Lisa Ray

 

Date of Birth (Birthday):  4 April, 1970
Zodiac Sign:  Aries
Height:  5'5"
Weight:  110 lbs
Hair Color:  Black
Birth Place:  Toronto, Canada
Marital Status:  Single
Languages:  Hindi, English
Hobbies:  Exercising, eating, walking, and even working

 

1987–2000

Lisa Ray came to public attention when she appeared in an advertisement for Bombay Dyeing wearing a high-cut black swimsuit,^[4] opposite Karan Kapoor.^[5] Subsequently, she returned to Canada to attend university to study journalism, but a car accident that injured her mother derailed those plans. Instead, she returned to India, where she appeared on the cover of Glad Rags wearing a red Baywatch-style swimsuit. The sensation that that caused led to more magazine covers, spokesperson deals, and a job as host of her own show-business program. A Times of India poll named her the "ninth most beautiful woman of the millennium," the only model in the top ten.^[3] She also anchored the TV show Star Biz on Star Movies, with actor/model Kelly Dorji.

Ray made her cinematic debut in 1994 in the Tamil film Nethaji, opposite actor Sarath Kumar, in which she appeared in a brief role. Later, she acted in the Telugu film Takkari Donga, opposite Mahesh Babu.

In 1996, Ray appeared in the famous song "Afreen Afreen," by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and appeared in the song "Har Taraf Tera Jalwa," by Daler Mehndi, in 1998.

Ray became the enduring brand ambassador for Rado Watches in India.

2001–2009

After turning down a number of roles,^[6] Ray made her Indian Film Industry debut in 2001 with the film Kasoor, opposite Aftab Shivdasani,^[5] in which her voice was dubbed by Divya Dutta, because she could not speak Hindi.^[7] Interestingly, actress Divya Dutta also starred in the same film, but because she had already given her voice to Lisa Ray, Dutta's voice was dubbed by another artist—just to make her own character believable. Her work in that film caught the eye of Deepa Mehta, who cast Ray in the romantic Indian-Canadian romp Bollywood/Hollywood, in 2002.^[2]

Realizing that acting was something that she wanted to pursue more seriously, Ray moved to London to concentrate on a career in the performing arts. While there, Ray studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama, The London Centre for Theatre Studies, The Desmond Jones school of Physical Theatre, and BADA. She graduated from the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts (ALRA), in 2004, with a post-graduate degree in acting.^[8]

While studying, Ray made a conscious effort to not accept any film offers until she had graduated. However, while still at ALRA, she received another call from Deepa Mehta, who made her an offer she simply could not refuse—the lead role of Kalyani in Mehta's highly controversial and much-anticipated feature Water.^[8]

In 2005, Ray worked again with Mehta, in the Oscar-nominated film Water, in which she spoke her lines in Hindi, although her voice was dubbed in the final cut.^[7] Since then, Ray has worked in productions from Canada, Europe, and the United States. Past roles include a farm girl in All Hat, a school teacher in A Stone's Throw, a housewife in 1950s-apartheid South Africa in The World Unseen, and an Arab lesbian in the humorously titled I Can't Think Straight, directed by Shamim Sarif. "I think every film that I’ve done so far has been a turning point because I experimented with each one and grew professionally. The movies I chose, dealt with a lot of thought-provoking subjects."^[9]

After graduation, Ray based herself out of Milan, Paris, and New York from 2004–2008, returning to Toronto when her beloved mother passed away in late 2008.^[8]

In 2007, Ray completed filming for Kill Kill Faster Faster, which is a contemporary film noir inspired by the critically acclaimed novel of the same name, by Joel Rose. She appeared in a few uninhibited sex scenes, "something unheard of for an artist from India."^[10]

In 2009, Ray was named 'Trailblazer' at the Reelworld Film Festival and was featured as one of the '50 Most Beautiful People' of the country in the Canadian edition of Hello magazine, May 2009 issue.

Ray guest-starred in the USA Network series Psych, directed by Jay Chandrasekhar, which aired on 30 November 2009. She also appeared in a guest role of a reporter, Dominique Ball, in the recent Woody Harrelson movie Defendor.

Ray attended the Toronto International Film Festival in support of her work in Cooking with Stella. At this event, Ray revealed that she had incurable cancer, and she shared the diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma with the media and the public. At the same time, Ray started an acclaimed blog, The Yellow Diaries, chronicling her cancer experience.

"I believe it can be cured," Ray wrote on her blog. "That's the Dirty Realist in me... I'm getting better. My prognosis, given my 'junior' status and stage of disease, is very good. I'm aiming for full remission."

