This list of worst actresses in Bollywood, is based on their exaggerated performances and ‘exasperation-value’ currently, which may depend on their recent movies, a bizarre incident / sequence involving juvenile behaviour, interview or a simple lack of any acting skills.
Urmilla Matondkar (1974)
While many of you might disagree with this actress in the worst list, it’s indisputable that she has now crowned herself the ‘Queen of histrionics’. Gone are the days of ‘Rangeela’, where she arrived like a breath of fresh air, dancing her way into our hearts.
She started her career post ‘Masoom’, with ‘Aa Gale Lagja’, opp osite Jugal Hansraj (Rahul from Masoom), looking like his eldest sister, followed by other roles in movies like ‘Narsimha’ and ‘Chamatkaar’ (SRK). When she finally did Rangeela and the Manish Malhotra makeover, it was the start of a succession of vastly agreeable films under the Ram Gopal Verma banner.
After her separation from the RGV banner, was when her true colours came out as having a penchant for starring as principally frenzied / mentally unstable characters in ‘Bhoot’, ‘Tehzeeb’, ‘Naina’, even ‘Pyar tune kya kiya’. These were probably her attempts at evolving into a serious actor, but one gets a feeling that she generally selects characters that are so far out and disturbed from everyday life, that she has lost the connection she once shared with her audiences. Her performances used to be convincing, but at present it seems to be an overdose of thriller and horror that seems to be a lot more painful to watch for the viewers than it must be for her to portray with all the screeching, scratching and popeyed expressions.
She generally appears to be professional yet aloof, without many scandals save for the Mr. RG Verma episode, but her remoteness and lack of access to the media has made her a forgotten / dreary, entity in the industry. All in all, at this point one can safely avoid her movies unless you are a woman’s right activist gone berserk, or just very brave.
Dia (formerly Diya) Mirza (1981)
The less said the better. Ofcourse there isn’t much to say either. First she won the Miss India Asia Pacific contest, and in true MI (miss India) style decided that she was going to conquer Bollywood, then Hollywood. She didn’t get too far ofcourse, but in the mean while gave many interviews to MTV style, [V] etc on her wisdom.
Her movies include Deewanapan, Tumko Nah Bhool Payenge, Pran Jaaye Par Shaan Na Jaaye, Dum, Tumsa Nahin Dekha, Stop, Blackmail, Naam Gum Jaayega, Koi Mere Dil Mein Hai….in which she mostly disappeared among the star caste and the background, but her most memorable horrific performance was in ‘Tehzeeb’, with Urmilla, Arjun Rampal and Shabani Azmi. Granted the first two actors mentioned above were deserving of an Indian Razzie award, but dear Dia was over the top with her portrayal of the mentally disturbed sister who would just grin, looking totally unconvinced of herself or how to act, and still had all the interest and skills required to apply her makeup and do an entire song sequence playing that character. (ofcourse you can blame the director, but we aren’t doing that here..J)
Needless to say, she’s been very irritating in her performances and though she is pretty, very girly and always appears properly in public, she expresses herself like a meddlesome grandmother. In her interview with Pooja Bedi for example, she speaks unconvincingly way too profoundly- a spin-off from her MI days possibly where her lines are rehearsed, and she comments and criticizes other more successful actor’s career and personal choices, hygiene and her high and mighty ways of tackling these issues-thinking she was doing everyone a favour. Pooja Bedi had the utmost patience interviewing her, but many would have wanted to remind her that she’s 24, and it’s rude to comment on national TV the unhygienic ways of her co-stars, many 10+ yrs and a number of honoured awards older than her.
Rakhi Sawant
The perpetual item girl. Though she was funny overacting in ‘Main hoon na’, it’s enough to say that she’s probably done anything and everything possible to maintain her item status, even got herself blacklisted in Dubai!
Amisha Patel (1979)
The eternal cry-baby- watch ‘kaho na pyaar hai’. Granted she’s had tough times with her parents backstabbing her and she deserves credit for her ability to still stand up and do her job, but she should probably just return to doing what Gold medallists in Economy do.
If I had to mention a decent performance of hers, I’d probably mention ‘Gadar’ and marginally ‘Humraaz’, but on the whole she doesn’t have any expression other than a very sad, doe eyed look. Also, post dissociating her parents and while hooking up with Vikram Bhatt, she morphed herself into a blonde terror that cannot keep her talons out of her hair- especially as seen on an NDTV interview last year. Once again, an irritating performer.
Juhi Chawala (1967)
She was MI 1984, Best Costumes Award in the Miss Universe contest 1984, Filmfare Best Actress Award 1994 for Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, NY Bollywood Awards 1999 Most sensational Performance Female for Duplicate and many etceteras later, she still is for me, a very wannabe cute actor. Forget her clique with SRK and K Johar, her appearances in the ‘kurkure’ and the kitchen appliances advertisements, along with all her other childish performances save for a few serious ones have put her firmly in this category.
Ms. Chawla appears to be a mature individual in real life though, and she has been able to balance her personal life well with a long and established career, in which she still reigns supreme for many fans.
Other worst actresses candidates not mentioned here in detail due to space and time constraints (but hope to be mentioned in detail) are:
· Preity Zinta (get over the overdone dimpled smile) · Mr & Mrs Devgan in all their other-worldly, absurd advertisements · Mandira Bedi · Neena Gupta in Saans
Do RRC and let me know if you agree!
