The Winner of Miss World 2000; a successful actress in Hindi films; the owner of production house that promotes regional Indian cinema and the first Indian actor to play the lead character in an American television show – Priyanka Chopra’s list of achievements is long. The popular star is also a singer, a tech investor and the UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
Former Indian international cricketer M. S. Dhoni captained the Indian national team from 2007 to 2016. He played as a right-handed middle-order batsman and wicket-keeper. With more than 10,000 runs scored, he is one of the highest run-scorers in One Day Internationals (ODIs). He also became the first wicket-keeper to effect 100 stumpings in ODI cricket.
P. V. Sindhu is an Indian badminton player. In 2016, she won the Olympic silver medal in Rio de Janeiro, becoming the first Indian woman to receive an Olympic silver. Sindhu became a national icon following her performance in the 2016 Olympics. In January 2020, she was honored with the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award.
Sanjay Dutt is an Indian film actor who appears in Hindi movies. One of the most popular actors in India, Dutt is also known for his off-screen controversies; he was arrested in 1993 for possessing illegal weapons. His life and career inspired the 2018 biographical film Sanju where he was played by Ranbir Kapoor.
Kriti Sanon is an Indian actress best known for her work in Bollywood. Apart from being an actress, Sanon also endorses several brands and has launched her own clothing line as well. Over the years, Kriti Sanon has won many awards, such as the International Indian Film Academy Awards and Filmfare Award.
Business magnate Azim Premji revolutionized the Indian software industry with Wipro Limited. Twice listed to Time 100, he transformed his vegetable oil and soap manufacturing company to a leading IT solutions brand, through marked diversification. He owns a non-profit foundation and is the first Indian to join The Giving Pledge.
Considered India's most successful Test captain, legendary cricketer Sourav Ganguly, nicknamed Maharaj, was also arguably one of the best one-day batsmen of his time. Also known as the God of the Off Side, he now heads the BCCI as its president. He was initially also a talented footballer.
Padma Shri- and Padma Bhushan-winning legendary Indian singer K. S. Chithra is also a 6-time National Award winner. Trained in Carnatic music, she earned a government music scholarship. A star in the South Indian music scene, she also gained recognition with her Hindi tracks such as Kehna Hi Kya.
Sunil Gavaskar is an Indian former professional cricket player who represented the national team during the 1970s and 1980s. Considered one of the greatest batsmen in Test cricket history, Sunil Gavaskar was the first batsman to score over 10,000 runs in Test cricket. He also set many world records and held the record for most Test centuries for nearly 20 years.
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala was an Indian investor and businessman. One of the richest businessmen in India, Jhunjhunwala was referred to as the King of Bull Market and the Warren Buffett of India. He served as the chairman of Hungama Digital Media Entertainment Pvt. Ltd and Aptech Limited. He was a promoter of India's newest airline, Akasa Air.
Chandra Shekhar Azad joined India’s freedom struggle against the British after being deeply affected by the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Born Chandra Shekhar Tiwari, he declared himself as Azad when arrested in connection with Gandhiji’s non-cooperation movement. He shot himself to death to escape being held captive by the British.
Sonu Sood is an Indian film actor, producer, and humanitarian. He has played important roles in films of various languages. A well-known philanthropist, Sonu Sood helped save many lives during the COVID-19 pandemic for which he was presented the SDG Special Humanitarian Action Award. He is also credited with establishing the Sood Charity Foundation which aims at helping those in need.
Armaan Malik is an Indian singer, record producer, songwriter, actor, and voice-over artist. In 2015, he won two Global Indian Music Academy Awards (GiMA), becoming the youngest singer to win a couple of debut awards at GiMA. He has also received other prestigious awards like Stardust Award, Filmfare R. D. Burman Award, and South Indian International Movie Award.
Harbhajan Singh is an Indian professional cricket player. He was part of Indian cricket teams which won the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 and the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. Renowned for his aggressive persona and style of play, Harbhajan Singh is considered one of the greatest Indian off-spin bowlers of all time. In 2009, he was honored with the Padma Shri award.
Sonu Nigam is an Indian singer, actor, and music director. Nicknamed The Lord of Chords, Sonu is widely regarded as one of the world's best live performers. He is credited with recording over 4000 songs in several Indian languages. He has also won many prestigious awards, such as Filmfare Awards, National Award, and Indian Television Academy Awards.
Ahmed Deedat was a South African public speaker and writer of Indian descent. A popular Muslim missionary, Deedat is remembered for his inter-religious public debates with Christians. He is credited with establishing an Islamic missionary organization called IPCI. In 1986, he was honored for his missionary work with the prestigious King Faisal International Prize.
The current Indian defense minister Rajnath Singh has previously held other important portfolios, such as home affairs and agriculture. He has also been a BJP president and the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Born into a farmer’s family, he worked as a physics lecturer before he joined the RSS.
Raghav Juyal is an Indian dancer, actor, and television presenter. He is best known for reinventing and popularizing the Slow Motion Walk dance move in India. He is nicknamed King of Slow Motion for his unusual dance moves that look like a slow-motion video clip. He has appeared in many Indian dance films like ABCD 2 and Street Dancer 3D.
Indian flutist Hariprasad Chaurasia, a major figure of Hindustani classical music, is known for taking the Indian bansuri to the international stage. Born in Allahabad, he hid his musical aspirations from his father, who wanted him to take up wrestling. He grew up to became a luminary of the Senia gharana.
Bidhan Chandra Roy was an Indian educationist, physician, statesman, philanthropist, and freedom fighter. Widely regarded as the chief designer of modern West Bengal, Roy founded several institutions and four cities in the state. He also served as West Bengal's chief minister from 1948 to 1962. In 1961, Bidhan Chandra Roy was honored with India's highest civilian award, The Bharat Ratna.
Gulzarilal Nanda was the acting prime minister of India after the deaths of sitting prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964 and Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966. The Bharat Ratna winner had previously been jailed twice for his participation in Mahatma Gandhi’s Non-Cooperation Movement. He had also been an economics professor.
Initially a sound engineer, Vijay Antony later rose to become a prominent music director of the Tamil film industry. Known for his music in films such as Vettaikaaran and Kadhalil Vizhunthen, he later stepped into acting with Naan. He won the Golden Lion at Cannes for his track Naaka Mukka.
Indian singer Kailash Kher is known for his unique style of music inspired by folk and Sufi music. Born to a folk singer in Meerut, he later moved to Mumbai and began his career with jingles. The two-time Filmfare Award winner now also has a Padma Shri in his kitty.
Padma Bhushan-winning Indian billionaire businessman Shiv Nadar is known as the founder and chairman of the IT company HCL and the Shiv Nadar Foundation. While he transformed HCL from an IT hardware company into an IT enterprise, by 2021, he also turned himself into the third-richest Indian.
Gracy Singh is an Indian actress best known for portraying the role of Gauri in the 2001 musical sports film Lagaan. She then went on to play another prominent role in the popular comedy-drama film Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. Gracy Singh is also a trained Odissi and Bharatnatyam dancer.
A prominent actor of Tamil and Telugu films, Gautami also found success as a TV host and a costume designer. Diagnosed with breast cancer at age 35, she later recovered and launched Life Again Foundation, geared toward helping cancer patients. She was in a 13-year live-in relationship with actor Kamal Haasan.