KIMI KATKAR

Best known as: The sex symbol of the ’80s. For the Bolly buff, Kimi was the desi Jane (almost in the buff by Bolly standards) to Hemant Birje’s Tarzan in the 1985 film of the same name long before she became the hottie in the red silk dress with Amitabh Bachchan singing Jumma chumma to her.

Bio: The go-to oomph queen of the 1980s. Kimi may not have been known much for her acting ability, but she starred opposite all the top heroes of the time — Bachchan to Rishi Kapoor to Govinda, notching up as many as 14 releases in 1989 alone! Unafraid to shoot her mouth off and uninhibited enough to pose on a magazine cover in just a towel, Kimi — tall, busty and light-eyed — was the fantasy of many an Indian male.

Top films: Tarzan (1985), Jaisi Karni Waisi Bharni (1989), Khoj (1989), Hum (1991)

Last screen outing: Zulm Ki Hukumat (1992)

Current status: At the peak of her career, Kimi married fashion photographer Shantanu Shorey. After years in Australia, the couple now lead a quiet life in Pune with their 20-year-old son Siddhanth. Kimi, now 50, has no plans of a Bolly comeback, though she did find a mention in the bestseller Shantaram — author Gregory David Roberts had visited the Mumbai sets of a film Kimi was acting in and wrote about it — a few years ago.

 

 

 

 

URMILA MATONDKAR

Best known as: The red-hot Rangeela girl. And before that, as the eldest of the three kids in Shekhar Kapur’s Masoom.

Bio: Successful as a child star, Urmila made a ho-hum return as a leading lady. But things changed with her sexy turn in Ram Gopal Varma’s Rangeela, with the Maharashtrian actress being hailed as the new-age Bolly heroine — versatile and uninhibited. Urmila was a top actress for over a decade, delivering blockbusters like Rangeela and Judaai, with critical successes like Satya and Ek Hasina Thi.    

Top films: Rangeela (1995), Judaai (1997), Kaun (1999), Bhoot (2003), Pinjar (2003) 

Last screen outing: A 2014 Marathi film called Ajoba. Her last Hindi film as lead was EMI (2008)  

Current status: Known to be private about her personal life, Urmila, 42, surprised everyone with a hush-hush March marriage to long-time boyfriend Mohsin Akhtar Mir. She’s still a FROW fixture at close friend Manish Malhotra’s fashion shows. 

 

 

 

 

 

MEENAKSHI SHESHADRI

Best known as: Bollywood’s ‘Ice Maiden’, courtesy her aloof nature. The former beauty queen — she was Miss India 1981 — had some big films to her name, with a strong turn in Damini capping off an impressive filmography.

Bio: A trained dancer, Meenakshi was rarely the ornamental Bolly heroine, landing plum roles in most of the films she starred in — from the spunky rebel in Hero to the supportive girlfriend in Ghayal to the gutsy woman wronged in Damini.

Top films: Hero (1983), Meri Jung (1985), Shahenshah (1988), Ghayal (1990), Damini (1993)

Last screen outing: Ghatak (1996). She did pop in for a cameo in Ghayal: Once Again earlier this year.

Current status: Settled in Texas with her husband and two children, Meenakshi runs a dance school called Cherish. She often visits Mumbai and drops in to meet her co-stars. That cameo in Ghayal: Once Again apart, she hasn’t showed any interest in doing films. At 52, she still looks good, prompting her Damini co-star Rishi Kapoor to tweet last year: “Any guesses who this is? I didn’t recognise her for a moment…. Meenakshi Sheshadhari as always whenever in Mumbai pays us a visit unannounced. Looking gorgeous!”

 

 

 

 

FARAH NAAZ

Best known as: Tabu’s elder sister. A prominent actress of the ’80s and early ’90s, Farah notched up meaty roles and was known to be quite a firebrand off screen.

Bio: Pretty and confident, Farah was never a top actress and yet boasted an impressive filmography, Imaandaar to Yateem. Enough for Tabu to be known as Farah’s sister for the first few years. 

Top films: Love 86 (1986), Imaandaar (1987), Yateem (1989) 

Last screen outing: Shikhar (2005)

Current status: Farah acted in bit roles — on TV and in films — all through the ’90s, but hasn’t been seen on the big screen in the last 10 years. Divorced from Dara Singh’s son Vindu, the 47-year-old mother of one is now married to actor Sumeet Saigal. 