Ray went on to help raise funds for the establishment of the first research chair for Multiple Myeloma at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. Also, she took part in Plan Canada’s Because I Am A Girl campaign, a global movement that fights for the rights of girls around the world who face discrimination because of their gender and age.

On Christmas in 2009, Ray received a stem cell transplant to treat her rare cancer.

2010–present

In April 2010, Ray announced that she was cancer-free, after a stem cell transplant. Ray gave a candid interview on her personal cancer trauma and surviving it, appearing on the cover of the 2010 anniversary issue of the Indian men's luxury magazine The Man.

Ray was seen in UniGlobe Entertainment's cancer docu-drama titled 1 a Minute, scheduled for release in 2010.^[11] The documentary was made by Namrata Singh Gujral and featured cancer survivors Olivia Newton-John, Diahann Carroll, Melissa Etheridge, Mumtaz, and Jaclyn Smith, as well as William Baldwin, Daniel Baldwin, and Priya Dutt, whose lives have been touched by cancer. The feature was narrated by Kelly McGillis. It also starred Bárbara Mori, Deepak Chopra, and Morgan Brittany.

On 16 November 2010, TLC India announced that it would film a new 5-part series, Oh My Gold (OMG), with Lisa Ray. It premiered in 2011. The series Oh My Gold was set against the cultural-yet-contemporary backdrop of India. Uncovering the beauty of various cities, Ray played both a host and a travel guide.

Ray has since become an outspoken advocate for stem cell technology, recording a PSA for the McEwan Centre for Regenerative Medicine. Also, she completed a national media tour in Canada for Multiple Myeloma called Making Myeloma Matter, in early 2011, to raise public awareness.

In 2011, Ray acted in the acclaimed stage play Taj, opposite Kabir Bedi in Luminato.^[12] Also, Ray was at the Taj Mahal and the Estee Lauder Breast Cancer event to spread awareness about breast cancer.

On 5 July 2010, Ray was honored to be a host of the informal lunch for Queen Elizabeth's visit to Toronto.^[13] Ray also hosted the 2011 International Indian Film Academy IIFA Rocks fashion and music event and was a presenter at the IIFA Awards and the 2011 Giller Prize.

A strong advocate of stem cell research and a long-time yoga practitioner, Ray partnered with co-owners Paris and Annette, in 2011, to open Moksha Yoga Brampton.^[14]

On 15 November 2011, Ray announced that she had been named to host season two of Top Chef Canada,^[15] which is Food Network Canada's top-rated series. The show premiered in March 2012.

Ray had one TV series Endgame and one film Patch Town released in 2011. Also, Ray guest-starred in the Canadian-television drama series Murdoch Mysteries, which aired on 12 April 2011.

On 18 May 2012, Craig Goodwill announced that Lisa Ray would star in his Boy Toy,^[16] a fantasy drama that is based on Goodwill’s short film Patch Town. Boy Toy begins shooting in Toronto in November 2012.

In September 2012, Ray was named ambassador for the Pantene Beautiful Lengths campaign in Canada.^[17] Pantene Beautiful Lengths is a charity campaign that asks people to grow and donate their hair to make real-hair wigs for women battling cancer.

Personal life

On 23 June 2009, Ray was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the white blood cells known as plasma cells, which produce antibodies. It is a rare disease.^[7][18] In April 2010, she announced that she was cancer-free, after a stem cell transplant.^[19] In February 2012, Ray announced her engagement to management consultant Jason Dehni.^[20] On 20 October 2012, Ray and Dehni (then a banking executive and philanthropist) were married in the Napa Valley, in California.^[21][22]

 

Awards

• Voted Star of the Future at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival,^[23]
• Top Ten most Beautiful Indian Woman of the Millenium by the Times of India
• Won the Best Actress in a Canadian film for Water by the Vancouver Critics Circle^[24]
• Won 'Voice Achievers Award for 2009' for outstanding contribution in fields of film, trade, literature and sports^[25]
• Named one of Canada's 50 Most Beautiful Stars in Hello Canada's May 2009 issue.^[26]
• Honored with Fortis Lisa Ray Award for Conquering Cancer in 2010^[27]
• Honored with a Special Achievement Award at Miss India-Canada 2011^[28]
• Named one of Canada's 50 Most Beautiful Stars in Hello Canada's May 2012 issue.^[29]
• Honored with People's Choice Award at the 'Light of India' Awards 2012 in Arts & Entertainment section.^[30]

