Their name evokes a certain magic and takes you back to an era where melody was eternal and love was innocent. These Bollywood actors from the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s cast a spell on their audience every time their movies play not just with their acting prowess but their looks as well.
However, time catches up with us all and it doesn't spare even the most beautiful celebrity. Here are some pictures of your favourite actors and how they look now.
Waheeda Rehman, started her career in films in 1954 and her first successful films were in Telugu and then she was noticed by Guru Dutt who decided to groom her and have her act in Hindi films. Waheeda considered Guru Dutt as her mentor. Dutt brought her to Mumbai and cast as a vamp in his production CID (1956), directed by Raj Khosla. There was no looking back as Waheeda did several hit films including Pyasa, Guide among others.
After her marriage to Shashi Rekhi (screen name Kamaljeet) on 27 April 1974, she shifted to a farmhouse in Bangalore. She has two children named Sohail and Kashvi, who are writers. On 21 November 2000, her husband died following a prolonged illness. She moved back to her ocean view bungalow in Bandra, Mumbai where she currently lives.
Mumtaz became famous after being paired opposite Rajesh Khanna in Do Raaste (1969). While she had a minor role in the movie director Khosla filmed four songs with her.
She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for one of her ( and our!) favourite films Khilona in 1970.
Mumtaz married businessman Mayur Madhvani in 1974. They have two daughters one of whom, Natasha, married actor Feroz Khan's son Fardeen Khan in 2006.
Babita was born Babita Shivdasani in 1948 and is also known by her married name Babita Kapoor. The daughter of actor Hari Shivdasani, she was the first cousin of her contemporary actress Sadhana Shivdasani. From 1966 to 1973, she starred in 19 films, including the box-office successes Haseena Maan Jayegi (1968), Farz (1967), and Kismat (1968). Following her marriage to actor Randhir Kapoor in 1971, Babita retired from acting. The couple have two daughters, actresses Karisma and Kareena. Babita and Randhir separated in 1988, but reconciled in 2007, after living separately for several years.
She was recently seen at Randhir Kapoor's 70th birthday celebrations with Karisma, Kareena and Saif.
Mala Sinha's father Albert Sinha was a Bengali Christian, while her mother was of Nepali origin. Mala's initial name was Alda. Her friends at school Kolkata used to tease her by calling her Dalda (a brand of vegetable oil), so she changed her name to Baby Nazma on getting her first assignment as a child artiste. Later on, as an adult actor, she changed her name to Mala Sinha.
The most remarkable feature of career of Mala Sinha was that most of her 1960s and 1970s hits were fueled by her own star power as much as the heroes and most of the times her role was more powerful than the hero. Though she was pitted opposite her seniors like Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Kishore Kumar, Pradeep Kumar and when she acted opposite the emerging stars from late 1950s like Shammi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar and Raaj Kumar, she made sure her role was as good as theirs. The characters she played stood out and gave her recognition for her performances. Sinha did not mind working with newcomers as long as her role was worth it. She worked with many newcomers of her era including Manoj Kumar, Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Sunil Dutt, Sanjay Khan, Jeetendra and Amitabh Bachchan.
Zeenat Aman is credited with bring the 'oomph' factor into Bollywood. She was in Mumbai in 1953 to Amanullah Khan. Her father was related to the Bhopal State ruling family. He was a script writer who made the script for such movies as Mughal-e-Azam and Pakeezah. Amanullah Khan often wrote under the nom de plume 'Aman' which she later adopted as her second name on screen. He died when Aman was 13. Her mother remarried a German man called Heinz. Aman's mother obtained a German citizenship and took her to Germany where Zeenat Aman stayed temporarily. She returned to India when she turned 18. She is the cousin of actor Raza Murad and niece of actor Murad.
She was the second runner up in the Miss India Contest and went on to win the Miss Asia Pacific in 1970.
