 and '07[1][31][32][33]
[edit] Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Refugee | Refugee | Nominated, Filmfare Best Male Debut Award |
| Dhai Akshar Prem Ke | Karan Khanna | ||
| Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya | Kabir Srivastav | ||
| 2001 | Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai | Surajchand Shrivastav | |
| 2002 | Haan Maine Bhi Pyaar Kiya | Shiv Kapoor | |
| Shararat | Rahul Khanna | ||
| Om Jai Jagadish | Jagadish Batra | ||
| Desh | Anjaan | ||
| 2003 | Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon | Prem Kumar | Nominated, Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award |
| Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost | Kanji | ||
| Kuch Naa Kaho | Raj | ||
| Zameen | ACP Jaideep "Jai" Rai | ||
| LOC Kargil | Lt. Vikram Batra | ||
| 2004 | Run | Siddharth | |
| Yuva | Lallan Singh | Winner, Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award | |
| Hum Tum | Sameer | Guest appearance | |
| Dhoom | ACP Jai Dixit | ||
| Phir Milenge | Tarun Anand | ||
| Rakht: What If You Can See the Future | Manav | Guest appearance (item number) | |
| Naach | Abhinav | ||
| 2005 | Bunty Aur Babli | Rakesh Trivedi/Bunty | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award |
| Sarkar | Shankar Nagare | Winner, Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award | |
| Dus | Shashank Dheer | ||
| Antar Mahal | Brij Bhushan | ||
| Salaam Namaste | Dr. Vijay Kumar/Narrator | Special appearance | |
| Home Delivery: Aapko... Ghar Tak | Customer at Pizzeria | Special appearance | |
| Ek Ajnabee | Bodyguard | Special appearance | |
| Neal n' Nikki | Man in Bar | Special appearance | |
| Bluffmaster | Roy Kapoor | ||
| 2006 | Alag | Special appearance in song Sabse Alag | |
| Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna | Rishi Talwar | Winner, Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award | |
| Lage Raho Munna Bhai | Sunny Khurana | Special appearance | |
| Umrao Jaan | Nawab Sultan Khan | ||
| Dhoom 2 | ACP Jai Dixit | ||
| 2007 | Guru | Gurukant K. Desai | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award |
| Shootout at Lokhandwala | Abhishek Mahatre | Special appearance | |
| Jhoom Barabar Jhoom | Rikki Thukral | ||
| Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag | Gypsy singer | Special appearance | |
| Laaga Chunari Mein Daag | Rohan Varma | Extended cameo | |
| Om Shanti Om | Himself | Special appearance | |
| 2008 | Sarkar Raj | Shankar Nagare | Nominated, Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award |
| Mission Istanbul | Special appearance | ||
| Drona | Aditya/Drona | ||
| Dostana | Sameer | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actor Award | |
| 2009 | Luck by Chance | Himself | Special appearance |
| Delhi-6 | Roshan Mehra | ||
| Paa | Amol Arte | ||
| 2010 | Raavan | Beera | |
| Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey | Surya Sen | ||
| 2011 | Game | Releasing on March 18, 2011 | |
| Dum Maro Dum | Releasing on April 22, 2011 | ||
| Players | Filming | ||
| Bol Bachchan | Pre-production |
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