Sonia Gandhi's Biography

Sonia Gandhi's Biography

The story should have had a fairy-tale ending: a beautiful young girl meets her handsome Prince Charming, has two children, and lives happily every after. In 1968, however, when Sonia Maino married Rajiv Gandhi of India, the fairy tale was only half realized. She snagged a handsome prince, but she also inherited the troubled history of his country. Rajiv Gandhi was a member of a family that had ruled India since the 1940s. His grandfather, Jawaharlal Nehru, was India's first prime minister, and his mother, Indira Gandhi, held that office throughout the 1970s. Rajiv himself briefly served as prime minister in the 1980s, but was assassinated in 1991 as he attempted to reclaim the post. Almost a decade after her husband's death, Sonia Gandhi reluctantly followed in her famous family's footsteps by entering politics. In 2004, after serving as president of India's Congress Party, she was called upon by members of Parliament to take up the reins of prime minister. Gandhi shocked the nation, and the world, when she declined. Members of the opposition breathed a sigh of relief, but others feared that the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty had come to an end.

Sonia Gandhi was born Sonia Maino on December 9, 1947, in the small village of Orbassano, just outside Turin, Italy. She was raised in a traditional Roman Catholic household, and her parents, Stefano and Paolo, were working class people. Stefano was a building contractor who owned his own medium-sized construction business; Paolo took care of the family's three daughters. When Sonia was eighteen years old, her father sent her to Cambridge, England, to study English. He did not know that his oldest daughter's life was about to change forever

While Sonia Gandhi served as hostess at state functions and received visiting dignitaries along with her mother-in-law, Rajiv Gandhi remained relatively removed from politics. After leaving Cambridge, he did not go into engineering; instead he pursued his passion for flying and became a commercial airline pilot for Indian Airlines. The heir to the political throne was expected to be Rajiv's younger brother, Sanjay (1946–1980). As a result, the Gandhis lived in relative peace and quiet, while raising their two children, Rahul and Priyanka, away from the glare of the media.

India's government is based on the British parliamentary system. The Parliament, or ruling legislative body, is divided into two houses: the upper house, called the Rajya Sabha, consists of a maximum of 250 members; the lower house, known as the Lok Sabha, is composed of no more than 545 members. As in the United States, members of each house are elected to office, and they represent constituents who reside in a particular state. There are fourteen states in India. Legislative elections are held every five years. Following the election, if one party receives a majority of votes, one member is voted in by the party as prime minister. If one party does not achieve a majority of votes, members negotiate with other parties in order to form what is known as a coalition government.

India's government is based on the British parliamentary system. The Parliament, or ruling legislative body, is divided into two houses: the upper house, called the Rajya Sabha, consists of a maximum of 250 members; the lower house, known as the Lok Sabha, is composed of no more than 545 members. As in the United States, members of each house are elected to office, and they represent constituents who reside in a particular state. There are fourteen states in India. Legislative elections are held every five years. Following the election, if one party receives a majority of votes, one member is voted in by the party as prime minister. If one party does not achieve a majority of votes, members negotiate with other parties in order to form what is known as a coalition government.

