25+ Top Bollywood Actresses in India - Who is the No 1 Now?
Looking for best Bollywood actresses? Here's a specially curated list of 25+top Bollywood actresses in India that have garnered national and global critical acclaim for their outstanding performances
May 08, 2024
Top Bollywood actresses L-R (Kareena, Aishwarya, Deepika)
The Hindi film industry is one of the most fascinating entertainment industries globally. The talent and beauty has no limit in the nation with many rising up the ranks despite not from Bollywood camps. Several newcomers have established their names in the top25+ Bollywood actresses in India with their gifted abilities. Known to produce one of the largest number of films worldwide in a year, many of its actresses, from Kareena Kapoor Khan, Deepika Padukone to Alia Bhatt and Kriti Sanon, have received national and international recognition for some memorable cinematic performances.
Here's a compilation of the top 25+ Bollywood actresses who are immensely popular among audiences. We bet you'll be surprised to know that this beauty queen has made it to the 5th position by defeating other global sensations!
Top 25+ Bollywood actresses in India right now
Kareena Kapoor Khan
Kareena Kapoor Khan debuted in Refugee (2000) with Abhishek Bachchan. From romantic comedies to crime dramas, Kareena has been part of it all and has won six Filmfare Awards. Director Karan Johar's Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (2003) gave her widespread popularity for her role as Pooja, aka Poo. The actress starred in the 2007 romantic comedy Jab We Met, which was a box office hit. It is still regarded as one of Bollywood's most well-liked romantic films. Today, she reigns Bollywood as she stars as one of the most beloved actresses and tops at No.1!
Deepika Padukone
The Kannada film Aishwarya (2006), directed by Indrajit Lankesh, marked Deepika Padukone's acting debut. She debuted in Bollywood in 2007 in the masala film Om Shanti Om, costarring Shah Rukh Khan and directed by Farah Khan. She was nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress and won the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award.
Deepika's debut role in Hollywood was as the lead opposite Vin Diesel in the action movie XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017). She debuted as a presenter at the 77th British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) in February 2024, where she gave filmmaker Jonathan Glazer the award for Best Film Not in the English Language for his film The Zone of Interest. In 2022, Deepika was a jury member at the 75th Cannes Film Festival. She is also an avid supporter of mental health issues and runs the Live Love Laugh Foundation, an NGO that works for mental health awareness.
Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif made her debut with Kaizad Gustad's Hindi-English heist film Boom (2003). One of Bollywood's highest paid actresses, she starred in director David Dhawan's Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? (2005), which is actually considered her debut in Bollywood. Her role in Vipul Amrutlal Shah's romantic comedy Namaste London (2007) alongside Akshay Kumar put her in the spotlight, as did Kabir Khan’s New York (2009). Her acting was lauded in Zoya Akhtar’s dramedy Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011) and her OTT outing Merry Christmas. She also runs a cruelty-free cosmetic brand called Kay Beauty.
Shraddha Kapoor
Making her Bollywood debut with the multi-starrer heist film Teen Patti (2010), Shraddha gained recognition for playing Aarohi in Mohit Suri’s Aashiqui 2 (2013). She even received a Filmfare nomination for Best Actress for the film. Alongside Riteish Deshmukh and Sidharth Malhotra, she acted in the movie Ek Villain (2014). She starred in Vishal Bhardwaj's Haider as the lead that same year. With Kay Kay Menon, Tabu, and Shahid Kapoor in key roles, the movie was a success at the box office. Shraddha made her playback singing debut in 2014 with the song 'Galliyan' for the film Ek Villain. In 2015, she became a fashion designer with her own clothing brand called Imara by Shraddha Kapoor.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
A former Miss World (1994), Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is one of the most popular Bollywood celebrities globally. She made her Hindi film debut with Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya (1997). Honoured by the Government of India with Padma Shri in 2012, her first box office success was with Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999). Aishwarya received critical acclaim for her roles as a passionate artist in Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000), a seductive widow in Chokher Bali (2003), an unhappy married woman in Raincoat (2004), Kiranjit Ahluwalia in Provoked (2006), and a nurse in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Guzaarish (2010). She established the Aishwarya Rai Foundation in November 2004 to aid the underprivileged.
