15.Vijayakanth

Vijayakanth
Portrait of Vijayakanth
Born	Vijayaraj Prabhakar Alagarswami 25 August 1952 (age 59) Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
Residence	Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Occupation	Leader of Opposition in the Tamilnadu Legislative Assembly, film actor, film producer, director
Years active	1979–present
Home town	Madurai
Political party	Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam
Spouse	Premalatha (1990–present)
Children	Vijay Prabhakar shanmuga Pandian
Parents	K. N. Alagarswami and Aandal Azhagarswami

Vijayakanth (born 25 August 1952 as Vijayaraj Prabhakar Alagarswami) is an Indian actor and politician. He is the founder of the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam and a Member of Legislative Assembly representing Rishivandiyam, Tamil Nadu, India.

  Early life

Vijayakanth was born as Vijayaraj on 25 August 1952[2] in Tirumangalam, Madurai to K. N. Alagarswami and Andal in a Thottia Naicker family. Alagarswami was Madurai's Councillor for two terms. He married Premalatha on 31 January 1990 and has two sons, Vijay Prabhakar and Shanmuga Pandian. Upon entering the film industry to pursue an acting career, director Khaja (who directed his first film) changed his name to "Amirtaraj" and then "Vijayakanth", dropping the "raj" out of his name and suffixing "kanth". He has also been nicknamed "Captain" and "Puratchi Kalaignar".[3] In 2011 Tamilnadu election his party DMDK won 29 seats out of 41 contested seats and he became the leader of opposition.

Acting career

Inikum Ilamai was his first film, which was directed by M. A. Kaja. After this, he acted in Dhooraththu Idi Muzhakkam, Neerottam and Agal Vilakku. He is nicknamed 'Captain' after the 1991 movie Captain Prabhakaran which is his 100th film. Vijayakanth has starred in films including Vanathai Pola, Sethupathi IPS, Captain Prabhakaran, Pulan Visaaranai, Oomai Vizhigal, Senthurapoove, Ulavu Thurai, Periyanna, Vallarasu, Ramana, Neranja Manasu, and Sathriyan

1980s

This period was a part of Vijayakanth in Kollywood. Some of the Vijayakanth films in the eighties include Sattam Sirikkiradhu, Auto Raja, Naan Soottiya Malar, Saatchi, Nalla Naal, Veettukku Oru Kannagai, Nooravathu Naal, Vetri, Madras Vaathiyar, Madurai Sooran, Kudumbam, Naalai Unadhu Naal, Naaney Raja Naaney Mandhiri, Amman Koyil Kizhakkale, Annai En Dheivam, Manakanakku, Oru Iniya Udhayam, Vasantha Raagam, Poomazhai Pozhiyudhu, Sattam Oru Vilaiyaattu, Siraipparavai, Uzhavan Magan, Veera Pandiyan, Therkathi Kallan, Sendhoorappoovey, Meenatchi Thiruvilaiyadal, Ponmana Selvan, Paattukku Oru Thalaivanand En Purushanthaan Enakku Mattumthaan. His First Movie is "Dhoorathu Idi Muzhakkam"

 1990s

Vijayakanth acted in a good number of blockbuster films in the nineties also. Some of them are Pudhu Paadagan, Pulanvisaranai(a blockbuster film directed by R.K Selvamani), Sathriyan,En Aasai Machaan,Thayagam,Ezhai Jaathi,Karuppu Nila,Captain Prabhakaran(a blockbuster film directed by R.K Selvamani and given 100th hit Film in Industry, all other actors 100th film flopped including Rajinikanth), Chinna Gounder, Sendhoorappandi, Enga Mudhalaali, Sedhupathi IPS, Thirumoorthi, Alexander,Dharma Chakkaram,Periya Maruthu,Thaai Mozhi(Guest Appearence(Sarath kumar as a Hero), Thamizh Selvan directed by BharathiRaja,Honestraj, Veeram Vilanja Mannu, Ulavuthurai, Periyanna and Kallazhagar.

2000s

Vallarasu, Vaanathai Pola directed by Vikraman, Simhasanam, Vaanchinathan, Narasimma, Kannupada Poguthaiya, Thavasi, Devan, Thennavan, Rajjiyam, Engal Anna, Sokkathangam, Ramana (a blockbuster film directed by A. R. Murugadoss),perarasu,Sudheshi, Arasangam (150th film directed by R.Madhesh), Sabari,Engal aasan, Mariyathai, and Virudhagiri (vijayakanth's first directional venture).