Philanthropy

• 2009 : 5K Your Way Walk/Run, MMWalk for the Cure
• 2009 : Plan Canada’s ‘Because I Am A Girl’ campaign^[31]
• 2010 : Plan Canada’s ‘Because I Am A Girl’ campaign^[31]
• 2010 : "1 a Minute" , to inspire women and give them hope
• 2010 : Estee Lauder Breast Cancer Awareness^[32]
• 2011 : ‘Make Myeloma Matter’ media campaign^[33]
• 2011 : Artbound , in support of Free The Children
• 2011 : GIRL 20 SUMMIT
• 2012 : BE FAIR 2 RARE^[34]
• 2012 : Wellspring Cancer 'Graduate' Fashion show
• 2012 : “Rhythm and Soul”-THE SPARK GALA 2012, to Ignite A Child's Potential^[35]
• 2012 : Run or Walk, MM5K^[36]
• 2012 : Plan Canada’s ‘Because I Am A Girl’ campaign^[31]
• 2012 : Ambassador for Pantene Beautiful Lengths campaign in Canada^[17]

Filmography

Film & TV series

All are English language films unless otherwise noted.

Year	Film	Role	Notes
1994	Hanste Khelte	Rekha	Hindi language film Special appearance in song
1996	Nethaji	Priya	Tamil language film
2001	Kasoor	Simran Bhargav	Hindi language film
2002	Takkari Donga	Bhuvana	Telugu language film
2002	Bollywood/Hollywood	Sue (Sunita) Singh	English/Punjabi/Spanish language film
2004	Ball & Chain	Saima
2004	Yuvaraja	Lovely	Kannada language film
2005	Water	Kalyani
2005	Seeking Fear	Nina Atwal
2006	The Flowerman	Louise
2006	Quarter Life Crisis	Angel
2006	A Stone's Throw	Lia
2007	I Can't Think Straight	Tala
2007	Blood Ties	Elena	TV Series, Season 1, Episode 9, Stone Cold
2007	The World Unseen	Miriam
2007	All Hat	Etta Parr
2008	Kill Kill Faster Faster	Fleur
2008	Toronto Stories	Beth
2008	The Summit	Rebecca Downy	TV Mini-Series
2009	Somnolence	Jeany Rodriguez
2009	Defendor	Dominique Ball
2009	Cooking with Stella	Maya Chopra
2009	Let the Game Begin	Eva
2009	Psych	Sita	TV Series, Season 4 Episode 6 "Bollywood Homicide"
2010	Trader Games	Sarah
2010	1 a Minute	Star
2011	Murdoch Mysteries	Mirala	TV series, Season 4, Episode 9, The Black Hand[37]
2011	Endgame	Rosemary Venturi	TV series
2011	Patch Town	Bethany Franks

TV Show

Year	Show	Role	Notes
2005	The Standard	Bollywood Actress	TV series
2010	Great Canadian Books	Herself	TV series documentary,Season 1, Episode 7, Late Nights on Air
2011	The Marilyn Denis Show	Herself	TV series, Episode #1.57
2011	Oh My Gold	Herself	TV Show of TLC Channel
2012	The Hour	Herself	TV series, Episode #8.122, #8.123
2012	Top Chef Canada	Herself	TV series, Season 2, Episode 1-13

 

Theatre

Year	Film	Role	Notes
2011	Taj [12]	Princess Jahanara

Magazine cover photo

Year	Magazine	Issue	Notes
2002	Anokhi Vibe (Canada)	Winter issue
2002	Take One (Canada)	September issue
2002	Elm Street (Canada)	November issue
2006	RIVAAJ Magazine	May issue
2006	Toronto Life (Canada)	August issue
2007	NIRVANA Woman	2007
2007	Chatelaine (Canada)	September issue
2007	Glow (Canada)	December issue
2009	Asian woman(Canada)	April issue
2009	M Magazine (Canada)	June issue
2009	Harper's Bazaar India	June issue
2009	Hi! Blitz (Canada)	July issue
2010	Time (India)	February issue
2010	People (India)	May issue
2010	Mega Modelz (India)	August issue
2010	Vogue (India)	August issue
2010	Elle (India)	October issue
2010	Prevention (India)	November issue
2010	The Man (India)	December issue
2011	City Life (Canada)	June/July issue
2011	ANOKHI (Canada)	July/August issue
2011	Fusia Magazine (Canada)	No. 2 issue
2011	More Magazine (Canada)	February/March issue
2012	Jewellery Business Magazine	June issue[38]

MV

Year	Song	Singer	Notes
1996	Afreen Afreen	Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
1999	Har Taraf Tera Jalwa	Daler Mehndi

