Bollywood Sex Symbols: Thirty Sexiest Actresses

Most people in America are plenty familiar with Hollywood and the various sexy actresses that appear in the movies it produces. Unfortunately, most Americans are not familiar with Bollywood, India’s version of Hollywood and a source of many of the world’s beauties. Let’s try and rectify that a bit by meeting some of the hottest women Bollywood has to offer.

If you’re not familiar, Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema. There is a substantial amount of India’s cinema that is not included in the term Bollywood. That means that a number of great looking women were not eligible for this list. For one example, look to your left at Brinda Parekh. However, Bollywood is the largest part of the Indian film industry and one of the largest in the world.

The women of Bollywood are generally from India, although there are exceptions. Remember this is a country of over a billion people, so there’s plenty of women to choose from. For reference, India is almost quadruple the population of the United States. Many of the women on this list got their start in models and beauty pageants. There’s a few Miss Indias and at least one Miss World and one Miss Universe in these rankings. In fact, India has had an amazing run of success in international pageants, reflecting the great beauty of their women.

If you’re looking for future faces of Bollywood, one might start with current Miss India Parvathy Omanakuttan. You can check out pictures of her in our Miss World 2008 post. Or maybe you’ll simply enjoy a picture of the Miss India runner-up, Simran Kaur Mundi. I’ve posted one to the right for your viewing pleasure. The future prospects look good.

Of note is that there has been a growing presence of Indian English in Bollywood films. It is not uncommon to see films that feature dialogue with English words and phrases, even whole sentences. There are also a growing number of films made entirely in English. Maybe we will soon see a blending of the two hemispheres with more of these women in films that can easily be seen in the United States.

Until that time, however, you can enjoy these rankings and get to know some women you might not yet know of:

30. Minissha Lamba

Lamba’s initial ambition was to become a journalist, but while studying she pursued modeling as a hobby and it stuck. She soon became a top model in the industry, and proceeded to slide over into movies in 2005 where she now spends most of her time.

29. Kaveri Jha

Jha is touted as the next big thing to hit Bollywood. She’s done some films in the South, but is currently signed on to a number of major Bollywood projects. The former air hostess and model fits the definition of ‘dusky beauty’ and should be making movies for years to come.

28. Nisha Kothari

Also known as Amoha, Kothari is known mainly for her daring costumes and sexy item songs that have been popular. Only 25, she looks to have some of her best work in front of her.

27. Payal Rohtagi

As a model, Rohtagi worked for big name brands, but gained attention after appearing in a television ad for Cadbury’s Temptations Chocolates. This helped her career in Bollywood take off, where she first appeared in a Hindi remake of the Hollywood teen flick American Pie. And odd production for a generally conservative country. She’s moved up to more respected fare, and remains a sizzling on-screen presence in whatever film she’s in.

26. Mona “Sherlyn” Chopra

Born Sherlyn Chopra, but often credited as Mona Chopra, the sex bomb entered the Bollywood industry with some C-grade movies. She has tried many different ways to gain publicity, often appearing in extremely hot poses, photo shoots and movie scenes.

25. Yana Gupta

An exception on this list, Gupta is not Indian born. Her birth name is Jana Synková, and she’s a Czech model/actress who works in India. She was married to Indian painter Satyakam Gupta, although they are now divorced. Gupta has modeled for the famous Kingfisher calendar and has appeared in several Indian films. Before her career in Bollywood, she modeled for international clients like Calvin Klein and Victoria’s Secret.

24. Aarti Chhabria

The 1999 winner of Miss India Worldwide, she moved over to films in 2001 and hasn’t stopped. Her first Bollywood production was in Tum Se Aacha Kaun Hai in 2002. The multi-talented Chhabria can speak English, Hindi, Marathi, Sindhi, and Gujarati.

23. Malaika Arora Khan

This lovely lady has sensuality written all over her. Like many in this ranking, she has siblings in the acting industry as her younger sister, Amrita Arora, is also a Bollywood actress. She was originally a VJ for MTV India, becoming the most prominent and non-movie, non-model female in urban India. Of course, this eventually led to movies and modeling gigs.

22. Neha Dhupia

Dhupia is a model and former Femina Miss India, winning in 2002. She competed at Miss Universe 2002, finishing in the top ten. What a country where a Top Ten finish might be viewed as a disappointment. She started her acting career with the TV serial Rajdhani at the age of 5, and transitioned over to films after her reign as Miss India.

21. Sonal Chauhan

Chauhan, is another model turned actress who made her film debut this year in Mukesh Bhatt’s Jannat. Previously she was crowned as the Miss World Tourism 2005. The new kid on the block is already one of the sexiest, and has made overtures of doing a Hollywood movie in the near future.

20. Shilpa Shetty

Shetty and her sister are both actresses, and Shilpa is blessed with a perfect body that stands 5’10″. She shot to fame by combining her acting skills with her sizzling good looks and by winning the reality show Big Brother. Shetty has proved herself as an actress by doing strong films, even though she is bogged by controversies now and then. You might remember her from the Richard Gere kissing incident in 2007. A photo of the embrace is included below.

19. Kareena Kapoor

Kapoor is a member of the famous Kapoor film family, making her acting debut with Refugee in 2000. She won a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award for the movie. She is widely recognized for displaying versatility as an actress and has established herself as one of the leading contemporary actresses in the Hindi film industry.

18. Amrita Rao

Rao began her career as a model, but made her acting debut with Ab Ke Baras in 2002. She gained prominence when she starred in Ken Ghosh’s love-story, Ishq Vishk, a year later, earning her first Filmfare nomination in the Best Female Debut category. Since that time, she had delivered acclaimed performances and commercial successes establishing herself as one of the most promising actresses of Bollywood.

