From Saira Banu To Mumtaz: 7 Bollywood Beauties From The 60s And 70s Who Defined Timeless Glamour
Bollywood’s 1960s and 1970s gave Hindi cinema some of its most enduring style icons. Long before red carpets, Instagram fashion pages and celebrity stylists became part of the industry, actresses were setting trends through hairstyles, sarees, eye makeup and screen personas that audiences would remember for decades.
From Saira Banu’s youthful glamour to Mumtaz’s instantly recognisable saree style, here are seven actresses whose looks still evoke the golden age of Hindi cinema.
Saira Banu
Saira Banu arrived in Hindi cinema as a teenager with Junglee and quickly became one of the most glamorous faces of the 1960s. Her expressive eyes, elaborate hairstyles and mix of traditional and Western outfits gave her a youthful screen presence that perfectly suited the colourful romantic films of the era. Films including Junglee, Bluff Master, Ayee Milan Ki Bela and Padosan remain important parts of her screen legacy.
Mumtaz
Few vintage Bollywood fashion moments are as instantly recognisable as Mumtaz’s orange saree from Brahmachari. Its tightly draped, pre-pleated styling became closely associated with the actress and continues to inspire recreated looks decades later. Mumtaz’s bold colours, fitted silhouettes and distinctive hairstyles helped make her one of the unmistakable style figures of her generation.
Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore effortlessly moved between elegant Indian looks and bolder Western fashion. Her bouffant hairstyles and dramatic winged eyeliner became signature elements of her appearance, while An Evening in Paris showed a more daring side of Bollywood glamour. At the same time, her saree looks retained an old-world elegance that made her equally convincing in traditional styling.
Waheeda Rehman
Waheeda Rehman represented a quieter kind of glamour. Rather than depending on extravagant styling, she became associated with elegant sarees, understated makeup and a natural screen presence. Films including Guide, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam and Kaagaz Ke Phool helped cement an image of sophistication that remains closely associated with her today.
Hema Malini
There was a reason Hema Malini became Bollywood’s “Dream Girl”. Her classical features, long hair, sarees and jewellery created one of Hindi cinema’s most recognisable glamorous images. Yet her appeal went beyond carefully styled beauty. Characters such as Basanti in Sholay and the double role in Seeta Aur Geeta added personality and energy to that image, helping her become one of the defining female stars of the 1970s.
Zeenat Aman
If several actresses represented classic elegance, Zeenat Aman brought a distinctly modern edge to the 1970s. Her Western-influenced wardrobe, oversized sunglasses, bold silhouettes and carefree screen image helped change the way a mainstream Hindi-film heroine could look. Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Don and Satyam Shivam Sundaram showcased different sides of her style, while her fashion choices became synonymous with the decade’s more liberated m
Rekha
Rekha’s transformation into one of Bollywood’s ultimate style icons remains a fascinating part of her career. Her early 1970s appearances were very different from the carefully cultivated image audiences came to associate with her later. Over time, elaborate sarees, statement jewellery, distinctive makeup and classic Indian styling became inseparable from the actress’ public persona. Even today, Rekha remains one of Bollywood’s clearest examples of glamour transcending generations.
