Having starred in over 75 films, Nagarjuna Akkineni is one of the most prominent actors, directors, and producers in the Telugu film industry. Through the National Film Awards, Nandi Awards, and Filmfare Awards, Akkineni has been honored for his artistic excellence by the Indian government, film critics, and the general public. Always propagating quality cinema with fresh entertainment, Akkineni has set precedents that have won him a permanent place in the hearts of millions.

In addition to donating his voice as the male doctor in the Telugu TeachAIDS animations, Akkineni serves on the TeachAIDS Advisory Board. He has donated access and technical support at his renowned Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh for recording TeachAIDS sessions, and advises on marketing, outreach and distribution strategies.

Shabhana Azmi is a former member of India’s Parliament and one of South Asia’s most renowned actresses. She has played a role in more than 100 films, spanning the Hindi, parallel and foreign genres, and is a four-time winner of the Filmfare Best Actress Award. In addition to her tremendous contributions to the film industry, Azmi is also highly regarded for her social activism. Throughout the years she has been awarded countless honors and recognitions, including the Gandhi International Peace Award, the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award, and the Padma Shri from the Indian government. She is a member of the National AIDS Commission of India and was nominated as a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1997. Azmi is also a UN Goodwill Ambassador and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Goodwill Ambassador for HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis.

Azmi donated her voice in the Indian English, Hindi and Urdu TeachAIDS animations.

Hip-hop artist Game Goabaone Batsi, better known by his stage name Zeus, is the winner of the coveted Channel O Music Video Award and one of the most talented hip-hop artists in Botswana. The young entrepreneur founded his own recording company, D.I.Y. Entertainment, through which he released the popular album Freshly Baked. In 2008, Freshly Baked was nominated for the 2008 Album of the Year at the MTN-HYPE Magazine Hip Hop Awards. His song “Imagination” was also nominated for an award by Channel O in the category of Best Reggae Dancehall. In 2009, his song “Gijima” won the Best Hip Hop Video at the Channel O Music Video Awards, a pan-African award ceremony celebrating the top music artists on the continent. Zeus supports a number of social ventures, including Youth Health Organization (YOHO), a PEPFAR-supported program dedicated to reducing new HIV infections among youth.

Zeus donated his voice to the role of the male student in the Botswana TeachAIDS animations.

Winner of the National Film Award, the most prestigious film award in India, Mahesh Bhatt is a prominent film director, producer and screenwriter. Bhatt has directed or produced more than 60 films, and is known for his unconventional style of filmmaking and his unique depiction of subjects, which reflect many of his experiences in life. In the 1970′s, he became a follower of Osho Rajneesh, and later found spiritual companionship and guidance with philosopher, U.G. Krishnamurti, whose biography Bhatt wrote in 1992 as U.G. Krishnamurti: A Life. His latest book, A Taste of Life: The Last Days of U.G. Krishnamurti, was published in June 2009.

Bhatt serves on the TeachAIDS Advisory Board, continuing his commitment to confronting challenging issues around human health and social justice.

Talented in numerous art forms, Shruti Haasan is an accomplished singer, composer, songwriter and model. Daughter of award-winning actors Kamal Haasan and Sarika, Haasan started her singing career at a young age, performing her first song at the age of six in her father’s film Thevar Magan. She has been a vocal artist for several films, including Hey Ram, En Mana Vaanil, Vaaranam Aaayiram, and also for Luck, a film in which she played the leading role opposite Imran Khan. Haasan also wrote, composed and performed the soundtrack for the film Unnaipol Oruvan.

Haasan donated her voice to the role of the female student in both the Indian English and Hindi TeachAIDS animations.

Starring in over 500 films, Jayanthi is one of the most celebrated actresses in the Kannada film industry. A heartthrob for many, she acted in films in the Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and Marathi languages over the last many decades. Jayanthi is most known for her role as Miss Leelavathi, for which she won the National Award for Best Actress and was congratulated by former Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi. She also acted opposite the legendary Dr. Rajkumar in more than 30 movies. In Kannada movies, she was named Abhinaya Sharade and honored with a lifetime achievement award at the Sunfeast Udaya TV Film Awards.

Jayanthi donated her voice to the role of the female doctor in the Kannada TeachAIDS animations.