Janhvi Kapoor
Daughter of producer Boney Kapoor and late actress Sridevi, Janhvi Kapoor debuted with Dhadak (2018) and has established herself as a versatile actress. Her other well-known films include Roohi (2021), Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl (2021), Ghost Stories (2021), and Good Luck Jerry (2022).
Kiara Advani
Kiara debuted with director Kabir Sadanand's 2014 film Fugly. Her other notable films include M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016), Kabir Singh (2019), Shershah (2021) and Satyaprem Ki Katha (2023). Kiara has been seen making several public appearances with Sidharth Malhotra after they got married earlier this year, making her one half of a power couple to look out for.
Alia Bhatt
A powerhouse performer, Alia Bhatt debuted with Karan Johar’s Student Of The Year (2012). Listed in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2014, she is one of the highest-paid actresses in India. In 2022, she won the Time 100 Impact Award. Alia has won the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress for her roles as a kidnapping victim in the 2014 road drama Highway, a victim of drug abuse in the 2016 crime drama Udta Punjab, an undercover spy in the 2018 thriller Raazi, a possessive girlfriend in the 2019 musical drama Gully Boy, and a prostitute in Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022). She was also awarded the National Film Award for Best Actress for Gangubai Kathiawadi.
Sonam Kapoor Ahuja
Sonam was an assistant director with Sanjay Leela Bhansali on Black (2005). She made her acting debut with Bhansali’s Saawariya two years later. Produced by Karan Johar, Sonam’s I Hate Luv Storys (2010) was her first big box office hit, even as her 2013 release Raanjhanaa opposite Dhanush catapulted her to fame and earned her many Best Actress nominations. She received both a National Film Award (Special Mention) and a Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics) for her critically acclaimed performance as Neerja Bhanot in the 2016 biographical thriller Neerja. She then went on to play the lead in Veere Di Wedding, a 2018 female buddy movie that is among the highest-grossing female-led Hindi films.
Kriti Sanon
Bollywood’s current favourite, Kriti Sanon, started her acting career with Telugu films. She debuted in Bollywood with Heropanti (2014), opposite Tiger Shroff. She also received the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for it before delivering other hit films such as Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017) and Luka Chuppi (2019), ensemble comedies Dilwale (2015) and Housefull 4 (2019). Kriti was lauded for playing a surrogate mother in the comedy-drama Mimi (2021). She also received the National Film Award and the Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Mimi. Kriti has also started her own clothing line, fitness enterprise, and skincare line.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Former Miss World (2000), actor and producer, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, wears many hats with ease. She has won multiple awards, such as two National Film Awards and five Filmfare Awards. Debuting with The Hero: Love Story of a Spy in 2003, she went on to essay many memorable roles in films such as Aitraaz (2003), Mujhse Shaadi Karogi (2004), Krrish (2006) and Fashion (2008). She also won a won a National Film Award and a Filmfare Award for Best Actress for Fashion. Priyanka made history as the first South Asian lead actress in an American network drama series for the thriller series Quantico. She was awarded the Padma Shri by the Indian government in 2016, and Time named her one of the world's 100 most influential people. She was included in the BBC 100 Women list in 2022, and in the following two years, Forbes classified her as one of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women.
Kangana Ranaut
Kangana Ranaut started modelling when she was barely 16 years old before debuting in the 2006 Anurag Basu-directed thriller Gangster. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for the film. Later, Kangana appeared in Life in a... Metro (2007) and Fashion (2008) and took home the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for Fashion. The fourth-highest civilian honour in India, the Padma Shri, was given to her by the government of India in 2020. The same year, she started her own production company called Manikarnika Films, where she is a producer and director.
Anushka Sharma
Anushka Sharma debuted opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the 2008 romantic comedy Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. She won the Fimlfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012). Anushka co-founded Clean Slate Filmz, a production firm through which she created a number of online series and films, such as NH10 and Paatal Lok (2020). She has created her own women's apparel line, Nush.
Taapsee Pannu
Making her Bollywood debut with David Dhawan’s Chashme Baddoor (2013), Taapsee Pannu gained prominence with Pink (2016) and Mulk (2018). She received the Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics) for her role as a septuagenarian sharpshooter, Prakashi Tomar, in the 2019 biopic Saand Ki Aankh. She also won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Critics) for her role as a homemaker going through a divorce in Anubhav Sinha's social drama Thappad (2020). Since then, she has acted in three OTT films: Looop Lapeta (2022), Rashmi Rocket (2021), and Haseen Dillruba (2021). Dunki (2023) was Pannu's highest-grossing comedy-drama film release.
