The Curious Case of a Bollywood Beauty

Khushboo, a Muslim actress turned atheist, is deified & worshipped. What does this say about our obsession with stardom?

Nakhat Khan grew up in a conservative Muslim household in Bombay. In the late seventies, her mother’s friend, a film producer, asked if she would let Nakhat play a small part in his film as a child artist. Her mom, a devout Muslim, reluctantly agreed to let her act.

A one-film endeavour continued into long innings. Nakhat saw early success as a child artist, receiving accolades for her role as a twelve-year-old stricken with cancer. Encouraged, she dropped out of school and carried on with acting. But sadly, there were few takers for the grown-up girl in Bollywood, the hub of Hindi cinema. But the young struggling actress wouldn’t have dreamt, even in her wildest dreams, of what was to come.

Thirty years on, Nakhat’s destiny has dramatically changed. She moved from Bombay to Madras to work in South Indian films where she gained cult status. Known by her screen name Khushboo, she has millions of fans and is now a famous film star with over a hundred films to her credit. She continues to host game shows on TV, and produces Tamil serials and movies.

Khushboo, meaning fragrance, sizzled the silver screen. She became a heartthrob, titillating millions of fans with her voluptuous curves and buxom beauty. Her male fans leered, jeered, ogled and drooled at her celluloid avatar. Some fans, inspired by her well-rounded bosom and bottom, created a brand of hot steaming idlis (round, soft and fluffy steam cooked rice dumplings) called Khushboo Idli.



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