Riya Sen
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Riya Sen
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| Birthplace | Kolkata, India |
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| Hair | Black |
| Eyes | Brown |
| Birthdate | January 24, 1981 (age 25) |
| Measurements | 32.5 - 25 - 36 |
| Height | 5'1" (155.4 cm) |
| Dress size | 5½ |
| Official Site | Riya Sen |
Riya Sen (Bengali: রিয়া সেন; (IPA: [ria̪] sen ITRANS:riYA sen) (born Riya Dev Varma in Kolkata, India on January 24, 1981) is an Indian film actress and model. She is often regarded as a sex symbol.[1]
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[edit] Personal life and family
Riya Sen is the grand daughter of Suchitra Sen, a legend in Bengali cinema, and daughter of Moonmoon Sen, a former actress. Before moving to Mumbai, she lived with her mother and sister Raima Sen, also an actress, in Kolkata. Her father Bharat Dev Varma belongs to the illustrious royal family of Tripura. Her paternal grandmother Ila Devi, was the princess of Cooch Behar, whose younger sister Gayatri Devi is the Maharani of Jaipur.[2]
Before entering show business, she studied at Loreto House and Rani Birla College, both in Kolkata, but dropped out of both institutions.[2] She also briefly studied at the National Institute of Fashion Technology. Since her Bollywood debut, she has moved from Kolkata to Juhu in Mumbai.
While in Mumbai she had a relationship with male model and actor John Abraham.[3] After breaking up with him, she started a relationship with actor Ashmit Patel.[4] She also briefly dated actor Akshaye Khanna.[citation needed]
Many have commented on the strong resemblence between her and her mother, Moonmoon Sen, a sex symbol in her time.[5] Both have worked in films in different languages, and both were involved in numerous controversies. However, her sister Raima has a very different image from them both.[6]
[edit] Career
[edit] Acting
Riya Sen first appeared as a child artiste in the film Vishkanya, where she played the role of the young Pooja Bedi. At the age of 15 she was cast in a major role in Bharathiraaja's Tamil film Tajmahal. Her Bollywood film debut was supposed to have been in Love You Hamesha, opposite Akshaye Khanna, but the film was stalled and she ultimately made her debut in N. Chandra's low-budget comedy Style.
Though Style met with success at the box office, most of her other films have not done as well.[5] An exception was Jhankaar Beats, another comedy in which she co-starred with Shayan Munshi, Juhi Chawla, Rahul Bose, Rinke Khanna and Sanjay Suri. Most of her appearances have been item numbers and cameos. Her few leading roles have been in low-budget films
Riya has also appeared in Bengali, Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam and even English films. She was slated to appear in Anjan Dutta's The Bong Connection, with her sister, but was eventually dropped from the project.[7] She was replaced by Peeya Rai Chaudhary.[8] It would have been the second time the two sisters acted together, after director Ajai Sinha's The Bachelor. She has also appeared in a Bangladeshi film, titled Money Porey Tomakey. Her most notable South Indian film to date has been director Santhosh Sivan's Ananthabhadram, which was also the director's first Malayalam venture.
[edit] Modeling
Riya became a popular model when she appeared in numerous music videos for songs by popular singers, including Asha Bhonsle, Falguni Pathak, Jagjit Singh and Sonu Nigam. She was one of many Bollywood stars who appeared in Haath Se Haath Mila an anti-HIV/AIDS music video.[9]
She is also a successful advertising model. The high point of her modelling career was when she replaced Lisa Ray as the Lakmé Girl. She herself has since been replaced by Yana Gupta.
Riya has appeared on the cover of a number of magazines. In both 2004 and 2005, she was featured in Dabboo Ratnani's annual calendar. In keeping with her image, the photographs featured her partially nude.
[edit] Scandals
In keeping with her image as a sex symbol, Riya has found herself embroiled in a number of scandals.
