The Brunette Diaries

Bollywood celebs who went from flab to fab

A lean figure is something we all desire, and when we look at some Bollywood celebs, we tend to think they had it easy. Well, not always. Some stars had to work their asses off to tone down to look fab. Let us look at a few.

Alia Bhatt

This sexy chic was not always slender like in the movie ‘Student Of The Year’. She had to go on a weight loss spree to get rid of the excess weight. She lost an enormous 16 kilos before facing cameras for the movie! Quite an inspiration!

Sonam Kapoor

Even Anil Kapoor’s daughter did not get everything on a platter. She had to work out a lot to get the slim figure she enjoys today. She had to lose 30 kilos to slim down from her initial weight of whopping 90 kilos!

Adnan Sami

Singer Adnan Sami once needed a wheelchair to move around because his weight, at an unbelievable 230 kilos, was too much. That very man burned around 150 kilos to look fit and fab!

Parineeti Chopra

Having a cousin like Priyanka Chopra in the industry was motivation enough for Parineeti to try. However, she had to lose considerable amount of weight to get into the industry. Parineeti went from chubby to chic in about ten months of a strict diet, yet she was criticised for being shapeless. For months she was adamant that wouldn’t want to lose any more weight, but after constant criticism she finally gave in and restarted her weight loss regime.

Arjun Kapoor

Arjun initially looked nothing like the star he is today and his weight loss story was indeed a life transformation. He is now rated as one of the hottest Bollywood actors in the industry!

Kareena Kapoor

The actress who made size zero a trend in India wasn’t always slim! In fact, for her item number in ‘Don’ (2006), she was criticised for her inability to maintain her figure following which she took up the challenge and transformed!

Zarine Khan

This chubby actress lost weight before entering into the Bollywood circuit. She lost so much weight that Salman Khan even asked her to put on some weight for one of her movies!

Sonakshi Sinha:

Our very own Rajjo, Sonakshi Sinha never thought she can be an actress. She was quite on a heavier side and was planning to pursue her career in Fashion Designing. However, Salman Khan told the 90kgs Sonakshi to lose weight and enter Bollywood. She lost around 30 kilos in 2 years and became a perfect heroine to star opposite Salman in the film ‘Dabangg’.

Jackky Bhagnani:

Well, his six-pack-abs were the talk of the town when he made his debut in the film ‘Kal Kissne Dekha’. But, not many know that it took 2 years for Jackky to get that body. The actor was around 130kgs before he thought of making his acting debut.

Karan Johar:

Karan Johar is surely a great filmmaker, but if you would have seen him few years ago, you wouldn’t have recognized him. He was fat and weighed 120kgs. However, he decided to lose weight and you can see what he is right now.

Bollywood stars and their lucky charms

In films, sports and politics, we have often heard of superstitions that people follow to assure success. Bollywood stars, in fact, have this ingrained in their lifestyles. Let us look at some quirky superstitions that Bollywood stars have.

Amitabh Bachchan

Though the superstar ditched all his rings a few years ago, we cannot forget when Amitabh sported several rings on his long fingers. In fact, the longest finger on his left hand had two rings. Amitabh believed in these gem-stone rings quite religiously since his career flourished only after he started wearing them.

Salman Khan

This superstar stud may leave the house without his shirt but he will never leave the house without his turquoise blue bracelet. Salman’s father who sports a similar bracelet had gifted him this one. A number of ardent Salman fans have also sported similar bracelets. I’m sure you might have come across at least one such fan.

Imran Khan

Imran doesn’t have any lucky charms as such but he always asks for his movies to be released in the first week of July. ‘Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Naa’, ‘I Hate Luv Storys’ and ‘Delhi Belly’ released in that week and were successful. Besides this, Imran believes that if his wife Avantika features as a special appearance in his movie, then it is bound to be a hit. He cites examples of movies like ‘Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Naa’, ‘I Hate Luv Storys’ and ‘Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu’.

Mugdha Godse

Mugdha feels that her life has become more peaceful after getting herself a spiritual tattoo. The tattoo reads ‘Om Namah Shivaya’ in the Devanagri script.

Dia Mirza

Dia Mirza always carries with her a Buddhist blessing written on a paper that her mother had gifted her. Dia feels that this brings her blessings and prosperity.

Bollywood superstars who are chain smokers

Cigarette smoking is considered one of the biggest problems in the country, and most television entities display ads against it. However, it may be awkward to note that our very own Bollywood actors, who we so conveniently have called as ‘heroes’, have been indulging in the habit over the years. Let us look at some.

Houses of Bollywood actors

The grandeur of Bollywood celebrities is best expressed with their lavish houses around the city. Here we take a look at some celebrities and their houses.

Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh owns three houses Jalsa, Prateeksha and Janak which are all located in the posh Juhu Scheme area of Mumbai, and are at walking distance from each other. The Bachchans initially used to stay in Jalsa, but after Abhishek Bachchan gained stardom they moved into the bigger Prateeksha. Janak is used as an office. Every Sunday, whenever Senior Bachchan is in town, he makes it a point to greet his fans outside his house, Jalsa. Fans, who know about his practice, start gathering outside the famous abode by 5 PM, so that they get to see this legendary star from as close as possible.

