55 popular bollywood actresses

1. Geeta Bali

Actress | Albela

Geeta Bali was born on November 30, 1930 in Amritsar, Punjab, British India. She was an actress and producer, known for Albela (1951), Baaz (1953) and Bawre Nain (1950). She was married to Shammi Kapoor. She died on January 21, 1965 in Bombay, Maharashtra, India.

2. Nargis

Actress | Mother India

Nargis was born on June 1, 1929 as Fatima Rashid in Rawalpindi, British India, daughter to Jaddanbai and Uttamchand Mohanchand, a former Hindu Mohyal Brahmin who converted to Islam as Abdul Rashid. Her mother was a well-known dancer, singer, actor, composer, and director. This is what paved the way...

3. Meena Kumari

Actress | Kaajal

The Empress of Indian Cinema!

A Sweetheart of 1950s, & The Undisputed Goddess of 1960s Bollywood, Meena Kumari bestrode the movies like few women in history have!

Combing enchanting grace, amazingly heart-melting expression, & consistently solid progressive content base, this Giant of Cinema will ...

4. Nutan

Actress | Seema

Nutan Samarth was born on June 4 1936 to poet Kumarsen Samarth and his actress wife 'Shobhana' as the eldest of their four children (a younger sister is the actress Tanuja Samarth). Her parents separated when she was a small child. 13-year-old Nutan made her debut in K. Asif's "Hamari Beti". She ...

5. Madhubala

Actress | Mughal-E-Azam

Arguably the most beautiful artiste to ever grace the Indian screen, Madhubala rose from humble beginnings to become the most captivating star India has ever produced. Madhubala was born Mumtaz Jehan Begum on Valentine's Day 1933, in a poor, conservative family of Pathan Muslims in Delhi, a part of...

6. Vyjayanthimala

Actress | Devdas

Vyjayanthimala was born to actress and dancer Vasundhara Devi in a Tamil-speaking family in Chennai, India, on August 13, 1933.

At the age of 4, she got the rare chance of performing a dance before the Pope. Then at the age of 15, while in her final year at school, she was signed-up by family friend...

7. Waheeda Rehman

Actress | Guide

Waheeda Rehmaan combined the classic Tamil-Islamic beauty with an extraordinary grace, talent and a truly transcendent appeal that ranked her among the pantheon of Bollywood's elite actresses. And few could dance better than she could!

She was born into a traditional Tamil Urdu speaking Muslim ...

8. Mala Sinha

Actress | Jahan Ara

Mala Sinha, born in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, is a legendary Indian actress who has left an indelible mark on the Hindi film industry. Known for her grace, versatility, and powerful performances, Mala Sinha became one of the leading actresses during the golden era of Bollywood.

Mala Sinha's ...

9. Asha Parekh

Actress | Sajan

Asha Parekh was born in a middle-class Gujarati household to a Hindu father, Pranlal Parekh, and a Muslim mother Sudha Parekh on October 2, 1942 in India. Since she was an only child, she became the center of her parents' lives. Her mother enrolled her in classical dance classes at an early age, ...

10. Sadhana Shivdasani

Actress | Woh Kaun Thi?

Sadhana was born on September 2, 1941 and was named after her father's favorite actress Sadhona Bose. Her father and actor Hari Shivdasani were brothers, and Hari's daughter is actress Babita Kapoor. Sadhana was an only child and her parents made her the center of their lives; in fact, her mother ...

11. Saira Banu

Actress | Junglee

Saira was born into a Urdu-speaking family in India. Her mom's name is Naseem Banu.

She spent much of her childhood in London and was able to debut in 1961 in a Bollywood movie 'Junglee' opposite Shammi Kapoor.

At the age of 22, she got married to Yusuf Khan, alias Bollywood superstar Dilip Kumar.

...

12. Sharmila Tagore

Actress | Gulmohar

A Bengali actress who achieved success young, Sharmila appeared in numerous Bengali classics before making the jump to Hindi cinema, which first made her a romantic actress and later a legendary actress thanks to her intense films opposite Superstar Rajesh Khanna. A distant relative of poet ...

13. Mumtaz Askari

Actress | Khilona

Mumtaz was born on July 31, 1947 to Abdul Sameed Askari and Sardar Begum Habib Agha aka Naaz, both of Iranian origin but settled in Bombay, India. Mumtaz first appeared in as child artist in Sanskar (1952),Yasmin (1955),Lajwanti (1958),Sone Ki Chidiya (1958),Stree(1961).Her mother, Naaz, was also ...