After having studied in Los Angeles, winning the Miss Asia Pacific 1970 contest and a successful modeling career, Aman's film career began with a small role in O.P. Ralhan's Hulchul in 1971. But her first taste of recognisition came with Hare Rama Hare Krishna
Her hip looks in Yaadon Ki Baaraat (1973) as the girl carrying a guitar, singing Churaliya hai tumne jo dil ko (in Asha Bhosle's voice) won her more popularity and the hearts of millions of fans.
She appeared on every Hindi film magazine's cover during the 1970s.
In 1985, she married Mazhar Khan and had two sons Azaan and Zahaan. Mazhar Khan died in September 1998 of renal failure.
Asha Parekh was born into a middle-class Gujarati Jain family. Parekh started her career as a child artist under the screen name Baby Asha Parekh in the film Aasmaan (1952). Writer-director Nasir Hussain cast her as the heroine in Dil Deke Dekho (1959) opposite Shammi Kapoor, which made her a huge star.
In the seventies, her pairing opposite Rajesh Khanna was popular. The successful films of the pair included Baharon Ke Sapne (1967), Kati Patang, Aan Milo Sajna and Dharam Aur Kanoon. Parekh acted in her mother tongue by starring in three Gujarati films at the height of her fame in Hindi films, the first being Akhand Saubhagyavati (1963), which became a huge hit.
After her days as a leading lady ended, Parekh took on supporting roles as bhabhi (sister-in-law) and mother, but she called this the "awkward phase" of her career. So she stopped acting in films, and her friends recommended that she become a television director. She took their advice and became a television director in the early 1990s with the Gujarati serial Jyoti.
Parekh has remained unmarried, claiming that her reputation of being unapproachable made people hesitate in asking for her hand in marriage. There were rumours that she was romantically involved with her married director Nasir Hussain. In her later years, Parekh said that she had a longtime boyfriend but declined to elaborate on the relationship, only stating that "it was nice while it lasted."
Today, Parekh concentrates on her dance academy Kala Bhavan and the Asha Parekh Hospital in Santa Cruz, Mumbai, named in her honour because of her many humanitarian contributions.
Bindiya was discovered at a party, when she was just fourteen years old, by Hema Malini's mother. She felt that Bindiya had a resemblance to Hema. Her first and biggest hit was Hrishikesh Mukherjee's Gol Maal (1979). That film's success led her to a role opposite Shashi Kapoor in the big-budget film Shaan (1980).
Bindiya was born in Kaman, Bharatpur (Rajasthan) to a South Indian father and a Catholic mother. She was married to her frequent co-star Vinod Mehra, but they divorced after four years of marriage.[3] Thereafter, Bindiya would give up her acting career to marry director J.P. Dutta in 1985, with whom she has two daughters, Nidhi and Siddhi.
Saira Banu was born in India to actress Naseem Banu and film producer Mian Ehsan-ul-Haq, who produced the film Phool in Mumbai and film Wadah in Pakistan. Saira spent a significant part of her childhood in London, and went to finishing school.
Saira Banu made her hindi film debut debut when she was only 16 opposite Shammi Kapoor in the 1961 film Junglee for which she earned her first Filmfare nomination as Best Actress.
But it is said that the turning point of her career was the comedy and love story Padosan in 1968 opposite Sunil Dutt, which brought her to the top league of the successful actresses and she started receiving more offers.
Saira Banu married actor Dilip Kumar in 1966
In 1976, Saira chose to end her film career. Subsequently she weathered a storm in her marriage in 1980, when her husband married a girl named Asma, which was quickly resolved. She then appeared in a cameo opposite her husband in Duniya (1984) wherein the song Teri Meri Zindagi became very popular. Her last film Faisla where she was cast opposite Vinod Mehra which was completed in 1976 released in 1988.
