Happy Birthday John Abraham & Riteish Deshmukh

Today, 17th December, marks the birthday of two charming actors of Bollywood. Any guesses? Yes, today, John Abraham and Riteish Deshmukh celebrate turning a year older.

Abraham started his career in showbiz as a model with the music video "Surma" by singer Jazzy B. This began his foray into other music videos with noted singers such as Pankaj Udhas, Hans Raj Hans and Babul Supriyo. It was not long before his masculine looks were noticed and he debuted in Bollywood with the erotic thriller, Jism (2003). The film was a commercial success and earned him his first Filmfare nomination for Best Male Debut. However, his next few ventures did not meet with the same fate at the box office until 2004 with the first installment of the Dhoom series. His performance was appreciated by one and all which lead to another Filmfare nomination for Best Performance in a Negative Role. His career since then has faced many waves of ups and downs but some of his successes include Garam Masala (2006), Dostana (2008), New York (2009), Housefull 2 (2012) and Race 2 (2013). Abraham has also tried his hand at being a producer with the films Vicky Donor (2012) and Madras Cafe (2013). Both films received positive reviews with the former winning a National Film award.

Abraham is currently dating Priya Kunchal who he met in 2010 and is an active supporter of PETA and Habitat for Humanity.

To celebrate John Abraham's birthday, below is a mini-playlist of his greatest hits:

Riteish Deshmukh was born in 1978 in Latur, Mumbai, to the late ex-chief minister, Vilasrao Deshmukh. He completed his studies at Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies and was a professional architect at an overseas architectural firm for a year, before he returned to India. Even as he acts in movies, he continues as an architect in India and also possesses ownership rights in Evolutions, an India-based architectural and interior designing firm.

Deshmukh debuted in Bollywood with the movie Tujhe Meri Karam (2003) with his then-to-be wife, Genelia D' Souza. However, it wasn't until Masti (2004) that he gained fame and was also nominated for the Filmfare award for Best Supporting Actor. His career graph has since seen some dips but he is widely recognized today for his roles in comedy movies, though he has played several serious and romantic roles as well. Some of his successes include Kya Kool Hain Hum (2005), Heyy Babyy (2007), Dhamaal (2007), Housefull (2010), Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya (2012), Housefull 2 (2012), Kya Super Kool Hain Hum (2012) and Grand Masti (2013).

Earlier on the year, Deshmukh also dabbled in production and has emerged with success with the Marathi venture, Balak Palak. He married D' Souza on 3rd February 2012.

Writer: Vaishnavi V.

Editors: Shreya S. and Jenifer Y.

Graphics: Virina R.