Political career

He formed the center-left winged Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), a regional political party in Tamil Nadu. He formally announced the party's formation on 14 September 2005 in Madurai. His party contested in all seats in 2006 assembly elections and won one seat contested by him. In 2011 election held on April 13, 2011 he formed an alliance with AIADMK and contested in 41 constituencies. His party saw phenomenal success by winning 29 of the 41 seats it had contested from. It is a significant day in the history of Tamil Nadu as DMDK has won more seats than the DMK and occupied the position of MLA for the second time. Vijayakanth emerged victorious from the Rishivandhiyam constituency in the 2011 state assembly elections.

14.Jayalalithaa Jayaram

J. Jayalalithaa
Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 May 2011
Preceded by	M. Karunanidhi
Constituency	Srirangam
In office 2 March 2002 – 12 May 2006
Preceded by	O. Panneerselvam (Acting CM)
Succeeded by	M. Karunanidhi
Constituency	Andipatti
In office 14 May 2001 – 21 September 2001
Preceded by	M. Karunanidhi
Succeeded by	O. Panneerselvam (Acting CM)
Constituency	Did not contest
In office 24 June 1991 – 12 May 1996
Preceded by	President's rule
Succeeded by	M. Karunanidhi
Constituency	Bargur
Personal details
Born	24 February 1948 (age 64) Mysore, India
Political party	AIADMK
Residence	Poes Garden, Chennai, India
Religion	Hinduism

Jayalalithaa Jayaram (born 24 February 1948, and commonly referred to as J. Jayalalitha), is the Chief Minister of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. She was a popular film star in Indian cinema before her entry into politics, having appeared in many Tamil and Telugu films, as well as several produced in Hindi and Kannada. She is the incumbent general secretary of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK). She is called Amma ('Mother') and Puratchi Thalaivi ('Revolutionary Leader') by her followers.

Although there have been claims that Jayalalithaa was introduced to politics by Ramachandran, she has denied this. She was a member of the Rajya Sabha elected from Tamil Nadu during the period of 1984–89. Soon after the death of Ramachandran, Jayalalithaa proclaimed herself as his political heir.[2][3] She is the first elected female Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

  Early life and education

Jayalalithaa was born into a Tamil Iyengar family on 24 February 1948 at Melukote, in Pandavapura taluk of Mandya district, Karnataka. In accordance with Iyengar custom[citation needed] she was given two names, thus her other name is Komalavalli. Her grandfather was in the service of the then Mysore kingdom as a surgeon, and the prefix Jaya (the victorious) was added to the names of various of her family members to reflect their association with Maharaja Jayachamarajendra Wodeyar of Mysore.

Jayalalithaa’s father died at her age of two.Her mother then moved to Bangalore, where her parents lived, with Jayalalithaa. Her mother eventually began to work as an actress in Tamil cinema, based in Chennai, having taken the screen name of Sandhya.While in Bangalore, Jayalalithaa attended Bishop Cotton Girls' High School.She completed her childhood education at Sacred Heart Matriculation School (popularly known as Church Park Presentation Convent or Presentation Church Park Convent) in Chennai.She excelled at school and was offered a government scholarship to pursue further education.She appears not to have accepted the admission offered to her at Stella Maris College, Chennai.

Early career

Her mother persuaded her to work in films when Jayalalithaa was still in school, taking assurances from producers that shooting would take place only during summer vacations and that she would not miss her classes. Jayalalithaa acted in an English language film, Epistle, released in 1961. She made her debut as the lead actress in Kannada films while still in school, aged 15, in Chinnada Gombe (1964).

Jayalalithaa's debut in Tamil cinema was a role in Vennira Aadai (1965), directed by C. V. Sridhar. The following year, she made her debut in Telugu cinema with the film Manushulu Mamathalu. She was the first heroine to appear in skirts in Tamil films.

