The 50s

Madhubala ruled the Indian screen in the 50s. Be it the girl next door in ‘Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi’ or the love struck Anarkali in ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ or the spirited young women in ‘Half Ticket’, she essayed each role with panache and wooed the audience with her enigmatic smile.

The 60s

Sharmila Tagore - the bong beauty stunned India when she appeared in a bikini on the cover of a magazine. The bold actress, made her debut in ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’ opposite Shammi Kapoor and the nation echoed the joyous ode to her beauty ‘Tareef Karron kya uski jisne tumhe banaya

The 70s

When Zeenat Aman played the troubled teenager in Dev Anand’s ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna’, the audience’s heart went all out for her. Her fresh looks and glamorous yet realistic on-screen and off-screen persona made her a fashion icon of the decade. Women started wearing bell bottoms, big glares to emulate this style diva. And men sighed at her beauty.

The 80s

Southern beauty Sridevi ruled this decade. Her classical looks coupled with spell binding acting prowess made her a household name. A talented dancer, Sridevi epitomised classical Indian looks in each of her film, be it ‘Chalbaaz’ or ‘Mr India’.

The 90s

Madhuri Dixit took the Indian screen by storm with her latkas and jhatkas in the 90s. Every time the talented actress gyrated to chartbusters songs like ‘Ek do teen’, ‘Tamma Tamma loge’ or ‘Choli ke peechhe kya hai’, men skipped a heartbeat.

2000-to present

While Katrina and Priyanka ruling the Box Office these days, one can’t forget former Miss World Aishwarya Rai. Rai, who made her debut in ‘Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya’ in 1997 went on to become one the biggest stars in the last decade. The beauty made a mark on Indian shores as well as the international arena. The light-eyed actress starred in some memorable roles in films like ‘Hum Dil de Chuke Sanam’, ‘Taal’, ‘Devdas’ and the recent ‘Guru’.

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By Shomini Sen