Vintage Femme Classics!

V I N T A G E F E M M E C L A S S I C S

Whilst the likes of Ash, Bebo, Kat and Priyanka rule the hearts of audiences with their current cinematic offerings; it's the actresses of yesteryears that are remembered for their unrivalled beauty and elegance. Here's Bollycurry celebrating the immortal actresses that truly gave the Golden screen it's rightful name...!!

M A D H U B A L A

" Pyar kiya to darna kya, jab pyar kiya to darna kya,

Pyar kiya koi chori nahin ki, pyar kiya,
Pyar kiya koi chori nahin ki, chhup chhup aahein bharna kya,
Jab pyar kiya to darna kya..."

Whilst the name, Mumtaz Begum Jehan Dehlavi, may be a far cry from the iconic Madhubala, this talented actress was known to hold audiences spellbound during her reign in Bollywood in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

1942's Basant saw her debut in to Bollywood as a child artist before she was offered her first lead role opposite Raj Kapoor in Neel Kamal, at the age of only 14! The actress soon blossomed in to a captivating beauty and has since been popularly known for hits such as Barsaat Ki Raat, Half-Ticket and Mughal-e-Azam; the latter of which has helped crown her as the Anarkali of B-Town.

N U T A N

"Sawan ka mahina, pawan kare sor,

Jiyara re jhoome aise, jaise banmaa naache mor..."

Wether we refer to the fourteen-year-old in Hamari Beti or the elderly mother in Bolckbuster films such as Meri Jung and Naam & Karma, actress Nutan has proven herself to be one of the most versatile performers in Bollywood.

Following the title of Miss India in 1952, Nutan recieved her first big break in Seema (for which she won a Filmfare Award) before embarking on a number of successful hits in the 50s and 60s. Nutan has widely been praised for being an accomplished dramatic actress and holds the record for winning the most Filmfare Best Actress Awards. Her biggest hits include Bandini, Tere Ghar ke Saamne, Milan, Gauri & Saraswatichandra.

M E E N A K U M A R I

" Ajeeb daastaan hai yeh, kahan shuru kahan khatam,
Yeh manzile hai kaun si, naa woh samajh sake na hum..."

Mahjabeen Bano, more popularly known as Meena Kumari, is a talented poetess as well as an exceptional actress. Dubbed "The Tragedy Queen" for her often dramatic and sorrowful roles, Kumari has approximately 90 movies to her name and four Filmfare Best Actress awards for movies such as Sahib, Biwi Aur Ghulam (in which she plays and alcoholic wife, a role that has since been regarded as one of the best Hindi Cinema has seen!), Aarti and Main Chup Rahoongi (all recieved in 1962!).

The actress also recieved nominations for Dil Ek Mandir , Kaajal & Phool Aur Patthar whilst her fourth Filmfare win came for the movie Kaajal.

W A H E E D A R E H M A N

" Koi na roko dil ki udaan ko, dil wo chalaa, aa... aa...

Aaj fir jeene ki tamanna hai, aaj fir marne ka iraada hai..."

Appearing in classics such as C. I. D. Pyaasa, Kaagaz ke Phool, Chaudvin ka Chand, Bees Saal Baad & Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam (1962), Waheeda Rehman is known as one the most prominent actresses of the golden era. She recieved two Filmfare best actress awards for Guide and Neel Kamal whilst Reshma Aur Shera also won her a National Film Award.

After the release of Lamhe, the actress retired from the industry for 12 years before making a comeback with critically acclaimed movies Om Jai Jagdish, Water, Rang De Basanti, Maine Gandhi ko Nahi Maara & Delhi6. However to date her best known film remains Khamoshi, also starring Rajesh Khanna.

V Y J A Y A N T H I M A L A

"Hothon mein aisi baat main dabaake chali aayi,

Khul jaye wohi baat to duhaayi hai duhaayi.."

Vyjayanthimala Bali is best know for her outstanding classical dancing skills that have been much appreciated throughout her career in the 1950s and 1960s. Whilst her acting career started in the Tamil film industry, she found success with Hindi movies such as her debut Ladki, Nagin and Man Dole, Mera tan dole. Following her break out of B grade movie, Vyjayanthimala starred in Devdas, garnering much critical acclaim.

What followed was a string of successful movies such as Madhumati, Ganga Jamuna, Leader & Naya Daur. The first two earned her Filmfare best Actress Awards as did Sangam (opposite Raj Kapoor) whilst the role of a courtesan in Sadhna earned her a Filmfare nomination. Whilst the 1966 epic Amrapali was not a commercial success, she recieved much fame with movies such as Jewel Thief, Suraj, Prince & New Delhi.

M A L A S I N H A

"Apki Nazron ne samjha pyaar ke kabil mujhe,
Dil ki ae dhadkan thehar jaa, mil gayi manzil mujhe..."

Mala Sinha was an actress whose own star power rivalled that of the heroes, a rarity at that time. Known for glamorous yet women orientated roles, Sinha debuted Bollywood with Badshah but it was her performance in Pyaasa that proved to be thr turning point of her career. The movie has since been noted as a classic in Indian cinema.