Sonia Gandhi's Biography in short

Name	Sonia Gandhi
Original name	Sonia Maino
Profession	Politician
Date of Birth	Dec. 9, 1946.
Star	Sagittarius
Birth Place	Ovassanjo, 80 km away from Turin, Italy
Mother tongue	Italian
Family	Father:Stefano Eugene Maino mother: Paola Maino husband: Rajeev Gandhi Son: Rahul Gandhi Daughter: Priyanka Gandhi Vadra
Famous in-laws	Mother-in-Law: Indra Gandhi Father-in-law: Feroze Gandhi Brother-in-law: Sanjay Gandhi Sister-in-law: Maneka Gandhi Grandfather-in-law: Jawaharlal Nehru Nephew: Varun Gandhi Son-in-law: Robert Vadra
Education	* Early education in a Roman Catholic school run by the Salesian Order. * She attended an interpreter's school where she studied English, French and Russian. * A two-year certificate course in English language at Cambridge, UK. * She has a diploma in conservation of oil paintings from the National Museum in New Delhi.
Fluent	English, French, Spanish, Italian and Russian
Citizen	Renounced Italian citizenship on 27 April 1983 and became a citizen of India on 30 April 1983.
Marriage with Rajiv Gandhi	* Met Rajiv Gandhi in Cambridge during 1960s. * They were married in 28th Feb, 1968. * The wedding was a simple nondenominational ceremony in the garden of 1, Safdarjang Road. * It was held on Vasant Panchami day in February, the same day when Indira Gandhi married Feroze decades earlier. * She wore a pink sari made from cotton which Nehru had spun while in prison. It was the same sari which Indira Gandhi had worn for her wedding.
Politics	* She officially took charge of the Congress party in 1998 and was elected to parliament in 1999. * Was first elected as a Member of Parliament to the 13th Lok Sabha from the Amethi Parliamentary Constituency of Uttar Pradesh in 1999, getting 67% of the polled votes. * She has been elected to the 14th Lok Sabha from the Rae Bareily Constituency of Uttar Pradesh. * On 18 May 2004, after her Congress party won the Indian election, she was slated to become Prime Minister, but declined after fierce opposition and the promise of future turmoil from the defeated right wing.
Her first visit to Delhi	"When I first came to Delhi in 1968, my father had given me a return ticket. But Delhi was the place of my second birth and the ticket, like my past, was lost in the mists of time."
Priyanka's entry to politics	"She is a young mother with two small children and a husband to look after and naturally she feels that she has to look after her family. If she entered politics, she wouldn’t be able to given them the attention they need."
About her foreign origin	"I never felt they look at me as a foreigner. Because I'm not. I am Indian"
Sad moment in her life	When her husband Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a suicide bomber in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu during an election campaign on May 21, 1991.
Powerful	She was No 3 in Forbes magazine's list of The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women.
Day off	Likes to have a day off on sundays
Likes	to visit all the beautiful places in India
Earlier views on politics	* Long back she had even threatened to divorce Rajiv if he ever entered politics. * She would have rather seen her children beg than enter into the maelstrom of Indian political life.
Favourite food	* freshly squeezed orange juice * Dhal and Roti * Smoked salamon * avoids pastas, pizzas, noodles and almost any kind of junk food.
Interests	Indian hand-looms and handicrafts, as well as Indian contemporary, classical and tribal art.
Religion	remains a Roman Catholic, but follows Hindu and Indian traditions with her children
Admired	her husband
Books	* Authored two books: 'Rajiv' and 'Rajiv’s World'. * Edited 'Freedom’s Daughter' and 'Two Alone, Two Together' (two volumes of letters exchanged between Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi from 1922 to 1964).
Positions held	* March 1998 onwards - President, Indian National Congress Chairperson, Congress (I) Parliamentary Party (CPP). * 1999-2000 : Member, General Purposes Committee.
Chairperson	(i) Rajiv Gandhi Foundation; (ii) Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust; (iii) Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund; (iv) Nehru Trust for Cambridge University; (v) Kamala Nehru Memorial Society and Hospital; (vi) Nehru Memorial Museum and Library; (vii) Indian Council for Child Welfare Trust; (viii) Swaraj Bhawan Trust; Patron, Round Square (International Group of Schools), United Kingdom
Facts	* The third woman of foreign origin to hold the prestigious post, 'President of the Indian National Congress' after Annie Beasant and Nelli Sengupta. * Sonia Gandhi also became the fifth from the Nehru family to take over the Congress reins. * Kashmir used to be their holiday destination when her husband was alive.
About her	I've seen her fight the day my grandmother died. I've seen her fight the day my father died. And she has won. My mother is my hero."- Rahul Gandhi
Address	Smt. Sonia Gandhi, MP 10, Janpath New Delhi. Tele. (O) : 23034984, 23034285 Tele. (R) : 23014161, 23014481 E-Mail: soniagandhi@sansad.nic.in
Biography	* Sonia: A biography, by Rasheed Kidwai, Penguin India (December 2003). Hardcover. ISBN: 0670049557. Price US$8.8, 256 pages. * Sonia Gandhi Through A Different Lens; Ravi Singavarapu
Quote	' I am convinced that the time is ripe for a massive renaissance of our political culture so that we build that society which combines compassion with competence, equity with excellence.

