Stars of India

Aishwarya Rai By the age of 32, Rai had a tulip named after her and dolls in her image, and she was voted one of the most beautiful actors in the world. This former Miss World is an international face of L'Oréal. Having wowed Bollywood audiences for more than a decade she has crossed over to Hollywood with films such as Bride and Prejudice and Mistress of Spices. Madhuri Dixit Until Ashwariya arrived, Madhuri was the reigning queen of Bollywood. In a male-dominated industry she was the first female actor to headline a film and choose her leading man. A trained classical dancer, she acted in more than 50 movies. Now 39 and living in the US with her husband and two children, she is rumoured to be planning a comeback and reportedly turned down a part because it involved nudity. Kareena Kapoor This 26-year-old hails from the famous Bollywood Kapoor clan (think of the Redgrave dynasty) and is known for her midriff-baring tops. In 2004 she became embroiled in a kissing controversy (kissing in public is frowned upon in India). She said photographs of her kissing her boyfriend in public had been doctored, but later accepted they were true. Rani Mukerjee Has topped the Filmfare awards (an annual list of India's most influential people) for the past two years. She appeared at the closing ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, as part of a performance showcasing Indian culture. In 2006, she celebrated her birthday with the students of the Helen Keller Institute for the Deaf and Blind. She befriended members of the institute, when she was preparing for her role of a blind and deaf girl in the movie Black. Amitabh Bachchan The granddaddy of all Bollywood actors, Bachchan's career spans four decades and more than 150 films. In a 1999 BBC poll, voters named him the superstar of the millennium, ahead of Sir Laurence Olivier and Cary Grant. His comeback at the start of the decade began when he hosted India's version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? The highest-paid actor in Bollywood shows no sign of slowing down as he heads for his 64th birthday. Hrithik Roshan Known as the Indian Sylvester Stallone, Brad Pitt and Michael Jackson rolled into one. His breakout film in 2000 caused mass hysteria, which came to be known as Hrithikmania and led to him receiving 30,000 marriage proposals on Valentine's day in 2000. In the same year he earned $5m from product endorsements. Salman Khan Known as Bollywood's bad boy, Khan's life has been coloured by a series of legal and relationship problems, the latest of which resulted in a court issuing a notice against him for filing a false affidavit in connection with his gun licence. His turbulent relationship with Aishwarya Rai filled gossip columns and the endless tantrums traumatised her enough to give a press conference in spring 2003, in which she declared that she would never work with him again for personal reasons.