Deepika Padukone: After pursuing a successful career in modeling, Padukone branched out into acting. She started by starring in the music video for the song Naam Hai Tera from the independent pop album Aap Kaa Surroor by Himesh Reshammiya. In 2006, Padukone made her cinematic debut in the Kannada film, Aishwarya staring opposite actor Upendra. She later made a successful Bollywood debut in 2007 with Farah Khan’s Om Shanti Om opposite Shahrukh Khan. The film went on to become the biggest hit of the year, both in India and abroad.

Katrina Kaif: At the age of 14, Kaif started modeling for a jewellery campaign in London, and was subsequently discovered by filmmaker Kaizad Gustad, who gave her a part in his film Boom (2003). She moved to Mumbai and was offered a number of modelling assignments. However, filmmakers were at first hesitant to sign her because of her linguistic shortcomings.

Priyanka Chopra: After winning the Miss World title, Chopra became an actress. She made her debut in the 2002 Tamil film Thamizhan alongside Vijay, in which she also sung playback, before moving on to Bollywood. In 2003, her first Bollywood film, The Hero: Love Story of a Spy released and won her good reviews. Despite being given a below average status, the film went on to become one of the highest grossing films of that year. Her next film, Andaaz opposite Akshay Kumar was a success, earning her a Filmfare Best Female Debut Award and a nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.

Mallika Sherwat: Sherawat’s birth name is Reema Lamba; she says that she adopted the screen name of “Mallika”, meaning “empress” to avoid confusion with other actresses named Reema. “Sherawat” is her mother’s maiden name. She has stated that she uses her mother’s maiden name because of all the support her mother has provided for her. She has obtained a degree in Indian philosophy from Miranda House, Delhi University.

Kareeena Kapoor: Born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India into the Kapoor film family of Punjabi origin, Kapoor is the youngest daughter of actors Randhir Kapoor and Babita. According to Kapoor, her first name was derived from the book Anna Karenina. She is the granddaughter of actor and filmmaker Raj Kapoor and the great granddaughter of Prithviraj Kapoor. Bebo, as she is fondly called, is also the sister of actress Karisma Kapoor and the niece of actor Rishi Kapoor.

Bipasha Basu: Basu was born in New Delhi, India, into a Bengali family. She is the second of three daughters to her parents, the elder being Bidisha, and the younger—Vijayeta. Although she was born in New Delhi, her family later moved to Kolkata. According to her, she had come into modelling and acting quite by accident, because initially she had planned to study medicine.
