Really! These 6 bombshells in Bollywood hailed from Hyderabad

Popularly known as the City of Pearls, Hyderabad is the home to Telugu cinema, the second largest film industry in India after Bollywood. Famed for its world-class Biryani, Information Technology (IT) and the vibrant multicultural society, the City of Nizams is also famous for gorgeous and ravishing divas who have carved a niche for themselves in Indian cinema. Though most of their families don’t have any roots in the Telugu states, they are born in Hyderabad due to varied reasons.

Right from ‘Mughal-e-Azam’ actress Nigar Sultana to the all-time beauty Sharmila Tagore, Farah Naaz to the glamourous lady Tabu, the stunning Sushmita Sen to the sultry Sherlyn Chopra and the talented Aditi Rao Hydari; there are a string of renowned heroines hailing from Hyderabad. These bombshells have managed to strike a right chord with the audience using their mesmerising acting skills and majestic screen-presence.

With two National Film Awards under her belt, veteran actress Sharmila Tagore fondly known as the Timeless beauty ruled Indian cinema during the 70s and 80s with her iconic fashion, unparalleled charisma and magical on-screen persona. Born to an Assamese father and a Bengali mother in Hyderabad State, Sharmila started her film journey in the Bengali film industry with ‘Apur Sansar’ and went on to conquer Hindi cinema with films like ‘Kashmir Ki Kali’, ‘An Evening In Paris’, and ‘Aradhana’. The 73-year-old elegant lady is the great-grand-niece of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

Holding six Filmfare ladies and two National Film Awards, the ever-gorgeous Tabu originally named as Tabassum Fatima Hashmi was born into a Hyderabadi Muslim family. Her first role as a lead actress was in the Telugu film ‘Coolie No. 1’ starring Venkatesh as the hero. After the 1994 film ‘Vijaypath’ opposite Ajay Devgn, there was no looking back for Tabu in Bollywood as she featured in a string of superhit films opposite all the leading stars in the 90s. Unlike her contemporaries, the quintessential actress has never neglected the south as she still appears in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam films.

The first Indian to win the Miss Universe Title, Sushmita Sen achieved this rare feat at the young age of 18 in 1994. Born into a Bengali family in Hyderabad, the 42-year-old beauty forayed into Hindi cinema with Mahesh Bhatt’s ‘Dastak’ in 1996. Though she did only a few films as the female lead, Sushmita made her mark on the celluloid with her ravishing personality and convincing acting chops. The independent woman adopted a baby girl when she was just 25 and another kid ten years later. She is a philanthropist and heads a charitable group called I AM Foundation.

The 31-year-old ethereal diva hails from a mixed-cultural background as she is half Hyderabadi, half Muslim, and half Konkan by birth. She made her silver screen debut in 2006 with the Malayalam film ‘Prajapathi’ opposite Superstar Mammootty. After playing supporting roles in several Hindi films, Aditi Rao Hydari made it big in the South with Mani Ratnam’s ‘Cheliyaa’ and Mohan Indraganti’s ‘Sammohanam’. The trained Bharatnatyam dancer who is the first cousin of Aamir Khan’s wife Kiran Rao got married at the age of 21 to Satyadeep Mishra. The couple has parted ways now.

Bollywood’s bombshell and the first Indian celebrity to feature on the centrefold of the Playboy magazine, Sherlyn Chopra was born and brought up in Hyderabad. She was crowned the Miss Andhra title in 1999. Though her film career didn’t go as planned with only a few noted flicks like ‘Dil Bole Hadippa’ and ‘Kamasutra: 3D’, she came into limelight when she posed nude for a popular American magazine. Sherlyn who participated in the third season of the TV reality Bigg Boss made headlines in 2012 when she tweeted that she had slept with people for money.

Dia Mirza was born to a German father and a Bengali mother in Hyderabad. She made her Bollywood film debut with ‘’Rehnaa Terre Dil Mein’ opposite Madhavan and Saif Ali Khan in 2001. Though unsuccessful at the box-office, the romantic-drama developed a cult following among youth. Subsequently appearing in several commercial films, the 36-year-old actress started her career as a marketing executive for a media studio and later worked for several TV commercials. The gorgeous lady also won Miss Asia Pacific in 2000 and currently co-runs the production house ‘Born Free Entertainment’ along with her husband.