Aung San Suu Kyi's biography

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is the pro-democracy opposition leader in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, who has been kept under detention for most of the past two decades. Her party, the National League for Democracy, won an overwhelming victory in 1990 elections but was denied power by the military, which has ruled since 1962.

• Born 1945, daughter of Burma's independence hero, General Aung San, assassinated in 1947
• 1960: Leaves Burma and is later educated at Oxford University
• 1988: Returns to care for sick mother and is caught up in revolt against then-dictator Ne Win
• 1989: Put under house arrest as Burma junta declares martial law
• 1990: NLD wins election; military disregards result
• 1991: Wins Nobel Peace Prize
• 1995: Released from house arrest, but movements restricted
• 2000: Near continuous period of house arrest begins
• Sept 2007: First public appearance since 2003, greeting protesting Buddhist monks
• November 2010: NLD boycotts first election in 20 years and is disbanded; House arrest ends

Current Situation
Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate, has come to symbolise the struggle of Burma’s people to be free.

She has spent more than 15 years in detention, most of it under house arrest. She was released from her current third period of detention on Saturday 13th November 2010.

However, there are still more than 2,200 political prisoners in Burma and none of the repressive laws allowing the dictatorship to detain people without trial and restrict other freedoms have been repealed following the sham election on 7 November or under the new constitution.

Early Life
Aung San Suu Kyi was born on June 19th, 1945, daughter of Burma’s independence hero, Aung San, who was assassinated when she was only two years old.

Aung San Suu Kyi was educated in Burma, India, and the United Kingdom. While studying at Oxford University, she met Michael Aris, a Tibet scholar who she married in 1972. They had two sons, Alexander and Kim.

Return to Burma
Aung San Suu Kyi returned to Burma in 1988 to nurse her dying mother, and soon became engaged in the country’s nationwide democracy uprising. The military regime responded to the uprising with brute force, killing up to 5,000 demonstrators on 8th August 1988.

Following a military coup on 18th September 1988, on 24th September 1988 a new pro-democracy party, the National League for Democracy, was formed. Aung San Suu Kyi was appointed General Secretary. Aung San Suu Kyi gave numerous speeches calling for freedom and democracy, and political activities continued across the country.

1990 Elections
Facing increasing domestic and international pressure, the dictatorship was forced to call a general election, held in 1990.

As Aung San Suu Kyi began to campaign for the NLD, she and many others were detained by the regime. Aung San Suu Kyi was banned from personally standing in the election. Despite conditions around the elections being far from free and fair with Aung San Suu Kyi and other democracy activists being detained, biased media, and intimidation of politicians, the voting on the day was relatively free and fair. The NLD won a staggering 82% of the seats in Parliament. The dictatorship never recognised the results of the election, and refused to hand over power.

Released For Five Years
Aung San Suu Kyi was held under house arrest until July 1995. When released she faced restrictions on travel.

On March 27 1999, Aung San Suu Kyi’s husband, Michael Aris, died of cancer in London. He had petitioned the Burmese authorities to allow him to visit Aung San Suu Kyi one last time, but they had rejected his request. He had not seen her since a Christmas visit in 1995. The government always urged Aung San Suu Kyi to join her family abroad, but she knew that she would not be allowed to return to Burma.

Detained Again
In 2000 Aung San Suu Kyi was again placed under house arrest after repeated attempts to leave the capital, Rangoon, to hold political meetings in other parts of the country.

Released Again
In 2002, Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest and with freedom to travel around the country. The release was part of a deal negotiated by UN Envoy on Burma, Razali Ismail. He had facilitated secret meetings between Aung San Suu Kyi and the military. Confidence building steps had been agreed, including that the dictatorship would stop the vehement attacks on Aung San Suu Kyi in the media, and the NLD would stop publicly calling for sanctions, although its policy of still supporting targeted economic sanctions remained. However, when it came to move from confidence building meetings, and instead start dealing with matters of substance, the dictatorship refused to engage in any meaningful dialogue. As a low-level envoy without significant political backing from the UN itself or the international community, Razali was unable to persuade the Generals to move the dialogue forward.