Ambassador

• Brand ambassador of Rado (watches) in India

• Lisa named Ambassador for 'Pantene Beautiful Lengths' Campaign

Lara Dutta

Date of Birth (Birthday):  16 April, 1987
Zodiac Sign:  Aries
Height:  5'8"
Hair Color:  Black
Birth Place:  Bangalore
Education:  Graduated in economics with a minor in communications from the Bombay University
Marital Status:  Single
Languages:  Hindi, English
Hobbies:  Sport enthusiast with rock climbing and bungee jumping

She made her Hindi debut in 2003 with the film Andaaz which was a box office success and won her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. Dutta next appeared in a series of successful films such as Masti (2004), No Entry (2005), Kaal (2005), Bhagam Bhag (2006), Partner (2007), Housefull (2010), Chalo Dilli (2011), Don 2 (2011), thus establishing herself as a bankable Bollywood actress.

Dutta was born in to a Punjabi father and an Anglo-Indian mother.^[1] Her father is Wing Commander L.K. Dutta (retired) and her mother is Jennifer Dutta. She also has two elder sisters, Sabrina, who serves in the Indian Air Force and younger sister Cheryl.^[2] Composer and DJ Nitin Sawhney is Dutta's cousin.^[3] The Dutta family moved to Bangalore in 1981 where she completed high school from St.Francis Xavier Girls' High School and the Frank Anthony Public School. Dutta graduated in economics with a minor in communications from the University of Mumbai. She is fluent in English and Hindi but can speak Punjabi, Kannada, and French.

Modelling career & pageantry (1995-2002)

Dutta won the annual Gladrags Megamodel competition in her native India in 1995,^[4][5] thus winning the right to enter the 1997 Miss Intercontinental Pageant, in which she took first place.^[6] Later, she was crowned Femina Miss India Universe in 2000.^[7]

At Miss Universe 2000 in Cyprus, she achieved the highest score in the swimsuit competition and her finalist interview score was the highest individual score in any category in the history of the Miss Universe contest, as her interview saw a majority of the judges giving her the maximum 9.99 mark.^[8] After her final question, in which she delivered a defense of the Miss Universe contest (and other beauty pageants), she became the second Indian Miss Universe. Dutta's win led to her appointment as a UNFPA Goodwill Ambassador in 2001.^[9]

In the same year, Priyanka Chopra and Dia Mirza won their respective Miss World and Miss Asia Pacific titles which gave India a rare triple victory in the world of beauty pageants.^[8][10]

Film debut & breakthrough (2003-2004)

Dutta signed up for the Tamil film, Saatchi in 2002, but due to financial problems, it was only released in mid-2004. She made her Hindi debut in 2003 with the film Andaaz which was a box office success and won her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. She then went onto appearing in Bardaasht, which failed to do well at the box office. Her next release Aan: Men at Work was also a flop in India. Insan, Elaan and Jurm also ended up failing to do well at the box office. However, she then appeared in the highly successful comedy, Masti opposite Ajay Devgn.

Initial success (2005-2010)

In 2005, Sania Mirza and Dutta both participated in Kaun Banega Crorepati (season 2) on 13 November 2005.^[11] In 2005, Dutta appeared in Kaal, which was a moderate success at the box office. Dutta then appeared in 2005's biggest hit, No Entry opposite actors Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Fardeen Khan, Bipasha Basu, Esha Deol and Celina Jaitley. She next appeared in Dosti: Friends Forever which was only an average grosser in India, however became the biggest hit of the year (for a Bollywood film) in overseas markets.

In 2006, Dutta appeared alongside Akshay Kumar in Bhagam Bhag, which was one of the biggest hits of the year, as it collected over 400 million (US$7.4 million) in India alone.

Dutta's first release of 2007 was Shaad Ali's Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. The film was a box office failure in India but did better overseas, especially in the U.K.^[12] She received mixed reviews for her performance in the film. Her later release, Partner became a "Blockbuster" in India and became the third biggest grosser of the year.^[13] Dutta then made a special appearance in Om Shanti Om.

In 2008, Dutta lent her voice for the animated film, Jumbo. However, the film failed to do well at the box office. She also made a special appearance in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.

Her 2009 release, Blue, was one of the most expensive movies of Indian cinema. Dutta had initially walked away from the project because the movie was entirely shot in the ocean and she did not know how to swim. However the male protagonist Akshay Kumar encouraged her in learning how to swim and she immediately started training with a special coach. Blue was released on 16 October 2009.^[14] She stated that "The moment I got to know of it, I called Akshay and told him that I wouldn't be able to accept the assignment. He knew the reason behind my decision. Not many people are aware that I had almost drowned while shooting for Andaaz, Akshay had rescued me. When I reminded him I couldn't swim, he told me to forget my phobia and learn swimming pronto," said Dutta. "Today, I feel Blue has not merely made me overcome my phobias, but has also taught me something that will stay with me for the rest of my life".^[14] Despite a promising opening, the film failed to do well at the box office. She also appeared in Do Knot Disturb, which also took a good start at the box office, however dropped in the coming days and failed to do well. Her 2010 release Housefull was a major success across India. She starred opposite Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone and Riteish Deshmukh. It was the fifth biggest hit in the country as it collected 1.14 billion (US$21 million) at the box office.^[15] She played the role of Hetal Petal, one of the main characters in the movie.