14. Hema Malini

Actress | Baghban

Hema was born in the Tamil-speaking Chakravarthy household on October 16, 1948 in Ammankudi, Tamil Nadu. Her dad's name is V.S.R. Chakravarthy and her mom, Jaya, was a film producer. She was enrolled in the Chennai-based Andhra Mahila Sabha.

After performing as a dancer in a 1961 regional movie, she...

15. Rakhee Gulzar

Actress | Daag: A Poem of Love

Rakhee was born in a Bengali-speaking family in West Bengal, on India's Independence Day - 15th August, 1947. She has no connections with anyone in the film industry in India.

She achieved phenomenal success at her very first movie in Bengali 'Bandhu Baran' during the year 1967. She was then noticed...

16. Rekha

Actress | Koi... Mil Gaya

Bhanurekha was born in the Tamil-speaking Ganesan household on October 10, 1954. Her dad was the popular Tamil actor, Gemini, while her mom was a popular Telugu actress, Pushpavalli. She has seven sisters and one brother. One of her sisters is Dr. Kamala Selvaraj, while another one, Radha, lives in...

17. Zeenat Aman

Actress | Don

Zeenat Aman was born to a Hindu mother and a Muslim father Amanullah who was one of the writers for the classic "Mughal-e-Azam", on November 19th, 1951. Zeenat was an only child and her parents divorced when she was a little girl. A graduate of Saint Xavier's school in Bombay. Her father passed ...

18. Reena Roy

Actress | Nagin

Reena Roy was a famous leading lady of Hindi films from 1972-1985. She came from a broken home, a Muslim father and Hindu mother, who separated after having four children together. Reena is their third child, and she started films in her early teens. Her career in films started off inauspiciously ...

19. Neetu Singh

Actress | Do Dooni Chaar

Sonia Singh, now known as Neetu Singh, started her career as a child artiste (Baby Neetu/Sonia) in Bollywood movies and went on to become a full-fledged Bollywood movie actress, with a reputation of having her mom accompany her to almost all shoots. She married her co-star, Rishi Kapoor, and in ...

20. Shabana Azmi

Actress | Fire

One of the leading lights of the 1965-1990's Indian New Wave, Shabana Azmi (alongside the late Smita Patil) was one of the main female actors who dominated the films of the so-called "Parallel Cinema" in India in the 1970s and 1980s. Born to noted Urdu progressive poet and lyricist Kaifi Azmi and ...

21. Smita Patil

Actress | Bhumika

Smita Patil, born in Pune, Maharashtra, India, was a highly acclaimed Indian actress known for her exceptional performances in Hindi and Marathi cinema. Regarded as one of the finest actresses in Indian cinema, Smita Patil's career was marked by her ability to portray a wide range of characters ...

22. Parveen Babi

Actress | Kaala Sona

born and raised in Junagad, Ms. Babi was spotted by renowned B.R. Ishara at Ahmedabad University, and he approached her to act in his forthcoming movie, Charitraheen, which was a sequel to Chetna. Her co-star in this movie was none other than renowned Indian cricketer Salim Durrani. Parveen Babi ...

23. Poonam Dhillon

Actress | Ekk Nayi Pehchaan

Born on April 18, 1962 in Kanpur, India, Cusp-born Poonam Dhillon is one of three children of former Aeronautics Engineer, Amrik Singh, and mom, Gurcharan Kaur. She has a brother, and a sister, Dr. Rishma Pai, who has a medical practice in Bombay. She studied in Carmel Convent High School in ...

24. Jaya Prada

Actress | Sagara Sangamam

Jayaprada was born as Lalita Rani in a middle class household to Krishna and Neelavani in Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh on April 3, 1962. She was a small town girl with dreams of becoming a doctor. Her mother enrolled her in dance and music classes when she was seven years old, in addition to going ...

25. Padmini Kolhapure

Actress | Prem Rog

Padmini Kolhapure was born on November 1, 1965 in Maharashtra, India. She is an actress and producer, known for Prem Rog (1982), Ahista Ahista (1981) and Vidhaata (1982). She has been married to Tutu Sharma since 1993.

26. Sridevi

Actress | English Vinglish

Sridevi was born on August 13, 1963 in her father's hometown of Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, India. Her mother was from Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. So Sridevi grew up speaking Telugu and Tamil. She has a sister named Srilatha and a stepbrother named Satish. Her dad passed away during the year 1991, while ...

27. Rati Agnihotri

Actress | Ek Duuje Ke Liye

Rati Agnihotri was born on December 10, 1960 to a Punjabi family in Bombay, India, and has an older sister and brother. Although, she came from a traditional, conservative family, she was allowed to model at age 10, since her sister Anita was a Miss Young India. When she was a teenager, her father ...