Between 1965 and 1972 she acted frequently with M. G. Ramachandran and she also worked with B. Saroja Devi in Arasa Kattalai. Her other early roles were in suspense films such as Naan and comedies such as Galatta Kalyanam.[citation needed]

Later career

In 1972, Jayalalithaa acted in Pattikada Pattanama opposite Sivaji Ganesan, which went onto win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil in 1973. The film also fetched her a Filmfare Award for Best Actress. Her performance in Suryakanthi and Chandradhoyam were critically acclaimed and the former won her another Filmfare Award for Best Actress in 1973. The same year she acted in the Telugu film Sri Krishna Satya and won her third Filmfare Award for Best Actress.[citation needed]

Her other films with Sivaji Ganesan include Galatta Kalyanam and Deiva Magan. Deiva Magan also holds the distinction of being the first Tamil film to be submitted by India for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.[7] She continued pairing up with younger actors such as Ravichandran and Jaishankar in a number of films such as Vairam, Baghdad Perazhagi.[citation needed]

Later Tamil films in which she acted included Kandan Karunai and she also starred in a Bollywood film. Izzat, which saw her paired with Dharmendra.Her last film was Nadhiyai Thedi Vandha Kadal which was released in 1980.

Political career

Although there have been claims that Ramachandran, who had been Chief Minister for the state since 1977, was instrumental in introducing Jayalalithaa to politics, she has denied this. In 1982, she joined the AIADMK, which had been founded by Ramachandran.Her maiden public speech Pennin Perumai (the Pride of Women) was delivered at the political conference of the AIADMK that year.In 1983, she became Propaganda Secretary for the party and was also selected as AIADMK candidate in the by-election for the Tiruchendur Assembly constituency.

Ramachandran wanted her to be a member of the Rajya Sabha because of her fluency in English.She was nominated and elected to that body as a Member of Parliament in 1984[clarification needed and retained her seat until 1989.

13.Muthuvel Karunanidhi

M. Karunanidhi

M. Karunanidhi in Chief Minister's office

15th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

In office

May 13, 2006 – May 15, 2011

Preceded by

J.Jayalalithaa

Succeeded by

J.Jayalalithaa

Constituency

Chepauk

12th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

In office

13 May 1996 – 13 May 2001

Preceded by

J.Jayalalithaa

Succeeded by

O. Panneerselvam

Constituency

Chepauk

10th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

In office

27 January 1989 – 30 January 1991

Preceded by

Janaki Ramachandran

Succeeded by

J. Jayalalithaa

Constituency

Harbour

4th Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

In office

15 March 1971 – 31 January 1976

Preceded by

President's rule

Succeeded by

President's rule

Constituency

Saidapet

3rd Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

In office

10 February 1969 – 4 January 1971

Preceded by

V.R. Nedunchezhiyan (acting)

Succeeded by

President's rule

Constituency

Saidapet

Personal details

Born

Dakshinamurthi

June 3, 1924 (age 87)

Thirukkuvalai, Madras Presidency, British India

Political party

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam

Spouse(s)

Padmavathi (deceased)

Dayalu

Rajathi

Children

M. K. Muthu

M. K. Azhagiri

M. K. Stalin

M. K. Tamilarasu

M. K. Selvi

M. K. Kanimozhi

Residence

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Religion

Atheist

Muthuvel Karunanidhi (born Dakshinamurthi, June 3, 1924)is an Indian politician and a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. He is the head of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK),a Dravidian political party in the state of Tamil Nadu. He has been the leader of the DMK since the death of its founder, C. N. Annadurai, in 1969 and has served as chief minister five times (1969–71, 1971–76, 1989–91, 1996–2001 and 2006–2011). He holds the record of winning his seat in every election in which he has participated in a political career spanning more than 60 years.In the 2004 Lok Sabha Elections, he led the DMK-led DPA (UPA and Left Parties) in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry to win all 40 Lok Sabha seats. In the following 2009 Lok Sabha Elections, he was able to increase the number of seats for the DMK from 16 to 18 seats, and led the UPA in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry, to win 28 seats, even with a significantly smaller coalition. He is also a playwright and screenwriter in Tamil cinema. He is called by his supporters as Kalaignar, "scholar of arts").

 Early life

Muthuvel Karunanidhi was born as Dakshinamurthy in Thirukuvalai in Tiruvarur, British India,on 3 June 1924 to Muthuvel and Anjugam.He belongs to Isai Vellalar community based in Tamilnadu.

Personal life

He has claimed that the secret of his energy and success lies in the daily practice of yoga. He married three times; his wives are the late Padmavathy, Dayalu Ammal and Rajathiammal.

His sons are M. K. Muthu, M. K. Alagiri, M. K. Stalin, and M. K. Tamilarasu. His daughters are Selvi and Kanimozhi. Kanimozhi is a Rajya Sabha MP. M. K. Muthu, his eldest son was born to Padmavathy, who died early. Azhagiri, Stalin, Selvi and Tamilarasu were born to Dayaluammal, while Kanimozhi is the only daughter from his third wife, Rajathiammal.[citation needed] He has donated his house, that is to be converted into a free hospital for the poor after his death.

