Rajkumar the famous film actor and singer was born on 24 April 1929 in Gajanur and passed away from us on 12 April 2006 due to a cardiac arrest in his Bangalore residence.He is known as a cultural icon of Kannada film industry. He was known in various names like Ganna Gandarvan and Nadaswavara Bhouma which means the singer and the actor of emperor. The starting of the actor's career as a theatre artist in troupe with his father where he showed his talent in acting and singing. The first film of the famous actor was in the age of eight, that was the first break for him as a lead role in a kannada film Bedara kannappa in the year of 1954. After that he work for atleast 220 film. In the year of 2000, when he was 72, Rajkumar and three other people were kidnapped by the forest Brigand Veerappan from the actors house which is in Gajanur. The forest man Veerappan was demanding to release his gang members who were in jail for defend anti terrorism law. After a long period of 108 days, Rajkumar was released.

Professional life

In his professional life he received endless awards like National film awards. Two Awards for best playback singer in national level. Nine Karnataka film state award. NTR National awards in the year of 2002. Ten South filmfare awards. He received Dada saheb phalke award and Padma Bhushan also. He received award for Honorary Doctorate from the Mysore University. He acted as various characters like double role and triple role, action, mythological roles which was remarkable for five decades and was successful in box office. In his whole life he acted for kannada film history only except one movie named as "Kalahasti Mahatyam" which was the remake of his first movie Bedara Kannappa in Telugu. 

He has his own film production company in the name of Vajreshwari Productions. The company produced films for the banner of Dakshayani companies. He produced some movies which was based on famous kannada novels and social evils. He acted with many famous heroines like Jayanti, Lakshmi, Rekha, madhavi, Jayamala, kalpana, Bharti and so many southern actress. He was the first actor in the kannada film industry who enact a role which resemmbeled james Bond. His first such movie was Jedara Bale, after that he acted in so many films like Operation Jackotnalli, Goadalli CID999, Operation diamond Rocket etc.

As a singer he was a great devotional singer. In 1992 he was awarded in the National film award for the best play back singer. He was a classical singer also. He sang for his own movies and for so many albums also. He was appreciated by the fans of 1960's for the black and white cinemas. He first sang for his theatre show itself. His voice has a depth and smoothness which was noticeable. He sang for songs like devotional, romantic and classical songs also. Even he sang an English song named as "if you come today for his own bond"  in 1978 in movie Operation Diamond Rocket. It become a popular song in 1970's. He sangs solo songs for few actors as a playback singer also like "Mudina Mavva, Sadda kannale etc.

Rajkumar was a disciplined man. He wake up early in the morning @ 4am and do yoga and practise Karnatic Music for 1 hour. Due to this he was physically and mentally fit. Rajkumar married Parvathi Amma and he had five children, three sons named as Shiv, Puneet and Ragvendra Rajkumar who are mainly actors in the film industry of Kannada. Ragavendra Rajkumar is a actor and producer in the same film history. Rajkumar rejected so many offers which received from political parties. But he became involved in Gokak report which is mainly known as Gokak Varadhi which was a movement which was a compulsory language for kannada primary education and he became the main force for the movement. He also took a rally for the same from Belgaum to Bangalore and also give speech about the importance of language for the education. Crores of people gathered there only to see a glimpse of the great personality - Rajkumar. A book named as Bangarada Manushya was written for Rajkumar by Prahalada Rao and released in 2005. After the book release Baraguru Ramacharappa was names Rajkumar as Bevarina Manushya.

Death of the great personality

He died at his Sadashivanagar home, Bangalore. On the day the an unofficial closure of Bangalore was announced. Some people attempted sucide as they heard the bad news. Most of the fans were rescued. About 2 millions people were gathered for his remains. 

"This dark haired, athletically built U.S. director/Screenwriter/Actor of European parentage will never be talked about by old school film censors in the same manner", says Alec Guinness or Richard Burton. However, worldwide movie fans have been flocking towards Stallone's movies for more than 30 years now, making "Sly" Hollywood’s biggest ever box office draws.

Sylvester Stallone and his personal life alley

Born in New York's Hells Kitchen on 6th July, 1946, the young Stallone went to the Miami’s University and America’s College of Switzerland. Eventually he obtained a B.A. degree. Since he had poor grades which restricted him to peruse higher education, he ended up joining as beauty school. This was before he attended Switzerland’s American College. Stallone’s teenage years were taxing as he witnessed his parent's separation in the year 1957. He moved to Philadelphia with his mother when he was 15 years old. This was the phase when he started lifting weights. At Devereaux High School he took up discus, football and fencing.

In the year 1974 Sylvester Stallone got married to Sasha Czack. However, the marriage ended 11 years later with a divorce. In the same year he married Brigitte Nielsen, this alliance was again not a success and they separated after two years. Stallone was a romantic person and so was involved with models, including Janice Dickinson, Naomi Campbell, Angie Everhart and Susan Anton. In 1977 he married Jennifer Flavin.

