Abhishek Bachchan

In the year 2000, Bachchan began his career with J.P. Dutta's Refugee which also marked the debut of another actress Kareena Kapoor. His performance was described as his "strengths lie in his intense eyes and inherited baritone" by critics and the film performed moderately well at the box office and was the fifth highest grossing film of that year. Bachchan went on to do other films, including Shararat and Bas Itna Sa Khwaab Hai, without much success.

Bachchan went on to give a string of seventeen poorly received films but his performances in Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon (2003) and Mani Ratnam's Yuva (2004) proved his mettle as an actor. In 2004, he starred in Dhoom his first commercial hit. Earning over Rs. 55 crore (US $12 million), the film became one of the top-grossing Indian films of 2004. For his work in "Yuva", Bachchan was awarded his first Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor

In 2005, Bachchan shot to fame with four movies that did well commercially. He starred in Shaad Ali's Bunty Aur Babli opposite Rani Mukerji. The film was a critical and commercial success becoming one of the biggest hits of 2005. In July, he appeared in Sarkar was a success at the box office and was greeted very well by critics. His performance earned him another Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. His third film, Dus, was a commercial success. He starred in Rohan Sippy's Bluffmaster which was a moderate success. He also received his first Filmfare nomination in the Best Actor category.

n October 2002, at his father Amitabh Bachchan's 60th birthday celebration, Abhishek and actress Karisma Kapoor announced their engagement. The engagement was called off in January 2003. Bachchan fell in love with actress Aishwarya Rai whilst filming for Dhoom 2 though both of them had already appeared together in Dhai Akshar Prem Ke (in which her then longtime boyfriend, Salman Khan, made a brief cameo) and Kuch Naa Kaho. Bachchan and Rai announced their engagement on 14 January 2007 later confirmed by his father, Amitabh Bachchan. The couple was married on 20 April 2007, according to traditional Hindu rituals of the Bunt community, to which Rai belongs.