Screenwriting

Karunanidhi began his career as a screenwriter in the Tamil film industry.Through his wit and oratorical skills he rapidly rose as a popular politician. He was famous for writing historical and social (reformist) stories which propagated the socialist and rationalist ideals of the Dravidian movement to which he belonged. He first began using Tamil cinema to propagate his political ideas through the movie Parasakthi. Parasakthi was a turning point in Tamil cinema, as it espoused the ideologies of the Dravidian movement and also introduced two prominent actors of Tamil filmdom, Sivaji Ganesan and S. S. Rajendran.The movie was initially banned but was eventually released in 1952. It was a huge box office hit, but its release was marred with controversies. The movie was opposed by orthodox Hindus since it contained elements that criticized Brahmanism.Two other movies written by Karunanidhi that contained such messages were Panam and Thangarathnam.These movies contained themes such as widow remarriage, abolition of untouchability, self-respect marriages, abolition of zamindari and abolition of religious hypocrisy.[19] As his movies and plays with strong social messages became popular, they suffered from increased censorship; two of his plays in the 1950s were banned.

Literature

Karunanidhi is known for his contributions to Tamil literature. His contributions cover a wide range: poems, letters, screenplays, novels, biographies, historic novels, stageplays, dialogues, songs, etc. He has written Kuraloviam for Thirukural, Tholkaappiya Poonga, Poombukar, as well as many poems, essays and books.

Apart from literature, Karunanidhi has also contributed to the Tamil language through art and architecture. Like the Kuraloviyam, in which Kalaignar wrote about Thirukkural, through the construction of Valluvar Kottam he gave an architectural presence to Thiruvalluvar, in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. At Kanniyakumari, Karunanidhi has constructed a 133-foot-high statue of Thiruvalluvar, which portrays his feelings about the scholar.

Books

Books Karunanidhi's writings include: Sanga Thamizh, Thirukkural Urai, Ponnar Sankar, Romapuri Pandian, Thenpandi Singam, Vellikizhamai, Nenjukku Needhi,Iniyavai Irubathu and Kuraloviam. His books of prose and poetry number more than 100.

12.Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra born 18 July 1982 is an Indian actress, singer-songwriter and former Miss World. Before starting her acting career, she worked as a model and gained fame after winning the Miss World title in 2000. She is often referred to by the nickname "Piggy Chops", which was given to her by co-stars on the set of the film Bluffmaster! During her career, Chopra has received four Filmfare Awards, among seven nominations and one National Film Award for Best Actress.

Chopra made her acting debut with the 2002 Tamil film Thamizhan. The following year, she made her Bollywood film debut with The Hero: Love Story of a Spy and followed it with the hit Andaaz, for which she won a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award. In 2004, she became the second woman to win the Filmfare Best Villain Award, which she received for her critically acclaimed performance in Aitraaz. She subsequently appeared in successful films like Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), Krrish (2006) and Don: The Chase Begins Again (2006).

2008 marked the beginning of a new phase in Chopra's career. Her portrayal of a troubled model in Fashion earned her a National Film Award for Best Actress, as well as a Filmfare Award for Best Actress. She received further critical acclaim for roles in films like Kaminey (2009), What's Your Raashee? (2009) and 7 Khoon Maaf (2011), for which she won a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress and followed it with commercially successful films such as Don 2 (2011) and Agneepath (2012) . Having done so, Chopra established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses in Bollywood.

In addition to movie acting, Chopra is a trained western classical singer. She signed a worldwide recording agreement with Universal Music and Desi Hits to record and release her first music album. The first single is expected to release in June 2012.

11.Vidya Balan

Vidya Balan

Date of Birth

1 January 1978, Palghat, Kerala, India

Birth Name

Vidya P. Balan

Height

5' 4" (1.63 m)

Vidya was born in Palghat, Kerala, India. Her family consists of her dad, P.R. Balan, who is the Vice-President of ETC Channel; mom - a home-maker, and an elder sister, Priya, who is married to Kedar. She also has an aunt by the name of Raji Raju.

The Balan family re-located to live at Road No. 11, near Ambedkar Garden, Chembur, Bombay, when Vidya was very young. She studied in St. Anthony's Convent School, and thereafter in St. Xavier's College from where she obtained a degree in Sociology. She then went on to obtain a Masters degree in Sociology from Bombay University.