17. Rakhi Sawant

Sawant, real name Neeru,  is a dancer, actress, and also  a television talk show host. She comes from a Maharashtrian Hindu family, although her father dislikes the film industry and was dismayed when his daughter entered a profession that he considered disrespectful. His loss is our gain!

16. Sushmita Sen

Sen is a former beauty queen, who was crowned Miss Universe 1994. After her reign as Miss Universe was over, Sushmita became an actress. Her first movie, Dastak was in 1996 and she has gone on to acclaimed success, winning a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award in 2000.

15. Amisha Patel

Patel made her acting debut in the blockbuster Kaho Naa…Pyaar Hai in 2000. She would follow that hit up and win critical praise for her performance in Gadar: Ek Prem Katha, which became one of the biggest hits in the history of Hindi cinema. Those hits have helped launch an enduring career for the Indian actress.

14. Diya Mirza

Nicknamed Dee, Mirza is a former model, winning Miss Asia Pacific in 2000 and placing as second runner up in the Femina Miss India 2000 beauty pageant. She made her cinematic debut with Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein in 2001.

13. Deepika Padukone

Born in Denmark, but of Indian descent, Padukone decided to pursue a career in modeling while in school. She has modeled for many well-known Indian brands, including being an international spokeswomon for Maybelline. She’s even been named Kingfisher Model of the Year. Following that success, Padukone branched out into acting in 2006, where she’s already won a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award as well as her first Filmfare Best Actress nomination.

12. Mallika Sherawat

Born Reema Lamba, Sherawat is another actress/model that is known for her public openness. She is frequently featured in the Indian media as a sex symbol, and has been voted as one of Asia’s 100 most beautiful people.

11. Ishaa Kopikkar

Kopikkar comes from a family of learned academicians, and she has completed her course in Life Sciences from Ruia College in Mumbai. She shot to fame after a modeling shoot with Gautam Rajyadhaksa when she was still in Junior College. You can currently see this talented, stunningly beautiful, and tall (a majestic five feet seven inches in height, which is literally head and shoulders above the average Indian woman) in many current Bollywood movies.

10. Ayesha Takia

Takia first appeared in ad campaigns and music videos, which brought her to the attention of the movie industry. Taarzan: The Wonder Car was her debut film, where she won the Filmfare Best Debut Award for her performance. She has gone on to win several more awards for her performance in the film Dor, including the Zee Cine Critics Award for Best Actress.

9. Riya Sen

Sen hails from a family of actors including her grandmother Suchitra Sen, mother Moon Moon Sen, and sister Raima Sen. She began her acting career as a child in 1991. Her first commercial success came a decade later in 2001. In addition to her acting work, Sen has appeared in music videos, television commercials, fashion shows, and on magazine covers.

8. Sameera Reddy

Reddy was first noticed in a music video and later made her film debut in 2002. Recently she has earned rave reviews for her portrayal of a confident and down-to-earth girl in Vaaranam Aayiram. Look out for more of Reddy, as she is definitely a star on the rise.

7. Lara Dutta

Dutta won the annual Gladsrags modeling competition in her native India, and later captured the 1997 Miss Intercontinental crown. She also was crowned Femina Miss India Universe and Miss Universe in 2000. Dutta’s first feature film was Arasatchi in 2002, but due to financial problems, it was not released until mid-2004. Her first released film came in 2003 with Andaaz, which was a box office success and won her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award.

6. Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan

Miss World 1994, she’s often acclaimed as the most beautiful woman in the world. Rai made her movie debut in Mani Ratnam’s film Iruvar in 1997. She has acted in over forty movies in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, and English, including the international productions Bride & Prejudice, Mistress of Spices, and The Last Legion in English. With her slender, green-eyed beauty she makes any movie look better. Look for her in the upcoming sequel to the Pink Panther remake.

5. Preity Zinta

Zinta, the zing thing of the Bollywood, made her mark as a model while in school and shot to fame as the refreshing, cool, wet model in the Liril ad. This, along with her mischievous expressions and twinkling eyes in the Cadbury’s Perk ad, brought her to famed director Shekhar Kapur’s notice and a career as an actress. You might also notice her trademark dimples.

4. Bipasha Basu

Basu is a former model and winner of the Ford’s Godrej Cinthol Supermodel contest for 1996. She is often cited by popular magazines and newspapers as one of Asia’s sexiest celebrity women, for example in November 2007, UK magazine Eastern Eye named Basu the “Sexiest Woman in Asia”. She’s taller than most actresses, giving her the looks of a Goddess.

3. Celina Jaitley

Jaitley was Miss India 2001 and a finalist in the ensuing Miss Universe contest. In addition to her title of Miss India, she has won the Miss Margo Beautiful Skin, Indiatimes Surfer’s Choice, and MTV’s Most Wanted awards. In 2003, she made her debut in the movie industry with Feroz Khan’s Janasheen, and may make her first venture into Hollywood in the near future.

2. Katrina Kaif

Born in Hong Kong to an Indian father and a British mother, she began at age fourteen as a model. In more recent years, she’s transitioned over to the big screen with a variety of film roles. Blessed with a gorgeous face and a great body, Kaif simply is amazing.

1. Priyanka Chopra

Chopra is a former Miss India and Miss World, winning in 2000. She would make her acting debut in 2002 with the Tamil film Thamizhan. She soon transitioned over to Bollywood, with a string of critically acclaimed and commercial successes.

Thanks for reading. As a bonus, please enjoy these photos of  English-born beauty Hazel Crowney. Although British, she’s also a Bollywood actress and comes complete with girl-next-door good looks: