Bollywood has always had a huge impact on people who are not only from India but from all over the world. The Sanjay-Leela Bhansali drama, Karan Johar romance, Rohit Shetty Action and the enjoyable musicals all equate to Entertainment, Entertainment and Entertainment! The glamour, dances and dialogues, more often than not, get cheerful responses from its audiences. We all have been in a theater where the viewers have whistled, cried and even danced. It is a dreamland that where you can see a blend of emotions.
Although the film industry is said to be based in Mumbai, bollywood actors hail from different places of the country. Sometimes it is very surprising to see small town boys and girls rise to stardom. There are so many examples, where the actors have started from humble beginnings, one of them being Shahrukh Khan himself who is now referred to as the ‘The king of Bollywood’.
Jaipur has been home to some of the finest artists of the film industry. The city is not only renowned for its beauty but the glory that its people have brought to it. So here are the names of the celebs that come from our very own Pink City!
Rajeev Khandelwal
The heartthrob of thousands of girls from all over the nation calls Jaipur his hometown. He was doing his engineering when he finally made up his mind to become an actor. He rose to fame as the character of ‘Sujal’ in the television serial ‘Kahin toh hoga’. From then on his career got a push and he starred in a number of other serials like ‘CID’, ‘Time Bomb 9/11’, ‘Left Right Left’. Rajeev also hosted the show ‘Deal Ya No Deal’. He made his first Debut with the movie ‘Amir’ and from then on signed movies like ‘Table No. 21’ and ‘Shaitan’ and made his name in the industry.
Irrfan Khan
This versatile actor was born in Jaipur. He belonged to the Tonk Hakim family from his mother’s side while his father was from a village near the Tonk district. He gave some legendary performances in movies like ‘Paan Singh Tomar’, ‘Maqbool’, ‘The Lunchbox’, and many others. He has not only contributed to Hindi Cinema but Hollywood as well by starring in films such as ‘The Namesake’, ‘The Amazing Spiderman’, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and ‘Life of Pi’ among others. He has won numerous awards and made the city proud of him.
Ila Arun
She is a well-known name in playback singing and was a huge hit with songs like ‘Choli ke Peeche’ from the movie ‘Khalnayak’,’ Resham ka Roomal’ from ‘Chhapan Chhuri’ and ‘Ringa Ringa’ from ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. She was born and raised in the Pink city and had joined the Maharani Girls College to complete her graduation. Rajasthani folk songs are her forte and she has sung numerous Rajasthani singles which have been another factor in her successful career. Ila Arun is quite a multitalented lady since she has delivered amazing performances in bollywood movies like ‘Jodha Akbar’, ‘Ghana’, and ‘China Gate’ et cetera.
Asrani
Govardhan Asrani has been a part of the film industry for almost five decades and even now he never fails with his comic timing. He was not born in Jaipur but he moved here after the partition of India and started selling carpets. Born on the 1st of January, 1941, to a middle class Sindhi family, he was never interested in business and always wanted to do something in the entertainment industry. He matriculated from St. Xavier’s school and graduated from the Rajasthan College. ‘Sholay’, ‘Chupke Chupke’, ‘Pati , Patni aur Woh’ were movies in which he acted outstandingly and continues to do so with the more recent pictures like ‘Bol Bacchan’, ‘Hera Pheri’ and ‘Hulchul’.
Jesse Randhawa
Very few people know that this strikingly beautiful super model is a Jaipurite. Jasmeet Kaur Randhawa, popularly known as Jesse Randhawa, started her modeling career in 1999 and was also a contestant in the Femina Miss India along with Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen. She is also an actress and has appeared in movies such as ‘Gulaal’, ‘Fashion’ and ‘Love Khichdi’. She also did an item number for Anurag Kashyap’s ‘No Smoking’. She is married to choreographer Sandeep Soparrkar with whom she walked the Cannes Red Carpet and was Loreal’s launch model for the event.
These celebs have definitely done Jaipur proud with their talent and achievements and will hopefully go on doing it.