After waiting patiently, Aung San Suu Kyi began to travel the country, holding meetings at which tens of thousands of people turned out to see her, dashing the hopes of the Generals that during her long period of detention the people would have forgotten her, and her support would have waned.

The dictatorship began using members of the Union Solidarity and Development Association to harass and attack NLD meetings. This political militia was set up and organised by the military, with Than Shwe, dictator of Burma, as its President. It later transformed as the Union Solidarity and Development Party, the political party front for the military in the elections held on 7th November 2010.

On May 30th 2003 members of the USDA attacked a convoy of vehicles Aung San Suu Kyi was travelling in. It was an attempt by the dictatorship to assassinate Aung San Suu Kyi, using a civilian front so as not to take the blame. Aung San Suu Kyi’s driver managed to drive her to safety, but more than 70 of Aung San Suu Kyi’s supporters were beaten to death. The attack became known at the Depayin Massacre. The dictatorship claimed it was a riot between two political groups, incited by the NLD. The United Nations General Assembly called for the incident to be investigated, but it never was.

Detained Again
Following the attack, Aung San Suu Kyi was held in detention, and then placed back under house arrest. She has been detained ever since.

During her current period of detention, conditions have been much stricter than in the past. Her phone line has been cut, her post is stopped and National League for Democracy volunteers providing security at her compound were removed in December 2004.

Diplomats are generally not allowed to meet her, although occasionally UN envoys and US government officials have been allowed to meet her. However, even UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was not allowed to meet her when he visited the country in 2009.

In May 2009, just days before her period of house arrest was due to expire, Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested and charged with breaking the terms of her house arrest, which forbids visitors, after John Yettaw, a United States citizen, swam across Inya lake and refused to leave her house. In August 2009 she was convicted, and sentenced to three years imprisonment. In an apparent attempt to placate international outrage about the trial, the sentence was reduced to 18 months under house arrest. By coincidence, this meant her release date turned out to be just 6 days after elections held in Burma, thereby ensuring that once again she was in detention during elections.

International Support
Aung San Suu Kyi has won numerous international awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize, the Sakharov Prize from the European Parliament and the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom. She has called on people around the world to join the struggle for freedom in Burma, saying “Please use your liberty to promote ours.”

Chronology

1945:
Born in Rangoon on June 19th, the daughter of independence hero and national leader General Aung San and Daw Khin Kyi; General Aung San is assassinated July 19, 1947. Aung San Suu Kyi is educated in Rangoon until 15 years old.

1960:
Accompanies mother to Delhi on her appointment as Burmese ambassador to India and Nepal and studies politics at Delhi University.

1964-67:
BA in philosophy, politics and economics, St. Hugh’s College, Oxford University. She is elected Honorary Fellow in 1990.

1969-71:
Assistant Secretary, Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions, United Nations Secretariat, New York.

1972:
Research Officer, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bhutan; married Dr. Michael Aris, a British scholar.

1973-77:
Birth of sons Alexander in London (1973) and Kim (1977) in Oxford.

1985-86:
Visiting Scholar, Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University.

1987:
Fellow, Indian Institute of Advanced Studies, Simla.

1988 March:
Student protests break out in Rangoon.

1988 Jul 23:
General Ne Win steps down as Chairman of the Burma Socialist Programme Party(BSPP) after 26 years, triggering prodemocracy movement.

1988 Aug 8:
The famous 8-8-88 mass uprising starts in Rangoon and spreads to the entire country, drawing millions of people to protest against the BSPP government. The following military crackdown killed thousands.

1988 Aug 26:
Aung San Suu Kyi addresses half-million mass rally in front of the famous Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon and calls for a democratic government.

1988 Sep 18:
The military reestablishes its power and the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) is formed. The military again crushes the pro-democracy movement, killing hundreds more.