Shah Rukh Khan

Shah Rukh has a palatial sea facing house named ‘Mannat’ in Bandra, Mumbai. The house has six floors each catering to a different need. It has a private cinema, a library, a gym and a few rooms for photo shoots. Shah Rukh lives with his wife Gauri, two children and sister Lala Rukh Khan.

Deepika Padukone

Daughter of legendary badminton player Prakash Padukone, Deepika stays in a four bedroom spread with three parking lots in the BeauMonde Towers near the Siddivinayak temple in Prabhadevi, Mumbai. It is on the 26th floor and is worth INR 16 crores. This apartment has been rumoured to have been gifted by her ex boyfriend Sidharth Mallya. But if it was indeed nothing but a rumour, then Deepika, who was 25 at that time, must be the youngest achiever in B-town to buy such an expensive house!

Salman Khan

This Khan can easily afford a lavish bungalow in the heart of Mumbai; but he chooses to stay in an apartment with his family! His building, Galaxy Apartments, is a landmark and also a tourist attraction in the area, just like his contemporary, SRK’s Mannat. This superstar lives with his parents Salim and Salma Khan, Helen, Arbaaz Khan, Malaika Arora and their son, Sohail Khan and his wife and son, and his sister Arpita.

John Abraham

John Abraham’s sea facing apartment is a duplex is located in Mumbai near the Arabian Sea and has a clear view of it. This house comes in the category of simple yet stunning. Each room of his apartment is finely planned and designed along with the apt furniture and accessories.

Bollywood relationships you may not know about

There are many Bollywood relationships that most of us are unaware about. Check out this list of relationships you might not have known.

(Also read – Bollywood celebs before stardom)

Bachchan family

Amitabh’s daughter Shweta is married to industrialist Nikhil Nanda, who is the son of Ritu Nanda – daughter of Raj Kapoor and Krishna Raj Kapoor. So the Bachchans and the Kapoors – the two biggest families in Bollywood – are actually related!

Sidharth Malhotra

Director Sidharth Malhotra of ‘We Are Family’ fame is the grandson of actor Prem Nath. We’re pretty sure only a few people knew that!

(Try reading – Top 5 highest grossing Bollywood films)

Sharman Joshi

Sharman is married to Prerna Chopra, daughter of actor Prem Chopra. Whereas, Prem’s other daughter Punita is married to actor Vikas Bhalla.

Fardeen Khan

Fardeen Khan is married to Natasha Madhwani who is the daughter of veteran actress Mumtaz.

Shekhar Kapur

Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur is actually the nephew of legendary actor Dev Anand. Kapur is the son of Dev Anand’s sister, Sheel Kanta Kapur.

(You may find this interesting – Bollywood celebrities who changed their names)

Mithun Chakravarthy

Mithun is married to Geeta Bali’s daughter Yogeeta Bali. Geeta was the first wife of actor Shammi Kapoor.

Tabu

Niece of Shabana Azmi, Tabu gained stardom from a young age. She is also the sister of actress Farha Naaz.

Abhishek Kapoor

Abhishek Kapoor, who was the director of ‘Rock On’ is the nephew of Jeetendra, thus the cousin of Ekta Kapoor and Tusshar Kapoor.

Shakti Kapoor

One of Bollywood’s most famous villains, Shakti Kapoor, is the brother-in-law of Padmini Kolhapure. He is married to Padmini’s sister Shivangi.

Vidhu Vinod Chopra

Ramanand Sagar and Vidhu Vinod Chopra are half brothers. Their father married Vinod’s mother after Ramanand’s mother passed away.

Ranveer Singh

Actor Ranveer Singh, who is rumoured to be a Deepika Padukone’s flame, is Sonam Kapoor’s maternal cousin.

Simi Garewal

Simi Garewal is the first cousin of Yash Chopra’s wife Pamela. Simi’s mother Darshi and Pamela’s father Mohinder Singh were siblings. Interestingly, it was Simi who had introduced Pamela to Yash at a wedding!

(Also read – Houses of Bollywood actors)

Farhan Akthar

Farhan and Zoya Akthar are the cousins of Sajid and Farah Khan – their mothers are sisters. Quite surprising isn’t it?

The Richest Bollywood Stars Of Today

Bollywood is known for its legendary actors, musicians, dancers and composers. This film industry has been flourishing by leaps and bounds since the 1930’s. As the Indian currency is getting stronger day by day, so is the revenue earned by this mega industry. People do not read books as much they watch films, so there is no reason why the money won’t flow into the industry. Here we take a look at some of the richest Bollywood stars of today.

(Also read – Bollywood celebrities and expensive gifts)

Shah Rukh Khan

This Baadshah of Bollywood even made it into the highest earners in the world. Coming second only to Jerry Seinfeld, Shah Rukh topped superstars like Tom Cruise and Johnny Depp as well. Khan earns around 35 crore rupees per movie and around 15 crore per endorsement. Shah Rukh’s net worth is around US $600 million.

