Bold & Famous of India

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan also known as Ash is often named amongst the most glamorous women in the world. She was crowned Miss World in the year 1994. After winning the Miss World title, she became one of the most popular stars in the Indian film industry. Ash is also referred to as the Queen of Bollywood. Through the years, Aishwarya Rai has been nominated for and received several national and international awards. She began her international career making an appearance in Bride & Prejudice and then grabbed a role in Pink Panther in 2008 to share screen space with Steve Martin. The gorgeous actress and brand ambassador of L'Oreal attended the opening night of the 62nd Cannes Film Festival.

Known as 'Mozart of Madras', Allah Rakha Rahman has sold more than 100 million records of his film scores and soundtracks worldwide, making one of the world's all-time top selling recording artists. In 2009, for his score of Slumdog Millionaire, Rahman won two Academy Awards for the best original music score and best original song at the 2009 Oscars. His first soundtrack for 'Roja' was listed in Time's '10 Best Soundtracks' of all time in 2005.

Chosen as the 'CEO of the Year 2004' in the Platts Global Energy Awards and MTV Youth Icon of the Year in September 2003, Anil Ambani is one of the foremost entrepreneurs of Independent India. He is the Chairman of Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. Earlier, before the split in the Reliance Group, Anil Ambani held the post of Vice Chairman and Managing Director in Reliance Industries Limited. Anil Ambani was elected as an independent member Rajya Sabha MP in June 2004. But he resigned voluntarily on March 25, 2006.

Dr Anil Kakodkar is a famous Indian nuclear scientist and the incumbent chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India and the Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Atomic Energy. He was also the director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre at Trombay. Kakodkar has the credit of being a member of the core team of architects of India's Peaceful Nuclear Tests that were conducted during the years 1974 and 1998. He also led the indigenous development of the country's Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor Technology.

Rated the richest person in India from 1999 to 2005 by Forbes, Azim Premji inherited a cooking oil business from his father that he transformed into technology services giant Wipro. Premji has been recognized as one of the 'Greatest Entrepreneurs of All Time' for his vision and leadership that has been responsible for Wipro emerging as one of the world's fastest growing companies.

Few people could handle either the presidential or the chief financial officer job at a company worth $100 billion. But not only has Nooyi held both offices since 2001, but also named as 2009 CEO of the Year by Global Supply Chain Leaders Group for promoting socially responsible business practices. Simple ideals, sharpness and conviction - that's the success mantra of the triumphant CEO of beverages major Pepsico, who was ranked No.4 on Forbes magazine's annual survey of the 100 most powerful women in the world.

Born on August 15, 1931, KP Singh, established India's largest real estate company. DLF has now become the world's largest real estate company in terms of revenues, earnings, market capitalisation and developable area. It's KP Singh who made Gurgaon a world-famous outsourcing destination within 10 years, because of his world-class earthquake-proof office buildings, apartments, shopping malls and leisure facilities.

The CEO of Arcelor Mittal, the world's largest steel company, Lakshmi Narayan Mittal is the 8th richest person in the world and richest person in the UK. Lakshmi Mittal began his career working in the family's steelmaking business in India and set out to establish its international division, which he started by buying a run-down plant in Indonesia. He is India's most amazing rags-to-riches story.

After Kerry Packer, Lalit Modi can be credited with changing the face of modern day cricket. He conceptualised the Indian Premier League, which was a blockbuster from the word go. Lalit Modi amalgated India's two biggest passion cricket and Bollywood and coined the term 'cricketainment' .

LK Advani has been one of the Bharatiya Janata Party's most prominent hardliners for years. Many see him as a divisive figure who has exploited Hindu-Muslim tensions, remembering him for the campaign he led to have a Hindu temple built on the site of a mosque in Ayodhya. Yet at the age of 81, Mr Advani attempted a makeover, reaching out to young voters who have always criticised India's aged political class. However, following the defeat in the 2009 general elections, LK Advani revealed his intentions to step down from the post of Leader of Opposition, which was swiftly rejected by his party.

From playing an instrumental role in the passing of the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement to pulling up the sagging fortune of the Congress party, Dr Manmohan Singh has been pivotal in India's rise to a global power. During his tenure as the Finance Minister, Manmohan Singh initiated many economic reforms in India which resulted in the end of the infamous Licence Raj system in 1991. Even thou his adversaries have called him the weakest prime minister the country has ever had, Manmohan Singh has been widely credited in propelling the United Progressive Alliance to power for its second term making him the first Indian Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term.

Ranked 42nd among the World's Most Respected Business Leaders and second among the four Indian CEOs, Chairman and Managing Director of India's largest private sector company Reliance Industries Limited, Mukesh Ambani, is the face of new emerging India. World's largest grassroots petroleum refinery at Jamnagar is the innovation of Mukesh Ambani, who was also the incharge of Dhirubhai's dream project Reliance Infocomm. However, after the split in the Reliance Empire, Reliance Infocomm went to his brother Anil Ambani.

