Theres little doubt that Dil Chahta Hai was among the first films in Bollywood to make people sit up and take note of an actors on-screen hair-style. Most films before paid little attention to it. So if you were to watch Madhuri Dixits films in the 90s,youd be surprised to note that her hairstyle never underwent drastic changes,instead she maintained the same hair-do is almost all her films. However,these days,a lot of emphasis is given to an actors on-screen hair-do,and the credit goes entirely to Adhuna Akhtar. She was solely responsible for Aamir Khans trademark spiky hair and goatee in DCH that made her a Bollywood favourite. She changed the way people looked at hair-styling in films. A brand by herself,Adhuna was also the first woman hair-stylist to set up a first-of-its-kind hair salon,Juice,with her brother,which she soon quit. Currently the co-owner of B:Blunt,Adhuna has reigned supreme thanks to her on-screen uber-cool and chic hair-dos including styling Arjun Rampal8217;s long locks in Rock On!! and Farhan Akhtar8217;s boho- inspired style in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.

Cutting edge

Renu Saluja

Editor

Back in the 80s when late Renu Saluja chose to become an editor,her decision raised many eyebrows. After all she was entering a territory that was teeming with male editors. A graduate from the Film amp; Television Institute Of India FTII,Renu made her debut with Murder At Monkey Hill 1976,but it was with Govind Nihalanis Ardh Satya 1983 that she broke new ground. Her flawless editing proved that a woman could do a mans job as successfully. After that,there was no looking back. Renu,who has over three dozen films to her credit,is also the only woman editor to have won four National Awards in the Best Editing category for Parinda 1989,Dharavi 1992,Sardar 1994 and Godmother 1999.

Romancing the west

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Actor

She is the only Indian female actor to have such a great international presence. She has been,and continues to be,the face of many international brands,has walked the Oscar8217;s and Cannes red-carpet,been waxed in Madam Tussauds,featured in David Lettermans Late Night Show and is the only Indian actor to feature in Oprah Winfrey8217;s show,in which she taught the host to drape a sari. An epitome of grace,beauty and intelligence,Aishwarya has managed to strike a healthy balance between being the quintessential Indian bahu and a professional actor. She won the Miss World pageant in 1994 and made her acting debut as South Indian actor Mohanlal8217;s wife in Mani Ratnam8217;s Tamil film Iruvar 1997. After having featured in over 43 films in Hindi,Bengali and Tamil cinema and also Hollywood she starred in Mistress Of Spices,The Pink Panther 2 and Provoked to name a few Aishwarya has now turned her attention to her newborn daughter,but not before cementing her place in Bollywood as a talented and beautiful actress.

A story of style

Bhanu athaiya

Costume designer

She was the first Indian woman to win an Oscar in the Costume Design category for Richard Attenboroughs Gandhi; a record that no other Indian costume designer has managed to break. Having been around in the Hindi film industry for more than six decades,Bhanu Athaiya has styled the costumes for over a 100 films. From the early black-and-white classics of the 50s like CID,Pyaasa,Chaudhvin Ka Chand and Sahib Biwi Aur Ghulam to colour films like Guide,Gandhi and Lagaan,Athaiya has dressed almost every actor in Bollywood. She has also won two National Awards for Lekin and Lagaan respectively.

Televisions poster girl

Ekta kapoor

Tv czar

One of the most successful producers on the small screen,Ekta started her career from her dad8217;s garage and rose to becoming the reigning queen of Bollywood. A role- model,her story is an inspirational one and she is not known as TV8217;s czarina for nothing at one point in time,38 of the top 50 shows on TV were being produced by her! With time,Ekta8217;s company Balaji has moved to producing films and was responsible for one of 2011s biggest hit,The Dirty Picture.

A classic story

Farah khan

Director

An ace choregrapher,Farah Khan turned director with Main Hoon Na starring Shah Rukh Khan in the lead. The film won her accolades and millions of dedicated followers. Known to have made actors like Shah Rukh Khan,Akshay Kumar,Kajol and Aamir Khan among others dance to her tunes,Khan has often spoken about her humble beginnings. This year the choreographer,who completes 20 years in the industry,is all set to make her acting debut in Bela Sehgal8217;s first directorial venture,Shirin-Farhad Ki Nikal Padi. She is one of the few female Indian directors who has had a good run at the box-office.

