Why was finding a leading actress for "Lagaan" such a difficult task, and how did Gracy Singh eventually get the role?

 The biggest requirement for the female lead in Lagaan was the authentic village look. The need was for a face with an authentic, rustic charm and natural grace.

Ameesha Patel was finalised but later dropped as Ashutosh felt that she looked too educated and well exposed to the world and therefore not convincing as a village girl.

However the same qualities helped Ameesha to feature in Gadar which released on the same day with Lagaan.

Rani Mukherjee was not able to do the film as she was not able to fulfill the clause of staying isolated in Bhuj for six months. She had her prior commitments.

Gracy was introduced to Ashutosh by Mr. Joshi, a promoter who saw Gracy’s dance performance in a historic dance drama. Gracy was a trained classical dancer in Bharatnatyam and Odissi which acted as one of her plus points.

She also had acting experience, mainly due to the TV soap Amanat where she embodied the innocence and vulnerability of her character.

Due to television she was a known face and yet not over-exposed.

Ashutosh was impressed by her natural grace, innocence and suitability for her character of Gauri. A perfect fit opposite Aamir Khan for his period drama, Lagaan.

Image(s) Courtesy: Google

some intresting fact’s about Actress Tabu.

Mother : Tabu credits her mother Rizwana - a school teacher- for shaping her personality.

Tabu (born Tabassum) happens to be a doting daughter.

Father : Her father Hashmi was a Pakistani actor ; who migrated to India .

He acted in some known movies - Garam Hawa (classic) and EK Nazar.

Abandoned : Well, he reportedly left his wife and two daughters to marry some one else.

Tabu has never met him again.

Grand parents : Tabu was influenced by her maternal grand parents ; who were known academicians.

Her grand parents were university professors ; who also raised her.

Sister : Tabu debuted in show business because her elder sister Farah Naaz.

She is protective about her elder sister.

Aunt : Tabu is niece of Shabana Azmi .

Friend : Tabu is among the best friends of Ajay Devgn.

Fiancée : For years; Sajid Nadiadwala , a known film producer, was known as fiancée of Tabu.

But then, they parted ways.

Winner : She has won 2 national film awards ; 7 Film fare and Padma Shri - Indian civilian honor.

Hobby : She is a skilled photographer.

Fact : Tabu is an independent woman; who lives on her own terms.

Which Indian actress is your crush?

 

In 1975, most South Indian heroines were tame aunty types. Me and my friends had a Crush on Hema Malini.

We flicked Magazines and tore pages with Hema Malinis pictures

Rekha was the next sensation. The movie Khoobsurat and her twin pigtails was a big sensation and the song Inquilaab Zindabaad was famous. Most of my friends didnt understand a word of hindi but watched the movie for 3–4 fridays just for Rekha.

Post marriage of course the Crush or sensation would disappear. My wife is a Physics Post Grad and an Enid Blyton and Tolkien reader type and so for the first 3 years i had a huge complex even to suggest going to a Tamil film or Hindi film. I pretended i watched only English movies until after 3 years when i revealed my true nature.

My sons had their own crushes.

Preity Zinta was one and later you had the Fantastic Four Actress (Original one) and later Katrina Kaif.

Katrina was the biggest crush. They would see and download Worthless films just for Katrina Kaif.

They even watched a Malayalam movie because it had Katrina Kaif (Mohanlal or Mammooty was her pair)

Which actors and actresses have had their reputations ruined by a movie?

 I would argue Natalie Portman in Star Wars Episode 2: Attack of the Clones, although it was more of a setback than anything else that she later recovered from. Portman played as Padme Amidala, who was Queen of the planet Naboo in Episode 1 and later became a Senator for Episode 2.

The film was panned by critics. I think that although there are some parts that could have been better, it was better than many critics said. *

14. Because Mike Nichols Shaped Generations of New York Actors, From Robert Redford to Julia Roberts

Portman: Star Wars had come out around the time of Seagull, and everyone thought I was a horrible actress. I was in the biggest-grossing movie of the decade, and no director wanted to work with me. Mike wrote a letter to Anthony Minghella and said, “Put her in Cold Mountain, I vouch for her.” And then Anthony passed me on to Tom Tykwer, who passed me on to the Wachowskis. I worked with Milos Forman a few years later. He said, “Mike saved me. He wrote a letter so that I could get asylum in the U.S.” He did that for 50 people, and it doesn’t make any one of us feel less special.

Portman’s career would later recover and she would go as far as to win an Academy Award for Best Actress in the film Black Swan, along with many other awards, but because Star Wars Episode 2 was not well received by critics, it represented a temporary setback.

Which Indian actress makes you cry upon seeing her photos?

 

Nivedita Jain ( born.June 9th 1979– June 10th 1998) was a budding Indian actress and model of 1990’s known for charming screen presence and bubbly personality. She won Miss Bangalore competition in 1994.

