An Ode to Indian Cinematic Beauty.... Review on Five Most Beautiful Indian Actresses

I think its unfair to form a single top five list among all the beautiful Indian actresses from all eras, so I have decided to for two- one for the modern era and one for the older generation of actresses. Though I have listed them in no particular order, it’s onto the readers to make up their own orders.

Starting off with the pre-modern era( 1940’s – 1970’s)

Waheeda Rehman:

With a face full of grace, and eyes that spoke a thousand unspoken words, Waheeda Rehman wooed audiences for almost half a decade and continued to act for another five decades. Born in Hyderabad, she was introduced into cinema through a Telugu movie, Guru Dutt with whom she later had an affair with, "discovered" her and cast her in a negative role for the movie CID which went on to be a hit and she never looked back. In her heydays Waheeda Rehman was considered by one and all to be one of the most beautiful women in the world.

Meena Kumari:

Born as Mahjabeen Bhano, Meena Kumari went on to be the symbol of suffering with the burden of lost love but along the way she has also embedded this image of delicate fragile beauty. An actress and a poetess Meena Kumari passed at a very young age of 40 as after Kamal Amrohi a man almost 15 years elder to her divorced her after 12 years of marriage. She sunk into despair and alcohol did the rest. Pakeezha which opened to very lukewarm response a month before she passed away went on to be a cult hit after she died.

Madhubala:

Eternal beauty…thy name is Madhubala. Generations of movie goers have always placed Madhubala in their thoughts when they think of beauty. Delicate features, clear complexion and a smile to die for. Again she was not born as Madhubala, she was Mumtaz Jehan Begum Dehlavi, was renamed Madhubala by Devaki Rani and a legend was born. She too died young at the age of 36 due to a heart condition, not before burning the screens and the hearts of Indians with memorable screen personas and beauty off screen.

Vaijanthi Mala

The first of the south brigand to make it big in Bollywood. Big eyes and remarkable facial expressions that were no doubt infused into her by years of classical dance practice. Sangam is the movie that we remember her from, but she has made quite a lot of movies in the south too. She might not make the top five lists of others here, but she definitely makes mine.

Nargis Thought not the conventional Indian beauty, Nargis (Fathima Rashid) stood out of a crowd by the glow on her face and the warmth of her persona. Though immortalized on screen as Radha from Mother India, her work in Awaraa and Andaz stand out for her beauty and grace. As most of the beauties she died in her prime being a victim to pancreatic cancer.

Moving on to the Modern Era( 1970’s to 2000’s)

Parveen Babi:

Parveen Babi brought in oomph to the Bollywood screen like no-one before her. Westernized looks, outfits and views are often associated with her and her contemporary Zeenat Aman, they both together shook the movie world in the 1970’s to the point that she was even on the cover of Time magazine in the year 1975. Those doe eyes, those sharp features, the body to die for still linger in the memories of movie-goers. Her fame fell in the 80’s and she left Indian shores for the US, and when she returned some 20 years later she was not her former self. Schizophrenia had set in and she went into a recluse and was found dead in her apartment in 2005.

Rekha:

If ever there was a actress that has aged beautifully it has to be Rekha, time seems to stand still for her as she grew from a fat(?) south Indian starlet to one of the most beautiful faces to adorn the screen. She dominated the 80’s with powerful portrayals of demure characters( usually a courtesan with a heart of pure gold).

Divya Bharathi:

Another southie captured the imagination of India briefly before she tragically died by jumping of her balcony, Immaculate is a word that one would associate with Rekha. The reason she makes the list is that in the shortest time period she went on to great heights and would have achieved even greater peaks if it weren’t for her death.

Madhuri Dixit:

The smile that launched a thousand ships( well ad-campaigns anyway). A 10000 watt smile always lit up movie halls where-ever there was a Madhuri movie playing. Dances were her forte too, she along with Saroj Khan as the choreographer have brought to the screen some of the most memorable dances. The traditional marathi looks, the kathak trained danseuse, the dazzling smile, those large eyes all added to the attraction of Madhuri Dixit.

Aishwarya Rai:

What has not been written about Aishwarya Rai already… from a successful model to a beauty pageant winner to an box office superstar she has traveled a path that has left others behind. The eyes and the smile stand out in a billion other women, whats more to Aishwarya Rai is that she is very unassuming to all this adoration that she receives, that makes her even more charming and beautiful.

All Time List in Descending Order:

1. Madhubala

   
   




2. Parveen Babi

   
   




3. Aishwarya Rai

   
   




4. Madhuri Dixit

   
   




5. Waheeda Rehman

   
   

As usual this list is a personal opinion, and as with opinions its open to constructive criticism…but cheers to Indian actresses and the magic of their beauty…