Hema Malini Dharmendra Deol also known as 'Dream Girl' of 70s is an Indian actress, director, producer, and politician who is currently serving as a member of the Lok Sabha from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), representing Mathura constituency since 2014. She was a member of the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka from 2011 to 2012, subsequent to her nomination to that chamber from 2003 to 2009 as a member of the BJP. Primarily known for her work in Hindi films, she has starred in both comic and dramatic roles, and is one of the most popular and successful leading actresses of mainstream Hindi cinema.
Aparna Sen is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinema. She has received several accolades as an actress and filmmaker, including nine National Film Awards, six Filmfare Awards East and thirteen Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards. For her contribution in the field of arts, the Government of India honoured her with Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian award.
Suchitra Sen, widely known as the Mahanayika, was an Indian actress who worked in Bengali and Hindi cinema. The movies in which she was paired opposite Uttam Kumar became classics in the history of Bengali cinema.
Madhabi Chakraborty is an Indian actress. She won the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in the Bengali film Dibratrir Kabya. She has acted in some of the most critically acclaimed films in Bengali cinema and is considered one of the great actresses of Bengali cinema.
Jaya Prada Nahata is an Indian actress and politician known for her works majorly in Telugu cinema and Hindi cinema as well as in Tamil films in late '70s, '80s and early '90s. Jayaprada is the recipient of three Filmfare Awards South and has starred in many Telugu and Hindi films along with several Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Bengali and Marathi films. She left the film industry at the peak of her career, as she joined the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in 1994 and entered politics. She was a Member of Parliament (MP) from Rampur, Uttar Pradesh from 2004 to 2014.
Ruma Guha Thakurta was an Indian actress and singer primarily associated with Bengali language films. She founded Calcutta Youth Choir in 1958.
Arun Govil is an Indian actor and politician from the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is best known for portraying Lord Rama in the Ramayan TV series. He also appeared in films like Paheli (1977), Sawan Ko Aane Do (1979), Saanch Ko Aanch Nahin (1979), Jiyo To Aise Jiyo (1981), Himmatwala (1983), Dilwaala (1986), and Govinda Govinda (1994). He is currently serving as a Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha to Meerut Lok Sabha constituency from June 2024.
Tarun Majumdar was an Indian film director, documentary filmmaker, author, illustrator and screenwriter who is known for his work in Bengali cinema. He received five National Awards, seven BFJA Awards, five Filmfare Awards and an Anandalok Award. In 1990, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award. He is recognized as one of the greatest influential filmmakers of India. His few movies were restored and digitized by the National Film Archive of India, along with his Contemporaries Arabinda Mukhopadhyay, Goutam Ghose. He is Legendary filmmaker for Ganadevata in 1978, Nimantran in 1971,Palatak in 1963.
Supriya Devi was an Indian actress who is known for her work in Bengali cinema for more than 50 years. She is best known for her portrayal of Neeta in Ritwik Ghatak's Bengali film Megha Dhaka Tara (1960). She was conferred the Filmfare Award and the BFJA Award twice. In 2011, she received the Banga-Vibhushan, the highest civilian honour in West Bengal. In 2014, she was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India, the fourth highest civilian award in India, for her contributions to the entertainment industry.
Sabitri Chatterjee is an Indian actress who is known for her work in Bengali theatre and cinema. Her career spans more than 70 years. She is the recipient of BFJA Awards for two times. In 1999, she was conferred with Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for acting in Bengali theatre. In 2013, she was awarded by the Government of West Bengal its highest civilian award; the Banga Bibhushan. In 2014, Government of India conferred upon her its fourth-highest civilian award the Padma Shri.
Satabdi Roy (born 5 October 1969) is an Indian actress, film director and politician. As an actress she is known for her work in Bengali cinema. She is the recipient of BFJA Awards for two times. As an actress, she ruled the array of commercial Bengali cinema during the late 1980s and 1990s. As a director, she has been denounced critically for her use of superfluous themes. She is a Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha since 2009.