Raakhee Majumdar is popularly known as Raakhee Gulzar after her marriage to lyricist-director Gulzar. In four decades of acting, Raakhee won three Filmfare Awards and a National Film Award, among others. At the Filmfare, Raakhee has been nominated 16 times (8 for Best Actress and 8 for Best Supporting Actress), making her the overall most-nominated performer in the female acting categories alongside actress Madhuri Dixit.
In 1971, Rakhee played a double role opposite Shashi Kapoor in Sharmilee, and in the same year she also acted in Lal Patthar and Paras; all three films were popular and she therefore became established as a major Hindi lead heroine.
Towards the late 1980s and 1990s she played strong character roles as the elderly mother—usually a bereaved and bitter widow whose husband died at the hands of ruthless villains—or woman of principles in commercially successful films such as Ram Lakhan (1989), Anari (1993), Baazigar (1993), Khalnayak (1993), Karan Arjun (1995), Border (1997) among others.
Her last film was Shubho Mahurat in 2003, for which she won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. She has since retired from the film industry.
Helen Ann Richardson was born in Rangoon, Burma. She has appeared in over 700 films and was the inspiration for four films and a book. She is the second wife of veteran writer-producer Salim Khan. She has a brother named Roger and a sister name Jennifer. Their father died during the Second World War.
The family then trekked to Mumbai in 1943 in order to escape from the Japanese occupation of Burma. Helen told Filmfare during an interview in 1964:
...we trekked alternately through wilderness and hundreds of villages, surviving on the generosity of people, for we were penniless, with no food and few clothes. Occasionally, we met British soldiers who provided us with transport, found us refuge and treated our blistered feet and bruised bodies and fed us. By the time we reached Dibrugarh in Assam, our group had been reduced to half. Some had fallen ill and been left behind, some had died of starvation and disease. My mother miscarried along the way. The survivors were admitted to the Dibrugarh hospital for treatment. Mother and I had been virtually reduced to skeletons and my brother's condition was critical. We spent two months in hospital. When we recovered, we moved to Calcutta".
She quit her schooling to support her family because her mother's salary as a nurse was not enough to feed a family of four. Helen was introduced to Bollywood when a family friend, an actress known as Cukoo, helped her find jobs as a chorus dancer in the films Shabistan and Awara (1951).
She was soon working regularly and was featured as a solo dancer in films such as Alif Laila (1954) and Hoor-e-Arab (1955). She got her break in 1958, aged 19, when she performed the song "Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu" in Shakti Samanta's film, Howrah Bridge, which was sung by Geeta Dutt.
After that, offers started pouring in throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
During her initial career, Geeta Dutt sang many songs for her. In 1981, Helen married Salim Khan, a prominent Bollywood screenplay writer.
Khan was already married and the father of four children; Helen joined the Khan family and had a large role (along with Khan and his first wife Sushila) in keeping the family united.
All of Helen's step-children have bonded closely with her, and Helen is almost invariably accompanied in public appearances by her co-wife, Sushila (alias Salma Khan).
In the late 1980s, Helen and Khan adopted a baby girl, Arpita. Arpita Khan was the daughter of a homeless woman who happened to die on the Mumbai footpath owing to some accident. Khan came across this baby, saw her weeping, and brought her home to take care of her.
Agnihotri was born in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh to a Punjabi family. She had her first modelling stint at age 10. When she was a teenager, her father relocated the family to Madras, Tamil Nadu because of his job.
She worked with big banners and top stars in South Indian cinema. She had worked with director K. Balachander once before and had been Kamal Hassan's leading lady in many South Indian films, so she wasn't surprised when they approached her for the Hindi remake of their Telugu blockbuster Maro Charithra (1979). Now re-titled Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981), the film was about passionate lovers who are torn apart by their parents in the storytelling tradition of Romeo and Juliet.
It became one of the top grossing hits of 1981 and marked the debut into Hindi films of five stars of the South Indian film industry: director K. Balachander, hero Kamal Hassan, heroine Rati Agnihotri, singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and supporting actress Madhavi. She then starred in over 43 Hindi films. Her biggest hits were Farz Aur Kanoon (1982), Coolie (1983) opposite megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Tawaif (1985) for which she received her second Filmfare nomination as Best Actress, and Hukumat (1987) opposite the Bollywood icon Dharmendra.
