Given below is a list of all the notable actresses, who have starred in Hindi cinema, the commercial Hindi language film industry based chiefly in Maharashtra. The following are some of the most popular Indian actresses of their decades: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
| Year | Name | Debut film | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1920 | Patience Cooper | Damayanti |  |
| 1922 | Fatma Begum | Veer Abhimanyu |  |
| Sudhabala | Bhishma Pitamah |  | |
| Sultana | Veer Abhimanyu |  | |
| 1923 | Zubeida | Kohinoor |  |
| 1925 | Seeta Devi | Prem Sanyas |  |
| Ruby Myers | Cinema Ki Rani |  | |
| 1926 | Gohar Mamajiwala | Baap Kamai |  |
| Year | Name | Debut film | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Sabita Devi | Kamaner Aagun | |
| Mehtab | Kamaal-e-Shamsheer | ||
| 1931 | Esther Victoria Abraham | Toofani Tiruni |  |
| Kajjanbai | Shirin Farhad | ||
| Khursheed Bano | Eye for an eye |  | |
| Rattan Bai |  | ||
| 1932 | Firoza Begum | Bewafa Qatil |  |
| Lalita Pawar | Kailash |  | |
| Durga Khote | Maya Machhindra |  | |
| 1933 | Sardar Akhtar | Id Ka Chand | |
| Bibbo | Rangila Rajput |  | |
| Devika Rani | Karma |  | |
| Umasashi | Puran Bhagat (film) | ||
| 1935 | Fearless Nadia | Hunterwali |  |
| Shobhna Samarth | Nigahe Nafrat |  | |
| Jaddanbai | Talashe Haq | ||
| Leela Chitnis | Shri Satyanarayan |  | |
| Naseem Banu | Khoon Ka Khoon |  | |
| 1936 | Jamuna Barua | Das |  |
| Shanta Apte | Amar Jyoti |  | |
| 1937 | Kanan Devi | Vidyapati |  |
| Mohini | Devdas | ||
| 1938 | Sitara Devi | Watan |  |
| 1939 | Begum Khurshid Mirza | Bhakti |
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Madhuri Dixit Nene is an Indian actress and television personality. She has appeared in over 70 Hindi films, attaining nationwide stardom that influenced Indian popular culture. Noted by critics for her beauty, dancing skills, and characters, Dixit was credited for singularly paralleling her male contemporaries by leading star vehicles in a male-dominated industry. Her accolades include six Filmfare Awards from a record 17 nominations. In 2008, the Government of India awarded her with Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour of the country.
Rani Mukerji is an Indian actress who works in Hindi films. Noted for her versatility, she is the recipient of multiple accolades, including eight Filmfare Awards. Mukerji has featured in listings of the leading and highest-paid actresses of the 2000s.
Kajol Devgan, known mononymously as Kajol, is an Indian actress. Described in the media as one of the most successful actresses of Hindi cinema, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, such as six Filmfare Awards, which include a record-tying five Best Actress wins. In 2011, she was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India.
Preity G Zinta is an Indian actress, producer and entrepreneur primarily known for her work in Hindi films. After graduating with degrees in English honours and criminal psychology, Zinta made her acting debut in Dil Se.. in 1998, followed by a role in Soldier in the same year. These performances earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut, and she was later recognised for her role as a teenage single mother in Kya Kehna (2000). She subsequently established a career as a leading actress of Hindi cinema with a variety of character types. Her roles, often deemed culturally defiant, along with her unconventional screen persona won her recognition and several accolades.
Hema Malini Dharmendra Deol also known as 'Dream Girl' of 70s is an Indian actress, director, producer, and politician who is currently serving as a member of the Lok Sabha from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), representing Mathura constituency since 2014. She was a member of the Rajya Sabha from Karnataka from 2011 to 2012, subsequent to her nomination to that chamber from 2003 to 2009 as a member of the BJP. Primarily known for her work in Hindi films, she has starred in both comic and dramatic roles, and is one of the most popular and successful leading actresses of mainstream Hindi cinema.
Nargis Dutt known mononyomusly as Nargis was an Indian actress and politician who worked in Hindi cinema. Regarded as one of the finest and greatest actresses in the history of Indian Cinema, she often portrayed sophisticated and independent women. Nargis' work was in a range of genres, from screwball comedy to literary drama, and earned her various accolades.
