Anwar Miyan!! Ishara Samjho

Besides the obvious are there any others that you like?

My website and previous posts have demonstrated that Reena Roy is my childhood's favourite actress. Other heroines of the 1970s that I particularly like are Zeenat Aman and Hema Malini.

Zeenat Aman had one of the most sexiest body ever exhibited in Bollywood Cinema. You just have to see her oozing with sex appeal, dancing to the rhythm of Bheega Badan Jalne Laga in Abdullah. From her debut in Dev Anand's Hare Rama Hare Krishna to her last most memorable film, Feroz Khan's Qurbani, her career constituted a series of hallmarks. Despite the scandals around her films, I found her performances very dramatic in films like Insaaf Ka Tarazu and Satyam Shivam Sundaram.

Hema Malini was perhaps the Number 1 heroine for the longest period ever. She churned out masala films one after another, and was considered as the Queen of the Box Office. She worked with all the top directors and actors of her time, and yet its a struggle to find hallmarks in her career. She projected glamour in a very dignified way, as depicted in some of my favourite movies like Sholay, Burning Train, and Ali Baba Aur 40 Chor. Hema worked with Dharmendra in 30 odd films, all of which became silver jubilee hits.

From the Golden Era, my only favourite is the Tragedy Queen, Meena Kumari. I have only seen a few of her films, but in one way or another, all of them have left a lasting impression on me: The boat song, Ajeeb Dastaan, from Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai; the scene in which she leaves her 'nikaah' cermony in search for her lover from Bahu Begum; her spiritual confrontations with Ashok Kumar in Chitralekha; and as the alcoholic woman seducing her arrogant husband to the tune of Na Jao Saiyan in Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam. But its the romanticism of Kamal Amrohi's Pakeezah, in which Meena Kumari plays a suffering courtesan, that I adore most.

In contemporary times, the only actress that has ever impressed me is Madhuri Dixit. Her beauty is comparable to the the Venus of Bollywood, Madhubala. When I first saw her in Dayavan, I knew here was a Number 1 heroine in the making, and my prophesy came true. Amongst her many great films, I found Beta with Anil Kapoor and Anjaam with Shah Rukh Khan highly emotive. But it was Bansali's Devdas that I saw every week in the cinema for nearly two months. The film glorified love in every respect, and Madhuri embodied its pain and glory to perfection.

I never had a particular male favourite. Rajesh Khanna gave us some of the most soulful songs, and Amitabh Bachchan the most meaningful performances. In recent times, Salman Khan has been the most good looking guy, and Shah Rukh Khan the best actor.

How about you, Bond... James Bond...? Who are you a fan of, apart from Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan?

ohh..I c...now...LOL

today's generations of actors/actresses are very different from yesteryear stars. Where as the previous generations actually made it based on their talent, here any avg joe with decent looks can get in in the industry - irrespective of talent.

OK, now if you talk about the 70s and 80s, my fav actor is

DHARMENDRA, then Sanjeev Kumar and then Amitabh Bachchan

Also Amol Palekar, Jeetendra, Shashi Kapoor and Rishi Kapoor were pretty good aswell.

For the 80s only Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, and Jackie Shroff come to mind.

For actresses, I LOVED Tina Munim, Hema Malini, Sharmila Tagore, and Zeenat Aman. I was never that big of a fan of Rekha or Jaya Bhaduri.

For the 80s, there is only ONE name and that is Sridevi.


Now these days most of these people are pretty good. I mean during the 90s, Shahrukh was one of THE standouts however now I can't say if he's my favourite actor because he plays the same character over and over again. I mean where is the versatility he displayed in Baazigar, Darr, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, Anjaam, and DDLJ?? Now all we get is Chalte Chalte/Main Hoon Na crap.


I would say the 2 best actors working in the industry today are Ajay Devgan and then Sunil Shetty. Sunny and Sanjay are ok in their bad ass roles, but admittedly they don't have MUCH talent. For the newcomers, only John Abraham has only showed some acting potential. Hrithik is ok, but I think he only has one dramatic face (where he looks confused/angry) and he's milking that for all he's got. Let's wait till Lakshya comes out.


As for the girls, they are all so fine I just can't decide LOL!! No seriously, after Madhuri left, we were left without any female talent that would actually pose a threat to her vacated throne. Manisha was upthere for a while, and then Karisma, but they have all become obscure hasbeens for now. I like Urmila but even she makes very few movies far and between.

Ok, you guys are going to kill me for this, but I'm going to say my fav actress is Kareena Kapoor. I know she can't really act, but its just her looks combined her energy and spunk that drives me absolutely crazy!! LOL!!

