Is BW more about glamour than acting chops for actresses?

Do you think glamour is more imp. than acting chops in BW or are things changing? Being a complete package is highlighted upon here. Charisma, charm and X-factor are stressed upon. Is it that make up and glamour occupy our gaze to such an extent that viewers fail to see beyond their appearance? This stereotyping of female leads as sexy, glamorous and fancy keeps the audience from focusing on their acting skills.

Or are things changing now?

Yes, that’s always been the case in BW for the female actors at least...

Is it changing now? Not sure, don’t follow it nowadays that closely

I haven't seen as many old movies so I could be wrong but I feel that there's a more explicit disparity between glamour and acting for actresses today than it was before the Khans became superstars. In the 90s and before, actresses balanced "flowerpot" and meaty roles more effectively so it was rare that a top female star wasn't also generally regarded as a good actor. As the Khans superstardom increased, female roles became less significant in their movies. For example, Katrina was able to achieve success with glamourous roles focused on the songs for almost a decade. Since Katrina's success, we have had so many actresses (Shraddha, Jacqueline, Disha, Nora) that are more known for their dancing and attractiveness on screen. On the other hand, we also have top actresses like Taapsee, Kangana, Vidya who are known more for their acting than their glamour. Of course, we do have actresses that are known for both and ideally that should be present across all top stars but recently there is a clear success path even if you have glamour over acting. I don't see this changing significantly until masala films have meaty roles for actresses.

Originally posted by: HugeScarcity

I don't see this changing significantly until masala films have meaty roles for actresses.

Even films like Kaminey or 3 idiots female leads vanish long periods of time.

Originally posted by: HugeScarcity

I haven't seen as many old movies so I could be wrong but I feel that there's a more explicit disparity between glamour and acting for actresses today than it was before the Khans became superstars. In the 90s and before, actresses balanced "flowerpot" and meaty roles more effectively so it was rare that a top female star wasn't also generally regarded as a good actor. As the Khans superstardom increased, female roles became less significant in their movies. For example, Katrina was able to achieve success with glamourous roles focused on the songs for almost a decade. Since Katrina's success, we have had so many actresses (Shraddha, Jacqueline, Disha, Nora) that are more known for their dancing and attractiveness on screen. On the other hand, we also have top actresses like Taapsee, Kangana, Vidya who are known more for their acting than their glamour. Of course, we do have actresses that are known for both and ideally that should be present across all top stars but recently there is a clear success path even if you have glamour over acting. I don't see this changing significantly until masala films have meaty roles for actresses.

THIS.

I completely agree.