It’s Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, or Rajinikanth’s, 70th birthday. The perfect occasion for a quiz on superstars.

Here comes the superstar

1 Rajinikanth always regarded Hindi film star Amitabh Bachchan as an inspiration. He acted in a series of remakes of Bachchan films, such as Billa ( Don ), Thee ( Deewaar ) and Mr Bharath ( Trishul ). Which was the first Bachchan film that was remade with Rajinikanth in the lead? Name the Tamil film or the original Hindi version.

2 This actor is regarded as having starred in films that sold the maximum tickets — 1,168,300,000, edging out John Wayne and Bing Crosby. He appeared in over 60 films, the last being The Misfits opposite Marilyn Monroe. Who was he?

3 Which Indian superstar of the time was considered for the role of Sherif Ali in David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia . The role was finally played by Omar Sharif and helped launch his career in Hollywood.

4 Which superstar, regarded as being single-handedly responsible for the huge success of the Warner Brothers studio in the 1920s, was rescued from a World War 1 battlefield by American soldier Lee Duncan?

5 Mary Ann Evans was one of the biggest Indian stars of the ’30s, with hits such as Miss Frontier Mail , Diamond Queen and Jungle Princess . Two-part question: What was her screen name? And what was the name of her first hit, which was also often used as a sobriquet?

6 Born in the village of Nimmakuru, he studied in Vijayawada and Guntur before bagging the coveted government job as a sub-registrar in Guntur district. He quit all that and went on to début in the film Mana Desam in 1949. Name this Indian superstar.

7 Which South Indian superstar also won a National Award for playback singing in the 1992 smash hit Jeevana Chaitra ?

8 Frank Sinatra was a musical superstar, but he also had a storied film career. He starred in hits such as The Man With the Golden Arm , Guys and Dolls , The Manchurian Candidate and High Society . For which film did he win his only Academy Award as an actor?

9 Rajesh Khanna starred in 15 solo hits between 1969 and 1971, a record still unbroken in Hindi film history. He originally made it from an All India Talent Contest organised by United Producers and Filmfare magazine. What was the name of his début film in 1967?

10 Sridevi started her acting career as a four-year-old in the 1967 Tamil film Kandhan Karunai and went on to become the leading Indian actress of the ’80s and ’90s with hits such as Chandni , Mr India , Chaalbaaz and Nagina . She also went on to win a Filmfare Award and a National Award respectively for her last two films. Name the two films.

Answers

1 Shankar Salim Simon (1978) , a remake of Amar Akbar Anthony.

2 Clark Gable.

3 Dilip Kumar.

4 Rin-Tin-Tin, the German Shepherd dog who starred in 27 films between 1918 and 1932.

5 Fearlesss Nadia ; Hunterwali .

6 NT Rama Rao.

7 Dr Rajkumar.

8 From Here to Eternity .

9 Aakhri Khat , he starred opposite Indrani Mukherjee.

10 English Vinglish and Mom .

Joy Bhattacharjya is a quizmaster;

Twitter: @joybhattacharj

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