Bollywood heroines shed clothes at earliest opportunity?

INDIA - Shedding inhibitions, as one would like to think, is not a recent phenomenon of the liberated times. Every decade in Bollywood witnesses the emergence of a bevy of actors who grab headlines with their dare-bare acts. Flaunt-it-if-you-have-it mantra has become so commonplace that there's hardly any heroine, established or newcomer, who has not capitalised on her oomph. They justify the display of skin by saying that the script demanded it, that it was integral to the plot, that the character would otherwise not be properly explored. It is further added that the director had quite aesthetically shot the explicit sequences, making the heroine feel relaxed and comfortable on the sets. Lock lips, show cleavage, get wet under a waterfall or splash in a pool in an itsy-bitsy costume, cavort on the beach, romp in the bed, get bolder and bolder on screen since ample show of assets does generate hype before the release of the film and the tantalising nuggets ramp up expectations of the audience as well as the producer who wants the steamy scenes to fetch good opening sales. Sharmila Tagore sent shockwaves in the tinsel town with her classy bikini pose in An Evening In Paris in the sixties. Sex was still a taboo subject in those days and the viewers were startled to find a sober, leading actress indulge in exposure to draw attention all the more so because it was then the business of the vamp to be a seductress attired in vulgar outfits. Instead of making glamour her selling point, she went on to act in serious, meaningful films made by Satyajit Ray and Gulzar, which won her critical acclaim. Groomed by Raj Kapoor to be cast opposite his son, Rishi Kapoor, Dimple Kapadia created history in the early seventies. Bobby, a teenage love story, was a stupendous blockbuster that catapulted her to the zenith. Clad in a red hot bikini, she set the screen on fire. She is best remembered for this film that was perhaps the first one its kind to introduce the idea of teenage romance in Hindi cinema. She vanished from the scene to settle in wedlock with matinee idol Rajesh Khanna. When she finally staged her comeback with Ramesh Sippy's Sagar, again opposite Rishi Kapoor, her exposure did not allure the audiences. She was quick to reinvent herself, and Kalpana Lajmi's Rudaali gave the much-needed boost to her career. After this commendable performance she came to be known as a cerebral actor and has since then acted in several watchable films like Leela and Dil Chahta Hai. Evergreen Dev Anand gets the credit for introducing Zeenat Aman in his huge hit, Hare Rama Hare Krishna. She was also cast in the role of a village belle opposite Shashi Kapoor in Satyam Shivam Sundaram where she sizzled as an Oriental beauty despite being so westernised in real life. These were landmark films and she bagged many glamorous roles on the strength of the performances she put in. She is also noted for her role in films like Lawaaris opposite Amitabh and Qurbani opposite Vinod Khanna who beat a hasty retreat to find spiritual salvation in the retreat of Osho Rajneesh. Eighties saw the influx of a fresh crop of faces. Leading the pack was Kimi Katkar who traipsed around with Tarzan Hemant Birje. This adventure movie was a mega hit and she became a star overnight. Offers poured in and she worked opposite stars like Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Govinda and Chunky Pandey but none of the subsequent films could become a milestone in her career which began to stagnate. Finally she called it a day and settled in conjugal bliss with lensman Shantanu Shoerey. Sonu Walia, a lissome lass with an hourglass figure, sparkled on the silver screen in Akarshan opposite Akbar Khan. Though the film was a turkey at the box office, yet it managed to draw the attention of the likes of Rakesh Roshan who cast her in Khoon Bhari Maang with Rekha and Kabir Bedi, where she conspired with the hero to get rid of his beau. A seductive song picturised on her required her to slip into a bikini. The film was a grand commercial success and she was appreciated for the negative role. In the late eighties, Pooja Bedi, daughter of Kabir Bedi, was all over the magazine covers for her bold ad shoot for a condom brand. Bollywood was not far behind as she soon made her debut. Vishkanya ruined her career and so did many other flicks except Mansoor Khan's magnum opus, Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikandar, where her skirt flying high in a Monroe-sque manner remains fresh in public memory. Having mismanaged her career, she bid adieu to the film world in search of love and peace on the domestic front. Another nymphet went topless on the cover of a gossip film magazine when her career hit a low. Though the conservative brigade was aghast, she was happy to make news with her bold photo-shoot and regain waning popularity. She had acted with leading stars like Akshay Kumar, Govinda and Salman Khan. Directors like Rakesh Roshan offered her a meaty role in Karan Arjun, which was a great hit. While it's understandable why heroines shed clothes at the earliest opportunity that comes their way, it was a real surprise when Deepa Sahi who acted in Tamas, decided to go nude in Maya Memsaab. Based on a French classic novel, Madame Bovary, the film directed by husband Ketan Mehta became popular more for the love-making scenes rather than artistic merit and understanding of the complex female character in quest of love. She also starred in films like Oh Darling Yeh Hai India opposite Shah Rukh Khan but that was also a whimper. Another actress with a rich film background should have done her mother, Suchitra Sen, proud had she not signed up forgettable films like Andar Bahar that typecast her in the role of a sex bomb and she could not come out of that image in Bollywood. Moon Moon Sen did not get a mentor like Raj Kapoor, otherwise her career would have seen a different growth curve. Yash Chopra's Vijay was the best foray any newcomer could ask for. Sonam, paired opposite Rishi Kapoor, revealed her curvaceous figure by wearing a two-piece bikini in the film that unfortunately did not set cash registers ringing. Luck favoured her as she got noticed by several ace directors like Rajiv Rai who cast her in the multi-starrer, Tridev. The film broke all records and is one of the biggest hits of all times. Though there was no looking back for her, she did not garner success as a lead heroine. It was mostly in multi-starrers that she acted. Mitti aur Sona being one example. She got to share the screen with all leading co-stars of her times but then she took early retirement and settled in matrimony with the director who gave her the biggest success of her ephemeral career. The vacant slot was occupied by Madhuri Dixit whose first film, Abodh, was a complete washout. But N. Chandra launched her successfully in Tezaab and since then she never looked back. One wonders why she chose to kiss Vinod Khanna in Dayavan and share the bed with Anil Kapoor in Parinda when she was already a leading actress with hits like Ram Lakhan, Saajan, Dil, to name just a few. She continued to essay a variety of roles and that is why she was never identified as a sensual actress though she has done many bold scenes like few other actresses of her times did. Family entertainers like Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Beta were such money-grossers that the middle class audience forgot all about her sexy image. In the nineties emerged Ram Gopal Verma with hard-hitting films on the underworld. Urmila Matondkar could not have been luckier to be cast in Rangeela, Mast and Daud where she ran along the sandy beaches in revealing dresses or sat suggestively on bikes to become the reigning diva of glamour whereas her earliest films like Aa Gale Lag Jaa opposite Jugal Hansraj and Chamatkaar opposite Shah Rukh Khan did no miracles to her fledgling career. In this decade, two sexy sirens are the strong contenders for the top slot. Having started their careers with small budget films which went onto become resounding hits, they are exploring avenues beyond Bollywood. Both Bipasha Basu and Mallika Sherawat who had Jism and Murder to launch their careers are now walking the red carpet and looking for meaty roles that offer them the chance to showcase their acting skills. Viewers are mature enough to realise that there is something more to a character than mere skin. Every heroine knows full well that every entrant from the modelling background has a fantastic body to reveal. Exposure will not always work though it does improve the prospects of a wannabe star. At the end of the day she has to act. Now that's what one would like to call a revealing truth!