Vasant Dhoble Assistant commissioner of police

Dark Knight

Vasant Dhoble Assistant commissioner of police He shares a love-hate relationship with the city. He has been in the news for all sorts of reasons and has had a very big influence in our lives. Backed by police commissioner Arup Patnaik and state home minister RR Patil, Dhoble is responsible for closing down dozens of illegal discotheques and several prostitution dens in the city. In a span of less than a year, he has become the famously infamous policeman.

Priya Dutt Member of Parliament

Priya Dutt Member of Parliament

‘Daughter’ India Priya Dutt emerged as a seasoned politician after winning the 2009 general election. Dutt has been a staunch supporter of the Women’s Reservation Bill since its inception. She also supported the Jan Lokpal Bill when the movement took the country by storm in August 2011. Being one of the few upright politicians we have, she realised the power of the people and the reason for the unrest. Her faith in parliamentary democracy and her party restores our faith in polictics itself.

Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Player

Matchmaker

Mahesh Bhupathi Tennis Player He's been in the news for many reasons lately, but let that not take away from the successful year Mahesh Bhupathi has had professionally. We wish he had made it farther at Wimbledon, but his mixed doubles win at the French Open with Sania Mirza and the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship with Rohan Bopanna are definite indicators that there is still a lot he has to offer. Bhupathi has the fire in him to make Indian tennis a force to be reckoned with and he is well on his way to making that dream come true. We wish him all the best for the London Olympics.

Rakesh Maria Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief

Top Cop

Rakesh Maria Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Rakesh Maria first hit the headlines when he cracked the infamous 1993 serial Mumbai blasts case orchestrated by gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his associate Tiger Memon. During his stint as joint commissioner of police (crime), Maria got to the bottom of several important cases and also headed the investigation into the 26/11 attack. His detection rate of serious crime cases has made him an important officer in the state police machinery and he plays an integral role in making sure that the citizens of this metropolis can sleep soundly at night.

Ajit Pawar Maharashtra deputy chief minister

Prodigal Nephew

Ajit Pawar Maharashtra deputy chief minister The deputy chief minister of Maharashtra has carved an independent niche through his aggressive style. Elected from the Baramati assembly constituency, Ajit Pawar holds the important portfolios of finance and power. Though he has inherited a political legacy from his uncle, Sharad Pawar, the firebrand Ajit has worked hard to take the NCP to greater heights in electoral politics. He has taken up the challenge to make the NCP the state’s number one party in the 2014 assembly elections.

shah rukh khan Actor, producer

Knight Rider

Shah Rukh Khan Actor, producer He is the quintessential lover boy who gets the girl in the end in true filmi style. Though it appears as if he has been playing the same romantic hero for the past two decades, Shah Rukh Khan has been quietly reinventing himself not just on screen but off it as well. First the six pack, then television, and now the Indian Premier League. King Khan has successfully married Bollywood and cricket, the two obsessions of our country.

About the Jury

About the Jury

DILIP VENGSARKAR Former India cricket captain Member of the 1983 World Cup-winning squad and Wisden’s Cricketer of the Year in 1987, former India captain Dilip Balwant Vengsarkar’s life is devoted to cricket. ‘The Colonel’, as he is fondly known, played 116 Tests and scored over 10,000 international runs. He is the only visiting batsman to have scored three consecutive Test centuries at Lord’s, the game’s mecca. After retiring in 1995, he set up the Elf-Vengsarkar cricket academy in Mumbai. Elected vice-president of the Mumbai Cricket Association in 2003, he was also chairman of the Indian selectors in 2006-08. Ramesh S Damani Member, Bombay Stock Exchange Starting out at the Bombay Stock Exchange in 1989, Ramesh S Damani is one of the most well-known faces on the Indian stock market today. He is known not just as a market maven, but also as one of its most intelligent 'investor philosophers'. A software engineer by training, Damani counts CMC Ltd among his many successes. Besides his success in the market, he has hosted television shows, gone trekking on one of the world's tallest mountains and backpacking to its largest desert. His deep understanding of the market has made him a voice to be heard. Jayant Patil Maharashtra minister for rural development This suave yet gritty politician did not always have a cushioned life. A civil engineer by training, he followed in the footsteps of his father, the late Rajaram ‘Bapu’ Patil, a leading light of the state’s cooperative movement, and entered politics to become Maharashtra’s youngest finance minister in 1999. He went on to present the state budget a record nine times. He then served as home minister of the state and was responsible for setting up Force One, the anti-terrorism quick response team. He took over the reins of the rural development ministry in 2009. Amish Tripathi Author Amish Tripathi's blockbuster Shiva trilogy is being touted by some as India's answer to The Lord Of The Rings. The Immortals Of Meluha, his debut novel, broke into the bestseller charts within a week of its launch. It was followed by The Secret Of The Nagas. The third book in the series is expected by the end of this year. Meanwhile, The Immortals is being made into a motion picture. Amish decided to turn writer after working in the corporate world for 14 years. He is one of a new breed of Indian authors who are shaking up the publishing industry with their phenomenal success. Hrishitaa Bhatt Actress The former Liril girl is an actress and model who completed her education from London’s famed Trinity College. A trained Kathak dancer, Hrishitaa Bhatt made her debut in Hindi films with Shah Rukh Khan in Asoka. Though the film didn’t do too well, others that followed, like Haasil, Ab Tak Chhappan and Jigyaasa, were lauded by critics and audiences alike. Bhatt has over 30 films to her credit so far, having worked in Bengali, Marathi, and Telugu cinema as well. She is a life member of the International Film and Television Club of the Asian Academy of Film and Television.

Salman Khan Actor

Bhai Jaan

Salman Khan Actor They call him the ‘real hero’ of Bollywood. And every time Salman Khan appears bare-chested on screen to bash up the baddies or woo his lady love, the crowds go berserk. Though he is as mainstream as they come, the actor's appeal cuts across class distinctions. Almost every film the brawny actor stars in is known to do record-breaking business. Khan is also known for his various philanthropic activities and has changed a few lives for the better through his Being Human Foundation. Through Wanted and Dabangg he revived the mass entertainer almost single-handedly. He does a lot for charity and is a strong symbol of secularism, celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi and Shivaratri

Superheroine Vidya Balan Actress

Superheroine

Vidya Balan
Actress
Before Vidya Balan came along, it was hard to imagine an actress ruling the roost in Hindi cinema playing real women and stealing the show in tight cholis and loud makeup. But Vidya changed all that. The Dirty Picture established the demure damsel as a multi-dimensional actress who was as comfortable going de-glam as she was wearing plunging necklines. She is probably the only heroine in Hindi filmdom today who can carry a film entirely on her shoulders.
One of the most gifted actresses of her generation. Most people had got fed up seeing women play pretty wallflowers in films. But Vidya takes risks. She wields influence because of the kind of work she has done. Today she is in a position where she can drive a picture and doesn’t need to be a prop to some big star.

Deepak Parekh Chairman, HDFC

Banking Solomon

Deepak Parekh Chairman, HDFC That Deepak Parekh remains the government's go-to man for all manner of crises and consultation speaks volumes about his influence. Today, any committee or advisory panel worth its salt will have Parekh as a member — traversing financial services, capital markets and infrastructure. Under his leadership, the Housing Development Finance Corporation has become the most respected mortgage entity in the country. That's not all. Parekh's sphere of influence has extended to the youth too. He is a proactive advisory board member of the world's largest student-driven organisation, AIESEC India. He is not just the chairman of HDFC and a man who developed many systems, but is also the Bhishma Pitamaha of the industry. His is a voice the government heeds. He helped revive Satyam, which had become an international embarrassment.