Early Career

Sylvester Stallone started his movie career in the year 1970, with Party at Kitty & Stud's as his first movie. Later the movie was re-released and was christened Italian Stallion. Stallone also acted as an extra character in movie ‘No-Place to Hide’ as Jerry Savage and ‘Lovers & Other Strangers’ in 1970. Since then he did several minor roles, movies like My Lovely, Farewell, The Prisoner of Second Avenue, The Lords of Flatbush, Bananas and Klute are a few of them. He did guest appearances in TV series Kojak and Police Story are a few to mention.

Stallone’s Success, Achievements and Accomplishments

Success came to Sylvester Stallone with Rocky, which was release in the year 1976. It was a stepping stone for the struggling actor. The movie won the Academy Awards moreover, Stallone was nominated for the Academy Award and the movie was his writing debut. Rocky II a sequel of the movie Rocky was released three years later. Stallone acted, directed and wrote the movie. Meanwhile, he acted in a number of other movies, including F.I.S.T, Paradise Alley and Cannonball Mafioso for which he received critical acclaim.

He starred in First Blood, Nighthawks and Escape to Victory before coming up with Rocky III. Rocky III installment far out-performed the Rocky I sequel at the box office takings. Another mega-franchise Vietnam veteran - John Rambo came up as a success series with First Blood. Later in the year 1985, Stallone came up with two hit series, Rocky IV and Rambo - First Blood II. With these movies he received international recognition. Other action films which gave Rocky recognition were Tango and Cash and Cobra.

Success in 1990s – The 90s decade started with another series of Rocky - Rocky V. Stallone did several movies but success evaded him. His next triumph walked in the year 1993 with Cliffhanger, Demolition Man and The Specialist. Other movies which Rocky did during this decade were Antz, Burn Hollywood Burn, The Good Life Day Light, Judge Dredd and Assassins. He won the best actor award for ‘Cop Land’ at the Stockholm International-Film Festival.

The 2000s journey – The beginning of the millennium gave Stallone's career a number of commercial and critical flops including Driven, Get Carter, D-Tox and Avenging Angelo. He gained back his box office repute in 2003 with Spy Kids trilogy. Stallone shifted towards reality television with producer Mark Burnett in The Apprentice. Stallone was both a mentor as well as the host to the 16 confident contestants striving for a career in professional fighting with a prize of $1 million. This TV series was appreciated by the critics however, struggled to find wide audience.

In 2006 Rocky Balboa came up as Stallone’s sixth and final series. The movie won the legendary prize. Stallone gave another heavyweight comeback with an international hit with a climax to the sequence. This hit took over $150 million across the world and gained well-merited positive reviews. There no looking back since then with Rambo installment in 2008, The Expendables in 2009, with movie icons Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis. Though their appearance was briefest of cameos, the names helped in creating an incredible buzz across the film. The film was a big hit at the box office in the year 2010.

Sylvester Stallone has created a highly respectable and enviable career in Hollywood. Moreover, he has significantly influenced modern popular ethnicity by his iconic movie characters.

Raj Kapoor is famous in the world due to his attractive acting and directing but he is also one of the 12 indians who are  popular in Russia. He is regarded one of the most talented actosr and directors of the country. He was more passionate about directing instead of acting.

Personal life

Raj Kapoor was born in Peshawar Pakistan on 14 dec 1924. His father's name is late Shri Prithviraj Kapoor and he has two brothers named Shashi Kapoor and Shammi Kapoor. Raj Kapoor's family lived in Peshawar, Pakistan. He was married to Krishna Kapoor, sister of Rajendranath and Premnath. Raj Kapoor has 5 children- Randhir Kapoor, Rishi Kapoor, Rajiv Kapoor, Reetu Nanda and Reema. He was one of the highest paid actors in the industry of his time. Raj Kapoor died in 1988 due to asthama at the age of 63. He was working on a film Heena at the time of his death, which was completed by his sons Randhir Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor. Heena was released in 1991 which was a big success at the box office.

Career

His first debut film was Inquilab in 1935 at the age of eleven. He had worked in several movies for next 12 years, and his first big break was Neel Kamal as a lead hero opposite Madhubala in 1947. At the early age of 24 he became the first youngest director of his time by establishing his own studio R.K Films. His first debut as a director was the film Aag starring himself opposite Nargis. In 1949 he worked with Dilip kumar who was a super star at that time as a co-actor in Andaz which was a block buster. He worked in many block buster hits as a producer, director and actor in Barsaat, Anari, Shri 420, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai etc. Apart from his home production his major hits are Anari, Challia, Teesri Aankh etc. His first film in colour was Sangam with Rajendra Kumar and Vijayantimala and it was his last hit as a lead actor on box office. Later on released around the world and Sapno Ka Saudaar was flop on box office. He was a member of jury in 4th Moscow International Films Festival in 1965. His dream film Mera Naam Joker took more than six years to complete which was produced and directed by him. His son Rishi Kapoor had worked first time in Mera Naam Joker which was a huge flop on box office. Mera Naam Joker was Raj Kapoor's favourite film as it was known as classic movie in later years.