Though the depiction of kissing on screen was (and still is, to some extent) considered inappropriate in India, Riya has regularly shared on-screen kisses with her co-stars(example Siliilay and Style).[10]
Shortly before the release of her film Silsiilay in which she starred with boyfriend Ashmit Patel, a clip was circulated through Multimedia Messaging Services and the Internet, that showed the two in intimate situations.[11] This was one of a number of such scandals that erupted where celebrities were caught in compromising situations using cameraphones.[12] Shortly after this incident, the couple split up.[4]
[edit] Trivia
- She is trained in Kathak and kickboxing.[1]
- During the filming of Shaadi No. 1, she was hit by a motorbike, and supposedly had a near death experience.[13]
[edit] Appearances on screen
[edit] Feature films
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Apna Sapna Money Money | Hindi | Announced | |
| 2006 | The Bachelor | Nisha | Hindi | Announced |
| 2006 | Rokda | Hindi | Announced | |
| 2006 | Love You Hamesha | Meghna | Hindi | Originally scheduled for release in 1999 |
| 2005 | It Was Raining That Night | English | US Production | |
| 2005 | Anandabhadram | Bhama | Malayalam | |
| 2005 | Shaadi No. 1 | Madhuri | Hindi | |
| 2005 | Tum..Ho Na! | Reema | Hindi | |
| 2005 | James | Hindi | Special appearance | |
| 2005 | Fareb | Hindi | ||
| 2005 | Silsiilay | Anushka | Hindi | |
| 2004 | Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa | Kamini | Hindi | Special appearance |
| 2004 | Plan | Shalini | Hindi | |
| 2004 | Arasatchi | Iruvathu Vaisu | Tamil | Guest song appearance |
| 2003 | Saazish (2003) | Hindi | ||
| 2003 | Qayamat: City Under Threat | Sheetal | Hindi | As Sen Riya |
| 2003 | Jhankaar Beats | Preeti | Hindi | |
| 2002 | Dil Vil Pyar Vyar | Gaurav's girlfriend | Hindi | Guest appearance |
| 2001 | Style | Sheena | Hindi | |
| 1999 | Taj Mahal | Tamil | ||
| 1999 | Good Luck | Tamil | ||
| 1991 | Vishkanya | Young Nishi | Hindi | As a child artiste |
[edit] Music videos
| Year | Song | Singer | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jhumka Gira Re | Asha Bhosle | ||
| Yaad Piya Ki Aane Lagi | Falguni Pathak | ||
| Chudi jo khanki | Falguni Pathak | ||
| Jab Samne Tum | Jagjit Singh, Asha Bhosle | ||
| Kahin Kahin Se | Jagjit Singh, Asha Bhosle | ||
| Jeena Hai Tere Liye | Sonu Nigam |
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Image matters", The Hindu, 2005-11-18. Retrieved on 2006-10-17. (in English)
- ^ a b Buyers, Christopher. The Manikya Dynasty: Genealogy. Royal Ark India. Retrieved on 2006-11-07.
- ^ "John & Riya made for each other?", Hindustan Times, 2006-08-07. Retrieved on 2006-11-07. (in English)
- ^ a b "Riya blasts ex-lover", HT Tabloid, 2006-09-30. Retrieved on 2006-11-19. (in English)
- ^ a b "Straight Answers", Times of India, 2002-11-07. Retrieved on 2006-11-07. (in English)
- ^ "What is the big deal about being sexy?", Hindustan Times, 2006-08-22. Retrieved on 2006-11-07. (in English)
- ^ "Riya Sen dropped from The Bong Connection", BollyVista, 2006-02-13. Retrieved on 2006-10-17. (in English)
- ^ "The Bong Connection", Deccan Herald, 2006-10-17. Retrieved on 2006-10-17. (in English)
- ^ "Simply incredible", The Hindu, 2006-07-07. Retrieved on 2006-08-17. (in English)
- ^ "'Men are born hunters'", HTTabloid, 2006-06-12. Retrieved on 2006-10-17. (in English)
- ^ "Ashmit's raunchy private video leaked", Mid-Day, 2005-04-27. Retrieved on 2006-08-17. (in English)
- ^ "MMS Bug", Zee News, 2006-01-01. Retrieved on 2006-08-17. (in English)
- ^ "Riya Sen's near death experience", Express India, 2006-08-25. Retrieved on 2006-10-18. (in English)