1988 Sep 24:
The National League for Democracy (NLD) is formed, with Aung San Suu Kyi as general secretary.

1988 Dec 27:
Daw Khin Kyi, mother of Aung San Suu Kyi, dies. The funeral procession draws a huge crowd of supporters, which turns into a peaceful protest against military rule.

1989 Jul 20:
Aung San Suu Kyi is placed under house arrest in Rangoon under martial law that allows for detention without charge or trial for three years.

1990 May 27:
Despite her continuing detention, the National League for Democracy wins a landslide victory in the general elections by securing 82 percent of the seats; the military junta refuses to recognise the results of the election.

1990 Oct 12:
Awarded, in absentia, the 1990 Rafto Human Rights Prize.

1991 Jul 10:
Awarded, in absentia, the 1990 Sakharov Prize (human rights prize of the European Parliament).

1991 Aug 10:
The military regime retroactively amends the law under which Aung San Suu Kyi is held to allow for detention for up to five years without charge or trial.

1991 Oct 14:
Awarded the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.

1991 Dec 10:
Aung San Suu Kyi’s ‘Freedom from Fear’ and other writings published in London.

1992:
The Nobel Committee reveals that Aung San Suu Kyi has established a health and education trust in support of the Burmese people to use the $1.3 million prize money.

1994 Sep 20:
Gen. Than Shwe and Gen. Khin Nyunt of SLORC meet Aung San Suu Kyi for the first time since the house arrest.

1995 Jul 10:
The junta releases Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.

1995 Oct 10:
The NLD defied junta’s ban on changes in party leadership positions and reappointed her as the party’s General Secretary.

1999 Mar 27:
Aung San Suu Kyi’s husband Michael Aris dies of prostate cancer in London. His last request to visit Aung San Suu Kyi, whom he had last seen in 1995, was rejected by the military junta which said if Aung San Suu Kyi wanted to leave the country she could do so. She refused the offer knowing that she would not be allowed to return to Burma.

1996-2000:
Aung San Suu Kyi defies travel bans imposed against her and continually tries to leave Rangoon. In March 1996, she boarded the train bound for Mandalay but citing a “last minute problem” the coach she was in was left behind at the station.

2000 Sep 02:
Around 200 riot police surrounded Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s motorcade near Dala and forced them to return to Rangoon after a nine-day standoff.

2000 Sep 23:
Aung San Suu Kyi is placed under house arrest.

2000 Oct:
Aung San Suu Kyi begins secret talks with the military junta. Substance of the talks remains secret, and UN Special Envoy Razali acts as a “facilitator.”

2000 Dec 07:
US President Bill Clinton confers America’s highest civilian honour on Aung San Suu Kyi. Her son Alexander Aris receives the award on her behalf.

2002 May 6:
Aung San Suu Kyi is freed after 19 months of house arrest.

2003 May 30:
During a tour of northern Burma, Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters are attacked by the Union Solidarity Development Association (USDA), the regime’s militia, in the town of Depayin. As many as 70 people were killed in the attack and over 100 people arrested, including Aung San Suu Kyi. Aung San Suu Kyi remained in secret detention for over three months.

2004 March:
Razali Ismail, UN special envoy to Burma, has his last meeting Aung San Suu Kyi.

2006 May 20:
Ibrahim Gambari, UN Undersecretary-General for Political Affairs, met Aung San Suu Kyi, the first visit by a foreign official since Razali’s visit in 2004. Gambari met Aung San Suu Kyi again in November 2006 but his visit failed to secure any concessions from Burma’s military regime.

2007 May 25:
Aung San Suu Kyi’s term of house arrest was extended for another year.

2007 Sep 22:
Aung San Suu Kyi left her house to greet and pray with Buddhist monks outside her gate during the biggest demonstrations in Burma since the 1988 uprising. This is the first time she has been seen in public since 2003.

2007 Sep 30:
The UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari meets Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon.

2007 Oct 24:
Aung San Suu Kyi reaches a total of 12 years in detention.

2007 Oct 25:
Aung San Suu Kyi meets the regime’s newly appointed liaison officer, Aung Kyi, but no details of their discussion are made public.

2008 Jan 31:
Aung San Suu Kyi meets NLD leadership. She asked that they convey to the public the message that “We should hope for the best and prepare for the worst.”