She also studied and performed in Prithvi Theaters' workshops. Due to tradition of most Tamil-Iyer families, Vidya and her Priya learned Carnatic dance form during their early childhood days, but Vidya opted out as the dance classes took place early on Sunday mornings and as she is not an early riser.

Considerably overweight, rather tomboyish, during her school-days, and an ardent fan of Shahrukh Khan, she decided to shed those extra pounds when she elected to opt for modeling and movies.

Facing disappointment after being rejected by a Tamil producer, she nevertheless persisted until she got her first break with a Malyalam movie 'Chakram' opposite Mohanlal, however, the project was shelved, and she had to wait until 1998 to debut in a Surf Excel commercial. She then went on to appear in several commercials directed by Pradeep Sarkar. She completed nearly 90 such ads.

She appeared in three music videos for Pankaj Udhas, Euphoria, and Shubha Mudgal in supporting roles. She then also appeared in two TV serials Ekta Kapoor's 'Hum Paanch', and Ashok Pandit's 'Hanste Khelte'.

During 2003 she was signed-up to play a role in a Bengali movie 'Bhaalo Theko' opposite Joy Sengupta. This project was completed during the year 2006, and was a considerable hit.

Then during 2006 Vidya was approached by Vidhu Vinod Chopra during a pop-concert in Mumbai to play a lead role in 'Parineeta'. She then had to undergo 17 make-up shoots and 40 screen tests before being chosen for this role. All this hard work did result in success as 'Parineeta' was very well received so much so that the Tamil producer, who had previously rejected her, invited her to appear in a 'Dasavatharam' opposite Kamal Hassan, and now it was Vidya's turn to reject this offer which eventually went to 'Asin'.

Apart from acting, Vidya occupies herself for supporting education for young Indians by promoting children's' books; is associated with Americans for Aids Research; with Hale House - that provides support and housing for children born with HIV and drug abuse; as well as hosting forums and attending events for Harvard Aids Institute.

Single, never involved in any relationship or scandal, she claims to get along well with both female and male friends.

An ardent devotee of Bhagwan Shri Sai Baba, she makes it a point to attend Mandirs every Thursday. She is proficient in Tamil, Malyalam, Hindi, English, Bengali, and can also read Urdu.

December 2011 saw the release of Ekta Kapoor's The Dirty Picture, a biopic based on the life and death of the controversial Indian actress Silk Smitha. Balan was cast as Silk, who was—in Balan's words—"known for her brazenness and in-your-face sexuality."She described the role as the "boldest" she had ever played, one that "required a lot of mental preparation," and in order to look the part, she gained 12 kgs. The film opened to major critical acclaim, and Balan received unanimous praise for her portrayal, which several reviewers regarded as her best performance to date. Khalid Mohamed observed, "She’s extraordinary: gutsy, consistently in character and unafraid of exposing her darker side. Here’s the kind of complex performance which you haven’t evidenced in years and years. This award-winning act bookended by her contrasting portrayal in No One Killed Jessica, reaffirms her as the finest artiste on the scene today."Her director Milan Luthria described her as the contemporary claimant of the sex-symbol title because of her unique sex appeal, and compared her "voluptuousness" to the likes of yesteryear actresses such as Sridevi and Vyjayanthimala. The film was eventually declared a blockbuster with a total gross of INR117 crore (US$23.34 million), emerging as the biggest opening ever for a women-oriented film in the history of Indian Cinema.Balan won her first National Film Award for Best Actress[48], a second Filmfare Award for Best Actress and a third consecutive Screen Award for Best Actress that year along with several other awards in the same category for her performance in the film.

10.A.R. Rahman

A.R. Rahman

Date of Birth

6 January 1966,

Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Birth Name

A.S. Dileep Kumar

Nickname

The Mozart of Madras

Isai Puyal

Allah Rakha Rahman was born A.S. Dileep Kumar on January 6, 1966, in Madras (now Chennai), India, to a musically affluent family. Dileep started learning the piano at the age of 4, and at the age of 9, his father passed away. Since the pressure of supporting his family fell on him, he joined Ilayaraja's troupe as a keyboard player at the age of 11. He dropped out of school as a result of this and traveled all around the world with various orchestras.

