Not fair, but lovely

Bollywood’s always liked its maiden fair. Umpteen reels of paper have been dedicated to songs about the ‘gori’ chhoris and as far as the heroines go, the colour of their skin is what has determined their saleability. Of course, earlier there were the Shabana Azmis and Smita Patils but they belonged more to art films genre than to mainstream cinema. But now, dusky actresses are making their mark on the box office. Conventional they might not be, but it’s hard to imagine Bollywood without these dusky beauties. Here’s looking at some of the tanned beauties that have made Bollywood sit up and take notice.

Bipasha Basu

Can any man resist this hottie? Bipasha Basu, or Bips, is one of the most good-looking women in tinsel town. And yet, she doesn’t fit into the fair, pretty, petite mould that the Hindi film industry likes its heroines to settle comfortably into. She’s voluptuous, tanned and still rocking. From being a model who sashayed down the ramps to one of the most successful actresses in Bollywood, Bips has come a long way. She broke onto the scene with the spine-chiller Raaz and since then, has done films like Jism, Ajnabee, Omkara, Apharan, No Entry, Dhoom 2 and Race, cementing her position in the film industry with every film. The Bengali beauty was voted the sexiest women in Asia by UK magazine Eastern Eye in November 2007.