Nora Fatehi brought back the craze of belly dance back to Bollywood films. Lately, she has become an epitome of flawless belly dance moves with her dance number Dilbar in John Abraham Satyameva Jayate and O Saki Saki in upcoming Batla House. However, before her, a couple of Bollywood actress flaunted their belly dance moves on the screen and each one of them tried their level best to nail the art.
Dance numbers and songs are novelty items of Bollywood films. Songs and dance have been an integral part of Hindi movies. We have to admit that even we love listening to good Bollywood songs. When it comes to dance numbers, none of the dance forms can beat the grace and boldness of belly dance.
For unversed, Belly dance also known as Arabic dance originated in Eygpt. You will be surprised to know that during the Ottoman Empire, this dance form was performed by both boys and women at the palace.
So, let's have a look at the Bollywood actresses who impressed us with their belly dance moves:
HELEN BELLY DANCE
This was probably the first time when mainstream Hindi cinema audience got to enjoy belly dancing in all its glory. It was performed by Cabaret queen Helen in song Mehbooba Mehbooba for iconic film Sholay which released in 1975. Not only the film acquired cult classic status but even this song went on to become a huge hit. Till now, Mehboob Mehbooba makes the audience groove to its beat. Choreographed by PL Raj and sung and composed by R.D. Burman, the lyrics of this song was penned by Anand Bakshi.
However, it was Helen's flawless and energetic dance that grabbed eyeballs besides its catching music.
MALLIKA SHERAWAT BELLY DANCE
One of the boldest actresses of her time, Mallika Sherawat is still very fresh in the minds of her fans. The credit does not just go to her movie choices such as Murder and Khwaish but also to her sizzling dance number Mayya Mayya from Mani Ratnam's Guru. The film which released in 2007 featured Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in lead roles. Their performance was loved by moviegoers, however, at the same time, Mallika's dance moves also grabbed attention. Choreographer Brinda made sure that Mallika's move stayed true to the original dance form.
RANI MUKERJI BELLY DANCE
Though Rani Mukerji's Aiyyaa tanked at the box office, her dance moves in the song Aga Bai is unforgettable. It was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the film. Besides the sensual dance moves, the catchy lyrics make Aga Bai worth-watching. This was the first time Rani Mukerji tried her hand in belly dancing. Aga Bai was crooned by Monali Thakur and Shalmali Kholgade.
KATRINA KAIF BELLY DANCE
When it comes to flawless dancing, no one can beat Katrina Kaif. The actress has carved a niche for herself in Bollywood. From Chikni Chameli, Sheila Ki Jawani to Kamli and Husn Parcham, Katrina has a long list of hit item numbers. However, Mashallah song in Salman Khan starrer Ek Tha Tiger is different from all her songs because of Katrina's belly dance moves. Reportedly, the actress was shooting on the borders of Iraq and Turkey when she decided to learn the dance form. We have to say she completely owned the screen in the dance number.
DEEPIKA PADUKONE BELLY DANCE
Bollywood's reigning queen Deepika Padukone tried her hand at belly dancing in Lovely song from the film Happy New Year. Deepika sizzled in the shimmery outfits in the dance number. Besides her gorgeous avatar, it was her pitch-perfect belly dance moves that left her fans craving for more. Happy New Year starring Shah Rukh Khan was directed by Farah Khan. The movie which released in 2014 was a blockbuster.
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