Vinod Khanna

Vinod Khanna was born in 1946. He belonged to a Punjabi business family. He entered into the Bombay film industry with a villain's role, offered to him by Sunil Dutt in the film 'Man Ka Meet', in 1968. A series of similar roles followed in films like - 'Saccha Jhootha' and Aan Milo Sajna'. In the film 'Mera Gaon Mera Desh' he held his own against the hero of the film, Dharmendra.

Gulzar put to good use Vinod Khanna's attractive personality and emotional rawness with leading roles in 'Mere Apne' and Achanak', which marked his successful transition from villain to hero. His successful films that followed were 'Hera Pheri', Amar Akbar Anthony', 'Parvarish' 'Khoon Pasina' and 'Muqaddar Ka Sikandar'.

His dynamic roles in 'Inkaar' and 'Qurbani' made the press declare him the only box office challenger to Amitabh. Today, he has reached a state of steadiness in his life and maintains a balance between a spiritual and commercial existence. Vinod Khanna was sworn in as a minister of state in 2002.