He has launched his first son Randhir Kapoor in Kal Aaj or Kal which was a family drama. He launched his second son Rishi kapoor in film Bobby which was directed and produced by himself. It was a huge hit of box office. He acted with his son Randir Kapoor in 1975 which was Randhir also directed with his father.

Awards

Raj Kapoor had receieved 9 Filmfare awards in his career. He was honoured with the Padma Bhusan in 1971 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1987 by the Government of India. He was honoured by with the best director of the millennium by stardust Awards. Today he is also known as Showman of the Millennium. The title of Showman of Millennium is given by the Star Screen Awards in 2002.

Dilip Kumar, the Tragedy King of Indian Cinema, is a legendary actor of Bollywood. He was born in Qissa Khawani Bazaar in Peshawar, Pakistan, and was in fact the first Pakistani actor who became a such a stalwart in Bollywood. He was born on 11th December, 1922 in a Pashtun family, and his father,  Lala Ghulam Sarwar, was a fruit merchant and the owner of orchards in Peshawar and Devlali in Maharashtra near Mumbai. His birth name was Muhammad Yousuf Khan and was later christened Dipil Kumar by Hindi author, Bhagwati Charan Varma.

Personal life

In 1966, Kumar married Saira Banu, then 22 years old and a popular actress. This fairy-tale romance, after his divorce with his first wife, Aasma, was not sans criticism, due to their huge age gap, and gossip columnists predicted doom for the high-profile couple, but the union has been one of the longest lasting marriages in Bollywood. He was close friends with great bollywood personalities like Yash Chopra and Subhash Ghai. Yash chopra’s death in 2012 was a huge shock to him and he refused to celebrate his birthday. Besides the ebbs and tides in his career and personal life, he also faced the controversial allegation of having an affair with actress Vyjayanthimala.

Career

He started his career as a canteen owner and dry fruits vendor in Pune after his family relocated to Mumbai in late 1930s. His mundane life came to its turning point when, in 1943, he was noticed by actress  Devika Rani and her husband Himanshu Rai who owned Bombay Talkies. Thus, he entered the film industry with the movie, Jwar Bhata in 1944, which failed to make a mark in the box office. He reached stardom with Jugnu in 1947. Since then, he never had to look back during his extremely successful career.

Kumar made huge contributions to the Indian Cinema during his career of more than 6 decades during which he worked in more than 60 films. Some of the greatest movies made in Bollywood, like the tragic Devdas (1955) and the historical Mughal-e-Aazam (1960) were his work. His other popular tragic roles were in films like Deedar (1951), Amar (1954), and Madhumati (1958). But, his fame as a tragic hero gradually led him to depression. So, taking the advice of his psychiatrist, he started working in movies of different genres. He became successful with lighthearted roles such as a swaggering peasant in Aan (1952) and a comic role in Azaad (1955). He also worked in the social film, Ganga Jamuna (1961) and the romantic movie, Andaz (1949). 

Ganga Jamuna was his own production in which he and his brother, Nasir Khan, played the title roles. Although the film was a success, he did not produce any other film. British director, David Lean, offered him the role of Sherif Ali in his 1962 blockbuster, Lawrence of Arabia. But, Kumar, a picky actor, declined the part. After a number of commercially unsuccessful films in the mid 1960s, he bounced back to fame with his dual role of twins in Ram Aur Shyam (1967).In 1976, he took a break from his film career for 5 years and returned with a character role in the film Kranti (1981). He continued his career playing central character roles in films such as Shakti (1982), Karma (1986) and Saudagar (1991). His last film was Qila (1998).

Awards and Popularity

This critically acclaimed actor has won 8 Filmfare Best Actor awards, 19 Filmfare nominations, and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993.He was appointed Sheriff of Mumbai (an honorary position) in 1980. The Government of India honored Kumar with the Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 1994.  He was honored with NTR National Award in 1997 by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. The Government of Pakistan conferred Kumar with Nishan-e-Imtiaz, the highest civilian award in Pakistan in 1997, which he was asked to return by the Shiv Sena and Bal Thakrey during the Kargil War, but he refused to comply. He was honored with CNN-IBN Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. 

He has made active efforts to bring the people of India and Pakistan closer. He was nominated as a member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Indian parliament for a term.

Conclusion

In 2011, he launched his Twitter account to be in touch with his fans. His married life with saira banu is looked upon as one of the greatest real-life love stories of bollywood. His biography by Uday Tara Nayar will be launched on his 90th birthday. He is not only a bright star of bollywood who has inspired generations of actors of bollywood including shah rukh khan, he is also proven ample no. of times that as a person, too, he is beyond comparison.