One of the most popular misconceptions people have about show business is that your looks can take you far. Being beautiful is only a stepping stone to getting your foot in the door. Anything beyond it requires hard work, talent, discipline, connections, and, most importantly, luck. This is an eternal truth of any show business, let alone Bollywood.
It is tough to sustain a successful career in B-town. This industry has no shortage of good looks and talent, and anybody who wants to succeed here should have good acting skills and drop-dead gorgeous looks. We will tell you about a list of unsuccessful actresses from Tinsel Town who, despite having charming looks, failed to leave a mark in this industry. These beauties entered the industry with a bang but exited the industry faster. While some have settled down and happily married, others opted for alternate career options.
You’d be surprised to know that many actresses who were way more beautiful than their counterparts faded into oblivion for one reason or another.
Priya Rajvansh
She is best remembered for her role in Heer Ranjha.
Sulakshana Pandit
She was also an accomplished singer but never made it as an actress in Bollywood despite the many movies she did.
Vidya Sinha
Remember that little gem of a movie called Choti Choti Si Baat, starring Amol Palekar? She was quite a revelation in that movie.
Moushumi Chatterjee
Despite doing many good projects, she never really managed to become a famous leading lady and later faded into character roles.
Tina Munim
You must watch Baaton Baaton Mein to know how beautiful she was. And maybe the most exceptional beauty amongst this lot.
Poonam Dhillon
She was quite the head-turner and remains so even today. Alas, the success eluded her.
Mandakini
Shot to notorious fame after her controversial scene in Raj Kapoor’s Ram Teri Ganga Maili, she was quite a beauty in her days.
Anita Raj
One look at her during her peak will be enough to understand why Jagjit Singh sang Hothon Se Chu Lo Tum in Prem Geet. Yet, oh, you elusive success.
Kimi Katkar
Best known for the infamous Jumma Chumma song in Amitabh Bachchan’s superhit movie Hum, she was hailed as the next Zeenat Aman. If only it were so simple.
Sonam Khan
Not to be confused with Sonam Kapoor, she was the perfect pinup girl to add glamour to a Bollywood movie. She is best known for the Oye Oye song from the movie Tridev.
Sangeeta Bijlani
Winner of the Miss India winner, almost married to Salman Khan, married to ex-Indian Cricket Team captain Azharuddin, she could have been in a league of her own. The key word is “could,” which is never used.
Priya Gill
Shot to fame with her girl-next-door role in the sleeper hit Sirf Tum; she also starred against Shah Rukh Khan. in Josh. Yet, sometimes, the luck you need never reaches you.
Mahima Chaudhry
Before Subhash Ghai made Yaadein and went down the downward spiral of his career, he was the ultimate showman. Debuting with a Subhash Ghai movie was a dream come true for any aspiring. Pardes was quite a success, and Mahima Chaudhry couldn’t have asked for more. Yet, it was the best she could ever match up to in her career later.
Pooja Batra
Another ex-model and beauty pageant winner, she wasn’t a bad actor. I remember her best for her limited role in Virasat. Yet another case of unfulfilled potential.
Dia Mirza
Indian actress, model, and producer who did the most famous romantic movie, Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein, remains hidden from Bollywood. However, she tried hard to entice the audience through her simplicity but could never maintain her charm on-screen. She is Swachh Bharat Mission’s brand ambassador and an active social worker. She has also helped many cancer patients.
Gracy Singh
Debuted with one of the best movies in Bollywood, Lagaan. She is best known as Gauri from that film. She is also a trained Odissi and Bharata Natyam dancer. She has also worked in the best comedy movie, Munna Bhai MBBS, with Sanjay Dutt.
Ameesha Patel
Although she worked in super hit movies like Gadar, Kaho Naa Pyar Hai, and Race, Ameesha unfortunately remained in the not-so-famous stars’ category list. She has also made films in Tamil and Telugu.
Diana Penty
The Cocktail actress did make her charm on-screen with her simplicity but failed to maintain it further. Elite Models India signed her up for a modeling assignment. She is the brand ambassador of the hair brand TRESemme and communication company Nokia. She also became the new face of Maybelline.
Zarine Khan
Said to be the carbon copy of Katrina Kaif, Zarine tried hard to maintain her status on-screen after the famous movie Veer with Salman Khan. Worked in many high-budget films like Housefull 2 and Hate Story 3, but, unfortunately, failed to shine on screen.
Mallika Sherawat
Is giving bold scenes on-screen the only way to get fame? Mallika Sherawat proved everyone wrong, as her movies didn’t go well enough despite her bold avatar with Emraan Hashmi and in many other films.
Ayesha Takia
Won the Filmfate debut award in 2014, the actress first appeared in the movie Tarzan. Also, she appeared in films like Wanted with Salman Khan, Fool N Final, Dil Maange More with Shahid Kapoor, 8*10 Tasveer with Akshay Kumar, and many more. She did a lot of hard work to maintain her aura on-screen but failed, disappearing from Bollywood.
Twinkle Khanna
She is now a blogger, interior designer, film producer, and author. Her career took a downhill after the movie Mela, which failed on-screen. She is now known as Mrs. Funny Bones because of her famous book. She had a fabulous story with Akshay Kumar; they met coincidentally and never thought this would work. Still, Akshay and Twinkle made an incredible couple together. In Twinkle’s mind, it was just a fling. It agreed that the marriage would be postponed if her movie Mela worked on-screen, but that didn’t happen. Eventually, the film flopped, which resulted in tying their knots together.
Genelia D’Souza
She debuted in 2003 with the movie Tujhe Meri Kasam. Later, many films like Force Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya, Life Partner, and Jaane Tu Yaa Jaane Na paved her way to Bollywood. She is a national-level football player and has also done many Telugu movies. Despite her charming appearance, her films didn’t turn out well enough to entice the audience, making her a not-so-famous actress.
Nargis Fakhri
She started her career with the great movie Rockstar, for which she received the best debut Filmfare award nomination. Also, she received praise for her marvelous acting in the political thriller Madras Cafe; this actress, despite being an American model and actress, didn’t make her charm in Bollywood. She did appear in successful comedies like Main Tera Hero, Housefull 3, and with talented actors like Emraan Hashmi in Azhar, but that too didn’t save her career from the downhill.
These actresses mentioned are more or less through with their acting careers; hence, it is safe to make an assessment. For the actresses currently working, you never know. There is always that chance of an odd hit getting them back on track. Remember Kangana before Queen, who was almost written off?