(Also read – Bollywood stars and their bikes)

Aamir Khan

One of the top 3 most well known Khans in India, Aamir is a super high earner as well. Having made up his way to the top due to his versatility, this actor is very selective about his movies and charges a whopping 30 crores per movie and earns around 4 crore for every endorsement (mostly ones with a social cause).

(Also read – Bollywood celebs before stardom)

Salman Khan

One more super Khan, Salman, charges around 35 crores per movie that he stars in, plus a percentage of the profit. Besides being known for his superb physique, his enormous fan following is one more reason why producers wouldn’t mind throwing that much money for the superstar.

(Also read – Top 5 highest grossing Bollywood films)

Akshay Kumar

This top notch action star has been making the mega bucks since the last few years. Since he has a background in Taekwondo, Akshay performs his own stunts for his movies and charges anything between 18-30 crores per movie, while around 5 crores for his commercials.

Hrithik Roshan

Hrithik has shown his tremendous potential by acting and dancing his way to superstardom. He charges around 25 crore per movie he appears and around 5 crore for endorsements!

Bollywood stars and their controversies

Bollywood stars have always been known to flirt with controversy. Bollywood is well-known all around the world for both good and not-so-good reasons. Let us look at the lives of some Bollywood stars and how controversies have embroidered their lives.

Salman Khan

When you have to describe Salman, a word like brash will be close on your mind. Salman first got into controversy in 1998 by hunting an endangered Chinkara, following which he was arrested, but later released on bail. But he continued to play with fire when he drove his car over a footpath where some homeless people were sleeping. This left one dead and three injured and he was charged with a hit and run case.

Saif Ali Khan

Saif Ali Khan is another star who swam in the danger sea once too often. Coming from a royal background, he was bound to get away with things but he faced quite a lot of trouble somehow. In the year 2012, the nawab was with his wife and friends and fell into an argument with an NRI at the Taj hotel and he allegedly brawled with the man and broke his nose. Besides this, Saif was also accused in the same Chinkara hunting case for allegedly being an accomplice of Salman in the act.

Sanjay Dutt

How can anyone forget Sanjay’s famous ‘Munnabhai’ character from the movie ‘Munnabhai M.B.B.S’! Sanjay is allegedly known to have contacts with many such ‘gundas’ like in the movie and has always been surrounded by controversies in his real life.

Shah Rukh Khan

How could we miss out on ‘King Khan’ who was found to be misbehaving with a security official while at the Wankhede stadium in 2012’s edition of IPL. He was also alleged of slapping Farah Khan’s husband Shirish Kunder at a party.

Shiney Ahuja

Shiney Ahuja may not be a very popular name in Bollywood, but found himself in the headlines with some really serious charges of raping his housemaid in the year 2009.

Preity Zinta

If you thought that the leading ladies of Bollywood would miss out, then I’m afraid you’re mistaken. Preity Zinta was the hot topic of B-town when she was alleged to be in an affair with an already married Shekhar Kapur.

Kareena Kapoor

Kareena was always known to be a bold chic. When her MMS was leaked out showing her passionately kissing her then boyfriend Shahid Kapoor, this boiled a lot of gossip.

Shilpa Shetty

Shilpa Shetty made it into this list due to her racism accusation on one of the contestants in the British reality TV show ‘Big Brother’ which became a topic of discussion across India and the UK. Later, Shilpa again got into another controversy when Hollywood star Richard Gere openly kissed the actress.

Highly Educated Bollywood Stars

With supreme acting skills that have gained them plaudits from people all over India, some of these Bollywood stars will actually surprise you with their educational degrees as well! Here we take a look at the most highly educated B-town celebrities.

(Also read – Bollywood celebrities and expensive gifts)

Preity Zinta

This bubbly Kings XI Punjab owner, with a chubby face and a pretty dimple, is a perfect blend of beauty and brains. She has graduated with an English honours degree and earned a post graduate degree in criminal psychology! Impressive, isn’t it?

Vidya Balan

This B-town bombshell holds a major in sociology from St. Xavier’s, Mumbai. Besides this, she also holds an M.A. from Mumbai University. Talk about being diversely talented!

(Also read – The richest Bollywood stars of today)

Soha Ali Khan

Following in the footsteps of her father, Soha attended the Balliol College in Oxford. She also holds a masters degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

(Also read – Bollywood celebrities and their obsession with luxury cars)

R Madhavan

R Madhavan has charmed quite a few with his cute smile but that’s not all that is impressive about him! He is a graduate in electronics from Rajaram College, Kolhapur and even won the Maharashtra Best Cadet title which allowed him to make a trip to England. He even received training the Royal Army, the Navy and the Air Force which made him consider joining defence.

(Also read – Bollywood stars and their controversies)

John Abraham

This Bollywood hunk finished his primary education at Bombay Scottish School in Mumbai, and then went on to get an MBA degree from the Mumbai Educational Trust.

Fardeen Khan

Fardeen holds a Business Management degree from the University of Massachusetts, USA! Impressive!