“What I can say is Daw Suu is not satisfied with the current meetings with the junta, especially the fact that the process is not time-bound,” NLD spokesperson Nyan Win said, referring to the lack of a time frame for the talks to achieve any results.

2008 Mar 8:
Aung San Suu Kyi meets UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari.

2009 Feb 20:
Gambari meets jointly with Aung San Suu Kyi and members of the National League for Democracy.

2009 Mar 24:
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issues a judgment declaring that the ongoing detention of Aung San Suu Kyi is illegal and in violation of both Burmese and international law.

2009 May 14:
Aung San Suu Kyi is arrested and charged with breaking the terms of her house arrest, which forbids visitors, after John Yettaw, a United States citizen, swam across Inya lake and refused to leave her house.

2009 May 18:
Aung San Suu Kyi’s trial begins, held in closed-door hearings inside Insein prison. Aung San Suu Kyi’s two companions and John Yettaw are also on trial.
2009 Jun 26:
Aung San Suu Kyi meets UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari.

2009 Jul 03:
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visits Burma but is not allowed to meet Aung San Suu Kyi.

2009 Aug 11:
Aung San Suu Kyi is found guilty and sentenced to 18 months under house arrest.

2009 Oct 03:
Aung San Suu Kyi meets SPDC Liaison Minister Major General Aung Kyi.

2009 Oct 09:
Aung San Suu Kyi meets the UK Ambassador and the deputy heads of the Australian and US missions in Burma.

2009 Oct 24:
Aung San Suu Kyi reaches a total of 14 years in detention, most of it under house arrest.

2009 Nov 04:
Aung San Suu Kyi meets a US delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.

2009 Dec 09:
Aung San Suu Kyi meets SPDC Liaison Minister Major General Aung Kyi.

2009 Dec 16:
Aung San Suu Kyi meets NLD party leaders Aung Shwe, U Lwin and Lun Tin.

2010 Jan 15:
Aung San Suu Kyi meets SPDC Liaison Minister Major General Aung Kyi.

2010 Feb 01:
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issues a judgment declaring that the ongoing detention of Aung San Suu Kyi is illegal and in violation of both Burmese and international law.

2010 Mar 08:
The country’s state-run newspapers publish the election laws, which ban Aung San Suu Kyi from taking part in the fake election.

2010 May 06:
National League for Democracy Party in Burma is banned.

2010 May 10:
Aung San Suu Kyi meets a US delegation led by Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell.

2010 Oct 24:
Aung San Suu Kyi reaches a total of 15 years in detention, most of it under house arrest.

2010 Nov 13:
Aung San Suu Kyi is released from detention.

biography of sarukh khan

Shahrukh Khan, born 2 November 1965, is a highly acclaimed Indian actor who works in Bollywood films, as well as film producer and television host.

Khan was born to Muslim parents of Pathan ethnicity in New Delhi, India. His father, Taj Mohammed Khan was a freedom activist from Peshawar, British India. His mother Lateef Fatima was the adopted daughter of Major General Shah Nawaz Khan of the Janjua Rajput clan, who served as a General in the Indian National Army of Subash Chandra Bose.
As a producer

Khan turned producer when he set up a production company called Dreamz Unlimited with Juhi Chawla and director Aziz Mirza in 1999. The first two of the films he produced and starred in: Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000) and Asoka (2001) were box office failures. However, his third film, as a producer and star, Chalte Chalte (2003), was the first box office hit from his production house.

In 2004, he set up another production company called Red Chillies Entertainment and produced and starred in Main Hoon Na which was another hit at the box office. In 2005 he produced and starred in the fantasy film Paheli, which was a box office failure. It was India's official entry to the Oscars for a nomination for Best Foreign Film, but it did not pass the final selection. That same year he also co-produced the supernatural horror film Kaal with Karan Johar and performed an item number for the film with Malaika Arora Khan. Kaal was moderately successful at the box office. The latest film Om Shanti Om, which he produced as well as starred in, has done very well at the box office. In 2008, The Red Chillies Entertainment became the owner of Kolkata Knight Riders in the BCCI backed IPL cricket league.