28. Meenakshi Sheshadri

Actress | Damini

Meenakshi Sheshadri (born on November 16th 1963) is an Indian (Bollywood) film actress and dancer who acted in more than 20 Bollywood films during her times. She won the Miss India contest in 1981 at age 17, nominated as the youngest woman to be crowned Miss India. Making her debut film into ...

29. Dimple Kapadia

Actress | Tenet

Born in a Gujerati-speaking family on June 8, 1957, daughter to businessman, Chunnibhai and Betty, Dimple has a younger sister, Simple, who was born on 15 August 1958.

She was discovered by Raj Kapoor, who signed her up opposite his son, Rishi, in the 1973 hit 'Bobby'. The film made Rishi and her ...

30. Madhuri Dixit

Actress | Dil To Pagal Hai

Madhuri Dixit is one of the most acclaimed actors and Kathak dancers Bollywood have ever witnessed. Born in a Marathi Brahmin Koknastha family to Mr. Shankar and Mrs. Snehlata, Madhuri Dixit has two sisters Rupa, Bharti, and brother Ajit. She performed decently well in her academics and aspired to ...

31. Juhi Chawla

Actress | Darr

Juhi was born in the Chawla family on November 13, 1967 in Ludhiana, Punjab, India, and is the daughter of Punjabi-speaking dad, Dr. S. Chawla and Gujarati-speaking mom, Mona. She has a brother named Sanjeev. Her mother passed away in an accident during the year 1998 while Juhi was filming '...

32. Manisha Koirala

Actress | Dil Se..

Manisha Koirala (born 16 August 1970) is a Nepali actress who mainly appears in Bollywood, though she has worked in several South Indian and her native country's films. Noted for her acting prowess, Koirala is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards-and is one of India's ...

33. Karisma Kapoor

Actress | Dil To Pagal Hai

Born into Bombay filmdom's legendary Kapoor clan, Karisma Kapoor made her film debut with Prem Qaidi (1991) opposite Harish. Her next big hit was Anari (1993) and during this time she made news with a fight with her Andaz Apna Apna (1994) co-star, actress Raveena Tandon. She had a series of hit ...

34. Urmila Matondkar

Actress | Bhoot

The daughter of a lecturer, actress Urmila Matondkar began her celluloid career as a child artiste with the film _Kalyug (1980)_. Although an average film at the box-office, her next film, Masoom (1983), about a family coping with an illegitimate member, showed her acting talents blossom and she ...

35. Raveena Tandon

Actress | K.G.F: Chapter 2

Daughter of Bombay film industry (Bollywood) director Ravi Tandon. Raveena dropped out of Bombay's Meethibai College to pursue a career as a model with middling success. She made her movie debut with the flop _Pathar Ke Phool (1991)_. Her next few films were also failures and it was only with Andaz...

36. Kajol

Actress | Fanaa

Kajol Devgn is a well-known Bollywood actress known for her exceptional performances on screen. She attended St. Joseph's Convent School in Panchgani and was actively involved in extra-curricular activities such as dancing. In her early teens, Kajol was supposed to make her debut as an actress in a...

37. Tabu

Actress | Andhadhun

Tabu is an Indian actress. She has mainly acted in Hindi films, though she has also starred in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi and Bengali-language films, as well as one American film. She has won the National Film Award for Best Actress twice, and holds the record for the most wins of Filmfare's...

38. Shilpa Shetty Kundra

Actress | Baazigar

Among very few actresses, Shilpa Shetty was nominated for her first film Baazigar (1993). The following year she delivered another blockbuster hit Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994) where she starred with Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan. However, the proceeding years her movies failed to succeed at the ...

39. Rani Mukerji

Actress | Black

Rani Mukerji is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of multiple accolades, including seven Filmfare Awards. Mukerji has featured in listings of the highest-paid actresses of the 2000s.

Mukerji make her debut in her father directorial Bengali ...

40. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Actress | Jodhaa Akbar

Born into a traditional south Indian family, Aishwarya started modeling at a young age. This green-blue-eyed beauty appeared in advertisements for many prestigious firms; the ones that brought her into the limelight were the garden sari and the Pepsi ad. Crowned Miss India 1994 runner-up, she was a...

41. Preity G Zinta

Actress | Veer-Zaara

Preity Zinta shot to fame as the refreshing, cool, wet model in the Liril commercial. She also modeled for Perk and her dimpled smile won the hearts of millions. Preity never thought she would be an actress. Kapoor saw her in the Liril commercial and liked her so much that he instantly decided that...