Rani Mukerji
Rani first tried her hand at acting as a teenager, appearing in the social drama Raja Ki Aayegi Baaraat (1996) and the Bengali-language film Biyer Phool, directed by her father, Ram Mukherjee. In 1998, Rani made her breakthrough with the romance Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and enjoyed her first box office success with the action movie Ghulam (1996). Chalte Chalte (2003), Hum Tum (2004) and Veer Zaara are some of her most notable films.
Vidya Balan
Known to play powerful characters in female-oriented films, Vidya Balan entered showbiz through the 1995 TV sitcom Hum Paanch. She made her Bollywood debut with Pradeep Sarkar’s Parineeta (2005) and appeared in commercially successful films like Lage Raho Munnabhai (2006) and Bhool Bhulaiyaa (2007). The thriller film Kahaani (2012) and Silk Smitha’s biopic The Dirty Picture (2011) are some of her prominent roles.
Tamannaah Bhatia
In 2005, Tamannaah made her acting debut in the Hindi film Chand Sa Roshan Chehra. After that, she made her screen debuts in Tamil films with Kedi (2006) and Telugu films with Sri (2005). Happy Days (2007) and Konchem Ishtam Konchem Kashtam (2009) are some of her other Telugu films. In addition, she has acted in a number of online films, such as Aakhri Sach (2023), November Story (2021), Jee Karda (2023), and 11th Hour (2021).
Rakul Preet Singh
Rakul Preet started her modelling career at the age of 18, while still a college student. She acted in several South Indian films before debuting in Bollywood in the 2014 comedy-drama Yaariyan. She has acted in other notable Hindi films, including the satire Doctor G (2022), the drama Runway 34 (2022), and the romantic comedy De De Pyaar De (2019).
Sara Ali Khan
Sara made her acting debut in the romance drama Kedarnath and soon followed it up with the action comedy Simmba in 2018. Both films did well at the box office, and Kedarnath got her the Best Female Debut Filmfare Award. Sara was recently seen in Homi Adajania’s murder mystery Murder Mubarak on Netflix.
Ananya Panday
Ananya started her acting career in 2019 with roles in the comedy Pati Patni Aur Woh and the teen feature Student of the Year 2. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for both her performances. She is among the most in demand actresses currently in Bollywood and has been one to look out for.
Kajol
Kajol made her acting debut while still in school with Bekhudi (1992). After that, she gave up on her education and went on to achieve commercial success with Yeh Dillagi (1994) and Baazigar (1993), costarring Shah Rukh Khan. She became a huge star in the 1990s thanks to her hit films with SRK, such as Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), which also got her two Filmfare Awards for Best Actress. Her portrayals of an avenger in Dushman (1998) and a psychotic killer in Gupt: The Hidden Truth (1997) won her praise from critics. She was given the Padma Shri in 2011.
Parineeti Chopra
Parineeti began her career as a public relations consultant with Yash Raj Films. She then went on to debut as an actress in the 2011 romantic comedy Ladies vs. Ricky Bahl, for which she was nominated for a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress and took home the award for Best Female Debut. She then won praise for her lead roles in the box office successes Hasee Toh Phasee (2014), Shuddh Desi Romance (2013), and Ishaqzaade (2012).
Kalki Koechlin
Kalki's debut film was the black comedy-drama Dev.D (2009), for which she was received the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. She then starred in two of the highest-grossing Hindi films: Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), romantic comedy-dramas for which she received nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress. She branched out into screenwriting with the 2011 murder thriller That Girl in Yellow Boots, in which she also acted.
Tabu
As a teenager, Tabu appeared in Dev Anand's Hum Naujawan (1985), later starring as a lead in the Telugu film Coolie No. 1 (1991). She won the 1994 Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut for her role in the Hindi action film Vijaypath. She secured the National Film Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of a young woman impacted by the Punjab insurgency in the political thriller Maachis (1996). Tabu is till much in demand, as her upcoming film, Crew, directed by Rajesh A. Krishnan, is scheduled to be released on March 29, 2024.
Konkona Sen Sharma
Konkona Sen Sharma made her Bollywood film debut with Page 3 (2005). She went on to win two consecutive Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actress, one each for Omkara (2006) and Life in a... Metro (2007); the former also won her a National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. Wake Up Sid (2009), Dosar (2006), Laaga Chunari Mein Daag (2007), Luck By Chance (2009), and Atithi Tum Kab Jaoge? (2010) are her other prominent films.
Yami Gautam
Actress Yami Gautam is a multifaceted artist, and she has impressed audiences with her charm as a TV actor and film actor. Despite being the daughter of director Mukesh Gautam, Yami began her career by hustling as a model, followed by her TV debut and breakthrough with Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Kam on Colors. After gaining immense popularity as a TV soap actor, Yami stirred the Hindi film industry with her stellar film debut alongside Ayushmann Khurrana in Vicky Donor. Recently, she nailed the role of a secret investigative agent in Article 370. Today, Yami is among the top Indian Bollywood actresses for her talent and beauty, which easily keep her on the list of Best/Top 30 actresses.
Bhumi Pednekar
Bhumi embarked on her career with YRF’s romantic comedy drama film Dum Laga Ke Haisha after working as a casting director for the same production company. She gained immense fame for her headstrong characters, including prestigious awards for her acting chops.
Bhumi is also one of the most eligible bachelors in the industry and enthusiastically takes part in environmental projects for the well-being of the nation.
Lara Dutta
Former Miss Universe Lara Dutta made her Bolly debut three years after winning the coveted beauty title in 2003. Her first ever role with another newcomer, Priyanka Chopra, made quite a chatter because the leads hail from beauty pageants and entered the cinema industry simultaneously. The stunning duo were cast opposite Akshay Kumar, and their film Andaaz has been a classic Bollywood hit till now. Lara made her OTT debut with Disney+Hotstar’s series Hundred, where she aced a female cop role, and is now gearing up for Ranneeti: Balakot & Beyond on JioCinema.
Karisma Kapoor
Karisma is probably one of the best Bollywood actresses who has had an iconic presence in the cinema industry for multiple generations. Talk about millennials or Gen Zs—Karisma has her magical influence on every generation of youngsters. She recently made her OTT debut with Netflix’s mystery film Murder Mubarak, alongside a star-studded cast. Karisma is often seen hanging out with her sister, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and her girl squad. After facing some personal crises with her unhappy marriage, Karisma is back in the glamour industry, and we are literally happy!
Manisha Koirala
Manisha Koirala's awaited return with Sanjay Leela Bhansal’s Heeramandi web series is making quite a chatter for her impeccable performance. Her solid character as the courtesan queen Mallikajaan has been making waves ever since Heeramandi premiered on Netflix last week. Apart from her web series, the iconic actress is renowned for her breakthrough roles in several critically acclaimed movies like Dil Se, Mann, 1942: A Love Story, and many others. Manisha’s life was not always a bed of roses, as she dealt with a personal crisis in 2012 after being diagnosed with ovarian cancer, but she fought like a warrior and emerged victorious over the fatal disease with a grand comeback to the industry three years later. The rest is history, as she continues to woo viewers with her splendid acting chops.
Preity Zinta
Her dimple smile still sweeps millions of hearts and charms easily into their lives. Preity Zinta is as pretty as her name, and although she has left the Indian film industry and is now settled abroad, Preity still woos millions with her charismatic personality. Known widely for her epic movies like Veer Zara, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Koi... Mil Gaya and several other prominent films. Apart from her impressive filmography, Preity Zinta is renowned for her bold and honest personality, who doesn't shy away from speaking her heart out. A social activist, television presenter, and co-owner of the Indian Premier League cricket team Punjab Kings – Preity aces all the roles.
Aditi Rao Hydari
One of Bollywood's most beautiful and talented actresses is Aditi Rao Hydari, whose charming physical features and charismatic voice never fail to impress viewers. This 37-year-old actress works predominantly in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu cinema. Apart from her top-notch acting craft, she is also a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She is all set to break records with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnus opus Heeramandi, which is slated to release on Netflix (May 1). For more such news stories on top Bollywood actors and actresses, keep up with OTTplay!
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