HOME | DD

Description
Well considering I've covered the Indian States of Gujarat and Bengal, in terms of the sheer beauty of their fair maidens - I figured why not go on? Well I have, and believe you me it took me quite a while to try and decide which state to decide upon. Now there was Punjab, of which an ENORMOUS amount of sheer Punjabi beauty gushes forth in Indian arts and entertainment - there's also Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, as well as Karnataka and Kerala -You get the point! I had a hard time deciding and was wracking my brain - then I thought well why not just go to the state that houses the center of Hindi Cinema - Maharashtra. Yes, the land that throughout history has included fierce warriors, noble dynasties, mystical sages, majestic contributions to Indian arts, and thought, and spectacular beauty! One would even say a fiery beauty no doubt, as these lovely ladies merge style with sheer massive personality. You have to hand it to those Indians they certainly know how to project their identity state by state - but then again it was the Indian Subcontinent so basically they're all countries united by shared cultures and of course they would have their own uniqueness and individual nature to them, before it was hacked up and then name dropped with South Asia, but anyways lets move to the main point - Those Marvelous Maidens of Maharashtra - shalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll we?!?

1. Madhuri Dixit-Nene: Well what can truly be said about THE QUEEN of Hindi Cinema. Yes there have been other actresses who have come along, and yes Mrs. Nene doesn't do as many films as she did in years past - but, in all honesty who can compete with her. She casts a long shadow over nearly all other heroines of Indian Cinema, and truth be told its a majestic one. She's one of my favorite actresses and I have to say its not simply her beauty, but her character, her presence, and her command on screen. Starting out almost in her late teens, she's a legend who stands alongside the all time great actresses of Indian Cinema - Madhubala, Nutan, Sridevi, Waheeda Rehman, and well the list goes on. But suffice it to say, she's pure charisma and effortless mastery. Also a trained dancer, she has a real sense of grace in her presence and her performances - Altogether a Legend!

2. Zeenat Aman: I don't know what they put in the water that the Maharashtrians have been drinking, but it produces so many of my favorite actresses. And I assure you Ms. Aman counts, she is half-Maharashtrian through her mother. Along with Madhuri Dixit and countless others, she is one of my all time favorite actresses and one of those great screen legends period. Emerging into cinema in the 1970s after a stint as a fashion model, and beauty queen - the very intoxicating Zeenat Aman immediately grabbed notice for her style and her presence along with the wide range of characters she could play with magnificent command. Playing a host of characters from femme fatales to spoiled rich girls, serious career women, devious dames, and even lethal she-spies, Zeenat Aman came forth with an ice cold veneer that masked a simmering presence of intense sensual and intellectual heat that just took command of the screen. Along with Parveen Babi she brought forth a new "Vogue" look of stylistic minimalism that was turned away from the traditional sense of Indian beauty, and merged with Western standards of fashion and beauty that were occuring during the era. I can't really say enough about her, but since she's part of another few features I am going to cover, that may be enough for now!

3. Radhika Apte: Well if there's an ongoing trend that I see with many Maharashtrian actresses - it's certainly that they are FIERY - not just in appearance, but in personality - and Ms. Apte is perfectly in line with that same trend. Born in Tamilnadu to parents of Marathi descent - this firecracker started out in the cinema of the South before emerging in the North. Her look is bold, daring, and stunning mostly because well....her personality seems to be exactly the same!

4. Tanuja: Born to the Samarth film family, that also includes her big sister the legendary - Nutan, Tanuja shifted direction away from the sort of roles her sister had taken. Nutan, was known for being a type of all-star who was a combination of Madhuri Dixit and Kajol (her very own niece!) - able to be the girl next door, the tragedy queen, the queen of comedy, and the mistress of very dramatically heavy roles. Tanuja, on the other hand, has always been a sheer burst of wonderful energy which led her to play anything from the spoiled rich girl, the spritely and spunky heroine, and the party girl! And its these roles I think she embraced with relish! Wonderfully doe eyed and blessed with a simmering sensual beauty - Tanuja managed to share the spotlight wonderfully with LEGENDS like Dev Anand and Rajesh Khanna. And just to show that this is a family with a wonderful set of genes - she also happens to be a mother of another screen legend - KAJOL!

5. Bhumi Pednekar: Oh yes - the sheer mind-boggling Maharashtrian heat wave continues! Fiery in personality, appearance and presence, Bhumi Pednekar has made a splash since she burst on the scene with Dum Laga ke Haisha (2015) a movie I don't really care for since I hate Ayushman Khuranna, the leading man of that film. Since then she's moved from strength to strength and well has just dominated. If there's something that could be said about a lot of these beauties from Maharashtra - they certainly are fierce and fiery if they choose to be - and well....I've found Bhumi Pednekar to be pretty much this in terms of just BLAZING presence! Wonderfully natural in her physical charms and extraordinarily feisty in her personality!

6. Mrunal Thakur: Making the jump from TV to Movies, Mrunal Thakur has pretty much done it with a great sense of just pure CHARM. Her beauty is adorable and sexy at the same time without sacrificing one for the other. Stunning, natural and charismatic as well as magnetic she's pretty much been someone who has been able to command my attention effortlessly.

Well if you like this series thus far, let me know if you want another region of India covered. Or if you want another country entirely - LET ME KNOW in the comments below - EITHER WAY - LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

Also, there's a lot I left out in terms of actresses and legends to cover, but trust me I covered just a representative sampling of who stood out immediately in my mind - SO OK!

