From Sridevi to Rekha, there were many actresses who over the years gained much fame and became superstars of Indian cinema. However, before them, there was an actress who ruled on the hearts of the actors and the audience with her beauty and acting skills. The actress we are talking about didn't shy away from wearing a bikini in the 50s and was known as one of the female superstars of India.
Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor were in love with her. She is none other than Vyjayanthimala. Vyjayanthimala is regarded as one of Indian cinema's finest actresses and dancers.
She made her acting debut at the age of 16 with the Tamil film Vaazhkai, and followed this with a role in the Telugu film Jeevitham. Her first work in Hindi cinema was the social guidance film Bahar but she gained stardom with the movie Naagin. In her career of 21 years, the actress starred in several hit films and ruled over three industries, Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil.
She was one of the actresses who didn't shy away from wearing bikinis in the 50s. She was also one the first South Indian actresses to wear a swimsuit on screen, a bold move considering she came from an orthodox Tamil Brahmin Iyengar family in Chennai. While she received immense fame in her professional life, she was equally criticised for her personal life.
The actress was criticised for falling in love with married men. She was linked with Dilip Kumar and it was reported that Dilip Kumar was so much in love with her that he handpicked the shade of sare.