Recent work (2011-present)

In 2011, her first movie as a producer, Chalo Dilli was released. The film was a decent success, as it was made on a modest budget of 50 million (US$920,000).^{[citation needed]} She then played Ayesha (Don's girlfriend and accomplice in the team) in the movie Don 2: The King Is Back. The film was a major success, as it collect approx. 2.06 billion (US$38 million) worldwide in its Hindi version only.^[16]

Dutta at the Launch of Nivea India.

Following her post-pregnancy break from Hindi cinema, Lara Dutta has recently signed a new movie entitled David. Filming will start by August, 2012 and she will have a very important role in the movie according to its director, Bejoy Nambiar.^[17] The movie will also star Vikram, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Tabu & Isha Sharvani.

Personal life

In September 2010, Dutta got engaged to Indian tennis player, Mahesh Bhupathi.^[18][19] They married on 16 February 2011 in a civil ceremony in Bandra,^[20] and later followed it by a Christian ceremony on 20 February 2011 at Sunset Point in Goa.^[21]

On 1 August 2011, Dutta confirmed that she is pregnant with their first child.^[22] On 20 January 2012 it was confirmed by Bhupathi via a popular networking site that Dutta had given birth to a baby girl, they have named her Saira.^[23]

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Notes
2003	Andaaz	Kajal	Filmfare Best Female Debut Award
2003	Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost	Kesar
2004	Khakee		Special appearance in song "Aisa Jadoo"
2004	Masti	Monica
2004	Bardaasht	Advocate Payal
2004	Arasatchi	Lara	Tamil film
2004	Aan: Men at Work	Kiran
2005	Insan	Meghna
2005	Elaan	Sonia
2005	Jurm	Sanjana Malhotra
2005	Kaal	Ishika
2005	No Entry	Kajal
2005	Ek Ajnabee	Adult Anamika	Special appearance
2005	Dosti: Friends Forever	Kajal
2006	Zinda	Jenny Singh
2006	Fanaa	Zeenat	Special appearance
2006	Alag		Special appearance in song "Sabse Alag"
2006	Bhagam Bhag	Munni/Nisha/Aditi
2007	Jhoom Barabar Jhoom	Anaida Raza/Laila
2007	Partner	Naina
2007	Om Shanti Om	Herself	Special appearance in song "Deewangi Deewangi"
2008	Jumbo	Sonia (voice)
2008	Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi		Special appearance in song "Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte"
2009	Billu Barber	Bindiya
2009	Do Knot Disturb	Dolly
2009	Blue	Mona
2010	Housefull	Hetal Patel
2011	Chalo Dilli	Mihika Mukherjee
2011	Don 2: The King Is Back	Ayesha
2013	David	Neelam
2013	David	Gayathri	Tamil film
2013	Banda Yeh Bindaas Hai	Ishikha
2013	No Entry Mein Entry	Kaajal

Awards

Wins

• 2004: Star Screen Award Most Promising Newcomer - Female, Andaaz
• 2004: Filmfare Best Female Debut Award, Andaaz (joint winner with Priyanka Chopra)
• 2008: Rajiv Gandhi awards (female contribution to film cinema)
• 2012: FICCI Young Achievers Award
• 2012: L’Oreal Femina Women Award

Nominations

• 2004: Zee Cine Awards Best Female Debut for Andaaz
• 2006: IIFA Awards Best supporting actress for No Entry
• 2008: Zee Cine Awards Best Supporting Role for Jhoom Barabar Jhoom
• 2009: Stardust Awards Best Actress for Billu
• 2011: Zee Cine Awards Best Supporting Role for Housefull

Konkana Sen Sharma

 

Nick Name:  Koko
Date of Birth (Birthday):  3 December, 1979
Zodiac Sign:  Sagittarius
Height:  5'1"”
Hair Color:  Black
Birth Place:  New Delhi, India
Religion:  Agnostic
Marital Status:  Commited
Hobbies:  Graphology

