Apurv Shukla –
Film stars and other celebrities in Tinsel Town may tear each other’s hair, burn of jealousy and make mutually inflammable insinuating remarks, but come a Festival, Award function, wedding or birthday, they can be seen hugging each other and exchanging pleasantries. None is wiser to these make-believe events but there is one thing that excites everybody. That is the birthday of stars, one occasion when differences seem to be forgotten.
October not only heralds the arrival of the festival season, but is also hailed as a month of birthdays in the Hindi film industry. We look at the Libras and Scorpios born in a time of the year when the weather is slowly cooling in India, and temperatures are rising in New Zealand.
Asha Parekh
Born on October 2, the yesteryear actress, famous for her roles in films like ‘Love in Tokyo,’ ‘Caravan’ and ‘Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai’ began as a child actress in ‘Aasmaan’ (1952). Her first major success as a lead actress was the Nasir Hussain directed ‘Dil Deke Dekho,’ opposite Shammi Kapoor in 1959. A Padam Shri Award winner, she also had an eventful stint as the Chief of the Censor Board of India.
Soha Ali Khan
Born on October 4, Soha is the youngest child of actress Sharmila Tagore and the former captain of the Indian cricket team the late Nawab of Patuadi. An Oxford alumni, she left a career in banking to follow in the footsteps of her mother and elder brother Saif Ali Khan to enter the film world. Earlier this year, she married actor Kunal Khemu.
Vinod Khanna
Date of Birth: October 6. Considered as one of the most handsome actors, Vinod Khanna debuted in a negative role in 1968 in Sunil Dutt’s ‘Man Ka Meet.’ Gulzar’s ‘Mere Apne’ catapulted him to the big league of actors. In the following decades, he acted in many blockbusters including ‘Amar Akbar Anthony,’ ‘Hera Pheri’ and ‘Haath Ki Safai.’
He left Bollywood in 1982 to become a follower of spiritual leader Osho but returned after four years. His second innings was less fruitful.
A newer generation of actors had entered the fray, and the kind of cinema being made was different to the likes of Vinod Khanna. He still chalked up notable success in films like ‘Chandni’ and ‘Dayavan’ in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
He is now a Member of Parliament representing the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).
Rekha
Born on October 10, Rekha started her career as a child artist in the Telugu film ‘Rangula Ratnam’, (1966). Daughter of the famous Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan, her first Hindi film was ‘Swan Bhadon,’ in which she paired opposite Navin Nischol.
Her breakthrough occurred in 1978 when Manik Chaterjee cast her in his ‘Ghar.’ The film showed her prowess as an actor. This was followed by the huge success of Prakash Mehra’s ‘Muqaddar Ka Sikandar,’ in which her portrayal of the courtesan named Zohra, is remembered to date.
The new millennium has seen Rekha appear in a limited number of films, but still has an active presence at major film awards.
Amitabh Bachchan
Born on October 11, Amitabh Bachchan is the biggest actor in Hindi Cinema.
An alumnus of Sherwood College in Nainital, he made his debut in the Ahmad Abbas directed ‘Saat Hindustani’ in 1967. However it was Prakash Mehra’s ‘Zanjeer,’ which was the game changer in his career. The Salim-Javed script had been rejected by the likes of Dharmendra and Dev Anand. But Amitabh Bachchan immortalised the part of Inspector Vijay, and delivered countless blockbusters, most of them written by Salim-Javed.
He dabbled in politics for a few years in the mid-1980s. He has won many Filmfare, and National Awards, and ‘Padma Vibhushan.’
Hema Malini
Date of Birth: October 16. Popularly known as the ‘Dream Girl,’ she has appeared in more than 150 films. Her big break in Hindi films was opposite Raj Kapoor in ‘Sapno Ka Saudagar’ in 1968; a role originally meant for Vaijayantimala.
Her double role in the titular characters of ‘Seeta Aur Geeta’ in the Ramesh Sippy directed film won Hema Malini her first Filmfare Award. She is a trained Bharata Natyam and is currently a Member of Parliament representing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party from the Holy city of Mathura.
Sunny Deol
Born on October 19, he is the eldest son of actor Dharmendra. Sunny made his debut in ‘Betab,’ directed by Rahul Rawail in 1983. Rawail brought the best out of Sunny again after two years in the action drama ‘Arjun.’
His portrayal of Tara Singh in the blockbuster ‘Gadar’ will be cherished for a long time. Presently Sunny Deol is busy filming ‘Ghayal 2,’ the sequel to this 1990 hit ‘Ghayal.’
Buzz is that he will follow his brother Bobby and father to make a trip to Auckland next month.
