No sex for B'wood's simple gals

are the magic words. In an age where heroines are showing moreskin than talent and sex has become a marketing strategy, here''s a breed ofactors who believe in simplicity. From Bhagyashree in to Neha in to Gracy Singh in to Bhumika Chawla in to Preeti Jhangiani in to Gayatri Joshi in therecent -- all are films withheroines who have made unconventional debuts as Plain Janes. On one hand, itcould be called a smart career move, to be able to distinguish oneself from thesexy clutter but on the other hand, it could lead to being seriously slotted asthe ''homely'' girl-next-door.Says actor Gayatri Joshi after her debut, "It was not aconscious decision to play a non-glamourous role. It was my character and thebanner that mattered more. But I''m not afraid of being typecast. I''ve done rampmodelling and commercials before. I''m sure there are filmmakers who can see mypotential." However, although these girls are getting offered glamroles as well, the film industry and public doesn''t really forget firstimpressions. Once you are known as the Plain Jane, the name sticks. Agrees Preeti Jhangiani, who after her first few films as a demuregirl wasn''t accepted very well in her somewhat bold image in the recent. "After my first film, I got alot of offers. Indians are very receptive to homely heroines. But it''s easy tobe typecast in our films. I think people were shocked to see me in a supposedlybold movie. " A similar thing also happened with''s Neha in her bold avatar in. Film trade analystIndu Mirani points out, "Our film history has shown that a heroine should besuch that everyone can fall in love with. So being sexy is necessary forpopularity. However one can''t go over-the-top with sexy too because that hasn''tworked either. But a sudden image revamp doesn''t help either. It just depends onthe sex quotient."Gracy Singh, who played a village girl in and a docile doctor in, is comfortable with herdemure image. "I was offered various kinds of roles but I''m more comfortabledoing roles and wearing stuff that represent our culture and society," she says.Bhagyashree has the last word. "I was always interested in doing roles thatmaintained the sanctity of women. Finally, the simplest films in Indian filmhistory are the most popular," shesays.