Unfortunately she died at an early age of just 19 many days later due to fatal injuries sustained by falling from her house terrace, whether it was a planned murder or accident remains mystery even to this day.

On the night of 17 May 1998, Jain received serious head injuries after falling off the parapet wall of the terrace on the second floor, from a height of 35 feet, of her home.

She had been practicing catwalk in preparation for the Miss India beauty contest as she had intended a return to modeling after her last few films had not done well. The following day, 19 May, it was reported she had briefly regained consciousness but remained incoherent and her condition was considered critical.She lapsed into a coma, and for 24 days remained on life support in Mallya Hospital, Bangalore, as doctors skilled in general medicine, neurology, homeopathy, reiki and mahikari treated her for severe head injuries and multiple fractures. While she was hospitalized, her father, hoping it would bring good fortune and help her recover from her coma, renamed her Nivedita Rinki.

At 11:00 am on 10 June 1998, she was declared dead by the doctors.

Here are some of the photos of her, I get tears while seeing her pictures.

She was beauty with brains, well behaviored and very kind hearted down to earth girl that every man dreamed of.

Which actress is known as unlucky in the Kollywood industry?

 In my opinion

Anjali

She started her career in the now critically acclaimed kattradhu Tamil M.A. Although her role was very small ,she was able to shine in the limited screen time with her charm.

She then gave another solid performance in Angadi Theru , a reflection of how the shop workers of popular retail stores are being treated.

She then gave another good performance in Engeyum Eppothum for which she earned several awards too.

Unfortunately,she was in a period where heroines were only as useful as background extras in tamil cinema and they only concentrated on who shows more skin and who is the fairest looking. Even actresses like Hansika Motwani,Amy Jackson had a long career in tamil cinema.

She tried to change tracks by doing glamour roles in movies like mangatha, kalakaluppu and Settai but it didn't suit her. In fact , the reviewers took an extra paragraph to mention how ridiculous she looked as an English news channel reporter in Settai .

Then she got caught in a controversy where her stepmother complained of her getting kidnapped only for her to counter that they were misappropriating the money she earned .

The current audience is now looking forward to dusky actresses like Aishwarya Rajesh, Sai dhansika etc who look like a normal Tamil girl instead of a north indian import.

Had Anjali been in this current era,she might have had better success due to her simple looks and natural acting.

Who is the richest actress in Kerala?

 The richest actress in kerala is Manju Warrier.

Most of the Malayalam people call her Manju Chechi,(chechi means sister) she is always favorite actress in South India.

Manju Warrier is a Indian actress. She is a actress, dancer, singer, and also a producer. She is from Kerala.

Manju Warrier Born on 10 September 1978 Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India. (But she is a Malayali).Her father, T. V. Madhavan, worked as an accountant at Shakthi Finance's Nagercoil regional office and her mother was a house wife. She has an elder brother, Madhu Warrier, who is also an actor and producer. Actually She is from Anthikad,Thrissur Kerala

Her first film is at the age of 17, she debuted in the film Sakshyam (1995). Her most well-known films are: Thooval Kottaram (1996) Sathyan Anthikad .Her performance in the movie Kannezhuthi Pottum Thottu won a special mention from the jury for the National Film Awards.

AWARDS

She has won several awards, including a National Film Award, a Kerala States Films Award And Seven Filmfair Awards. She is regarded as one of the most prolific actresses in Malayalam cinema and has been referred to as the lady superstar of Kerala.

Net Worth

Her life is luxuries but she is also doing lot charity to others.

Manju Warrier had done lot of movies through these periods. She is good actress in North India also and she had acted with Amitabh Bachchan (Kalyan Jewellers).

Upcoming Movie

1. Vellarikka Pattanam
2. Marakkar
3. 9MM
4. Centimeter
5. Padavettu

All her fans are waiting for her new movies.

Which Bollywood actor/ actresses had a promising career but ruined it with bad decisions?

• Rajpal Yadav: Rajpal Yadav is synonymous with humorous acting. He was born in a simple house hold but always wanted to be an actor.

• Training: Well, he has gone through a diploma course in acting from famous Bharatendu Natya Academy in Lucknow, Uttarpradesh. He also studied drama at prestigious national school of drama.

• Praise: He has won acclaim through his talent in various movies-Jungle (screen award for a negative role); Road;Chandani Bar;Mujshe Shaadi Karogi etc
  [1]

• Imprisoned: For reasons best known to him; he got involved in a financial fraud case and spent ten days in prison. 
  [2]
• Then, he was further sentenced to spend three months in prison by respective court.
  [3]
   Undoubtedly, it ruined his good image and career .
• Pic credits: Google

Disclaimer:

It is neither spam, troll nor meant to disparage anyone. It sticks to guidelines issued by Quora. Thanks.

Footnotes

[1] 

Rajpal Yadav - IMDb

[2] 

Rajpal Yadav after his jail term: People misused my trust

[3] 

Actor Rajpal Yadav sentenced to three months in jail in Rs 5 crore recovery suit

Which Bollywood actors are not known to be nepo, but actually are?

