Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" and "Hollywood". The industry is a part of the larger Indian cinema, which also includes South Indian cinema and other smaller film industries.
Mohammed Aamir Hussain Khan is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and television personality who works in Hindi films. Referred to in the media as "Mr. Perfectionist", through his career spanning over 30 years, Khan has established himself as one of the most notable actors of Indian cinema. Khan is the recipient of numerous awards, including nine Filmfare Awards, four National Film Awards, and an AACTA Award, with one of his film productions also receiving an Academy Award nomination. He was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri in 2003 and the Padma Bhushan in 2010, and received an honorary title from the Government of China in 2017.
Shekhar Kulbhushan Kapur is an Indian filmmaker and actor. Born into the Anand-Sahni family, Kapur is the recipient of several accolades, including a BAFTA Award, a National Film Award, a National Board of Review Award and three Filmfare Awards, in addition to nomination for a Golden Globe Award.
Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film Sati Sulochana directed by Y. V. Rao was the first talkie film in the Kannada language. It was also the first film starring Subbaiah Naidu and Tripuramba, and was the first motion picture screened in the erstwhile Mysore Kingdom. The film was produced by Chamanlal Doongaji, who in 1932 founded South India Movietone in Bangalore.
John To Kei-fung is a Hong Kong film director, screenwriter and film producer. Popular in his native Hong Kong, To has also found acclaim overseas. Intensely prolific, To has made films in a variety of genres, though in the West he is best known for his action and crime movies, which have earned him critical respect and a cult following, which includes American filmmaker Quentin Tarantino.
Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma, often referred to by his initials RGV, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, known for his works in Telugu cinema in addition to Hindi, Kannada language films, and television. Varma has directed films across multiple genres, including parallel cinema and docudrama noted for their gritty realism, technical finesse, and craft. Regarded as one of the pioneers of new age Indian cinema, he was featured in the BBC World series Bollywood Bosses in 2004. In 2006, Grady Hendrix of Film Comment, published by the Film Society of Lincoln Center cited Varma as "Bombay's Most Successful Maverick" for his works on experimental films.
Feroz Khan, born Zulfiqar Ali Shah Khan, was an Indian actor, film editor, producer, and director.Who is best known for his work in Indian cinema. He appeared in over 60 films throughout his career and became one of Bollywood's popular style icons. Khan is known for his roles in films such as Arzoo (1965), Aurat (1967), Safar (1970), Mela (1971), Upaasna (1971), Apradh (1972), Khotte Sikkay (1974), Kala Sona (1975), Dharmatma (1975), Nagin (1976), Qurbani (1980), and Welcome (2007). He also directed and acted in films such as Janbaaz (1986), Dayavan (1988), Meet Mere Man Ke (1991), Yalgaar (1992), Prem Aggan (1998), Janasheen (2003).
Dev Benegal is an Indian filmmaker and screenwriter, most known for his debut film English, August (1994), which won the Best Feature Film in English at the 42nd National Film Awards.
Shabir Ahluwalia is an Indian actor and host who works in Hindi television and films. He is best known for portraying Abhishek Prem Mehra in Zee TV's romantic drama series Kumkum Bhagya. He won the third season of Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi and hosted Nach Baliye, Guinness World Records – Ab India Todega and Dancing Queen.
Om Dar-B-Dar is a 1988 Indian Hindi-language postmodernist film directed by Kamal Swaroop and starring Anita Kanwar, Aditya Lakhia and Gopi Desai. The film, about the adventures of a school boy named Om along with his family, is set in Ajmer and Pushkar in Rajasthan, and employs nonlinear narrative and an absurdist story line to satirise mythology, arts, politics and philosophy. The film won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie in 1989.
Onir is an Indian film and TV director, editor, screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his film My Brother…Nikhil, based on the life of Dominic d'Souza, starring Sanjay Suri and Purab Kohli it was one of the first mainstream Hindi films to deal with AIDS and same-sex relationships.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is known for his roles in Gangs of Wasseypur (2012), The Lunchbox (2013), Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016), and Manto (2018), among others. As many as eight films in which he features have been screened at the Cannes Film Festival. He has won numerous awards, including a National Film Award, a Filmfare Award, and two Filmfare OTT Awards.
Ram Madhvani is an Indian film director and producer known for his award-winning works in Hindi cinema, in the OTT space and in advertising. He is a-partner, director, and producer at Equinox Films, Ram Madhvani Films, and Equinox Virtual in partnership with Amita Madhvani. Ram is known for his National Award-winning Hindi feature film ‘Neerja’ starring Sonam Kapoor and Shabana Azmi. Under Ram Madhvani Films, Ram and Amita have created the International Emmy nominated series, Aarya starring Sushmita Sen. Its first season streamed on Disney+ Hotstar on 19 June 2020, Aarya Season 2 streamed on the 10th December 2021. Currently both seasons are streaming worldwide and are available via Hulu.
Udaan (transl. 'Flight') is a 2010 Indian Hindi-language coming-of-age drama film directed by Vikramaditya Motwane in his directorial debut. It was produced by Sanjay Singh, Anurag Kashyap and Ronnie Screwvala under their production companies Anurag Kashyap Films and UTV Spotboy respectively. Written by Motwane and Kashyap, the film stars debutante Rajat Barmecha, Ronit Roy, Aayan Boradia, Ram Kapoor, Manjot Singh and Anand Tiwari, and follows the story of a teen who is forced to live with his oppressive father back home after he is expelled from boarding school.
Rahul Bhat is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. He began his career as a fashion model and participated in the Graviera Mr. India contest in 1998, and subsequently worked in several advertisements and music videos. He gained fame for his leading role in the television serial Heena from 1998 to 2003. After starring in the films Yeh Mohabbat Hai (2002) and Nayee Padosan (2003), he took a sabbatical from acting and began producing television serials, including Meri Doli Tere Angana (2007–2008) and Tum Dena Saath Mera (2009).
Gulshan Devaiah is an Indian actor who primarily appears in Hindi films. He is known for his roles in Shaitan, Hate Story and Hunterrr. His performance in Shaitan was critically praised and earned him a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut.
Ship of Theseus is a 2012 Indian drama film written and directed by Anand Gandhi, and produced by actor Sohum Shah. The film explores "questions of identity, justice, beauty, meaning and death through the stories of an experimental photographer, an ailing monk and an enterprising stockbroker", played by Aida El-Kashef, Neeraj Kabi and Sohum Shah.
Bengaloored is a 2010 Indian English feature film set in Bangalore, directed by Swaroop Kanchi. The film stars Harish Raj and Meghana Mudiyam.
Rattihalli Nagendra Rao was an Indian theatre actor, film actor and director in South Indian cinema. Following his career in theatre, Rao turned to film a where he became an actor, director, producer, screenwriter and occasional composer. He is considered one of the most influential personalities in the history of South Indian cinema.
Shashank Arora is an Indian actor, musician and writer. He is known for his roles in Titli (2014), Brahman Naman (2016), Moothon (2019) and Made in Heaven (2019). He is the only Indian actor to have films officially compete at Cannes and Sundance Film Festival.
