Amrita Rao

This girl who looks like a Barbie doll is a Konkani. Amrita Rao is certainly the delicate darling sorts, who began her career with Ken Ghosh’s ‘Ishq Vishq’ opposite heartthrob Shahid Kapoor. Her performance in Shyam Benegal’s ‘Welcome To Sajjanpur’ won her critical acclaim.

Aishwarya Rai

This stunning Manglorean beauty is now an internationally acclaimed celebrity. She went on to become the first Indian to win Miss World crown in 1994. She has got one of the most beautiful faces on earth that makes heads turn instantaneously. Now, she is a Bachchan bahu and an indispensable part of the Bollywood family.

Shilpa Shetty

This Manglorean hottie, who made her film debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Baazigar’ has evolved as a celebrity since then. Her win at ‘Big Brother’ followed by her ‘Bigg Boss’ stint, Shilpa Shetty has emerged as a prominent face of Bollywood. And now the sexy actress is also a proud owner of the IPL team Rajasthan Royals.

Meenakshi Sheshadri

Meenakshi Sheshadri is womanpower personified. This south Indian lady, who moved the viewers with her soulful performance in ‘Damini’ represented a modern Indian woman enveloped in traditional values. And with blockbusters like ‘Hero’, ‘Ghayal’ and ‘Ghatak’ to her credit, Meenakshi is one of the most talented actresses Bollywood has ever produced.

Jaya Prada

She is one of the prettiest faces Bollywood has ever had. With sharp features and expressive eyes, Jaya Prada shared the top spot with her contemporary Sridevi. From ‘Dhafli Wale Dhafli Baja’ to ‘Mujhe Nau Lakha Manga De re’, Jaya has featured in a number of chartbusters.

Sridevi

Who can ever forget her sensuous moves in ‘Kante nahin kate yeh din yeh raat’ and her childlike expression in ‘Hawa Hawai’? Sridevi ruled the late 1970s and the 80s. This Tamilian beauty was a trendsetter. She could easily make men go weak on their knees with her flamboyant latkas and jhatkas. Although she is aging gracefully, she can still give many of the contemporary hotties a run for their money.

Rekha

No one would ever believe that this dusky beauty is a south Indian when it comes to her flawless command over Hindi and Urdu. Rekha aka Bollywood’s original Umrao Jaan is the daughter of late Tamil actor Gemini Ganeshan. Rekha is entirely a self made personality and she still continues win hearts of the millions.

Hema Malini

This pretty actress made her debut in Raj Kapoor’s ‘Sapnon Ka Saudagar’. Hema Malini was born in an Iyengar Brahmin family. She went on to become one of the most sought after actress of her times and she made it big in Hindi Cinema despite her Tamil accented Hindi. She is the undisputed ‘Dream Girl’ of Tinsel Town.

Waheeda Rehman

This beauty was born into a traditional Muslim family in Chengalpattu in Tamil Nadu. Waheeda Rahman was spotted by Guru Dutt at an event organised to celebrate the success of a bilingual film in which she had done a folk number. She went on to become the classic filmmaker’s eternal ‘Chaudvin Ka Chand’.

Vyjantimala

This veteran actress was born into a Tamil Brahmin family. She is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer and still performs on stage at various classical events. She made an entry into the world of cinema at an early age of 15. She has acted in classics like ‘Madhumati’, ‘Devdas’, ‘Naya Daur’ and blockbuster ‘Sangam’.

Padmini

Padmini hailed from the state of Kerala. She was trained in Bharathanatyam and had acted in over 250 films. She was fluent in conversing in Tamil, Telegu, Malayalam and Hindi. Her sisters Lalitha and Ragini, were also famous film actresses. The trio was popularly known as Travancore sisters. She had acted in films like ‘Mr Sampat’, ‘Laila Majnu’ and ‘Mera Naam Joker’ to name a few.

By Gayatri Sankar