Shiney Suraj Ahuja (born 15 May 1973) is an Indian actor in Bollywood films. He won the Filmfare Best Male Debut Award for Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi in 2006 and then followed with several hit films like Gangster, Woh Lamhe, Life in a Metro, Bhool Bhulaiyaa, and Welcome Back.[3]
Shiney Ahuja | |
|---|---|
 Ahuja in 2012 | |
| Born | 15 May 1973 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Other names | Shiney Suraj Ahuja[1] |
| Education | St. Xavier's School, Delhi Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan |
| Alma mater | Hansraj College R.V. College |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2003–2015 |
| Spouse |
Anupam Pandey (m. 1997) |
| Children | 1 |
Early life
editAhuja was born on 15 May 1973[4] into a Punjabi[5] family in New Delhi, India. His mother is from Shimla, with her family originally from Sargoda, and his father Suraj Ahuja's ancestry is from Sahiwal, both in modern day Pakistan.[6] His father was born in Dehradun, and was a lieutenant in the Indian Army.[4]
Ahuja studied at St. Xavier's Senior Secondary School, Delhi and Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan, before attending Hansraj College of the University of Delhi, followed by R.V. College of Engineering in Bangalore.[4] Later, he joined the theatre group "TAG" where he met Barry John. Shortly thereafter, he joined John's acting school in Delhi.[7]
Career
editAfter completing college, Ahuja secured his first commercial ad for Pepsi. This instantly brought him into consideration by the top ad agencies. Flooded with offers, he worked in over 40 ad films in that year, including Cadburys and Citibank. He also featured in the music video 'Pyar ho Gaya' for the British-Asian band "Stereo Nation."[citation needed]
Sudhir Mishra, who was auditioning for a film by Pritish Nandy Communications, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, saw Shiney in the Pepsi commercial and called him to audition for Kay Kay's character – Sidharth Tyabji. Upon his request, Mishra also auditioned him for the role of Vikram Malhotra. He was selected from over 200 aspirants for the role of Vikram Malhotra and made his acting debut in the film.[citation needed] The film went on to win critical acclaim, and was screened at as many as 12 film festivals over 6 months. These included film festivals at Turkey, Estonia, River to River (Florence), Berlin, Edinburgh, Washington, Dallas, India (Goa), Bite The Mango festival (Bradford, UK), the Commonwealth festival (Manchester), and the Pacific Rim festival (California). The film was released commercially in 2005 with minimal publicity but a national footprint across India. He received several best actor (debut) awards given for the year including Filmfare, Zee Cine, and Stardust.[citation needed][8]
Thereafter, Ahuja played the lead role in Mahesh Bhatt's Gangster, a popular commercial movie genre and Woh Lamhe opposite Kangana Ranaut. Other films followed including Life in a Metro, Bhool Bhulaiyaa. Two of his films, Ek Accident with co-star Soha Ali Khan and Har Pal with Preity Zinta are yet to be released.[9]
In 2015, Ahuja was cast in Anees Bazmee's Welcome Back co-starring John Abraham, Shruti Hassan, Anil Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Naseeruddin Shah, Dimple Kapadia and Paresh Rawal.[10][11]
Family
editAhuja is married to Anupam, and they have a daughter Arshiya.[12][13][14]
Legal history
editIn June 2009, Ahuja was arrested on charges of raping, detaining, and threatening his 19-year-old domestic servant. He was booked under Section 376 (rape), and Section 506 (threat to kill) of the Indian Penal Code.[4] During the trial, his maid (the victim) recanted on her testimony and told the Court that she was never raped. However, the judge believed that the maid falsely testified under pressure and, in 2011, Ahuja was sentenced to seven years of prison.[15]
This case was the inspiration for the writing of the legal drama film Section 375. The film was written by Manish Gupta, his friend who had interacted with the parties of the case during the time of the arrest.[16][17]
Filmography
editThis section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (July 2022) |
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
| Year | Movies | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi | Vikram Malhotra | Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut |
| Karam | ACP Wagh Pratap Singh | ||
| Sins | William | ||
| Kal: Yesterday and Tomorrow | |||
| 2006 | Gangster | Daya Shankar | Stardust Award for Superstar of Tomorrow – Male |
| Fanaa | Suraj Ahuja | Friendly appearance | |
| Woh Lamhe | Aditya Garewal | ||
| Zindaggi Rocks | Dr. Suraj Rihan | ||
| 2007 | Life in a... Metro | Akash | |
| Bhool Bhulaiya | Siddharth Chaturvedi | ||
| Khoya Khoya Chand | Zaffar | ||
| 2008 | Migration | Short film | |
| Hijack | Vikram Madaan | ||
| 2009 | Dheeme Dheeme | Himself | |
| 2012 | Ghost | Vijay Singh | |
| 2015 | Welcome Back | Honey Sharif |
Awards
edit| Award | Film | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filmfare Awards | Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi | Best Male Debut | Won |
| Screen Awards | Best Male Debut | Won | |
| Zee Cine Awards | Best Male Debut | Won | |
| IIFA Awards | Star Debut of the Year - Male | Won | |
| Stardust Awards | Best Male Debut | Won | |
| Gangster | Superstar of Tomorrow | Won |
References
edit- ^ "Shiney Suraj Ahuja VS State of Maharashtra". Supreme Today AI. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
- ^ Mathur, Swati; Bamzai, Kaveree (18 June 2009). "The shine wears off". India Today.
- ^ Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi[dead link]. Sify.com (2005-04-18). Retrieved on 2011-11-02.
- ^ a b c d "Remember Shiney Ahuja? The Gangster actor is completely away from the limelight". mid-day. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ Princy Jain (18 September 2006). "I am a true Punjabi : Shiney". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ^ Khalid Mohamed (22 February 2008). "I'm no marriage thief: Shiney Ahuja". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 27 June 2023.
- ^ "Wishing Shiney Ahuja a very happy Birthday". Screen. 15 May 2009. Archived from the original on 20 June 2009.
- ^ "Filmfare winners of the year 2006 | Best Newcomer (Male)". filmfare.com. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
- ^ "Producers refused to account 'Har Pal' following Shiney Ahuja rape case, reveals Jahnu Barua". Deccan Chronicle. Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
- ^ "John Abraham, Shruti Haasan, and Shiney Ahuja strike a pose on the sets of Welcome Back-view pics! – Bollywood News & Gossip, Movie Reviews, Trailers & Videos at Bollywoodlife.com". 10 October 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2015.
- ^ Shiney Ahuja returns as Naseer's son. Times of India. 5 September 2014
- ^ Samyabrata Ray Goswami (15 June 2009). "Shiney in custody, wife rushes back". telegraphindia.com. Archived from the original on 19 June 2009.
- ^ Priyanka Jain (2 September 2015). "Exclusive: My Daughter Is My Biggest Strength, Says Shiney Ahuja". thequint.com.
- ^ Sarita Tanwar (20 June 2011). "Life will go back to normal again: Shiney's wife". indiatimes.com.
- ^ "Shiney Ahuja, fallen Bollywood star, jailed for raping maid". The Guardian. 31 March 2011.
- ^ Nandakumar Rammohan (17 September 2019). "Shiney Ahuja Case Inspired 'Section 375', Says Film's Writer". thequint.com. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ Suparno Sarkar (17 September 2019). "Section 375 story is based on Ahuja's rape case, reveals writer Manish Gupta". ibtimes.co.in. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