Celebrated radio personality Oratile Jazzelle Kebakile, known popularly as Jazzelle, hosts “The Gabz fm Sunrise” weekday mornings with seasoned journalist Thebe Mogapi. Gabz fm is a contemporary radio station that broadcasts nationally across Botswana and is available worldwide. Jazzelle’s show is a blend of hard-hitting interviews, social issue debates, and interactive sessions with youth. Trained as a Public Relations Practitioner, she has worked with some of Southern Africa’s most well respected organizations, including ESPAfrika (The Cape Town International Jazz Festival), Hotwire PRC, TBWA/Medcom and OP Advertising. Jazzelle has emceed a variety of high profile events including the 2009 Coca Cola World Cup Trophy Tour.

Jazzelle has gifted her voice to the role of the female doctor character in the Botswana TeachAIDS animations.

Hip-hop artist Thato Maruping, known better by her stage name Tref, is one of Botswana’s rising Motswako stars, and one of only a few females embracing that genre. At 22, she signed with her second record company Hail Earth Records. Tref’s three hit songs play on radio stations and television programs across the country. She is one of the seven upcoming artists collaborating with three established hip-hop artists — Kast, Scar and Zeus — to release the first ever HIV/AIDS oriented rap compilation in Botswana. The artists each worked on individual songs based on personal life experiences and issues affecting society.

Tref donated her voice to the role of the female student in the Botswana TeachAIDS animations.

Hip-hop artist Thato Matlhabaphiri, known as Scar, is a judge on Idols East Africa. As a judge, his pan-African search for the next big star took him to places like Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. A native to Botswana, Scar’s music has dominated the Botswana hip-hop industry since 2001, with the release of three studio albums. His work has been critically acclaimed, receiving two awards at the annual Botswana Hip Hop Music Awards (BHIPMA) in 2004, for Lyricist of the Year and Track of the Year (“My People”). He also has his own morning radio show reaching thousands of youth across the country. Scar was nominated several times for the coveted Channel O Music Video Awards, and won the prestigious award for Best Hip Hop Video in 2007. He has also guest starred in productions like Big Brother Africa, the Annual Miss Botswana pageant, and the 2009 Road to MTV Africa Music Awards in Kenya.

Scar donated his voice to the role of the male doctor in the Botswana TeachAIDS animations.

His Excellency Festus Mogae was President of Botswana from 1998 to 2008. Through his leadership, Botswana experienced steady economic growth that has characterized its post-independence history. President Mogae has won international praise for his indelible efforts to combat the HIV and AIDS epidemic in Botswana, one of the countries hit hardest. He is credited as one of the first heads of state in the world to get publicly tested for HIV. He was one of the first African leaders to chair his country’s National AIDS Council, which he continues to chair today. Under President Mogae’s administration, Botswana became the first country in Africa to provide free anti-retroviral therapy to citizens most in need. In 2004, he introduced routine “opt-out” HIV testing, which has since dramatically increased the number of people who know their HIV status. President Mogae has received a number of international awards, including the 2008 Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership and the Grand Cross of the Legion d’honneur by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

President Mogae serves on the TeachAIDS Advisory Board, continuing his efforts and work towards an HIV-free generation.

Oriya film and music singer Ira Mohanty began her singing career at the young age of thirteen, and is currently the number one playback singer in Orissa, India. She was trained in clasical music by Guru Sri Chitta Ranjan Pani and has performed in India and abroad. Along with twice winning the State Government Award for Best Playback Singing, she has also won the Rajiv Gandhi Award and the Chitra Jagat Award. She currently works as the Program Executive and Radio Jockey at Eastern Media’s Reality Show «Radio Chocolate FM» and has a considerable following. A woman of many talents, Mohanty also holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and a degree in Mass Communication.

Mohanty has gifted her voice for the role of the female doctor in the development of the Oriya TeachAIDS animations.

In addition to his positions as Minister of Education and Minister of State of Orissa, Prashanta Nanda has played a key role in the Oriya film industry as an actor, director, screenplay writer, lyricist, and playback singer. In 1962, Prashanta won the award for Best Actor through India’s National Film Award for his debut role in Nua Bou. He went on to act in Oriya films for over 4 decades, catapulting Oriya films into the national spotlight by winning National Film Awards in 1966 and 1969. In addition, Nanda remains involved with the political and social welfare of the state of Orissa, India. Nanda served as the Bharatiya Janata Party‘s (BJP) senior leader and the Orissa state BJP Vice President, resigning from primary membership in 2007 and joining the Nationalist Congress Party. He has maintained an active role in pursuing social welfare through the Orissa political system.

Nanda has donated his voice as the doctor in the Oriya TeachAIDS animations.