And to look back on my posts on Bengali beauty and Gujarati beauty - here are the links below:

Description
Well considering I've covered the Indian States of Gujarat and Bengal, in terms of the sheer beauty of their fair maidens - I figured why not go on? Well I have, and believe you me it took me quite a while to try and decide which state to decide upon. Now there was Punjab, of which an ENORMOUS amount of sheer Punjabi beauty gushes forth in Indian arts and entertainment - there's also Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, as well as Karnataka and Kerala -You get the point! I had a hard time deciding and was wracking my brain - then I thought well why not just go to the state that houses the center of Hindi Cinema - Maharashtra. Yes, the land that throughout history has included fierce warriors, noble dynasties, mystical sages, majestic contributions to Indian arts, and thought, and spectacular beauty! One would even say a fiery beauty no doubt, as these lovely ladies merge style with sheer massive personality. You have to hand it to those Indians they certainly know how to project their identity state by state - but then again it was the Indian Subcontinent so basically they're all countries united by shared cultures and of course they would have their own uniqueness and individual nature to them, before it was hacked up and then name dropped with South Asia, but anyways lets move to the main point - Those Marvelous Maidens of Maharashtra - shalllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll we?!?

1. Madhuri Dixit-Nene: Well what can truly be said about THE QUEEN of Hindi Cinema. Yes there have been other actresses who have come along, and yes Mrs. Nene doesn't do as many films as she did in years past - but, in all honesty who can compete with her. She casts a long shadow over nearly all other heroines of Indian Cinema, and truth be told its a majestic one. She's one of my favorite actresses and I have to say its not simply her beauty, but her character, her presence, and her command on screen. Starting out almost in her late teens, she's a legend who stands alongside the all time great actresses of Indian Cinema - Madhubala, Nutan, Sridevi, Waheeda Rehman, and well the list goes on. But suffice it to say, she's pure charisma and effortless mastery. Also a trained dancer, she has a real sense of grace in her presence and her performances - Altogether a Legend!

2. Zeenat Aman: I don't know what they put in the water that the Maharashtrians have been drinking, but it produces so many of my favorite actresses. And I assure you Ms. Aman counts, she is half-Maharashtrian through her mother. Along with Madhuri Dixit and countless others, she is one of my all time favorite actresses and one of those great screen legends period. Emerging into cinema in the 1970s after a stint as a fashion model, and beauty queen - the very intoxicating Zeenat Aman immediately grabbed notice for her style and her presence along with the wide range of characters she could play with magnificent command. Playing a host of characters from femme fatales to spoiled rich girls, serious career women, devious dames, and even lethal she-spies, Zeenat Aman came forth with an ice cold veneer that masked a simmering presence of intense sensual and intellectual heat that just took command of the screen. Along with Parveen Babi she brought forth a new "Vogue" look of stylistic minimalism that was turned away from the traditional sense of Indian beauty, and merged with Western standards of fashion and beauty that were occuring during the era. I can't really say enough about her, but since she's part of another few features I am going to cover, that may be enough for now!

3. Radhika Apte: Well if there's an ongoing trend that I see with many Maharashtrian actresses - it's certainly that they are FIERY - not just in appearance, but in personality - and Ms. Apte is perfectly in line with that same trend. Born in Tamilnadu to parents of Marathi descent - this firecracker started out in the cinema of the South before emerging in the North. Her look is bold, daring, and stunning mostly because well....her personality seems to be exactly the same!

4. Tanuja: Born to the Samarth film family, that also includes her big sister the legendary - Nutan, Tanuja shifted direction away from the sort of roles her sister had taken. Nutan, was known for being a type of all-star who was a combination of Madhuri Dixit and Kajol (her very own niece!) - able to be the girl next door, the tragedy queen, the queen of comedy, and the mistress of very dramatically heavy roles. Tanuja, on the other hand, has always been a sheer burst of wonderful energy which led her to play anything from the spoiled rich girl, the spritely and spunky heroine, and the party girl! And its these roles I think she embraced with relish! Wonderfully doe eyed and blessed with a simmering sensual beauty - Tanuja managed to share the spotlight wonderfully with LEGENDS like Dev Anand and Rajesh Khanna. And just to show that this is a family with a wonderful set of genes - she also happens to be a mother of another screen legend - KAJOL!

5. Bhumi Pednekar: Oh yes - the sheer mind-boggling Maharashtrian heat wave continues! Fiery in personality, appearance and presence, Bhumi Pednekar has made a splash since she burst on the scene with Dum Laga ke Haisha (2015) a movie I don't really care for since I hate Ayushman Khuranna, the leading man of that film. Since then she's moved from strength to strength and well has just dominated. If there's something that could be said about a lot of these beauties from Maharashtra - they certainly are fierce and fiery if they choose to be - and well....I've found Bhumi Pednekar to be pretty much this in terms of just BLAZING presence! Wonderfully natural in her physical charms and extraordinarily feisty in her personality!

6. Mrunal Thakur: Making the jump from TV to Movies, Mrunal Thakur has pretty much done it with a great sense of just pure CHARM. Her beauty is adorable and sexy at the same time without sacrificing one for the other. Stunning, natural and charismatic as well as magnetic she's pretty much been someone who has been able to command my attention effortlessly.

Well if you like this series thus far, let me know if you want another region of India covered. Or if you want another country entirely - LET ME KNOW in the comments below - EITHER WAY - LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!

Also, there's a lot I left out in terms of actresses and legends to cover, but trust me I covered just a representative sampling of who stood out immediately in my mind - SO OK!

And to look back on my posts on Bengali beauty and Gujarati beauty - here are the links below: