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From Madhuri Dixit to Sushmita Sen, 90s Bollywood actresses who made a stellar comeback on OTT platforms

Updated On: 10 July, 2023 06:55 PM IST | Harshita Kale

Ageism and trolling is not uncommon in the Indian cinematic landscape, where several roles demand an ideal kind of body and appearance for a specific kind of audience. However, the growth of OTT platforms and focus on ‘content’ rather than the stars have allowed for several veteran actresses to make a comeback and given them a new lease of life. Here are some 90s Bollywood actresses who have aced their second innings on OTT platforms (All Photos/Stills)

Madhuri Dixit in 'The Fame Game' (L) and Sushmita Sen in 'Aarya' (R)

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Madhuri Dixit in 'The Fame Game' (L) and Sushmita Sen in 'Aarya' (R)
Esha Deol in Rudra: The Edge of Darkness
Disney+ Hotstar welcomed ’90s star Esha Deol back on-screen in crime thriller Rudra: The Edge of Darkness. The series was the digital debut of the actress

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Esha Deol in Rudra: The Edge of Darkness

Disney+ Hotstar welcomed ’90s star Esha Deol back on-screen in crime thriller Rudra: The Edge of Darkness. The series was the digital debut of the actress

The actress donned a completely avatar and starred alongside Ajay Devgn, who plays the cop character of Rudra.  Deol’s character aids Rudra in uncover criminal psyches and agendas

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The actress donned a completely avatar and starred alongside Ajay Devgn, who plays the cop character of Rudra.  Deol’s character aids Rudra in uncover criminal psyches and agendas

Madhuri Dixit in The Fame Game
Madhuri Dixit made her OTT debut with Netflix’s The Fame Game. The series explores the life of Anamika Anand (Dixit), a superstar actress who vanishes after an award show. The subsequent investigation leads to an uncovering of uncertainty, lies and guarded secrets

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Madhuri Dixit in The Fame Game

Madhuri Dixit made her OTT debut with Netflix’s The Fame Game. The series explores the life of Anamika Anand (Dixit), a superstar actress who vanishes after an award show. The subsequent investigation leads to an uncovering of uncertainty, lies and guarded secrets

Madhuri perfectly carries off the role of a veteran Bollywood actress whose personal life and struggles are shrouded behind a veil of glamour. The show moves back and forth in time and we watch Dixit unravel in the most mysteriously graceful way possible

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Madhuri perfectly carries off the role of a veteran Bollywood actress whose personal life and struggles are shrouded behind a veil of glamour. The show moves back and forth in time and we watch Dixit unravel in the most mysteriously graceful way possible

Raveena Tandon in Aranyak
Raveena Tandon portrayed the role of a cop named Kasturi Dogra in Aranyak. In the movie, her character embarks on a mission to revive a forgotten myth about a serial killer who operates in a dense forest

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Raveena Tandon in Aranyak

Raveena Tandon portrayed the role of a cop named Kasturi Dogra in Aranyak. In the movie, her character embarks on a mission to revive a forgotten myth about a serial killer who operates in a dense forest

In this intense and action-oriented role, Raveena plays a dangerous balancing act between her familial and professional duties – and keeps audiences on the edge!

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In this intense and action-oriented role, Raveena plays a dangerous balancing act between her familial and professional duties – and keeps audiences on the edge!

Lara Dutta in Hundred
Lara Dutta took a break for some time after becoming a mother. She made her comeback with the comedy series, Hundred and played the role of a female cop who is racing against time

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Lara Dutta in Hundred

Lara Dutta took a break for some time after becoming a mother. She made her comeback with the comedy series, Hundred and played the role of a female cop who is racing against time

She sets out to solve crimes with a new undercover agent in tow and takes the viewers along on an exciting and funny rollercoaster ride

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She sets out to solve crimes with a new undercover agent in tow and takes the viewers along on an exciting and funny rollercoaster ride

Padmini Kolhapure in Dil Bekaraar
Veteran actor Padmini Kolhapure marked her digital debut with Dil Bekarar. The show is set in 1980s India. Kolhapure plays a middle-aged gossip-loving socialite (sounds familiar, fellow Indians?) who gorges on paan, plays ping-pong, and is forever suspicious of her what her husband is up to

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Padmini Kolhapure in Dil Bekaraar

Veteran actor Padmini Kolhapure marked her digital debut with Dil Bekarar. The show is set in 1980s India. Kolhapure plays a middle-aged gossip-loving socialite (sounds familiar, fellow Indians?) who gorges on paan, plays ping-pong, and is forever suspicious of her what her husband is up to

Poonam Dhillon in Dil Bekaraar
Poonam perfectly played the role of a mother in this web series. She opened up about how OTT has created opportunities and more versatile roles for artists, irrespective of age. “With OTT, though, things are definitely opening up. Now we have roles and characters which are specially made for women and men in their forties, fifties, sixties and eighties. I can see the change happening,” Outlook reported

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Poonam Dhillon in Dil Bekaraar

Poonam perfectly played the role of a mother in this web series. She opened up about how OTT has created opportunities and more versatile roles for artists, irrespective of age. “With OTT, though, things are definitely opening up. Now we have roles and characters which are specially made for women and men in their forties, fifties, sixties and eighties. I can see the change happening,” Outlook reported