There was no looking back for the actress after that as she enjoyed success in many hits such as Dhool ka Phool , Movies like 'Parvarish', 'Phir Subah Hogi', 'Main Nahse Main Hoon', 'Love Marriage', 'Bahurani', 'Anpadh', 'Aasra', 'Dil Tera Deewana', Gumrah, Aankhen', Hariyali Aur Rasta', and 'Himalaya Ki God Mein'

The actress was last seen in 1994's Zid.

S A D H A N A

" Jhumka gira re Bareli ke bazaar mein,
jhumka gira, jhumka gira, jhumka gira..."

Sadhana, a trendsetter in her time, bagged her first major role with 1959's Love in Simla. With the movie proving to be a success, Sadhna was catapulted into stardom and started craze with her hairstyle which is still referred to as the "Sadhana Cut" in India.

Mere Mehboob fuelled her rise to stardom and yet it was Woh Kaun Thi that landed Sadhana her first Filmfare whilst the blockbuster Waqt (where she went on to set another fashion trend with tight churidar kurtas) would earn her her second Filmfare nomination. The actress continued to deliver hits such as Inteqaam, Ek Phool Do Mali and Geeta Mera Naam before choosing to retire.

A S H A P A R E K H

"Tumpe hazaron ki aankhen, chahiye tumko sahara,

Palkon mein aaun chupalun, naazuk tan yeh tumhara..
ooo oo aaja aah aah aaja..."

Asha Parekh started of life in Bollywood as a child artist in 1952's Aasmaan. Whilst the failure of 1954's Baap Beti disheartened her, Parekh proved that she was star material when she was cast in Dil Deke Dekho at the age of 16. Known primarily for her roles as either a tomboy or a glamour girl, as well as being an excellent dancer, Parekh enjoyed many success's in Bollywood such as Jab Pyar kisi se Hota Hai (1961),Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon (1963), Teesri Manzil (1966), Baharon ke Sapne (1967), Pyar ka Mausam (1969), and Caravan (1971).

She also excelled in dramatic roles and earned a Filmfare for her role in Kati Patang and has gone down in History as the actress to have given the maximum No of hits in Bollywood. She later retired from acting to pursue a career in directing and producing television serials.

N A N D A

"Basne lage aankhon mein kuchh aise sapne,
koi bulaaye jaise naino se apne,
ye sama, sama hai ye pyaar ka, kisi ke intezaar ka,
dil na churale kahin mera, mausam bahaar ka..."

Whilst her first big break was Toofan Aur Diya (1956), followed by the hit Bhabhi (in which she recieved a Filmfare nomination), Nanda found herself playing small supporting roles for a number of movies before she bagged the title role of Chhoti Bahen in 1959. The success of the movie introduced her to stardom and she continued her career with hits such as Hum Dono (1961), Kanoon and Anchal, for which she won a Filmfare.

Movies such as Jab Jab Phool Khile (in which she played a western role) and Gumnaam proved to be the landmarks of her career. The actress went on to recieve another Filmfare nomination for suspense thriller Ittefaq, after which she was seen in mother roles for Ahista Ahista, Mazdoor and Prem Rog before retiring from acting.

M U M T A Z

"Aaj kal tere mere pyar ke charche har Zubaan par,

sabko maaloom hai aur sabko khabar ho gayi..."

Mumtaz, often cited as one of the most beautiful actresses of her time, started of in Bollywood as an extra in films before going on to do 16 action films in the 1960s, earning her label of a stunt film heroine. Her roles in Tere Mere Sapne and Khilona havebecome the landmarks of her career and whilst Khilona earned her a Filmfare, it also went on to the Filmfare Best movie Award.

Popular movie Ram aur Shyam earned her another Filmfare nomination whilst her dance performance in Brahmachari recieved much acclaim. The actress has over a hundred films to her names in a career spanning just 12 years! Whilst she quit acting after a minor role in Aaina, Mumtaaz returned for one final film, 12 years later, in Aasndhiyan.

S A I R A B A N O

"Main chali main chali, dekho pyaar ki gali,
koi roke na mujhe, main chali main chali..."

Saira Banu (also known as Saira Bano) provided Bollywood with many hits throughout the 60s to 80s. She won her first Filmfare nomination for her debut Junglee (at the eage of 17), although she failed to establish herself as an actress after movies such as Gopi, Sagina, Bairaaq (all starring Dilip Kumar) and Chaitaali. She did however recieve a further three filmfare nominations for her roles in Shagird, Diwana and Sagina before choosing to quit acting in 1976.

However the actress chose to make two more appearances with a cameo in Duniya ( 1984) and Faisla (1988).

S H AR M I L A T A G O R E

" Ishaaro ishaaro mein dil lene waale,
bataa ye hunar tune sikhaa kahaa se,
nigaaho nigaaho mein jaadoo chalaanaa,
meree jaan sikhaa hain tum ne jahaa se..."

Begum Ayesha Sultana, more popularly known as Sharmila Tagore, is an actress who has many National Film and Filmfare awards to her name. Whilst her performance in Kashmir Ki Kali (1964) gained her much popularity with the masses; the sight of Tagore in a two-piece bikini (unheard of in Bollywood until this point) for her role in An Evening in Paris (1967) labelled her as a sex symbol in Bollywood.

Her successful career continues with hits such as Aradhana (1969), Amar Prem (1972), Daag (1973) and Maalika (1972). She was most recently spotted with Saif Ali Khan in Eklavya: The Royal Guard.

So, Who's is your favourite....??