He accompanied the great tabla maestro Zakir Hussain on a few world tours and also won a scholarship at the Trinity College of Music at Oxford University, where he studied Western classical music and obtained a degree in music. Due to some personal crisis, Dileep Kumar embraced Islam and came to be known as A.R. Rahman. In 1987, he moved to advertising, where he composed more than 300 jingles over 5 years. In 1989, he started a small studio called Panchathan Record Inn, which later developed into one of the most well-equipped and advanced sound recording studios in India.

At an advertising awards function, Rahman met one of India's most famous directors, Mani Ratnam. Rahman played him a few of his music samples. Mani loved them so much that he asked Rahman to compose the music for his next film, Roja (1992). The rest, as they say, is history. He went on to compose several great hits for Tamil-language films before composing the score and songs for his first Hindi-language film, Bollywood Dreams (1995). The enormous success of his first Hindi venture was followed by the chart-topping soundtrack albums of films such as Bombay (1995) , Dil Se.. (1998), Taal (1999), Zubeidaa (2001), and Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001), which was nominated for best foreign-language film at the 2002 Academy Awards.

Awards

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by A. R. Rahman

AR Rahman at his residence in Chennai after bagging two Academy Awards for his work in Slumdog Millionaire (2009)

Rahman was the 1995 recipient of the Mauritius National Award and the Malaysian Award for contributions to music. He was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for his first West-End production. A four-time National Film Award winner and recipient of six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, fifteen Filmfare Awards and thirteen Filmfare Awards South for his music and scores.He has been conferred Kalaimamani from the Government of Tamil Nadu for excellence in the field of music, special music achievement awards from the Government of Uttar Pradesh and Government of Madhya Pradesh and the Padma Shri from the Government of India.In 2006, he received an honorary award from Stanford University for contributions to global music.[93] In 2007, Rahman was entered into the Limca Book of Records as "Indian of the Year for Contribution to Popular Music", and the Guinness World Records in 2010 as the original composer of "Maa Tujhe Salaam", from the album Vande Mataram – the song performed in the most number of languages worldwide . He is the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient from the Rotary Club of Madras.[96] In 2009, for his score of Slumdog Millionaire, Rahman won the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award, the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score,the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music, and two Academy Awards for Best Original Music Score and Best Original Song at the 81st Academy Awards. Rahman has received honorary doctorates from Middlesex University and Aligarh Muslim University. Later the year Rahman was conferred the honorary doctorate from Anna University in Chennai.[100] He has also won two Grammy Awards, for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album and Best Song Written for a Visual Media. Rahman was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honor, in 2010. Rahman's work for the film 127 Hours garnered him Golden Globe, BAFTA, and two Academy Award nominations for Best Original Music Score and Best Original Song in 2011. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Trinity College of Music, presented to him by Trinity College London.

 He worked with Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber and Shekhar Kapur (director of Elizabeth (1998)) on a musical called "Bombay Dreams." At 36 years old, A.R. Rahman has revolutionized Indian film music and one can only expect this musical genius to reach greater heights.

 Rahman has performed three successful world tours to audiences in Singapore, Australia, Malaysia, Dubai, the United Kingdom, Canada, the United States and India. He has been collaborating with Karen David for her upcoming studio album. A two-disc soundtrack, Introducing A. R. Rahman (2006) featuring 25 of his pieces from Tamil film scores was released in May 2006, and his non-film album, Connections was released on 12 December 2008. Rahman also performed at the White House State dinner arranged by US President Barack Obama during the official visit of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on November 24, 2009. Rahman is one of over 70 artists who performed on "We Are the World 25 for Haiti", a charity single to raise emergency relief funds in the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. In 2010, Rahman composed "Jai Jai Garvi Gujarat" in honor of the 50th anniversary of the formation of Gujarat State, "Semmozhiyaana Thamizh Mozhiyaam" as part of World Classical Tamil Conference 2010,and the official theme song of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, "Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto".Rahman organised his first world tour, named A. R. Rahman Jai Ho Concert: The Journey Home World Tour, in 2010. The ongoing tour was kicked off on June 11 at the Nassau Coliseum in New York and will span 16 major cities worldwide.

Some of his notable compositions were performed live by the London Philharmonic Orchestra in April 2010. In February 2011, Rahman collaborated with Michael Bolton for his new studio album Gems – The Duets Collection.Rahman reworked on his song "Sajna" from the 2009 American film Couples Retreat to create the track.

