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If it's a village girl from the movies, she's inclined to follow a specific code of conduct.
Namely,
beat her anklet-adorning feet against rushing streams, twirling her
majestic skirt in open air fields, bite off obstinate-looking sugarcane,
climb atop trees to pluck mangoes, wear tons of flamboyant, noisy
bling, perform aartis in a local village temple, saunter by the river
with a matka clutched between her arms or flirt with ubiquitous 'shehari
babus', it's a familiar picture, right?
And for whatever reason, this classic Bollywood cliche hasn't lost its novelty in our filmmakers' imaginative head.
Here then, is a look at Bollywood's 25 popular village belles over the years.
Reema Sen, Gangs of Wasseypur (2012)
Playing village girls works favourably for the actress who made her debut opposite Fardeen Khan in the long forgotten Hum Ho Gaye Aapke.
After playing the typical village milkman's daughter in Priyadarshan's Malamaal Weekly, Reema Sen turns on the heat and a visibly lascivious Manoj Bajpaiyee to make an impression as the quietly brewing Womaniya in Gangs of Wasseypur.
Image: Reema Sen, Gangs of Wasseypur
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As the pyaar-fearing,
pottery-selling Rajo, Sonakshi Sinha proves she's a chip of the old
block with her charismatic screen presence and dialogue delivery prowess
that pleased both Chulbul Pandey and the audience.
Image: Sonakshi Sinha in Dabangg
Tags: Sonakshi Sinha , Dabangg ,
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Sly
and shrewd, Vidya Balan's Krishna applies her velvety voice and smooth
manners to conceal her true agenda, tricking both her admirers
(Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi) and the audience with remarkable
efficiency.
Image: Vidya Balan in Ishqiya
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What
happens when a lovely, gutsy village lass is thrown in the crazy,
fast-paced rush of city life that suits her husband's equally ambitious,
restless disposition?
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan finds out after a short-lived heartbreak in Mani Ratnam's Guru.
Image: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Guru
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In the Hindi remake of Tamil hit, Thevar Magan, Tabu plays Gehna, a wide-eyed, gullible wife of an educated, influential Zamindar's son (Anil Kapoor).
But the most memorable aspect of her critically-acclaimed performance is a spontaneous rendition of Payalay chunmun chunmun.
Image: Tabu and Anil Kapoor in Virasat
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Mani Ratnam treats Manisha Koirala's Shaila Bano like a wispy dream.
She
barely utters a word but conveys a myriad of emotions through her shy
sensuality and simmering grace that is compelling enough to defy her
conservative Muslim household and marry a Brahmin boy before they elope
to the titular city and engage in a brand new chapter of their lives and
Ratnam's story.
Image: Manisha Koirala in Bombay
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Based on author Mahasweta Devi's short story, Kalpana Lajmi's Rudaali stars Dimple Kapadia in a National-award winning turn as the ill-fated Shanichari.
Despite
all the sorrows that engulf her, Shanichari's inability to shed tears
makes her job as a professional mourner more challenging than one would
think.
Image: Dimple Kapadia in Rudaali
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Al
though it's best preserved memory is a see through sari under a
relentless waterfall, Mandakini's Ganga stands to convey the degradation
of social models through cultural metaphors.
Oh well, who are we kidding?
Image: Mandakini in Ram Teri Ganga Maili