 

 

 

 

 

MAMTA KULKARNI

Best known as: The sex symbol with sass and spunk. Gutsy enough to pose topless on the cover of a glossy more than two decades ago. 

Bio: Not really known for her acting, Mamta Kulkarni, now 44, redefined boldness in Bollywood, through walk and talk. The roles may not have been meaty, but she did manage to snap up big star films — from Aamir Khan (Baazi) to Salman Khan (Karan Arjun) to Akshay Kumar (Sabse Bada Khiladi). She also invited a lot of controversy — from landing up at a court hearing in a burqa to accusing director Rajkumar Santoshi of sexual harassment on the sets of China Gate.

Top films: Aashiq Awara (1993), Krantiveer (1994), Karan Arjun (1995), Baazi (1995)

Last screen outing: Kabhie Tum Kabhie Hum (2002)

Current status: Mamta — who claimed to have become a ‘yogini’ a few years ago — has recently been in the news, courtesy her name being linked to a drug racket in Kenya, led by her husband Vicky Goswami. Will Bigg Boss come calling?

 

 

 

 

 

BHAGYASHREE

Best known as: Miss goody two-shoes Suman in Maine Pyar Kiya, that marked the blockbuster debut of Salman Khan. She was also the cute Alka in the popular TV series Kachchi Dhoop.   

Bio: Though she was easily the most annoying thing about her debut film, Bhagyashree, whose father is the current raja of Sangli in Maharashtra, failed to cash in on her initial success, starring in a few forgettable films, mainly opposite real-life husband Himalay. 

Top films: Maine Pyar Kiya (1989), Paayal (1992)

Last screen outing: The 2014-15 TV show Laut Aao Trisha, where she played mom to Bajrangi Bhaijaan cuteheart Harshaali Malhotra.

Current status: A mom of two teens, Bhagyashree still looks like Suman — yes, waaayyy younger than her 47 years. She acts occasionally and manages a media company called Shrishti Entertainment with her husband. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AYESHA JHULKA

Best known as: The girl-next-door who paired as well with Aamir Khan as she did with Akshay Kumar. 

Bio: Fresh-faced and with a winning smile to match, Ayesha pulled out her A-game  — Khiladi to Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander — and had multiple releases a year from 1991-1999. She was the go-to heroine when it came to simple and cute.

Top films: Khiladi (1992), Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), Masoom (1996), Chachi 420 (1997)

Last screen outing: Ada… A Way of Life (2010)

Current status: Ayesha, who turned 44 in July, co-owns a chain of spas and a clothing line with husband Sameer Vashi. She also makes appearances on late-night TV, enticing viewers to shop online.

 

 

 

 

 

 

MANDAKINI

Best known as: The booby babe in a white sari bathing under a waterfall in Ram Teri Ganga Maili. 

Bio: Light-eyed and fair-skinned, Mandakini — born Yasmeen Joseph — was the ‘babydoll’ Bolly siren, who stirred the fantasies of the Indian man with her paani-mein-aag debut in Ram Teri Ganga Maili. She followed it up with quite a few hits… and then suddenly disappeared. And yes, she started her career with Bengali films opposite Mithun Chakraborty and Tapas Paul!

Top films: Ram Teri Ganga Maili (1985), Dance Dance (1987), Commando (1988), Maalamaal (1988) 

Last screen outing: Deshwasi (1997)

Current status: Linked to gangster Dawood Ibrahim for many years, Mandakini, 47, is today settled in Mumbai with her husband, a former Buddhist monk, and is a mother of two. She conducts classes in Tibetan yoga and Tibetan medicine. And she did make a screen appearance recently — remember the cardboard cutout in Kapoor & Sons that daadu Rishi Kapoor lusts after?

 

 

 

 

SHILPA SHIRODKAR

Best known as: A dusky sex symbol who mostly featured in multi-starrers. Her Mandakini-like waterfall scene in Kishen Kanhaiya brought in repeat ceeti-taali crowds.

Bio: The former model was known for roles that involved skin show and booty shake, but she almost made her presence felt in films like Hum and Khuda Gawah. Shilpa, whose career lasted a little over a decade, was definitely more successful in Bollywood than younger sister Namrata. 

Top films: Kishen Kanhaiya (1990), Hum (1991), Khuda Gawah (1993), Aankhen (1993)

Last screen outing: Gaja Gamini (2000)

Current status: Now 46, Shilpa is on TV, with her STAR Plus show Silsila Pyar Ka having just wrapped up in June. 

