B-Town debutantes are getting older, giving their young competition a run for their money.
Gone are the days when aspiring actresses tried every trick in the book to mask their real age.
Let's take a look at some of the hottest heroines at 30 plus.
It seems 30 plus is the new 18!
Back in the old days, actresses like Mandakini and Dimple Kapadia debuted in their early teens. Yes, Bollywood used to like them young.
Now, however, actresses well beyond 30 are setting the screen on fire. We take a look at those precious few who disregard the wrinkles and take a step forward.
Name: Barbara Mori
Age: 33
Bollywood Debut: Kites
Kites may have given her little reason to fly high, but that doesn't take away from the fact that this Spanish beauty was gutsy enough to kick-start her Bollywood career at a much later stage in life.
She started her acting career with a Spanish television series when she was in her early 20s. And though Kites did not really take off at the box-office, we can't say we don't want to see more of Mori.
Name: Nargis Fakhri
Age: 31
Bollywood Debut: Rockstar
This half Czech-half Pakistani model started off with the popular television series America's Next Top Model in 2004.
It took her a good five years before she was featured in the Kingfisher calendar, but now Nargis is undoubtedly one of the most-talked about new faces in the industry, even without a single release.
Her evenings out with Ranbir Kapoor are discussed a lot more than her potential as an actor. But if she does manage to match up to rockstar Ranbir in the film, we guess she'll be here to stay.
Name: Monica Dogra
Age: 30
Bollywood Debut: Dhobi Ghat
Dhobhi Ghat was almost a whole new phase in the career of singer Monica Dogra, who had already created quite a mark for herself as a musician with her band Shaa'ir and Func (established six years ago).
Apparently, it was her voice and her individualistic style that got her the film. Her role as an NRI photographer not only suited her to the T, but also distinguished her from the usual crop of starlets.
Name: Poorna Jagannathan
Age: 38
Bollywood Debut: Delhi Belly
Already an established film and television actress in America since the last seven years, it was Poorna's turn as a sexy journalist in Delhi Belly that got more men to stand up and take note than any recent debutant in B-Town.
Her bohemian looks and self-sufficient attitude not only separated her from the rest, but also portrayed her as someone who can handle 'grown-up' roles with style and sensibility.
Name: Mahie Gill
Age: 30
Bollywood Debut: Dev. D
Her profile on the Internet may say otherwise, but Mahi had well crossed her 30s when she made a very impressive debut in Anurag Kashyap's Dev. D.
She started off with theatre and a few Punjabi films, before landing the role of the very lovely Paro. She continues to make choices that differentiate her from the rest, like her upcoming film Not A Love Story with Deepak Dobriyal.
Name: Sridevi
Age: 48
Bollywood Comeback: English Vinglish
She might have made her debut way back in 1975 with Julie, but Bollywood's reigning queen of histrionics is back with Gauri Shinde's English Vinglish.
At the prime age of 48 (though she looks not a day older than than 30), this is quite a bold move. We wish her best of luck for her second innings.
Name: Madhuri Dixit
Age: 44
Bollywood Comeback: Aaja Nachle
She ruled the box office and the hearts of millions for more than a decade. Her thousand-watt smile, her magnetic dances and her electrifying screen presence combined to make her one of the most perfect actresses to grace the silver screen.
She retired indefinitely after 2002's Devdas and returned five years later in the dance-oriented flick Aaja Nachle. The film earned a lukewarm response at the box office but Madhuri herself was showered with praise.
Rumours around her second comeback have been floating for a while now, but until and unless she signs on the dotted line, we can only hold our collective breaths.