Amol Palekar, a renowned Indian actor, filmmaker, painter, and theater practitioner, is known for his creative contributions to the fine arts and performing arts. He has been a recipient of many national and international awards. His film Daayra (The Square Circle) was selected as part of the “top 10 best films of the world” in 1996 by TIME magazine. His film Paheli (The Riddle) was India’s official 2006 entry for the Best Foreign Film category at the 78th Academy Awards. Palekar is also a committed social activist in the areas of the environment, cultural enhancement, health and social justice.

Palekar and his wife, Sandhya Gokhale, a committed lawyer and a renowned scriptwriter, generously donated their expertise and insights to the development of the Marathi animation script. Palekar plays the role of the male doctor in the Marathi TeachAIDS animations.

In a career spanning only six years, Navdeep Pallapollu has appeared in over fifteen films, which have particularly highlighted his remarkable versatility. The Telugu and Tamil film industry’s “heartthrob”, he made his film debut in the 2004 Telugu romantic film Jaij, a hit in India. Following this, he starred in another national blockbuster, Arinthum Arvamalum, alongside award-winning actor Prakash Raj and music director Yuvan Shankar Raja. The film ran in theatres for 175 days and was then dubbed into Telugu. Pallapollu’s recent film, Om Shanti, has made audiences admire him for his spontaneity and fluidity in his acting.

Pallapollu gifted his voice to the role of the male student in the Telugu TeachAIDS animations.

Anu Prabhakar started her acting career early as a child actor in Chapala Chennigarya. She’s starred in numerous hit films, including playing the leading female role in Hrudaya Hrudaya alongside celebrated actor Shivarajkumar. She was given the “Kannada State Government best actress award 2000-01” as well as the “Cinema Express Best Actress” award. Prabhakar is also recognized as one of India’s top 100 beautiful women.

Prabhakar plays the role of the female student in the Kannada TeachAIDS animations, opposite her mother-in-law, legendary actress Jayanthi.

Telugu and Tamil actress Anushka Shetty has been performing in films since 2005, and rose to the top with her debut in Puri Jagannath’s movie Super alongside leading hero Nagarjuna. Soon after, she acted as the leading lady in several productions, including S.S. Rajamouli’s Vikramarkudu, and Raghava Lawrence’s Don, making her a superstar among the masses in Andhra Pradesh, one of the most populous states India. More recently, Shetty starred in the critically and commercially successful fantasy Telugu film Arundati. Her performance as the protagonist Jejamma won her first Nandi Award, which is presented annually by the Andhra Pradesh State Government as a cultural symbol of the state. Her second Tamil feature film, B. Babusivan’s Vettaikkaaran, was a 2009 Tamil blockbuster production and placed her in the role of Susheela, for which she won the Vijay Award for Favourite Heroine.

Shetty plays the role of the erudite female doctor in the Telugu TeachAIDS animations.

Famous for his roles in the Kannada and Bollywood film industry, Sudeep is a celebrated actor, director, and producer. He is best known for his roles in Phoonk, Mussanje Maatu, and Rann, where he co-starred with Amitabh Bachchan. Sudeep is also the star of a hit reality show called “Pyate Hudgeer-Halli Lifu”. He won Best Actor at the acclaimed Filmfare Awards, the Bollywood equivalent of the Oscar’s, for three consecutive years for his films Huccha (2001), Nandi (2002), and Swathi Mutthu (2003). Sudeep was also recognized with the Karnataka State Award for Best Actor, which is considered the highest award bestowed upon outstanding films and performers in the Kannada film industry by the government.

Sudeep gifted his voice to the role of the male doctor in the Kannada TeachAIDS animations.

South Indian talent Swati is a widely recognized youth actress and is known for her work in the Tamil and Telugu film industries. She became an overnight success through her role as a TV anchor on the popular Telugu television show “Colours” on Maa TV, which promptly led her to acting in films. Swati made her film debut in 2006 in the Telugu film Danger, and is best known for her performance in the smash hit Subramaniyapuram, for which she was nominated for the 2008 Filmfare Best Tamil Actress Award. In 2009, she acted in the popular Telugu film Ashta Chamma, for which she won the Filmfare Best Telugu Actress Award, the Bollywood equivalent of the Oscar’s, as well as the Nandi Award for Best Actress, which is presented annually by the Andhra Pradesh State Government as a cultural symbol.

Popular among Indian youth, Swati plays the role of the female student in the Telugu TeachAIDS animations.