Riya Sen

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Riya Dev Varma

Riya Dev Varma

Riya Sen
Birthplace Kolkata, India
Hair Black
Eyes Brown
Birthdate January 24, 1981 (age 26)
Measurements {{{bust}}} - {{{waist}}} - {{{hips}}}
Height 5'1" (155.4 cm)
Official Site Riya Sen

Riya Sen (Bengali: রিয়া সেন; Hindi: रिया सेन; (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]

Contents

[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 parents 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.

Many have commented on the strong resemblance between her and her mother, Moonmoon Sen, a sex symbol in her time.[3] However, her sister Raima has a very different image from them both.[4]

[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.[3] 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.[5] She was replaced by Peeya Rai Chaudhary.[6] 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.[7]

She is also an advertising model. A high point of her modeling career was when she replaced Lisa Ray as the Lakmé Girl, but she has since been replaced by Yana Gupta. Her other notable assignments include Colgate, Limca, Vatika, Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate, and Margarita King.

Riya has appeared on the cover of a number of magazines. In 2004, she was featured partially nude in leading Indian photographer Dabboo Ratnani's[8] annual calendar, which is a major happening in the Indian glamor industry.[9] In Daboo's words, "Her mother saw it much later, after the calendar released. She thought it was too sexy, and Riya shouldn’t have done it. But the response to the photograph was superb. Riya was so thrilled that for her next ad campaign, she asked me to light her up like I did in this."[10] She is the only female face to be featured on the calendar on four consecutive years (2004-2007).

[edit] 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).[11]

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.[12] This was one of a number of such scandals that erupted where celebrities were caught in compromising situations using cameraphones.[13] Shortly after this incident, the couple split up.[14] The actress has however denied that it was her in the MMS clip.[1]

[edit] Trivia

[edit] Appearances on screen

[edit] Feature films

Year Film Role Language Other notes
1991 Vishkanya Young Nishi Hindi As a child artist
1999 Taj Mahal Tamil
Good Luck Tamil
2001 Style Sheena Hindi
2002 Dil Vil Pyar Vyar Gaurav's girlfriend Hindi Guest appearance
2003 Saazish (2003) Hindi
Qayamat: City Under Threat Sheetal Hindi As Sen Riya
Jhankaar Beats Preeti Hindi
2004 Dil Ne Jise Apna Kahaa Kamini Hindi Special appearance
Plan Shalini Hindi
Arasatchi Iruvathu Vaisu Tamil Guest song appearance
2005 Ananthabhadram Bhama Malayalam
Shaadi No. 1 Madhuri Hindi
Tum..Ho Na! Reema Hindi
James Hindi Special appearance
Silsiilay Anushka Hindi
2006 Apna Sapna Money Money Hindi
The Bachelor Nisha Hindi Announced
Love You Hamesha Meghna Hindi Originally scheduled for release in 1999

[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
2006 Sutta Maro Shaan

[edit] References

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Without rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes or other symbols instead of Indic characters; or irregular vowel positioning and a lack of conjuncts.
  1. ^ a b "Image matters", The Hindu, 2005-11-18. Retrieved on October 17, 2006. (in English)
  2. ^ a b Buyers, Christopher. The Manikya Dynasty: Genealogy. Royal Ark India. Retrieved on November 7, 2006.
  3. ^ a b "Straight Answers", Times of India, 2002-11-07. Retrieved on November 7, 2006. (in English)
  4. ^ "What is the big deal about being sexy?", Hindustan Times, 2006-08-22. Retrieved on November 7, 2006. (in English)
  5. ^ "Riya Sen dropped from The Bong Connection", BollyVista, 2006-02-13. Retrieved on October 17, 2006. (in English)
  6. ^ "The Bong Connection", Deccan Herald, 2006-10-17. Retrieved on October 17, 2006. (in English)
  7. ^ "Simply incredible", The Hindu, 2006-07-07. Retrieved on August 17, 2006. (in English)
  8. ^ "Capturing the X factor: Daboo Ratnani", Deccan Herald, 2006-02-03. Retrieved on March 10, 2007. (in English)
  9. ^ "24 frames make a year", The Telegraph, 2006-01-06. Retrieved on March 10, 2007. (in English)
  10. ^ Ratnani, Daboo. "Riya has one of the finest faces". Rediff. Retrieved on November 7, 2006.
  11. ^ "'Men are born hunters'", HTTabloid, 2006-06-12. Retrieved on October 17, 2006. (in English)
  12. ^ "Ashmit's raunchy private video leaked", Mid-Day, 2005-04-27. Retrieved on August 17, 2006. (in English)
  13. ^ "MMS Bug", Zee News, 2006-01-01. Retrieved on August 17, 2006. (in English)
  14. ^ "Riya blasts ex-lover", HT Tabloid, 2006-09-30. Retrieved on November 19, 2006. (in English)
  15. ^ "Riya Sen's near death experience", Express India, 2006-08-25. Retrieved on October 18, 2006. (in English)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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