As a television host

In 2007, Khan replaced Amitabh Bachchan as the host of the third series of the popular game show Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. The previous had hosted the show for five years from 2000-05. On January 22, 2007, Kaun Banega Crorepati aired with Khan as the new host and later ended on April 19, 2007.

Khan's father came to New Delhi from Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar before the Partition of India, while his mother's family came from Rawalpindi, also in present-day Pakistan. Khan has an elder sister named Shehnaz. Khan attended St. Columba's School where he was accomplished in sports, drama and academics. He won the Sword of Honour, an annual award bequeathed to the student who embodies most the spirit of the school. He later attended the Hansraj College (1985-1988) to earn an Honors degree in Economics. After this, he studied for a Masters Degree in Mass Communications at Jamia Millia Islamia.

After the death of his parents, Khan moved from New Delhi to Mumbai in 1991. In that same year, before any of his film releases, he married Gauri Khan in a Hindu wedding ceremony on October 25, 1991. They have two children, son Aryan Khan (born 1997) and daughter Suhana (born 2000).

In 2005, Nasreen Munni Kabir produced a two-part documentary on Khan, titled The Inner and Outer World of Shah Rukh Khan. Featuring his 2004 Temptations concert tour, the film contrasted Khan's inner world of family and daily life with the outer world of his work. The book Still Reading Khan, which details his family life, was released in 2006. Another book by Anupama Chopra, "King of Bollywood: Shahrukh Khan and the seductive world of Indian cinema", was released in 2007. This book described the world of Bollywood through Khan's life.

Khan's life-size wax statue is available in Madame Tussauds wax museum, London, installed in April 2007. Khan has been chosen for the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of the Arts and Literature) award of the French government for his "exceptional career".


Shahrukh Khan the most saleable actor in the business today. Crazy fans or canny distributor. His name is the guarantee. He hedges his bets by working only with best banners and top heroines. But the flip side is that he's also willing to take risk for friends. Aditya Chopra And Karan Johar were untested entities when he signed on for Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Farah Khan directing his upcoming home production film Main Hoon Na is a first timer too.

Shahrukh Khan was born on 2nd november 1965. He was brought up in Delhi. He had done his schooling from 'St. Columba's school' and from 'Jamia Millia Islamia' he had done Mass Communication.

Shahrukh started his career on a TV serial called "Fauji" which has given him instant recognition. He also acted in another TV soap called "Circus". His debut film was Deewana which open the doors of film industry for him. He was playing a second hero in it but his work was appreciated. After that there was no looking back. Shah Rukh Khan has won several awards for his outstanding performance in Darr (1994), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Baadshah (1999) ...etc. He also formed a popular screen couple with Kajol.

He's now a successful producer too with Chalte Chalte. His production company "Dreamz Unlimited" is shared with other two people... one is actress, friend, co-star Juhi Chawla and another is director and friend Aziz Mirza.

He is being called 'King Khan' and 'Badshah of Bollywood'. his films are like ISI mark. He has reached to the position of choice where his films flops or hits their release is an awaited affair. Things which makes him apart from other actors are his average looks, fast speech, soulful eyes, dimples on checks, thick lips and most imp is his saying 'I'm the best'. He feels acting is making unbelievable believable. He feels he become a better actor after acting in his two films which are also close to his heart... Dil Se and Kal Ho Naa Ho.

While studying he fell in love with Gauri Chibba who was then studying in Loreto Delhi. He later married her before coming into films. The most talented and hard working actor known to have an inflated ego, for which he works hard to keep it floating. He is having two children a son "Aryaan" and a daughter. He loves his children very much.These day he had started reading books on science as he dont want to be sound like a stupid dad, when they'll ask him which is bigger, Uranus or Saturn. He teaches them one new thing everyday. it could be names of Fidel Castro, Michael Schumacher, Osama Bin Laden or a place a name. He is planning to read maths in another two/three years.

He feels for the younger generation that should follow his zest for life and love of doing the best they can. They should believes that there is a purpose in life that you supposed to fulfill follows it wholeheartedly. And never give up when you stumble and not taken seriously.