On 20 May 2011, English musician Mick Jagger announced the formation of a new supergroup, SuperHeavy, which includes Dave Stewart, Joss Stone, Damian Marley, and Rahman. The band's self-titled album is slated for release in September 2011.The album will see Mick Jagger singing in Rahman's composition "Satyameva Jayate", which translates to "the truth alone triumphs".

In January 2012, it was announced the German Film Orchestra Babelsberg would join KM Music Conservatory musicians in a 100-member concert tour of five Indian cities performing Rahman's compositions. The tour, named "Germany and India 2011–2012: Infinite Opportunities'. Classic Incantations", will mark the centenary of Indian cinema and of Studio Babelsberg, the world's oldest film studio.

9.Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin ( மு.க. ஸ்டாலின் Mu.Ka. Sţāliņ)

M. K. Stalin

Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin ( மு.க. ஸ்டாலின் Mu.Ka. Sţāliņ) (born March 1, 1953) is an Indian politician, the Ex-Deputy Chief Minister of Tamilnadu and former actor, better known as M. K. Stalin. He is the third son of famous politician of Tamil Nadu, Karunanidhi, and was born to his second wife, Mrs. Dayalu Ammal and was named after Joseph Stalin. Stalin completed his graduation in history from Nandanam Arts College, Chennai in University of Madras. Stalin became the Minister for Rural Development and Local Administration in the Government of Tamil Nadu after the 2006 assembly elections. On 29 May 2009, Stalin was nominated as Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu by Governor Surjit Singh Barnala. His elder brother M.K. Azhagiri is the Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers. His half-sister Kanimozhi is a Rajya Sabha member.

Stalin serves as Youth Wing President of the DMK.

  Political career

Ex-Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister of Tamilnadu M.K.Stalin was born in Madras, now Chennai. His political career began when as a 14-year old, he campaigned in the 1967 elections. In 1973 Stalin was elected to the General committee of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK).

He came to limelight when he was jailed under Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) for protesting against the Emergency. Stalin has been elected four times to the Tamil Nadu Assembly since 1989 from the Thousand Lights constituency in Chennai. Stalin became the city's first directly elected Mayor in 1996.

Stalin was reelected Mayor in 2001, however, the then Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa enacted the Tamil Nadu Municipal Laws (Amendment) Act, 2002, a law that prevents a person from holding two elected posts in the government. This law was applied retrospectively to Stalin's case (he was elected MLA) in a move widely seen as aimed at removing as Chennai's Mayor.[7] However the Madras High Court struck down the law stating that legislative bodies were not “prevented” from making laws affecting the “substantive rights” of persons retrospectively. However, the court held under Madras (now Chennai) City Municipal Corporation Act, 1919, a person cannot be Mayor for two consecutive terms though unlike Stalin earlier mayor were not directly elected. Stalin did not appeal in the Supreme Court.

Stalin has been arrested several times on various public issues since he was first arrested in 1975 under MISA, which is close to terrorism and goondas act. severe physical punishment has been imposed on him previously. Karunanidhi midnight arrest in which Karunanidhi, Stalin, Maran, and others were arrested and charged in the flyover scam. This was widely considered to be an act of political vendetta,[9] as the FIR or police complaint was lodged on Friday night and the arrests were carried out only a few hours later on Saturday morning.While the arrests took place in 2001, the chargesheet was only filed in court four years later, in 2005.

In Tamil Nadu, Stalin played a crucial role in the campaigning and the eventual victory of the DMK-Allied-United Progressive Alliance (UPA) in the 2009 general election.Opponents of the DMK, some political observers and the DMK party's senior-most members criticise that Karunanidhi is trying to promote Stalin as an attempt to start a political dynasty along the lines of the Nehru-Gandhi family. Vaiko, who quit the DMK, has been the most vocal and some political observers see it as a move to sideline Vaiko as he was seen as threat to Stalin.

However, DMK sources and those who have watched the political upheaval of the 1970s and 1980s deny this and say Stalin has come up on his own merit. They say that Stalin has faced a lot of hardship since 1975 when he was jailed under MISA. He was beaten up in jail so brutally during the Emergency that a fellow DMK Party prisoner died trying to save him.

Stalin was an MLA in 1989 and 1996 when his father Karunanidhi was the Chief Minister but he was not inducted into the Cabinet. He contested and became Chennai's 44th mayor but the first directly elected Mayor in 1996. It was only in his fourth term as MLA that he was made a Minister in the Karunanidhi cabinet and his rise is slow and steady. They further point out that Karunanidhi has even expelled his other sons M.K. Muthu and M.K. Azhagiri when they were guilty of wrongdoing.He won in election 2011 as an MLA.

