Mar 02, 2002 01:40 AM
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(Updated Mar 02, 2002 01:46 AM)
First of all, let me be honest! I know for sure that the number of names that will come in this review is definitely going to exceed 5. Having said that, let us see which actresses had the maximum impact on the film industry. Of course, this is my personal opinion. We will go by the decades.
1930s This period was undoubtedly the period of the Achut Kanya Devika Rani. One can never forget her roles with her co-stars Himanshu Rai and Ashok Kumar.
1940s This period did not see any one actress steal the show. But the later half gave rise to one of the biggest star of the time, Nargis.
1950s This was the era when the enchanting Madhubala stole the hearts of millions by her ethereal beauty. One more woman that ruled the theatres was Waheeda Rehman, whose beauty has been admitted by many. What an actress!
1960s Cinema got colour... I feel that this period basically belonged to Shammi Kapoor, who worked with many new faces that were to become a very important facet of Bollywood. To name some....Sharmila Tagore, Asha Parekh, Saira Banu.
1970s This decade belonged to the dreamgirl. Hema Malini...who ruled the hearts of the cine-goers with her heartwarming style and cute face. And who can forget Rekha....
1980s 1980s, in which Hindi Cinema went down in the doldrums, ironically saw two of the greatest actresses Smita Patil and Shabana Azmi come in the limelight.
1990s The earlier part of this decade belonged to Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi. The later part saw the advent of star daughters entering the scene. Impressive among them was Kajol. The end of this decade belonged to that simple plain-jane Tabu.
I have not taken the names of some actresses who definitely deserved a mention in the above list. For ex. Durgabai Khote, Vayjanti Mala, Mumtaz, Kamini Kaushal, Fearless Nadia and Jaya Bhaduri definitely played important roles in the history of Indian cinema.
Now....let me get down to choosing my favourites. Considering so much talent and picking 5 is a difficult task.
Smita Patil
Most definitely on top. Being a Marathi, I also had the priviledge of seeing this talented actress in regional films. Her performance in Umbarthaa was something I will never ever forget.
Shabaana Azmi
Aankho mein namee, hansee labon par
Kya haal hain, kya dikhaa rahe ho
Shabaana's expressions on this line of Tum itna jo in Arth were mindblowing. Truly, an actress par excellence!
Sridevi
Cut off her films with the jumping jack Jeetubhai, and what remains is an actress of super qualities. Her roles in films like Sadma, Chaalbaaz, Mr.India, Gumnaam and Lamhe is proof enough of the commitment of this superb actress.
Madhubala
Tell me there is a ghost as beautiful as Madhubala in a haunted house(like Mahal) and I will enter the house without a second thought. It was a pity that she died at such a young age....but then, such beauty is best remembered as forever young. Though she did not have much memorable roles, except maybe in films like Mughal-e-azam, Chalti ka naam gaadi etc., still she remains in my top 5 actresses slot for the sheer amount of beauty she was gifted with. After all, beauty IS a very important aspect of a woman, isn't it?
Jaya Bhaduri
What can we say about this fantastic actress? She was not beautiful, nor was she sexy. But yes....she had talent! One can never forget her memorable roles in films like Guddi, Koshish, Naukar. In fact, she and Sanjeev Kumar were always my most favourite pair. A superb actress!
NOTE: I apologize if I have inadvertantly left out any actresses. The fact is I like many many actresses, for one or the other quality! Cheers!