Making her debut as a child artist in the film Indira (1983), Sharma debuted as an adult in the Bengali thriller Ek Je Aachhe Kanya (2000). She first gained attention with the English-language film Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2002), which was directed by her mother, and received the National Film Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film. Her appearance in the drama Page 3 (2005) got her wider recognition from audiences, and she has since starred in a number of films, most of which have garnered her critical praise rather than commercial success. She won two consecutive Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Awards for her performances in Omkara (2006) and Life in a... Metro (2007), respectively. Her performance in the former won her a second National Award under the Best Supporting Actress category.^[1][2]

Sen Sharma is the daughter of Mukul Sharma (a science writer and journalist) and Aparna Sen (an actress and film director). She also has an older sibling Kamalini Chatterjee.^[3] Sen Sharma's maternal grandfather, Chidananda Dasgupta, is a film critic, scholar, professor, writer and one of the co-founders of the Calcutta Film Society. Her late grandmother Supriya Dasgupta was a cousin of legendary modern Bengali poet Jibanananda Das.

Sen Sharma has a degree in English from St Stephen's College, Delhi which she received in 2001. She was a student of the Modern High School for Girls, Calcutta, as well as the Calcutta International School.^[4]

Sen Sharma made her debut as a child artist in the film Indirah (1983). In 2000, she made her adult debut in the Bengali film Ek Je Aachhe Kanya, in which she played a negative character. It was followed by a role in Rituparno Ghosh's acclaimed film Titli, opposite Mithun Chakraborty and her mother Aparna Sen.

Konkona Sen Sharma as Meenakshi Iyer in Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, which earned her National Film Award for Best Actress

In 2001, she starred in the English-language film Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, directed by Aparna Sen. The film performed well mainly in multiplexes and was a major critical success. Sen Sharma's performance as a Tamil housewife and her mastery of the accent were received well and she was awarded the National Film Award for Best Actress.^[5] Her performance was later included in the 2010 issue of the "Top 80 Iconic Performances" by Filmfare.^[6]

"What´s special about her performance as Meenakshi Iyer is not the effort she put into it as much as the apparent lack of it. [...] Be it her squabbling with the urbane photographer Jehangir Chaudhary or her gently reprimanding him about how her name is pronounced (It's Mee-naa-kshi not Minakshi) or even when she is screaming at her infant, you believe it's Meenakshi you´ve met. And therein lies the key to her iconic performance."

—Filmfare on Sen Sharma's performance in Mr. and Mrs. Iyer (2002)^[7]

This was followed by the National Film Award-winning social film, Page 3 (2005).^[8] Her role of a smart journalist drew praise and she became a more familiar face to the movie-going public.

Sen Sharma was offered the lead role in Mira Nair's Hollywood film, The Namesake (2007), but owing to clashing dates with other films, she could not commit to the project.^[9] However, she followed it with acclaimed performances as a mentally ill woman in 15 Park Avenue (2005) and as a middle age village woman in Omkara (2006). For the latter, she received both the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award and the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her next release Deadline: Sirf 24 Ghante (2006) got average reviews. In 2006, Sen Sharma made her directorial debut with an 18-minute Bengali short film titled Naamkoron (Naming Ceremony) for the Kala Ghoda Film Festival.^[10][11]

Following this, Sen Sharma acted in Dosar, a Bengali art film by Rituporno Ghosh which was premiered at several international film festivals. She won the Best Actress award at Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council (MIAAC) Film Festival for her performance.^[12]

Konkona Sen Sharma as Indu Tyagi in Omkara (2006) which earned the actress her first Filmfare Award as well as second National Award both in supporting category

Her first release of 2007 was her second collaboration with Madhur Bhandarkar, a noir film named Traffic Signal, in which she played a street prostitute.^[13] Later that year, she appeared in Anurag Basu's Life in a... Metro. The film opened to positive reviews and performed well at the Indian box office.^[14] Metro depicted the lives of different individuals in Mumbai, and Sen Sharma's performance as a young and insecure woman earned her a second Filmfare Award.

In late 2007, Sen Sharma acted in two movies under the Yash Raj Films banner. She noted her excitement toward these two projects as these were the first films in which she had to lip-sync for songs. In the first one, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, a drama directed by Pradeep Sarkar, she portrayed the character of a Banaras small town young woman, Chutki, alongside Rani Mukerji. The film was a critical and commercial failure in India, even though her performance was received well. The second one was Aaja Nachle, which was widely promoted as the comeback film of Madhuri Dixit. The film did not do well. Rajeev Masand from CNN-IBN noted her performance in the film as being "...nothing short of fantastic. Her greatest strength is that she isn't afraid of making a fool of herself and she doesn't worry about being laughed at. As a result, her performance in Aaja Nachle is fearless and uninhibited."^[15]

