Urmila Matondkar owned the screens as a sultry siren in the 90s. And she owns up her “biggest sex symbol of the 90s” tag. After her stint as a child artiste, Urmila graduated into playing leading ladies. Movies like Narsimha, Chamatkar and Aa Gale Lag Jaa followed, until Rangeela happened in 1995, that not just turned the tables for her, but also the Bollywood landscape in terms of glamour and grace.
Urmila believes she not just kicked off a trend of how heroines were shown on the big screen, she also left her contemporaries imitating her style. Urmila had previously told Zoom, “You are talking about the biggest sex symbol of the 90s.”
Actresses were obsessed with Urmila’s style
This was the time when other actresses were “obsessed” with her style. “Even with no botox, people were so struck with my pout for 10 years, that every other actress was imitating it,” she recalled.
Urmila is not wrong. She not only changed the way actresses were presented in films, she kept evolving her style. Even in a movie like Kaun that had space and costume constraint, the 51-year-old kept her screen presence to the highest degree.
Urmila’s range in films and glamour
Daud, Jaanam Samjha Karo, Mast, Dillagi, Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya and many more movies followed that built upon her sexiness. But that doesn’t mean her oomph took over her acting chops. Urmila is still a benchmark in physchological thrillers. While Satya showed her graceful, deglam side, Khoobsurat showed her as a girl who struggled to accept her glamorous side. Bhoot and Jungle proved why she even ruled the supernatural and horror genre.
Acknowledging that the cinema landscape in terms of style and presentation changed over the years, she feels proud of having carried all kinds of characters. “For five years everyone was talking about Rangeela. I inspired filmmakers whenever they had to show their heroines sexy and desirable,” Urmila said.
From Rangeela to Satya
Sharing a memory, Urmila had revealed that once, a very big director showed her scenes to actresses to teach them how to look graceful in a saree. Infact, there was a time when author Shobha De questioned her unconventional roles in films including Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara and Judaai. “She said why Satya? Anybody can do a Satya, but not everyone can do a Rangeela,” Urmila remembered De telling her.
De’s concern was Urmila is trying to break her strong sexy image, when other actresses were making a “sad lusturless try to look glamorous” in the same manner. Urmila took some time to understand De’ words. But by then, she had proved why she can pull off any and every kind of role, be it stealing glances from behind the curtains or running on a beach in a while long vest!

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