Rati's marriage to businessman and architect Anil Virwani on 9 February 1985, coupled with her father's death, convinced Rati to leave Hindi films when she was at the top. On 28 November 1986, she gave birth to her only son, Tanuj Virwani, and she concentrated on raising him and focusing on other creative interests like architectural creations for her husband. In 2015, she separated from Virwani after thirty years of marriage.
Reena Roy was the third daughter of a Muslim father and a Hindu mother. Her parents divorced later. She has three siblings. She started acting in films in her early teens. S. One of her first hits was Kalicharan with Shatrughan Sinha.
At the outset Kalicharan (1976) did not seem like it had the makings of a hit. Subhash Ghai, a failed actor, was making his directorial debut, and Shatrughan Sinha, an actor known for his villainous roles, was making his first mark as a hero. But the film defied everyone's expectations and became a surprise hit. Reena and Shatrughan got attention from audiences for their good performances, and became a famous team as they signed several films together, like Subhash Ghai's Vishwanath (1978), a blockbuster thriller. The press also publicised their off-screen relationship, which ended when Shatrughan married a former actress named Poonam Sinha in 1981.
Though professionally she competed with Rekha, off the screen they were good friends. Rekha helped Reena improve her costume sense and hair styles. Reena Roy and Rekha did many hit films together mostly Reena Roy playing the antagonist and Rekha playing supporting actress, such as - Nagin(1976), Muqabla(1979), Jaani Dushman(1979),Prem Tapashya(1983), Asha Jyoti(1984). Moushumi Chatterjee, Asha parekh, Parveen Babi, Sulakshana Pandit are other actresses often seen playing supporting roles in her films. This also signifies Reena's starpower during her time placing her ahead of other top actresses.
Her last film appearance was in J.P Dutta's Refugee (2000). She has since turned to acting in television serials, such as "Eena Meena Deeka," produced by her sister Barkha. After the serial ended, the sisters opened an acting school in 2004.
Hema Malini made her acting début in Tamil film "Ithu Sathiyam" as a dancer/supporting actress.Her first hindi film role was in Sapno Ka Saudagar (1968), and went on to feature in numerous Bollywood films, primarily as the lead actress. In most of her films, she starred opposite her husband; Dharmendra and with Rajesh Khanna and Dev Anand.
Malini was initially promoted as the "Dream Girl", and in 1977 starred in a film of the same name. She has played both comic and dramatic roles, as well as being a dancer. She has appeared in more than 150 films. During her career, Malini received eleven nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, winning the award in 1972. In 2000, Malini won the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award and also the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour awarded by the Government of India.
Sharmila Tagore began her career as an actress in Satyajit Ray's 1959 Bengali film Apur Sansar (The World of Apu), as the ill-fated bride of the title character. She later appeared in Shakti Samanta's Kashmir Ki Kali in 1964. Samanta cast her in many more films, including An Evening in Paris (1967), in which she became the first Indian actress to appear in a bikini. She has received two National Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards for her performances. She married Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the Nawab of Pataudi and former captain of the Indian cricket team, in a Nikah ceremony held on 27 December 1969. She converted to Islam and took on the name Ayesha Sultana.
Tanuja was born in a Marathi family to filmmaker Kumarsen Samarth and actress Shobhna Samarth. She has three sisters, including actress Nutan and one brother.
