Considered one of India’s most influential and best actors of all time, Aamir Khan is known for his interesting choice of films, which are well-crafted, entertaining and commercially successful. They mostly have a social message and are appreciated both by critics and the people. Sarfarosh, Lagaan, Rang De Basanti, 3 Idiots, PK and Dangal are some of his acclaimed films.
A former world no.1, Saina Nehwal holds the feat of being the only Indian female player and overall the second Indian player to achieve this ranking. She is the first Indian female to have bagged in an Olympic medal in badminton. She was also awarded India's third highest civillian award, the Padma Bhushan.
National Award-winning singer Shreya Ghoshal grew up in Rajasthan and later moved to Mumbai, where her electrical engineer father was posted. After gaining attention with the talent show Sa Re Ga Ma, the classically trained artist was catapulted to fame with her playback singing in Devdas, and never looked back.
Humayun was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, which ruled over South Asia for nearly two centuries. At the time of his demise, the empire spanned nearly one million square kilometers. The expansion of the empire under Humayun’s reign helped his son Akbar establish a substantial legacy of his own.
A former Gladrags model, Poonam Pandey is known for her nude photos and clips that she posts online from time to time. She has appeared in films such as Nasha and gained fame after she declared she would strip publicly if India won the 2011 Cricket World Cup.
Rani Mukerji is an Indian actress best known for her work in the Hindi film industry. One of the most successful actresses of her generation, Mukerji has featured in the highest-paid and most popular actresses of the 2000s lists. She has also received several awards like Filmfare Awards and Screen Awards. Rani Mukerji is also known for her humanitarian work.
Yo Yo Honey Singh is an Indian rapper, music producer, pop singer, composer, actor, and lyricist. He is currently one of the most successful and highest-paid musical artists in the music industry in India. He has received several prestigious awards including an MTV VMAI Award, MTV EMA Award, UK Asian Music Award, BritAsia TV Music Award, and Zee Cine Award.
Bismillah Khan was a reputed classical musician, credited with popularizing the shehnai, an Indian oboe like woodwind instrument, at home and abroad. Until his time, shehnai was considered a folk instrument played only at traditional ceremonies, an idea he demolished with his concert performance in 1937, eventually taking it to the global audience with his appearance at Edinburgh International Festival.
Though she was married off at age 9 and had had a baby by 14, Anandi Gopal Joshi rose to become one of the first female doctors in India and the first Indian-origin woman to graduate with a medical degree in the US. Unfortunately, she died of tuberculosis shortly before her 22nd birthday.
Shankar Mahadevan is an Indian film composer and singer. He is one-third of the popular musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy which predominantly composes music for Bollywood films. A well-known playback singer, Mahadevan has won three National Film Awards for Best Male Playback Singer. In 2019, Shankar Mahadevan was honored with the Padma Shri for his contributions to film music.
Alka Yagnik is an Indian playback singer. One of the most popular female playback singers in Bollywood, Yagnik has won a record seven Filmfare Awards and two National Film Awards in an illustrious career spanning more than 40 years. Alka Yagnik has also won other prestigious awards, such as Bollywood Movie Awards, Global Indian Film Awards, and Zee Cine Awards.
Known as the Dandiya Queen, Falguni Pathak rocked the 1990s with her chartbusting tracks such as Chudi Jo Khanki Haathon Mein, which still light up Navratri celebrations in India. She is also known for her signature androgynous looks. Though she’s based in Mumbai, her songs reflect the Gujarati folk culture.
Zakir Hussain is an Indian musician, tabla virtuoso, percussionist, composer, and music producer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest tabla players of all time, Hussain has received many prestigious awards in his illustrious career. In 1990, he was honored with the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award. In 2002, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award.
The daughter of music magnate Gulshan Kumar, who launched T-Series, Tulsi Kumar began her playback singing career with the movie Aksar. She later gained fame with hit tracks such as Sanam Re and Soch Na Sake. She is now married to a Delhi businessman and has a son.
Surya Sen, popularly known as Master Da, was initially a school teacher in Chittagong and later an eminent freedom fighter. Best known for his association with the 1930 Chittagong armoury raid, he was later imprisoned by the British and tortured mercilessly, before being hanged to death.
Initially a lawyer, Shaheer Sheikh later stepped into photography and modeling and eventually made his mark as a TV actor. Best known for serials such as Navya..Naye Dhadkan Naye Sawaal, he also played Arjuna in the 2013 version of Mahabharat. He has also appeared in Indonesian shows and films such as Turis Romantis.
Born to parents who ran a music troupe in Kanpur, Ankit Tiwari began his musical career singing jingles. He later soared to fame with Bollywood tracks such as Sunn Raha Hai and Galliyan, proving himself as a both a talented singer and a skilled music director.
Biocon founder and chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is a self-made billionaire entrepreneur who made it to Forbes’s Power Women 2020 list. Though she initially wished to be a brewer like her father, she later drifted to the biochemical industry. Apart from revolutionizing the Indian biopharma market, she also heads a charitable organization.
At 22, William Dalrymple penned the award-winning book In Xanadu. His 6-year research in Delhi culminated in the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award-winning volume City of Djinns. He has also presented the 6-part docu-series Stones of the Raj and written for publications such as Time and The Guardian.
Apart from being one of the co-founders of the Communist Party of India, M. N. Roy also established the Mexican Communist Party. Jailed for his political activities, he penned the nine-volume Prison Manuscripts in prison. He later joined the Indian National Congress but quit it soon after.