About Bollywood Actors:
Bollywood has always been a male-dominated industry; nevertheless the actresses too commanded equal respect they deserved. Yet it was actors who virtually ruled bollywood as their own fiefdom with their stylized performances. In the '50s and '60s it was Raj Kapoor who introduced thinly veiled sensuousness into romance in his movies such as 'Barsaat' [1949], 'Awaara' [1951], 'Shree 420' [1955] and 'Anari' [1959] to name a few. During the late '60s and into early '70s it was Rajesh Khanna the ever-green romantic hero who brought sweeping changes in bollywood romance with his super hit song n dance sequences in films like 'Aradhana' [1969], 'Do Raaste' [1970], 'Kati Patang' [1971], 'Namak Haraam' [1973], 'Aap Ki Kasam' [1974] and so on. Women audiences of his time used to swoon over him at the mere mention of his name. Rajesh Khanna thus created a unique niche for himself in bollywood as an icon of romance. Next it was Amitabh Bachchan's turn, the globally acclaimed actor who was voted as the "Star of the Millennium" in a BBC poll at the turn of this century. His booming baritone voice, deep-set misty eyes, his angry looks and a towering figure at 6' 2" [1.88 m] made him one of the finest actors that bollywood has ever seen. His awesome performances in films like 'Zanjeer' [1973], 'Deewaar' [1975], 'Sholay' [1975], 'Don' [1978], 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar' [1978], 'Laawaris' [1981] and many other hit films made him a guaranteed-performer at the box office. For this reason alone he was virtually known as one-man-industry during his hey days. To this day Amitabh Bachchan's charisma has not waned a bit and is still going strong in bollywood competing with the likes of Shahrukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and others. Shahrukh Khan breezed into bollywood like a whiff of fresh air. His delicate performances in 'Deewana' [1992] and 'Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman' [1992] made him a star overnight. He is the only actor in bollywood who perfectly blends coyness and cheekiness together to give powerful yet delicate performances in movie after movie. Hindi films like 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' [1995], 'Dil Se..' [1998], 'Mohabbatein' [2000], 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham' [2001], 'Devdas' [2002], 'Om Shanti Om' [2007], 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi' [2008] stands testimony to his amazing acting talents. Every movie he puts his appearance in would become a surefire blockbuster hit. Now an internationally acclaimed actor, Shahrukh Khan has reached the unheard of heights in bollywood becoming a cult figure globally only next to Amitabh Bachchan. Aamir Khan who takes up a movie a year has acquired the reputation of being an intense actor and a perfectionist to the core. He began as an ideal lover-boy in films like 'Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak' [1988], 'Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin' [1991], 'Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke' [1993], 'Rangeela' [1995], 'Raja Hindustani' [1996] and so on. But he built his fame on being choosy and a passionate filmmaker. His films like Oscar-nominated 'Lagaan' [2001], 'The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey' [2005] and 'Taare Zameen Par' [2007] have all stood him in good stead internationally. Aamir has indeed reached the level of fame that few actors would gain in the history of bollywood. Salman Khan is the one actor in bollywood that you may hate for his guts or love him for his disarming charms but nonetheless you cannot ignore him. He's been in and out of romances in bollywood all the time. True to his misnomer, the perpetual lover-boy, hot Salman Khan has opened his bollywood innings with 'Maine Pyar Kiya' in 1989. Since then there was no turning back for this hot-blooded actor Salman Khan. He has his share of fame too in bollywood with numerous bollywood blockbuster hits such as 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun...!' [1994], 'Tere Naam' [2003], 'No Entry' [2005], 'Partner' [2007] 'Yuvvraaj' [2008] and several other movies. There are several other well-known actors too in bollywood the likes of Sanjay Dutt, Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, John Abraham, Shahid Kapoor who became cult figures in their own right by virtue of their magnificent performances in movie after movie. Bollywood is now replete with new faces like Imran Khan, Ranbir Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Harman Baweja, Riteish Deshmukh and several others. But one never knows who would of the present crop of fresh faces give sleepless nights to Shahrukhs, Aamirs, Hrithiks and Abhishek Bachchans. Indeed bollywood is full of surprises.