Indian Celebrities Born In January

An Indian nationalist known for his role in the country’s struggle for freedom from the British, Subhas Chandra Bose was a politician with radical views. He was part of the Indian National Congress in the late 1920s and 1930s. However, his association with Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan made him a controversial figure.

Hrithik Roshan is one of the most popular and highest-paid Indian actors. Also known for his dancing skills, Hrithik has established himself as a style icon and sex symbol over the years. One of the most bankable Indian stars, he started his career with romantic films, eventually finding success as an action hero. 

A. R. Rahman is an Indian film composer, singer, songwriter, and record producer. Rahman is one of the most decorated and celebrated musicians in Indian history. He was won several prestigious awards including two Grammy Awards, two Academy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a BAFTA Award. In 2009, he was named among the 100 most influential people in Time.

Deepika Padukone is one of the highest-paid Indian actresses. She is also known for her off-screen work, which involves supporting charitable organizations. She founded The Live Love Laugh Foundation, which aims at creating awareness on mental health. In 2018, she was named in Time magazine's list of 100 most influential people in the world.

Shah Jahan, emperor Jahangir’s son, ruled as the fifth Mughal emperor, from 1628 to 1658. He is known for commissioning the Taj Mahal for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, among other contributions to Mughal architecture. He was put under house arrest by his son, Aurangzeb, during his final years.

Anand Kumar is an Indian educator who teaches mathematics. He is renowned for his educational program called Super 30, which selects 30 economically underprivileged candidates and trains them for IIT-JEE, potentially giving them an opportunity to get into the Indian Institutes of Technology. His life and career inspired the film Super 30, in which Anand Kumar's character was played by Hrithik Roshan.

Sidharth Malhotra is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Hindi language films. Also known for his charity work, Malhotra has collaborated with organizations, such as PETA to raise awareness about dogs. In 2013, he performed at an event to raise funds for the victims affected by a flood in Uttarakhand.

Preity Zinta is an Indian actress and entrepreneur. She is best known for her roles in the romantic drama films Kal Ho Naa Ho and Veer Zaara. She has degrees in English honors and criminal psychology but chose to become a model and actress. She is known for playing unconventional roles and is the recipient of several awards. 

Nicknamed The Wall for his resilient batting in Test cricket, Rahul Dravid was known for his unmatched concentration. He was selected for the Indian cricket squad while pursuing his MBA. Apart from winning the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan, he has also been named to the ICC Hall of Fame.

Best known for working with Albert Einstein to form Bose–Einstein statistics, Indian scientist Satyendra Nath Bose was a master of quantum mechanics. He played the esraj, loved poetry, and had mastered quite a few languages. The Padma Vibhushan winner was also made a Fellow of The Royal Society.

Kailash Satyarthi is an Indian social reformer who won the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize. Satyarthi is best known for his campaign against child labor in India. Kailash Satyarthi is credited with founding several social activist organizations like Global March Against Child Labour, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, and Global Campaign for Education.

Savitribai Phule was a revolutionary social reformer who dedicated her life to educate girls and bring about gender equality in the face of resistance from the conservative Indian society. Phule, who was illiterate till her marriage, went on to become a teacher, a feat considered first by an Indian woman. With her husband, she established schools for girls in Maharashtra.

Lala Lajpat Rai was an Indian politician who played a major role in the Indian Independence movement. He is credited with inspiring many young men, including Bhagat Singh and Chandrasekhar Azad, to join the freedom struggle through journalistic writings and activism. He was popularly known as Punjab Kesari. 

Saeed Jaffrey is remembered for his roles in series such as Tandoori Nights and Merchant Ivory Productions movies such as The Guru. He won a Filmfare for his performance in Shatranj Ke Khilari, narrated the audiobook Kama Sutra, and voiced all characters in a BBC broadcast of A Suitable Boy. 

Anusha Dandekar is an Indian-Australian VJ, actress, and singer. She is popularly known for hosting many TV shows. Beginning her career as a TV anchor and VJ, she branched out into acting as well, making her film debut with a role in the Bollywood film Mumbai Matinee. Since then, she has appeared in a few other movies.

Known for playing the villain in hits such as Khoon Bhari Maang, Kabir Bedi was born to a British mother and an Indian father. He has also impressed audiences with plays such as Shakespeare's Othello. His roles in the film Octopussy and the Italian series Sandokan made him an international sensation.

Amrita Sher-Gil was a Hungarian-Indian painter best remembered as a pioneer of modern Indian art. Widely regarded as one of the early-20th century's greatest avant-garde women artists, Sher-Gil's work has influenced several Indian artists like Arpita Singh and Sayed Haider Raza. Her life and career inspired the 1969 documentary film Amrita Sher-Gil which was directed by Bhagwan Das Garga.

The daughter of Kannada poet P. Lankesh, Gauri Lankesh began her career as a journalist for The Times of India. She also worked as an editor of Lankesh Patrike. Later, she was known for her firebrand left-wing activism against Hindutva and was eventually shot dead by three men near her Bengaluru home.

Born to legendary screenwriter and poet Javed Akhtar and actor and screenwriter Honey Irani, Farhan Akhtar was destined to be part of the film industry. His debut directorial venture Dil Chahta Hai won him a National Award, following which he delivered stunning performances in films such as Bhaag Milkha Bhaag.

The founder of the Ramakrishna Mission and Ramakrishna Math, Swami Vivekananda was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, and spiritual leader. He is credited with introducing the Indian philosophies of Yoga and Vedanta to the Western world. He is also credited with elevating the status of Hinduism as a major religion in the modern world by raising interfaith awareness.

Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was an Indian cricket player. Entrusted with the responsibility of captaining the Indian cricket team, at the age of 21, Pataudi went on to become one of the greatest Indian cricket captains of all time. Also known for his fielding abilities, he was described by many as the best fielder in the world during his playing career.

Mahadev Govind Ranade was an Indian social reformer, scholar, author, and judge. Ranade is credited with co-founding the Indian National Congress as well as founding several organizations like the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha, Widow Marriage Association, and Vaktruttvottejak Sabha. He also contributed as an editor of a nationalist publication named Induprakash.

Apart from being the daughter of Indian megastar Rajinikanth, Aishwarya R. Dhanush is also the wife of actor Dhanush. She is a singer and director in her own right, too, and directed her husband in the movie 3. She was also nominated for a Filmfare for the song Un Mela Aasadhan.