Remember in the mid-90’s when suddenly it seemed that India was in the fast lane? Out of nowhere emerged a group of sexy sirens on television screens, who bombarded the audiences with their poise and wit. Where have those girls gone?That brand of smart, independent women packed more than a pretty face and sweet talk into their punch. They were feisty, free and embodied femininity in their own unique ways.
1) Meghna Reddy: Anchor/Model/Maverick
Meghna Reddy, the sister of model Sushma and Sameera Reddy, is a firecracker. She was equipped with a bundle of energy,and the sensuality to melt your television screen. She is known for her time on the hit tv show Mangta Hai, where she took viewer requests through calls, e-mails and snail mail. She took charge of the show, adding her own brand of free-spirited nature and chirpy body language. There was never a moment where Meghna stood still.
Remember the one episode, where a letter pleaded her to enact Pam Anderson from Baywatch, and she did it! Dressed in a red swimsuit, she staged a comical, yet adorable sketch of being a ‘Baywatch’bimbo’. Watch her chat with Shekhar Suman as he creepily flirts with her, but she doesn’t care. He can try all he wants…
Reddy pushed the envelope further by moving to New York, and hit the jackpot. At New York Fashion Week Hollywood A-lister Julianne More took a liking to her. She is now happily married and divides her time between India and Athens. She, along with her husband, own a family estate in the Greek island of Antiparos. Too bad she’s not on our screens anymore, but you go girl! Hopefully your presence in India will be replaced by an equally spunky girl that audiences will come to admire, as you were (and still are remembered fondly).
2) Laila Rouass: Anchor/Actor/Vixen
Laila Rouass is no ordinary sexy chick. The British actress, who is part Moroccan and part Indian, spent a lot of time working in India to build a name for herself. She added her sexy Brit swagger to a TV show involving blind dates and almost-racy moments. With solid body language, and her crisp Brit-accent, Laila charmed her way up the rankings. Catch an episode of her current show, Close-up Close Encounters on Channel [v].
Laila Rouass is now a proud mama, and lives in London working as an actress. She has a good number of films and TV shows under her belt, including Dev Benegal‘s Split Wide Open with Rahul Bose. She is a regular face on British television and is still as sexy as we remember her to be. Even on twitter, her updates are candid and the twit-pics are fun!
3) Sophiya Haque: Singer/Actress/Sorceress
Sophiya Haque was one sexy siren among the TV presenters in her time. Another Channel [v] anchor, along with Meghna and Laila, she had her own exotic charm. She presented her show, Sophiya’s Choice with a sultry style. She’s done a few film appearances, and if you missed her in Salman Khan‘s song from Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega, here’s the video.
Since her Channel [v] days, Sophiya has done a few short appearances in various films and TV shows. Her best known cameo was in the film Wanted, which starred, Angelina Jolie. We hope to see more of this mystical beauty on our screens soon.
4) Asha Gill: Anchor & Girl-Next-Door
Asha Gill is another Channel [v] veteran, and has a fan following stretching from Malaysia to Bahrain. She’s half-Indian, half British with some French heritage on her mom’s side as well. Asha combines her sense of humour and girl-next-door appeal with beautiful broad shoulders… a total package. She did a boutique video for watch brand Tag Heuer, a couple of years ago, which became popular in Switzerland.
Asha was also on the cover of the Malaysian Bazaar for their special breast cancer issue. These days, one can catch her on Lonely Planet‘s show Six Degrees. Be sure the check it out if you want a dose of her candid, goofy charm.
5) Kamal Sidhu: Model/Anchor/Super-cool
Last but not the least on this list of sexy, strong women is Kamal Sidhu. This Sikh girl has it all with a beautiful face, banging body, voluminous curly locks, and husky voice. But on top of that, she stands apart from the other desi-videsi girls due to her strong diction and her wit. Her resume includes a film with Jackie Shroff, and hosting a racy adult talk show. The show was bold and progressive for the Indian audience, but it came together well due to Kamal’s poise and control of the English language.
In recent times, Kamal has done racy shoots for Vogue with supermodel Lakshmi Menon, and for Maxim. She was a judge on Channel [v]’s Get Gorgeous, and is a popular host for corporate events across the country. Did you catch her as host with Kabir Bedi for the Blackberry Porsche Design launch?
So there you go, these were India’s most wanted women anchors in the 90’s. Today we mostly have women in “sexy” garments & blow-dried hair with tele-prompters, all looking like clones of each other.
A salute to all women living their lives on their terms, and giving us something to talk about!