 Swara Bhaskar

Yes, you read that right, and I'm not misinformed.

Swara Bhaskar is daughter of Ira Bhaskar. The member of Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC). A governmental regulating body for the Indian filmmaking industry.

Update: For those who are hurt over seeing their beloved Swara's name:

Well it helps when your mother affects the certification of film. Ira Bhaskar was the member of the CBFC team that ordered the producers of Ranbir Kapoor starrer ‘Rockstar’ to blur a flag that had ‘Free Tibet’ written on it. The CBFC team at that point in time feared that posters of “Free Tibet” would have hurt the sensitivities of the Chinese and harmed the Indo-Sino ties.

Kiara Advani/ Alia Advani

Well, she's great grand daughter of the legendary Actor Late, Ashok Kumar. South-Indian star Sayyesha is Kiara's first cousin. Kiara' aunt is a super model and her mother one of the closest friend of Salman Khan (the mafia bhai of bollywood).

Aamir Khan: So-called perfectionist

Amir khan is son of Bollywood Producer Tahir Hussain. I'm sure very few are aware about this.

Vicky Kaushal

Vicky's father is a bigshot in industry and well-known as a Stunt director in films as well as director for few.

Ranveer Singh

Well, this one tried hard to hide this fact. But he is related to The Kapoor clan of Anil Kapoor.

Update: It has been found that Ranveer Singh’s grandmother was a Bollywood actress in the 1940s. Singh’s grandmother Chand Burke was a popular name in the film industry back then and had done films in both Hindi and Punjabi languages.

So spare and don't defend him. I have no complaint about his acting skills. But I'm just stating the fact here. You can't expect us to stop calling spade a spade.

Lastly, Ajay Devgan

His Father Veeru Devgan was a stunt choreographer And action film director. He was quite a popular name in industry.

Edit: I'm adding Emran Hashmi as someone made request.

Though I majority of know his relationship with Mahesh Bhatt

Emraan Hashmi is son of Mahesh Bhatt's and Mukesh Bhatt's sister.

Edit: Thanks for the upvote guys, I've just started writing on Quora. This makes me want to write more.

I'm so happy for the 7.1k upvotes and 206k+ views.

If my answer and information shared for you quorans shocked you. Do upvote so others too get informed about it and know these people who try to hide the fact that they are byproduct of nepotism itself.

Which Bollywood actresses’ careers end after marriage?

 My top 11 actresses who ended their career after marriage:-

1. Asin Thottumkal

“She tied the knot in 2016 with Micromax’s CEO Rahul Sharma. After that, she did not sign any new assignments. She wrote on her Instagram account, “For all my media friends who still have not got the message, I’m once again reiterating that I have stopped taking up any assignments and have wrapped all my commitments before my wedding itself including my brand endorsements. “

2. Amrita Arora

“She got married in 2009 to a businessman Shakeel Ladak. Since then she is enjoying her marital bliss. She is now a mother of two Azaan and Rayaan.”

3. Mandakini

“The people of the 90s only know about the magic spell that she cast on the audience. She married a Buddhist Monk in 1990. She lives in Mumbai with her family and conducts Yoga classes.”

4. Sonali Bendre

“Sonali is a diva, witty and fashionable. She worked in many super hit movies. She married Goldie Behl in 2002. After her marriage, she was only seen as guest appearances in some movies.”

5. Saira Bano

“She won the hearts of the Indians with her charm and skills. She married Dilip Kumar in 1966. She sacrificed her own career so that she can lead a happy married life with Dilip as he was a very famous actor of his time.”

6. Babita

“Babita was married to Randhir Kapoor. Her in-laws did not want her to work as an actress post marriage. After few years the couple separated, and after two decades they started living together again. “

7. Meenakshi Sheshadri

“She ruled the box office during the late 80s. She married an investment banker Harish Mysore and moved to the USA. She is delighted with her family and teaches Indian dance forms there.”

8. Bhagyashree

“She is a sugar syrup. She was the crush of every second guy in the 90s era. She came into limelight after she did her first role in Maine Pyaar Kiya. She married at a very young age of 19 to actor Himalaya. She had said that she sacrificed her career for the most important person in her life.”

9. Twinkle Khanna

“These days she is popularly known as Mrs Funnybones. She left the silver screen after marrying Akshay Kumar in 2001. She has established herself as an interior designer and an author.”

10. Genelia D’souza

“I have adored her ever since I saw her for the first time in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na. In 2012, she married actor Riteish Deshmukh and is now a mother of two boys.”

11. Namrata Shirodkar

“She again was a very famous actress of the 90s era. We saw her in popular movies like Vastav, Bride and Prejudice, etc. She married Tollywood actor Mahesh Babu in 2005 and quit the industry. She won the Femina Miss India title in 1993.”