She started her film career with her older sister Nutan in Hamari Beti (1950) as Baby Tanuja. As an adult, she debuted in the film Chhabili (1960) which was directed by her mother and had her sister, Nutan, in the lead. The film that truly marked her transition into adult heroine came with Hamari Yaad Aayegi (1961), directed by Kidar Sharma, who had earlier discovered Raj Kapoor, Madhubala and Geeta Bali. Tanuja had an important supporting role in the hit film, Jewel Thief. Her next big film was with Jeetendra, Jeene Ki Raah (1969), an immediate and surprise hit. In the same year, Tanuja won the Best Supporting Actress at Filmfare for Paisa Ya Pyar. After the success of Haathi Mere Saathi (1971), she acted in Door Ka Raahi, Mere jeevan Saathi, Do Chor and Ek Baar Muskara Do (1972), Kaam Chor, Yaarana, Khuddar, and Masoom. Tanuja married filmmaker Shomu Mukherjee in 1973. The couple has two daughters - Kajol and Tanisha. Kajol is married to actor Ajay Devgn. Shomu died on 10 April 2008 from a heart attack aged 64. She is the aunt of actors Mohnish Behl, Rani, and Sharbani, and director Ayan Mukherjee.
In her hey-days, Vyjayanthimala was the subject of many controversies, particularly for her relationship with her co-stars. According to wikipedia, in the early 1960s, Vyjayanthimala was linked by magazines with Dilip Kumar, who has acted with her the most compared to any other actress which resulted in great on-screen chemistry between them. While working for his home production Gunga Jumna, it is said that Kumar handpicked the shade of sari that Vyjayanthimala would wear in every scene. In addition to that, film historians Bunny Reuben and Sanjit Narwekar have confirmed the Kumar & Vyjayanthimala's affair where they had said that Vyjayanthimala was Kumar's third love after Kamini Kaushal and Madhubala.
In the early 1960s, actor Raj Kapoor had commenced the filming of Sangam with Vyjayanthimala playing the female lead along with Rajendra Kumar and Kapoor himself as male lead. The filming took four years to finish. During this time Vyjayanthimala is said to have been romantically involved with Kapoor and almost married him. Initially, she was vexed with him and kept him at a distance. However Kapoor did not give up over her attitude. This incident had made Kapoor's wife Krishna move out of her husband’s house with their children. They checked into Natraj Hotel in Mumbai and stayed there for four and a half months as Krishna was disgusted with the affair.However Vyjayanthimala in her autobiography mentioned that it was the publicity stunt by newspapers in North India to link her with Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar and that she was never in any relationship with her co-stars.
Vyjayanthimala married Chamanlal Bali in 1968. After marriage, she gave up her acting career and moved to Chennai.However between 1968 and 1970, she shot for those films which she had signed before her marraige, like Pyar Hi Pyar, Prince, Ganwaar. They have a son, Suchindra Bali.
Despite the fact that she died two years ago, we decided to add Sadhna to this list as she was one of the most popular actors of the golden era... and because of her reluctance to get photographed in the latter part of her life.
Sadhna Shivdasani was born in a Sindhi family. Her father was elder brother of actor Hari Shivdasani, father of actress Babita. Sadhana aspired to be an actress since childhood. Her father helped her enter films. In 1955 she played a chorus girl in the song "Mur Mur Ke Na Dekh Mur Mur Ke" in Raj Kapoor's Shree 420.
Sadhana introduced the fringe hairstlye in Indian film industry in her first film Love in Simla. R.K. Nayyar, director of the film and her future husband, suggested the fringe style in order to make her forehead look narrower. Sadhana says, "They tried to stick a strip near the hair-line, but it didn’t work out." Nayyar then suggested she go for the fringe style as was then sported by the Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn. The fringe soon became popular and a fashion fad in the 1960s.
Sadhana married her Love in Simla director Ram Krishna Nayyar. They were married for nearly thirty years, until his death in 1995 from asthma. The couple had no children.
She suffered from eye problems due to hyperthyroidism. After her retirement from acting, she refused to be photographed. Living in Santacruz, Mumbai, she rented an apartment building owned by singer Asha Bhosle. She died on DEcember 25th 2015.
Nanda too has passed away but it would be an injustice to bnot include her in this list.
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