The bright lights of Bollywood

Bollywood produces some of the world's highest-grossing films, with the colourful movies that come out of Mumbai inspiring audiences the world over. Indian movie stars are treated like gods while they are at the top, with obsessive media coverage comparable to that lavished on Hollywood stars. So who are the current big names in Bollywood?

King of Bollywood: Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan is the undisputed king of Indian cinema, keeping women swooning and cash tills ringing in movie theatres for over two decades. Born in 1965 in Delhi, he started out treading the boards in theatre but it was thanks to the TV series ‘Fauji’ that he first achieved fame. His first feature film ‘Deewana’ (1992) brought him the much desired Filmfare Award - an Indian film industry award on a par with the Oscars. He has now collected a massive 14 of these prestigious accolades. His biggest international success to date is ‘My Name Is Khan’ (2010) and he recently appeared in the Hindi blockbuster ‘Don 2’.

Female superstar: Kajol Devgan
Kajol Devgan was always destined for Bollywood superstardom, hailing from a film acting dynasty, and she has certainly not disappointed. Her breakthrough came at the age of 18 in the 1992 film ‘Bekhudi’. If any proof of her superstar status is needed, she has now got six Filmfare Awards under her belt.

From model to cinema idol: John Abraham
John Abraham began his glittering career working as an international male model before deciding to try his hand at acting. After breaking into the movie world with the thriller ‘Jism’ (2003), he achieved global fame playing anti-hero Kabir in box office smash ‘Dhoom’ (2004). Abraham remains as popular as ever, having four films scheduled for release this year.

Big B: Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan, born in 1942, is a veteran of Bollywood, having made his name in the early 1970s as the 'angry young man' of Hindi cinema. His lengthy career has encompassed an extraordinary 160 film appearances, and he has secured no fewer than nine Filmfare Awards. You know you've made it when Madame Tussauds dedicates one of its wax creations to you, and Amitabh became the first living Asian to have this honour bestowed on him in the London museum. 'Big B' also spent a number of years hosting India's version of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’, cementing his status as a household name.

Bollywood’s Angelina: Aishwarya Rai
After being crowned Miss World in 1994, Aishwarya Rai enjoyed a glamorous career as a supermodel, starring in ads for Pepsi as well as Vogue magazine. The 'Queen of Bollywood' made her acting debut back in 1997 in Iruvar before enjoying a successful run of Hindi films. Unusually for a Bollywood star, Aishwarya chose to deviate from the mainstream path, gaining critical acclaim for her performances in a number of offbeat independent films.