Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder

 

Today is the birthday of one of the most beautiful women I have ever known. So, on her birthday ( Happy Birthday Girl ) I thought I could share a  humble list of the most beautiful leading ladies from the retro Cinema. Most of them had ended their careers well before I was born however, their on screen charisma and legacy captivates me to this date.

Sadhana: A leading lady from the B&W era ( the video below is from one of her few color movies). I must say I have never seen any lady, on screen that is, with such grace and poise. She’s one of those rare actresses who sported very little make up and yet looked down right stunning. Sadhana looked extremely gracious in almost anything and everything she wore, I will go a step further and say ” She made anything and everything she wore look spectacular”, especially the Saree. Totally mesmerizing.

 

 

Here’s Sadhana in a Saree

 

Asha Parekh: Her eyes did all the talking. I vividly remember seeing her for the first time on a B&W television set, I was simply awe struck by her heavenly looks. If the heaven story is true, angels probably look like her.

 

 

Sharmila Tagore:  “Yeh chand sa roshan chehra” – says it all. Seeing her on screen makes me want to believe god really exists.  What a creation. Truly delightful. Her million dollar smile has been a benchmark for the industry. Even today film makers are in search of  “Sharmilawali smile”. It has been more than 40 years since her debut and till this minute there is no leading heroine who can match her in the smile department.

 

 

Mumtaz: Like most actress of her generation, she took to acting at a very early age. Her unconventional looks and spunky attitude weaved magic those days. I have seen plenty of her movies ( Courtesy: Doordarshan ) and always found her extremely vivacious and drop dead gorgeous. She had a mix of traditional and new world looks which makes her one of my all time  favorite. Take a look at this video and you would know why I said the above lines.

 

 

Hema Malini: Better known as “Dream Girl”. Ruled the silver screen through out the 70s. Simply awesome. Hema Malini is one of her kind. The closest thing to perfection. My eternal favorite.

 

 

Seen here with the legendary Dev Anand

 

All these lovely ladies are now well into their 60s. Other than Sadhana who prefers to keep away from media, the rest are still a vital component of the industry. Most importantly they still look remarkable for their age. Truly beautiful.

 

How about you? Who are your favorite yesteryear stars?