Flashback Fridays: Mumtaz

Mumtaz was the bubbly girl-next-door Bollywood starlet who stole the hearts of Indians everywhere in the 60s. She was one of the less controversial ones; she started as an extra and worked her way into Bollywood where she did over 100 films in just 12 yrs. She then retired and had two daughters. But her round  face and wholesome beauty is still unmatched onscreen. She was my mum's favorite actress and a beauty inspiration for me (her hair was always perfectly lifted!). I dedicate this post to my mum... taz.

Mumtaz now with her daughters.

BBA Flashback Friday: Bob Mackie Fall 2001

Bob Mackie is an American fashion designer who is known for his entertainment clients like Cher and Tina Turner. Clearly inspired by India's embroidery and beading techniques, this 2001 collection at New York Fashion Week paid homage to the motherland. 

BBA Flashback Fridays: Reena Roy

Reena was one of the top actresses in the 70s and 80s, and had a number of hits opposite Shatrughan Sinha, Sunil Dutt, and Jeetendra. In fact, Reena and Shatrughan had a 7 year affair while he was married. The openness of the affair has only fueled rumors about Shatrughan's daughter, Sonakshi's, biological mother. Sonakshi looks so much like Reena Roy that I sometimes wonder how much of it is true.  Both are simply magnetic. In her prime, Reena had the rare quality of overshadowing her co-stars. In 1982, at the height of her career, she quit to get married and settle down. Today, she is 55 and lives in India.

Reena & Sonakshi 

What do you think? Art vs Life?! Comment below.

Friday Flashback: Nargis at MOMA

In honor of the Raj Kapoor tribute playing at MOMA next month, I wanted to post some pictures of his leading lady Nargis. Although Raj Kapoor was married, everyone knew of his fixation with Nargis and so began one of Bollywood's most romantic and forbidden love affairs. Nargis starred in 16 films opposite Raj Kapoor, before leaving the industry to marry Sunil Dutt. The mother of actor Sunjay Dutt, Nargis was diagnosed with cancer and treated in New York but sadly passed away in 1981 at age 51.  If you ask me, her elegance is still unmatched in Indian cinema today.

Raj Kapoor's grandson Ranbir Kapoor recreates a famous Bollywood moment (above) and coincidentally her name is Nargis too. Hmmmm....

BBA Flashback Friday: Yasmeen Ghauri

I have so many people (mostly yesteryear Bollywood stars) I would like to feature for Flashback Fridays but this week the Yasmeen Ghauri fan club on Facebook posted a bunch of amazing pics of the South Asian Canadian supermodel who took over the fashion world in the early 90s. I'm such a big fan that I figured perhaps I should dedicate this week to the woman who made Brown fabulous for fashion houses like Versace and Hermes. Below are her Vogue covers but you can head over to Facebook to check out more runway pics on Yasmeen. And make you sure you tell your friends about where you heard it first ---> BBA!

BBA Flashback Fridays: Vogue, 1956