Pooja Bhatt in Bombay Begums
In Bombay Begums, Pooja Bhatt is the CEO of a private bank and goes to great lengths to problems under the carpet, often through serious and illegal means

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Pooja Bhatt in Bombay Begums

In Bombay Begums, Pooja Bhatt is the CEO of a private bank and goes to great lengths to problems under the carpet, often through serious and illegal means

The series was woman-centric and also featured other actresses like Amruta Subhash within a setting of corporate Mumbai. It is refreshing for to see senior actresses like Bhatt transgress boundaries of middle-class respectability and ideals of female modesty on-screen

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The series was woman-centric and also featured other actresses like Amruta Subhash within a setting of corporate Mumbai. It is refreshing for to see senior actresses like Bhatt transgress boundaries of middle-class respectability and ideals of female modesty on-screen

Kajol in Tribhanga 
Kajol featured in Tribhanga, playing the role of an unconventional mother learning to become a parent and trying hard to make amends. Although the movie did not do well at the box office, Kajol’s performance garnered appreciation and acclaim

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Kajol in Tribhanga

Kajol featured in Tribhanga, playing the role of an unconventional mother learning to become a parent and trying hard to make amends. Although the movie did not do well at the box office, Kajol’s performance garnered appreciation and acclaim

Kajol in The Trial: Pyaar, Kanoon aur Dhokha
Kajol also has another OTT release in her kitty. She will star in 'The Trial,' the Indian adaptation of hit American courtroom drama 'The Good Wife.' Kajol will essay the role of a housewife, who goes back to working as a lawyer after her husband's scandal lands him in jail

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Kajol in The Trial: Pyaar, Kanoon aur Dhokha

Kajol also has another OTT release in her kitty. She will star in 'The Trial,' the Indian adaptation of hit American courtroom drama 'The Good Wife.' Kajol will essay the role of a housewife, who goes back to working as a lawyer after her husband's scandal lands him in jail

Shefali Shah in Delhi Crime
Shefali Shah was completely committed to her character as a police officer in International Emmy Award-winning show Delhi Crime

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Shefali Shah in Delhi Crime

Shefali Shah was completely committed to her character as a police officer in International Emmy Award-winning show Delhi Crime

In an interview with Vogue, Shah shared how she had spent hours familiarizing herself with technical and legal procedures and terms and police lingo. “I normally work from my heart, but this time I had to use my head as well to deliver the information with the skill of playing a professional cop,” she said

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In an interview with Vogue, Shah shared how she had spent hours familiarizing herself with technical and legal procedures and terms and police lingo. “I normally work from my heart, but this time I had to use my head as well to deliver the information with the skill of playing a professional cop,” she said

Mini Mathur in Mind The Malhotras
Former fellow VJs Mini Mathur and Cyrus Sahukar come together in Mind the Malhotras. The Amazon Prime show was an adaptation of Israeli sitcom La Famiglia. In an interview with Telegraph India, Mini shared how she never really fit into the big-screen space and hence loved being part of this slightly dysfunctional, slightly imperfect but wholesome family

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“I’ve never been drawn to fiction on TV, I’ve never felt part of it. I don’t fit into the kitchen politics situations or the goddess and naagin zone. The moment the web world opened up, I began to see spaces open up for all kinds of actors and all kinds of roles and genres,” she said

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“I’ve never been drawn to fiction on TV, I’ve never felt part of it. I don’t fit into the kitchen politics situations or the goddess and naagin zone. The moment the web world opened up, I began to see spaces open up for all kinds of actors and all kinds of roles and genres,” she said

Tabu in Khufiya
Veteran actress Tabu known for her spectacular roles in crime films like Drishyam and Andha Dhun plays an operative of the R&AW in Khufiya. She is assigned a mission to track down a mole who is selling defense secrets

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Tabu in Khufiya

Veteran actress Tabu known for her spectacular roles in crime films like Drishyam and Andha Dhun plays an operative of the R&AW in Khufiya. She is assigned a mission to track down a mole who is selling defense secrets

Simultaneously, she teeters on the dual life of being a spy and a lover. The fact that Vishal Bhardwaj switched the gender of the protagonist (the lead character was male in Amar Bhushan’s novel ‘Escape To Nowhere’) makes it all the more exciting for us!

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Simultaneously, she teeters on the dual life of being a spy and a lover. The fact that Vishal Bhardwaj switched the gender of the protagonist (the lead character was male in Amar Bhushan’s novel ‘Escape To Nowhere’) makes it all the more exciting for us!

Sushmita Sen in Aarya
In Aarya, Sushmita Sen plays the protagonist in a story about crime, murder and misdemeanour, but the show highlights what it means to love and protect one’s family from danger

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Sushmita Sen in Aarya

In Aarya, Sushmita Sen plays the protagonist in a story about crime, murder and misdemeanour, but the show highlights what it means to love and protect one’s family from danger

The show saw the actress take on the fierce job of fighting against the odds to save her family from her husband’s murderers

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The show saw the actress take on the fierce job of fighting against the odds to save her family from her husband’s murderers

Photo of Day

Global AI leaders join PM Modi in a bid to push for a smarter, inclusive future

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PM Narendra Modi joins hands with Google CEO Sundar Pichai, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and others during the India AI Impact Summit 2026, in New Delhi. PIC/PTI

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