In 2008, Sen Sharma starred in Dil Kabaddi. She starred in a short film (How Can It Be?) directed by Mira Nair for a movie project called 8, which was screened at several film festivals in 2008 before having a theatrical release.^[16]

In 2009, she appeared in the low-budget English-language film The President Is Coming, directed by Kunaal Roy Kapur. The film opened to generally positive reviews. Reviews were favorably directed toward her. Nikhat Kazmi from The Times of India wrote, "Performance-wise, it's the uptight and complex-ridden Ms Konkona who walks away with laurels and laughs even as the film takes a healthy snigger at the desi self."^[17]

Sen Sharma next starred in Zoya Akhtar's Luck by Chance, opposite Farhan Akhtar.^[18] Upon release, the film met with highly positive reviews from critics, as did her performance, but its financial income was modest.^[19][20] Sen Sharma's latest 2009 release was Ayan Mukerjee's romantic comedy Wake Up Sid in which she starred alongside Ranbir Kapoor. Upon release, the film received universally positive reviews,^[21] and her performance received rave reviews. Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama wrote, "Konkona is natural to the core and the best part is, she's so effortless. Here's another winning performance from this incredible performer."^[22] The New York Times wrote, "Ms. Sharma has made a specialty of characters like Aisha: independent urban women, whose dreams involve careers as well as love. Her Aisha is a nuanced creation — ambitious, sympathetic, believable — and Mr. Mukerji, making his directing debut, is right to let her run away with the film."^[23]

In 2010, Sen Sharma starred in Ashwani Dheer's comedy Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge opposite Ajay Devgan and Paresh Rawal.^[24] and Neeraj Pathak's Right Yaa Wrong where she played a lawyer. She has completed shooting for Rituparno Ghosh's comedy film Sunglass and Vinay Shukla's Mirch.

In 2011, Sen Sharma played the leading role in Aparna Sen's Iti Mrinalini,^[25][26] She will also appear in Amitabh Verma's Jackpot opposite Ranvir Shorey,^[27] in Suman Mukherjee's adaptation of Shesher Kobita^[28] and Goutam Ghose's Shunyo Awnko.

As of April 2012, Sen Sharma is set to star in Balaji Telefilms' Ek Thi Daayan, to be directed by Vishal Bhardwaj along with Emraan Hashmi and Kalki Koechlin,^[29] where the film itself is inspired by the short story written by her father Mukul Sharma.^[30] She will also be seen in Aparna Sen's Goynar Baksho.^[31]

Theatre

In June 2009, Sen Sharma starred onstage first time at Atul Kumar's The Blue Mug alongside Rajat Kapoor, Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey and Sheeba Chadha.^[32] In 2010, the play was toured around the nation and abroad.^[33]

Personal life

Konkona Sen Sharma with her husband Ranvir Shorey at the 53rd Annual Filmfare Awards (2008)

Konkona is a daughter of Bengali Indian filmmaker, script writer, and actress Aparna Sen. Sen Sharma started dating actor and co-star Ranvir Shorey in 2007. The couple got married on 3 September 2010 in a private ceremony.^[34] The Times of India reported that Sen Sharma gave birth to her first child, Haroon, on 15 March 2011 at a South Mumbai hospital.^[35] In early 2013 it was reported that Konkana has had a spat with her husband Ranvir and is living separately.