M. K. Stalin

Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu

In office

29 May 2009 – 15 May 2011

Minister of Local administration and Rural Development

In office

13 May 2006 – 15 May 2011

Succeeded by    K. P. Munusamy

Mayor of Chennai

In office

October 2001 – October 2006

Succeeded by    M. Subramaniam

Mayor of Chennai

In office

October 1996 – October 2001

Personal details

Born      March 1, 1953 (age 59)

Madras, Madras State, India

Political party     DMK

Spouse(s)            Durga alias Saantha

Children               Udhayanidhi Stalin

Senthamarai

Residence           Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Website               www.mkstalin.net

8.Lakshmi N. Mittal

Lakshmi N. Mittal

Lakshmi Niwas Mittal (born 15 June 1950) is an Indian steel magnate. He is the chairman and chief executive officer of ArcelorMittal, the world’s largest steelmaking company.

Mittal is the richest man in India, Asia and the United Kingdom, and second in Europe and is presently the 6th richest individual in the world with a personal wealth of US$20.7 billion. He is the 44th "most powerful person" of the 68 individuals named in Forbes's Most Powerful People list. His daughter Vanisha Mittal's wedding was the most expensive in the recorded history of the world.

Mittal is an independent director of Goldman Sachs, member of Board of Directors to Goldman Sachs Media/Film IP Group, member of the Board of Directors of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company,World Steel Association, Foreign Investment Council in Kazakhstan, the International Investment Council in South Africa, the Investors' Council to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the World Economic Forum’s International Business Council, the World Steel Association's Executive Committee, the Presidential International Advisory Board of Mozambique and the International Iron and Steel Institute’s Executive Committee.

He also presently serves as a board council member of the Prime Minister of India's Global Advisory Council of Overseas Indians. and members in the Advisory Board of the Kellogg School of Management, Executive Board at Indian School of Business and St. Xavier's College, Calcutta Alumni Association, London Chapter.[citation needed]

In 2006, Financial Times named him "Person of the Year". In 2007, Time magazine included him in their "100 most influential persons in the world".

Early life and career

Lakshmi Narayan Mittal alias Lakshmi Niwas Mittal was born into a Hindu Indian Marwari business family in Churu district of Rajasthan, India. His family moved from (Rajgarh)Sadulpur, Rajasthan to Calcutta in West Bengal. Mittal has two siblings (brothers) named Pramod Mittal and Vinod Mittal. He graduated from St. Xavier's College, Calcutta with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in business and accounting. While out of college, Mittal turned to his family’s steel business which he helped run until a falling out with his father, mother, and brother. After this Mittal branched into his own business with the purchase of a plant located in Indonesia in 1976.[14] It was this purchase which led to the creation of Arcelor Mittal. His father, Mohan Lal Mittal, ran a steel business, Nippon Denro Ispat. Until the 1990s, the family's main assets in India were a cold-rolling mill for sheet steels in Nagpur and an alloy steels plant near Pune. Today, the family business, including a large integrated steel plant near Mumbai, is run by Lakshmi's brothers, Pramod and Vinod, but Lakshmi has no connection with it.[15]

Mittal started his career working in the family's steel making business in India, and in 1976, when the family founded its own steel business, he set out to establish its international division, beginning with the buying of a run-down plant in Indonesia. Shortly afterwards he married Usha, the daughter of a well-to-do moneylender. In 1976, due to differences with his father, mother and brothers,branched out on his the LNM Group, and he has been responsible for the development of its businesses ever since. Mittal Steel is a global steel producer with operations in 14 countries.[citation needed]

Lakshmi Mittal

Born      15 June 1950 (age 61)

Sadulpur, Rajasthan, India

Residence           London, United Kingdom

Nationality          Indian

Ethnicity               Marwari

Citizenship          India

Alma mater        St. Xavier's College, Calcutta (B.Com.)

Occupation         Chairman & CEO of ArcelorMittal

Director of Goldman Sachs

Owner of Karrick Limited

Co-owner of

Queens Park Rangers F.C.

Known for           King of Steel, Steel tycoon

Net worth           increase US$ 20.7 billion (2012)

Religion                Hinduism

Children               Vanisha Mittal

Aditya Mittal

Awards                 Padma Vibhushan (2007)