42. Kareena Kapoor

Actress | 3 Idiots

Kareena was born to Sindhi-speaking Babita (nee Shivdasani) and Punjabi-speaking Randhir Kapoor in Bombay, India. She has an elder sister, Karisma.

She is born in a family that have been actors for generations, including her paternal great-grandfather, Prithviraj Kapoor; her grandfather, Raj Kapoor;...

43. Bipasha Basu

Actress | Ajnabee

Fate intervened when Bipasha recoiled and passed out when dissecting a rat. Thus ended her dream of being a medical professional. She was enrolled in the science faculty until 12th standard, but switched to commerce thereafter. After acquiring a degree in commerce she planned to be a chartered ...

44. Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Actress | Barfi!

Priyanka Chopra Jonas (née Chopra) was born on July 18, 1982 in Jamshedpur, India, to the family of Capt. Dr. Ashok Chopra and Dr. Madhu Chopra, both Indian Army physicians. She had a very varied upbringing. She started her education at La Martinière Girls College in Lucknow as a resident student; ...

45. Mallika Sherawat

Actress | Murder

Mallika Sherawat is an Indian actress who mainly works in the Hindi film industry. She was named Reema Lamba at birth but later took up Mallika Sherawat as her screen name.

Sherawat did her schooling at Delhi Public School, Mathura Road. She earned her degree in philosophy from Miranda House at ...

46. Katrina Kaif

Actress | Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara

Katrina Kaif is one of eight siblings, 7 girls and 1 boy, from a mother who is a Caucasian of British Nationality, and a father who was formerly from Kashmir, India, but who has since acquired British citizenship. Her mother is now re-settled in Chennai (formerly known as Madras), the Capital of ...

47. Vidya Balan

Actress | Kahaani

Vidya was born in Palghat, Kerala, India. Her family consists of her dad, P.R. Balan, who is the Vice-President of ETC Channel; mom - a home-maker, and an elder sister, Priya, who is married to Kedar. She also has an aunt by the name of Raji Raju.

The Balan family re-located to live at Road No. 11, ...

48. Kangana Ranaut

Actress | Queen

Kangana was born on 23 March 1987 in Bhambla, near Manali, which is in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh. Her dad Amardeep is a businessman and her mom Asha is a schoolteacher. She has two sisters and a younger brother. Her grandfather was an IAS Office. She spent her childhood in Dehra Dunand...

49. Deepika Padukone

Actress | Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

Deepika Padukone, born 5 January 1986 in Copenhagen, Denmark, is an Indian model and actress. She is the daughter of former badminton champion Prakash Padukone. Her mother tongue is Konkani. Deepika has a younger sister named Anisha.

She has been modeling appearances in print and television ...

50. Sonam Kapoor

Actress | Neerja

Sonam Kapoor comes from an established film family. She is the daughter of actor and producer Anil Kapoor and the grandchild of filmmaker Surinder Kapoor. Sonam is Bollywood royalty with immense support in the Indian film fraternity.

Unlike most star children, Sonam started life with a structured ...

51. Anushka Sharma

Actress | Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Anushka Sharma was born on 1 May 1988 in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh. Her father, Colonel Ajay Kumar Sharma, is an army officer, and her mother, Ashima Sharma, is a homemaker. Her father is a native of Uttar Pradesh, while her mother is a Garhwali. Her elder brother is film producer Karnesh Sharma, who ...

52. Sonakshi Sinha

Actress | Holiday

She is the daughter of legendary Indian actor Shatrughan Sinha and Poonam Sinha and sister to Luv Sinha and Kussh Sinha. She started her career as a model and walked the ramp in the Lakme Fashion week in 2008. She got her break in movies after being signed up by Salman Khan for his thriller Dabangg...

53. Shraddha Kapoor

Actress | Aashiqui 2

Shraddha Kapoor is an Indian film actress. Prior to making her cinematic debut, she took up theatre studies at Boston University, but dropped out after her first year to begin her acting career. She made her screen debut in the 2010 drama fictional Teen Patti for which she earned a nomination for ...

54. Sunny Leone

Actress | Lies: Diary of an Escort

Born in Ontario, Canada, Sunny Leone grew up in idyllic surroundings, loving the cold Canadian winters and the snow that came with them. Building snowmen and ice skating were regular activities outside the Leone household every November through March. With a love for sports, singing and dancing, ...

55. Parineeti Chopra

Actress | Hasee Toh Phasee

Parineeti Chopra is an Indian actress and singer who appears in Hindi films, was born on in Ambala, Haryana into a Punjabi family. Her father, Pawan Chopra, is a businessman and supplier to the Indian Army at Ambala Cantonment and her mother is Reena Chopra. Chopra studied at the Convent of Jesus ...