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Language	Notes
1983	Indira	Child artist	Bengali
1989	Picnic	Daughter	Bengali	TV
1994	Amodini	Teenage stepmother	Bengali
2001	Ek Je Aachhe Kanya	Ria	Bengali
2002	Titli	Titli	Bengali
2002	Mr. and Mrs. Iyer	Meenakshi Iyer	English	National Film Award for Best Actress
2004	Chai Pani Etc.	Shanti/Radha Joshi	English
2005	Amu	Kaju "Amu"	English
2005	Page 3	Madhvi Sharma	Hindi
2005	15 Park Avenue	Mithi	English
2006	Dosar	Kaberi Chatterjee	Bengali
2006	Mixed Doubles	Malti	Hindi
2006	Yun Hota To Kya Hota	Tilottima Punj	Hindi
2006	Omkara	Indu	Hindi	Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress
2006	Deadline: Sirf 24 Ghante	Sanjana	Hindi
2006	Karkat Rashi	College girl	Hindi	TV
2007	Traffic Signal	Noori	Hindi
2007	Meridian	Pramilla	Hindi	Delay
2007	Life in a... Metro	Shruti Ghosh	Hindi	Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award
2007	Laaga Chunari Mein Daag	Chutki (Shubhavari Sahay)	Hindi	Nominated—Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award
2007	Aaja Nachle	Anokhi Anokhelal	Hindi
2008	Fashion	Herself	Hindi	Special appearance
2008	Dil Kabaddi[36]	Simi	Hindi
2008	8	Zeinab	English	Segment "How can it be?"
2009	The President Is Coming	Maya Roy	English
2009	Luck by Chance[18]	Sona Mishra	Hindi
2009	Wake up Sid	Aisha Bannerjee	Hindi
2010	Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge	Munmun	Hindi
2010	Right Yaa Wrong[37]	Radhika Patnaik	Hindi
2010	Mirch[38]	Lavni/Anita	Hindi
2011	7 Khoon Maaf	Nandini	Hindi	Cameo appearance
2011	Iti Mrinalini[39]	Mrinalini Mitra	Bengali
2013	Shunyo Awnko	Raka Biswas	Bengali
2013	Ek Thi Daayan		Hindi	Releasing on April 18, 2013
2013	Blind Night	Ninu	Hindi
2013	Gaur Hari Dastaan	Lakshmi Das	Hindi
2013	Shesher Kabita	Labannya	Bengali	Post-production
2013	Sunglass		Bengali	Delay
2013	Goynar Baksho	Shomlata	Bengali	Filming

Awards

National Film Awards

• 2003: National Film Award for Best Actress, Mr and Mrs Iyer
• 2007: National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress, Omkara

Filmfare Awards

• 2007: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award, for Omkara
• 2008: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award, for Life in a... Metro
• 2008: Nominated, Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award, for Laaga Chunari Mein Daag

Zee Cine Awards

• 2006: Zee Cine Award Best Female Debut, Page 3 (Jointly with Vidya Balan)
• 2007: Zee Cine Award Best Actor in a Supporting Role- Female, for Omkara

IIFA Awards

• 2008: IIFA Best Supporting Actress Award, Life in a... Metro

Other Awards

• 2002: Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards: Best Actress for Ek Je Aachhe Kanya
• 2003: Anandalok Awards: Critics Choice for Mr and Mrs Iyer
• 2005: Kalakar Awards : Best Actress for Page 3.^[40]
• 2007: Bengal Film Journalists' Association Awards : Most Outstanding Performance of the Year for 15, Park Avenue
• 2007: Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council (MIAAC) Film Festival: Best Actress for Dosar.^[12]
• 2011: 11th New York Indian Film Festival: Best Actress for Iti Mrinalini^[41]

Koena Mitra

Koena Mitra (Bengali: কোয়েনা মিত্র; born 7 January 1984)^[1] is an Indian actress and model who appears in Bollywood films.Zodiac Sign:  Capricorn
Height:  170 cms
Weight:  54.0 kgs
Hair Color:  Black
Birth Place:  Kolkata
Education:  Bachelor's degree in Psychology
Marital Status:  Single
Languages:  Bengali, Hindi, English

Early life

Mitra was born in Kolkata, West Bengal to a Bengali Hindu family.^[1] She attended South Point High School and Lady Brabourne College of the University of Calcutta. She has a major in psychology.^[1] Mitra was trained with the Mamata Shankar ballet troupe for 12 years. She trained in western dance forms, basketball, swimming and tennis. Her dream was to be an athlete. Mitra was in high school when she won the all India title.^{[citation needed]}

Career

Modeling

Mitra started her modeling career while she was still in school.^[1] In 2002, she won the beauty pageant Gladrags Mega Model India 2003. She later went on to become the first runner up of Miss Intercontinental in Germany out of 84 countries. Over the years, Mitra has done commercials for Mirinda, Clinic All Clear, Maruti Alto, Jewellery and beauty products. She has done many fashion weeks in Milan and Beijing.

 

Acting

She featured in a few music videos like Stereo Nation’s Ishq, Aaj Ki Raat, Akh Teri, Channo by Jassi. Her first film appearance was the special appearance in Ram Gopal Varma's Road. In 2004, she appeared in Musafir, alongside Anil Kapoor. She later went on to appear in commercial successes such as Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena and Apna Sapna Money Money.

Filmography

• Road (2002) - Special Appearance in Item Number "Khullam Khulla"
• Dhool (2007) - Special Appearance
• Blackmail (2005)
• Musafir (2004)
• Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena (2005)
• Shaadi No. 1 (2005) - Special Appearance
• Insan (2005)
• Apna Sapna Money Money (2006)
• Cash (2007)
• Heyy Babyy (2007) - Special Appearance
• Agar (2007)
• Anamika (2008)
• Ayan (2009)
• Asal (2009)