One of the many entrepreneurs who have worked towards changing India's image in the West, Nandan Nilekani has now been invited by Manmohan Singh to serve as the chairperson of the Unique Identification Authority of India which will work towards providing unique number to all Indians.

When Narayana Murthy started Infosys, little did he know that the company he started with his six friends would become such a huge success and would change the way the entire way the world does business. His corporate and social vision has been appreciated globally. His efforts resulted in enormous cost savings for companies across Europe and the US, and created huge employment opportunities in India. It is for his efforts that India's outsourcing sector today generates annual revenues of around $36 billion.

The poster-child of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Narendra Damodardas Modi has won many loyalists for his firebrand politics. Many may call Narendra Modi a radical, but he is the face behind Gujarat's progress. When he took over the reigns as the chief minister, Gujarat's economy was shrinking and the domestic growth was almost stagnant but as a result of his elaborate efforts the state registered a GDP growth rate of over 10 per cent and a top investment destination.

A prominent member of the Communist Party of India, and its current general secretary, Prakash Karat is an outspoken opponent of the United Progressive Alliance coalition in the Indian Parliament. Karat also works as a writer and publisher. Karat has been an editorial board member for the CPI-M's academic journal, The Marxist since 1992. He is also the managing director for Leftword, a publishing company specializing in leftist political writings.

A prominent leader of the Indian National Congress and a loyalist to the Gandhi family, Pranab Mukherjee has been pillar for the United Progressive Alliance guiding the alliance through difficult situation. Known for his negotiation skills, Pranab Mukherjee was a key member in the signing of the Section 123 Agreement.

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi has been playing an active role in revitalising the fate of the party with his new brand of politics. His grassroots activisms have helped the party in building deep connections with rural India. Thou some of his comments in recent times have landed him in a soup but he is credited with reviving his party fortune in Uttar Pradesh in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Referred to as RG, in his party circle, Rahul Gandhi has always condemned divisive politics in the country and has tried to reduce caste and religious tensions.

Ratan Tata, chairman of Rs 79,000 crore Tata group is considered as the doyen of the new era of business enterprises in the Indian mainland. He grabbed the headlines more than any other business tycoon in India in 2008, which was a year of cars for him. Nano, the dream project of Ratan Tata and the vehicle meant to herald a revolution by making it possible for the world's poor to purchase their first car, became a reality after meeting more than its fair share of potholes. Meanwhile, Tata's acquisition of British icons Jaguar and Land Rover was watched with envy and admiration everywhere.

'If cricket is religion, then Sachin is God', is enough to describe what Sachin Tendulkar is to his fans all over the world. The Master Blaster has been the pioneer of cricket and arguably one of the best batsmen in the world of cricket. He is the highest run-maker in both the One-Day Internationals and Test version of the game with highest number of centuries and he is raring for more. The little master has been the nemesis for bowlers all over the world and continues to haunt them on any surface. His ability to play according to the situation makes him almost perfect.

Known as the 'King' of Bollywood, Shahrukh Khan is one of the few who has made a successful transition from television serials to films. He gave us memorable flicks like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Om Shanti Om to name a few. In 2008, 'Newsweek' named him one of the 50 most powerful people in the world. The marketing rights of his latest flick 'My Name Is Khan' has been bagged by Fox Studios for Rs 1 bn. SRK has been felicitated with many awards including 'Padma Shri'. He also owns the 'Kolkata Knight Riders' in the Indian Premier League. He is the new face of India across the world and has made a mark with his hard work and sheer charm.

Italian-born Sonia Gandhi is the current torchbearer of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. In 2004 she was named the third most powerful woman in the world by the Forbes magazine. When her party won national elections in 2004, she was offered the prime ministership; she listened to her 'inner voice' and turned it down, and anointed the economist Manmohan Singh in her stead. It was a gesture that was, well, Gandhian. And it solidified her hold on power.

The biggest name in Indian telecom, Sunil Bharti Mittal definitely thinks big. He is a first generation entrepreneur and is one of the many faces behind the cellular revolution in India. He founded Bharti Telecom Limited, which started manufacturing electronic push-button phones. But he struck gold when the government began issuing licenses for mobile phone services and set up Bharti Cellular Limited is today India's largest GSM-based mobile phone service.

India's most charismatic billionaire, Vijay Mallya surely knows how to throw a party. He has a larger-than- life personality and a slew of businesses. But his most successful ventures are the UB Group and Kingfisher Airlines. The 'King of good times' takes keen interest in sports, apart from owning a team in the Indian Premier League, he also owns a Formula One team. He is also known for bidding in auctions for items that are of great cultural value to our country.