Amrita Rao is pretty talented and I believe she has the chops to make it in the industry. So is Lara Dutta, however she is NOT THAT MUCH of a looker (as compared to Priyanka Chopra who looks hotter but can't act at all).

Naah! Don't particularly care for those fellas! I am strickly a Fleming's fan! Book is always much better!

Who do I like? I ain't telling! Not even wild horses could drag this shopping list out of me!
Rajesh Khanna
Dilip Kumar
Raaj Kumar
Sarook of course
Ajay Degan
Akshaye Khanna
for females
Hema Malini
Tina Munim
Sadhana
Geeta Bali
Kajol
Madhuri
Madhu
Rani, Rani, Rani and more Rani

How come no one has mentioned Aishwarya Rai? Surely, she is the most likely contestent for the Number 1 position after Madhuri Dixit's retirement...?

I think she's pretty.....but I don't like her acting very much...she needs to work on that.

Most of the people on my list I like for their acting....or screen presence.
Aish annoys me sometimes

Here's a list of my favorite heroes
1. Amitabh Bachchan - Though he is not the greatest actor, but I am still in awe of his charisma. The films that i particularly like his performance are Sholay, Deewar, Shakti, Agneepath and AAA (a total masala flick), Namak Haram, Bemisaal and Khakee.
2. Balraj Sahni - He was one of the greatest artist from the golden era, though he could not become a hero and was limited to side characters . Bahu Begam, Waqt.
3. Sanjeev Kumar - This guy should be on the top of every list, but as he did not act in much of the masala flicks, he is less recognised by the masses and even though being talented could not get much appreciation.
Watch him in Khilona, Sholay, Koshish, naya din nayi raat ( infact any of his movies)
4. Kamal Hassan - He is one of the finest actors in india. Some people do criticize him by comparing him with hollywood big wigs, But i think they have the advantage of working with good directors. Watch Kamal in Sagar Sangamam, Sadma and the list goes on.
5. Amir Khan - This actor is proved himself that you dont have to churn out 5-10 movies in a year, all with romantic stories (ala YC, KJ), to become popular. You can work in meaningful movies and still can get applauded in the mass ( -By mass i mean apun ka public, jinko art cinema se koi lagaav nahin, apna paisa wasool hona mangta hai kya, bole to humko log tapori bolte).
6. Last these are the actors whom i can enjoy watching.. Ashok Kumar, Dev Anand, Dharmendra(only before 80's movie), Shashi kapoor, Hrithik (actor in the making).

Actresses

1. Waheeda Rahman- I think this beauty could not get much recognition (underrated). As far as acting is concerned she was not as good as our Mother India . fav. movie- Guide, Sahib biwi aur ghulam.
2. Smita patil - Undoubtedly, the most talented actress that indian cinema have ever witnessed.
3. Rekha (After "78")- kuch kehne ki jaroorat nahin, watch Khubsoorat, khoon bhari maang.
4. Sushmita sen- Beauty with a brain. Samay, Main hoon naa (Only If you wanna have a feel of her beauty).
5. Sadna (Asli naqli), Hema malini (Dillagi,Khushboo), Aishwarya(HDDCS), Kajol (K3G and Raju chacha).
Although the movie i have mentioned may not be the ones in which these actress have acted well, but they are worth mentioning either for there beauty or for acting talent.

Don't worry dear, I wouldn't dream of it

Although we did this a couple of years ago, possibly on the old forum, it's good to know everyone's favorites so we have an idea of their biases .

Actors:

1) AB: I grew up in the 80s watching his films, and I'm glad he's made a great comeback.
2) SRK: after AB left, he entertained me most on screen with films like Darr, Baazigar, DDLJ, etc.
3) Vivek Oberoi: went to NYU, which is where I am at now, so slightly prejudiced there, but still think he's a bundle of talent who's bound to go places.

Others I like: Aamir, Manoj Bajpai, Hritik (at times), Saif (more recently). I am not counting any yesteryear stars here (mainly because I don't remember most of them).

Actresses:
1) AMRITA RAO: my newfound favorite and my future wife .
2) Kajol: lots of natural talent, too bad she "retired"
3) Urmila: Finally getting the recognition she deserves, not just a sex symbol
4) Juhi: my first crush as a 5 yr old when I saw QSQT, still has so much charm
5) Rani Mukherji: has come with some great performances in the past few years
6) Preity: just fun to watch on screen

Others I don't mind watching: Aish (just for beauty ), Sonali (very pretty face), Tabu (greattt actress).
And for hotnessssss
Celina Jaitley, Riya Sen, Sameera Reddy, and Lisa Ray.