Bollywood’s curly cats

If there has been one asset that has been a constant requisite for actresses to make it big in Bollywood, it has been those long luscious manes. In fact, some of the most popular classics in Hindi cinema are inspired by those 'kaali gehri zulfein'. And while 'bouffets', 'Sadhana-inspired cuts' and 'poker-straight' hair have all had their fair share in Hindi cinema, it is those bouncy curls that have survived the highs and lows of trends and are the new rage once again. If you are wondering what's the 'it' factor about them, we believe it is the effervescence, girlishness and mystery that comes along with the curls make them a big hit. Here's a lowdown on our biggest superstars whose perms lead them to the peak of their careers.
Think gorgeous curls and you cannot help but visualize the very charming Madhuri Dixit. One of Bollywood's biggest superstars who has been recently awarded the Padmashree award for her contribution to Hindi cinema, Madhuri's fixation with curls goes back to her debut days.

Though her first movie Abodh saw her as the girl next door with a plain mane, it was with her second flick 'Swati' that Ms. Dixit fumbled upon the magic that those 'soft curls' did to accentuate her vibrancy and 400-watt smile.

And since then, her most celebrated hits - Tezaab, Dil, Saajan and HAHK have all seen her in what is till date known as Madhuri's trademark hairstyle.
If there was one actress who gave close competition to Madhuri in the 90s, it was Sridevi. And not surprisingly, the sensuous lady often had to replicate the former's magical curls to produce that effervescent effect.

So while her stylists had a hard time getting that perfect 'Madhuri' perm in place, Sridevi delivered some of her best hits with Mr. India, Lamhe, Gurudev and Chaalbaaz.

And though initially the style may have been adopted as a matter of competition, it actually went a long way in complementing the sexy actress's 'catty' yet 'cute' image.
The bubbliest actress that happened to Bollywood till date, Juhi Chawla owes if not more, then atleast half her success to those Cinderella-like locks. If you think we are exaggerating one bit, think about all those moments when the lovely actress would twirl her fingers in her mane and then, surprise us with her steady reply; almost as if her curls were magical.

Though the actress has opted for the poker-straight hair look recently which is difficult to ignore in her 'Kurkure' commercials, we bet nothing beats the look she used to sport in films like 'Darr' and 'Ishq'.

Those peasant blouses and floral skirts combined with tight curls almost transformed her into a European countryside beauty.
A former Miss India, Meenakshi Sheshadri is yet another curly-haired bombshell that ruled the industry in the 80s. Sharp features, a smooth facial frame and wavy hair confirmed Radha aka Meenakshi's star status with her second flick 'Hero'.

An actress who stuck to playing extremely Indian yet glamorous roles, Meenakshi's figure-hugging saris and ghagra cholis found their perfect match in those long set of curls.

Be it the passionate kiss that she shared with Anil Kapoor in 'Vijay' or the romance with Sunny Deol in 'Ghayal', Ms. Sheshadri's hairstyle was definitely one factor that raised her sensuous quotient by quite a few levels.
An actress who has espoused the cause of those bouncy curls more than anyone else in contemporary Bollywood, the dimpled-cheek Preity Zinta's image is inseparable from her 'cupid' curls.

Be it her debut film 'Soldier', her biggest hit 'Dil Chahta Hain' or the not-so-acclaimed 'KANK', Preity's wavy mane is simply 'joie de vivre' personified.

When it comes to this pretty woman, even the most staunch patrons of 'hair-straightening' would agree that her independent and outgoing attitude are best expressed through those sparkling eyes and vibrant curls.
If there's one who took the slightest inspiration from Preity, it's Bipasha Basu - one of those few actresses who are open to experimentation with their look and has had the widest range of hair makeovers. The sex symbol of Bollywood, she first went in for a perm during her debut release 'Ajnabee'.

Needless to say, Bips was hands down voted as a 'bold seductress' who just knew all the right moves. The mystery that comes along with those wavy tresses, all the more when streaked with 'red', saw the sensuous Basu create another storm at the box-office with 'Jism'.

And since then, 'No Entry', 'Dhoom 2' and the recent box-office success 'Race' have been witness to Bips' glorious 'curly' mane.
She may be India's highest paid actress but that never really made her an exception when it came to going in for a perm. Yes, Aishwarya Rai - the diva with a sun-kissed plain mane - has also had her share of that ultimate perm.

While the mesmerising beauty first put on those rollers for 'Kyun Ho Gaya Na' and ended up shocking her fans, Ash made up for it with 'Dhoom 2'.

The film saw Aishwarya in her most sensuous avatar, courtesy an ultra-slim figure, revealing outfits and last but not the least, long wavy tresses that highlighted 'Sunheri's' bold and independent spirit and have gone on to become the latest fad in the Indian fashion circuit.
Kareena Kapoor, the most celebrated cover girl of recent times, may have kept it stylish with that 'blonde' look for long but with 'Tashan' that has changed. Though the film has been a super-flop, Bebo's new avatar has got everyone raving.

Apart from the irresistible 'zero-size' figure, it is Kareena's 'scrunched' curls that are being emulated by young girls across the nation. In fact, if the recent style scene in Bollywood is anything to go by, we believe this is just the tip of the iceberg.

The next few trend-setting films will see 'curls' evolving once more to create a new-generation look.

madhuri and juhi looked the best with curls as they looked natural with their hair like tht 😊

Kangana looks the best when it comes to curly hair 👏 her looks is very unique 👏 😊

yet again kareeena as size zero according to media lol...anyways yep curls look nice and priety , madhuri definetly two who stick in my mind for that.

Bipasha and Kareena are looking great... 😳

luv bips... think curly hair suits her da best luv her.. n den kareena

don't forget kangana ranaut also has naturally curly hair which looks cute sometimes

preity, kareena, aishwaya and bipasha looks the best with curly hair