Roopa Ganguly is an Indian actress, playback singer and politician. She is best known for her portrayal of Draupadi in B R Chopra's hit television series Mahabharat. Often promoted as the Tollywood's answer to Bollywood's Shabana Azmi, she is known for her versatility and accent adaptation. She has worked with directors such as Mrinal Sen, Aparna Sen, Goutam Ghose and Rituparno Ghosh. She is a trained Rabindra Sangeet vocalist and a classical dancer. She received several awards including a National Award and two BFJA Awards. In October 2016, she was nominated as a Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha, by the President of India. She served as the President of BJP Mahila Morcha in West Bengal. She served as the General Secretary and the Vice-President for the West Bengal Motion Picture Artistes' Forum, a body representing cine artistes. Her films have commulatively grossed more than US$100 million worldwide.
Debashree Roy also known as Debasree Roy, is an Indian actress, dancer, choreographer, politician and animal rights activist. As an actress, she is known for her work in Hindi and Bengali cinema. She has been cited as the reigning queen of Bengali commercial cinema. She acted in more than a hundred films and won over forty awards, including a National Award, three BFJA Awards, five Kalakar Awards and an Anandalok Award. As a dancer, she is known for her stage adaptations of the various forms of Indian folk dances as well as her innovative dance forms imbued with elements from Indian classical, tribal and folk dance. She runs Natraj dance troupe. She is the founder of Debasree Roy Foundation, a non-profit organisation that works for the cause of stray animals. Roy was a Member of the Legislative Assembly from Raidighi constituency since 2011 till 2021.
Cinema of West Bengal, also known as Tollywood or Bengali cinema, is the segment of Indian cinema, dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Bengali language widely spoken in the state of West Bengal. It is based in the Tollygunge region of Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The origins of the nickname Tollywood, a portmanteau of the words Tollygunge and Hollywood, dates back to 1932. It was a historically important film industry, at one time the centre of Indian film production. The Bengali film industry is known for producing many of Indian cinema's most critically acclaimed global Parallel Cinema and art films, with several of its filmmakers gaining prominence at the Indian National Film Awards as well as international acclaim.
Deepak Chakraborty, is an Indian actor and director in the Bengali film industry located in Kolkata, West Bengal. He is the son of renowned cartoonist Shaila Chakraborty. He is also a politician and a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Government of West Bengal. He was born on 2 November 1955 in Kolkata. He has been conferred upon the prestigious Mahanayak Samman by the Govt. of West Bengal in 2012.
Arundhati Devi was an Indian actress, director, writer and singer who is predominantly known for her work in Bengali cinema.
Locket Chatterjee is an Indian actress, politician and former Member of Parliament for Hooghly, from West Bengal, India. She is also a classical dancer. She completed her training in Bharat Natyam, Kathakali, Manipuri and Creative, but is better known as an actress, in Tollywood. Previously, she was the state president of BJP Mahila Morcha, the women's wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal. Now she is a General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party, West Bengal.
Ganadevata(Bengali: গণদেবতা) is a 1978 Bengali drama film directed by Tarun Majumdar, based on a novel of the same name by Tarashankar Bandopadhyay. The film stars Soumitra Chatterjee, Ajitesh Bannerjee, Samit Bhanja, Rabi Ghosh and Anup Kumar in lead roles. The epic novel is set in the 1920s during the British Raj, about the breakdown of socio-economic structures, impact of industrialization and non-cooperation movement in rural Bengal. It also won the writer Bandopadhyay, the1967Jnanpith Award.
Sumitra Devi was an Indian actress who is recognised for her work in Hindi as well as Bengali cinema during the 1940s and 1950s. Widely regarded as one of the greatest actresses of her time, she is best remembered for her role in the 1952 Hindi film Mamta directed by Dada Gunjal. She was the recipient of BFJA Award for Best Actress for two times. She was one of the exquisite beauties of her time and has been regarded as the most beautiful woman of her time by veterans such as Pradeep Kumar and Uttam Kumar.
Nabyendu Chatterjee was an Indian Bengali and Hindi film director and producer. A director of twelve feature films and three documentaries, Nabyendu has curved out a sure niche for him in the field of serious and useful cinema of India.