Tabassum Fatima Hashmi, known professionally as Tabu, is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi films. She is regarded as one of the most accomplished actresses in Hindi cinema, and has often played troubled women, from fictional to literary, in both mainstream and independent cinema. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including two National Film Awards, seven Filmfare Awards, and two Filmfare Awards South. In 2011, she was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest Indian civilian honour.
Sharmila Tagore, also known by her married name as Begum Ayesha Sultana is an Indian actress primarily known for her work in Hindi and Bengali films. Regarded among the greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, Tagore is a recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award and the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to Hindi cinema. In 2013, the Government of India, honoured her with Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour for her contributions to Indian culture through performing arts.
Jaya Bachchan is an Indian actress and politician. She is serving as member of the parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the Samajwadi Party since 2004. Having worked in Hindi films and Bengali films, she is noted for reinforcing a natural style of acting in both mainstream and arthouse cinema. A recipient of several accolades, she has won a record nine Filmfare Awards and the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour awarded by the Government of India.
Urmila Matondkar is an Indian actress and politician. Known for her work primarily in Hindi films, in addition to Telugu, Malayalam, Marathi and Tamil films, she has received numerous accolades, including the Filmfare Award and the Nandi Award. Having established a distinctive on-screen persona, she is known for her acting skills, style statements and dancing skills.
Hum Tum is a 2004 Indian Hindi-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Kunal Kohli. Produced by Aditya Chopra under his banner Yash Raj Films, it is loosely based on the English film When Harry Met Sally... (1989). The film stars Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji, with Rishi Kapoor, Kirron Kher, Rati Agnihotri and Jimmy Sheirgill. Hum Tum follows the encounters of two individuals, Karan and Rhea, who run into each other on several occasions under various circumstances.
Sridevi Kapoor, known mononymously as Sridevi, was an Indian actress who worked in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada language films. Cited as the "first female superstar" of Indian cinema, she was the recipient of various accolades, including a National Film Award, four Filmfare Awards, two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, a Kerala State Film Award, and a Nandi Award. Sridevi's career spanned over 50 years in a wide range of genres. She was known for her reticent and introverted off-screen personality, but headstrong and outspoken on-screen persona, often playing strong-willed women. In 2013, Sridevi was honoured with the Padma Shri, the country's fourth highest civilian honour.
Achal Surinder "Boney" Kapoor is an Indian film producer primarily associated with Hindi cinema, in addition to Tamil and Telugu cinema.
Waheeda Rehman is an Indian actress. Regarded as one of Hindi cinema's most accomplished actresses, she has worked in more than 90 feature films, in a career spanning over five decades. Her accolades include a National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards. She was honoured with India's civilian awards; the Padma Shri in 1972 and the Padma Bhushan in 2011. In 2021 she was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in the field of cinema, but was awarded in 2023.
Smita Patil was an Indian film and theatre actress who primarily worked in Hindi and Marathi films. Regarded among the finest and greatest actresses in the history of Indian cinema, Patil appeared in over 80 films, in a career that spanned over a decade. Patil was the recipient of two National Film Awards, a Filmfare Award, a Maharashtra State Film Award and two Filmfare Awards Marathi. In 1985, she received the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour.
Nayanthara is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Tamil films, alongside Telugu and Malayalam films. One of the highest-paid actresses in India, Nayanthara was the only South Indian actress to be featured in the Forbes India "Celebrity 100" list of 2018. She has acted in more than 75 films in a career spanning over two decades and has won numerous awards, such as five Filmfare Awards South, one Tamil Nadu State Film Award, a Nandi Award and seven SIIMA Awards.
Queen is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film directed by Vikas Bahl and produced by Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, and Madhu Mantena. The film stars Kangana Ranaut in the lead role, with Lisa Haydon and Rajkummar Rao playing supporting roles. The film follows the story of Rani Mehra, a diffident Punjabi girl from New Delhi who embarks on her honeymoon to Paris and Amsterdam by herself after her fiancé calls off their wedding.
Hindi film actress Rani Mukerji made her screen debut in Biyer Phool (1996), a Bengali film directed by her father Ram Mukherjee. Her first leading role was that of a rape victim in the 1996 social drama Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat. In 1998 she received wider recognition for her role alongside Aamir Khan in the action film Ghulam, and had her breakthrough as the romantic interest of Shah Rukh Khan's character in the romantic drama Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The latter earned Mukerji her first Filmfare Award in the Best Supporting Actress category. She followed this by playing the leading lady in several films, including Hello Brother (1999) and Nayak: The Real Hero (2001), none of which helped propel her career forward.
