From tacky to terrific!

While their initial years are marked by garish make-up and gaudy outfits, these ladies learned the art of looking good, and we mean drop dead good, slowly but surely. Urmila Rangeela Matondkar or Karisma Raja Hindustani Kapoor, anyone?

Today they are regarded as one of the best-looking/dressed in the business. rediff.com gives you a peek into some of these tacky-to-terrific transformations.

Priyanka Chopra

Even former Miss Worlds aren't above slip-ups. We are quite certain Piggy Chops wouldn't be liked to reminded of those flimsy wigs, loud make-up and showy sequined gown days.

And now the actress, who plays a top model in Madhur Bhandarkar's Fashion, looks every inch of the hot 'n' swanky goddess she ought to be.

Shilpa Shetty Shilpa Shetty began her career in Bollywood on a rather flashy note -- auburn highlights, thick eyebrows, outlandish wardrobe, chunky baubles along with too much lipstick, too much kohl, too much compact. Bottom-line: too much! A series of flawed attempts to re-invent herself later, Ms Shetty finally got it right. And how. From excess to minimalistic, the Big Brother beauty has come a long way. Madhuri Dixit It's agonising to witness a beauty of Madhuri Dixit's stature in that ghastly outfit with monstrosity in the name of make-up. Luckily, her sensibilities have only gotten better and beautiful with age. Aaja Nachle, anybody? Kajol Just like her popular character Anjali [from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai], Kajol's dressing sense has gone from whatever to wow, over the years. Famously reluctant for all things vanity, the bright-eyed actress, eventually (and thankfully) did away with her shocking pink/nude lipsticks and ill-fitting costumes to slip into dreamy tulle and pastel hues. Bipasha Basu There was a time when sultry Bipasha received a lot of flak for her growing weight and bizarre fashion sense. Her style quotient has been dramatically upped since. Elegant wardrobe and eclectic style teamed with a potent dose of inherent sensuality, this belle sure knows how to score. Rani Mukerji You can easily be mistaken for a Christmas ornament when you have big, bulky golden beads in your hair, around the neck, on the dress and pretty much else where. Rani Mukerji has some such fiascoes before she learned the importance of going easy on accessories, allowing her trademark vivacity do all the razzle-dazzle. Vidya Balan There's nothing to complain about Vidya Balan as far as talent goes. But it's her choice of looks --on and off--screen that people find hard to digest. After those boring kurtis in Salaam-E-Ishq and dowdy dresses in Heyy Babyy, the eloquent lady is all set to hit back at her detractors with her fun and hip avatar in Aziz Mirza's Kismat Konnection opposite Shahid Kapur. At least her red-hot cover on Cosmopolitan indicates of sizzling times to come.