Indian cinema @100: The girls next door
Suchitra Sen as Paro in Devdas (1955): A role played by many actresses, including Aishwarya Rai, Paro is the ultimate girl-next-door, who puts honour and pride over love. Bengali superstar Suchitra Sen's portrayal of Paro, her first Hindi film role, is our top pick. Dilip Kumar played the lovelorn Devdas in Bimal Roy's version of the film. Vyjayanthimala played Chandramukhi and turned down a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress award.
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Suchitra Sen as Paro in Devdas (1955): A role played by many actresses, including Aishwarya Rai, Paro is the ultimate girl-next-door, who puts honour and pride over love. Bengali superstar Suchitra Sen's portrayal of Paro, her first Hindi film role, is our top pick. Dilip Kumar played the lovelorn Devdas in Bimal Roy's version of the film. Vyjayanthimala played Chandramukhi and turned down a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress award.
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Suchitra Krishnamoorthi as Anna in Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1994): Happy-go-lucky Sunil, played by Shah Rukh Khan, does his best to drive a wedge between his best friend and the girl of both their dreams. TV star Suchitra's endearing portrayal of the befrocked and hair-band-wearing Anna made it her breakthrough role, a break she entirely failed to cash in on.
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Rati Agnihotri as Sapna in Ek Duuje Ke Liye (1981): North and South collided head on when Vasu, played by Kamal Haasan, fell in love with Sapna from next door. There is no happy ending in store for them, but Sapna gave Bollywood lexicon a moment to remember when she burns Vasu's photo, mixes the ash into a cup of tea and drinks it.
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Saira Banu as Bindu in Padosan (1968): A rather glamorous girl-next-door, Saira Banu was wooed by two men, each placed in the most comic situations. The film was a turning point in her career, and Bindu was remarkable for the stylish clothes she wore and the bubble baths she took.
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Juhi Chawla as Rashmi in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988): Juhi Chawla, winner of the Miss India pageant, played the sweetly pretty but decidedly un-glam Rashmi in her breakthrough film. Co-starring Aamir Khan, the film was a desi version of Romeo and Juliet. With her plaited hair and modest outfits, Rashmi ensured that former beauty queen Juhi was most often cast as the “cute girl.”
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Deepti Naval as Neha in Chashme Buddoor (1981): As the the Chamko detergent sales girl in this cult comedy, Deepti Naval became the flashpoint of the lives of three young students and roommates, played by Farooque Shaikh, Rakesh Bedi and Ravi Baswani. Her look in the film, typical of an urban, middle-class girl, included midi skirts and hair neatly tied with ordinary black rubber bands and clips.
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Zarina Wahab as Geeta in Chitchor (1976): The role of simple, sari-clad, small-town belle Geeta, who falls in love with a young engineer from Mumbai – played by Amol Palekar - in a case of mistaken identity, was one of the highlights of Zarina Wahab's character.
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Tina Munim as Nancy in Baaton Baaton Mein (1979): With her neat dresses, pinafores and full skirts, Nancy is a typically middle-class girl looking for love despite her mother's insistence on a rich husband, and finds it in the equally middle-class Tony, played by Amol Palekar.
