Film Celeb Birthdays in July

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The month of July marks the birth of several film celebs. Here is a checklist of some prominent names born in the seventh month of the year.

Ranveer Singh / July 6

He is the quintessential mainstream star when other lead actors from his generation also opt for mid-stream films as well. Ranveer Singh, larger-than-life as he comes across personally, believes in larger-than-life characters in larger-than-life movies with big-ticket filmmakers. Until recently, the Yash Chopra discovery was having a consistent upward graph with movies as assorted as Band Baaja Baaraat, Goliyon Ki RasLeela RamLeela, Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat, Simmba, Gully Boy and even the daring 83. But despite recent debacles like Cirkus, he is expected to slalom back with Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani and Baiju Bawra.

Neetu Singh / July 8

She has spent 67 of her 75 years inside the world of films! Now better known as Mrs. Rishi Kapoor and mom to Ranbir Kapoor, Neetu Singh first appeared as a kid in Suraj, Dus Lakh and in the titular double roles of twins in Do Kaliyan. She made her adult debut in Rickshawala and had a bounty of mega-hits as solo leading lady and part of an ensemble cast, including Deewaar, Khel Khel Mein, Rafoo Chakkar, Kabhi Kabhie, Dharam-Veer, Amar Akbar Anthony and Jaani Dushmun. Among her meatier roles that showed that she was not just a glamour doll were films like Priyatama, Doosara Aadmi and Chorni. Neetu took a break from screen appearances after her marriage to steady flame Rishi Kapoor (with whom she has done 11 films) and reappeared with him in four more films from 2019 to 2013. She then went off movies again and resurfaced last year in Jug Jugg Jeeyo.

Katrina Kaif / July 16

The first foreign heroine to make it big—make that very big!—in Indian cinema, Katrina Kaif may be known as Salman Khan’s protégé and long-standing flame, but has shown an extraordinary flair for “selecting” hit movies. That is, her box-office success average has been remarkable, especially in the first decade of her career (the 2003 Boom marked her debut) that took off in 2005 with Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya and Sarkar. Ek Tha Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hai, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, Dhoom:3, Partner, Race, Namastey London, Singh Is Kinng, Sooryavanshi and more saw Katrina (now Mrs. Vicky Kaushal) stride solidly across the marquee. Coming up are Tiger 3 and Sriram Raghavan’s Merry Christmas, which look like clear winners.

Ravi Kishan / July 17

Over three decades now into cinema, Ravi Kishan (the spelling has undergone several transformations!) began in Hindi cinema in 1992 as a kind of B-grade version of Mithun Chakraborty and graduated to superstardom in a chain of Bhojpuri hits, while remaining a character artiste in Hindi and South Indian movies. He also ventured into television, TV reality shows (a contestant on Bigg Boss and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa) and then into web series. En route, he joined politics and is now a Member of Parliament.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas / July 18

She is Shashi Kapoor’s female counterpart—the first Indian female star to break into the international circuit, first as a TV actress (Quantico) and then as leading lady and even producer. What’s more, she did that when she was still a top star in Hindi and a recognized powerhouse actress (Aitraaz, Mary Kom, Bajirao Mastani). She even had a love marriage with American singer, songwriter and actor Nick Jonas, and is now a mother, even as she continues her acting career. What’s more, the Padma Shri winner is also a producer in India, having made multiple films in different Indian languages. All this besides being a Miss World, 2000, of course!

Naseeruddin Shah / July 20

The uncrowned king in the 1970s and 1980s of art cinema, Naseeruddin Shah is widely regarded as one of Hindi cinema’s finest actors, and has also done stage, TV and web series. From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s for a while (Karma, Tridev, Mohra), he even concentrated on mainstream cinema, but settled down to a mix of genres as he switched to character roles. A multi-awarded actor who has also been a producer in theater, Naseeruddin is still best known for his early films like Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyon Aata Hai, Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho, Katha and Manthan besides later commercial successes like Sarfarosh and A Wednesday!.

Himesh Reshammiya / July 23

The composer actually began with the 1995 Andaz and other serials as a TV producer and story writer, also scoring their title-songs. He moved on to make his film debut thanks to mentor Salman Khan in Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya (1998). After musicals like Humraaz, Tere Naam, Aitraaz and Maine Pyar Kyun Kiya, he reached sensational heights as a singer with a distinct style, beginning with Aashiq Banaya Aapne. He then had beginner’s luck even as a leading man with the super-hit Aap Ka Surroor (2007) besides doing chartbusting non-film albums. Today, he may do only the occasional film, but he commands attention for his venture of promoting new talent under his independent label of HR Muzik.

Anup Jalota / July 29

Universally acknowledged as the Bhajan Samrat (king of devotional songs), Anup Jalota’s first tryst with fame came as the main singer and part-composer of the 1977 hit devotional, Shirdi Ke Sai Baba. While few of his film songs (mostly devotionals again) proved popular, he became a rage from the 1980s as a singer and composer of devotional non-film albums and had sellout concerts globally. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2012.

Sanjay Dutt / July 29

His life has been a cauldron of success, failed relationships, professional and personal troubles, controversies and allegations. The son of Sunil Dutt and Nargis has now overcome all that (and a diagnosed malignancy) to have paid his debt to society with a jail sentence and is now a happily married man and father. The highs in a checkered career of 40 years include Naam, Saajan, Khal-Nayak, the Munna Bhai franchise and the recent KGF 2. Not to forget his sanitized biopic, Sanju, featuring Ranbir Kapoor, which became the highest grosser of 2018.

Sonu Nigam / July 30

Originally employed by T-Series to sing cover versions of Mohammed Rafi, Sonu Nigam rose to fame gradually, and soon became a top-flight playback singer and performer. The film breakthroughs happened with Ye dil from Pardes and Sandesn aate hain from Border, but soon, Sonu began singing in various languages as well.

Beginning as a child artiste, he has also been a host of the popular Zee reality show, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, has composed music and has done international collaborations in music.

Kiara Advani / July 31

Among the brightest and the most mainstream of the post-2010 leading ladies in Hindi cinema, Kiara Advani, who is related distantly to both Ashok Kumar and Saeed Jaffrey, has just released Satyaprem Ki Katha. Her debut was unnoticed, in the 2014 flop, Fugly (an Akshay Kumar production), but subsequently, she made a name with films as varied as Kabir Singh, Good Newwz, Shershaah, Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2, Jug Jugg Jeeyo and others and has also dabbled in Telugu cinema.

Mumtaz / July 31

No actress in Hindi cinema has seen the kind of graph Mumtaz has had. Beginning as a child artiste and then an ‘extra’ (junior artiste), she progressed to small roles in small movies,  a heroine in small setups and vamp, comedienne, parellel and character artiste in A-grade films before getting major breaks as a lead actor opposite Dilip Kumar (Ram Aur Shyam) and with V. Shantaram (Boond Jo Ban Gayee Moti). Finally, she hit it big in 1969 to 1970 with Jigri Dost, Do Raaste, Bandhan, Khilona and Saccha Jhutha, forming hit teams with Rajesh Khanna and Jeetendra. She became the Numero Uno actress in Hindi cinema, but then marriage followed and she quit films in the early 1970s, with her last release being Nagin (1976). She fleetingly attempted a comeback with Aandhiyan (1990).