 

 

 

 

 

NEELAM

Best known as: The heroine who delivered eight hits on the trot with Govinda. And who Amitabh Bachchan once described as a natural beauty.

Bio: Born and brought up in Hong Kong, Neelam wasn’t the typical Bolly heroine, but managed to make her place in it. All thanks to her girl-next-door image and fresh screen presence. And she did make a cracker of a pair with Govinda.

Top films: Khudgarz (1987), Hatya (1988), Ghar Ka Chiraag (1989), Afsana Pyar Ka (1991)

Last screen outing: Kasam (2001). She also made a special appearance as Neelam in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998) and played Salman Khan’s sister in Hum Saath Saath Hain (1999).

Current status: Married to actor Samir Soni, Neelam, 44, owns a chain of jewellery stores called Neelam Kothari Fine Jewels. She and Samir are often spotted partying with Mumbai’s swish set, including Shah Rukh Khan and wife Gauri. 

 

 

 

 

ANU AGARWAL

Best known as: The dusky Aashiqui girl who overturned the image of the conventional Bolly heroine.

Bio: An overnight sensation after her smash-hit debut in Aashiqui, Anu worked in a handful of films, the most noteworthy being her negative turn in Khalnaayika (1993)

Top films: Aashiqui (1990), Khalnaayika (1993), King Uncle (1993), Thiruda Thiruda (Tamil, 1993)
Last screen outing: The Return of Jewel Thief (1996)

Current status: Anu, 47, is single and is settled in Bihar. She teaches yoga at the Bihar School of Yoga in Munger. Last year, she released a memoir called Anusual — Memoir of a Girl who Came Back from the Dead, that recounts her life after a near-fatal accident in 1999 that put her in a coma for 29 days. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

AYESHA JHULKA

Best known as: The girl-next-door who paired as well with Aamir Khan as she did with Akshay Kumar. 

Bio: Fresh-faced and with a winning smile to match, Ayesha pulled out her A-game  — Khiladi to Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander — and had multiple releases a year from 1991-1999. She was the go-to heroine when it came to simple and cute.

Top films: Khiladi (1992), Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar (1992), Masoom (1996), Chachi 420 (1997)

Last screen outing: Ada… A Way of Life (2010)

Current status: Ayesha, who turned 44 in July, co-owns a chain of spas and a clothing line with husband Sameer Vashi. She also makes appearances onlate-night TV, enticing viewers to shop online.

 

 

 

 

 

 

AMEESHA PATEL

Best known as: Hrithik Roshan’s heroine in his debut film Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai.

Bio: A gold medallist in economics from Boston, Ameesha arrived in Bollywood with a bang, from Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai to Gadar to Humraaz. However, the cloying sweetness of her roles, coupled with a controversial personal life put her career under a cloud. Ameesha, 41, continues to make films, but hasn’t had a release in years. 

Top films: Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai (2000), Gadar (2001), Humraaz (2002), Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd (2007)

Last screen outing: Shortcut Romeo (2013) 

Current status: Ameesha has two films on the floors — Desi Magic, which she has produced, and Bhaiyyaji Superhit with Sunny Deol. Both films show no sign of releasing. 

 

 

 

 

 

MALLIKA SHERAWAT

Best known as: The cleavage queen who got it on almost everywhere — on the parapet, in the kitchen — with Emraan Hashmi in Murder. And yes, she had 17 kisses with co-star Himanshu Malik in her debut film Khwaish.

Bio: Born Reema Lamba, the girl from small-town Rohtak arrived in Bollywood with a devil-may-care attitude and oodles of sex appeal… and quickly hit big time. Mallika became an overnight sensation after her bold and brazen turn in Murder and even surprised with a noteworthy act in Pyaar Ke Side Effects. Over the last five years, Mallika hasn’t been seen much on screen, save an item number or two.   

Top films: Murder (2004), Pyaar Ke Side Effects (2006), Darna Zaroori Hai (2006), Dasavathaaram (2008)

Last screen outing: Dirty Politics (2015) 

Current status: With her Bolly career hitting a roadblock, Mallika has now shifted attention to the West — she claims to have signed on “quite a few” international films and is now busy promoting her new film Time Raiders. A few years ago, she chose a suitor on the Indian version of TV reality show The Bachelorette — and promptly dumped him.   And she lands up every year on the Cannes red carpet — with or without a film!

 

Who among these lost heroines should make a comeback? Tell t2@abp.in