First lady of the Indian screen

Devika rani

Producer

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Rabindranath Tagores grand-niece and a student of Architecture,the late Devika Rani was the first Indian woman film producer. Co-owner of Bombay Talkies which churned out films like Jawani Ki Hawa 1935,Devikas first stint with Bollywood was as an art designer for her husband Himanshu Rais Light Of Asia. Known to be a visionary,Devika Rani formed a highly successful team with Ashok Kumar,and they starred in a series of films like Jeevan Naiya 1936,Achhut Kanya 1936,Janma Bhoomi 1936,Savitri 1937,Izzat 1937,Nirmala 1938 and Vachan 1938. A winner of the prestigious Dadasaheb Award in 1970,Devika Rani continued acting till 1943.

Dancing queen

Helen

Item-girl

Long before the concept of item-girls become a rage in Bollywood,Helen danced her way into the hearts of millions with her sensual moves in songs like Mera naam chin chin chu,Piya tu ab to aaja,Mehbooba mehbooba and Yeh mera dil among others. She was,and will always be,Bollywood8217;s orginal item girl. In the 60s and 70s when most actresses chose to opt for demure roles,Helen stood out among the crowd for her individuality. While most item-girls aspire to sizzle on-screen like Helen,till date no one has come close to her,not even Munni and Sheila,the leading item-girls of the present generation.

Dream girl

Hema Malini

Actor

Her films not only drew large crowds and got cash registers at the box-office ringing but it also earned Hema Malini a remuneration that was at par with the leading male actors of her time. Promoted as the Dream Girl of the industry,Hema still continues to hold the title. She made her debut in Sapnon Ka Saudagar that failed to make a mark. However,she rose to instant stardom as the Dream Girl of Bollywood. She has starred in films like Abhinetri,Dream Girl,Sholay,Seeta Aur Geeta and Johny Mera Naam among others. Hema has donned many hats as an actress,director and producer in her Bollywood career that spans across three decades. A trained Bharatanatyam dancer,she has now turned some of her efforts towards motherhood,film direction and her dance career.

Musical diva

Lata mangeshkar

Singer

One of the most respected female playback singers in the industry,Lata Mangeshkars journey to stardom was not easy. Being the sole earning member of her family,she had to work hard to establish herself and despite an inflow of young female singers in the recent years,Lata Mangeshkar has managed to hold a strong position in the music industry. Her invincible spirit has kept her going even at 82. Shas recorded songs for over a thousand Hindi films. Belonging to a family of singers,Lata Mangeshkar has been bestowed with countless awards and honours for her contribution to the music industry. She was responsible for boosting the career of many music composers and has also propelled the careers of many actresses.

Like mon,like daughter

Sanjana kapoor

Theater personality

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Daughter of Shashi and Jennifer Kapoor,Sanjana made every possible effort to keep her grandfather8217;s dream,Prithvi Theater,running. After an unimpressive stint in Bollywood,she moved her attention to the stage. Apart from reviving the theater,Sanjana has been instrumental in introducing summer workshops and a children8217;s theater wing. She sprung a surprise when she announced her decision to step down from her role in Prithvi and handed the reigns to her brother Kunal. She has now turned her attention to her new production company,Junoon.

Glam queen

Zeenat Aman

Model-turned-actor

A Miss Asia-Pacific title winner in 1970,Zeenat Aman was the first model-turned-actors to make it big in the Hindi film industry,paving the way for other beauty pageant winners to follow suit. Arguably the original glam-girl of Bollywood,it was Zeenats attractive Western look coupled with the oomph factor that worked for her. In an age when actresses stuck to submissive roles,Zeenat dared to go bold with Hare Rama Hare Krishna,Satyam Shivam Sundaram and Qurbani,which propelled her career.

Writers block

Sai Paranjpye

Writer-director

Her comedies Chashme Badoor 1981 and Katha 1982 are till date considered classics of Indian comedy. Born into an illustrious family in Lucknow and educated in Australia,Sai Paranjpye,who is well-known for her Marathi and childrens plays,won a National Award for her first feature film,Sparsh in 1980. Her most remembered childrens films include the award winning Jadoo Ka Shankh and Sikandar. Not ready to call it a day yet,Paranjpye,a Padma Bhushan winner,recently revived her 1975 play,Jaswandi!

The dance master

Saroj Khan

Choreographer

Around the time Saroj Khan,a disciple of dance master B. Sohanlal,chose a career in film choreography,the industry was dominated by male dancers. Banking solely on her dancing skills and leaving the rest to god,Saroj took on the mantle of a choreographer and never looked back. She rose to fame with Shekhar Kapur8217;s Mr. India 1987 and while the foot-thumping number Ek do teen established Madhuri Dixit as a star in Tezaab 1988,it also gave Saroj the much-needed exposure. Till date,she has choreographed for over 200 films.

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