Bollywood in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s had a very defined character trope: the vamp. She was glamorous, bold, unapologetically grey, often the gangster’s sidekick or the club dancer, and a direct contrast to the virtuous heroine. This archetype had its own space in Hindi cinema – with legends like Bindu, Helen, Aruna Irani, and later, Kunicka Sadanand carrying that tradition forward.
Post the 90s, however, the landscape changed. The permanent fixture of a “vamp” started fading away. Actresses from mainstream cinema began experimenting with negative shades themselves, and the trope of the “stock vamp” disappeared. By the 2000s, the era of the dedicated vamp was practically over.
Kunicka Sadanand, in many ways, was Bollywood’s last true vamp. She was fiery, magnetic, and had a screen presence that made her stand out in every frame. She did complete justice to every role she portrayed on screen – playing it with conviction rather than caricature. Yet, despite her talent, she never quite got the recognition she deserved.
Today, when we look back at Bollywood’s lost tropes, Kunicka Sadanand remains a reminder of a cinematic archetype that was once central to Hindi films – and of an actress who embodied it with flair, but never received her full due.
On Bigg Boss, she’s made to look like a villain by the housemates — not because she’s wrong, but because she’s strong! She doesn’t give two hoots about fake tears, she can call out hypocrisy, and she has the courage to stand up for herself. That’s not weakness — that’s power.
Kunicka isn’t just a great actress; she’s also a great player. The industry may have moved past the trope of a vamp, but she remains unforgettable as the last one who owned it completely.
Ghum Hai Kisikey Pyaar Meiin
